SAMSARA Summary of Points

Metaphor – ‘the ocean of suffering’ which is fraught with dangers of all kinds. Literally means ‘wandering on’ – process that is long and aimless. World of suffering and death from which it is hoped that a person might eventually escape. Cycle of re-birth State of dependant origination –way in which one thing arises because of another (cause & effect) What is samsara?

Dependent Origination (12 Nidanas) – starting with ignorance, shows the chain of cause and effect which ties us to the wheel of samsara Re-birth depends on previous karma Links all beings in a web of existence Flow of ever changing consciousness –Re-birth or re-becoming is a constant process of change. What a person will be later, develops out of what he or she has been before. Aim to live life in such a way as to secure better Samsaric rebirth and get closer to escaping samsara.

We are caught up in a cycle of life, death, rebirth Depicted by the Tibetan Wheel of Life We are tied into the cycle of constant rebirth because of the Three Root Poisons – hatred, greed and ignorance (centre or hub of the Wheel) Result of Kamma means we can ‘move up’ or ‘move down’ the six realms of re-birth Six Realms of rebirth – can be seen as real or states of mind

AE example questions Is samsara an accurate concept? Does it portray the human condition well/successfully? Does it bring benefits or difficulties?

Positive/benefits etc. Actions have consequences! We know this is true. Acceptance and positive action can make us better people. We are all building our own personal heaven or hell – here and now or in the future. Which is preferable? (Link to Kamma) Desire to escape samsara can spur Buddhists on to live better lives – the Dhamma offers a way out: follow the Eightfold Path, Five Precepts, gain good Kamma.

The Chain of Dependent Origination can be broken – get rid of hatred, greed and ignorance! The illusion or ignorance of permanent self leads to craving (tanha) and selfish attachment to things and people, and so also to suffering – accepting it brings release from craving and so also from suffering, and so can be free from samsaric rebirth and gain enlightenment- Nirvana. Getting rid of selfishness is a good thing – no- one likes selfish people. Would be happier as selfishness leads to suffering.

Better samsaric rebirth is a good intermediate goal for Buddhists (rebirth as a human – preferably as a monk!) as it is easier to achieve than Nirvana. Snake &rope analogy works on one level- the need to see things for what they really are as it illuminates worry, stress and anxiety i.e dukkha

Negative/difficulties Difficult to be reborn as a human –blind turtle analogy (see below)! What’s the point of being good? Why aim for better samsaric rebirth if ‘I’ will not benefit from it! (No self?) Negative idea of constant rebirth into a world of suffering is very depressing, lacking hope and purpose in life.

Mahayana idea – ‘Nirvana is seeing Samsara for what it really is = empty’ – difficult to accept as snake & rope analogy only works so far – agree immediate relief is felt when realisation that snake is only a rope, however it is much more difficult to gain relief from samsara when you are not aware that there is an alternative and some say it takes a neon of life times, other say impossible to gain Nirvana!

BLIND TURTLE ANALOGY

The Buddha referred to six realms of existence - the hells, the ghost world, the world of jealous gods, the animal realm, the human realm and the heavens. None are seen as permanent. In this chilling analogy of the blind turtle the Buddha suggests that escaping from one of the hells in to the human realm would take a very long time. According to the scriptures, the chances of this happening are as likely as a blind turtle surfacing on the ocean once every one hundred years and poking its head through a floating ring! The Buddha explains that this is because opportunities for moral and spiritual development are virtually non-existent in the hells and therefore it is very difficult to create good karma.

SNAKE & ROPE ANALOGY

What is in the Shed? When you enter a shed in darkness do you see a rope or a snake? In darkness - we confuse the rope with a snake and react as such with all the usual irrational fears. In ignorance we cannot see things for what they really are because in our present state we are in Samsara and react as such with greed, hatred & ignorance. By throwing light on the object (meditation) what we have mistakenly believed to be the snake is in fact a rope.

It’s a Rope! Ignorance had superimposed a snake over the rope. When we see it is a rope our vision and perception is clear. When we realise the true reality of things is emptiness (sunyata) we achieve Nirvana. The point is the rope was never a snake – only the perception changed as it was always a rope! Nirvana is not samsara only the perception from ignorance to enlightenment changes- therefore samsara is Nirvana with the veil of ignorance removed.