tubeofpassion (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

The rebirth is ‎like when a candle is lit with another candle. The new flame (that of the second candle) is not same as the original flame (of the first candle). More deeply no two moments of flame are identical even in one particular candle. We can't call 'this flame' or 'that flame' if *something* is ever changing ? Therefore the term *something* only valids to the present moment. Thanks for the videos. They are informative.

BrianRuhe (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

You're right wadok1942, We survive at the expense of other beings, even vegetarians. It doesn't seem fair that people should have bad karma just for surviving. The Buddha made it clear that there is no bad karma from eating, even eating meat. The Buddha wasn't a vegetarian and it's important that people not feel guilty about eating meat. There's no bad karma there at all.

wadok1942 (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

In fact, we do not eat without killing something. Every meal is taken at the expense of some other living organism. Therefore, if there is sin in eating flesh, there is sin in eating anything. Cabbage or cow, we go on at some living thing's expense.

BrianRuhe (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

Also, the system is not indifferent because people experience widely different results. I have conviction in the dhamma even tough I have not been to hell or heaven in this life. I believe the Buddha. But I also believe the evidence by Dr. Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia. Thanks for asking baze128. I have posted here on my site for a while. I'm back! Brian Ruhe

BrianRuhe (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

Hi baze128, The doctrine of no self is a separate teaching as we have no self in this lifetime right now. It means no permanent identity. There can be justice even if you don't remember the past because you experience the results of past actions that you don't remember. It shouldn't be indifferent to you if you will experience the good results of all the hard work you've done in this life. Why would you be indifferent to that?

baze128 (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

Certain ideas of Buddhism are quite clear and coherent but I'm not sure about rebirth. Since there is supposedly no self that survives death that would have a memory of past actions, is there even a point talking about justice? Such system seems quite indifferent to me. Plus, I have to ask: How can you make such bold claims with absolutely no support? Have you been to hell? Have you met devas? What makes you believe and talk about this stuff with such certainity?

Blue4PeaceACK (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

The actions rooted in conditioned mind (the judgments made on sensory stimuli based on the wrong notion of "self" - Atta) creates Kamma. The intensity of mind in doing that action (the Kamma) determines the speed at which it comes to fruition, the duration of the impact and the strength of the impact. that's how i understand. Stalin's killing was an action rooted in that conditioned mind. Please read about the tiger and the deer, the Brahmans and the goats from Dhammapada.

NewZealandMichael (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

I don't agree with that idea. That's like saying the Jews who were murdered in the holocaust had it coming to them because of negative past karma. You stated that karma is very difficult to understand because of all the contributing causes. I think it is a gross error to claim that "people could not be murdered if they did not create a karmic cause in the past." That sounds a lot like blaming the victim (i.e. they had it coming to them.)

BrianRuhe (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

Hi Prajna8, There is hope for the boy who died. His death in a way was accidental without the full negative karma of suicide but if it was suicide, that is the karma of killing a human being, which is bad. But his rebirth is dependent on his karma from his whole life, and past lives. If he was a good person all his life, he could still go on to a good rebirth after committing suicide, so there is hope for him, yes! Suicide is just one unwholesome act but he had many wholesome acts in his life.

BrianRuhe (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

Hi Supergopi, Stalin's karma was that he chose to kill 30 to 40 million people. The law of karma states that he is responsible for that and will feel the effects in hell, even though the people killed could not have been murdered if they did not create a karmic cause in the past. They experience this ripening but it does not absolve Stalin of responsibility. So this just goes around and around. We need to break the cycle of ignorance and aversion with the Buddha's noble eightfold path.