Buddhists, do you ever doubt the connection between karma and rebirth?

Question

I've been studying Buddhism, and the connection between karma and rebirth troubles me. I don't have a problem with karma by itself, as it makes sense to me that actions now affect how you experience yourself in the future. And I can seen the possibility of multiple rebirths as a real one, involving other possible universes that are distinct from this one.

The difficulty is connecting karmic causes in this universe, with effects in other, distinct universes. I don't have a good understanding of how that would work. I'm not sure the list of 12 links of dependent arising really gets at the heart of my question.

I guess I'm looking for an argument that shows a mechanism or a reason for the karmic causal chain to continue beyond the end of the physical human person part of the causal chain. Without it, it seems just as plausible that we realize all our human possibilities, both good and bad, in rebirth regardless of what our karma was in a previous birth.

Answer 1

The theory of karma and rebirth makes sense to me.



But "making sense" is NOT the same thing as knowing first-hand.

As Buddhists we make a commitment to observing and to valuing what we experience rather than blindly accepting other people's beliefs or comments.



Of course I doubt the connection. I have no first-hand knowledge.

But ... since working withing the framework of the concept of karma and rebirth does me GOOD, I accept that this is a good theory to work with. It makes he happier and kinder to do the practices of Buddhism.



I can't speak for anyone else, but when I myself look for answers about death, karma, rebirth ... I see that this is driven by a desire to pin things down, to find "ground under my feet", an attachment to feeling safe and secure because I know "how it is". I pay more attention looking at this attachment than I do at the question or answers.



Karma is often taught as an "imprint". That WE carry our karma within us, wherever we are. That everything we do sets imprints within us.



I am, however, not sure that anything continues beyond the end of this body. I live as if it does, but I won't know for myself until I die and there IS continuation. If I end at death, I will never know.

As Buddhists, we strive to live in the moment rather than in the past or future, so it doesn't matter much to me.

Answer 2

We souls come here to experience, learn and grow spiritually. Karma is just one form of learning a lesson by recieving a dose of your own medicine.





“There are seven planes through which we must pass before we are returned to earth. One of them is the plane of transition where it is determined what you will take back with you into the next life. We all have a dominant trait which might be greed, lust, jealousy, intolerance, etc. You have to fulfill your debts and overcome this trait in that lifetime.

If you don’t then you’ll have to carry that trait as well as another one into your next life. The burdens will become greater. With each life that you go through and you do not fulfill your debts, the next one will be harder. If you fulfill them, you will be given an easy life. So you choose what life you will have - you are responsible for the life you have. You choose it.”

Many Lives Many Masters - Dr Brian Weiss



“There is a difference between wrongdoing with no premeditated desire to hurt someone and intentional evil. The degrees of harm to others from mischief to malevolence are carefully evaluated. A guiding principle in the spirit world is that wrongdoing, intentional or unintentional, on the part of all souls will need to be redressed in some form in a future life. This is not considered punishment as much as an opportunity for karmic growth. THERE IS NO HELL for souls, except perhaps on Earth.”



Destiny of Souls - Michael Newton

Answer 3

Buddhism is just an offshoot of Hinduism and this concept is first fully explained and understood in Sanatana Dharma(Hinduism). So also try reading it. There is a great 5 lecture series on Reincarnation by Swami Abhedananda. Try reading them to get some good idea.



http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/8rinc10h.htm



This gives a better idea. Also if possible talk to some senior hindu monks of Ramakrishna Order. They can guide you in understanding things better. To tell you rankly, Advaita is the only solution that is there out for all the philosophical answers and truths one wants to explore. Buddhists(not Buddha) missed the main point. Only Advaita is the way.

Answer 4

Yes its not easy, and that's why we experience samsara. But the Buddha asked his devotees to "hedge their bets" because the good fruits are not just witnessed in the next life but in this life too.



So where is the beginning and end of the physical person? In Buddhism it is taught there is no self (anatta) because of interdependence (emptiness) and impermanence. A "physical person," the ego, is a mere experience, a notion/ concept of the mind. In Buddhism the mind takes priority not form (matter). Form is emptiness, but so is the mind.



Because we are habituated to experience form as "solid" it is not very practical to become convinced of the emptiness of external objects such as mountains, houses, walls, trees, and so forth. Instead, we should look into our own mind. When we truly see our mind’s nature, we find it has no solid identity whatsoever. This is the main point of using direct perception: look directly into your own mind, see in actuality that it is empty, and then continue training in that. http://archive.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2003/winter/thrangu_rinpoche.html

Answer 5

If you study further you will find that karma is a misinterpretation