In Buddhism death is not final as it is believed to be in Western culture. Moreover, it is an evil heresy (pâpakam ditthigatam) for a Buddhist to believe such. There is postmortem survival in other words.
That which animates the psychophysical body, that is, gives it life is not a biological, anatomical thing—nor can it die. Neither can it be discovered by analysis of the five psychophysical constituents (skandha).
Our limited sensory consciousness (the fifth psychophysical constituent) is by ignorance bound to the psychophysical organism, more precisely, it is bound to the senses including their respective fields and objects. Consciousness, in other words, has no ability to behold the deathless element (amritadhatu) which is its very substance.
Taking a slightly different turn, Western Buddhists believe that because the Buddha denied the self or atman, that postmortem survival is illogical. If there is no self there is no survival. This view, however, does not chime with either the Nikayas or the Mahayana canon. Both canons give no warrant for either the belief that the Buddha denied the self or the Buddha did not accept postmortem survival. Westerners have generally misread what the Buddha taught who are too eager to make of him a materialist.
Postmortem survival comes under the rubric of mind. Mind is what enters into samsara (S. i. 37) such that it is never freed of repeated births and deaths. Mind or consciousness, from ignorance, locks onto the psychophysical constituent of form (which includes all the senses), owing to desire which, as a consequence, entangles it in the world of samsara, again and again. On the other hand, it is mind or consciousness that can also become liberated (cittam vimuttam) from samsara.
If we use the analogy of water in which we think of ourselves as being pure water and samsara as being agitated water, we constantly move from one agitated state to the next because, first of all, we are water but secondly, because we believe that pure water is in some way or measure agitated; never non-agitated (this condition is one of profound ignorance or avidya). From this we are justified in saying that postmortem survival is always certain. The only thing, however, uncertain is whether or not we attain deathless nirvana or fall back into samsara.
Louis Ferreira, the fact that things are without an abiding self means they are not real (bear in mind that the Nirvana Sutra says the Self is the Buddha-nature which alone is real). The myriad things are an illusion.
Posted by: Kojizen | July 16, 2011 at 09:42 AM
I will bring you Dogen back, again.
"As the myriad things are without an abiding self, there is no delusion, no realization, no buddha, no sentient being, no birth and death."
Posted by: Luis Ferreira | July 16, 2011 at 09:19 AM
Many Happy Returns!
Posted by: Bob Morris | July 14, 2011 at 10:46 PM
I once read a rumour in a chat room online, that the author of this blog was born sometimes in july around 60 something years ago. Well the best birthday present I can think of and believe he might appreciate is this Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection from Indiana University Archives. Probably holds the best colored photos on United States everyday life as it was durning the 40s to 60s. Thank you for the nice material you have provided us. Happy birthday! :)
http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/cushman/browse/index.jsp;jsessionid=AE275D964D696AA5B7449AC2FFAB9B0E
Posted by: Azanshi | July 12, 2011 at 04:39 AM
amata is immortality, koot, not deathless
its a + mata (mortalis) . Im + mortalis. i.e. immortality
Posted by: java junkie | July 11, 2011 at 05:01 PM