This is the story of Bobby the snowflake who has had many rebirths who later learns from the Buddha what rebirth is really about. This is not meant as a dig against secular Buddhists (wink...wink...). Okay, enough of this intro.
Although Bobby did not believe in rebirth the Buddha, from his exalted position, could see that Bobby’s present snowflake form was just a configuration of water. Because of his ignorance or avidya, Bobby did not know that he had the Water-nature. His major mistake was to crave and over-identify with the many forms of water such as icicles, sleet and, of course, snowflakes—oops, there was a time when he became a snowman. In other words, Bobby took birth in these various water forms again and again.
Because of Bobby’s attachment to this present snowflake form, the Buddha knew that Bobby would undergo suffering when the form began to grow old and dissolve. It was a tough break for Bobby but one, unfortunately, that could only be changed by following the way of the Buddha.
To make matters worse, our dumb Bobby had listened to a bunch of snowflakes who were secularists. Their basic message was: “When you dissolve, that’s it—no rebirth.” Because Bobby was almost a simple minded idiot—Bobby almost believe their shit. But then one night the Buddha came to Bobby to try and save him from his self-inflicted stupidity.
The Buddha explained to Bobby the secret of punarbhava or rebirth which really meant the constant transfiguration of the absolute substance (tathatâ) into existential diversity. (In Sanskrit “punar” means ‘again’ while “bhava” means ‘turning into’.) As we might expect, this was beyond poor Bobby's brain to comprehend. He was so attached to his snowflakeness he just couldn’t see his Water-nature; and because he was attached to form, sadly for Bobby, he always identified with water forms—never the pure water itself.
As Bobby’s good merit (punya) would have it while resting on the branch of a pine tree in Japan, he suddenly awakened to his Water-nature. “Totally fucking amazing!” Bobby shouted out. “I am not this snowflake form. It is a dependent arising (pratityasamutpada) of pure water. Holy shit!” In his super body, the Buddha came to Bobby and anointed him. “Well done my son.”
Dave: Excellent! There is even a reason as to why pure water enters into anti-thetical modification. As odd as it sounds the German mystic Jacob Boehme provides the answer who said:
"Without contradiction nothing can become manifest to itself; for if it has nothing to resist it, it goes continually outward and does not return again into itself. But if it does not return into itself as into that from which it originally came, it knows nothing of the primal being."
Posted by: The Zennist | July 25, 2012 at 05:27 PM
Now, aside from the secular position, I have heard different meanings for your snowflake tale.
One main version seems to suggest you stop becoming frozen as snow, sleet, hale, or ice let alone becoming heated forms such as steam, neither freezing nor melting nor evaporating. Instead, you will remain as pure liquid water in some great ocean unseen by ordinary perception.
The other main account is that water will continue to transform as part of the natural cycle, but you will be able to enjoy and possibly event direct rebirth by not becoming attached to a particular form such as snowflake or steam. Basically you are always aware that you are truly water and can go through different forms like changing clothes and playing dress-up without taking it too seriously.
Posted by: Dave | July 25, 2012 at 02:50 PM