Why care about future if there is no I? If There is no I what will rebirth?

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mansurhirbi87
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Why care about future if there is no I? If There is no I what will rebirth?

Post by mansurhirbi87 »

Why care about future if there is no I? If There is no I what will rebirth? Looking for a Nichiren's answer perspective
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Queequeg
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Re: Why care about future if there is no I? If There is no I what will rebirth?

Post by Queequeg »

Its not the "I" an ordinary person thinks it is. In other words, all the causes and conditions that add up to what we naively think is our self, is just that - a nexus of causes and conditions. That said, as the combination of converging causes and conditions change, the nexus evolves and endures. That's why in the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra the Buddha describes the True Self, explaining that his teaching on No-Self was an expedient. People have all kinds of mistaken ideas about the Self, often mixed with correct knowledge of the Self. Since it is too hopeless to explain what is mistaken and what is correct knowledge, the Buddha taught "No Self." Once the preconceived notions were eliminated and speculation about the self suspended, the Buddha could then teach about True Self. That said, the True Self is very difficult to know correctly and this teaching on True Self must be approached with care lest mistaken ideas of self be misapprehended as correct knowledge of the self.

There are other explanations involving 8 or 9 Consciousnesses that can be helpful in gaining some insight, too.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
narhwal90
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Re: Why care about future if there is no I? If There is no I what will rebirth?

Post by narhwal90 »

Even if there is no rebirth of anything, heedless behavior uncaring about the future is likely to run afoul of the Precepts, Jewels, and Vows, increasing the suffering of those around you.
illarraza
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Re: Why care about future if there is no I? If There is no I what will rebirth?

Post by illarraza »

mansurhirbi87 wrote: Wed Jan 09, 2019 12:36 pm Why care about future if there is no I? If There is no I what will rebirth? Looking for a Nichiren's answer perspective
No one can prove, "There is no i (self) ", because it is untrue. At best, one must predicate this untruth with the concept of temporariness or impermanence: "There is no permanent i (self)." [The Truth of Temporary Existence]. "There is a permanent I (Self)." that has the characteristics of both temporary existence and non-substantiality but is neither. It is another partial truth beyond, beyond, way beyond dialectic reasoning and is called The Truth of the Middle Way. The permanent self or middle way gives rise to both the form of temporary existence and the formlessness or flux of non-substantiality. The discovery and revelation of this permanent self [Truth of the Middle Way] is one of the most important concepts in Buddhism though it too is a partial truth because it can not stand on its own without the the Truth of Temporary Existence (us) and The Truth of Non-substantiality (no independent or fixed nature or existence independent of society and the environment).

To recapitulate: "There exists an i (self)" or temporary existence; "there exists no i (self)" or no fixed or independent nature [non-substantiality]; and there exists a permanent I (Self) or middle way. There are two selves, one permanent and one impermanent and a non-self. They are integral parts of the whole. There is therefore, a higher and a lower self. The higher or permanent self determines the characteristics of both the lower impermanent self and the non permanent no-self.

To take this teaching one step further, the permanent I (Self) is either permanent in name only (in those beings who have not yet attained Buddhahood) or absolutely permanent (Buddha). The permanent self of Buddha is also distinguished from the relatively permanent self of other beings in that it is no different than the permanent self of the Original Eternal Buddha, the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya.

This teaching is one reason that we may attain Buddhahood by chanting Namu Myoho renge kyo (the permanent self of the Original Buddha). Karma is the cause of our suffering in this world. There are two types of karma, mutable and immutable. Karma derives from our karma repository, otherwise known as the permanent self of common mortals which we have seen is not absolutely permanent. This relatively permanent self gives rise to all karma of all beings of the Nine Worlds, from those in the World of Hell to those in the World of Bodhisattva. It can be changed by our association with Lord Shakya of the Original Doctrine and His true and permanent self, Namu Myoho renge. Namu Myoho renge kyo is at once the Law (or Law Body) and the medicine of the Original Buddha. Even the most dastardly, greedy, animalistic or angry individual can change their "immutable" karma, let alone their mutable karma, by taking the Buddha's medicine and chanting Namu Myoho renge kyo. Partaking in the permanent self of the Original Buddha, He transfers his merits to us. It is as if one were to find a great wish granting jewel or a blind man since birth, seeing his mother for the first time. There is no greater joy than chanting Namu Myoho renge kyo.

To give an example, little baby Johnny cries when he's hungry, poops wherever he finds himself, and longs for his mother's embrace. As a teenager, he looks nothing like he did as a little baby, his hair is long, he has a wide chest, big biceps, hopes to find a hot girlfriend and to play guitar like Eric Clapton and he distances himself from his mother. In his forties, he has given up on his dreams, has a beer belly, his mother and father has died, and he has many worries. Finally, as an old man in the nursing home, he has lost all his hair, weighs 100 pounds, has a wrinkled face, and believes the 300lb nurses aide is a sexy bikini model. Although this person is unrecognizable physically and his nature has changed drastically from baby Johnny to old man Johnny, still you can not say, "he is not Johnny". The thread that remains unchanged from baby Johnny to old man Johnny, is the eternal unchanging Johnny. The change in the next life is even more profound but once again you can not say that "he is not "Johnny". Whether Visisticaritra, Bodhisattva Jogyo, or Nichiren Daishonin, by the principle of individuation, he is the same being. The most profound viewpoint is the One Buddha, non-dual Eternal Buddha or Three Bodied Tathagata and his emanations or reflections, as taught by Nichiren.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Mark
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Re: Why care about future if there is no I? If There is no I what will rebirth?

Post by amanitamusc »

You would be reborn another no I.
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