Cool book by DharmaWheel owner, David N. Snyder

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tidathep
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Re: Cool book by DharmaWheel owner, David N. Snyder

Post by tidathep »

Sawaddee Ka :hi:

After reading so many jatakas/dhammapada stories, I do believe that rebirth is real.


Image

The 31 Planes of Existence
[David's Book written by Dr.David Snyder]


Re-birth (reincarnation, but not a permanent self that is why the term is more correctly, re-birth)
is difficult for some people to accept
. In science and in nature there are many examples of how
life energies are transformed and proceed in cycles. There are the seasons which come and go.
Consistently every 10,000 years there has been an ice age on this planet. Nature tends to act in
cycles. Plants re-produce themselves with the coming and going of the seasons. All of the
circular movements in nature give some ―evidence of the circular teachings found in kamma
and rebirth. Some people have trouble with the idea of changing forms in the process of re-birth.
Water is a bunch of molecules of hydrogen and oxygen, just as we are a bunch of various
molecules. Water can take the form of fluidity (water as we typically know it), a solid form in
ice, and a gas form by the steam or vapor that it sometimes forms. It is the ―same water in its
molecules, but in the different forms or bodies of liquid, solid, and gas.

There is another example of these changing forms, not just of molecules and physical formation
as in water, but also in the animal kingdom. A butterfly is an example of a complete change in
physical appearance from one form to another. The butterfly starts as an egg or cocoon. It then
becomes a caterpillar, then a pupa, and finally a butterfly. It goes through four stages in a
complete metamorphosis. It appears to be the same ―being but actually has a completely
different form of existence and body at each stage. At one stage it is crawling on the ground and
at another it is flying in the air. The human fetus, like other mammals goes through similar
changes inside the mother‘s womb. It goes from embryo to a fetus with webbed hands and feet
like a reptile. At early stages a tail can be seen on the human fetus which eventually enters the
body to become the tail bone. These are examples of metamorphosis or drastic changes, with the
―being appearing to be the same person. Re-birth is no different.


*******to be continued
tidathep/เยาวเรศ/สิริกัญญา :anjali:
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tidathep
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Re: Cool book by DharmaWheel owner, David N. Snyder

Post by tidathep »

Sawaddee Ka :hi:

I posted the story of Thera Lakuntaka(Dwarf) @ SD/JTN/Dhamma Wheel/Dharma Wheel...an amazing story indeed!!


Image

The 31 Planes of Existence
[David's Book written by Dr.David Snyder]


Others argue against re-birth because they can not remember any of their past lives. Most of us
can not remember anything that happened in our life before the age of two, thus, how could we
be expected to remember something that happened three years or more before that? The re-birth
process that the Buddha describes is not that of a permanent personality or soul and in some
ways the next life can be considered ―a completely different person. Karmic ―energies is what
reincarnates. An analogy is that of a fire from a candle with the wax fueling it. It is the same
fire as the flame burns the wax away and takes new wax for its fuel, or is it?


Re-birth provides people with a sense of ―justice in explaining why some are born with a certain
degree of this or that or why some must suffer or live as animals and others have human form.
There are many case stories of people who have re-called some incidents in past lives, some with
astonishing authenticity to verifiable facts that could not have been known otherwise. The
Buddha advised against speculating on the results of another‘s kamma, such as a handicap being
the result of bad kamma (such as from a previous life). The Buddha did not approve of that
for its obvious discrimination effects and because such speculation does not make one advance
toward the goal. The Buddha taught compassion for all and could not accept the mistreatment of
anyone, even animals.
During the Buddha‘s time there was a dwarf who was also severely
hunch-backed and had a great thirst for the Buddha‘s teachings, followed them and obtained
enlightenment (Khuddaka Nikaya, Udana 7.5). The same could be said for many slaves and
other out-castes of that era. (Mizuno, 1980)

The Buddha pointed-out a monk who was unattractive and short, but said that this monk was
very wise and enlightened and ―further said this: Geese, herons, and peacocks, elephants, and
spotted deer, all are frightened of the lion regardless of their bodies‘ size. In the same way
among human beings the small one endowed with wisdom – he is the one that is truly great, not
the fool with the well-built body. Samyutta Nikaya 21.6


*******to be continued

tidathep/เยาวเรศ/สิริกัญญา :heart:
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tidathep
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Re: Cool book by DharmaWheel owner, David N. Snyder

Post by tidathep »

Sawaddee Ka...Today is New Year's EVE :heart:

Image

The 31 Planes of Existence
[David's Book written by Dr.David Snyder]


One should not speculate on another‘s kamma for these reasons and also because human birth is
extremely rare. There are trillions and trillions more animals and insects than there are humans.
Thus, by looking at merely the statistics involved there is a far greater chance at being re-born an
animal or insect than a human. A cat, for example, should not be seen as a ―bad human in its
past life. That cat was most definitely never human before. The same could be said for any
human alive today. The likelihood that any human alive today was human before, by statistical
analysis is virtually nil.

1,750,000,000,000,000,000
7,000,000,000

The number on the top line is the approximate number of insects on earth (One quintillion,
750 quadrillion). The bottom number is the approximate number of humans (7 billion).
There are about 250 million insects for every human on earth. This does not even take into
account the number of other mammals, birds, and reptiles on earth or the fish and other animals
of the seas. The number would be considerably higher, perhaps ten times more or greater.
There are also more humans alive today than have ever lived before.

The Buddha considered the human life to be very precious, because it is an opportunity for living
a spiritual path. He likened the possibility of being re-born human again (if we waste this life) to
a story of a blind sea turtle that comes up for air once every 100 years. The likelihood that the
sea turtle puts his head through a circular hoop, positioned somewhere in the oceans, is the
likelihood we have to being re-born as a human. (Samyutta Nikaya 56.47) Our statistical
analysis above shows that this statement of the Buddha makes logical sense.

In one discourse the Buddha compares the soil that he has taken up under his fingernail to all the
soil on earth and then says, ―So too, bhikkhus, those beings who are reborn among human beings
are few. But those beings are more numerous who are reborn elsewhere than among human
beings. Therefore, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus: we will dwell diligently. Thus
should you train yourselves. Samyutta Nikaya 20.2


*******to be continued

tidathep/เยาวเรศ/สิริกัญญา :anjali:
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tidathep
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Re: Cool book by DharmaWheel owner, David N. Snyder

Post by tidathep »

Sawaddee Ka :namaste:

Oh..Thai people are so into KAMMA...you reap what you sow etc.


Image

The 31 Planes of Existence
[David's Book written by Dr.David Snyder]


In Samyutta Nikaya 56.102-131, the Buddha explains that it is difficult to attain rebirth to the
human or deva realms. The Buddha states that ―those being are much more numerous, who
when they pass away, are reborn in the animal realm, the domain of ghosts, in hell. It is
difficult to attain rebirth to the human world or in the deva realms and thus, should not be
wasted.

It is okay that some do not accept re-birth easily, the Buddha himself advised people from
accepting anything as completely true until you actually experience it. The Buddha advised
people not to put blind faith in scriptures, gods, or teachers. Eventually in the practice of
vipassana we will see the arising and passing away and re-birth (of the five aggregates for
example) in each moment and even ―sub-moment. When we see the arising and passing away
and re-birth while we are still alive then we realize that the same must be true when we are no
longer alive in this life.

Kamma

Kamma (karma in Sanskrit) is simply cause and effect. One thing happens and produces an
outcome. This is the same in science. In the laboratory or outside, one thing causes another. Or
sometimes multiple factors cause an outcome or outcomes. In a laboratory you can add certain
chemicals to others and produce a product that is highly different from the factors which were
introduced.

Kamma involves cause and effect, but it is important to note that the Buddha always stated that
kamma is not a single cause phenomena. Every event can have multiple causes. For example, a
person may catch a cold. This does not necessarily mean that it is because of kamma, from some
bad deed performed earlier. There are multiple causes or reasons that may have contributed to
the catching of a cold, including weather, accidental exposure to sick people, or some other
reasons. This is also a perfect fit to modern science and scientific method. Scientists rarely try
to explain a certain phenomena by explaining a one singular cause. Multiple factors are
examined. There are five levels of cause and effect, including, the physical world, biological
world, psychological world, kamma, and the Dhamma. Kamma is only one of the levels of cause
and effect and does not explain everything.

*******to be continued

yawares/เยาวเรศ/สิริกัญญา :reading:
Motova
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Re: Cool book by DharmaWheel owner, David N. Snyder

Post by Motova »

Thanks for the timbits tidathep. :twothumbsup:

I'll be looking for the book once I get some spare change. :broke:
To become a rain man one must master the ten virtues and sciences.
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tidathep
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Re: Cool book by DharmaWheel owner, David N. Snyder

Post by tidathep »

Motova wrote:Thanks for the timbits tidathep. :twothumbsup:

I'll be looking for the book once I get some spare change. :broke:
----------------
Dear Motova,

I know for sure that Dr.David Snyder put the pdf @ Dhamma Wheel for members to read the book ..FREE ! I downloaded the book and posted in installment so we all can read here....I love the book..easy to read/understand....I remember that David also gave away his books to libraries and prisons in USA too.


tidathep :reading:
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tidathep
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Re: Cool book by DharmaWheel owner, David N. Snyder

Post by tidathep »

Sawaddee Ka :namaste:

Once on a chartered flight, I flew so many Vietnamese refugees from Bangkok to Okinawa, Japan..then to Travis Airforce Airport, California...it was a sad experience.

Image

Kamma
[David's Book written by Dr.David Snyder]


This cause and effect phenomenon is no different from kamma. It orders and balances life the
same way. Our karmic energies are subject to the choices we make. We do not need to
speculate on an individual‘s kamma, as stated earlier, but we can look closely at our own lives.
We have all made mistakes in life. Take a look at some of your choices you made in life. You
do not need to wait to be re-born to experience your kamma. The results of kamma show their
face rather quickly.

Perhaps you made a greedy choice at one time in your life. Maybe you tried to buy something
for a very cheap price, hoping to save some money. You may have bought something of poor
quality in a hope to save money for a gift for someone or for yourself. The product goes bad in a
short time and there is little or no warranty. You are left to go out and buy the product you
should have bought the first time. You experience kamma first hand by paying almost double
for one product that was supposed to save you money.

There are numerous examples of mistakes we sometimes make. Especially when there seems to
be some immorality present, the karmic effects take their toll. So many pleasurable experiences
that have immorality with them end in large amounts of pain and suffering. Thus, you
discover the effects of kamma for yourself and change your life accordingly.

There is a woman who emigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam and became a very successful
business person. Her life was chronicled in the movie, Heaven and Earth. She had a very hard
life, growing up during the start of the Vietnam war of 1965-1974. She was raped by soldiers
during the war. She married a soldier from the U.S. and had many hardships with her marriage.
Every time something bad would happen to her, either emotionally or physically, she just said to
herself, ―it must be my kamma from a past life which must finish its course. She did not dwell
on the bad thing that happening to her and used her Buddhist beliefs in kamma and rebirth to get
her through those times. In the end she became a successful and happy person.


*******to be continued

yawares/เยาวเรศ/สิริกัญญา
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