How can I understand rebirth (Buddhism)?

Question

I have recently begun to meditate and found how useful it is. I feel more efficient at work and I feel more relaxed as a person for example. I have also begun to understand other things in Buddhism to be true. For instance, I have stopped believing that things like a new car or big television will bring me happiness (which I almost believed before).
But before I call myself a Buddhist, I feel that it is important to understand rebirth because it is very central to the religion and everything else is built upon it more or less.
How can I understand rebirth? Do I gain insight in it after a while or do I need real faith? Are there any logical arguments to believe in rebirth?

Answer 1

I used to be a buddhist. But now I just call myself a spiritualist with no religion.
In Buddhism, rebirth in simple words just mean coming back again and again to experience karma. Karma is the leading cause of this life cycle. You can try reading Dalai Lama's books and all the other great teachers who have passed over.
As I have learned through my personal experiences, it's not that important in focusing much on that part. There's no logical arguments to believing in rebirth. Once you have reached a certain level in meditation (where the mind is truly pure), you'll understand life, birth, and death process. Meanwhile right now, the most important thing is to remain center and balanced at all times. Through the years, I have learned that we are here to experience all the life's ups and downs, and in the mist of it, to try to overcome all problems without loosing our balance. The final process of life is actually being able to lead the middle path life- being able to maintain our balance no matter what comes to us. This is actually our final goal before exiting this life cycle, and the hardest thing that we have ever to achieved. Meanwhile, continue to meditate and try not to be attached to anything, even peace. Because everything is actually an illusion. When the time comes, and you are prepared- spiritually and emotionally, everything you want to know will come to you eventually. Right now since you haven't reach that level of purity in your mind, you cannot be absolutely sure which information is the truth.

Answer 2

If you want to know more about rebirth, then first read "Geeta" and then try to understand Buddhism. Geeta is Hindu book for guidance to live and behave, but it can help you understand rebirth more accrately as concept of rebirth is itself derived from Hinduism by Buddhism.

Answer 3

Keep meditating and confer with a Monk in your area. Keep to the middle ground in all things. Don't allow yourself to be too sad, or too happy. Stabilize and keep meditating. You will be reborn to this new way of life.

Answer 4

In Buddhism it is called "rebirth". "Reincarnation" is a Hindu term. (With ONE exception .. Tibetan Buddhists call the deliberate and controlled rebirth of a spiritually-adept master "reincarnation" .. you and I, however, do not reincarnate. We undergo rebirth). If you want to understand rebirth, you need to first understand your true nature. What exactly IS it that rebirths? According to Buddhism our idea of ourself as a constant entity .. that is a false comprehension. We are consciousness but NOT a personality. What we mistake as "me" is really only a set of habits and imprints ... what Buddhists call "karma". We think we operate out of choice, but predominantly we operate out of habits and imprints. When we site down to meditate, we will see the constantly changing and chaotic stream of thoughts and emotions. There is, in Buddhism, no "constant", no "me" ... only an underlying state of awareness not quite connection to this usual concept of "me". Upon death, it is the habits and imprints that propel us on to whatever form of rebirth we have. There is no choice there. Tibetan Buddhism teaches 6 realms. I cannot comment on other traditions of Buddhism, as I have not been taught in those traditions. My local teacher (for the past 12 years) is one of the Dalai Lama's monks and therefore my teachings are of the Yellow Hat (Gelug) sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The realms are: 1. Human - very rare. Best chance of a human rebirth is if you are practicing dharma. 2. Animal - imprints and habits that are auto-pilot ... not thinking or choosing anymore than any other animal does. 3. Hungry Ghost - imprints and habits of constantly wanting/desiring. Always hungry and always thirsty, but not able to take in food or water. 4. Hell - imprints and habits of anger, killing included 5. Demi-God - imprints of jealousy (a realm of constant war) 6. God - not quite "heaven" as Christians call it. Imprints and habits of kindness and living a decent life. Unfortunately, you use up all your positive karma in this realm and there is no opportunity to earn more, so your next rebirth will be a rebirth in Hell. Some teachers teach these realms are literal places. Others teach them as only metaphors (for instance, if you are burning up with hatred inside yourself, are you not already living in Hell?). Some teach them as a mixture of both literal and metaphorical. It doesn't matter. If we are burning up inside with anger we already ARE in Hell, and if there is life after death, then we surely will go somewhere where we will continue to be as we currently are .. burning up inside. The emphasis is always, in Buddhism, on what you do with yourself NOW. On doing the dharmic practices to create inner change NOW.

Answer 5

i give a example,there are cup of water,u incautious crumbed it ,then i ask u ,the water still are the water? the cup still is the cup?
i mean that a person's spirit still living ,but ,just ur body changed,ur soul still living.
i hope its can help u

Answer 6

You appear to have experienced it already in your recent religious understandings.

Answer 7

DEPENDENT ORIGINATION:dependent on ignorance arise activities;dependent on activities arise rebirth consciousness;dependent on rebirth consciousness arise mind and matter;dependent on mind and matter arise 6 spheres of sense;dependent on the 6 spheres of sense arise contact;dependent on contact arise sensation;dependent on sensation arise craving;dependent on craving arise attachment;dependent on attachment arise actions(karma);dependent on actions arise REBIRTH;dependent on birth arise old age and death,grief,lamentations,pain,anguish and despair exist.Thus,does this entire aggregation of suffering arise.............THROUGH the entire cessation of ignorance,activities ceases;through the entire cessation of activities,rebirth consciousness ceases;through the entire cessation of rebirth consciousness,mind and matter ceases;through the entire cessation of min and matter,the 6 spheres of sense ceases;through the cessation of the 6 spheres of sense ,contact ceases;through the entire cessation of contact,sensation ceases through the entire cessation of sensation,craving ceases;through the entire cessation of craving,attachment cease;through the entire cessation of attachment,actions ceases;through the entire cessation of actions,REBIRTH ceases;through the entire cessation of birth,old age and death,grief,lamentation,pain,anguish and despair cease.Thus,the entire mass of suffering ceases.SADHU,SADHU,SADHU!.......YOU DON'T NEED FAITH TO BELIEVE in the teaching of the Buddha!In the KALAMA SUTTA, the Buddha,ENCOURAGES the asking of questions and investigation.

Answer 8

see the world in new vision