Karma and Rebirth

Around the World in 80 Faiths – The Indian Subcontinent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZYgpYM2DYs

GROUP ACTIVITY In your groups: Karma Rebirth Samsara Moksa Using p. 39, Origins and Religious Use, and pp. 68-70, Karma and Rebirth, in your Book of Readings, discuss the meaning of these words: Karma Rebirth Samsara Moksa As a group come up with terms, definition(s), beliefs, and a general consensus on what the words mean. Using p. 40, para 2, Origins and Religious Use, see if you can work out what the problem is for a person who belong to the religions that support karma but who does not always what to lead a totally virtuous life.

Karma in and after Greater Magadha Is the region east of the Vedic homelands Is the eastern Ganges plain In 4th century BCE became the centre of an empire which unified most of the Indian subcontinent Little or no textual sources from this region except for some writings on Buddhist and Jaina beliefs

Karma in and after Greater Magadha A distinctive feature of the culture of the Greater Magahda was the belief in rebirth and karmic retribution that began with the renouncer traditions. Religious movements based on this belief originated here: Jainism, Buddhism, Ajivikism, and later Brahmanism.

Historic Vedic Religion Vedic period 1500 BCE - 500 BCE The religions of the Vedic period: Vedism, Vedic Brahmanism, and Ancient Hinduism. Religion and culture based on 1000 yr. old Vedic texts Focused on rituals and sacrifices for benefits in this world Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Vedic_religion  

Development of Renouncer Traditions Occurred between the 9th and 6th centuries BCE New schools of thought arose: Within Orthodox Hinduism  Patanjali’s Yoga and later Advaita Vedanta Outside of Orthodox Hinduism  Jainism, Ajivikism, Buddhism Different worldview from the Vedic but … General concepts of karma and rebirth accepted Each tradition had different interpretations

What are the origins of Karma & Rebirth? Found in the earliest literature of Jainism and Buddhism The focus is on lives after death Literature deals with continued existence in future lives as a source of distress Generally seen as endless suffering and unhappiness Aim is liberation from rebirth – termination of this sequence.

Jainism

Jainism (Ji nism) A symbol of Jainism consisting of a hand and a wheel reading ahimsa, referring to the Jain vow of non-violence.

What is Jainism? At least 2500+ years old One of the earliest religions to appear in the Greater Magadha Followed by 3-4 million people mostly in India Life affirming but world-denying Seeks to release the soul from the round of rebirth, to liberate spirit from matter Earliest Jaina texts identify asceticism as a solution What is asceticism? Discussion.

Early Jainism? Karmic retribution means that my future is determined by what I do, think, and feel Karma means deed, activity, ACTION Solution is to abstain from all activity (asceticism). Free oneself from bodily and mental activity Good deeds get us no closer to liberation Thoughts and feelings have karmic consequences.

Early Jainism? Advanced Jaina practitioners followed a double goal: 1. Abstaining from all bodily and mental activity by means of immobilization asceticism 2. Destroying the traces of deeds performed in the past by means of suffering brought about by that same immobility asceticism.

JainismToday Ahimsa. Non-violence – is the hallmark of this spiritual discipline No creator god Spiritual life is primarily moral rather than ritualistic

The Vanished Indian Religion Ajivikism No followers today Agreed with Jainas on all principles except one: Did not accept that the suffering resulting from immobilization destroys the traces of deeds performed in the past. They did not believe that they could liberate themselves from the cycle of rebirths. Jainism did teach, though, that there was a way that the cycle of rebirths would end. Why did some Ajivikas practise asceticism if they believed they could not reach liberation by themselves? (Book of Readings C: para 2, p. 53)

Buddhism… http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xuw0be_religions-of-the-world-buddhism_school The “middle way of wisdom and compassion” A 2500 year old tradition that began in India and spread and diversified throughout the Far East A philosophy, religion, and spiritual practice followed by more than 300 million people Based on the teachings of the Buddha

The Spread of Buddhism Within two centuries after the Buddha died, Buddhism began to spread north and east into Asia By 13th century Buddhism had disappeared from India

What do Buddhists believe? Rebirth (reincarnation) results from attachments (karma) Nirvana is a peaceful, detached state of mind Achieving Nirvana means escape from the cycle of rebirth Once Gautama Buddha died, after 80 years of life in this world, having achieved Nirvana and teaching multitudes his way of life, he ceased to exist as a distinct being Buddhism is non-theistic: Buddha is not the Buddhist God – he is just a revered teacher

What did the Buddha teach? The Four Noble Truths: To live is to suffer The cause of suffering is self-centered desire & attachments The solution is to eliminate desire and attachment, thus achieving Nirvana (“extinction”) The way to Nirvana is through the “Eight-Fold Path” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgcbQnL6-BQ

What is the Eight-Fold Path? Wisdom: Right understanding Right motivation Moral discipline: Right speech Right action Right livelihood Mental discipline: Right effort Right mindfulness Right meditation

Buddhism: Karma Buddhists understand karma as a natural law. There is no higher instance, no judgement, no divine intervention, and no gods that steer man's destiny, but only the law of karma itself, which works on a universal scale. Deeds yield consequences either in the next second, in the next hour, day, month, year, decade, or even in the next lifetime, or in another distant lifetime.

Buddhism: Karma Karma An unpleasant sensation occurs. A thought arises that the source of the unpleasantness was a person. This thought is a delusion; any decisions based upon it will therefore be unskilful. A thought arises that some past sensations of unpleasantness issued from this same person. This thought is a further delusion. This is followed by a wilful decision to speak words that will produce an unpleasant sensation in that which is perceived as a person. This decision is an act of hostility. Of all the events described so far, only the last is called karma. Source: http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/karma.html

Buddhism: Rebirth Buddhists hold that the retributive process of karma can span more than one lifetime. Rebirth has always been an important tenet in Buddhism; and it is often referred to as walking the wheel of life (samsara). It is the process of being born over and over again in different times and different situations, possibly for many thousand times. Source: http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/karma.html

“Buddhism rejected immobility asceticism and knowledge of the true self as means to gain freedom from rebirth and karmic retribution” Question: Did Buddhism have a way of dealing with karma and rebirth?

GROUP ACTIVITY Discussion Questions What were the Buddhist views on karma and rebirth? How did the Jainist view of karma and rebirth differ from the Buddhist view?

GROUP ACTIVITY ESSAY QUESTION KARMA AND REBIRTH Why did the ancient Indian renouncers consider karma and rebirth problems and what solutions did they offer to these?