Samsara

Recap So far we have been looking at the way Buddhists see human life, the Human Condition. Life is Suffering (1st Noble Truth) The cause of suffering are the 3 Marks of Existence, Anatta, Anicca and Dukkha. A way to view the Human Condition and suffering is the ‘Wheel of Life’

So what is Samsara? Samsāra is the Sanskrit and Pāli term for "continuous movement" or "continuous flowing“, but refers in Buddhism to the cycle of birth and death which all beings in the universe experience and which can only be escaped through enlightenment. Samsāra is associated with suffering and is generally considered the opposite of nirvāna or nibbāna.

1. Samsara has no real beginning, it’s always been going on, as long as there were living things. 2. Samsara will continue forever as long as nothing is done. 3. That means that you’re condemned to live lives of suffering and misery until the end of time. Samsara Facts

Cause and Effect Dependant Origination is the term used to describe how a persons situation in life is an effect of an earlier cause. Just like a pool ball, it can only move when it’s been hit. But this is actually good news as it means we are in control of our own fate. We can decide what kind of life we have now and will have in the future. Therefore Samsara isn’t inevitable; we can escape the cycle of rebirth.

The Right Cause for the Right Effect Things happen to us in our lives which we can’t control. But no matter how difficult our lives are, we always have control over our actions. We can choose to be good and to try and help others, or we can be spiteful and mean. Good actions and thoughts are going to not only benefit others, but they benefit ourselves and begin us on the path to freedom from Samsara.

A Game of Consequences Think of two or three actions which might be the result of a moral action. What is the cause of the bad actions (greed? hatred? ignorance?) What is the cause of the good actions (non- attachement?kindness?understanding?) Try to come up with at least 3 moral decisions and the actions to go with them.

Summary Samsara is the cyle of rebirth. Samsara is associated with suffering and can only be escaped through enlightenment. Samsara has no beginning or end – so could last forever. Wheel of Life is not to be understood literally. Wheel represent Dependant Origination Dependant Origination means we control our own fate (cause & effect) At the centre of the wheel is the three poisons