Cycle Of Birth
The Buddha claims humans are stuck in an endless cycle of suffering known as saṃsāra because of our unawareness of; impermanence, suffering and non-self. Saṃsāra is the endless cycle of birth, existence, suffering and death. It is considered to be dukkha which is unsatisfactory and troublesome because an individual will remain in this cycle if influenced by desire and avidya (ignorance). Teachings from the Buddha have emphasised individuals cannot achieve true happiness because it is only temporary and eventually will make us suffer more due to its loss. A core principle which the Buddha applies to explain this progress of ending the cycle of rebirth and reaching enlightenment is called the anatta (no-self doctrine). The no-self doctrine,
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The doctrine of rebirth establishes the moment after death, an individual will continue in the cycle of life and return as the same or different life form depending on their actions in their previous lives. The Buddha, while observing the suffering humans face, decided he had to seek an alternative to life where he can live in peace without any attachment to temporary sources of happiness. In Early Buddhism, it is believed an individual’s consciousness would immediately transfer into a new life form after death. This can slightly conflict with the principles of no-self due to anatta declaring that all life forms are equal and there isn’t anything unique that is transferred over. An analogy which explains this concept is a candle lighting another candle. The fire remains in the first candle but it has also lit the second candle. The two flames can be linked to the continuation of skandhas and karma from past lives. However, it’s important to note the current life someone is experiencing is the second candle and they are no longer aware or directly interacting with their previous lives. The Buddha has not made any reference to souls or spirits in the course despite its popular belief. He states our existence is purely based on experiences and skandhas (Reichenbach, 1990,
The doctrine of rebirth establishes the moment after death, an individual will continue in the cycle of life and return as the same or different life form depending on their actions in their previous lives. The Buddha, while observing the suffering humans face, decided he had to seek an alternative to life where he can live in peace without any attachment to temporary sources of happiness. In Early Buddhism, it is believed an individual’s consciousness would immediately transfer into a new life form after death. This can slightly conflict with the principles of no-self due to anatta declaring that all life forms are equal and there isn’t anything unique that is transferred over. An analogy which explains this concept is a candle lighting another candle. The fire remains in the first candle but it has also lit the second candle. The two flames can be linked to the continuation of skandhas and karma from past lives. However, it’s important to note the current life someone is experiencing is the second candle and they are no longer aware or directly interacting with their previous lives. The Buddha has not made any reference to souls or spirits in the course despite its popular belief. He states our existence is purely based on experiences and skandhas (Reichenbach, 1990,