Buddha & The Impermanence of Life

The Buddha taught that everything is impermanent, that everything must change. The desire for permanence is one of the greatest causes of suffering in life:

Probably the hardest thing to accept is the impermanence of life, which causes us to either cling to greed and desire, wanting to live as hedonistically as possible while we still can, or cling to a flowery afterlife that might not even exist.

To one who accepts impermanence, death is the backside to a sheet of paper. There would be no life without death, just as there is no happiness without sorrow.

Imagine if, tomorrow night, you were to fall asleep and never wake up again. How would you live, right now, as a final testament of who you really are?

The Buddha left the question of an afterlife, whether for or against, unanswered. This is so we may live in gratitude for the here and now, rather than speculate endlessly:

Anyone who uses the Buddha to deny an afterlife is wrong. Anyone who uses the Buddha to discourage fruitless speculation on an afterlife is completely right.

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This simply isn’t true. The Canon is replete with examples of the Buddha describing rebirth and destinations after death. I’m unaware of anywhere he was silent on that matter.

He did stay silent about the status of a tatagatha after death, maybe that’s what you’re thinking of.

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The Buddha, being all-knowing, knew fully the existence or non-existence of an afterlife, and its nature as well.

For unenlightened beings like ourselves, he left it an unanswered question, such as in the parable of the poisoned arrow.

From an unenlightened perspective, we will never be certain and therefore shouldn’t speculate on the afterlife.

Anyone who uses the Buddha to deny an afterlife is wrong. Anyone who uses the Buddha to discourage fruitless speculation on an afterlife is completely right.

Did the Buddha ever say he was “all-knowing”?

The Buddha taught there is “life after life”. In other words, its a continuation of life rather than life after death. The reason we continue with life is because of our attachments. When we have no attachments, we are free from rebirth.

The Arrow sutta says not to be distracted. It means that instead of asking what life after death is, the nature of suffering, and academics, we should focus on practice and taking out the arrow.

The point is not to be distracted so we can not be attached to things and end rebirth.

As for leaving the question unanswered, I think I know which sutta you speak of. Its the same. It doesnt talk about the nature of life after death, it says dont focus on it, just focus on practice to end rebirth by freedom from suffering.

Those suttas are about distraction from Dharma practice not the nature of whether we continue to live on or die.

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Dont think so. I think when he does mention he knows all it wasnt that he was immortal but that being free, you have understanding.

But Im not a scholar. Thats how I understood it.

Yes, he did. And you can be All-knowing too.

All-conquering,
all-knowing am I,
with regard to all things,
unadhering.
All-abandoning,
released in the ending of craving:
having fully known on my own,
to whom should I point as my teacher?

At Savatthi. “Bhikkhus, I will teach you the all. Listen to that….

“And what, bhikkhus, is the all? The eye and forms, the ear and sounds, the nose and odours, the tongue and tastes, the body and tactile objects, the mind and mental phenomena. This is called the all.

“If anyone, bhikkhus, should speak thus: ‘Having rejected this all, I shall make known another all’—that would be a mere empty boast on his part. If he were questioned he would not be able to reply and, further, he would meet with vexation. For what reason? Because, bhikkhus, that would not be within his domain.” - SuttaCentral

“But how does a mendicant know and see so as to give up ignorance and give rise to knowledge?”

“It’s when a mendicant has heard: ‘Nothing is worth clinging on to.’ When a mendicant has heard that nothing is worth clinging on to, they directly know all things. Directly knowing all things, they completely understand all things. Completely understanding all things, they see all signs as other. They see the eye, sights, eye consciousness, and eye contact as other. And they also see the pleasant, painful, or neutral feeling that arises conditioned by eye contact as other. … They see the mind, thoughts, mind consciousness, and mind contact as other. And they also see the pleasant, painful, or neutral feeling that arises conditioned by mind contact as other. That’s how a mendicant knows and sees so as to give up ignorance and give rise to knowledge.” - SuttaCentral

By directly knowing and completely understanding the all, having dispassion for it and giving it up, you can end suffering. And what is the all, directly knowing and completely understanding which, having dispassion for it and giving it up, you can end suffering? By directly knowing and completely understanding the eye … the ear … the nose … the tongue … the body … the mind, having dispassion for it and giving it up, you can end suffering. By directly knowing and completely understanding thoughts … mind consciousness … mind contact … painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises conditioned by mind contact, having dispassion for it and giving it up, you can end suffering. This is the all, directly knowing and completely understanding which, having dispassion for it and giving it up, you can end suffering.” - SuttaCentral

Some awesome rhetoric on the Buddha’s part if you ask me.

:anjal:

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@Kensho

When you say all-knowing, do you mean supernatural, as in someone who has better knowlege than people? or?

Cause all-knowing in the Dharma sense is self-knowledge rather than knowledge of what everyone else knows. Not all present just attained full wisdom for his self and others.

He doesnt know what everyone thinks but he does know that anyone can be free of suffering if they practice Dharma.

He is known as all-knowing.

"And what is the miracle of reading minds? There is the case where a monk reads the minds, the mental events, the thoughts, the ponderings of other beings, other individuals, ‘Such is your thinking, here is where your thinking is, thus is your mind.’

"Then someone who has faith and conviction in him sees him reading the minds… of other beings… He reports this to someone who has no faith and no conviction, telling him, ‘Isn’t it awesome. Isn’t it astounding, how great the power, how great the prowess of this contemplative. Just now I saw him reading the minds… of other beings…’ SuttaCentral

This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: "The world has been fully awakened to by the Tathagata. From the world, the Tathagata is disjoined. The origination of the world has been fully awakened to by the Tathagata. The origination of the world has, by the Tathagata, been abandoned. The cessation of the world has been fully awakened to by the Tathagata. The cessation of the world has, by the Tathagata, been realized. The path leading to the cessation of the world has been fully awakened to by the Tathagata. The path leading to the cessation of the world has, by the Tathagata, been developed.

"Whatever in this world — with its devas, Maras, & Brahmas, its generations complete with contemplatives & brahmans, princes & men — is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought after, pondered by the intellect, that has been fully awakened to by the Tathagata. Thus he is called the Tathagata.

"From the night the Tathagata fully awakens to the unsurpassed Right Self-awakening to the night he is totally unbound in the Unbinding property with no fuel remaining, whatever the Tathagata has said, spoken, explained is just so (tatha) and not otherwise. Thus he is called the Tathagata.

"The Tathagata is one who does in line with (tatha) what he teaches, one who teaches in line with what he does. Thus he is called the Tathagata.

“In this world with its devas, Maras, & Brahmas, its generations complete with contemplatives & brahmans, princes & men, the Tathagata is the unconquered conqueror, all-seeing, the wielder of power.[2] Thus he is called the Tathagata.” This is the meaning of what the Blessed One said. So with regard to this it was said:

Directly knowing all the world,
all the world as is really is,
from all the world disjoined,
in all the world unmatched:
Conquering all
in all ways,
enlightened,
released from all bonds,
he touches the foremost peace —
Unbinding, free
from fear.

He is free of fermentation,
of trouble,
awakened,
his doubts cut through;
has attained the ending of action,
is released in the destruction of acquisitions.
He is blessed, awakened,
a lion, unsurpassed.
In the world with its devas
he set the Brahma-wheel going.

Thus divine & human beings
who have gone to the Buddha for refuge,
gathering, pay homage
to the great one, thoroughly mature:

‘Tamed, he’s the best
of those who can be tamed;
calm, the seer
of those who can be calmed;
released, supreme
among those who can be released;
crossed, the foremost
of those who can cross.’

Thus they pay homage
to the great one, thoroughly mature:
'In this world with its devas,
there’s no one
to compare SuttaCentral

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For unenlightened beings like ourselves, the afterlife is a matter of metaphysical speculation. Why not, then, live in gratitude for the present life? This is not meant to deny the possibility of an afterlife.

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…leads to being attached- true or false? :wink:

How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

In Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, the practice of gratitude is central.

  1. :yum: