Re: Buddhism and What it Offers
Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2019 5:13 am
I think something to keep in mind is that what we exist as, and all we know is the 'five skandhas', and it is a metaphysical theory to posit a material world that gives rise to, and sustains these skandhas. In Buddhism, my understanding is that metaphysical questions are not answered, but rather put to one side. The problem is not whether a material world exists or not, but rather dukkha - it's origin and cessation. As to rebirth, the nibbana before your birth was not eternal, so why would the nibbana at death be? What differentiates the two 'non-states' such that your birth arose from the first, but the second will be eternal?The illusory self is just a process of chemical and electrical signals interacting with stimuli, the illusory self is an emergent phenomenon and once the chemical and electrical signals stop, the self or the illusion that is called self also stops. This process happens in all humans, from the crackhead in the gutter to the Buddha. In buddhist lingo, this would equate to the five skandhas ceasing. This happens naturally and without effort, it is the inevitability of all things.