Rebirth across the Universe

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
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Lombardi4
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Rebirth across the Universe

Post by Lombardi4 »

Can we be reborn on other planets? Can beings from other planets be reborn on our planet?


In several billion years, the Earth will no longer be habitable. So when that happens, we will all be reborn on another planet.

Right?
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tiltbillings
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Re: Rebirth across the Universe

Post by tiltbillings »

Stefan wrote:Can we be reborn on other planets? Can beings from other planets be reborn on our planet?


In several billion years, the Earth will no longer be habitable. So when that happens, we will all be reborn on another planet.

Right?
How important to you and your practice are having answers to these questions?
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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Aloka
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Re: Rebirth across the Universe

Post by Aloka »

With respect, Stephan, how does speculation about rebirth on other planets or in several billion years time help us to overcome dukkha in the here and now on planet Earth ?

kind wishes,

Aloka :)
Lombardi4
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Re: Rebirth across the Universe

Post by Lombardi4 »

Right, I hesitated to ask the question, but decided to ask it anyway. Was it a completely irrelevant question? If yes, please accept my apologies. :smile:

And you are free to delete the topic.
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tiltbillings
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Re: Rebirth across the Universe

Post by tiltbillings »

Stefan wrote:Right, I hesitated to ask the question, but decided to ask it anyway. Was it a completely irrelevant question? If yes, please accept my apologies. :smile:

And you are free to delete the topic.
There is nothing wrong with asking the question. It might have been something the Buddha addressed and if so it would be interesting to hear the answer. So, don't worry about it (asking the question and I probably would not worry about the answer or lack of one, either). My apologies to you for the shut-down-the-question answer.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
Lombardi4
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Re: Rebirth across the Universe

Post by Lombardi4 »

tiltbillings wrote:There is nothing wrong with asking the question. It might have been something the Buddha addressed and if so it would be interesting to hear the answer. So, don't worry about it (asking the question and I probably would not worry about the answer or lack of one, either).
Thank you.
My apologies to you for the shut-down-the-question answer.
No problem. :smile:
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Aloka
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Re: Rebirth across the Universe

Post by Aloka »

When I was an offline Tibetan Buddhist practitioner, I remember in a question and answer session after a talk, that someone asked the Tibetan tulku who gave it "Can we be reborn on other planets and other beings from them be reborn here?"....and the tulku replied "Yes, why not? " However as this is a Theravada discussion that probably isn't relevant !

.
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DNS
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Re: Rebirth across the Universe

Post by DNS »

I don't have the exact Sutta reference right now, but in Teacher of the Devas by Susana Jootla, Buddhist Publication Society, The Wheel 414/416, 1997 it is reported that numbers 1 to 16 of the 31 planes of existence are specific to a world system (solar system) so that if your solar system / planet is destroyed (and all eventually do), then you are reborn to a different world system, unless you 'achieve' rebirth to number 17 or higher in the list of 31. Apparently numbers 17 to 31 of the planes of existence are 'universal' across all world systems.
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retrofuturist
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Re: Rebirth across the Universe

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

On a matter such as this, I'd be wary of any opinion that didn't come directly from a sammasambuddha.

:buddha2:

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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DNS
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Re: Rebirth across the Universe

Post by DNS »

Here's the quote from Susan Jootla:

"The Buddha has directly seen the origins of Maha Brahma and understands what it requires to be reborn in his world. In the Brahmajala Sutta (DN 1) the Buddha describes how a supposed Creator God came to believe himself omnipotent and how others came to rely on his sovereignty. His description was based, not on speculation or hearsay, but on his own direct knowledge. The Buddha explains that when our world system disintegrates, as it regularly does after extremely long periods of time, the lower sixteen planes are all destroyed. Beings disappear from all planes below the seventeenth, the plane of the Abhassara gods. Whatever beings cannot be born on the seventeenth or a higher brahma plane then must take birth on the lower planes in other remote world systems."

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... el414.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

She states it is from DN 1, but I don't have my copy of the DN with me right now to check this.
Individual
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Re: Rebirth across the Universe

Post by Individual »

retrofuturist wrote: On a matter such as this, I'd be wary of any opinion that didn't come directly from a sammasambuddha.
Or an extraterrestrial who practices Buddhism. :spy:
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Vepacitta
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Re: Rebirth across the Universe

Post by Vepacitta »

Sure, why not? I mean, look at the Vulcans ...

Living long and prospering here on Mt. Selaya,

V.
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CSEe
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Re: Rebirth across the Universe

Post by CSEe »

I belief all living or non-living in this world or universe are a form of energy ( maybe already proven by science ) but all these energy are not pure . We human have " pollutant " call life ....and all these energy are going though a purification process to be pure . Buddha is the pure / un-polluted energy - the emptiness without pollutant - THE BUDDHA . We or entire universe are moving towards Buddha......
I belief all living ( animal , plant , bacteria/virus , human etc ) and non-living ( material , soil , rock etc ) will continue their purification process in their own way , with thier own speed by thier own awareness towards Buddha .

Thks
Ee
Ananda Thera
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Re: Rebirth across the Universe

Post by Ananda Thera »

First of all, we must know that there was a time when the Buddha grabbed a handful of leaves, and asked the monks which was more, the leaves from his hands or the leaves in the forest. The monks said the leaves from the forest was way more. The Buddha then explained that the things he taught was like the handful of leaves and the things that he knew but did not find necessary to teach, it can be compared to the forest of leaves. The Buddha advised us not to put our mind on such speculations as it is not necessary for our journey to Nibbana.

But I definitely understand the curiosity, as I myself is a curious person who speculates!

I think that yes, beings can be reborn from planets to planets according to their Kamma. A few billion years later, the Sun would become a red giant and the Earth would become uninhabitable. So I guess that if the human beings on earth died and still had the Kamma to be reborn as humans, they would be reborn as humans on other planets. (I think that brings are classified as belonging to the human realm based on their intelligence and mental ability, not based on their forms. A a being with a different outlook from humans on earth can still be classified as belonging to the human realms as long as they have human intelligence and can understand the Dhamma).
Ananda Thera
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Re: Rebirth across the Universe

Post by Ananda Thera »

One more thing. I think that the Buddha clearly saw the universe clearly. But his fellow Indians still lived in the environment and time when they cannot understand complicated descriptions compatible with modern science. So the Buddha changed the description a little and blended it with ancient Indian cosmology so that people back in those times could understand it more.

One example of this is when the Buddha delivered the sermon of the seven suns. He said that through long lapses of time, another sun will appear in the sky. Every time a sun is added, it does more damage to the earth, until the seventh sun is added; the earth glows with fire, and sparks of fire will get blown to the high devas realms. This seems like an ancient Indian version of the modern theory of the Sun becoming a red giant in science. Basically the Sun will get bigger and bigger through billions of years until it is assumed to destroy the entire earth.
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