If you read the link re: rebirth, you will discover that the consequences of ones' karma determines how they will be reborn whether as a human being, an animal, a ghost, a deva, a demigod or become a resident of hell. What type of uncertain future is that?
Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda, author of What Buddhists Believe, tells us the cause of this rebirth (page 129) is...
"Unsatisfied desire for existence and sensual pleasures..."
By contrast, we followers of Jesus Christ say we have been "born again". In fact, during Jesus's tenure upon earth He told Nicodemus in the gospel of John 3:7...
"You must be born again." (NIV)
And this action needed doing BEFORE death of the person; before death, not after. This being 'born again' meaning to have salvation through Jesus Christ. Coming into God's family by accepting God's offer of salvation to give the one accepting, forgiveness of sins and eternal life where there will be no more suffering and a relationship with God that we can enjoy here and now. What a bright, certain future!
Jesus took all the punishment for our sins on the cross and through His death and resurrection. The only intelligent "work" we must do is to humbly accept this gift from God.
No more striving. We can be sure we reach that point of "righteousness" because God imputes (Romans 4:5) His righteousness to us at the point of rebirth, of being born again spiritually, in and through Jesus. Jesus is the only Way. He told the people of the day, "I am the Way..." (John 14:6). We will then exist for ever "with Christ" (Philippians 1:23). This is called eternal life and is looked forward to with great joy.
The opposite is eternal death. That existence is just as sure and the place is called Hell. Oh how we do not like to speak of Hell. Who wants to become a "resident of Hell"? According to God's Word, this is the only other future existence of a human being after one's one and only present lifetime death.
That is why I plead with anyone reading this that is not yet a follower of Jesus Christ, to come to Him today, right now. God's Word plainly says that it is...
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His (God's) mercy..." (Titus 3:5).
And then in Ephesians 2:8 we learn...
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."
The "been saved" meaning being born again.
Yes, indeed there is a will to live in most people and God offers that opportunity to one and all. Freely He has given...freely receive and be reborn into Christ's family; therein is life, for ever more. There is not a ceasing to exist, but a continuation and joyous bliss, "with Christ".
Buddhists talk about past lives and that Gautama Buddha could even remember his numerous ones from eons and eons past. Yet some cannot remember, says Sri Dhammananda for the following reason which he states in his book page 130...
"...We cannot remember our past lives because our mind at present is always overburdened with many thoughts in the present day-to-day events and mundane circumstances."
Or, the past lives cannot be remembered because there were no past lives? There have been times I have jokingly said, "Oh, such and such was the case in my past life." My meaning on the "past life" is referring to a chapter of my life that happened at various times and/or places in which I have lived thus far these 57 years. My early childhood, then a major move to another country until adulthood. Then even more major moves through these adulthood years. Fifty some years ago seems like a different lifetime ago, perhaps, yet this is still my one and only life here and now on earth.
God formed the man Adam and then breathed into him the "breath of life" (Genesis 2:7). That was the very beginning of Adam's soul/spirit. His body eventually died but his soul/spirit lingers on kept somewhere by God.
God is eventually going to give all His children "incorruptible" bodies (1 Corinthians 15:42) in which our soul/spirits will reside. They will last for eternity to come.
This one life we live on earth is precious; don't waste it and don't miss the eternal life in Christ to come. Children of God, my brothers and sisters-in-Christ here's a mini poem I grew up with. My Mom had it hanging in the bathroom so we were often compelled to read it. Here it is:
"Only one life will soon be past;
Only what's done for Christ will last."
~author unknown~
How can Buddhists rid themselves of the endless cycle of rebirth? Sri Dhammananda suggests an answer on pages 134-135...
"Having to eradicate their craving and attachment from their minds. Having seen and experienced the uncertainty and unsatisfactoriness of life under worldly conditions, wise people try to rid themselves of these repeated rebirths and deaths by following the correct path of mental purification."
That would be via the Eight-Fold Path of Enlightenment. To be "rid...of rebirths..." how good it would be for those who follow this belief. Yet Jesus showed the other way, "You must be born again" (John 3:4). In Christ, therein is satisfaction; therein is certainty. He gives everlasting life. He purifies and renews our minds and hearts. It is wise people who become born again and receive the Holy Spirit of God to aid them in eschewing evil and seeking and pursuing what is good and pleasing in God's sight.
It is Jesus and His Holy Spirit we need. Do not trust to the "mental current" and "accumulation of experience and disposition transferred from one being to a new being just born". I cannot fathom waking up to find my consciousness embodied in a centipede, or cockroach or even a 'higher' animal form, much less to be a ghost. I do not mock. Just want to bring things into the perspective of reality. I'd rather like to avoid "the cycle of becoming to begin to revolve for still another term" (pages 134-135). I do not want to have to do life all over again and again.
This does not mean I have suicidal thoughts. No. It's just that since I can have rebirth without having my physical body die, I can also look forward to the life "with Christ" that is beyond the grave. The "everlasting life" where souls/spirits of those who belong to Christ will reside when their temporal bodies fatally fail them. Striving ceases.
On page 134 of What Buddhists Believe we read...
"Through hypnotism, some people have managed to reveal information of previous lives. Certain hypnotic states that penetrate into the subconscious mind make the recall of past lives possible."
"Rebirth or becoming again and again is a natural occurrence not created by any particular religion or god."
When one starts to mess with hypnotism one never knows what will transpire. The Word of God has much to say about this area. Click on the link re: Hypnosis so see some verses God wants us to consider. One can't refute what some remember of their supposed past lives but was it really a recall? Evil spirits disturb and confuse and lie and are very deceitful. Easy for them to suggest something with someone's mind as having transpired in the former mind of someone else, or of some animal, that the present person is now using. Satan is still on the loose and so are his demon minions.
There are "three types of consciousness functioning" says Sri Dhammananda on page 136 of his book, "at the moment of death in a person"...
"1. Rebirth-linking consciousness (not sure of the correct term here) 2. The current of passive consciousness or the current of life continuum (bhavanga) 3. Consciousness disconnecting the present life (cuti-citta)."
These kick in "at the last moment of a person's present life". Number 1 "arises" to activate the others. The end of number 3 gives rise to another number 1 the "very moment the new life begins".
"This is the process of death and rebirth according to Buddhism..."
At the moment of salvation through Jesus Christ is the moment of rebirth for that particular person in their present life. When Jesus calls us up to be with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:16), which among many Christians is termed "The Rapture," Jesus will give us incorruptible bodies, yet bodies recognizable to others as being who they were on earth.
Case in point was Jesus Himself. The disciples at the Sea of Galilee recognized who Jesus was (John 21:12). This was the time after Jesus' death and resurrection but before His ascension to Heaven. At first, they didn't recognize Him; perhaps the distance from the boat to the shore (John 21:4) but later on (vs 12), they knew. But strange wording,
"None dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord."
This leads me to believe that Jesus had shed that corruptible temple (He was fully man as much as He was fully God) and had His Heavenly one back in such a way that the disciples knew something was different yet they could still recognize that this man cooking a fish breakfast was their Jesus. Their Jesus whom they had walked and talked with for three some years of ministry.
Backing up some to the time of Jesus's transfiguration (Matthew 17:2; Mark 9:2-9), Peter, James and John knew that Jesus was still Jesus.
At this time the three were awestruck to see Moses and Elijah appear. Hundreds of years prior, Elijah had been taken away in a whirlwind and fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:1-14). Moses had climbed one last mountain at the tender age of 120, viewed the Promised Land and then died. God, Himself, buried Moses (Deuteronomy 34:1-8, esp vs 5).
In the vision on the Mount of Transfiguration of Jesus that the disciples saw, they recognized just who these two were. My point is, the spirit/soul or the "mental current" did not transfer to anyone else nor to an animal; it had been kept safe with God.
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, all knew and recognized who he was (John 14:38-44).
The widow of Nain's son was also raised from the dead by Jesus and was known as to who he was (Luke 7:11-17).
When Jesus brought these people back from the dead, the individuals came back as themselves. Of course at that time they did not gain that incorruptible body as obviously we do not hear of 2000 year old people strutting about on earth. They would have died again. In due time they will gain that imperishable body when the rest of us do.
Only Jesus gives life and/or takes it away. The person, his or herself, cannot transfer or transmigrate their soul or spirit into another being. There is no such thing as a "used human spirit" or "mental current" available for another being's use.
The Christian soul/spirit goes to be "with Christ" (Philippians 1:21-23). All others go to Hades en route to Hell (Luke 1:19-31). We do not like to think about this but one must. Their eternal destiny is at stake.
The story of the rich man and Lazarus (different Lazarus from the one mentioned above), takes place in Hades. The rich man is in torment while Lazarus is in "Abraham's bosom" and not in torment (Luke 16:19-31).
It is said that Lazarus is no longer in any section of Hades (nor Abraham either). Rather, at Jesus's resurrection, He (Jesus) "led captivity captive" (Ephesians 4:8,9) and brought all those of faith in God away with Him out of that place.
Jesus had triumphantly conquered Death and Hell!! But let's not get off topic. The rich man and all others who do not have faith nor have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior at point of death, will have their spirit/soul sent to Hades. In the end we learn in Revelation 20:11-15 & esp vs 14, "...death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire" (Hell).
Here are three links that may be of some help regarding the distinction between Hades and Hell, entitled On the Doorstep, But Don't Get to Enter -Part 7 and Part 8 and Part 9.
People do not like to think of these very unpleasant things. Buddhists do not believe in the need for a "Supreme Being" to help them in any of their intellectual "improvements". They can "save" themselves by these many improvements to reach that "highest bliss" (page 137) and purity of mind state, having conquered all "unsatisfied desires and sensual pleasures", enter 'Nirvana' which in turn causes them to become a Buddha, and to no longer need rebirth.
Nirvana is a state of being, not a place nor extinction. It is a state in which there is no more suffering or change. One is detached from all worldly things and even from other people. The world ceases to be an object of desire (pages 137-140).
While still on this earth, followers of Jesus will of course, continually struggle with earthly desires but when we see our Savior face-to-face in the heavenly realms to come, there will be no more sorrow or suffering or pain or tears (Revelation 21:1-7, esp vs 4). There will be much rejoicing and praising God together with those from every tribe and tongue and nation (Revelation 7:9; Revelation 5). There will not be detachment, but grand celebration with all our brothers and sisters in Christ, the family of God and most of all, with Christ our Savior.
~ERC 2018~
Page numbers refer to the book What Buddhists Believe by author Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda
For other references click on links provided or refer to the Holy Bible.
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