Short of giving you the opportunity over and over in the human realm to attain enlightenment ... it really achieves nothing except reinforcing your attachment to Samsara. According to teaching, we have been cycling through every realm of Samsara, including the animal and human realms since beginningless time, through countless expansions and collapses of the universe. And yet ... here we are ... now ... in this place ... again !!! Darrell
You get to taste all sorts of great food. There was no Vanilla Ice Cream thousands of years ago. Today you can enjoy a pizza or a boiled lobster.
but why reincarnate? Since I believe that the actual physical universe and the actual spiritual universe are one and the same, there really is nowhere else to go when we die, just different forms to take.
Sorry, My integrated approach is somewhat difficult to grasp, and put to words. I believe that matter IS spirit. I dont believe in any individuality or personal liberation to seek. I believe in a collective liberation, where we must seek to do good to benefit the universe as a whole. Not believing in a spirit or a soul does not mean that there is nothing to strive for. In fact, it means that what there is to strive for is beyond our conciousness. I dont understand how you can confuse that.
Well, if the universe is all there is, no individuality if I understand you correctly, who are these individuals seeking collective liberation? How can "we" benifit the universe? Who is striving? Can we ever reach it? How would we be conscience of reaching it if we did? LOL! Just asking questions! I agree with what you said here if I understand you correctly. I was just asking if we need to seek enlightenment or understanding if what you say is true?
First, we, the things that need to seek liberation, even though we are not individuals, we percieve that we are. In the intermedeate stage between the begining and enlightenment, there is a counciousness that can strive for things. I percieve this to be a brain/soul (in buddhism this is created by 5 skhandas(sp?)). In other words, it is an illusion created by the phsyical procesess in our brian. Of course there is the whole issue of practicality, which i need to remember more about.
