How does Reincarnation work?

In Buddhism, Buddha Shakyamuni taught on the existence of karma and life after death. We know that after death we will be reborn again – into a different state, body, and even plane of existence. There are many people who do not believe in the existence of reincarnation simply because they cannot remember their past lives and it hasn’t been proven scientifically, yet. However, science is limited and cannot prove everything yet. This should not be the reason to disprove reincarnation. Also, Western culture had a strong predominant belief in reincarnation centuries ago as attested by Pythagoras and Socrates. Watch this video and read the transcript where H.E. Tsem Rinpoche explains very clearly the logic behind reincarnation. --------------------------- TRANSCRIPT Rinpoche: We are going to take… Yes? Guest: A quick question? Rinpoche: No problem. Guest: So there is the idea of reincarnation from the Buddhist faith. But you also spoke about different world like after you leave here and you go to heaven if you believe in heaven. So how does that work? How does reincarnation work? Do you keep being reincarnated if you are good in this world or do you move right on? Rinpoche: That’s a very good question, and I’m going to… Do we have a few minutes? We could squeeze you in. Are you guys going to be alright? Now, if you close your eyes, cover your ears, don’t talk, stay in a place that no one’s touching you, you’re not touching anything, and you’re just there. Can your mind still see, hear, taste and touch? Your mind. Guest: Yes. Rinpoche: Very good. When you are dreaming, and your gross consciousness is totally gone, there’s no consciousness; in your subconsciousness, you are sleeping, can you taste, touch, feel and sense? Guest: No. Rinpoche: Correct. Sometimes dream states, where you are touching, tasting and feeling things are even more profound than life. So that means it could scare you, it could make you very happy, you wake up crying, you wake very happy or sad, right? And it’s as if it’s real. Sometimes we wake up, we don’t even know that it’s a dream or where we are. That mind that can see that and feel that is your actual mind. That mind is only a temporary resident of your body. Now, can you remember everything what you did last Wednesday exactly? Guest: No. Rinpoche: But if you relax, and you take your time, and you kind of ask people, will the memory come back? Guest: Yes. Rinpoche: Cause it’s a relaxed state of mind. Ok, so last Wednesday did happen. It’s just that it’s your memory… but it doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen or you didn’t do it. Can you remember things that happened to you 10 years ago? Some yes, but if you concentrate and focus and keep thinking a lot of it will come back, right? When you were a child, when you were an infant, did you have cognition? Can you see, hear, taste and touch? Guest: Yeah. Rinpoche: You can, right? Can you remember that? Guest: No. Rinpoche: Ok, but does that mean it didn’t happen? Guest: No. Rinpoche: But for you to have that cognition, that mind, at infancy and now you are the same person. Everything from the time you were born till now is one mind. That mind never changed. It’s just your perceptions became sharper. Correct? So, if you have that mind now, that mind is the same mind you had last Wednesday. That was the same mind you had when you were a child ten years ago. That’s the same mind you had when you were born. So, is that the same mind you would have had when you were in the womb? Guest: Correct. Rinpoche: Correct. Are there many cases of babies who heard what their parents were talking about when they were born and later say, “Hey mom, you know you did this and this”, and mom’s like, “How’d you know?” Because they heard, right? So you definitely had a mind when you were in your mother’s womb, right? So, at the time of conception would you have had a mind? Just a lucky guess? Guest: I’m going to go with a yes. Rinpoche: Very good because it’s only logical. You’re going yes now, not because you know or don’t know, it’s because it is logical and you are smart. So, you had to have had a mind at the time of conception, to have it in gestation nine months, to have it at birth, to have it at childhood, 10 years ago, Wednesday, and now, correct? This will be the same mind you have 10 years later, 20 years later, at the time of death. So, if you have a mind at conception till now, so would you have had a mind prior to conception? Guest: Yes. Rinpoche: Correct. That was your previous life. It has to continue and everything you like and didn’t like, and did and didn’t do in your previous lives, follow you in this life. The actions you did in body, speech, and mind are converted into karma. To read the rest of the transcript, click here https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=195894 ****************** For a complete listing of Tsemtulku Youtube Videos https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/you-tube...