Kamma and Rebirth

Consciousness

Mind and Brain Duality

The consciousness can manifest itself without fully functioning  brain in 3 situations.

1. Near Death Syndrome (NDE)

2. Apparently brain damaged individuals regaining consciousness at the time of death.

3. Apparent consciousness in person with minimal brain function.

There are also children with very thin brain tissue with severe hydrocephaly with high intelligence.

There is another situation where young children remember past life experiences not necessarily the immediate past life  (may be several thousand years old).
In this scenario memory is not related to the current life.

It is time for scientist to record these events and study them objectively.

As far as I know only Ian Stevenson of Virginia University has done some studies and one of his students pursue on this line of studies.

This piece has many ideas and I have some vital disagreements with the way of life of Dhamma, especially its attitude to plant kingdom.

I do not blame Buddha for his course of action.

He was totally forcussed on one thing.

It is the mind and nothing more.

He was focussed on every  BORN  MIND which attaches itself at death consciousness to birth consciousness of another life stream.

The born mind drives the wheel of karma and rebirth.

The unborn mind stops the wheel of rebirth but it exists in a subtle form unentangled with worldly things.

It is Lokotthara or beyond this world of MAYA or total imagination of me, myself and I concept.

Whereas, plants do not have an organized  brain but only life and does not get attached to another plant, so a death of a plant or seed is total annihilation and no rebirth.

In that sense, killing a plant has more consequenses to this planet (my obsession and valid concern) than killing an animal life, since animal life can be reborn again in an another planet, if not this planet.

That important distinction should be born  in one's mind to begin with.

For me this is the only planet, I know of and both animals and plants are my interest and we are NOW, deep into the sixth extinction.

One word about the UNBORN MIND.

It is Buddha's total dedication.

In my understastanding that NIBBANA is the unborn MIND (since it has no Rebirth conscioisness) out of born minds of unattained guys and girls, you and me.

It is NOT total annihilation but UNBORN, MIND, since MIND as a form of ENERGY could not be destroyed but only TRANSFORMED.

This is an opinion not a DOGMA.

You should read the following with that in grasp to understand the logic of Dhamma and Karma and Rebirth.

It is 12-02-2021 and the South West Cloud movement has begun.

It will be a long dry spell and farmers without water will have a torrid time.

Not only Coronavirus but water shortage and electricity cuts are on the card.

It will not be a good April New Year, if monsoon rain does not intervene.

This entry of course, is to correct many mistakes made in the past as regard to Dhamma.

Since my data is coming down fast and I do not intend to replenish data for finger printing,  many lines are appropriate, here.

I have stated there are five Jhana States and it should be corrected as IV (four).

Some texts describe upto VIII Jhana States.

One can attain IV Jhana States as a human being.

From V to VIII are probably Minds States that  some beings possess in Arupawatara Lokas (mind without body form) or States.

Javana is the Pali word used to describe the behaviour of mind and please do not confuse.

In Jhana States, one achieves a kind of happy States.

1. Piti
2. Suka
3. Ekaggatata
4. Equanimity

Even these States are hindrance to Vipassana Samadhi, the goal of higher Dhamma.

The upward mobility starts with

1. Metta or Compassion
2. Karuna or Loving Kindness
3. Muditha or Sympathetic Joy
4. Upekka, the word equanimity is the closest English equivalent but not the exact translation.

It is the balanced, neutral, unattached and nonjudgemental state of mind very difficult to achieve.

Ana Pana Sati or Ekaggatata (one pointedness of mind's attention) meditation is somewhat low down in the scale of purity of the mind.

Only an entry point.

But entry point in Dhamma has five scales in ascendance.

1. Saddha or Faith

2. Viriya or Sustained Attempt

3. Sati is the mindfullness in meditation

4. Samadhi or sustained concentration

5. The goal is Pagna or the Highest Wisdom

One has, to drop 5 Nivaranas or hindrances
1. Greed or Loba
2. Hate or Dosa
3. Ignorance or Moha
4. Raga or bondage
5. Sloth and Torpor

They are also described as 4 extremes or Agatis, if one leaves out the 5th, the slow or indifference to mental accompaniments.

In Jhana States one has to drop all mental.activities one by one.

1. Subdue or Control, all objective or subjective thought moments arising spontaneously

2. Focus on Residual Thougt Moments in Bhavanaga Sota Stream of Mind (in Sansara).

3. Piti

4. Suka

5. Samadhi

All these are addictive and are hindrances to Pagna or Wisdom.

6. Ekagatata or Equanimity.

In the last stage of Upekka, one begins to have a glimpse of the reality of existence in Sansara life stream, uninterrupted with deep bondage and its self perseverance, ad hoc.

The Jhana States are absolue hindrance to critical analysis and abstract thinking necessary to understand the behaviour of  Mind.

I must state a recent discovery of mine.

One of my friends, who is like a saint after a couple of drinks told me alcohol, drugs and meditative trance, all induce temporary state of ecstasy.

They all aspire the same thing.

ECSTASY!

All three are addictive in nature, he elaborated.

My medical input is, all are brought on by ENCEPHALINS made within the nervous system.

In other words, all three are excessive self indulgences of no merit.

The craving for endogenous  "Feel  Good Hormones".

By the way, extreme sports, marathon, mountain climbing, preparation for Olympics and big boxing matches peak them in feel good hormones and with win or lose, these hormone evaporate into thin air immediately afterwards.

Even watching these events as a spectator evevate these hormones, probably  more of stress hormones and a sense of ecstasy with a win and a corresponding gloom with a loss.

That is why some sports are addictive as bad as gambling.

I think even cellphone games are addictive and I am beginning to control the urge to play them.

Game developers know this and take advance of this self induction with endogenous hormones.

Instead,  I  turn my mind to my rooftop garden, and with dry season approaching, I have enough to keep me occupied.

Anything in excess is an addiction but flowers are a soothing antidote.

Coming back to my critical talking point, gathering knowledge, in any  new subject domain needs the ability to think in abstract terms and later analysis for the pros and cons associated with.

Not many are endowed with both.

The Jhanas provide temporary ecstasy in heavenly aboard.

One spends the credits earned in many lives in one go (like a big purchase on a credit card), in heaven for some time and slide down to the animal kingdom invariably.

Human Birth is rare and wasting its many resources are not prudent in general terms.

Meditation in my view is a waste of time in solitude, even though, it gives a temporary sense of tranquility.

It is OK for monks but not for busy people with family committments.

Before, coming to nuts and bolts, let me state few historical facts, some related to geography and some to language.

Word of Buddha reached China after 700 years and in Sanskrit.

It reached Burma and Thailand 1000 or more years later and in Pali, probably by sea route.

Nepal or the Magada State is landlocked and Buddhism did not reach even Tibet until 1200 years or more later.

One should assume that all these countries had some form of a belief system and were not conducive, if not antagonistic to imported or foreign ideas.

China is a good exemple.

Now  things were not recorded even in Aluvihara in Ceylon, till 1700 years later after the passing away of Buddha.

My point here, with passing away of time and cultural influence, nothing called Pure Dhamma existed but collosal literature, that include Dhammapada, which gives an insight, to its teaching.

What excited me was that, every volitional action is related to the Mind and many years of me studying  Medicine did not prepare me to understand the Mysterious Nature of Mind, either.

So, prudently, I postponed digging into Dhamma in my young years.

I bought a huge Dictionary of Buddhism and it had more than 10 pages on the Word Dhamma.

I knew, all the English translators got it wrong somewhere, having not studied Pali in depth.

Only, oral traditions were existing for a very long time before that.

The Tibetian approach, I never liked and trying to become a modern Buddha with the glamour of TV screens is redundant.

After all, I hate China for subduing  Dalai Lama and invading Tibet for no reason other than economic and expanding its Silk Road initiative.

I think Coronavirus was the befitting curse that befalls on China for decades to come and its silk road dream of economic strangle will peter out, in real terms and in real time.

I hate Mao Setung and Carl Marx for destroying thousands of years of Chinese Culture.

In that case,  President Putin is much wiser, who sticks to Orthodox Church.

The long preamble is essential and many Mahayana and Hinayana traditions are a utter waste.

In a nutshel, Dhamma is based on two cardinal concepts.

1. Kamma and Rebirth.

2. Action and Result or Cause and Effect.

The one who does not believe in these two is not a Buddhist in Practice.

If somebody kills any life he has to reap benefits as food in this life, as well as his repentance in future life in animal kingdom or may be kiled by his or her own mates as a food item.

Think about that scenario!

The poweful emperor the King Asoka, rarely erected sandstones in Buddhist Terms.

His obssession was to stop animal killings and he would sentence to death a man who  has violently killed an animal and in that sense, he did not practice Metta or loving kindness to his subjects.

He is the first king in history who formulated rules and regulations not based on a book or scripture but by common sense.

His sandstones depicted these themes and Muslim invaders of course destroyed them.

In that sense, Jews and Muslim not eating pork and Hindu not eating beef is not valid on animal rights claims.

In actual fact, Hindus eat pork and Muslims eat beef and the so called compensation by religious practice is fully nullified and all animals are killed by default.

To this add Ceylonese and Thai Buddists who will eat meat killed by both Muslims and Hindus.

What a cohort?

Then why only human rights?

Is it to violate the fundamental rights of any other living being?

Any life is precious to its owner and becoming a vegetarian should not be a fashion.

My analysis shows that to produce one kilo of beef one need eight kilos of grain.

By grains alone, 8 can be fed instead of 1 with only meat.

Meat is non essential and plant proteins can easily make good the protein requirements.

This principle (not needing animal) was illustrated by one of my Tamil friends from Jaffna who was a total vegetarian, no eggs and the tallest and the heaviest in our batch.

My friend won the putshot by a big margin!

The elephant is totally vegetarian and some big whales, too eat only plants.

What a scientific fact?

I forgot a big point in my argument.

How many animals an American eat by 50.

If an American dies prematurely how many animals would be saved?

It is as important as 8 to 1 ratio of grains.

The ratio can be 100 animals  to one Amerrican life.

So an Americal dying is a blessing to the animal kingdom.

What an outcome after Coronavirus?

I did not have the premonition to vision this glory.

Developing vaccine or antibodies by killing animals is not prudent in that sense.

This simple arythmatic 8 against 1, both the UNO and the WHO cannot understand.

It has no population control policy of any sort.

The mother nature takes its own initiative to prevent animal slaughter by killing the man first.

That is a realistic approach.

The world has a limited capacity and we won't be able to colonize any planet to escape from this virus.

Buddhism did not take root in China and India, simply due to this Truth of
Craving for Animal Flesh.

Any ordinary man in India and China loves meat including chicken.

Few facts about Mad Cow Disease and processed Faked Fats.

In England and USA beef is the major food protein consumed.
So to fatten the cattle and bulls they fed animal flesh discarded in the slaughter houses mixed with pasture to all animals especially cattle who only eat plants.
They do not have enzyme system to digest these by products and some of these fats get deposited in the brain as amyloid proteins.

After all cows getting ill or mad is no concern, since they are ultimately.sacrificed as human food.

But irony was lot of British and American guys became demented in the long run and cattle farmers and the goverment hid these medical facts for decades and finally they had to publish some data about Mad Cow Disease (mind you I was eating and relishing on beef, pork, lamb, chicken and fish as a bachelor, and in fact I looked like a human pig).

Moments the reports were published, overnight, I stopped eating beef and started eating only fish.

I am a total vegetarian now but eat eggs.

The elements causing Mad Cow Disease are animal fats that human cannot digest fully (animals also cannot digest them) and get deposited in heart, liver and dangerously in the brain.
These undigested fats are called amyloids proteins and are mixed with various proteins trapped with in them.

The next is Chinese contribution.

The Chinese wet farm refuse is added as fodder to animals and fats are extracted for human consumption.and converted into assortmet of magarines.

These margarines are nicely flavoured and wrapped and our bread makers use them liberally instead of butter, milk and coconut oil.

A mass food crisis (FAT CRISIS) is in the offing.

So all the ingredients of Mad Cow Disease is in our Bread or "Chun-Pan".

Even a total.vegetarian, overtime  can be affected by Mad Cow Disease.

That is the bottom line and STOP eating Margarines and Wasana Cakes made from them.

The April New Year coming bread makers work full time to use these palm oils and margarines (substitute for real coconut oil).

Coconut oil is the best oil and converting coconut oil to margarine is a CRIME and a CRISIS.

Eat butter and curd, drink milk and avoid all margarines.

Over 30 years I stopped buying margarines.

Continued drinking milk and making home made yogurts until a liter of milk became over Rs.200/= or more.

Do not eat food made of these margarines (biscuits, cakes, pastries and Chun Pan).

The necessary prerequisite for a Buddhist, even not intending to study Dhamma is to stop killing and not eating meat of any kind, fish included.

For centuries we had wars in this country and eating flesh predated nationhood and race, even in Ceylon.

So, Sansara is the essence.

The precursor of birth is death in elsewhere.

It is interlinked instantaneously and there is no Antarbhawa.

The death consciousness is the birth consciousness in essence.

With the Coronavirus calamity, one who does not believe in rebirth, tries to hang on to the ventilator or to believe in the putative efficacy of the vaccines.

Both allude to the reality that one would kick the bucket in many ways than one, anyway.

So give up that psychosis of Coronavirus and live this moment in happiness.

Somanassa Citta not Domanassa Citta.

In Sansara Concept, there are few levels of life.

If we take Manussa or Man in the middle, the higher level above is Deva where one spends his / her merit credit in one go.

Only a few Stream Entry Anagamis reach higher status or Nibbana in heaven.

The rest climb down rarely to manhood but naturally to the animal kingdom.

That is why I call the manhood /womanhood is very precious.

One may climb up from animal to human world rarely with previous Good Kamma.

Those who act in killing in wars only go to hell or animal kingdom.

The Vipaka or cause and effect has its ending there.

Kamma is actually all actions including killing in war.

The result or Vipaka is the outcome.

So avoiding killing and wars are mandatory for healthy human living.

One may be born in animal kingdom and be killed and eaten by another man or woman in the next life.

In fact, one may be eating his or her own kith and kin born in the animal kingdom.

How nice or naive is that?

That is the bottom line and the summum bonum!

The level below animals is spirit levels and demons and the upward mobilty is rare.

I think born as a free bird is not as bad as spirits and demons.

I call the aliens who visit us from time to time are in between humans and heavenly beings but are humanoid all the same.

FACING DEATH
Facing death, even for a Buddhist who believes in Rebirth is a difficult preposition.

This is very difficult if the one who is dying is a kid.

It is imperative that I should write this end piece as a doctor and not as a priest.

Religions have many ways but none of their methods is perfect.

One who is about to exit has a deep fear when tunnel vision emerges.

It is a momentary period of lucidity out of a a dark halo.

One wonders whether to hold on to the failing body or let go to the unknown.

I am not sure how one in Jhana State handles this.

My description here is for an ordinary guy / girl.

It is better to explain with a few real examples.

Number one, with a sweet gentleman in mid eigjties.

He was misdiagnosed and was in coma due to overdose of saline with clinical and laboratory confirmed hyponatraemia.

I had to reach the extended family with many grandchildren.
I asked them.
They wished to have a lucid moment with him.

I said I will try for 10 days and not more.

To my surprise on the 9th day he opened his eyes briefly and I got the family to be present the next day.

The nurses were excellent and propped him up with a head rest and I prompted, the grandchildren to wake him up for a brief period in the morning and in the evening and everybody had a chance for the next five days or so.

I had only one demand and that was, one with the strongest will power should hold his hand at the time of his last breath with a nurse attending, me nowhere near his bed.

The reason, he got attached to me in between.

The next was my favourite and he requested only me to be present.

I took the opportunity to convert him to Buddhist ideology with oxygen tank in supply for nearly 5 days.

The moment came I gripped his hand lightly.

He did not have any sttength left to grip me.

Most of the others did not have any desires or requests for me and I let the nurses handle them.

The third one was an anomaly.

He was the only one who had a beautiful smile at the corners of his mouth.

Very unusual and all the others, I had witnessed had subdued fear.

I was not near him at his departure time and I probed.

He was an alcoholic and had a mild heart attack.

He faked pain and got an overdose of morphine.

I do not think his next life was favourable due to his intention of faking in the moment of death consciousness.

In my opinion, loading with drugs at the time of death is inappropriate and hinder the momentary lucid interval that helps into the next life.

In that sense recitals of faith may be helpful but wrong view of the faith may land one definitely in Hell not in Heaven.

In that sense, masterly inactivity at the time of death is the best approach, since nobody has control over one's death or the next birth.

I will finish this with few hypotherical scenarios which I have not experienced.

The encounter at the goal of death.

1. The executioner and the convict.
One in mortal fear and other indifferent to life.

2. The accidental death.

3. Home death with priests attending.

4. Hospital death, already described.

5. Death in battlefield.

Theoretically, if one can apply equanimity at  the point of departure in the belief that death does not terminate Sansara may be helpful to reduce the engulfying fear.

That is only a hope, nothing more.

One has no control over the next birth or the next existence but a totally natural phenomenon, common to all forms of life.

So let go the attachment to this present but failing body.

Oxygen puff may be helpful but not the ventilator which prolongs the agony to nutsing staff, next of kins and more importantly to one who is in the death bed.