I am not a Buddhist, and I don't have much knowledge about Buddhism. But I am curious as to what Buddhist believe happens to them after they die once they have reached Nirvana. Do you cease to exist? Is reincarnation optional? Anyway please share your thoughts
Sariputta-Kotthita Sutta Samyuta Nikaya 44 Maha Kotthita asks Sariputta these questions also. 1) Does a Thatagatha exist after death? 2) Does a Thatagatha not exist after death? 3) Does a Thatagatha both exist and not exist after death? 4) Does a Thatagatha neither exist nor not exist after death? Buddha never answered these questions. These questions do not apply to our normal perception outside of the First Noble truth and in regards to putting an end to craving. Craving is the supporting factor for clinging. Clinging is the supporting factor to becoming (existence). When one has put an end to craving, there is no more becoming because becoming has no supporting factor. Becoming does not cease to exist because it has no support for its arising. For something to cease means it has to have had a beginning in order to cease. For an Arahat or Thatagatha there is no support for anything to arise because Ignorance has been removed, the root of dependent origination. In the course of one's life these questions will never be answered. One will die as surely as one shot with a poison arrow who refuses to pull out the arrow until they know who shot them, without ever knowing the answer to these questions because knowing them will not free one from the bonds of greed, ill-will or delusion. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn44/sn44.006.than.html HTML:
So what your saying is that once you have obtained Nirvana you will no longer experience rebirth because you have put an end to craving, but it is unimportant to know what happens to your being (by "being" I mean whatever it is in a creature that is carried over into another life). Thankyou for your response you were helpful
I understand your question. When one attains to a position of release from greed, ill-will and delusion, one literally and utterly breaks the chain of dependent origination. One puts an end to Ignorance (avijja). In cutting off ignorance, there is no more action (volition, sankhara). When there is no action, consciousness (viññana) does not arise. When there is no consciousness there is no mental and physical aggregrates (namarupa). When there are no mental and physical aggregrates, the six base senses (salayatana) do not arise. Without the six base, no contact (phassa) occurs. When there is no contact, no feelings (vedana) arise. When no feelings arise, there is no craving (tañha). Without craving as a base, clinging (upadana) does not arise. Without clinging as a base, there is no becoming (bhava), no existence. When there is no becoming there is no birth (jati). Without the support of birth, there is no death (jara). Once one has attained to the position of Nibbana (Nirvana), there is no more becoming to be concerned over, to be considered important or unimportant. Nibbana cannot be described using conventional language. One can say what it is by saying what it is not, but this is not an accurate description because the words used to described it are a result of conventional mind describing conventional reality when Nibbana is non-conventional (ultimate) in nature. Instances of where Nibbana can be described is as a flame going out, a cooling. When there is nothing left for a flame to consume, there is no more flame. Other instances where Nibbana can be described is as an end to that which obstructs Nibbana. Parinabbana is the final entry into Nibbana which occurs at the moment of the breaking up of the elements of the body. That moment we commonly call passing away, leaving the body, death of the body, when the body is no longer able to support breath. There is no more being born for such a one because there is no more becoming. There is no becoming for such a one because there is no more clinging, no more craving, no more feeling, no more contact, no more coming together of the sense base, no more mental and physical aggregrates, no more consciousness, no more action, ignorance has been cut off at the root, one has become free from greed, ill-will and delusion. Once ignorance has been cut off at the root does not mean the individual who realized liberation will disappear or vanish from the present existence because the actions from previous moments, previous lives which came together to bring the form they now occupy still needs to run its course. Those actions still need to be extinguished. It just means that there will be NO NEW ACTION to support becoming (existence) in any future life/lives in the conventional sense. For such a one, there is no more anger, no more desire, no more hatred, no more craving, no more wanting to be right all the time, no more carrying grudges, no more dislike, no more pleasure, no more greed, no more wanting, no more views, no more opinions, no more ideas, no more conceptions, no more speculating, no more being concerned about what is important or unimportant, no more ... thatatha ... that's it !!! HTML:
