individual conscience after death?

frsjulio SG

what happens to our individual conscience after death?
we forget the facts, so that we can't remember the past?
if we go to Pure Land of Buda won't we forget our last life?
is there any possibility of dying and not forgeting our memories?

laurence82 SG

u noe why i post so early this morning?

woke up by dreams of death

more like revelation of this big emptiness that come banging into me like speeding truck

namelessness SG

Perhaps we should ask first: Is there death and rebirth?

Personally I believe that life is eternal. Death, rebirth and memories are just illusive manifestation of our true-self. Reincarnation is a process of purifying our mind and consciousness in order to restore our original state of mind where there is nothing at all. To me, I'd rather delete all my memories and everything in my database. Too bad it doesn't work as simple as in a computer. It takes a lot of effort to do that.

sinweiy SG

depending on the level or stage one attain.
when one reach the 8th bhumi bodhisattva stage, one are not confuse or can remember the past when entering the womb, dwelling in the womb and coming out of the womb.
8th bhumi and below might be confuse in either of the 3 stages. for example, one might enter the womb not confuse but during the dwelling, they become confused due to the suffering in the womb. Or when dwelling, one's not confused, but when coming out, they become confused.
but it's okay, if in the past one got vow, then they can slowing lead to an understanding.
like for example one vow to write sutra commentries, then one will gradually go directly to write sutra commentries.

That say dwelling in the womb is like hell. when the mother drink cold water, it's like cold hell, and when the mother drink hot water, one feel like hot hell. And during the delivery, that's like crashing mountains.

/\

longchen SG

Hi Namelessness,

I agree with you. This is how i see it also. Smile

namelessness SG

Hi longchen

I'm glad that you agree with me.
Thanks. Smile

An Eternal Now SG

May you strive hard and quickly attain Deathlessness. Smile

An Eternal Now SG

I am not a Pure Land sect Buddhist, but from what I know if you go to the Pure Land you can remember your past lives.

An Eternal Now SG

All of us have a transient-invisible-body (Antara-bhava). While we are alive this is called mind-consciousness. It is commonly referred to as the soul. When we are asleep, this mind-consciousness does not sleep. Instead, it combs through the past records that are stored in the eighth mind-consciousness (All of us have eight consciousness. In addition to the six sense-consciousness, namely, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind, there are the seventh [Klista-mano-vijnana] and eighth [Alaya-vijnana] mind-consciousness. The eighth consciousness is the planting field of the mind. The seeds of all our encounters, both virtuous and evil, of our aeons of many past lives are planted here. The seventh mind-consciousness gives rise to the transient-invisible-body.) When a person is dead, his six sense-organs, namely, the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind stop functioning. His sense of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch and perception also cease to function. Thereafter, the seventh mind-consciousness no longer resides in the body. It leaves the body and begins to search for the right conditions for rebirth to the next life. (At this stage, the mind-consciousness is called a transient-invisible-body. It is an intermediate existence between death and rebirth to the next life.) The right conditions of rebirth are found within a period of 49 days, on each of the seven cycles of the seventh day after the person has passed away ( i.e. 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, 49th day).

http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol8no1a.htm

frsjulio SG

Thanks guys.

sinweiy SG

i'm a purelander. You got it right. Smile We say purelander don't "die" to go to PL, but we go there alive! There are people who predict their time of entry (yu zhi shi zhi) and they just go on the predicted time. More amazingly without illness! Wink

Moreover Amitabha Sutra state:
"Moreover, Shariputra, the living beings born in the Land of Utmost Happiness are all Avaivartika. Among them are many who in this very life will dwell in Buddhahood. Their number is extremely many; it is incalculable. And only in measureless, limitless asamkyeyas of kalpas could they be counted. "

Avaivartika = Non retrogression = 8th bhumi! Surprised

_/|\_
Amituofo!

An Eternal Now SG

The part on which Purelanders can recall past life is recorded in Amitabha's 48 vows:

Vow 5 :
Provided I become a Buddha, if in that Buddha-country of mine the beings who are born there should not be possessed of the supernormal knowledge of recollecting the previous lives of themselves (Purvanivasana i.e. knowledge of all reincarnations), and knowing the events of evolution of hundred thousand nayuta years of kalpas, then may I not attain the enlightenment.

sinweiy SG

Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
The part on which Purelanders can recall past life is recorded in Amitabha's 48 vows:

Vow 5 :
Provided I become a Buddha, if in that Buddha-country of mine the beings who are born there should not be possessed of the [b]supernormal knowledge of recollecting the previous lives of themselves (Purvanivasana i.e. knowledge of all reincarnations), and knowing the events of evolution of hundred thousand nayuta years of kalpas, then may I not attain the enlightenment.[/b]

Excellent! Thanks for reminding! Smile

_/|\_
Amituofo!