Chapter 8 Chapter 6 Evolution, Karma and Reincarnation

On that fateful night of enlightenment, the Buddha is said to have passed through several different stages of awakening.First, his mind was "calm and pure, unblemished, cleansed of defilements, and made soft, easygoing, focused, and unshakable." He turned his attention to memories of past lives, and here is his description of that experience: I recall many, many past lives.One, two, three, four, five...fifty, one hundred...hundred thousand, born in various time and space.I know everything about these lives: where they happened, what my name was, what family I was born into, what I did.I have experienced good and bad luck in every life, and death in every life, and I was born again.In this way I recall an infinite number of past lives, their qualities and circumstances.This is the knowledge I acquired in the first night.

Belief in life after death and reincarnation has played an important role in almost all world religions since the beginning of history.In early Christian history, Christians believed in reincarnation, a belief that persisted in various forms well into the Middle Ages.One of the most influential priests of the Church, Origen, believed that "the soul existed before man was born," writing in the third century: "Every soul comes into this world because It is strengthened by the victories of its past lives and weakened by its failures in its past lives.” Although Christianity eventually rejected the belief in reincarnation, its traces can still be seen in the thought of the Renaissance, in the works of Romantic poets Blake and Shelley, and even in novels in the writings of Balzac.Since the West became interested in Eastern religions in the late nineteenth century, a considerable number of Westerners have embraced Hindu and Buddhist knowledge of reincarnation.Among them, the great American industrialist and philanthropist Henry Ford wrote:

At the age of twenty-six, I accepted the theory of reincarnation, which (Western) religions do not offer at all.Not even work can fully satisfy me.If we cannot apply the experience gained in one life to the next, then the work will be in vain.When I discovered reincarnation... time was no longer limited.I am no longer a slave to the pendulum... I am willing to share the tranquility given by the long-term outlook on life with others. A 1982 Gallup poll showed that almost a quarter of Americans believed in reincarnation.This is an astonishing statistic when you consider that materialism and science dominate almost every aspect of our lives.Even so, most people still have only a very vague idea of ​​life after death, and don't know what reincarnation really is.People often tell me they can't believe something without proof.But is there no proof that it doesn't exist?As Voltaire said: "In short, it is no more surprising to be born twice than to be born once."

People often ask me, "If there is a past life, why don't we remember it?" But why does not remembering the past life mean that we have not lived before?Experiences from childhood or from yesterday, or even thoughts from an hour ago, although so vivid at the time, almost completely disappear from memory, as if they had never happened.If we don't even remember what we did or thought last week, how can it be so easy to remember what we did in the previous life? Sometimes I jokingly ask people: "What is it that makes you so convinced that there is no reincarnation? Do you have evidence of life? If you die and find out that there is reincarnation, what will you do? How will you deal with this situation? Aren't you limiting yourself with negative beliefs? Wouldn't it be more reasonable to believe that reincarnation might exist, or at least not to object to it, even without what you call 'concrete evidence'? What counts as concrete evidence for reincarnation?"

So I like to ask people to ask themselves: Why do some major religions believe in an afterlife?In the history of mankind, why have billions of people, including the greatest philosophers, sages and geniuses in Asia, believed in reincarnation and regarded it as an important part of life?Are they all fools? Let's get back to concrete evidence.Just because we haven't heard of Tibet, or just because we haven't been to Tibet, doesn't mean Tibet doesn't exist.Before the American continent was "discovered", did any Europeans believe in the existence of America?Even after it was discovered, people debated whether it existed.I believe this is due to our very narrow view of life that prevents us from accepting and beginning to think seriously about the possibility of reincarnation.

Fortunately, this is not the end of the story.Those of us who practice spiritual practice -- say, meditation people -- are finally discovering many facts about the mind that we didn't know before.Because as our minds become more and more open to the extraordinary, vast, and unquestionable nature of our minds, we glimpse an entirely different aspect, and all the notions of ourselves and the world that we thought we knew well begin to dissolve, thus eliminating If this life is lost, the existence of other lives becomes possible.We begin to understand that the teachings on life, death and reincarnation taught by our guru are true.

Some possible "proofs" of reincarnation: There is already a substantial literature on the testimonies of those who claim to remember past lives.I suggest that if you really want to understand the truth about reincarnation, you should approach this issue with an open mind, but with as much discernment as possible. Of the hundreds of reincarnation stories that could be mentioned, one in particular fascinates me.This is the story of an old man in Norfolk, England. His name is Arthur Flowerdew. From the age of twelve, he often had a mysterious but vivid mental image-a big city surrounded by deserts.Among the most recurring images in his mind was a temple apparently hewn from a cliff.Especially as he played with pink and orange pebbles on the beach near his home, these magical images kept popping up in his mind.As he grew older, he saw the city more and more clearly, and he saw more buildings, street maps, soldiers, and access to the city through narrow valleys.

In his later years, Arthur Flaudot came across a TV documentary about the ancient city of Petra in Jordan by chance.For the first time he was surprised to find that this was the image that had been haunting his mind for years.He later claimed that he had never read any books about Petra.However, his story became well known and he was featured on BBC TV interviews.The incident caught the attention of the Jordanian government, which brought him and a BBC program producer to Jordan to film his reaction to Petra.Before that, he had only been abroad once, a brief trip to the French coast. Before departure, a world authoritative scholar who has studied Petra and published a book visited Arthur Flaudot. After a detailed interview, he was puzzled why Arthur Flaudot was interested in Petra. The knowledge is so precise that some of them can only be known by archaeologists who specialize in this area.The BBC recorded Arthur Flaudot's description of Petra before his departure to compare with what would be seen in Jordan.Flaudot singled out three images in particular: a strangely shaped volcanic rock on the outskirts of the city, a small temple where he said he was killed in the first century B.C., and a building in the city that archaeologists are familiar with. , but do not know what to do with the strange building.The Petra expert can't recall the rock he's talking about, and doesn't quite believe it exists.But when he showed Flaudot a photo near the temple, he was surprised to find that Flaudot pointed out the correct location of the rock.Then, the old man calmly explained the function of the aforementioned building, which no one had ever thought of before. It turned out that it was the sentry room when he was a soldier two thousand years ago.

Most of his predictions turned out to be correct.On the way to Petra, Arthur Flaudot pointed out the mysterious rock; after entering the city, he went directly to the sentry room without even looking at the map, and performed the special way of reporting when the sentry entered.Finally head to the place where he says he was stabbed by enemy spears in the first century BC.He also pointed out other unearthed buildings in the area and explained their location and function. The experts on Petra archaeology who accompanied Arthur Flaudot could not explain why this ordinary Englishman had such amazing knowledge of the city.He said:

He explained the details very clearly, and many of them are very consistent with archaeological and historical facts. If he wants to fabricate a set of stories from his memory, it will take a lot of thought.I don't think he is a liar.I don't think he is capable of such a large-scale deception. What else could account for Arthur Flaudot's extraordinary knowledge than reincarnation?You could say that he may have read about Petra, or that he may have received some knowledge telepathically; but the fact remains that some of the information he was able to provide was not even known to experts.

In addition, there are some special cases of children who can recall the details of previous lives very naturally.Dr. Ian Stevenson of the University of Virginia has collected many such cases.One of the children's astonishing recounts of previous lives caught the attention of the Lama Guru, who sent an envoy to visit her and verify her recounts. Her name is Kamaljit Kour, and her father was a Sikh schoolteacher in Punjab, India.One day, she and her father were going to the market in a local village. On the way, she suddenly asked her father to take her to another village, some distance away.A little taken aback, her father asked her why she had changed her destination. "I have nothing here," she said. "This is not my home. Please take me to that village. I was riding a bicycle with a classmate when I was hit by a bus. My friend died instantly and my I was wounded on the head, ears and nose. I was taken away from the scene and lay on a bench in front of a small house nearby. I was then sent to the hospital in that village. My wounds were bleeding profusely, and my father My mother and relatives came to accompany me. Because the local hospital didn’t have enough medical equipment, they decided to send me to Ambala. Because the doctor said there was no cure, I asked my relatives to take me home.” Her father heard , startled, but when she insisted on going to the village, he finally agreed to take her, although he thought it was nothing more than a child's fantasy. They went to the village together, and when they were almost there, she recognized it and pointed out where the bus hit her.She also asked to sit in a rickshaw and direct the driver in which direction to walk.She asked the coachman to stop in front of a cluster of houses she claimed had lived in in a previous life.The little girl and her skeptical father headed for her former residence.Her father still didn't believe her, so he asked a neighbor if there was a family like Kamaji's described who had lost a daughter.Neighbors corroborated the story and told the startled father that the family's daughter, Rishma, was 16 when she died in a car accident; she died on the way home from the hospital. My father was terrified when he heard it at first, and told Karmaji it was time to go home.But she kept walking to her previous life's home, asking for her school photos, and staring at them happily.When Risma's grandfather and uncle came, she recognized them and called them by name.She points out her own room and tells her father about other rooms in the house.Then she wanted her school books, two silver bracelets, and a new brown dress.Her aunt explained that these were Risma's things.Then she led the way to the uncle's house, where she also pointed out other things.The next day, she met with all her relatives from her previous life, and when they had to get a ride home, she refused to leave, and she told her father she wanted to stay.Finally, her father persuaded her to leave together. The family began to tie the whole story together.Karmaji was born ten months after Risma died.Although the little girl has not yet gone to school, she often pretends to read a book. She remembers the names of all her classmates in the pictures of Risma's school.Karmaji Kul has also been asking for brown clothes.Her parents discovered that Risma had received a new brown dress that she liked so much but had never had the chance to wear.The last thing Karmaji remembers from her previous life is the light from the car on her way home from the hospital; that must have been the moment she died. I can imagine a few ways people would be skeptical of this story.You might say that the little girl's family, for some reason of their own, instigated her to claim to be the reincarnation of Risma.Risma's family was a rich peasant, but Kamaji Kul's family was not poor either, owning the better houses in the village, with courtyards and gardens.Here's another interesting thing about this story: In fact, her family in this life was very uncomfortable about it, worrying about "what the neighbors would think."Instead, I think the strongest evidence is that Rismah's family, although they don't know much about their religion, or even whether Sikhs accept the concept of reincarnation, are convinced that Kamaji Kul is theirs Risma. Anyone who wants to seriously examine the possibility of reincarnation, I suggest they look at the very moving testimonies of near-death experiences.Most people who have survived this experience are convinced that life continues after death.Most of them had no religious beliefs or any spiritual experience in the past: Now that I've lived my entire life, I'm a complete believer in life after death.I am not afraid of death, not at all.Some of the friends I know are so scared, so terrified.Whenever I hear people doubt there is an afterlife, or say, "When you die, you're gone," I always think to myself, "They really don't know." At that time I had the most extraordinary experience that made me understand that there is life after death. I know there is life after death!No one can shake my faith.I have no doubts - it is peaceful, there is nothing to be afraid of. It answers questions that every human being will wonder sooner or later in this life.Yes, there is an afterlife!This is more beautiful than anything we can imagine!Once you understand this, you will feel that it is so unique.You will understand. Research on this topic has also shown that near-death experiences can make people more open to the idea of ​​reincarnation. Also, isn't it possible that the amazing musical or mathematical talents of some gifted children were developed in other lives?Mozart, for example, composed dance music at the age of five and published his sonata at the age of eight. If there is life after death, you might ask: why is it so hard to remember?In the Myth of Er, Plato "explains" why there is no memory.Il was a soldier who was believed to have died in battle, and who seemed to have experienced a resurrection from the dead.When he "died", he saw many sights and was commanded to come back to life so that he could tell others what happened after death.Just before he was about to return, he saw the beings preparing to be born moving in horrible, smoky heat through the Plain of Oblivion, a desolate desert where not a single blade of grass grew. "When night fell," Plato tells us, "they camped by the River Unmindfulness, whose water could not be contained in any vessel. Each of them was required to drink of this water, and some And drank a lot in a daze. Everyone forgets everything when they drink water.” Il himself was forbidden to drink water, and when he woke up, he found himself on the pyre of the crematorium, remembering what he heard everything you see. Is there some common law that makes it almost impossible to remember where we have lived or what we have done in previous lives?Or, is that just because our experience is too much and too broad, thus washing out any memory of previous lives?I sometimes wonder how much it helps us if we remember our past lives?Wouldn't it bother us more? Heart Continuity: From a Buddhist point of view, the main argument for "establishing" reincarnation is based on a deep understanding of the continuity of the mind.Where does consciousness come from?It couldn't have come from nothing.Momentary consciousness cannot arise without the momentary consciousness immediately preceding it. The Guru Lama explained this complex process thus: The concept of reincarnation accepted by Buddhists is mainly based on the continuity of consciousness.Take the material world as an example: at present, all the elements of the universe, even if they are as small as tiny, can be traced back to a source. At this starting point, all the elements of the material world are condensed into the so-called "universe particle".These particles are the result of the disintegration of the previous universe.Therefore, this forms a continuous circle, the universe is formed, lived, destroyed, empty, and then regenerated.The mind is also very similar.The fact that we have something called a "mind" or "consciousness" is obvious because our experience testifies to its existence.At the same time, we can know from experience that what we call "mind or consciousness" will change when it encounters different conditions and environments.This tells us about its minute-by-minute nature, the inevitability that it will change. Another obvious fact is that on a gross level "mind or consciousness" is closely related to, and in fact influenced by, the physiological state of the body.But when mind interacts with matter particles, there must be some kind of foundation, energy, or source if conscious life is to be produced. Like the physical plane, the present mind must be a continuation of the past mind.Therefore, if you trace your own present mind or present consciousness, you will definitely find that when you discuss how the mind is continuous, you must trace its root to endless levels, just like the root of the material universe, which is beginningless. Therefore, there must be continuous samsara to keep that mind continuously present. Buddhism believes in the universal law of karma, and believes that everything is subject to change and has its cause and condition.Therefore, we do not believe that there is a divine creator, nor do we believe that life can create itself; on the contrary, all things arise as a result of the combination of causes and conditions.So, mind or consciousness is also produced as a result of previous moments. When we talk about causes and conditions, there are two main types: primary causes are the materials that produce something and secondary conditions are the factors that bring about the action of causes and conditions.As far as mind and body are concerned, although they can influence each other, they cannot become the inner content of each other...Although mind and matter depend on each other, they cannot be the main cause of each other. This is the theoretical basis for Buddhism to accept reincarnation. Most people think that the term "reincarnation" implies that there is a "something" that is reincarnated, that travels from one life to another.But in Buddhism, we don't believe in an independent and unchanging entity, such as the soul or self, that can survive the death of the physical body.We believe that what connects life to life is not an entity, but consciousness at the finest level. Guru Lama explained: According to Buddhist interpretation, the ultimate creative agent is consciousness.There are different levels of consciousness.The subtle consciousness that we call the innermost is always there.The linkages of that consciousness are almost constant, like cosmic particles.In the realm of matter, it is cosmic particles, and in the realm of consciousness, it is "Clear Light"... "Clear Light", with its special energy, can connect with consciousness. The correct process of reincarnation can be well illustrated from the following example: In the process of reincarnation, the successive beings are not like the pearls of a pearl necklace, which are strung together by a thread (soul) that passes through all the pearls; instead, they are like a pile of dice.Each die is separate yet supports the die above it and is thus functionally connected.Between the dice there is no entity, only karma. In Buddhist scriptures, there is a very clear description of this process of karma.Buddhist sage Nagasena once explained a series of questions raised by King Milinda. King Milinda asked Bhikkhu Nasana, "When someone is reborn, is he the same as the person who just passed away? Or is he different?" Bhikkhu Nassa replied, "Neither the same nor different... Please tell me, if one person wants to light a lamp, will it provide light for the whole night?" "can." "Is the flame of the first night the same as the flame of the middle night...or the last night?" "No." "That means the first night is one lamp, the middle night is another lamp, and the second night is another lamp?" "No, that's because the light from the same lamp illuminates the entire night." "Samsara is very similar: one phenomenon arises and another ceases at the same time. Therefore, the actions in the consciousness of the new existence are neither the same nor different from those in the consciousness of the previous existence." King Milinta asked Bhikkhu Nassan to give another example to illustrate the correct nature of this interdependence, and Bhikkhu Nassian compared it to milk: curd, butter, or butter can all be made from milk, but Unlike milk, only entirely dependent on milk to make. King Milinta then asked: "If there is no "being" (being) transmitted from one body to another, then we can not suffer from the retribution of bad karma in the past life?" Bhikkhu Nassan gave this example: a man stole someone else's mangoes, and the mangoes he stole were not exactly the same as the mangoes that another person owned and planted, so should he still be punished? Naxian Bhikkhu explained that the reason why the thief had to be punished was that the stolen mangoes grew because their owners planted the seeds first.In the same way, because we have done good and bad karma in one life, which connects us to another life, we cannot escape the results of good and bad karma. industry: During the middle night of Buddha's enlightenment, he acquired another kind of knowledge that supplemented his knowledge of samsara: karma, the natural law of cause and effect. "With my divine eye, which is pure and transcends the physical eye, I see how life disappears and is re-formed. I see high and low, brilliant and insignificant beings, and I see how each being is happy according to his kamma or painful reincarnation.” The truth and driving force behind samsara is what is called karma.Karma is often thoroughly misunderstood by Westerners as fate or predestination; we are better off thinking of it as the law of karma that governs the universe.Karma literally means "action". Karma is not only the power hidden in action, but also the result of our actions. There are many kinds of karma: international karma, national karma, city karma, and personal karma.All karma is intricately interrelated, and only an enlightened person can fully understand their complexity. If you explain it in simple words, what does karma mean?It means that no matter what we do with our body, speech, or mind, there will be corresponding results.Every action, even the slightest, is pregnant with its consequences.The masters have said that even a small amount of poison can kill, and even a small seed can grow into a big tree.As the Buddha said, "Do not ignore small evils; however small a spark may be, it will burn a haystack as high as a mountain." He also said: "Do not ignore small goodness, thinking they are of no use; even a small drop of water , can eventually fill the large container." Karma does not wither like external things, or never work.It cannot be destroyed "by time, fire or water".Its power never fades until it matures. While the consequences of actions may not be ripe, given the right conditions, they will.We often forget what we have done, and it is often much later that we receive the results.Back then we couldn't associate them with causes.Jikme Linpa says, imagine an eagle!It flew high in the sky without casting a shadow, and there was no sign that it was in the sky.Suddenly, it spotted its prey and swooped down, crashing to the ground.When it landed, a terrifying shadow appeared. Our actions often delay the presentation of its results, even in the next life; we cannot point out which cause caused a certain effect, because any event is a complex combination of many karmas that have matured.Therefore, we all think that things happen to us by "accident", and if everything goes well, we call it "good luck". What else but karma can explain so satisfactorily the great differences among each of us?Even if we were born in the same family or country, or similar circumstances, we still have different personalities, completely different things happen to us, we have different talents, inclinations and destinies. As the Buddha said: "The present you are created by the past you; the future you are created by the present you." Guru Rinpoche further said: "If you want to know your past life, Look at your present condition; if you want to know your future life, look at your present behavior." Kindness: Therefore, what kind of birth we will have in the next life depends entirely on the nature of our actions in this life.It is very important that we must never forget: the result of our behavior depends entirely on the motivation behind the behavior, not the size of the behavior. In the time of Buddha, there was an old beggar woman named Relying on Joy.She often watched kings, princes, and people make offerings to the Buddha and his disciples, and there was nothing she wished more than to be able to make offerings like they did.So, she went out to beg, but at the end of the day, she only got a small copper coin.She took the copper plate and bought oil from the oil merchant.The oil dealer told her that with such a small amount of money, nothing could be bought.When the oil merchant heard that she wanted to offer oil to the Buddha, he felt compassion for her and gave her the oil she asked for.She took the oil to the monastery and lit the lamps.She put the lamp in front of the Buddha and made a wish: "I have nothing to offer but this lamp. But through this offering, I hope that I will obtain the lamp of wisdom in the future. May I relieve the darkness of all beings, may I I can purify all their karma and lead them to enlightenment." That night, all the oil in the other lamps burned out.But when Maudgalyayana, a disciple of the Buddha, came to gather all the lamps, the beggar woman's lamp was still burning until dawn.When Moggallana saw that the lamp was still burning, it was full of oil, and had a new wick, he thought, "Why is this lamp still lit during the day? It really doesn't make sense." So he tried to blow it out, but failed. The lamp still burned on.He tried to pinch the candle with his fingers, but failed.He tried to smother it with his cassock again, but the lamp was still burning.Buddha was watching and said, "Mugallana, are you going to extinguish that lamp? You cannot. You cannot even move it, let alone extinguish it! Even if you pour all the water of the sea on this lamp All the rivers and lakes in the world can't extinguish it. Why? Because this lamp is offered with a sincere and pure heart, and that kind of motivation makes it have great merit." When the Buddha finished speaking, the beggar woman walked towards him, and the Buddha predicted for her that she would become a Buddha in the future, and the name was "Light of the Lamp". The results of our actions, therefore, depend entirely upon our motives, whether good or bad.Shantideva said: No matter what joy there is in this world, comes entirely from wanting others to be happy; No matter what kind of pain there is in this world, It all comes from wanting to be happy. Because the law of karma is inevitable and true, whenever we hurt others, we hurt ourselves; whenever we bring happiness to others, we cultivate our own happiness. Guru Lama said: If you try to overcome your selfish motives—anger, etc.—and develop more compassion for others, you will end up benefiting more than you would otherwise.So, sometimes I say that smart selfish people should do it.A foolish selfish person always thinks of himself, and the result is negative.Smart selfish people will think of others and will try their best to help others, and as a result, they will also benefit. The belief in reincarnation tells us that there is some kind of supreme justice or goodness in the universe.It is that good that we have been trying to discover and release.Whenever we do good, we draw near to it; whenever we do evil, we hide and restrain it.Whenever we fail to express it in our lives and actions, we experience pain and frustration. So if you want to get an important message from the facts of reincarnation, it is this: develop this kindness, hope that others will find eternal happiness, and act to achieve that happiness, develop and practice kindness. Lama Guru once said: "We don't need temples, we don't need complicated philosophies. Our own minds, our own hearts are our temples; my philosophy is kindness." creativity: Therefore, karma is not destiny, karma is our ability to create and change.It is creative because we can decide how to act and why.We can change.The future is in our hands, in the hands of our hearts.Buddha said: karma, create everything, like an artist: Karma, which composes everything, is like a dancer. Since everything is impermanent, fluid and interdependent, all our actions and thoughts change the future.Any situation, no matter how hopeless or dire, such as a terminal illness, can be used to evolve.Any sin or bad thing can be purified with sincere repentance and real practice. Milarepa is considered Tibet's greatest practitioner, poet and sage.I remember being deeply moved as a child reading his biographies and gazing at the miniatures I simulated.When Milarepa was young, he was trained in witchcraft, and the mentality of revenge drove him to kill countless people with black arts.But because of his repentance, coupled with the severe tests and tortures given to him by his guru Marpa, he was able to purify himself of all bad deeds.He continued to practice until he became enlightened and became a beacon to millions of people through the centuries. The Tibetans say, "One good thing about bad behavior is that it can be purified." So there is always hope.Even murderers and the most ruthless criminals can change and overcome the circumstances that led them to commit crimes.If the situation is used skillfully and wisely, they can all inspire us to release ourselves from the bondage of pain. Everything that is happening to us now is a reflection of past karma.Knowing this, whenever we experience pain and difficulty, we don't see them as failures or catastrophes, or see suffering as punishment of any kind, and we don't blame ourselves or feel sorry for ourselves, but It is to regard the pain we are experiencing as the completion of past karma.Tibetans say, "Suffering is the broom that sweeps away all bad karma." Even be thankful that a karma is coming to an end.We know that "good luck" is the result of good karma, which will soon pass if we don't make good use of it; "bad luck" is the result of bad karma, and in fact it is giving us an excellent opportunity for purification. For Tibetans, karma has a very vivid and practical meaning in their life.They live in the truth and principle of karma, which is the basis of Buddhist ethics.They understand that karma is a natural and just process.Karma thus arouses a sense of personal responsibility in whatever they do.When I was young, there was a very good servant named Ape Dorje in my family who loved me very much.He was such a kind man who never hurt anyone in his life.When I was young, whenever my words and deeds hurt others, he would say kindly, "Oh! That's wrong." I deeply realized that karma is everywhere. Once I had any bad thoughts, I would When it arises, he transforms my reaction right away. Is it really so difficult to see karma at work?Don't we just have to look back at our own lives to see the consequences of our actions?When we get annoyed or hurt others, doesn't it bounce back to ourselves?Wouldn't it leave painful and dark memories, and shadows of self-loathing?That memory and those shadows are karma, and our habits and fears are also from karma, the result of what we have done, said or thought in the past.If we can examine our own behavior and gain clarity, we will find that there is an ever-repeating pattern in our behavior.Whenever something is done wrong, it leads to pain; whenever something is done right, it leads to happiness. responsibility: I was very moved to see that the near-death experience affirmed the truth of karma in a rather precise and striking way.A thought-provoking common phenomenon in near-death experiences is "panoramic life review".People with this experience not only review a lifetime of events in minute detail, but also see the consequences of their actions.事实上，他们会经验到自己的行为对别人所产生的全部影响，以及别人心中所生起的一切感觉，不管是多么的恼人或震撼。 生命中的一切逐一浮现，对于我所经验到的许多事情感到羞耻，因为那些似乎不是我做过的。……不但经验到我所做的事，还包括我如何影响到别人……即使是思想也没有丧失。 我的生命过程在我面前通过。……我在生命中曾经感觉过的每一种情绪，都再感受一次。眼睛显示让我知道情绪如何影响我的生命。我生命中的一切行为又如何影响到别人的生命…… 我就是我伤害过的那些人，我就是我曾经带给他们快乐的那些人。 我曾经想过的每一个思想，曾经说过的每一句话，曾经做过的每一件行为，全都重新上演了；还加上每一个思想、每一句话、每一件行为对出现在我生命中或影响范围内的每一个人的影响，不管我是否认识他们……；再加上每一个思想、每一句话和每一件行为对天地、植物、动物、树木、水、空气的影响。 我觉得我们必须非常严肃地看待这些见证。它们将会帮助所有人体会自己的行动、语言和思想的全面意涵，并促使我们变得越加负责。我注意到许多人感受到业的威胁，因为他们开始了解逃脱不了业的自然律。有些人佯装全然藐视业，但在他们的内心深处，却又极度怀疑自己的否认态度。白天他们也许表现得满不在乎，完全不理会道德不道德，一种伪装、洒脱的信心，但晚间独处的时候，他们的内心却经常是黑暗、烦恼不堪的。 了解业之后，东西方都有逃避责任的特殊方式。东方人把业当作不帮助别人的藉口，他们会说，不管他们受到什么样的苦，那是「他们的业」。在「自由思考」的西方世界里，我们却正好相反。相信业的西方人，会「敏感」和「小心」得过分夸张，他们会说，实际上，帮助别人就是干预了他们必须「自寻出路」。这是多么逃避和违背人性呀！也许我们的业正好是应该来帮助他们的啊！我认识若干富人，如果只助长了他们的懒惰和自私，他们的财富可能会毁灭他们；反之，他们也可以把握机会，用钱实际帮助别人，因而帮助了自己。 我们绝对不可以忘记，透过我们的行动、语言和思想，我们可以有选择。如果选择好的一面，就可以消除痛苦和苦因，帮助我们的潜能、佛性在心中苏醒。除非佛性能够完全苏醒过来，我们也解脱了愚痴，与不死的、觉悟的心相结合，否则生死轮回将永无尽期。因此，佛法告诉我们，如果不在这一世为自己负起一切责任，我们的痛苦将不只是持续几世而已，还将持续千千万万世。 就是这种令人清醒的知识，让佛教徒把未来世看得比这一世还重要，因为有更多的未来世正等待着我们。这种远程的观点，影响着他们的生活方式。他们知道，如果我们为了这一世而牺牲掉所有来世，那就好象把一辈子的储蓄统统花在一次豪饮上，疯狂地忽视其后果。 但如果我们能够观察业的法则，在心中唤起慈悲的善心，如果我们能够净化心灵，逐渐唤醒心性的智慧，那么我们将可以变成真正的人，最后证悟。 爱因斯坦（Albert Einstein）说： 个人是「宇宙」整体的一部分，是时间和空间都有限的一部分。他把自己的思想和感觉，当成与宇宙其他部分无关的独立经验--这是对自己的心识的一种光学错觉。这种错觉是一种监狱，把我们限制在个人的欲望和身边几个人的感情上。我们的工作就是扩大我们的慈悲心，去涵盖一切生物和整体自然的美，把自己从这个监狱释放出来。 西藏的转世： 通达业的法则和达到证悟的人，可以选择生生世世回到人间帮助别人。在西藏，认出这种转世者或土库(Tulku )的传统，开始于十三世纪，一直延续到今天。当一位证悟的上师圆寂时，他也许会留下正确的指出，说出他将转世的地方。他的一位入室弟子或道友，就会有景象或梦，预告他即将来到的转世。在某些例子中，他以前的弟子，也许会请教有能力认出土库而闻名的上师，这位上师也许会有梦或景象，让他能够指导土库的寻找。当这个孩子被找到时，就由这位上师来加以认可。 这个传统的真正目的，是要保障已经证悟的上师的智慧记忆不会丧失。转世者生命中最重要的特色是在训练过程中，他的本性--转世得自遗传的智慧记忆--觉醒了，这也是他的真实性的真正表征。譬如，Guru喇嘛承认他在幼年时，就可以不太费力地了解那些难以掌握、而通常需要许多年工夫才能精通的佛教哲学。 养育土库必须十分小心。即使在接受训练之前，他们的父母就被要求必须特别照顾他们，他们的训练，比起一般僧侣的训练，要严格和扎实得多，因为大家对他们的期待特别多。 有时候，他们会记得他们的过去世，或展示惊人的能力。诚如Guru喇嘛所说：「转世灵童能够记得前世的人事物，这是很平常的事。有些人虽然还没有学过经典，也能背诵。」有些转世者不需要像别人花那么多的时间去修持或做研究。我的上师蒋扬钦哲就是一个例子。 在我的上师还年轻时，他有一位要求很严格的老师。他必须跟老师住在山中的茅篷里。有一天早晨，他的老师到邻近村子，为一位刚刚过世的人主持法会。老师在出门前给我的上师一本书，名叫《文殊师利圣号诵》（Chanting the Names of Manjushri），这是一本很难读的书，文长约五十页，通常要花几个月才能背下来。老师在离开时说：「今晚之前把这本书背好。」 年轻的蒋扬钦哲就像其他孩子一样，老师一离开，就开始玩。他玩得连邻居都为他感到焦急，恳求他：「你最好要开始读书了，否则会挨打。」他们都知道那位老师是多么严格和容易动气。即使如此，我的上师还是一点也不在乎，继续玩他的。最后就在日落之前，他知道老师快回来了，就把整本书从头到尾读了一遍。当他的老师回来后，测验他，他竟然可以一字不漏地把全书背出来。 在一般情况下，心智正常的老师，绝不会要求小孩子做这种事。但在他心中知道蒋扬钦哲是大智文殊师利菩萨的化身。他似乎要引诱蒋扬钦哲来「证明」自己，这个孩子毫不抗议地就接受如此艰难的工作，也是技巧地默认他就是文殊师利的化身，后来，蒋扬钦哲在他的自传中写道，虽然老师并未承认这件事，私底下却十分佩服。 在各世的土库之间，到底承继了什么？土库确实与他所转世的人完全相同吗？他们帮助一切众生的动机和奉献是相同的，但他们并不是完全相同的人。一世传一世的是福报（blessing），基督教徒称为「恩宠」（grace）。这种福报和恩宠的传递，与每一个未来的年代要完全配合和相应，转世者要适应当代人们的业，以便全力救度他们。 Guru喇嘛可能是最动人的例子，足以说明这个转世系统的丰富、有效和微妙。他被佛教徒尊为大悲观世音菩萨的化身。 Guru喇嘛生长在西藏，.接受过一切传统的训练和一切传承的主要教法，成为西藏传统中最伟大的一位当代大师。全世界的人也都知道，他是一位和蔼可亲、脚踏实地的人。Guru喇嘛对于当代物理学、神经生物学和政治学都深感兴趣；他对于世界责任所发表的观点和讯息，不仅为佛教徒所奉行，也为全世界宗教徒所认同。他的典范，已经对全球各地争取自由的人们产生启示作用。Guru喇嘛也是世界环保运动的主要发言人，不辞辛劳地唤醒人们认清自私的.危险性。他也受世界各地知识分子和领袖所尊敬；不过，我认识几百位非常平凡的人，他们来自各种背景和不同国家，在会晤Guru喇嘛时，都深受他的优美、幽默和喜悦所感动，因而改变了他们的生命。我相信，Guru喇嘛正是大悲观世音菩萨，面对危机重重的人类，他不仅是西藏人和佛教徒的观世音化身，也是全世界的观世音化身，在人类历史上，贡献出当代最需要具有治疗作用的慈悲心，以及他全力奉献和平的典型。 西方人也许会惊奇地发现西藏有这么多的转世者，而他们大多数是伟大的上师、学者、作家、神秘家和圣贤，对于佛法和社会都有杰出的贡献。他们在西藏历史上，扮演着中心的角色。我相信这种转世的过程不只限于西藏，也发生在一些国家一些时代中，历史上，出现过许多艺术天才、精神领袖和人道主义者，他们帮助人类前进。例如甘地、爱因斯坦、林肯、德蕾沙修女、莎士比亚、圣法兰西斯、贝多芬、米开兰基罗。当西藏人一听到这些名字时，会立刻称他们是菩萨。每当我听到他们的名字、工作和远见时，我就深受诸佛和历代大师宏大的演化过程的庄严所感动，他们示现于世，为着解脱众生的苦难来改善这个世界。