S1 REBIRTH IS NOT TRANSMIGRATION 1. Translated from the Milindapañha (716) AID the king: "Bhante Nagasena, does rebirth take place without anything transmigrating [passing over]?" "Yes, your majesty. Rebirth takes place without anything transmigrating." "How, bhante Nagasena, does rebirth take place without anything transmigrating? Give an illustration." 66 Suppose, your majesty, a man were to light a light from another light; pray, would the one light have passed over [transmigrated] to the other light?" "Nay, verily, bhante.” 66 'In exactly the same way, your majesty, does rebirth take place without anything transmigrating." "Give another illustration." "Do you remember, your majesty, having learnt, when you were a boy, some verse or other from your professor of poetry ?" "Yes, bhante." 66 Pray, your majesty, did the verse pass over [transmigrate] to you from your teacher?" "Nay, verily, bhante." 66 In exactly the same way, your majesty, does rebirth take place without anything transmigrating." "You are an able man, bhante Nagasena." 2. Translated from the Milindapañha (465) "Bhante Nagasena," said the king, "what is it that is born into the next existence ?" "Your majesty," said the elder, "it is name and form that is born into the next existence." "Is it this same name and form that is born into the next existence?" “Your majesty, it is not this same name and form that is born into the next existence; but with this name and form, your majesty, one does a deed—it may be good, or it may be wicked-and by reason of this deed another name and form is born into the next existence." “Bhante, if it is not this same name and form that is born into the next existence, is one not freed from one's evil deeds?" 66 “If one were not born into another existence," said the elder, one would be freed from one's evil deeds; but, your majesty, inasmuch as one is born into another existence, therefore is one not freed from one's evil deeds." Give an illustration." “Your majesty, it is as if a man were to take away another man's mangoes, and the owner of the mangoes were to seize him, and show him to the king, and say, ‘Sire, this man hath taken away my mangoes;' and the other were to say, 'Sire, I did not take away this man's mangoes. The mangoes which this man planted were different mangoes from those which I took away. I am not liable to punishment.' Pray, your majesty, would the man be liable to punishment?" 66 66 Assuredly, bhante, would he be liable to punishment." Because, in spite of what he might say, he would be liable to punishment for the reason that the last mangoes derived from the first mangoes." "In exactly the same way, your majesty, with this name and form one does a deed-it may be good, or it may be wicked—and by reason of this deed another name and form is born into the next existence. Therefore is one not freed from one's evil deeds." 66 Give another illustration." Your majesty, it is as if a man were to take away the rice of another man, . . . were to take away the sugar-cane, ... Your majesty, it is as if a man were to light a fire in the winter-time and warm himself, and were to go off without putting it out. And then the fire were to burn another man's field, and the owner of the field were to seize him, and show him to the king, and say, 'Sire, this man has burnt up my field;' and the other were to say, 'Sire, I did not set this man's field on fire. The fire which I failed to put out was a different one from the one which has burnt up this man's field. I am not liable to punishment.' Pray, your majesty, would the man be liable to punishment ?" "Assuredly, bhante, would he be liable to punishment." "For what reason?" Because, in spite of what he might say, the man would be liable to punishment for the reason that the last fire derived from the first fire." 66 In exactly the same way, your majesty, with this name and form one does a deed-it may be good, or it may be wicked-and by reason of this deed another name and form is born into the next existence. Therefore is one not freed from one's evil deeds." 86 Give another illustration." "Your majesty, it is as if a man were to ascend to the top story of a house with a light, and eat there; and the light in burning were to set fire to the thatch; and the thatch in burning were to set fire to the house; and the house in burning were to set fire to the village; and the people of the village were to seize him, and say, 'Why, O man, did you set fire to the village?' and he were to say, 'I did not set fire to the village. The fire of the lamp by whose light I ate was a different one from the one which set fire to the village;' and they, quarreling, were to come to you. Whose cause, your majesty, would you sustain ?" "That of the people of the village, bhante.” "And why?" Because, in spite of what the man might say, the latter fire sprang from the former." "In exactly the same way, your majesty, although the name and form which is born into the next existence is different from the name and form which is to end at death, nevertheless, it is sprung from it. Therefore is one not freed from one's evil deeds." 66 Give another illustration." 66 Your majesty, it is as if a man were to choose a young girl in marriage, and having paid the purchase-money, were to go off; and she subsequently were to grow up and become marriageable; and then another man were to pay the purchase-money for her, and marry her; and the first man were to return, and say, 'O man, why did you marry my wife?' and the other were to say, 'I did not marry your wife. The young, tender girl whom you chose in marriage, and for whom you paid purchase-money, was a different person from this grown-up and marriageable girl whom I have chosen in marriage, and for whom I have paid purchase-money;' and they, quarreling, were to come to you. Whose cause, your majesty, would you sustain?” "That of the first man." "And why?" Because, in spite of what the second man might say, the grown-up girl sprang from the other.” "In exactly the same way, your majesty, although the name and form which is born into the next existence is different from the name and form which is to end at death, nevertheless, it is sprung from it. Therefore is one not freed from one's evil deeds." "Give another illustration." "Your majesty, it is as if a man were to buy from a cowherd a pot of milk, and were to leave it with the cowherd, and go off, thinking he would come the next day and take it. And on the next day it were to turn into sour cream; and the man were to come back, and say, 'Give me the pot of milk.' And the other were to show him the sour cream; and the first man were to say, 'I did not buy sour cream from you. Give me the pot of milk.' And the cowherd were to say, 'While you were gone, your milk turned into sour cream;' and they, quarreling, were to come to you. Whose cause, your majesty, would you sustain?" "That of the cowherd, bhante." "And why?" 66 Because, in spite of what the man might say, the one sprang from the other.” "In exactly the same way, your majesty, although the name and form which is born into the next existence is different from the name and form which is to end at death, nevertheless, it is sprung from it. Therefore is one not freed from one's evil deeds." "You are an able man, bhante Nāgasena." 3. Translated from the Visuddhi-Magga (chap. xvii.) It is only elements of being possessing a dependence that arrive at a new existence: none transmigrated from the last existence, nor are they in the new existence without causes contained in the old. By this is said that it is only elements of being, with form or without, but possessing a dependence, that arrive at a new existence. There is no entity, no living principle; no elements of being transmigrated from the last existence into the present one; nor, on the other hand, do they appear in the present existence without causes in that one. This we will now make plain by considering birth and death as they occur every day among men. For when, in any existence, one arrives at the gate of death, either in the natural course of things or through violence; and when, by a concourse of intolerable, death-dealing pains, all the members, both great and small, are loosened and wrenched apart in every joint and ligament; and the body, like a green palm-leaf exposed to the sun, dries up by degrees; and the eye-sight and the other senses fail; and the power of feeling, and the power of thinking, and vitality are making the last stand in the heart-then consciousness residing in that last refuge, the heart, continues to exist by virtue of karma, otherwise called the predispositions. This karma, however, still retains something of what it depends on, and consists of such former deeds as were weighty, much practised, and are now close at hand; or else this karma creates a reflex of itself or of the new mode of life now being entered upon, and it is with this as its object that consciousness continues to exist. Now while the consciousness still subsists, inasmuch as desire and ignorance have not been abandoned and the evil of the object is hidden by that ignorance, desire inclines the consciousness to the object; and the karma that sprang up along with the consciousness impels it toward the object. This consciousness being in its series thus inclined toward |