Much has been said and written on the subject of rebirth and karma by traditional Buddhist preachers and scholars as well as by modern researchers. The following pages do not claim to bring any substantial contribution. In line with the editorial policy of this journal, I have just strung together some research notes made over the years. They are far from comprehensive, and the bibliographical material is minimum. If there is anything remotely deserving the name of ‘contribution’, then this is Section 3.2. (at least some parts of it) dedicated to the rebirth proofs adduced by Āryaśūra in the Brahmajātaka. Apart of an overview of the topic, I also hope that these pages can help remind us that rebirth (automatically associated by the tradition with the law of karma) is a key tenet of utmost importance for pre-modern Buddhists. This is all too obvious for anyone familiar with the canonical sources and history of Buddhism. It appears, however, to be conveniently skipped over in many New Age discourses and presentations watered down to suit our Zeitgeist.1 Compared to other palatable doctrines, rebirth is indeed a topic hard to pitch to modern audiences. Yet, it arguably is as central as the belief in God in the Abrahamic religions.
目次
Contents 1. Beliefs: Wandering from one life to another 2 1.1. Origins of the rebirth belief 2 1.2. Rebirth in the Early Canon 3 1.3. Self, no(n)-self, and rebirth 10 2. Models: How does it happen? 11 2.1. Viññāṇa/citta as the agent of rebirth 11 2.2. A canonical model of rebirth: The Mahātaṇhāsaṅkhayasutta 12 2.3. A scholastic model of rebirth: The Abhidharmakośabhāṣya 13 3. Proofs: Corroborating by simile and logic 14 3.1. Simile-based argumentation: Pāyāsisuttanta 14 3.2. Logic-based argumentation: Jātakamālā 20 Bibliography 43 References 45
