BIRTH IN THE DHAMMA

Birth in Buddhism
Dr.U.N.Biswas

Q.1. How an individual is born?
Answer: A new individual begins when a sperm enters an egg. Fertilization is the fusion of the sperm with the nucleus of the egg. Thus a person is born from the union of two parts of living beings- mother and father. An egg of mother is fertilized by a single sperm of father. This is the genetic explanation of human birth.

Q.2. Does The Buddha agree to the genetic birth of human beings?
Answer: Yes. The Buddha explains the genetic birth of human beings to a Yakkha who called on the Buddha at Indra’s Park near Rajagraha. The Buddha tells how kalala, abudde, pesi, ghana etc. grow and concludes that the baby in the mother’s womb lives and grows on whatever mother eats and drinks.


Q.3.What was the leading doctrine of birth during The Buddha’s time?
Answer: The leading doctrine of The Buddha’s time admits genetic birth of human beings but believes soul is implanted in the body from out side. This view says that the child does not inherit any thing from parents except body. Past Karma is the inheritance of the child and for the child. There is no contribution of parents. The child brings everything. There is nothing called heredity. It also rejects the contribution of environment.
Q.4. Is there existence of soul in Buddhism?
Answer: No. Anatta- no-self, egoless ness and no- soul, is the central doctrine of Buddhism. Without the knowledge of Anatta, it is impossible to understand Buddhism. The Buddha was known as Anattabadi, professor of impersonality. Anatta is the ‘only specific doctrine’ on which the entire structure of Budhism stands or falls. It is the unique characteristic which distinguishes Buddhism from other philosophic or religious doctrines. (Nayanatiloka, Buddhist Dictionary, Singapore, 1987, pp.12-13.)

Q.5.Does Buddhism recognize the contribution of heredity and environment?
Answer: Yes. The Buddha recognizes the contribution of heredity but in his doctrine, environment plays the most significant role in the development of an individual. This is in consonance with the view of modern science.
Q.5.What were the contemporary views of rebirth during the time of The Buddha?
Answer: There were two contemporary views. The Eternalist school believed in the immortality of soul. It is the soul that takes birth again. The Annihilationists held the view that there was nothing called soul. Everything ends after death. There is nothing after death.
Q.6.What is the view of The Buddha?
Answer: The Master believes in rebirth but there is no existence of the thesis of the birth of soul in his doctrine. There is nothing which is eternal. This is in agreement with modern physics.
If he believes in rebirth and it differs from Eternalist’s point of view, then what is his thesis?
Q. 8. What is his view of the composition of human body?
Answer: Four elements which are composed of the body are (1);Prthivi,(Earth); (2) Apa; ( Water);(3) Tej; ( Energy);(4) Vayu.(Air)
Q. 9. Does the composition of the body- the four elements end after the death of a body?
Answer: According to The Buddha the answer is no. The four elements merge in the elements in the space.(Akash) Thus the body dies but the elements remain living. The elements may regenerate in to new forms. It is regeneration of matter. Thus, The Buddha’s concept of rebirth is entirely different from the concept of contemporary doctrine of rebirth. It is not the rebirth of soul but regeneration of matter. This is affirmed by science.
Q10. What is reborn?
The dialogue of Maha-Kotthita and Sariputta explains the stand of The Buddha.
Maha-Kotthita: “How many things must quit the body before it is flung aside and cast away like a senseless log? “
Sariputta: “Vitality, heat and consciousness.” Vitality depends on heat and heat depends on vitality said Sariputta. According to him, after death, heat, from the body, merges in to universe.
This needs scientific explanation. It is accepted in science that heat is energy. Energy that goes out of the body is never lost and energy is not constant in volume. According to The Buddha, after death, heat, from the body, merges in to universe. The Buddha thus believed in regeneration of matter. This is also in consonance with modern science. The view that after death nothing remains is contrary to science.
Q.11.Who is reborn?
Answer: Nobody can identify who is reborn. The existence and non-existence after death is not identifiable.
Q.12. Did The Buddha believe in law of Karma?
Answer: The Answer is big NO. ‘Reap as you sow’ said The Buddha. “The Buddha’s Law of Karma applied only to Karma and its effect on present life.” ( Ambedkar, Babasaheb: The Buddha and His Dhamma, Taipei, Taiwan, 1997,p.338.)
The Hindu Law of Karma is founded on the concept of permanence of soul. The immortality of soul is nothing to do with The Buddha. He was an Annatabdi.
The Master always sought to see things as they are. This is a primary requisite to understand his thesis. It conforms to science. We must apply scientific principle to comprehend Buddhism. The ideas of ‘Soul’ and ‘Rebirth’ and ‘Karma’ are irrelevant to him.
He had to use the prevalent terms to explain Dhamma. Connotation of the word ‘rebirth’ is entirely different in his Dhamma from the contemporary meaning of rebirth. His explanation of birth, death, cause and effect of deeds and state of matter after death is in accordance of genetics, physics and other sciences.
Dr.U.N.Biswas



24 Oct. 2008