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The Buddha responds to questions about rebirth

37 The Foundation of Buddhist Practice

Part of an ongoing series of teachings (retreat and Friday) based on the book The Foundation of Buddhist Practice, second volume in “The Library of Wisdom and Compassion” series by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron.

  • Meditation on mindstream using the three principles of causality
  • Do mindstreams stay separate forever?
  • Will beings be born in similar forms in their future lives?
  • General I and specific “I”s
  • Will beings be born with same family members in their future lives?
  • Are people born with a similar economic status in the next lives?
  • When we have dreams about our deceased relatives or friends, are we really interacting with them?
  • What is the better method to make offerings and dedicate that for the welfare of deceased relatives?

The Foundation of Buddhist Practice 37: The Buddha Responds To Questions About Rebirth (download)

Contemplation points

  1. What ways might you work to develop a stronger feeling of closeness to beings other than your family members? How can you go about cultivating that on a daily basis?
  2. How do you remind yourself in each moment, in each day, that your actions will influence your future rebirth? Does it affect what you do?
Venerable Thubten Chodron

Venerable Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1977 by Kyabje Ling Rinpoche in Dharamsala, India, and in 1986 she received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan. Read her full bio.