The literal translation of the word "samsara" is a wanderings that will last forever. By this utterance is meant a living entity that constantly, then spreads its wings and soars, then falls to the ground with a stone. So symbolically denote the eternal processes, birth, subsequent aging and, in the end, death.
Sansara - what is this?
One life is just a small fragment of a big puzzle. Sansara is a combination of an inseparable chain, consisting of five aggregates. The chain of these changes is constantly changing, and there is no way to understand where its beginning is. One lived life from such a chain is only a tiny part of samsara. In order to assess the scale and see the truth, we need to see not a small fragment, but a significant part.
What is samsara in philosophy?
The soul of a person can regenerate, it can reincarnate in different life into different images, such a cycle of reincarnations is samsara. Samsara in philosophy is the central concept, it is a kind of law of the universe. Various philosophical schools and traditions based on religion, consider samsara as an unfavorable place. It is believed that the soul there will remain in ignorance. She will travel in a vicious circle, consisting of death and birth. What is samsara is an obstacle that will prevent you from realizing the truth of nature.
What is samsara in Buddhism?
Understanding the whole concept is one of the most important elements. Sansara in Buddhism is a knowledge not only about cyclicity, it's kind of enlightenment. The idea was developed that there is still some intermediate state between death and birth. And like, as with a single candle, you can light another, so the moment of a new existence, will be the last after the intermediate. So there was a theory about wandering after death.
What is the law of samsara?
The teachings of the Buddha are based on the fact that the essence of people can not be changed, from actions that they do, life and world perception can change:
- If a person commits bad deeds, then the result of them will necessarily serve only humiliation, illness and pain.
- If they are good, then they will receive the peace and joy of the soul as a reward.
The law of samsara (the cycle of people) is, by and large, also a karmic law that determines not only how a person will live in this life, but what he should expect in reincarnations. The mechanism is called bhavacakra. It consists of 12 links.
- avidya are karmic impulses;
- Vijnana - the consciousness formed by these impulses;
- namarupy - the physical and mental image that formed consciousness;
- nama-rupa - forms the six senses;
- ayatana - sight, hearing, touch, smell, sensation of taste and perceiving mind, formed napa-rupa;
- sparsa - the perception of the world;
- Vedana - feelings, generated by perception;
- trishna - desires that have arisen as a result of the senses;
- upadana - attachment to feelings and thoughts;
- bhava - existence that arose because of attachment;
- jati - birth, arising from everything;
- death.
The cycle of existence implies that thoughts, words and deeds, whether they are good or bad in any case, leave a mark on karma. The karmic trace will lead a person to his next reincarnation. The main purpose of Buddhism is to live your life in such a way that it does not leave traces on karma. Therefore, the behavior of a Buddhist can not be envious of what he wants or feels. The law of samsara must bypass it.
Sansara wheel - what is it?
The entrance to any Buddhist temple is necessarily decorated with this symbol. All Buddha's teachings were reflected in the ears of samsara and became the most popular subject of Buddhism. The wheel of samsara represents the cycle of samsaric existence:
- The central circle is a small circle with the image of a three-headed horse - ignorance, affection and anger.
- The second circle consists of two halves, light and dark. It is divided in the same way as karma. Good and not good.
- The third circle consists of five or six halves, this is the consequence of being born in one of the worlds.
- Precious human body - a person is in the middle between living beings.
- The outer rim of the wheel represents the teaching. These are the stages leading people from birth to death.
- Yama is the god of death, expresses the principle of all karma and holds the samsara wheel firmly.
- Buddha free from the cycle is depicted outside the wheel in the upper corner.
What does the samsara wheel mean?
Each spoke of the wheel is one embodiment of the soul, only eight incarnations. Each life represents a spoke, a person lives and stores karma. For all eight lives this can be both positive and negative. At the end of each life, each spoke accumulates its percentage of karma, which affects subsequent lives. With each life of karma becomes more. If by the end of the last reincarnation karma is worked out, a person can take the choice and become free. What does the samsara wheel mean? So for all eight reincarnations, the put karma is recruited and worked out.
How to get out of the wheel of samsara?
The goal of the religion of Buddhism is to free itself from its karma. How to get out of samsara, for many centuries worried more than one generation of Buddhists. Whether they are given it or not, there is no opportunity to trace it. There are rules that can help break the vicious circle.
- understand that nature is also a destination;
- to do business without attachment - calmly;
- be content only with that which has come without effort;
- to remain in solitude;
- should be moderate in food, curb speech, flesh and thinking;
- be dispassionate;
- who sees that all actions are performed by Material Nature, that consciousness is in inactivity, that one truly sees.