Buddhism is based on the truth of Impermanence. Impermanence is a universal truth. There could be no state or situation that can violate the truth of Impermanence.
Impermanence applies to both states of: happiness and sufferings
The Law of impermanence applies to both facts of life: suffering and non-suffering. Theravada teachings, however, imply that this Law applies only to the state of happiness, but does not apply to the state of suffering (regarded as a “fixed unchanging fate”).
Viewing that “All life is suffering” leads to regarding happiness as insignificant and impermanent, while suffering have the dominant existence:
“In the Dukkhata sutta of samyutta Nikaya, The Buddha has described: […]
“Viparinama dukkha – suffering caused by the fact that everything
including happy and pleasant experiences
are not stable but are transient and subject to change”.
The Buddha was a person of the highest intellect and wisdom. It is just unreasonable to claim that the Buddha ever stated that " happiness …. will eventually lead to sufferings" as Theravada literature claims in the following:
“Gautama Buddha did not deny the existence of different aspects of happiness and pleasure …. but emphasised that each aspect of such happiness is likely to be transient and will eventually lead to suffering”.
The Buddha could not have “emphasised” to monks that: “… each aspect of happiness …. will eventually lead to suffering”, as the abovementioned quote from Theravada scholars claims*.* It is rather “*attachment to wrong views*” - was what the Buddha warned people of - as a cause leading to suffering.
Suppose that someone says: “There is happiness in life, hence All life is happiness” – then such a statement is logically and practically “False”.
But, along the same pattern of thinking, Theravada states that “There is suffering in life, hence, All life is suffering” – a logically and practically “False”.
Impermanence is universal - with no cases of “exemption”
Theravada teachings acknowledges that the Law of Impermanence applies to all people’s life, resulting in a cycle of rebirth – except for the class of monks who can override the truth of impermanence by their aim of reaching NoRebirth. NoRebirth means that Arahant reaches the state of never being born again in the physical world.
Death is the state of the departure from this world of living. To teach that this departure from life is permanent for monks, means that the last death of Arahant becomes a Permanent Death, with no rebirth in this world.
Theravada teaching of “two types” of Permanent Death
As we all have experienced, “birth” is the coming into this physical world. As we all observed, “death” is the departure from this physical world. Both stages of birth into the world and departure from the world – are impermanent according to the Buddhist Law of Impermanence.
Theravada teaches that the impermanence of life and death applies only for ordinary people (who undergo the cycle of Rebirth) but that monks are exempt from the Law of Impermanence. A monk’s “departure from this world” can be made permanent, and the departing monk will never be reborn again.
A further explanation (of this exemption from the Law of Impermanence) is further taught as expressed in two types of cases: the Non-Returner (anagami) and the Arahant:
- “Non-Returner (anagami) : One who has attained the stage of Non Returner will not be reborn in the sensual world again…
- Fully Enlightened (arahant): One who is fully enlightened and has attained Nibbana has eliminated all mental defilements and will not be reborn in any plane of existence.
Source: The Concept of Rebirth in Theravada Buddhism, Dr. A. Obeysekara
Here we are informed of two violations to the truth of Impermanence: the NonReturner monk manifesting permanent death (no coming back to living in the world) - then another escalation of the Arahant aiming for permanent “annihilation” of life, manifesting a stage of permanent extinction in any plane of existence.
Theravada scholars are unable to to answer how their teaching of permanent death of the NoReturner, and the permanent annihilation of the Arahant - how can this fit within the Truth of Impermanence.
Mahayana Buddhism rejects the claim that the Buddha’s intention was to lead “fully enlightened people” to disappear from any plane of existence. Good causes based on wisdom and compassion naturally lead to creating karma of enlightened actions through which one can help others in each journey of the cycle of birth and death. This is the practice of Bodhisattva.
Dualism: becoming a “pure spirit” with no physical body
According to available literature, the NonReturner will not be born again as a human being – but as a “pure spirit” (like in the concept of angel in Abrahamic religions). Having no physical body, he resides as an immaterial spirit in the heaven of Brahma:
“.. the Non Returner will not be reborn in the human or celestial realm but will be born in one of the five Brahma worlds called the pure abodes (suddhavasa) and will attain full enlightenment there”.
Theravada teaches that the final transition from this physical world to the eternal non-physical “Brahma world” is made at the moment of the death of a monk sitting in meditation:
If a meditator is in possession of one of four fine material Jhanas
as the last consciousness at the time of death,
one will be reborn in one of the fine material Brahma worlds,
while a meditator who possess one of the four immaterial Jhanas
as the last consciousness, will be reborn in an appropriate immaterial Brahma world.
Teaching the dualistic concept of two worlds: one physical (and impure) and another non-physical (and pure) is also shared with nonBuddhist views of Hinduism and Abrahamic religions.
The teaching of the “inferiority of the human being”
Aversion to rebirth in the physical world and escapism to heavenly realms implies also aversion to being born as a human being.
Considering the human being as a being of ‘inferior spiritual capacity’ - was never a teaching of the Buddha, who appeared and behaved as a human being. Considering purity and highest spirituality as attainable only in heaven - was never a teaching of the Buddha.
The Buddha was an example of a human being who displayed the highest qualities of spirituality in this physical world, caring about people and teaching them, not escaping to a non-human realm in heaven.
The implication of the Theravada’s above-mentioned teaching of attaining enlightenment in heaven - and not in this physical world - contradicts the history of the Buddha himself who taught Buddhism only after he attained supreme enlightenment in this physical world, as a human being.
The “main aspiration” is Permanent Death
“Following death (parinibbana), an Arahant will not be reborn in any of the 31 realms of existence - as the negative mental defilements that lead to rebirth have been destroyed and the desires for sensual world, fine material world and formless immaterial world have all been totally eradicated.
The main aspiration and ideal of the followers of the Theravada tradition is to attain the stage of Arahanthood”. Source: The Four Noble Truths in Theravada Buddhism
In this perspective: there is a difference between the NonReturner and Arahant. The NonReturner becomes an “immaterial spirit without body” residing in Brahma heaven, while the Arahant vanishes completely, both from the physical (material) world and the from the mental (immaterial) world.
The state of total destruction and eradication of both the material and the immaterial can be described as total annihilation of the energy of life. Theravada teaches that the energy of life can be destroyed. The above-mentioned quote informs that destruction of life is the aim or “the main aspiration of the followers of the Theravada tradition”. How useful this aim is for the suffering humanity?
Lack of desire for helping people
One source of Theravada contradicts another about the manifestation of Arahant stage. One source mentions that Arahant life disappears completely from this world, another says that Arahant can be achieved in this world – (but that it will disappear later!).
Contrary to the explanation that the Arahant is a stage of complete non-existence, other Theravada sources mention that the state of Arahant can be achieved by a monk “who abides in this world”:
“The Tripitaka abounds with interesting and self-elevating sayings
that describe the peaceful and happy state of an arahant,
who abides in the world, till the end of his life, serving other seekers
of truth by example and by precept”.
Source: The Buddha and his teachings
But having achieved such a wonderful stage in this world, the monk-arahant has already created a tendency for living a peaceful and happy state among the people in this world, helping others by his example. This great spiritual achievement becomes the culmination of the monk’s karmic energy of the life he earned and reached at the moment of his death.
Mahayana Buddhism views such a stage of Arahathood – not as final, but - as the starting stage towards continuity to help people, the stage of the Bodhisattva.
If one applies reason and intellect, one does not see any reason why - after this successful accomplishment of spiritual capacity, Arahant will abruptly decide on permanent death.
Having already achieved freedom from the bonds of sufferings through living a peaceful happy life and gaining spiritual strength to further continue the created tendency of “serving other seekers of truth by example and by precept” – there is no convincing argument, and no logic why to discard all such achievements and seek permanent death.
Why to reject the state of “peaceful happy service to the seekers of the truth by example” – as the mentioned Theravada text states? Reason would indicate that the continuity of Arahant in a future life to come – would be the rebirth for continuing to helping others avoid suffering, which is the state of Bodhisattva.
Knowing that people are truly suffering and badly need true ‘precepts and examples’, the Arahant stage of aiming for NoRebirth contradicts reason. The stage of escaping to NoRebirth expresses a mentality of self-centredness, lack of compassion and carelessness about the suffering people.
Theravada’s “Attachment to sufferings”
The obvious tendency of Theravada scholars is evident in their strong intent to explain every single desire in life as leading to sufferings. This unreasonable bias in thinking leads to regarding: the desire for happiness - as leading to suffering, and the desire to avoid unhappiness – as leading to suffering.
“Craving includes not only the desire to seek happy experiences
and to avoid any unhappy experiences,
but also, attachments to ideas, beliefs, theories and opinions.
Any satisfaction received is only temporary”.
Thus: the abovementioned statement states that
- “desire to seek happiness” is one form of craving that will lead to suffering, and that
- “desire to avoid unhappiness” is also a form of craving that will lead to suffering.
But then the concluding statement in the quote above perfectly describes Theravada’s own attachment to the “ideas and theories and opinions” – that are self-contradicting:
- The desire of attachment to ideas – also leads to suffering.
It is a self-evident proof that Theravada is based on the unreasonable idea and attachment to the “idea, theory and opinion” that “all life is suffering”.
The Buddha as a role model
Commonsense and reason agrees that if someone is suffering from sickness, then it is possible to cure the sickness, and in this way the sickness becomes transient.
The Buddha survived the suffering of his birth and he experienced sickness and a lengthy old age. Living vigorously until the age of 80, a very old age at his time, the Buddha displayed lifeforce, wisdom, compassion and having pleasure in helping and teaching people. At his passing away the Buddha enjoyed the blessed state of nirvana.
If we take the Buddha as a role model, we too can forbear inconvenient circumstances and convert any situation into value and meaning - as the Buddha did - for our sake and others in need of our resilience and support.
The Buddha was a human being, and his treasured life was not “all misery” or “all suffering” as Theravada views the nature of life. He gave people the example of transforming all hardships into a worthy meaningful life, helping others do the same.
Conclusion:
Theravada teaches that the Law of Impermanence applies only to ordinary people in their stages of living and death - but does not apply to Theravada monks practitioners after their death - resulting in a “permanent state of NoRebirth in the world”.
Such understanding was considered by the Mahayana as contradictory to the Buddha’s teachings: a misunderstanding of the Law of Impermanence, and a misunderstanding of the intention of the Buddha to overcome suffering, not to escape from the world to live in heaven - or to disappear completely, carelessly leaving suffering people behind.
The mind of reason and the heart of compassion and hope - do not agree with the Theravada’s interpretation of the Buddha’s teachings.
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