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From objective perspective, Samsara is a beginningless round of deaths and rebirths the beings are stuck in. "Beginningless" means, it has no beginning. The question you may ask: if Samsara has no beginning, and I am in it, how did I come to exist? This seems like a real puzzle.

Another piece of the puzzle, is Buddha's suggestion that despite being beginningless, Samsara has an end. The end of Samsara is attainment of Nirvana.

The usual superficial understanding of these, is to assume that one can escape Samsara, stop the round of deaths-and-rebirth, and effectively spend the rest of eternity in a state of perpetual lack of suffering.

Such answer though would omit a very important construct of Buddhism, one of "Tree"Three Marks of Existence"

According to Buddha, the existence inevitably has the characteristics of

  1. Impermanence
  2. Suffering
  3. Selflessness (nonsubstantiality)

Which means, a state of perpetual lack of suffering would contradict the fundamental law of the universe (as presented in the TreeThree Marks). How could it be perpetual given the impermanence? How can suffering cease, given that suffering is an intrinsic characteristic of existence? How can I spend the rest of eternity in this state if "I" (self) does not exist?

This seems like a serious contradiction. And yet Buddha insists, there is a way to solve this conundrum, there is a way to attain Nirvana.

Without giving too much away, I would like to hint at the direction the answer lies in:

Samsara begins when subject and object separate from each other. Samsara ends when subject and object are no longer separated. The answer lies in the realm of phenomenology ofphenomenological experience, including experience of suffering, life, and death. Good luck with your quest!

From objective perspective, Samsara is a beginningless round of deaths and rebirths the beings are stuck in. "Beginningless" means, it has no beginning. The question you may ask: if Samsara has no beginning, and I am in it, how did I come to exist? This seems like a real puzzle.

Another piece of the puzzle, is Buddha's suggestion that despite being beginningless, Samsara has an end. The end of Samsara is attainment of Nirvana.

The usual superficial understanding of these, is to assume that one can escape Samsara, stop the round of deaths-and-rebirth, and effectively spend the rest of eternity in a state of perpetual lack of suffering.

Such answer though would omit a very important construct of Buddhism, one of "Tree Marks of Existence"

According to Buddha, the existence inevitably has characteristics of

  1. Impermanence
  2. Suffering
  3. Selflessness (nonsubstantiality)

Which means, a state of perpetual lack of suffering would contradict the fundamental law of the universe (as presented in the Tree Marks). How could it be perpetual given the impermanence? How can suffering cease given that suffering is an intrinsic characteristic of existence? How can I spend the rest of eternity in this state if "I" (self) does not exist?

This seems like a serious contradiction. And yet Buddha insists, there is a way to solve this conundrum, there is a way to attain Nirvana.

Without giving too much away, I would like to hint at the direction the answer lies in:

Samsara begins when subject and object separate from each other. Samsara ends when subject and object are no longer separated. The answer lies in the realm of phenomenology of experience, including experience of suffering, life, and death. Good luck with your quest!

From objective perspective, Samsara is a beginningless round of deaths and rebirths the beings are stuck in. "Beginningless" means it has no beginning. The question you may ask: if Samsara has no beginning, and I am in it, how did I come to exist? This seems like a real puzzle.

Another piece of the puzzle is Buddha's suggestion that despite being beginningless, Samsara has an end. The end of Samsara is attainment of Nirvana.

The usual superficial understanding of these is to assume that one can escape Samsara, stop the round of deaths-and-rebirth, and effectively spend the rest of eternity in a state of perpetual lack of suffering.

Such answer though would omit a very important construct of Buddhism, one of "Three Marks of Existence"

According to Buddha, existence inevitably has the characteristics of

  1. Impermanence
  2. Suffering
  3. Selflessness (nonsubstantiality)

Which means, a state of perpetual lack of suffering would contradict the fundamental law of the universe (as presented in the Three Marks). How could it be perpetual given the impermanence? How can suffering cease, given that suffering is an intrinsic characteristic of existence? How can I spend the rest of eternity in this state if "I" (self) does not exist?

This seems like a serious contradiction. And yet Buddha insists, there is a way to solve this conundrum, there is a way to attain Nirvana.

Without giving too much away, I would like to hint at the direction the answer lies in:

Samsara begins when subject and object separate from each other. Samsara ends when subject and object are no longer separated. The answer lies in the realm of phenomenological experience, including experience of suffering, life, and death. Good luck with your quest!

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Andriy Volkov
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From objective perspective, Samsara is a beginningless round of deaths and rebirths the beings are stuck in. "Beginningless" means, it has no beginning. The question you may ask: if Samsara has no beginning, and I am in it, how did I come to exist? This seems like a real puzzle.

Another piece of the puzzle, is Buddha's suggestion that despite being beginningless, Samsara has an end. The end of Samsara is attainment of Nirvana.

The usual superficial understanding of these, is to assume that one can escape Samsara, stop the round of deaths-and-rebirth, and effectively spend the rest of eternity in a state of perpetual lack of suffering.

Such answer though would omit a very important construct of Buddhism, one of "Tree Marks of Existence"

According to Buddha, the existence inevitably has characteristics of

  1. Impermanence
  2. Suffering
  3. Selflessness (nonsubstantiality)

Which means, a state of perpetual lack of suffering would contradict the fundamental law of the universe (as presented in the Tree Marks). How could it be perpetual given the impermanence? How can suffering cease given that suffering is an intrinsic characteristic of existence? How can I spend the rest of eternity in this state if "I" (self) does not exist?

This seems like a serious contradiction. And yet Buddha insists, there is a way to solve this conundrum, there is a way to attain Nirvana.

Without giving too much away, I would like to hint at the direction the answer lies in:

Samsara begins when subject and object separate from each other. Samsara ends when subject and object are no longer separated. The answer lies in the realm of phenomenology of experience, including experience of suffering, life, and death. Good luck with your quest!

Samsara begins when subject and object separate from each other.

From objective perspective, Samsara is a beginningless round of deaths and rebirths the beings are stuck in. "Beginningless" means, it has no beginning. The question you may ask: if Samsara has no beginning, and I am in it, how did I come to exist? This seems like a real puzzle.

Another piece of the puzzle, is Buddha's suggestion that despite being beginningless, Samsara has an end. The end of Samsara is attainment of Nirvana.

The usual superficial understanding of these, is to assume that one can escape Samsara, stop the round of deaths-and-rebirth, and effectively spend the rest of eternity in a state of perpetual lack of suffering.

Such answer though would omit a very important construct of Buddhism, one of "Tree Marks of Existence"

According to Buddha, the existence inevitably has characteristics of

  1. Impermanence
  2. Suffering
  3. Selflessness (nonsubstantiality)

Which means, a state of perpetual lack of suffering would contradict the fundamental law of the universe (as presented in the Tree Marks). How could it be perpetual given the impermanence? How can suffering cease given that suffering is an intrinsic characteristic of existence? How can I spend the rest of eternity in this state if "I" (self) does not exist?

This seems like a serious contradiction. And yet Buddha insists, there is a way to solve this conundrum, there is a way to attain Nirvana.

Without giving too much away, I would like to hint at the direction the answer lies in:

Samsara begins when subject and object separate from each other. Samsara ends when subject and object are no longer separated. The answer lies in the realm of phenomenology of experience, including experience of suffering, life, and death. Good luck with your quest!

Source Link
Andriy Volkov
  • 59.1k
  • 3
  • 55
  • 166

Samsara begins when subject and object separate from each other.