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Does the wicked have a better bargain at death in Buddhism considering that there are no soul to transmigrate?

Let's assume there are two persons A and B, born to similar condition. Person A surround himself with virtuous people, learn the Dhamma and practice it. Person B surround himself with wicked people, don’t respect the Dhamma and does evil deed.

In this very life, both persons have conditioned free will, but person A open for himself preferable condition of choice by acting virtuously. For example, the joy of virtuous act as a condition to be preferred is only open to person A, person B will never feel this joy until he correct his volition. Likewise, both persons feel sensual pleasure the same, but person B crave for more endlessly, and he live in want.

Person A been compassionate to all beings future or present he delighted when he hear that, at time of death, because of his virtuous act the mindstream-continuum will form another being in favorable condition.

Person B is also happy when he hear the fruit of karma at death,because been evil he care less for condition of future beings and he is also happy that his life of want and endless craving will end at death, and he will be no more.

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Does the wicked have a better bargain at death in Buddhism considering that there are no soul to transmigrate?

Though there is no soul (unchanging, eternal core in a being) there is a dependently arisen continuity of a person. If your are wicked, you continue in lower realms which are dominated by suffering, through like other doctrines this is not internal. In other words there is a continuum in the form of a causality driven process, but there is not solid, unchanging entity or part as person.

There is a probabilistic element what will be your last mind as this decides the next birth. In balance of probability your last mind will be good only if have done a great lot of good deeds near your death and habitually being doing good deeds. Also you do not know whether you die young or old so you have to cultivate goodness whenever you can.

Also being born in the different realms are like gravity. Lower realms attract the most. Also there is a higher chance that a bad thought will pop up at the last moment. So majority of humans end up lower. If you were to have a chance of getting to a higher realm you have to be very good. Therefore, it is the good that has some bargain for an upgrade from where they are.

Person A surround himself with virtuous people, learn the Dhamma and practice it.

Good friends are the main cause of being able to practice the Dhamma.

Person A surround himself with virtuous people, learn the Dhamma and practice it.

You should be careful when you act. If you act unwisely the result will not be desirable? If you are wise and act accordingly you will be able to reap favorable results.

crave for more endlessly, and he live in want

Unsatisfied desires is also a source of misery and stress. This produces additional karma which also result in stress.

happy that his life of want and endless craving will end at death, and he will be no more.

Reality is not what someone believes. Generally believes are far from reality. Dhamma is reality. You need to know it at the experiential level.

A person with the roots (craving, aversion or ignorance for lower rebirths and unselfishness, hatefulness and undecidedness for higher rebirths) will always be reborn. A person who is not liberate will have the roots. Also see: The Roots of Good and Evil by Nyanaponika Thera

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  • Thank you I will read the Book by Nyanaponika Thera. But can we say person B will continue in lower realms. The mindstream-continuum will form another being on next life not person B.Person B is endowed with conditioned free will here and now and does the act of evil.
    – user10552
    Jan 7, 2017 at 11:59
  • If there is a Mr. A who dies and is reborn as Mr. B, they are not the same not different. B is continuum of A but not A. Similarly, each moment that passes new person is created. If you take yourself now this is not the same as a moment ago not different. You are a process of causality based process, but there is not entity wise solid, unchanging, everlasting core. You can also say B is and rebirth / reincarnation of A, but this is not my means of transmitting the soul (everlasting, unchanging, eternal core) from A to B.
    – Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
    Jan 7, 2017 at 12:58
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It mostly depends upon your state of mind at death. However, it is also said that your karma comes to weigh heavy on you at that time. When a good person dies, he dies with goodness and light karma. When a bad person dies, he dies with a disturbed mind and heavy karma.

There are six possible state of rebirth in samsara: hell, animal, preta, asura, deva, and human. They correspond to hate, ignorance, craving, jealousy, pride, and humans have not to much of any of these. So, this person you describe would be reborn as a preta. A preta is a craving monster who's appetite cannot be satisfied. A horrible fate.

Likewise, a good moral person who is born in the heavens of the devas gets to enjoy the heavenly life. I would say that the good person is luckier. Even though that existence, like all such in samsara, is limited.

Better to be reborn in the pureland of a Buddha. But you have to take refuge in that Buddha and end these mental deficiencies. It is the training ground of bodhisattvas who can eventually transcend samsara.

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