Lock themselves into... Look at where you are at right now. You, through the force of positive karma, have come to the Dharma right?Serenity509 wrote:Are you saying that an individual can be locked into an infinite amount of bad karmic lives, never ever attaining nirvana?gregkavarnos wrote:Nope, coz your negative karma from a previous life may generate habits and preconceptions in this life so that even if you were to come into contact with the Dharma you may feel disdain, disinterest or even hatred for it. It ain't a tabula rasa situation, death is not a reset button.Serenity509 wrote:If in each new life, you are born with no memories and bad habits of the past, that's like a new chance to live the dharma each time. Eventually, you would live a life that attains nirvana.
Anyway just coz you don't specifically remember something does not mean that it does not effect you, we can see this effect during this lifetime as well. I'm sure you don't remember the first time you went to the big boys toilet but the habit remains with you even to this day (I hope).
But inside you there is a lingering doubt about it all, a sense of disatisfaction with some concepts, a dread of being asked to let go of your cling and grasping to your sense of self. So you turn your back on some elements of the Dharma and continue along on your merry way.
Where will this lead you? Back into the joyous cycle of birth, death and rebirh. At some point in time in the (extraordinarily far off) future some positive karma will ripen again and an opportunity will present itself again, will the correct choice be made this time? Since you did accept some elements of Dharma during this lifetime there will be an increased willingness to embrace the Dharma and maybe, due to future positive deeds, you will embrace it more fully, or maybe, due to future negative deeds, you will reject it even more. Who knows? Question is what are you going during this precious irreplaceable existence?
Can't remember where the Buddha said this but: if you want to know what/who you were in a previous lifetime, look at what/who you are now! If you want to know what/who you will be in a future lifetime, look at what/who you are now!
I reccomend you read this text http://www.whitetaracenter.com/texts/FP ... ec2006.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
and/or go read the version translated by, and listen to the oral commentary by, Alexander Berzin http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/ar ... apons.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;