Samsara – Being born in a new body, once again

Many spiritual traditions say that in the cycle of rebirth known as samsara, the soul chooses the womb at the moment of conception. Sadhguru tells from his personal experience how life (avoiding the word ‘soul’) enters the body 42-48 days after this point. He says phenomenal beings enter the body after 48 days, because these lives need more time. The life might come in to a body and later realize that it is not the right place for it, leaving to find another womb instead. It is said to be 85-90 days when life is finally engaged in the new body. Until then, life is still seeing if it is the right place to be.

Rebirth is an unconscious process which is based on past life tendencies, vasanas. Vasanas are the present consciousness formed from past life perceptions, knowledge simultaneously derived from memory, the impressions remaining in the mind, self-attachment as well as false image of ‘me’ and ‘mine’.

Excuse me, I’m sorry to bother you
But don’t I know you?
There’s just something about you
Haven’t we met before?
We’ve been in love forever
  Kate Bush; Snowed In At Wheeler Street

There are no coincidences with Samsara

Whether we call it the soul, life, consciousness, mental body or subtle body, these together navigate the realms (bardos) between death and birth, and are most likely drawn back to something that is familiar to them. Winning a lottery is based on coincidence. In contrast, being born into a new life is never a coincidence. It is based on the vasanas that we learned from previous lives. Therefore, the more understanding we have over mind and maya (the illusion of the material world and mind), the more we can affect the process of rebirth.

For those who have raised their awareness and understanding about the continuity of life, there will be more options to “upgrade” their lives at the time of the next rebirth. With dedicated spiritual practice, a person has a chance to become aware of their vasanas and samskaras, and as a result realizes the tendencies for the mind and ego.

Sogyal Rinpoche sees Gandhi, Einstein, Lincoln, Mother Teresa and Beethoven as some examples (in addition to numerous other genius and artistic figures) of people who have helped the human race to go forward. These incarnations want to continue their lifework. When Tibetans hear about such people, they immediately think they are botthisattvas, the enlightened ones, who have decided to return to help the other to find the way for liberation. 

A drop that defines itself as individual

As long as we have the false belief of self, we will be born time and time again, experiencing samsara. Amer Cuca, a good friend of mine who studies Buddhism, sent me this metaphor for death:

“Think of the drop of water that merges into the ocean. If that drop of water thinks it is a separate, special drop of water and starts acting from that premise, it will continue reinventing itself as a separate drop, over and over again. It will suffer from its own illusion (maya). But if in some points this drop of water realizes that its separateness is an illusion it will once again become the ocean and won’t cause the rebirth”.

Recognizing the two ‘I’s: illusion and ignorance

People who have realized their true Self through spiritual practice may encounter two concepts which are very important to understand to see the true nature of all existence. These are maya – illusion, and avidya – ignorance. Recognizing them demands turning the attention inward; one must face and question all our own perceptions, impressions and judgement towards other people and the world around us. These obstacles of the mind are part of the constantly changing prakriti (elements, vibrations, motion, inertia). Once realizing their existence, one is ready to let go, finally finding freedom from the cycle of samsara.

Maya

is an essential term from Vedic scriptures. Maya means cosmic illusion. It is the illusion of the material world (prakriti) that the mind thinks as the reality. Maya is an effective power that prevents us to see the oneness, pure purusha. The illusion is created by our own perceptions, discrimination, belief systems and norms from outside. All of them combined create our own reality. Each one of us lives in our own bubble that is covered with the shade of maya. There are as many realities as there are people; all of us have our own opinion and perception of what is right and wrong. Maya is a filter, preventing us to see the true nature of all existence.

Breaking away from Maya

We can free ourselves from maya by understanding our inner conditioning. One doesn’t need to be religious or spiritual to prepare the mind for deeper understanding. Stillness and concentration are small practices that help the mind to step aside. As long we perceive the world through dualism, there is maya. Traditionally in Hindu religions the ritual of self-offering is practiced to decrease maya. Swami Kriyananda says that when we offer our heart and mind, that is the highest sacrifice.

“Maya disappears only when our minds and senses are fully stabilized and we are able to experience things without the division of the seer and the seen”.

         Jayaram V

Avidya

is a spiritual ignorance that prevents the individual from connecting to the Source of being and the true Self.

Avidya is a term appearing in both Hinduism and Buddhism. It is often translated as incorrect understanding and ignorance. Avidya is the lack of inner awareness. Yoga Sutra 2:24 says that avidya is the cause for the union of purusha and prakriti. We need to separate them to attain liberation. Because many people don’t separate purusha and prakriti, they perpetrate ignorance and make mistakes based on their own perceptions.

“By the absence of avidya, the union (between the purusha and prakriti) disappears. This is hana (avoidance), called liberation of the purusha”.

Sutra 2:25

Yoga Philosophy series by Anni Rainio

1. 1. Is there afterlife?
   2. What makes life suffering
   3. Reincarnatin vs. Rebirth
   4. Do our actions affect our present and future lives?
   5. Transcending the fear of death
   6. How to find life purpose
   7. Acting from compassion
   8. Process of dying according to Tibetan Buddhism
   9. Process of dying – Perspectives from Hindu philosophies
   10. How to break the cycle of samsara
   11. Enlightenment

Recommended readings on life, death, and the afterlife

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

Four Chapters on Freedom

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About the Author

This blog post is written by Anni Rainio, Doron Yoga Teacher -alumni, who is doing her 300h yoga teacher studies at Doron Yoga & Zen Center. She wrote a thesis about process of dying and rebirth from the yogic and Buddhist perspectives. This series of Yoga Philosophy blog texts are giving tastes of her theoretical studies. Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts either here or to annirainio@gmail.com.

Check out Anni’s website: www.annirainio.com