Title: Rebirth in Early Buddhism and Current Research
Author: Bhikkhu Analayo
Publisher: Wisdom Publications
Language: English
Print Length: 304 pages
Join a rigorous scholar and Buddhist monk on a rich tour of rebirth, from ancient doctrine to contemporary debates.
German Buddhist monk and university professor Bhikkhu Analayo had not given much attention to the topic of rebirth before some friends asked him to explore the treatment of the issue in early Buddhist texts. This succinct volume presents his findings, approaching the topic from four directions. The first chapter examines the doctrine of rebirth as it is presented in the earliest Buddhist sources and the way it relates to core doctrinal principles. The second chapter reviews debates about rebirth throughout Buddhist history and up to modern times, noting the role of confirmation bias in evaluation of evidence. Chapter 3 reviews the merits of current research on rebirth, including near-death experience, past-life regression, and children who recall previous lives. The chapter concludes with an examination of xenoglossy, the ability to speak languages one has not learned previously, and chapter 4 examines the particular case of Dhammaruwan, a Sri Lankan boy who chants Pali texts that he does not appear to have learned in his present life. Rebirth in Early Buddhism and Current Research brings together the many strands of the debate on rebirth in one place, making it both comprehensive and compact. It is not a polemic but an interrogation of the evidence, and it leaves readers to come to their own conclusions.
Contents:
Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Foreword by Bhante Gunaratana
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction
I. THE EARLY BUDDHIST DOCTRINE OF REBIRTH
Introduction
- Dependent Arising
The Twelve Links
Consciousness and Name-and-Form
Dependent Arising and Rebirth
Rebirth and the Underlying Tendencies - Recollection of Past Lives and the Intermediate Existence
The Buddha’s Preawakening Recollection of Past Lives
The Buddha’s Preawakening Witnessing of the Rebirth of Others
The Intermediate Existence - The Principle of Karma
Karma and Its Fruit
Karma and Right View - The Significance of Right View
The Denial of Rebirth
Different Types of Right View
Speculation and Direct Knowledge
Summary
II. DEBATES ON REBIRTH
Introduction
- The Undeclared Questions
Right View and Speculative Views
The Poisoned Arrow of Speculative Views
The Reason for Setting Aside Speculative Views
The Destiny of an Awakened One after Death - Debating Rebirth in Ancient India
Misunderstandings of the Teaching on Rebirth
Experiments to Prove the Materialist Position
Continuity without an Unchanging Agent - Discussions on Rebirth in China during the Early Imperial Period
Arguments against Rebirth and Karma
Defending the Rebirth Doctrine
Near-Death Experiences in Ancient China - Debates on Rebirth in Modern Times
Misinterpretations of Karma and Rebirth
Confirmation Bias
Summary
III. EVIDENCE CONSIDERED SUPPORTIVE OF REBIRTH
Introduction
- Near-Death Experiences
From Ancient to Contemporary Reports of Near-Death Experiences
The Case of Pam Reynolds
Verified Information Apparently Obtained During Near-Death Experiences
Children and the Blind - Past-Life Regression
The Workings of Memory
Therapeutic Benefits
Verified Information Apparently Obtained from Past-Life Regression - Children’s Memories of a Past Life
Specific Information Recalled and Behavioral Continuities
Cases Documented Before Verification Attempts
Birthmarks and Birth Defects - Xenoglossy
Recitative Xenoglossy
Responsive Xenoglossy
Summary
IV. CASE STUDY IN PĀLI XENOGLOSSY
Introduction
- The Case History
Personal Contacts
The Present-Life Story
The Past-Life Story and a Verification of the Recordings - The Chanted Texts and Their Background
The Transmission of the Pāli Canon
Textual Memory
The Chanted Texts - Errors and Variants
Memory Errors
Minor Variants
Major Variants - Omissions and Additions
Loss of Text
The Brain in the Listing of Anatomical Parts
The Devas’ Acclaim of the Buddha’s First Sermon
Summary
CONCLUSION
-These Audio and Book are Educational Purpose Only.
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