Know Our Lives Here and After

Samsara: the Cycle of Reincarnation

In chemistry, the water molecule is composed of two atoms of hydrogen and one
atom of oxygen. Scientific technology can prove the water component in any
laboratories, but life is not like that. It is not composed of simple components like
water and unable to be proved by any chemistry theories. In the oriental world, it is
generally believed that life is composed of two parts: body and mind. With fast and
advanced technological progress, all life’s necessities and comforts are easily
satisfied nowadays. This phenomenon somehow degrades the beliefs in spiritual
experience and wisdom. People thus tend to assume and recognize only the
existence of the physical world. Even so the questions of life and the afterlife still
always disturb our mind. In many regions of the world, people believe that the
function of body is merely a result of the co-working between brain and body.
However, the idea may be different in some other parts of the world. There are many
scientific experiments opting to find any relevance between body and mind. But the
effort has not yet been met with success as there is no exact conclusion.

We can see that many Hollywood films like Ghost and City of Angels, for example,

raise the issue about life after death. This reflects that in the western world, people

are also curious in the existence of spirit—something beyond human corporeal form.

In Buddhism, the idea is clearly elaborated in the Lord Buddha’s sermons. Whether

in the past or at present, the questions about life and life after death are in the heart

of people of all ages. Will we obtain eternal life after our physical death? Or do we

reincarnate for many lifetimes until we attain nirvana? Does the world of the dead

exist? The answers for these questions can be found in the story of King Payasi who

tried to explore the secret of the afterlife and reincarnation. King Payasi governed the

city of Setabaya in Kosala Region, Payasi. This story was recorded in Payasi Sutta,
Digha Nikayas, Suttanta Tripitaka (The first of five nikayas in Buddhist Scriptures

which record the Lord Buddha’s long sermons).

More than 2500 years ago, it was the age without technological progress. Many

people wanted to know the meaning of life and the world. One of those was King

Payasi who was born in the Lord Buddha’s lifetime. Throughout his life, the king

persistently searched for the answer by doing some curious experiments. He went to

many friends and relatives who were dying and asking them a favour. At first, the king

went to people with frequent habits of killing and harming animals, stealing,

committing adultery, lying and drinking alcohol. King Payasi asked these people to

return and inform him about life after death if the unpleasant realm really existed.

Each of them agreed to do so, yet none of them returned him any message at all.

The King still kept this experiment running on and on. He went to many respectable

people who habitually did all good deeds and asked them to do the same. But again

none of them returned to reveal anything about the pleasant realm. The King Payasi

thus came up with the conclusion that there was neither the afterlife nor the effects of

doing bad or good deeds. He clung to the conclusion of his own experiments until he

met one of the Lord Buddha’s disciples, venerable Kumarakassapa who had already

become an Arahant (an enlightened one who has reached the goal of nirvana and

laid down all life's burdens and sufferings).

Ven. Kumarakassapa could convert him from the wrong notion by giving a

reasonable sermon about life after death, mainly focusing on the existence of good
and bad realm. The explanation of Ven. Kumarakaspa was very profound and

touching. Instead of answering the king’s questions directly, the venerable replied the

king with counter questions. The conversation between the two will be shortly

discussed here.

Ven. Kumarakassapa pointed out the false notion of King Payasi with the following

example. A thief was arrested as a result of a serious crime, and was sentenced to

death. He was about to be beheaded. Before his death, the thief was put in a pillory

and taken around the town. There was no way that the thief could escape from the

decapitation. This is the same situation as the unpleasant realm from where the

wicked ones could not escape. People who habitually do bad deeds like killing,

stealing, committing adultery, lying and drinking alcohol, will be taken to hell after

their death. The jailers of hell will not allow them to escape until the retribution is

terminated.

The venerable continued to give another analogy as follows. A man fell into a pit of

feces up to his head. He climbed up and washed himself. Then, he dressed up in a

new nice dress and perfumed himself with fragrant oil. Fortunately, someone gave

him servants to serve him as he commands. This man thus would not be willing to

return to the fecal pit anymore. This is the same situation as the heavenly realm from

where no one wants to depart. People who habitually perform good deeds like

almsgiving, not killing, and purifying their mind will reappear in the pleasant world

after their death. The pleasant world is joyful and charming. There are many celestial
servants ready to serve, so it has never happened that anyone wants to return to the

human world before ages of joy is ended.

Moreover, time in the world after death is much longer than time in the human world.

All the king’s dead friends and relatives who spent just one day in the world of the

dead will pass many years in human world. That is why they could never return any

message at all. Then, venerable Kumarakassapa further explained about the way

leading to the pleasant and unpleasant realm until the king released his false notion

and accepted the Triple gem as his refuge.

This dialog between King Payasi and the venerable Kumarakassapa can be one of

the examples that reassure the existence of life after death. However, we can not

wholly trust in the presence of the afterlife until we gain intuition through meditation.

The eyes of Dhamma that are attained through meditation are powerful enough to

see what the world after death is like. Now you can answer yourselves by practicing

meditation. You can learn meditation from various programs on the DMC channel.

Let DMC be one of your answer keys and help take you away from the endless cycle

of life and death. As the Lord Buddha says: “the tree fully wet with water is unable to

be burned down, a man fully wet with destitution will reappear in this world and the

next; Samsara.”

Written by Thanapol Bumrungsri