Model Answer: Examine the influence of belief in rebirth on Buddhist individuals and communities (10 marks - AQA)
In his first sermon after gaining enlightenment Gautama, the
Buddha, taught his followers the way to escape from suffering. This was through
perfecting Magga, the Noble Eightfold Path, which will eventually lead a
follower to arhatship (enlightenment with the help of the Buddha’s teachings)
and achieving nirvana – a realisation of the true nature of things. Whilst the
Buddha was alive, he taught all Buddhists to strive for Nirvana, so it is the
final goal in Theravada Buddhism, even if this takes many lifetimes for a
follower to achieve. The Buddha taught people to eventually escape Samsara
through an understanding of the consequences of their actions, and trying to
minimise negative consequences and maximise morality in their everyday lives.
This is because one day they hope not to be reborn again, to escape the
constant dukkha that existence causes through attachment to impermanent aspects
of life.
The Buddha taught all Buddhists that life if governed by
karma, which literally means ‘action’, but refers to the universal law of cause
and effect. This means that all Buddhists, whether Mahayana or Theravada,
strive to perform actions that have good karmic consequences, and work hard to
avoid immoral actions with bad karmic consequences. Theravada follow 5 moral
precepts that govern their daily life, for example they vow to abstain from
killing animals, which means that they will work hard to respect human and
animal life and not cause physical harm. Even though some Buddhists eat meat,
none would choose to be butchers or hunters as their profession, as their
livelihoods must be morally correct to reflect their commitment to Buddhism.
Mahayana Buddhists also work to create good karma over many lifetimes, this is
because their final goal is to become a Buddha for the benefit of all beings.
This is known as the ‘Bodhisattva goal’. Mahayana Buddhists also follow 6
perfections of ‘paramitas’ which help them to become compassionate for all
beings, therefore a Mahayana Buddhist’s life is governed by being compassionate
to others. Creating bad karma could lead in a negative rebirth in a hell or
animal realm, which would in turn incur more negative karma, which it may take
a being many lifetimes to overcome. Therefore even lay Buddhists would aim to
perform karmically good actions so that they could be reborn in a heavenly
realm or again as a human where they could continue to practise Buddhism.
Gautama taught that the best possible rebirth is a human rebirth because only
as a human can humans escape Samsara.
Buddhist communities often work together to help Buddhists in
their eventual goal of becoming arhats or bodhisattvas. For example, joining
the Buddhist sangha shows that an individual is committed to this eventual
goal, and may even want to achieve it within their current lifetime. Monks will
live austere lives that focus on study, meditation and mindfulness to minimise
the bad karma that they create. The Buddha demonstrated that mediation is a way
for Buddhists to gain Bodhi, so often communities will meditate together to
help Buddhists progress through the 4 jhanas (stages of meditation). For
example, the Wat Phra Dhammakaya movement is a modern Thai movement that
encourages corporate meditation.
For Buddhists, good karma creates punya, which means ‘merit’.
Merit is somewhat like a currency that helps people to improve their rebirth in
Samsara. It is common in some South Asian Buddhist countries for people to
transfer their merit to others, for example young children may join the sangha
as novice monks as a way of transferring punya to a recently deceased relative.
This is to help them in their future life. Buddhists also perform puja, which
is worship of the image of the Buddha or Bodhisattva’s such as Avalokiteshvara.
Mahayana Buddhists in particular will worship images of Avalokiteshvara and ask
for his help in difficult situations, because they believe that he has
unlimited punya to transfer to others to help them in following the Buddhist
path. This shows that Buddhists actions are always mindful of the teachings on
rebirth – striving for a better rebirth to help them as they follow Buddhist
morals.
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