20. “I have found Buddhist philosophy and meditation to be so helpful in this life. However, I am challenged by the concept of reincarnation, especially when the texts describe the hell realms, such as hungry ghosts, whose throats are narrow as needles and cannot pass food and water. Or hot realms of fire or even the god realms of excess desire. This sounds very different from the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The concept of reincarnation was around before the Buddha. Can you explain how one should understand reincarnation? Is it literal or myth or what?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Rebirth] [Realms of existence ] [Four Noble Truths] [Eightfold Path] [Culture/India] // [Nature of the cosmos] [Culture/West] [Western psychology] [Right View] [Kamma] [Self-identity view]
Sutta: MN 117.7: Conventional Right View.
11. “Please explain how the Buddha believes in devas and ghosts, but not in a soul. Wouldn’t these sort of spirits and souls fit into a similar realm?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Deva] [Ghost] [Nature of mind] [Not-self] [Realms of existence] // [Impermanence] [Rebirth] [Saṃsāra]
3. “As the Buddha referred to his past lives in measurements of eons and eons, is there any information he offered about the locality of his lives? Were they on planet Earth? This could be useful information for scientists to know the origin of life.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Previous Buddhas] [Realms of existence] [Science]
15. “Is there a difference in doing a good deed for a monastic versus a lay-person in regards to generating merit? Can only humans create merit? What about devas and animals?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Kamma] [Merit] [Monastic life] [Realms of existence] // [Virtue] [Truth]
28. “What is the ‘10,000 fold universal world system’ mentioned in The Discourse on Setting in Motion the Wheel of Dhamma?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Realms of existence]
Sutta: SN 56.11.13: Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (Amaravati Chanting Book Volume 2, p. 12).
Reference: Dawn of the Dhamma by Ajahn Sucitto.
22. “I read about the advice given to dying devas. Should more people know about the cosmological background of the Buddha’s teachings?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Deva] [Realms of existence] [Death]
Sutta: Iti 83: Five omens that appear when a deva is about to pass away. [Rebirth]
3. Comment: I appreciate that AN 5.48 includes devas and Māra. [Deva] [Māra] [Realms of existence] [Sutta] [Human]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
14. “Are devas imagery or symbolism, or are they tangible for some people? Particularly the talk around the heavenly minstrels and nagas in the water (Snp 3.11) ....” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Deva ] [Symbolism/metaphor] [Realms of existence] // [Ajahn Pasanno] [Recollection/Devas] [Virtue] [Kamma]
2. “What are spontaneously reborn beings? [in the context of Right View, e.g. MN 117]” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Rebirth] [Realms of existence] [Right View] // [Deva] [Birth] [Ghost]
18. “I always hear that it’s rare to get a precious human life. Why are we incarnated? What are we achieving on this plane that we can’t achieve on a spiritual plane?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Human] [Rebirth] [Realms of existence] // [Discernment] [Compassion]
3. “What does ‘Seeing fear and blame in the other world’ refer to?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Fear] [Realms of existence] // [Rebirth]