Sunday, March 04, 2012

from an Interview with Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche in Kuensel:

How do you reconcile the phenomenon of reincarnation and continuity with the fundamental Buddhist principal of impermanence?

The one who is asking this kind of question seem to insinuate that reincarnation and Impermanence are contradictions. But its not because reincarnation is the very essence of impermanence. In order to understand reincarnation, you have to appreciate law of time. Do you believe in time? Might as well believe in reincarnation. As a Buddhist, if you ask me if I believe in reincarnation and impermanence, I would say, ultimately no, relatively yes. A scientist who kind of raise their eyebrows on reincarnation and just blindly says, see you tomorrow, is stupid. If reincarnation is stupid, time is stupid. That’s why they are relative. But stupid does not mean they are useless. Many stupid things are useful.

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