Home Science New book: The spirit of Buddhism shines in ‘Forever in life’ part...

New book: The spirit of Buddhism shines in ‘Forever in life’ part 2

4
0

Attachment, cause and effect, reincarnation… – Buddhist lessons are presented in a way that is easy to understand and attractive in ‘Forever in life’, part 2.
advertisement

The main character Thomas in Eternal life is a successful American businessman, also a confidant of author Nguyen Phong. In part 1, Thomas has lived through mystical lives, from the mighty Atlantis civilization to the ancient Egyptian kingdom of powerful Pharaohs to modern-day America. In part 2, Thomas continues his human journey through three lives Assyrian, Greek and modern times with a mysterious colleague from past lives, Kris. The incredible interlacing stories of the two easily explain the Buddhist lessons – from attachment to cause and effect, reincarnation… Attachment remains after death The story goes that, one day Thomas was visiting the old house of an old friend, this businessman suddenly saw a strange old man, turned out to be a spirit that passed away decades ago. This accountant’s soul implored Thomas to fulfill one wish: Destroy the papers recording the wrong payments of the former owner, because of sudden death the accountant was unable to do so. . “It’s been more than 80 years, I still have that in my heart and have never dared to leave this house. I have to stay here to keep the notebook, to avoid it falling into the hands of others,” the old man said. That is, just because of an unfinished task that his spirit could not escape forever. Thomas’s strange encounter with the old accountant’s ghost can help us figure out where we are in the river of destiny. Meeting is destiny, working with the boss is life; spending in the dark is the cause, and the notebook is the effect. The old accountant’s attachment is that the boss’s secrets should not be kept, secrets that can affect the reputation of the person he has served. It has become a stored part of the store consciousness of this life. “When a person dies, a person leaves the physical body and exists in another form called the bardo or spirit body. This is the intermediate state between death and the next rebirth. The only thing that really exists is the store consciousness, which is the basis of existence, the foundation of all consciousness. Every thought, word, and action in a lifetime, whether good or bad, creates a cause, or a seed, which is stored in the store-consciousness, never to be lost,” the book explains. Eternal life, part 1, 2 – Author: Nguyen Phong Sow cause and reap fruit Human life is like a dream, it’s too short for us to stop and reflect on what causes cause and effect, and then steps into the spirit world and the rest is just attachment. Meetings in Eternal life Part 2 is sometimes too mundane, like what we have been going through. But reading until the end, we realize, it turns out that every daily action can cause cause and effect, which no one can control. Thomas and Don C (the new owner of the accountant’s ghost house) make friends from a co-worker relationship that is also a result of cause and effect for both of them. Thomas meeting the spirit is a part of life, releasing the responsibility for the spirit to return peace to the Don C family is a part of picking the fruit. But it is also possible that Thomas is spreading past cause and effect, or new cause in the future. Still follow Eternal life In part 2, when cause and effect will bear fruit depends on many other factors such as inspiration, subsequent behavior and merit of each person. Causality interdependence manifests: “If this exists, the other is formed. When this arises, the other arises. If one does not exist, the other does not exist. When this is destroyed, the other is destroyed.” That is also the fate, the predestined birth. Our small actions every day can make a huge connection over time. The Mission of Reincarnation We humans are inherently sentient and as in theory Dependent origination of Buddhism, one can become entangled in the cycle of samsara. A continuous cycle of cause and effect can then be transmigrated to the six paths of reincarnation: heaven, human, Atula, animal, hungry ghosts, and hell. Thomas’s colorful journey back to his past life, through “the Mesopotamian deserts of Assyria to ancient Greece, Persia, and India through the conquests of Alexander the Great” has explained us better about this. the reincarnation of a human being. Thomas and his mysterious friend Kris have cultivated together for many lifetimes, although the path is not the same, but the predestined connection has caused them to meet again to complete their previous promises and missions. Or Thomas reunited with friends from past lives to relearn lessons to be learned. If there is a cause, there must be a result, so two people keep borrowing and repaying each other, lasting for many lifetimes without end. Such is the complexity of cause and effect in samsara. And each person’s task is to live a life that opens their hearts to everyone, develops love, and learns the lessons they need to learn, “instead of just worrying about beautifying the body, which is now dead and floating. life after life in the endless stream of samsara”, as Thomas explained.