[Buddha-l] Everybody on vacation?

[jkirk]

Things really are quiet here these days. Hope this bit might
generate a few comments......
 
I've been re-thinking the idea of rebirth.....I don't really
think it's possible nor do I place much credence in the stories
of people who say they've seen their past lives via some process,
such as meditation or past-life channeling or whatever it's
called. Still, there is one aspect to the Buddhist idea of
working to avoid rebirth that doesn't initially make sense. This
is the idea that desiring rebirth is a source of dukkha. 
 
There's one motivation in favor of rebirth that strikes me as
constructive, not a potential source of dukkha, and that is the
desire to learn more about the phenomenal world (the only
world?), to increase one's knowledge, understanding of and thus
enjoyment of the world in an innocent (i.e. not for profit) way.
 
I was just looking at my book shelf today-- came across three old
Gujarati readers that I've had for umpteen years from my late ex,
a Gujarati himself. Always wanted to learn it so I could visit
that part of India and be able to communicate, maybe even see the
ancestral village (if it's still there). However, it's probably
too late now, considering the age I'm at, so rebirth would
provide another opportunity. However, alas.....I guess the dukkha
of the idea rests in the claim that one cannot control how one is
reborn nor into what sort of being --thus the future being might
turn out to be a (perish the thought) bimbo, businessman, or
politician! So much for learning Gujarati down the road.
 
Best, Joanna