..续本文上一页he four elements, namely, earth, water, fire, and air. Initially, people did not believe this, but in the 15th century, through chemical analysis, it was found that the human body is indeed composed of various chemical elements. After a human dies, this coarser body, which is formed by the four elements, totally ceases. What will happen to it after that

　　 It is transformed into a subtle level of the body, which Buddhism calls the illusory body. It is similar to the body we have during dreams. It is able to float around and arrive at its desired destination quickly. It has many differences to our present body.

　　The coarse level of consciousness includes the eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, and so on. These consciousnesses will gradually merge into the alaya consciousness, which is the subtle level of consciousness, which continues to revolve in samsara. The continuity of this subtle level of consciousness, how in this life we are a human being and in the next life we could be a yak, and so on, is meticulously explained in the Kalachakra in Tibetan Buddhism.

　　Of course, our eyes or ears may not necessarily be able to perceive the existence of past and future lives. If it were so simple, then we would not say that this is the mysteries of mind. If you want to apprehend this, it can be done either by using logical reasoning to prove it, or revealed through knowing people who are able to recall their past lives or near-death phenomena.

　　1. Using Pramana reasoning to prove the existence of past and future lives

　　If we want to use logical reasoning to prove the tenability of the theory of past and future lives, it is indispensable to draw support from the Pramana knowledge, especially from Dharmakirti”s Pramānavārttikakārika. This treatise says that whether we are a human being or another kind of sentient being, we all have a luminous consciousness. The reason why this consciousness continues unbroken is because it is endowed with the “cause”—the clear light continuum will not cease to exist.

　　Of course, when you just start to learn this, it is quite difficult to comprehend, but it is a very complete, logical reasoning. Especially for those that are equipped with a strong ability in metaphysics, it is best if you can read the Pramānavārttikakārika, Treasury of Logic on Valid Cognition, and some Madhyamaka treatises. Through this method to ascertain reincarnation, you will completely apprehend that the consciousness of sentient beings does not cease to exist. This is because it is not the same as external matter, such as a light bulb, which, when it is destroyed, nothing is left. In contrast, consciousness is entirely different.

　　Pramana is rich in this irrefutable logical reasoning. Despite that, it is not easy to learn. If you aspire to research it thoroughly, it is necessary to begin from this complex aspect. Conversely, simply reading one or two books and then drawing a conclusion literally that the Buddhist theory of reincarnation cannot be proved is not enough. I am afraid it is not that simple. You won”t have the confidence to defend your thesis if you conduct a Pramana debate with a Buddhist master on this issue. As such, for someone who wants to refute this, or someone who wants to understand past and future lives with logical reasoning, it is a must to delve deeper into the Pramana and Madhyamaka. Only by doing this can you draw a valid conclusion.

　　2. The true stories of people remembering their past lives

　　Putting theories aside, we can find many examples of people who are able to recall their past lives. This is also a very strong basis to support this view. We should not simply dismiss this, since these people recall their lives themselves; nobody tells them about them. For example, if I tell peopl…

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