The Buddhist point of view of the Cause or Transexualism and such stuff.

[Sarah]

Lat da daa!

Here we go.

First things first.
Buddhists believe in Rebirth. Not Reincarnation.

The difference is with Reincarnation you have an entire individual reborn as another single individual.

With Rebirth, you have Karma being reborn.

From different sources, and not all of an idividual is reborn. The clean acts are not. Also not all of an individuals karma might go to one individual. It could get split up among several.

So.

We do belive in Rebirth.

At the time of death especially and in the life of that person, the acts that were not clean have the opportunity to be accepted. The more unclean acts though, the more painful this is, and often people turn away and a new body is needed to try and learn from the old mistakes as it were.

Two things have a factor here regarding gender.

One is at the actual time of death, (actually some days after the time of death) if one has gotten to the point where a new body is going to be used, there is an opportunity to choose a gender. It is said that one will not like the gender they choose and envy the one they didn't. If one does not choose a gender, and is indecisive, one may be born as a homosexual. (personal note: i belive this could also apply to intersex and transexuals as well.)

The other factor is an extremely dominant piece of somones (not you, someone) Karma as reborn in you that is exremely potent. In the case of a MTF this would be the Karma of some Woman or Women. In the case of FTM it would be of males. There is usually a clear story  behind the suffering of this karma and the reason to experience it is to help heal it.

This can be experienced through meditation. And some things can actually be set to rest.

So there you have it. The Buddhist view.
AS best as I can present it.

At lest as a Soto Zen Buddhist.

Also a note. These things also apply to mental illness as well as some physical illness as well as allergies.

No Flaming please.

Sara

[lady amarant]

I've always been quite interested in Buddhism, but that is the first I've come across the distinction between Rebirth and Reincarnation explained so clearly. Thanks Sarah.

If I'm understanding it correctly then, the individual does cease to exist at death, with only the karma he or she accumulated during that lifetime continuing forwards.

Very similar to Neal Donald Walsh's (Conversations with God) assertion that we are simply God trying to know itself. That we are the physical expression of God wanting to experience things rather than knowing them, but that, ultimately, we are not seperate, distinct beings us such - that that is simply an illusion created by our physically seperate state. Again, similar to the concept of Maya.

I think it would probably be really difficult to actually determine which of either Rebirth of Reincarnation is the reality of the situation. Perhaps they both are, for that matter. I believe in rebirth/reincarnation because there's just too much evidence from verified past-life regression, anomalous access to information and, for lack of a better description, "speaking in tongues", but whether we are just recalling bits and pieces of different lives or an entire lifetime - that we just don't have enough information for.

Anyway, thanks for posting that. Illuminating!

Simone

Posted on: 19 January 2008, 00:56:20

One is at the actual time of death, (actually some days after the time of death) if one has gotten to the point where a new body is going to be used, there is an opportunity to choose a gender. It is said that one will not like the gender they choose and envy the one they didn't. If one does not choose a gender, and is indecisive, one may be born as a homosexual. (personal note: i belive this could also apply to intersex and transexuals as well.)

If I'm understanding it correctly then, the individual does cease to exist at death, with only the karma he or she accumulated during that lifetime continuing forwards.

I might have misunderstood about the extent to which an individual continues upon rebirth: Who is choosing the gender?

[Sarah]

To answer your last question this takes place durring a process o some days after death while the "self" is desolving. Not completely Yet, and if it refuses to desolve a body is needed for the Karma to go to.
But it is not all of what the former individual was.
There is no need for clean acts to be remembered, as they were clean.

[lady amarant]

Thanks Sarah. That kinda clears it up.

I'd assume that ghosts would be spirits that refuse to dissolve at all and then remain attached to some part of the life they held before such as a house or a person - I attended a "live-as-a-monk-for-a-week" retreat at a Buddhist Centre in Pretoria a couple of years ago, with the idea of becoming a monk perhaps.  (This was my very last ditch attempt at denial, but it ended opening my eyes and my mind instead)  They mentioned the concept of "Hungry Ghosts", but I didn't get the chance to corner one of the monks for long enough to explain it to me, and I was just wondering.

Anyway, thanks again for this post. Though I'm not an adherent of Buddhism, I've always had huge respect for its teachings and philosophy. it's always seemed to me one of the few religious philosophies that actually live up to the concept of universal compassion preached by so many others.

[Sarah]

Ghost are viewed in two perspectives:

One is as a state of mind that we all can be in.

The other is as an actual way of being born into existance.

[lady amarant]

Thanks Sarah. I should maybe adopt you as my guru of all things Buddha. Always better to gain perspective from a person rather than a book. You're a real font of information. 

[Sarah]

Thanks Sarah. I should maybe adopt you as my guru of all things Buddha. Always better to gain perspective from a person rather than a book. You're a real font of information. 

Thank you!
I would reccomend an actual teacher though for anythong more serious than questions...
I am just a Layperson! LOL
But I am happy to answer any questions you have regarding Buddhism to the best of my ability!
LOL
Sara