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gantzu3

Does the Buddha ever go into much technical detail about the process of reincarnation, i.e. how exactly the system works per se?

Question

I'm currently reading through the discourses of the Buddha, and he describes the states of mind that lead to rebirth in higher or lower realms, but I haven't read him say much in the way of technical details about how it all works.

I know for example the jhana states, and how they can lead to rebirth in the heavens or higher realms, or even immaterial realms. Also, I've read about how being mired in defilements can lead to rebirth in states of perdition, even hell.

My question here is how does all of this work exactly? Meaning, the system of samsara itself. Are there judges, for example, that decide where you're reborn. How does kamma play into this specifically too? Are you marked for rebirth in x,y,z realm by some system put in place by gods in certain cases?

I hope what I'm asking here is clear. Basically, I understand a lot of it has to do with kamma, but how does samsara, or the "system" itself decide where to place you exactly? Does some deity or do some deities decide in certain cases? Can anyone shed any light on this for me? Thanks!

Posted May 29, 2016, 8:42 PM UTC · edited

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