Karma and Reincarnation in Early Buddhism

Episode 6 features a dharma talk given by Lisa Dale Miller at Marin Sangha on May 6, 2018. Lisa treads on the somewhat problematic territory of karma and reincarnation as understood in the early Buddhist teachings. Lisa’s interest in the actuality of karma and reincarnation is purely speculative. She does not find belief in past lives necessary for recognizing right view, ascertaining right intention, or aligning with the Buddha’s instructions for ethical conduct. And of greatest importance, the existence or non-existence of past lives matters little when it comes to the many forms of superlative meditation practices featured in the Theravada, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayana schools of Buddhism. If you are interested in more in-depth engagement with this topic, Bhikkhu Analayo has just released a new book comparing Rebirth in Early Buddhism and Current Research on past lives and near death experiences. Lisa’s dharma talks will now be released as Groundless Ground episodes. All past dharma talks are available on her website http://lisadalemiller.com and as iTunes podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bestofggpodcast.substack.com