Hello everyone,

I thought I would share a question that has really got me down as of late. There seems to be some kind of contradiction in some teachings on No-self and Rebirth:

On the one hand: Many teachers talk about transcending birth/death, arahantship, etc. And then you have concepts that I know little about like Mahaparinirvana and the like that seem to imply no more becoming, whatever that means.

On the other hand: You have highly realized teachers dropping hints about future lives, Tibetan rebirth lineages, people like the Dalai Llama saying they are not enlightened, etc, Are these people lying, not as insightful as they might seem or what?


With all due respect, Buddhism is really starting to piss me off. Please help if anyone has any insight into this matter.

Mahayana buddhists (including the Dalai Lama and other tibetans) believe that there is something better than becoming an arahant: you can become a bodhisattva and keep on getting reborn to help other beings get enlightened. They intentionally postpone full enlightenment and parinirvana.

MCTB and this forum tends to stick to the Theravada angle on this issue, with elimination of personal suffering traditionally seen as a highest goal.

If you keep swimming in crap like this, of course it's going to piss you off. Focus on practical matters which are likely to help you. Theology is just a tool for procrastination or domination.