Samsara

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Term	Definition
Samsara	(skt.: samsara; tib.: khor wa) Cyclic existence. It is the beginningless, recurring cycle of death and rebirth and the nature of it is suffering due to our past bad karma, mental delusions and ignorance. Through the force of karma motivated by ignorance, desire and anger one is forced to take on the impure aggregates and circle the wheel of existence until liberation. A being is reborn in one of these six realms, according to his karma: 1. As a human 2. As a halfgod 3. As a god 4. As a hell being 5. As a hungry ghost 6. As an animal First three realms are called higher realms, and the last three are called lower realms. There is another division of Samsara: 1. desire realm 2. form realm 3. formless realm Only gods live in form and formless realms, other beings (including (lesser) gods, halfgods, humans, ...) live in desire realm.

Term

Definition

(skt.: samsara; tib.: khor wa) Cyclic existence. It is the beginningless, recurring cycle of death and rebirth and the nature of it is suffering due to our past bad karma, mental delusions and ignorance. Through the force of karma motivated by ignorance, desire and anger one is forced to take on the impure aggregates and circle the wheel of existence until liberation.

A being is reborn in one of these six realms, according to his karma:

1. As a human

2. As a halfgod

3. As a god

4. As a hell being

5. As a hungry ghost

6. As an animal

First three realms are called higher realms, and the last three are called lower realms.

There is another division of Samsara:

1. desire realm

2. form realm

3. formless realm

Only gods live in form and formless realms, other beings (including (lesser) gods, halfgods, humans, ...) live in desire realm.

Language

Words of Wisdom

"As long as we consider any phenomenon of Samsara as good or attractive, we create bonds which will result in taking rebirth, through the process we call the “Twelve Interdependent Links of Origination”."

- Lama Shenphen Rinpoche