2. Belief in rebirth after death in accordance with phenomena of causality

Another characteristic of Right View is the conviction that upon death there is rebirth or reincarnation by means of the continuum of ‘dependant-origination’ (paṭicca-samuppāda). There are four types of rebirth that occur by way of dependant-origination. They are (1) jalābuja ―viviparous, that is, born from the mother’s womb; (2) opapātika ―spontaneously born, that is, born without the instrumentality of parents and without a visible cause; (3) saŋsedaja ―arisen from moisture; and (4) andaja ―oviparous, which means, born out of eggs that hatch outside the mother’s body. After death, every being gets rebirth in one of these four types. What would you do once you form the conviction that rebirth exists? You would, for happiness in the future life, rid yourself of ‘the unwholesome’ (akusala) and strengthen yourself in ‘the wholesome’ (kusala).

There is a particular mother, aged and ailing. Bhikkhu told her, “Let go of the desire for that decaying corporeal form (rūpa) of yours and live reminiscing about the meritorious activities you’ve done throughout your life. And every night, develop the recollection of devas―imperial deities.1 As a result, you’d be reborn as a deva-maiden living in luxury in a sumptuous heavenly world.” She didn’t have the skilfulness to develop the perception of impermanence (anicca-saññā). That was why the Bhikkhu told her to practise the recollection of devas.

At that she said, “What can possibly happen after death? All I want is to have no pain while I’m still alive.” She has no certitude that there is rebirth after death. [So,] she has no desire to become a prosperous deva-maiden upon death. If she had that belief, she would willingly accept death.

Some revered-devotees don’t believe there is rebirth upon death. They see death as the [final] liberation. “Let’s eat well, drink well, have fun and enjoy while we’re still alive, for everything’s gonna be over after death,” is how some see it. Some revered-Buddhists, when posed the question “What will happen after death?” will say, “Let whatever that’s gonna happen, happen,” or “Whatever will be, will be.” They would all be counted as those with ‘wrong view.’

Open your eyes wide and look closely at society, would you? When seeing the speed at which people break the precepts of sīla, the alarming rapidity with which they commit [unwholesome] mental actions (mano-kamma), how small a number of people has considered there is rebirth after death that occurs under the causality of dependant-origination? Would society be this vicious or commit this many misdeeds if they had such a belief? Simply owing to the incredulity, the unbelief, about dependently originated rebirth, simply due to being sorely lacking in that respect, society makes a treacherous journey in which ‘the unwholesome’―greed, hatred, delusion―is taken up as a hobby, singing its praises, while one end of life is [meaninglessly] tied to the Dhamma. Only when you develop an unshakable certitude about dependently originated rebirth will you stay away from the unwholesome and get stronger in the wholesome; …will you let fear of saŋsāra spark in you about the peregrinations of ‘becoming’ both retrospective and looming in the future.

1 Deva refers to heavenly beings, deities, celestials. These are beings living in celestial worlds, and as a general rule, are invisible to the human eye owing to their material form being so subtle. In this translation, the term ‘deva’ is used to refer only to the deities belonging to the 6 heavenly planes of the sensuous sphere (kāma-loka). For other superior deities dwelling in fine-material spheres (rūpaloka) and non-material spheres (arūpa-loka), the term ‘brahma’ is used. The brahma-worlds consist of 20 fine-material and non-material planes. Rebirth in a brahma-world is the result of great virtue accompanied by generating meditative absorptions (jhāna) of samādhi. Both Devas and Brahmas, just as any other being, are also subject to the laws of karma; they too are impermanent, and still subject to suffering.