When many people think about Buddhism they often think of the phrase "Life is Suffering." To be honest, that is how I often started when I used to explain Buddhism to people. Although not incorrect, it is too simple a statement and it has the erroneous effect of making people think of Buddhism as a pessimistic religion. But in fact, the whole purpose for the Buddha to leave his kingdom and family was to find a way to relieve the suffering faced by people, at which he was ultimately successful. Therefore, rather than be pessimistic, to be a Buddhist is to be one full of equanimity and contentment.
What the Buddha realized upon his enlightenment and what he first taught to others was the Four Noble Truths. It is important that the Buddha called these "truths" as opposed to facts or beliefs. Often today when encountering debates about religion versus science there are people on one side saying "how can you believe in God when there is no factual proof of its existence", and there are people on the other side saying "if it's a fact then there wouldn't be any act of belief or faith on the part of the adherent." And so it goes, except with Buddhism where the main points are neither facts that can be seen, or beliefs that must be accepted on faith. Instead Buddhism is based on the universal truths that are incontrovertible yet also unseeable.
The First Noble Truth is (Dukkha) suffering: "What now is the noble truth of suffering? Birth is suffering, decay is suffering, death is suffering, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair are suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering." In life, even the richest, best looking, healthiest, smartest person will one day face the sufferings of old age, sickness and death. Similarly all the things that bring people joy in life are temporary; a nice meal, a fun party, a romantic date, they all bring happiness, but when it ends we are left searching and yearning for the next meal, party or date. The Buddhas says it is this impermanence in all aspects of life that is the root of suffering. For many, it is not hard to accept that sickness, old age, pain and death are suffering, but many people contend that those are all natural parts of life and it is worth enduring such sufferings in exchange for all the happiness that life provides. That position is understandable, and the Buddha does not dispute that life brings with it many pleasures of the mind and body. If that is what one chooses they are welcome to continue such an existence, but the Buddha's goal was to provide a way to end suffering for those that wished a way beyond the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
The Second Noble Truth is the origin of suffering: "What now is the noble truth of the origin of suffering? It is craving, which gives rise to repeated existence, is bound up with pleasure and lust, and always seeks fresh enjoyment here and there;" That suffering is caused by craving might be a little harder to comprehend, but it is easier through an example. Suppose you meet a handsome man or beautiful woman. They are not only attractive but also kind, smart and have a great personality. Their presence makes you happy. Now how do you feel when they are not around any more? If he was your friend, you are probably sad. If she was your girlfriend you might be feeling jealous. If they were a spouse you might be heartbroken. Those feelings of sadness and hurt are understandable, and the cause of them is that you miss them. Such wanting, yearning and missing is also craving. Craving may sound bad, but it includes all types and degrees of wanting- craving for pleasure, craving for money, craving for love, craving for existence. And because whatever we possess will one day be gone, our craving will never be satiated as long as we continue this cycle of birth and death.
The Third Noble Truth is the cessation of suffering: "What is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering? It is the complete fading away and cessation of craving, it's forsaking and abandonment, liberation and detachment from it." This is a difficult truth for many people to grasp because craving is such an ingrained concept for all beings. For example, the craving for food is essential to life. And there are many things that we "crave" that we believe are completely selfless and for the benefit of others. As such the most common question about craving is; "so if craving is bad, is wanting to help others also bad?" The short answer is of course not. Being compassionate to people and helping others is a very important part of Buddhist practice. Nevertheless, in Buddhism "good" craving and "bad" craving is still craving. If you crave good things and conduct good acts you will achieve good karma and if you crave bad things and conduct bad acts you will achieve bad karma. But the end result is karma. Karma in turn causes rebirth and as stated before birth always leads to old age, sickness and death. So if you crave good things for the world, but fail to attain wisdom, you will receive good karma (in this life or the next), but it also does mean you will continue to be reborn. The next logical question then is; "didn't the Buddha want to help others, doesn't that make him subject to rebirth?" That is a great question, but it is important to look at the Fourth Noble Truth before answering it.
The Fourth Noble Truth is the way leading to the cessation of suffering: The way to the cessation of suffering is the Noble Eightfold path which are; Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Concentration, Right Mindfulness, Right Effort, Right Though and Right Understanding. These can be grouped to represent Morality, Concentration and Wisdom. Personally speaking, here is where my journey into Buddhism ended 20 years ago. I accepted the Four Noble Truths, and I felt a combination of being philosophically satisfied and being intimidated by the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path to continue. However, many years later I revisited my Buddhist readings and I was able to continue my studies. In doing so, I feel I can now answer the question presented before; "Is the Buddha subject to rebirth because he wanted to help others?" The answer is "no." The Buddha and other enlightened beings can want to do good and still attain nirvana and cessation of rebirth because they have followed the Noble Eightfold Path and their moral actions are conducted with the necessary concentration and wisdom which eliminates all concepts of "self" in their actions, as such none of their actions have a personal craving attached to them. This may seem like an unsatisfactory answer, but to explain further would require a deeper understanding of the Buddhist concept of "No I", "No Self" or "No permanent soul." I sincerely hope you are inclined to read on to understand my answer more fully, and share any further questions or thoughts on this topic.
*Excerpts taken from Entering the Stream by Samuel Bercholz and Sherab Chodzin Kohn (1993)
What the Buddha realized upon his enlightenment and what he first taught to others was the Four Noble Truths. It is important that the Buddha called these "truths" as opposed to facts or beliefs. Often today when encountering debates about religion versus science there are people on one side saying "how can you believe in God when there is no factual proof of its existence", and there are people on the other side saying "if it's a fact then there wouldn't be any act of belief or faith on the part of the adherent." And so it goes, except with Buddhism where the main points are neither facts that can be seen, or beliefs that must be accepted on faith. Instead Buddhism is based on the universal truths that are incontrovertible yet also unseeable.
The First Noble Truth is (Dukkha) suffering: "What now is the noble truth of suffering? Birth is suffering, decay is suffering, death is suffering, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair are suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering." In life, even the richest, best looking, healthiest, smartest person will one day face the sufferings of old age, sickness and death. Similarly all the things that bring people joy in life are temporary; a nice meal, a fun party, a romantic date, they all bring happiness, but when it ends we are left searching and yearning for the next meal, party or date. The Buddhas says it is this impermanence in all aspects of life that is the root of suffering. For many, it is not hard to accept that sickness, old age, pain and death are suffering, but many people contend that those are all natural parts of life and it is worth enduring such sufferings in exchange for all the happiness that life provides. That position is understandable, and the Buddha does not dispute that life brings with it many pleasures of the mind and body. If that is what one chooses they are welcome to continue such an existence, but the Buddha's goal was to provide a way to end suffering for those that wished a way beyond the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
The Second Noble Truth is the origin of suffering: "What now is the noble truth of the origin of suffering? It is craving, which gives rise to repeated existence, is bound up with pleasure and lust, and always seeks fresh enjoyment here and there;" That suffering is caused by craving might be a little harder to comprehend, but it is easier through an example. Suppose you meet a handsome man or beautiful woman. They are not only attractive but also kind, smart and have a great personality. Their presence makes you happy. Now how do you feel when they are not around any more? If he was your friend, you are probably sad. If she was your girlfriend you might be feeling jealous. If they were a spouse you might be heartbroken. Those feelings of sadness and hurt are understandable, and the cause of them is that you miss them. Such wanting, yearning and missing is also craving. Craving may sound bad, but it includes all types and degrees of wanting- craving for pleasure, craving for money, craving for love, craving for existence. And because whatever we possess will one day be gone, our craving will never be satiated as long as we continue this cycle of birth and death.
The Third Noble Truth is the cessation of suffering: "What is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering? It is the complete fading away and cessation of craving, it's forsaking and abandonment, liberation and detachment from it." This is a difficult truth for many people to grasp because craving is such an ingrained concept for all beings. For example, the craving for food is essential to life. And there are many things that we "crave" that we believe are completely selfless and for the benefit of others. As such the most common question about craving is; "so if craving is bad, is wanting to help others also bad?" The short answer is of course not. Being compassionate to people and helping others is a very important part of Buddhist practice. Nevertheless, in Buddhism "good" craving and "bad" craving is still craving. If you crave good things and conduct good acts you will achieve good karma and if you crave bad things and conduct bad acts you will achieve bad karma. But the end result is karma. Karma in turn causes rebirth and as stated before birth always leads to old age, sickness and death. So if you crave good things for the world, but fail to attain wisdom, you will receive good karma (in this life or the next), but it also does mean you will continue to be reborn. The next logical question then is; "didn't the Buddha want to help others, doesn't that make him subject to rebirth?" That is a great question, but it is important to look at the Fourth Noble Truth before answering it.
The Fourth Noble Truth is the way leading to the cessation of suffering: The way to the cessation of suffering is the Noble Eightfold path which are; Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Concentration, Right Mindfulness, Right Effort, Right Though and Right Understanding. These can be grouped to represent Morality, Concentration and Wisdom. Personally speaking, here is where my journey into Buddhism ended 20 years ago. I accepted the Four Noble Truths, and I felt a combination of being philosophically satisfied and being intimidated by the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path to continue. However, many years later I revisited my Buddhist readings and I was able to continue my studies. In doing so, I feel I can now answer the question presented before; "Is the Buddha subject to rebirth because he wanted to help others?" The answer is "no." The Buddha and other enlightened beings can want to do good and still attain nirvana and cessation of rebirth because they have followed the Noble Eightfold Path and their moral actions are conducted with the necessary concentration and wisdom which eliminates all concepts of "self" in their actions, as such none of their actions have a personal craving attached to them. This may seem like an unsatisfactory answer, but to explain further would require a deeper understanding of the Buddhist concept of "No I", "No Self" or "No permanent soul." I sincerely hope you are inclined to read on to understand my answer more fully, and share any further questions or thoughts on this topic.
*Excerpts taken from Entering the Stream by Samuel Bercholz and Sherab Chodzin Kohn (1993)