Hello Lal:
Thanks for the post.
As far as the gandhabba/cloning query is concerned, I myself had no questions about it at all.
Of relevance to the point I made is:
15. The main point from Buddha Dhamma is that a new life cannot be created by any means,…
All living beings in existence now have been in the rebirth process forever.
Living beings just keep switching from realm to realm…
…..all of which tallies with what I had at once perceived to be true
when coming across these notions in the Upanishads. There is is said: sadbhavena sarvam ajam (no need for me to translate that for you) and that is said to be the highest truth, i.e that everything is without origination, there is only a never-ending changing of forms. There is therefore not even a ‘Causeless Cause’ out of which everything arises, be it designated as Being, Be-ness, Alayavijnana, Existence, Nothingness, Sunnyata,the Plenum-Void…tena na asti vai ucchedah, therefore, again from the standpoint of the highest Reality, there can be no destruction, no ceasaing-to-be for that which ever IS.
So, as I see, Buddhadhamma fits perfectly with the tenets of the Upanishads. Correct me if I am wrong there. The basic statement about Paticcasamuppada is also found in the Mandukya (the Karika, or commentary therein ,to be precise, of Gaudapada):
yavat hetuphalavesah, tavat hetuphalodhavah (tavat samsarah ayatah)
hetuphalavese ksine, na asti hetuphalodhavah (na prapadyate samsaram)
Of course, this says nothing of kamma beeja created in the timeless past which could also translate into future lives and future suffering- It only says ‘how can there be effects if there are no causes? So stop creating causes, stop seeing or hoping for the result of your actions, disassiciate any idea of effect or reward, and there will be no effects’
But Buddhadhamma shows that there ARE causes present already, even if we do not create more.
y not