[buddhas_disciple]

Dear Lal,

I have a question related to sakkāya diṭṭhi and the concept of rebirth. If I have clearly understood and accepted that the five aggregates (pañcakkhandha) are not “mine” and that there is no unchanging self (attā), then why should I be concerned about what happens in a future rebirth?

For example, if after death, there is no “me” continuing into a next existence — but instead, a new stream of viññāṇa arises with different identity, conditions, and form (say, a “John” or a dog) — then what connection do I have with that future being? Why should I care?

I understand that future bhava arises due to avijjā, taṇhā, and saṅkhāra, but if I have let go of sakkāya diṭṭhi and see these five aggregates as not-self, then what’s the motivation for being concerned about any arising in the future?

Would really appreciate your insight to clarify this apparent contradiction.

With much gratitude,

— buddhas_desciple

[Lal]

1. Do you care about suffering? 

• The Bodhisatta strived to find and stop the root causes of suffering. He did not investigate whether a “self” or “me” exists in reality.
• His investigations led to attaining Buddhahood. That is when he discovered the actual reality of existence, i.e., the fact that there is no “me” in ultimate reality is a byproduct of solving the root causes of suffering.
• The Buddha emphasized that he teaches the following: “In the past, as today, what I describe is suffering and the cessation of suffering.” See “Alagaddūpama Sutta (MN 22).” 
• Similar statements are in several suttās. See, for example, “Titthāyatana Sutta (AN 3.61).”

____

2. There is another critical point.

• One should not focus on whether a “self” or “me” exists in ultimate reality (especially at the beginning). 
• Focusing on that can lead to stress and even mental issues. We have discussed one such case recently in this forum.
• Only at or above the Anāgāmi stage will one realize the truth of that ultimate reality.

3. This is why I stated the sequence of handling diṭṭhi, taṇhā, and māna (issue of a “me”) in that order. To quote from yesterday’s post, “Etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’ti – Connection to Taṇhā, Māna, Diṭṭhi“:

“14. Thus, attachment to sensory inputs occurs with taṇhā, māna, and diṭṭhi. 

• The latter (diṭṭhi) is specifically sakkāya diṭṭhi. One first removes sakkāya diṭṭhi (and the associated vicikicchā and silabbata parāmāsa) at the Sotapanna stage.
• Taṇhā manifests as kāma rāga, rupa rāga, and arupa rāga. Kāma rāga (tendency to attach to sensual pleasures and associated paṭigha) is removed at the Anāgāmi stage. Rupa rāga (craving jhānic pleasures) and arupa rāga (craving arupa samāpatti pleasures) are removed at the Arahant stage.
• Removal of kāma rāga and paṭigha stops rebirths in kāma loka. Removal of rupa rāga and arupa rāga also stops rebirths in rupa and arupa loka, respectively; those “jhānic/samāpatti pleasures” are also mind-made.
• Finally, māna (sense of “me”) is also removed at the Arahant stage.“

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buddhas_disciple

[Lal]

I have updated the post “Etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’ti – Connection to Taṇhā, Māna, Diṭṭhi“ to discuss the above.

• I think it is a valid point to discuss. Thank you for bringing it up.

[stacy]

No “me” doesn’t mean “nothing”. The cittas that flow in the seat of mind are real and existing, and the conditions that shape the associated cetasikas characterize the dynamic sensory experience. I’ve found the fire analogy to be quite helpful – as long as you have oxygen, fuel, and necessary temperature, it will continue to burn. But zoom in and there is no “fire” to be found. It is a result of causes coming together to bring in their effect which will stop manifesting as soon as any of the necessary causes are removed. The illusory perception of “me” is a default flaw that has always existed but understanding how causes and conditions shape mental phenomena is a lot more beneficial. Much of our sensory experiences are out of our control, but they are also not arbitrary.

[Lal]

Yes, if you mean that the flow of life is real and will be there as long as the fuel (raga, dosa, moha) to feed it is there.

• An Arahant lives until the end of the physical body that he/she was born with. That physical body was born before attaining Arahanthood and will survive until the kammic energy it came with is exhausted. Once the physical body dies, all fuel is exhausted, and the lifestream of the Arahant ends—no more rebirths in any of the 31 realms in this world.
• On the other hand, a puthujjana (average human) — or even a Noble Person below the Arahant stage — would have more fuel to sustain another life at the death of the physical body. But a Sotapanna would not have fuel to initiate a rebirth in an apaya; an Anagami would not have fuel to initiate a rebirth in the kama loka.

[stacy]

Yeah, the “flow of life” is essentially cittas arising and passing away, right? That will continue until parinibbana.

[Lal]

Exactly. Very good!

[Christian]

You will experience suffering as you, but not as your actual “me”.

You got the wrong idea about “no self” because Buddha did not teach that. Whatever this “self” or “no self” exists is not the problem, but ignorance. When ignorance is dispelled, the problem with “self” does not appear – it does not mean there is “no self”.

[TripleGemStudent]

“If after death, there is no “me” continuing into a next existence – but instead, a new stream of vinnana arises with different identity, conditions, and form (say, a “John or a dog) – then what connection do I have with that future being? Why should I care? Why should I be concerned about what happens in a future rebirth?”

Some years back I had the exact same question but never ended up asking anyone for an answer because before needing to a satisfactory answer came to mind, for myself anyways. Coming across the question again now, I would like to share what came across my mind for the very same question that I once had and hope it can be of use / assistance to others on their path.

My understanding is that initially one should put some care / concern in regards to what happens in a future rebirth because it helps one to gain a better understanding of the Buddha teachings such as the rebirth process or samsara that all living beings are trapped in. But later on when one gains a better / deeper understanding of sakkaya ditthi and the fundamental teachings of the Buddha / dhamma. Hopefully the wisdom gained / cultivated during the learning and practicing process of the teachings will help the learner / practitioner to have seen / understood some degree of the main message / teaching that the Buddha is trying to get across to us sattas. If the characteristics of our world or all conditioned phenomenon is anicca, dukkha, anatta. Through the eyes of wisdom regardless if there’s a me / self / I and so on or not, the practitioner would want to put an end to / cease the rebirth process / samsara because that’s the wise thing to do / carry out and that’s all it really matters in the end.  

So for myself, it no longer really matters if there’s a self / I / me or not or be concerned what happens in a future rebirth, it’s beyond my control anyways. What I can do though is to continue to put forth the effort in learning and practicing the Buddha teachings. “To some degree”, understanding and seeing that this conditioned world or any conditioned phenomenon is meaningless, unfruitful, none beneficial, anicca, dukkha, anatta and if I have gained / cultivated any wisdom from all these years of learning and practicing the Buddha teachings. Regardless if there is a self / I / me or not, in the end the wise thing to do / carry out is to strive for the attainment of nibbana.

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buddhas_disciple, Amin

[Lal]

1. Whether or not one believes in a “sense of me,” that “sense of me” is in everyone except for an Arahant. 

• It is a “sansāric bond” (specifically “asmi māna” samyojana) that binds all except Arahants to the rebirth process. 
• The easiest way to check this is to think about the following: Are you not afraid to die? If someone tries to kill you, would you not panic and try to avoid getting killed using all your resources?

2. In the same way, all ten samyojana (sakkāya diṭṭhi, vicikicchā, silabbata parāmāsa, kāma rāga, paṭigha, rupa rāga, arupa rāga, māna, uddaccha, avijjā) are in an average human (puthujjana).

• See #14 of “Etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’ti – Connection to Taṇhā, Māna, Diṭṭhi“ and my comments on May 25, 2025, above.
• They can be broken only by fully understanding the Buddha’s worldview, i.e., by cultivating paññā. That is a step-by-step process. Getting rid of asmi māna comes at the end. Even thinking about how to remove the “sense of me” is unfathomable even to a Sotapanna. It is like trying to learn calculus without knowing how to add and subtract.

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buddhas_disciple

[Lal]

I found the following account from the Tipitaka of Ven. Adhimutta (an Arahant).

• He was captured by a band of bandits. In those days, some people believed in making sacrifices to the Gods. 
• They were taking him to be sacrificed, but were astonished to see that the Thero was not afraid of being killed. Usually, their victims would be screaming and begging for their lives. 
• The following account starts with the bandits asking him why he is not scared: “Adhimuttattheragāthā.”
• Thero‘s response is from marker 3.1 through 15.4. He explains to them why he is not afraid of dying (he had broken all ten samyojana, including asmi māna or the “sense of me”); in fact, he is looking forward to Parinibbāna to be free of even a trace of suffering.
• As stated there, in the end, some of the bandits become bhikkhus and attain Arahantship.

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buddhas_disciple, TripleGemStudent

[buddhas_disciple]

Just like the Buddha took human birth,
not to speculate about what will happen in the future,
but to understand the present suffering and end the cycle of rebirth —
he focused on practice, observation, and realization.

He corrected the present — and the future naturally took care of itself.

“The Buddha does not ask you to believe. He asks you to observe your own mind — and verify it.”

If one truly understands anicca, dukkha, and anattā,
one stops asking “who is reborn?”
and starts investigating “how can I end rebirth?”

______

I spent a lot of time reflecting on this thought.
Eventually, I realized — the question itself is flawed:

“If, after death, there is no ‘me’ continuing into the next existence —
but instead, a new stream of viññāṇa arises with a different identity and form (say, as a ‘John’ or a dog) —
then what connection do I have with that future being? Why should I care?”

But if I have already seen — with Sammā Diṭṭhi — that there is no ‘me’ now,
then what ‘me’ is left to worry about in the future? 😄

This present “me” — made of thoughts, memories, identity —
is all arising due to dependent origination (paṭicca samuppāda).
And if I’ve seen its anicca nature clearly…

Then the game is over.

There won’t be a future “John”, “Julie”, or “jungle dog” version of me.
Because the ‘me’ I thought existed — was never really there to begin with.
It was just an illusion born of craving (taṇhā) and ignorance (avijjā).

Here’s how I see it now:

“If you are not here, what future bhava are you worried about?”
“If the ‘I’ has already been cancelled, what future subscription is getting renewed?”
“The EMI of ‘jāti’ only runs as long as moha keeps the credit line open.”
But now you’re debt-free, my friend. 😎

No Me Now → No Me Later → No More Dukkha 

 

The very idea of “me” is dukkha.

As long as we keep thinking, “What will happen to me in the future?”,
we’re missing the dukkha that exists right now —
and that’s exactly what we carry forward.

“Nothing is truly yours. Stop clinging. End the show.”

There is no fixed entity called “me”,
but the process of craving, clinging, and becoming continues.

You exist conventionally, not ultimately.
Rebirth is not a transfer of a soul — it is a process of conditions unfolding.

“You don’t exist now the way you assume,
and you won’t exist later the way you imagine.
But the fire of craving — if not put out — will continue to burn.
And what burns is dukkha.”

So the real question isn’t about future identity.

The right question is:

“What am I doing with my current gati, clinging, and anusaya?”

The one who sees this properly doesn’t try to “fix the future” — they break the rebirth cycle entirely.

Let’s put it this way:

You cannot worry about the future suffering of some “being”
once you realize that such a being is not you.
That being is just a new puppet, built from your current avijjā.

But if you’re already walking the Nibbāna-path —
that puppet never gets built.

Imagine we’re all on a train — let’s call it “Bhava Express.”

Now one person asks:

“Where will the train stop next? What will happen at the next station?”

Another says:

“Bro, I’m just here to enjoy the ride.”

But one must contemplate:

“Why don’t you ask why the train is even moving? Why are you in the train?”
“As long as the engine of taṇhā and the fuel of avijjā is running, stations will keep coming.”

So what’s the solution?

Turn off the engine. Cut off the fuel. The train halts. Rebirth ends.

 

As the Buddha said:

“I teach only dukkha, and the cessation of dukkha.”
“Suffering exists, its cause exists, its cessation is possible — and there is a path leading to that cessation.”

I would like to end with this 

Suppose you plant a mango seed.
You put it in fertile soil, water it, and take care of it —
then, like it or not, it will produce mangoes in the future.
No need to cry, pray, or bargain — the result is guaranteed.

So don’t ask “Will mangoes grow?”
Just look at the seed you’re planting right now.
That seed is your future.

Thank you, Lal, for this wonderful website. You have shared immense knowledge.

Thank you to everyone who has replied to this post.

[Dawson]

I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to be direct. Some of the remarks that you made in this post were broadly accurate. With that said, the general direction you seem to have headed in is off (in my opinion, at least). I would suggest retracing your steps back to the fundamentals. 

The process of walking along the path involves converting the conceptual understanding of reality that you have into a direct, intuitive, experiental understanding. For most of us, that turns out to be a slow and incrimental process. Consider that reaching the point of having conclusively seen through sensuality (and as a result, removed kama raga and patigha) is a monumental achievement. Yet, that anagami would still be ‘fooling for the magic trick’ corresponding to the rupa loka and arupa loka. But even for that ariya, they still wouldn’t have got to the bottom of ‘self’. So, you’ve got to walk before you can run. Don’t focus on the final boss if you aren’t even a third of the way through the game. Focus on the tasks that are relevant now. Those are the ones that will help you to ‘level up’ and make progress.

When I was at uni (before I came across Buddha Dhamma), there were plenty of opportunities to party. I would often think to myself something like, “I know I shouldn’t drink too much tonight because I’ve got a lecture first thing in the morning.” But every now and then, I would throw caution to the wind and tell myself, “Ahhh that’s okay, future-me can deal with the consequences”. 

So I’d go out with friends, get drunk and party. Waking up the next morning was always a painful experience, because I’d realise that the whole ‘future-me’ line of reasoning was complete b.s. – it was me that would have to contend with the hangover. So, it’s super-easy to think things like – there is no self; there are just moments of self that are conditionally arising due to attaching to things out of ignorance. But are you still experiencing a sense of self? And does that sense of self seem real? Yeah, it does. It seems like the realest thing that there is. And all of this is besides the point – self is not the issue. The issue is attaching (tanha) to things that are of anicca, dukkha, and anatta nature.

Anyway, these are just some thoughts off the top of my head. They are well-meaning, so I hope it’s taken in that spirit.

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Yash RS

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