One of the basis of Buddhism is IMPERMANENCE.From that word ,makes Buddhism very different from other types of religion/phylosophie/ways of thinkink.The word makes it that
usual words ,are not included in Buddhism.Let me explain.

If everything is impermanent ,then everything has a begining and an end.Hence the absence of a permanent creator God.Same for the eternal soul,buddhism does not contain the word soul.
After-life eternal again, non existing in Buddhism.Instead
re-Birth,through the transfer of the Karma at the inception of a new carrier(human being) this is called Samsara.
This I spoke of before , the absence of a self also.There is only non-self.

So as one can see,Buddhism is in somewhat different realm of thinking/reasonning.Important to know ,that your way of thinking is as good as Buddhism,I only wanted to explain what Buddhism is.

Every different way of seeing life is of the mind.

This was written with love ,compassion and a need to explain ,why Buddhism is so different.

loong

So, who is Loong, then? Who is the Dalai Lama? What is me? A fragment of a greater whole, an island unto itself...or does this not even matter because of the inherent nature of impermanence?

Just trying to work this out.

Dear Jilly,

You have just opened a can of worms ,a pandoras box.
I have been stydying Buddhism actively about 10 years and Lisa the editor more like 20 to 25.

So to start on a slow pace ,please read ,reread, a thread I had posted called :The GIST not the gift OF BUDDHISM.Meditate upon it and if you still ready to know the answers to your questions ,please get back to me.

Friend to friend

loong/norm

Hi Jilly, I will give my 2 cents, and then looong can too. One article you may want to check out is on the difference between reincarnation and rebirth, which hinges on this idea of impermanence.

You ask what are we then, and one way to put it would be that we are a collection of energies (or 'skandhas' as they are called), that at any given moment appear to create a unique 'whole', but in fact are each always changing and in flux. There are mental, emotional, physical and spiritual skandhas, and on each level there are always new energies arising and others passing away, like waves in the ocean. It is very similar to what modern physics knows of objects - we look at a table and see a distinct, solid object, but on the atomic level it is a sea of constantly changing energy.

In Buddhism though, we aren't asked to understand this just philosophically. We are asked to meditate and inquire into our own thoughts, emotions, and sensations so that we can discover for ourselves the truth of this in our own awareness. Look for Jilly - where is she? What of what you experience doesn't arise and then pass away? These are the waves. When you stop attaching to the waves, you can find you are part of the ocean. That is the first step of meditation.

Lisa, I am not sure why, but for some reason what you say above makes perfect sense to me. This is stuff I have always accepted as my truth. As my Skanda? I don't really have the words yet.

Loong, I will go looking for that Gist post.