Samsara

According to Buddhism, all beings are born into
an endless cycle of birth and rebirth which is called Samsara.



The first of the Four Noble Truths states that life is suffering. If one is destined to be reborn into this life of suffering at the close of their current life, then that cycle of rebirth is one of endless suffering. It is the goal of Buddhists to leave this cycle by reaching Enlightenment and entering Nirvana.

Samsara is this world, filled as it is with so much pain and sorrow. All beings in this world are subject to the law of Karma. Something you do, say, or think that is in fact in your control has moral consequences, called Vipaka, which means fruit. In traditional Buddhism, these consequences can occur in this life, or in a future life.

Most Buddhists believe in rebirth. A little more precisely, rebirth is nothing more than the transmission of one's Karma. Buddha likened it to the flame that passes from one candle to another. So, the idea of an immortal soul and/or a continuing personality is definitely not part of the rebirth idea.

The image above is the Tibetan Wheel of Life, which represents Samsara. In the very center, there is a rooster chasing a pig chasing a snake chasing the rooster -- craving, hatred, and ignorance. Around that are people ascending the white semicircle of life, and others descending the black semicircle of death. The greatest portion of the Wheel is devoted to representations of the six realms -- the realm of the gods, the realm of the titans, the realm of humans, the realm of animals, the realm of the hungry ghosts, and the realm of demons -- each realm looked over by its own Boddhisattva. The outermost circle is the 12 steps of dependent origination. The entire Wheel is held by Yama, the Lord of Death.

All beings have lived and died and been reborn countless times. Over and over again we have experienced the indescribable Clear Light. But because we are obscured by the darkness of ignorance, each of us wander endlessly in a limitless Samsara.