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Rebirth
Thầy explores rebirth, rebirth misconceptions, and the necessity of the insight of no-self to accurately answer what happens after we die. Thầy explains that non-self does not imply non-existence, but rather points to our profound coexistence as the living continuation of our ancestors.
Using the metaphor of a burning candle, Thầy illustrates how our thoughts, speech, and bodily actions (karma) constitute our constant output and transmission into the cosmos at every single moment, warning that we do not wait for the disintegration of the physical body to be reborn.
Through the first two of the five wrong views (Ngũ kiến), Thầy breaks down the illusions of satkāyadṛṣṭi (separate self-view) and antargrāhadṛṣṭi (extreme views). He details how the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path—specifically balancing the input of Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, and Right View—empowers a practitioner to cut through the dualistic traps of eternalism and nihilism.
By lighting and extinguishing a match, Thầy demonstrates that the true nature of reality is completely free from the concepts of coming, going, same, or different, guiding the Sangha to look deeply into the present moment to dispel wrong perceptions, step out of the illusion of annihilation, and touch the non-fear of nirvāṇa.
This is the ninth talk in a series of twenty-seven given during the Summer Opening in the year 2008. Thầy offered this talk at the Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France.