The Principle of cyclicity

[apophys]

RE: HHD's post

So if you ate, for example, beef, but you wanted to stay human in your next life, you'd have to become a cannibal?

And what branch of Buddhism is that?

[Sacosphilz]

I too was born in a Buddhist country and was taught its concepts. I could be mistaken about a few things, but here is how I understand it:

The concept of reincarnation didn't originally exist in Buddhism when the religion first emerged. However, it was later included in order to make it more popular among the locals who used to hold their beliefs in Hinduism, the origin of the concept of reincarnation. The concept plays well into Buddhism's teaching of causes and effects, so the inclusion felt natural. As far as I know, this happened during the early ages of Buddhism, so the reincarnation concept probably exists in most or every branch of Buddhism now.

The general idea about karma and reincarnation is that you have to pay for your actions, whether they are good or bad deeds. (Sometimes the law says threefold or tenfold, etc.) So for example, if you eat beef, you'll have to be reborn as cattle and get eaten. If you swat a mosquito, you'll have to be reborn as one and get swatted. Etc. The 'repercussions' can also happen later in the current life, e.g. if you punch someone in the face you'll get hit back similarly later in your life, maybe right then and there or much later, or even in your next life. Some teachings of the laws of karma don't go into such specifics, while others go into gory details with the complexity akin to tax laws.

Personally, I don't buy into the specifics of the concept. I see it as a ploy to get people to do good deeds and avoid evil, with a simple set of rules that doesn't require a gifted mind to understand. It's a noble ploy, but the concept shouldn't be taken too literally or it will become misleading. Buddhism also speaks of the three great truths which is the governing nature of the universe. One of the three is that nothing in this universe is certain, and I personally believe this to be the most true of all. So if nothing is certain, who is to say that the karma-enforcing mechanism of the universe should be so?

Note that I am in no way bashing Buddhism here. I have learned a lot from it and it is still the religion I like the most. However, almost every religion has its flaws. Most religions have grand concepts, breathtaking tales and elegant rites to attract, please, teach and control their followers, and that is understandable, but those facades are not the cores of the religions and are often full of contradictions. The more awesome the tale, the more plot holes it contains. If you have a learned mind to question a certain aspect of a religion's teaching, then go further and try to understand what it is that the religion really wants to teach you. You might come to see that the different religions are all very similar in their essence, but with different schemes to decorate and mask their real cores.

[Logan Marquis]

I have a point of note here...perhaps the true cycle is not really a cycle, but more to be thought of as a circle?

Think of the time principle as it is explained. It refers to a distinct action(let's say firing an arrow). There is the cocking of the arrow. There is the aiming of the arrow. There is the releasing of the arrow. There is the flight of the arrow. And there is the hit or miss of the arrow. (granted there is one more aspect of the arrow which is actually after the hit and the effect of the hit, but for now we will leave those out of the equation).

If by broken down in this context of time, we constitute the time principle using the cyclicity principle, could time then become circular/cyclical? If so, one could manipulate time by effectively manipulating the cycle.

Oh the possibilities are endless! And I believe that is the beauty in the way Manu has crafted all this. Every other game stifles imagination, creativity, and "applied thinking", but this game takes on deeper meanings and encourages those things. This game will succeed because it is a beautiful take on the real world, in a fantasy setting. While poetic and cryptic, it is also meaningful to real life. One might even find they learn something from the game they can apply to life. Wouldn't that be humorous?!!

[Tarquinus]

I have a point of note here...perhaps the true cycle is not really a cycle, but more to be thought of as a circle?

Tarquinus (the character) not only agrees, but frequently uses this symbol in chat as a point of reference. When discussing things to which time does not apply, he uses parallel tenses. Though he likes to be surly and remark that "all things end," he doesn't really believe it; for a thing to have an ending, it must have a beginning.

Hence his use of the circle.