Rebirth

There is alot of focus on rebirth or reincarnation and its place in Buddhism.

Many think that the attainment of Nirvana results in the cessation of samsara -- life on this earth. They believe that if Nirvana is not reached, you are reborn, or reincarnated, until you reach this holy state.

However, samsara is not a word that describes where we are on Earth; it describes how we live on earth. Nirvana is not a place where we go when we die, it is a state of mind that is reached when we understand the interdependent-coexistant nature of our universe. To stop rebirth is to understand that one does not exist in the absence of all other matter. It is the understanding of anatma (non-self) and practice of mindfullness that allows one to end samsara (wandering). Of course, those seeking nirvana may never reach it. It is the practice and not the theory will provide the path.

A finger pointing to the moon is not the moon.