First of all, is this question a significant one for the average man? I think we can take it that this question is one that everyone is interested in and puzzled over. There may, however, be some who will raise an objection.
"The Buddha taught the non-existence of 'the being', 'the individual', 'the self', 'you' and 'me'. He taught that there is no self to be born. So the problem 'Why were we born?' does not arise.
This sort of objection is valid only at the very highest mental level, for someone who himself knows Freedom. But for the ordinary man who does not yet know Freedom, it is not a valid objection since it is not relevant, not to the point. A person who does not as yet know Dharma thoroughly is bound to feel himself involved in the process of birth and to have a great many problems and questions. He has no idea for what purpose he has been born.
It is only an arahant, one who has gone all the way in Buddha-Dharma, who will really realize that there is no birth, and no "being" or "person" or "self" to be born. For an arahant the question "Why was I born?" does not arise. But for anyone who has not yet attained the stage of arahantship, even though he may be at one of the lower stages o insight such as Stream entry, and in whom the idea of "self" and "of self" does still arise, the question "Why was I born?" very definitely does exist.
So we are putting the question"Why was I born?" and we are taking it that this is a relevant one for anyone who is not as yet an arahant.
Now let us have a look at the different ideas that naturally come up in the minds of different people in answer to this question "Why were we born?"
If we ask a child for what purpose he was born, he will simply say that he was born in order to be able to play and have fun and games. A teenage boy or girl is bound to answer that he or she was born for the sake of good looks, dating, and flirting. And an adult, parent, householder, will probably say he was born to earn a living, to save up money for his retirement and his children. These are the kinds of answers we are bound to get.
"The Buddha taught the non-existence of 'the being', 'the individual', 'the self', 'you' and 'me'. He taught that there is no self to be born. So the problem 'Why were we born?' does not arise.
This sort of objection is valid only at the very highest mental level, for someone who himself knows Freedom. But for the ordinary man who does not yet know Freedom, it is not a valid objection since it is not relevant, not to the point. A person who does not as yet know Dharma thoroughly is bound to feel himself involved in the process of birth and to have a great many problems and questions. He has no idea for what purpose he has been born.
It is only an arahant, one who has gone all the way in Buddha-Dharma, who will really realize that there is no birth, and no "being" or "person" or "self" to be born. For an arahant the question "Why was I born?" does not arise. But for anyone who has not yet attained the stage of arahantship, even though he may be at one of the lower stages o insight such as Stream entry, and in whom the idea of "self" and "of self" does still arise, the question "Why was I born?" very definitely does exist.
So we are putting the question"Why was I born?" and we are taking it that this is a relevant one for anyone who is not as yet an arahant.
Now let us have a look at the different ideas that naturally come up in the minds of different people in answer to this question "Why were we born?"
If we ask a child for what purpose he was born, he will simply say that he was born in order to be able to play and have fun and games. A teenage boy or girl is bound to answer that he or she was born for the sake of good looks, dating, and flirting. And an adult, parent, householder, will probably say he was born to earn a living, to save up money for his retirement and his children. These are the kinds of answers we are bound to get.
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