The mind and the body exist in different planes of existence

Question:  Are life and death pre-destined and is it useful to know about our past lives?

Than Ajahn:  ‘Life and death’ is a process. Once there is birth, then there will be aging, sickness and death. So if you don’t want to have aging, sickness and death then you should not have birth. In order not to be reborn, you have to stop all your desires.

Knowing about past lives doesn’t make any difference to your practice. The only thing it can help you is to tell you that life is endless, that suffering is endless if you keep continuing to be reborn. So if you don’t want to have this endless suffering then you have to stop rebirth and the way to stop rebirth is to practise meditation so you can get rid of your desires.

Question:  Where are the other lokas (plane of existences) located?

Than Ajahn:  The planes of existence are usually invisible to the physical eye, so you can only see it in your meditation. So if you want to see all other planes of existence, you have to meditate.  When you meditate, you will enter into the invisible planes of existence and then you will see all the different levels. So this is the only way to see it, that is to meditate. When you meditate, you open your inner eye, your mental eye and then you will see all the things that the physical eye cannot see. The Buddha can see everything because he meditates. So if you want to see everything as the Buddha did, then you have to meditate.

Question:  Are all other planes of existence located in this world?

Than Ajahn:  The mind and the body exist in different planes of existence. The body is in the physical plane, the mind is in the spiritual plane, they are at different levels. To see the spiritual plane you have to meditate.

Question:  If all lower beings are destroyed, where will they go? Are they all going to higher realms or are they free from rebirth?

Than Ajahn:  Every being has its own kamma that directs it to the various planes of existence. While the body of each individual is destroyed, the body is not the real thing. The real being is in the mind, in the spirit, which cannot be destroyed. And it is the mind that goes and takes up different planes of existence. So even if everybody in this world is killed by an atomic bomb  nobody is left, because everybody has a spirit and this spirit doesn’t die with the body, the spirit will then take up a difference level of plane of existence according to their kamma in the past or while they were still living.

So kamma is the one that separates people in the different planes of existence. If you do good kamma, you go to the higher plane of existence, if you do bad kamma, you go to a lower plane of exitence. A lower plane of existence means more suffering, a higher plane of existence means less suffering and more happiness. The highest is Nibbāna where you have 100% happiness and zero suffering. The lowest is hell, where you have 100% suffering and zero happiness. This is the result of your kamma, your words/speech, your thoughts and your actions. When you do good kamma, you are putting your mind into a higher realm. When you do bad kamma, you are putting your mind into a lower realm and when you die, this good or bad kamma will direct the mind accordingly.

By Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto