Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s8.t2.7

v1.c7.s8.t2.7

**Samsara concept in Buddhism** - The theoretical system of early Buddhism absorbs the Samsara concept in Vedic Upanishad. It thinks that life phenomenon is controlled by the karma of sentient beings, and believes that there is a circulation process, namely, so-called Samsara, but denies that there is an eternal Samsara subject. Buddhism advocates the “theory of Anatman” (or theory of no subject), uses the idea of “destiny” to explain the phenomena in the world or life, and thinks that things and human are composed of many elements or “destinies”, the changes in life phenomena of things or human are just the separation and reunion of various elements or destinies, and the causality in life phenomena are correlative or interdependent relationship of various elements or destinies. Early Buddhist scriptures put forward the Samsara of "five paths lam lnga" (heaven, hell, hungry ghost, human and animal). On the basis of five paths lam lnga, the later Buddhism schools add an "Asura", forming "six-path metempsychosis". In the division of Samsara forms, Mahayana adds some paths from Samsara to nirvana, namely, Sravakayana, Pratyekabuddha, Bodhisattva and Buddhism, thus, there is a ten-path theory in Mahayana.