About your ancestors

Hello, Mr. Hide.

As for reincarnation, it is not a way of thinking that began with Buddhism.
Also, I think the point is that “people are reborn when they die (where they are reborn is determined by their actions during their lifetime)”... and “maybe.”

I'm sorry, but it's Buddhism that doesn't give me a quick answer.
After all, what happens after a living thing dies... I don't know. Nobody knows.
But I can think. Also, Buddhism explains that it is important to live.

It may “be reborn and exist in this world as a new life” (my neighbor's old man, someone on the other side of the earth, insects, plants, etc.).
“Our “ancestors” may be close to us in that form and protect us” (they make noises on the second floor even though no one is there, the wind blew, they appeared in dreams, they put their hands together in front of Buddhist altars and graves).
It may be “going round and round in the world of the Rikudo (Heaven, Man, Shura, Beast, Gaki, Hell).”
Furthermore, the Rikudo is this world we are living in now, and it may be that those of us who are alive may not just become “heaven, people, Shura, beast, hungry ghosts, hell” due to our own actions, etc...

All of the above may be true...

When someone big to me dies. Living by thinking that I am being watched over by such a big presence...
To change the appearance of something and live by thinking that they are close to us... as a different life.

Simultaneous parallel of the above two “do” and “become” ancestors.
When we think and live our lives, people who have died will also be reborn as “ancestors.” That's what I think.

Continuing to be born again is called reincarnation. The world is a lost world full of suffering, so continuing to be reborn is a rebirth of suffering. I wonder if people who drink alcohol get a hangover and think “I'll never drink it again,” but then they immediately forget about it and drink alcohol again the next day...

Being freed from that circle of reincarnation is called “liberation (liberation).” People who have been freed are “Buddhas,” and HIDE's ancestors are like that. Therefore, Buddhas (ancestors) cannot be reincarnated. With a funeral (guidance in the Shingon sect) and memorial services, the deceased became a Buddha, became a precious presence, and protected people with relationships, including Mr. Hide. Please continue praying as before.

Hide-sama

This is Kawaguchi Hidetoshi. This is a humble answer to the question.

Regarding ancestral memorial services, I think everyone's answers to the following questions will also be helpful.

Question “What is an ancestral memorial service?”
http://hasunoha.jp/questions/129

“About what happens after death”... this is honestly a very difficult question, and there are cases where the question itself is rejected because one is “ignoring” (not answering), and there are cases where practice aimed at solving actual doubts and suffering is more important than thinking about such questions.

Certainly, in the previous question, I have also dealt with things after death... however, I have stated that it is only for the sake of thinking about a “good” way of life in reality.

The question “What happens when you die?”
http://hasunoha.jp/questions/123

Of course, in my humble opinion, I think it is possible to infer the state of a previous life after death from a chain of cause and effect.

In this auspicious world, things and things always have causes and effects. I believe that if we can analyze this chain of cause and effect in detail, we may be able to understand at least a little bit what happened in previous lives and after death.

For example, I think I can understand that my mind and body a year ago were not the same as they are now in the midst of impermanence. However, if I didn't have my mind and body a year ago, I think I can clearly understand that I couldn't have existed now. My mind and body a year ago are still connected as a relationship (cause/condition) between my mind and body now. This is a difficult thing, but it is a matter of “inconsistency” in Hachimu where they are neither the same nor different.

Naturally, mind and body do not arise from “nothing” at all, and after all, there must have been a relationship from before they occurred. Furthermore, I think it is possible to understand a little bit that the chain and inheritance due to that relationship will continue in the future and even after death.

The above examples are simply described due to character limits, and I know that there is still plenty of room for investigation.

Kawaguchi Hidetoshi Gassho

Reincarnation should be viewed as an idea born from history rather than pure Buddhism originally.
There were probably a lot of people back then who began to do good deeds and were saved due to the idea of reincarnation.
However, these are just ideas, so in modern Japan, fictional stories without any basis do not apply to the rational side.
Since there is no way to verify the world after death, it has come to be explained that reincarnation is a living human state of mind.

Heavenly Realm... A Temporary State of Happiness
The human world... a state of falling into relative notions such as winning and losing, likes and dislikes, right and wrong, etc.
Shura Realm... a state of strife and fight
Gaki-kai... an egocentric state of nothing but myself
Animal Realm... a state of mind leading to inhuman speech and action
Hell... State of Suffering

From a way of life where these six mental states are round and round, the “appearance of taking a step forward without becoming a Buddha and trying to leave the six-way reincarnation heart” leads to the story where Buddha was born and walked seven steps.
Therefore, it is the beginning of your true Buddhist way of life if you take a step out of the negative cycle of six-way reincarnation and walk the seventh step with Buddha today, transcending history while living, not after death.

About your ancestors
For example, what should we do when someone dies?
People who have died are sometimes left lying down for several days in foreign streets.
If it were my own parents, would I be able to leave them alone?
You can never leave it as it is. If you don't mourn or make a memorial service, people will die and that's all. That's just processing.
A heart that longs for us to watch over and support us even after we pass away appears as a feeling of remembrance that respects and reveres those who have died.
It is a religious act unique to Buddhism that “reincarnates the deceased as an ancestor deceased, and it is the best way to interact between living people and those who have died even after death. That's because there are no memorial services in certain religions. When he dies, in a sense, that's all.
They don't let the deceased be lost people for a long time, and the day of death is called the anniversary of death, and honored and enshrined as a form of eternal life.
Do not leave the deceased as nothing (death), and they are worshipped and watched over them as spiritual beings as spiritual beings whose ancestors died. As an entity called eternal life, they will continue to interact with each other's hearts over and over again during their lifetime.
It can be said that the act of realizing one's ancestors and making offerings is the best way of life for a person with a rich heart.