Title: Sanyutta Nikaaya
Date: 31 May 2025
In a compelling discourse led by Dr. Rajesh Savera, participants were invited to explore a striking reality from the Buddha’s teachings—the beginningless nature of saṃsāra, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Referencing the Pali Tipiṭaka – Sanyutta Nikaaya, translated by the Pali Translation Department of SIF under Dhyanacara Nāgajīva, the session shed light on one of the most thought-provoking aspects of human existence.
The Buddha’s message, as presented by Dr. Rajesh Savera, was clear: there is no identifiable start to our journey through saṃsāra. For countless lifetimes, we have moved from one existence to another, driven by two unbroken links—avijjā (ignorance) and taṇhā (craving). These are the forces that keep the cycle in motion, generation after generation.
Countless Lives, Countless Connections
This concept was made even more vivid through a powerful parable from the Sanyutta Nikaaya:
Imagine someone collecting every blade of grass, stick, and leaf across the entire Indian subcontinent. For each four-inch bundle, he says: “This is my mother, this is my grandmother.” Even after using all vegetation, the number of mothers in his past lives would not be exhausted.
As Dr. Savera explained, this image is not symbolic—it is meant to illustrate scale. It points to the sheer number of lifetimes we’ve passed through, and how often we’ve been closely related to the people around us. It reframes how we view our connections and challenges us to think beyond this one lifetime.
The Rare Opportunity
One of the key insights shared was the rarity of human birth. If we have passed through countless existences, the fact that we find ourselves here, as thinking, reasoning humans, is statistically rare. That awareness brings a certain urgency—to question the path ahead and to make informed choices.
Dr. Rajesh Savera noted that the idea isn’t to mystify existence but to understand the scale of repetition we are part of—and how patterns of ignorance and craving keep us locked in.
Conclusion
The Sanyutta Nikaaya session offered a precise, unembellished look at one of the most critical teachings of the Pali Tipiṭaka—that saṃsāra is not just long, it’s beginningless. Through Dr. Savera’s presentation, the audience was left with a rational, data-like understanding of human continuity and the mechanisms that sustain it.
It’s not about belief—it’s about taking a deeper look at the nature of existence as recorded in early canonical texts.
Watch the full session here: https://www.facebook.com/drsavera/videos/1482593323123552
