3.2.8

Lesson 3.2.8 Bījavaggo – Neem and Sugarcane

That a fruit inherits the identical quality of the seed it grew from seems to be a natural, logical and common understanding. That children inherit certain characteristics of their parents, transferred through the chromosomes or DNA, likewise is a scientifically verified fact. However, that the origination of beings in certain spheres of existence — including their setting and the respective circumstances they arise in — is closely interrelated with previous actions that they have performed still appears to be considered a dubious creed, at times, classified as ‘Asian faith’. In this lesson the bījavaggo tries to remove such scepticism. It equates the inherent quality of seeds, which may produce bitter or sweet fruits, with the respective inherent mental makeup of humankind that may result in unprofitable or profitable states of being. This famous simile of seeds that produce respective fruits can be compared with different conditionings (saṅkhārā) that a meditator encounters, which likewise result in a diversity of corollaries.