Samsara is not the creation of anyone. It is simply the way it is, or the reality as it is. No one, out of benevolence or malevolence, desires to condemn us into Samsara or refuse to save us out of Samsara. The Buddha taught us to see reality as it really is instead of wishing reality to be what we want to see. This is a component of Right Views, apart from the Four Noble Truth.
We must choose to live in the present moment for our happiness. This is another component of Right Views. No amount of remorse or guilt can change the past, and no amount of anxiety or worries can guarantee a desirable future. Chasing the past, or trying to find the beginning of the Universe (which is impossible to know with 100% certainty) is unwise if one’s goal is to find inner peace. It may be of interest to scientists, for the purpose and fun of intellectual challenges (as opposed to prajnaparamita or perfection of wisdom in Buddhism). Different goals call for different approaches; neither is superior, inferior nor equal. The Buddha will not answer certain questions such as: is the Universe finite or infinite, is the Universe eternal or not eternal, does the Buddha exist or not exist after death, is the self different from the body?
Everything in the world is empty of a self. There is no I, mine, or myself. The body is not the self, the self is not inside the body, and the body doesn’t belong to the self. Hence, consciousness is also not the self, and does not belong to the self. The sense organs, feelings, perceptions, volition and consciousness gave us a false sense of a self. It is entirely possible to build and program a robot to have similar sense organs, feelings, perceptions, volition and consciousness which will then create a false sense of a self. Clearly, the robot doesn’t have a self; similarly, our sense of self is a delusion. We are built from Earth, Water, Fire and Wind just like everything else in the world but in different forms. Everything is empty of a self; we are neither superior, inferior, nor equal.
One may like to stay in Samsara forever despite the sufferings because there are also happiness. It is a personal choice, especially for ordinary beings who cannot understand the doctrine of non-self. Escaping Samsara is not everyone’s goal, including lay Buddhists and monks. For example, certain Bodhisattvas vow never to attain Nibbana out of compassion for all sentient beings until and unless Hell becomes empty. Arahants can escape Samsara because they have faith in the Teacher’s instruction and live in harmony with it. The idea is: “Gladly would I have my skin, bone and sinews wither and my flesh dry up, if only I can struggle until I win that which can be won by human effort.”
Nobody attaches consciousness to a sentient body or being in the first place. Everything in the world is empty of a self. Consciousness is simply a delusion, although it does exist as an intangible thing. The Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind in a body are held together by a flux of energy called Asava. After the death of a body, any residual energy or Asava will give rise to formation of a new body. Thus, the cycle of birth and death continues. An Arahant is one who has destroyed the Asava; breaking the spokes of the wheel of Samsara. Thus, there will be no more rebirth for this body after death.
RESILIENT KID 