Rebirth

The sense consciousnesses that see, hear, smell, taste and feel tactile sensations, and the gross mental consciousness, function actively while we are alive. When one is dying, they cease to function and are absorbed into the subtle mental consciousness.

The subtle Mind bears the imprints (vipaka) of the actions (karma) we have done with all the tendencies, preferences, abilities, and characteristics that have been developed and conditioned in this life.

After death, the subtle Mind leaves one body, enters the intermediate state and re-establishes itself in a fertilized egg in another body at the moment of conception, the gross sense consciousness and the gross mental consciousness reappear, and the person again sees, hears, thinks, and so forth.

The subtle Mind which goes from one life to the next, is a constantly changing phenomenon. It is not considered to be a soul or real personality. Thus the individual is reborn and develops a personality conditioned both by the mental characteristics that have been carried over and by the new environment. The personality will change and be modified by conscious effort and conditioning factors like education, parental influence and society. At death, it re-establishes itself in a new fertilized egg.

This process of dying and being reborn will continue until the conditions that cause it, craving and ignorance, cease. When they do, instead of being reborn, the Mind attains a state referred to as Nirvana, which is release from all suffering.