The three levels of consciousness
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It is difficult to understand rebirth or reincarnation if you don’t understand the nature of mind or consciousness. The mind, according to Buddhism, has three levels:
The gross mind relies on the body’s functions. When something goes wrong with the body, that dysfunction may affect the mind (e.g. strokes or brain injuries). When the body stops, the gross mind stops.
The subtle mind’s existence is only partly tied to the functions of the body. The subtle mind continues from life to life, but does not carry all the information necessary. The subtle mind is not considered an entirely safe container or "Swiss bank" for all the information that travels from life to life. The subtle mind can be influenced by external factors. The very subtle mind is the "clear light of mind."
It has nothing to do with body functions. However, it remains inactive during our lives, its latent potential activated at death. When the functions of the gross mind stop because the body’s functions have stopped, at the last stage of physical death (near black attainment), the clear light of mind activates. The very subtle mind cannot be affected by external factors. It safely carries information from the past to the present and from the present to the future. </poem>