http://www.naturalism.org/buddhism.

htm Zen: Rebirth and Enlightenment

We generally feel that reality is something which happens to us. In other words, we feel ontologically separate from realitywe do not identify with reality, it is external to us. There is a clear subject-object dichotomy to our perception. The cycle of rebirth rests on the observation that all things are constantly changing, both on the physical and perceptual level. Given this impermanent nature of reality in the context of our subjectivity, we are forced to be constantly reaffirming and reestablishing our own identity. In other words, the person (or subject) who I was just a few moments ago has already changed. That I has died and, insofar as my perception continues to be divided into subject and object, a new I has been born. Enlightenment (or satori) in Zen is the liberation from this cycle of birth and deathfrom the cycle of assuming a self. Phenomenologically speaking, enlightenment is the end of perception based on a subject-object dichotomy. In satori, no such ontological distinction is made; instead of there being myself and reality, there remains only reality. With not even a trace of self-doubt, you can trust the universe completely. All at once you are free, with nothing left to hold on to. All is empty, brilliant, perfect in its own being. In the world of things as they are, there is no self, no non-self. If you want to describe its essence, the best you can say is Not-two. In this Not-two nothing is separate, and nothing in the world is excluded. The enlightened of all times and places have entered into this truth. In it there is no gain or loss; one instant is ten thousand years. There is no here, no there; infinity is right before your eyes. From Seng-Tsans The Mind of Absolute Trust

Zen: Karma
Karma suggests that all human activity is fundamentally intentional--that whether or not we're aware of it, all of our actions are motivated by a desire to accomplish something--and that this intentional activity has profound causal effects on ourselves, our peers, all of humanity, the Earth, and the entire Universe. Karma isn't some supernatural force which pervades the cosmos, it's simply a way of describing the observation that all phenomena are causally interdependent, including psycho-physical interactions between sentient beings and their environment. Hence this is not some dogma you're asked to believe in, but rather a hypothesis regarding the causal relationship between the mind and the the Universe which anyone may try to confirm for themselves.

Buddha often spoke of karma as the determining factor of the "realm" of one's subsequent "rebirth." Actions that arise from ill-will (that is, the intention to harm; malice) lead one to be reborn into "lower" realms of suffering. Whereas actions that arise from good-will (that is, the intention help; compassion) lead one to be reborn

The human organism has evolved a remarkably complex nervous system compared to all other creatures in the animal kingdom. As a result of this bio-neural-network of refined semantic capabilities--an unmatched ability to discern, differentiate, and conceptualize--it follows that the human organism has an equally unmatched influence over its environment. This is not to say that the human organism is somehow independent from its environment, far from it in fact. All phenomena are causally interdependent. It just so happens that Nature, in promoting biological fitness, has allotted humans this ability.