After having read some reputable books by psychologist and examining the evidence I'm inclind to believe we go thru many incarnation. What your opinion? What books have you read on the subject. Some psychologist have done some studies on this especially with children before the get past the age of 4. Many young children have memories of thier most recent past lives and these have been varified by going to the place these children said they lived before and find their recollection of the people and places there to be accurate.
Reincarnation is there proof?
by frankiespeakin 41 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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frankiespeakin
Here is one example among many:
http://www.planetpapers.com/Assets/5540.php
However, there have been hundreds of documented cases where the only reliable explanation is reincarnation. One such case is Romy Crees. At four she had spontaneous memories of being Joe Williams. She feared motorcycles because she said she died in a motorcycle accident in her previous life. She went into great detail about her past experience and her / Joe’s mother Louise (Bache, 1). Is it possible for a four year old to make up such an elaborate story with her facts matching up to this man’s life? There is only one explanation for this example of reincarnation. How can this story not be creditable? There are facts and evidence. Isn’t that what the Western skeptic wants? I am a firm believer in science, reason, and the need for proof; but how can one argue with such clearly elaborated evidence?
Dr Ian Stevenson of the University of Virginia has spent thirty years investigating reincarnation. His strongest cases are based on children with pre-natal memories that can be verified, often in considerable detail and in circumstances that made it highly unlikely that the children would have sought out the information. While the memories of past lives support the idea of rebirth, those that do not have such memories ask how can past lives exist if they cannot recall them? To that question, one can answer that there are many experiences that we had but do not remember. Memories of one’s own birth, first steps, and learning to read are often not accessible, but one cannot deny that they occurred. If we could recall every mundane detail of every day life, our brains would become overly cluttered. This forgetful “space-saving” allows capacity for new experiences and new memories. Even though one may not remember their past life, the experiences are forever ingrained into their soul. To access this, one must be able to separate from the physical self and attachments to the physical world of the senses. When this separation occurs, one can become aware of past experiences.
Through meditation and therapy one can reach into deeper memories, and even into past lives. Curious about their past lives, many expend great time, effort and money to explore them. There are many different methods for evoking memories of previous lives. The most common is hypnosis (Bache, 42). This curious probing into past lives may be unnecessary, unadvisable, or even dangerous. I believe it is a natural protection from the pain of reliving past trauma or the distracting infatuation with our past lives which could retard our development in this one. Chakras are not easily accessed (Bache, 141). This is a beneficial safe guard, for our existance now is a sum total of all our past lives. In our present moment, our mind and body state is the cumulative result of the entire spectrum of our past lives. It is how we currently live that positively shapes karma and unfolds us spiritually. Knowing the laws of karma and reincarnation, we are responsible to resolve blossoming karmas from past lives and create karma that, projected into the future, will advance, not hinder, us -
Satanus
Welcome back, frankie. Interesting thoughts on reincarnation. I think it's the first time that a reincarnation article has stated that it could be dangerous to get into past lives. In regression hypnotherapy, they have encouraged exploring those as a way of possible healing.
At this point, i think that what we are is more important than what we know or believe. Therefore, remembering knowledge from past lives is not important. Rather, simple qualities of character, like strenght, honesty, caring, which may have been learned, endure in succeeding lives. But, what do i know?
S who does not believe in karma
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aniron
KARMA - literally means, 'deeds or work.' What we say, what we do and even what we think all records as a rating of good or evil. This accumulation will determine the sort of life we will have in our next reincarnation.
Looked at retrospectively, karma is the cause of what is happening in one's life now. - Man's Religions. John B. Noss, p.90
REINCARNATION - literally means, 'to come again in the flesh.' Our being or part of our being at death passes on into another body and another life.
A person's soul, according to this doctrine, is eternal and is part of the 'world soul' or 'ultimate being' (sometimes called 'God'). A person emanates out of this 'cosmic energy' and passes through multiple cycles of rebirths until he is finally absorbed back into unconscious reality. One is 'fallen' now and of subject-object relationships to the world (I - Thou and I - It). Through cyclic rebirths he will return to an impersonal nonconcious fusion with ultimate reality. In other words, the person was nothing, is now in trouble because he thinks he is something, but will return to being nothing through Karmic cyclic rebirth. - Reincarnation and Christianity, Robert A. Morey, p.12
Background
It is usually believed that reincarnation came from the East and this is predominately true, however there have been a number of influences from the West too. This has resulted in a number of slightly different types of reincarnation. However with all of the differences there are some clear similarities that must be borne in mind when looking at reincarnation. These are well summed up by Dr. Norman L. Geisler,
Goal of perfection
Gradual evolutionary progression
Doctrine of 'second chance'
Doctrine of Karma
Survival of self
Multiple perishable bodies
Multiple worlds or realms - The Reincarnation Sensation, Norman L. Geisler &J. Yutaha Amorer, pp.35/36
Modern Day
Belief in the concept of reincarnation is increasing. It was estimated by a Gallup poll in 1969 that at least 25% of Europeans believed in reincarnation. Today that figure is probably higher if you take into account every variant of doctrine.
In the West, the belief is usually a very respectable one without the possibility of returning in a future life as a rock or rabbit or even a carrot.
Eastern transmigrational philosophies practise ascetic vegetarianism and teach that the eating of meat is evil. For the transmigrationist, to eat insects or animals is to run the risk of eating someone who has been reborn into an insect or animal body as his Karma.
Western reincarnationists, generally, have also followed Eastern asceticism. But Eastern ascetic vegetarianism is redefined so that the prohibition of eating meat is based on such vague clichés as 'meat makes one violent and aggressive,' or, 'a vegetarian diet makes one at peace within oneself.'
It is also on the surface of a comfortable belief because it gives the opportunity of a second chance and of a 'heavenly' destination sometime within the next 1,000 lifetimes! ' Many too will claim that modern therapy techniques 'prove' reincarnation. Under some form of therapy, e.g. hypnosis they will be made aware of a past life and this in turn will convince them that they are in a new reincarnation.
This is no proof of reincarnation as indeed a number of the practices themselves agree. They don't know what is really happening but if it makes people feel better they will use it. We of course should also remember that therapies such as hypnosis are themselves open to much abuse as they are opening up into the realms beyond the normal human field of understanding.
The fact remains that reincarnation has become a comfortable belief because it does not cause any disturbing thoughts about heaven or hell and how to ensure eternal life. It may not be as comforting if the facts are worked out carefully. At the end of Life 1 you will have committed more bad than good. The accounts will not balance and you will not be able to be released from the body into your 'eternal inheritance.' You have what could be called your karmic debt. At some time later you start Life 2 with your original karmic debt. Try as you might you still do more bad than good and so what happens at the end of Life 2 - you have a bigger karmic debt. Reincarnation is not an easy payment plan it is a hard taskmaster. You will never be able to balance the accounts no matter how many lives you lead. There is no hope just an endless round of lives going nowhere.
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daystar
I've studied the occult, eastern and western esotericism for 12 years. As prevalent as theories of "past lives" and reincarnation is in the fields, I have never seen anything resembling proof, any more than I've seen proof of a heaven or hell.
I'm more inclined to think that "past lives" and theories of reincarnation are more related to the collective unconscious and how our minds connect with that, than that we've actually lived a previous life in any tangible way. In other words, the memories are not our own, though we may occasionally have access to them.
I highly suspect that these eastern ideas serve the same happy-making purpose as the ideas that if we're good, we get to go to heaven, or live forever in some sort of paradise.
They provide a sort of fantasy hope for our continuation where there may not really be any in any way we can readily grasp.
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LittleToe
Daystar:
What a shame. It appears that you've taken the analytical approach, which eschews "belief" and undermines a number of effective mechanisms for using the subtle mindFrankie:I've never seen conclusive proof, and so it's not really part of my belief system, but neither do I disbelieve.
Does that make me an agnostic Buddhist?
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daystar
LT
What a shame. It appears that you've taken the analytical approach, which eschews "belief" and undermines a number of effective mechanisms for using the subtle mind
I won't quote my favorite AC quote this time. It's a bit more complicated for me than I can discuss here. Belief is a tool I use. I think if I found it useful to believe in reincarnation, etc. that I could find for myself a reason to do so... perhaps I've spent too much time around "Chaos" magickians!?
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LittleToe
Then I look forward to a PM. It sounds vaguely similar to the way I work
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Inquisitor
At four she had spontaneous memories of being Joe Williams.....She went into great detail about her past experience and her / Joe’s mother Louise (Bache, 1). Is it possible for a four year old to make up such an elaborate story with her facts matching up to this man’s life?
It is unlikely. But the narrative fails to address these questions:
1) Did little Romy specifically identify herself with a Joe Williams, or was that life-matching the efforts of observers?
2) Little Romy may have previously known NOTHING, sought NOTHING about Joe Williams, but what about her parents? Grandparents? Siblings? Might her family have planted false memories in her? Can we presume the innocence of a 4 year-old in the adults around her? Why?
Kind regards,
INQ
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Navigator
One of the most interesting books on the subject was written by James Dillet Freeman of the Unity School of Christianity. The title was "The Case for Reincarnation". Freeman is highly readable and doesn't take himself too seriously. He is best known as Unity's Poet Laureate.
I knew a lady in my Yoga group who did Past Life Regression. Swami Rama had forbidden her to continue the practice as he considered it a distraction from living fully in the present. However, she would sometimes take our group back to "the edge" and have us look at our feet. I saw my feet encased in sandals characteristic of what a Roman soldier would wear. Wonder if that is why I chose to follow a military career.