Past Lives Just a Myth?

[SantaRosaGuy]

It's been bothering me for a while now ... the whole past lives thing. It seems like if anybody had past lives, like they'd remember something about them? Does anybody else think this whole past life thing is made up nonsense?

[jjm]

I have someone in my family who, as a child of 3-4, came across relatives from a past life and recognized them. She spoke to them by name, and they were shocked. She also related things from her past life that were then proven to be true. She kept in contact with her "old family" for many, many years before moving away. She remembered dying, and I asked her what happened next. She couldn't remember, she said there was just blackness and then no memory.

 

This family member has integrity I would stake my life on. And her story is not uncommon. For those reasons, I absolutely do believe in past lives. I believe the Buddhist concept is that we are not actually individual souls but sort of a conglomeration of energy. When we die it is at least partially dispersed (a master who had prepared for the Bardo state knows how to keep "himself" intact). When reborn, we are not the person we used to be, we are a remnant of that person's energy, combined with new energy from the big cosmic sea. The combination is dictated by the laws of cause and effect and attraction, known simply as karma. I'm not surprised that for most of us the mind is so "refurbished" that we've lost all memory of past lives.

[Basher]

Believe that each of the Dalai Lama's is purported to have been a re-incarnation.

 

I've immensely enjoyed each & every one of the Books by Tuesday Lobsang Rampa, but still un-sure if I Believe or not ! (LOL)

 

Amazing how many people believe they were Napoleon, Geronimo, or Cleopatra in a previous life.

And not a penniless peasant of no historical significance !!!

 

 

Basher

[dankind]

I have someone in my family who, as a child of 3-4, came across relatives from a past life and recognized them. She spoke to them by name, and they were shocked. She also related things from her past life that were then proven to be true. She kept in contact with her "old family" for many, many years before moving away. She remembered dying, and I asked her what happened next. She couldn't remember, she said there was just blackness and then no memory.

 

How much of her past life did she recall? And did she keep the memories as she got older? (Did the memories improve or fade with time...?)

[jjm]

I've only asked her about the events of her life surrounding the circumstances of her death and recognizing her former family. She still has the memories now (decades later). I don't believe her memories have faded any more than general memories do.

 

There are some researchers who have done extensive work in this area, one of the big names being Ian Stevenson - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Stevenson

[mYTHmAKER]

Take it from me our present lives are also a mYTH

[jjm]

Take it from me our present lives are also a mYTH

Ha! Good one, spoken like a Buddhist.

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

It's been bothering me for a while now ... the whole past lives thing. It seems like if anybody had past lives, like they'd remember something about them? Does anybody else think this whole past life thing is made up nonsense?

 

My understanding of past lives is limited to my imagination and things i've read and heard:

 

That "we" are an illusion, as that we are all the same observer, experiencing each and every life born, lived, experienced, and passed on all throughout time immemorial.

 

I Am.

 

 

This means: everyone shares the same "I" observer that we each call "me" because we are uniquely experiencing only "one" life at a "time".

 

So it is entirely possible to recollect past life memories if we were to clear our minds deep enough, for long enough, and just allow the memories and fantasies and ideas to merge formlessly.

[SantaRosaGuy]

 

My understanding of past lives is limited to my imagination and things i've read and heard:

 

That "we" are an illusion, as that we are all the same observer, experiencing each and every life born, lived, experienced, and passed on all throughout time immemorial.

 

I Am.

 

 

This means: everyone shares the same "I" observer that we each call "me" because we are uniquely experiencing only "one" life at a "time".

 

So it is entirely possible to recollect past life memories if we were to clear our minds deep enough, for long enough, and just allow the memories and fantasies and ideas to merge formlessly.

 

What? The same observer?

 

Sorry, but I'm not buying it. I think we're separate. The evidence would suggest that we're separate.

[Gerard]

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Edited September 13, 2013 by Gerard

[Jetsun]

There can be other explanations for strange occurances and memories other than past lives. The nature of memory is not properly understood yet, but it is a fact that all the atoms in your body have been recycled through time and maybe they carry memory, which is why some Shaman can read bones and see information from a persons life or death by touching their bones.

[Cheshire Cat]

It's been bothering me for a while now ... the whole past lives thing. It seems like if anybody had past lives, like they'd remember something about them? Does anybody else think this whole past life thing is made up nonsense?

 

Yes, I've heard all kind of variations on the theory of reincarnation... yet, the only mean to discern seems to be "what makes sense".

 

But dozens of different theories make sense!

I don't know what to think... I believe in percentage, which is personal and arbitrary: 30 % yes there's reincarnation, 40% there's some sort of "recycling" of human components, 30% no reincarnation, nothing

[Basher]

54.73% of all Statistical Studies, are more than 21.62% inaccurate !!!

 

(Ok so I might have made that up)

 

LOL

 

 

"Independant" Medical Studies sponsored by Pharmaceutical companies, showing that 75% of us would be healthier, taking their Tablets on a daily basis.... etc etc.

Edited May 3, 2013 by Basher

[xor]

You might want to check out physicist Thomas Campbell on youtube for some interesting ideas reincarnation. He's also got a good sense of humor. I'm personally not decided on reincarnation, but he's pretty much the most convincing modern speaker for pro-reincarnation so far that I've run into.

 

From his wikipedia entry: Biography

Campbell was the keynote speaker at The Monroe Institute’s twenty-second Professional Seminar, held March 20–24, 2010 (available on YouTube in English and also with Spanish subtitles), where he had previously been a member of the Board of Directors. The Monroe Institute credits Campbell as being the "TC (physicist)" described in Robert Monroe's second book Far Journeys.^[3] Campbell discussed his book at a presentation to the London College of Spirituality February 22, 2008 entitled Physics, Metaphysics, and the Nature of Consciousness.

Campbell is a professional physicist with expertise in large-system simulations, technology development and integration, and complex system vulnerability and risk analysis, working mostly in the context of US missile defense systems, including working with the Space and Missile Defense Command, the Missile Defense Agency and NASA.

Edited May 3, 2013 by Guest

[gentlewind]

I've been interested in this subject from an early age, 12, if memory serves me right! I also read the wonderful books of Lobsang Rampa! It doesn't surprise me that many people have enjoyed reading his books!

 

During a meditation I discovered that one of my past lives was that of a medieval monk! Not all of us are foolish enough to believe we were someone "famous".

 

But I believe that our past lives are purposely hidden from us as we have more than enough to contend with living our present life! We'd go mad if we kept veering off into past life situations! So, a necessary safety valve is required, unless the individual is evolved spiritually enough to remember his/her past lives without any detriment to his mental health.

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

What? The same observer?

 

Sorry, but I'm not buying it. I think we're separate. The evidence would suggest that we're separate.

 

Physical evidence does not have authority over the spiritual nature of reality.

 

 

Im not selling you anything, so please DONT buy it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Think of it this way:

 

The Sims.

 

 

 

You make a family of 8 sims and move them into a house. YOU have control over ALL 8, but they ALSO have free will, and operate and act on uniquely individualized algorithms, but at the end of the day YOU are the only "real" person there...

 

 

Now transposition that from 8 to a population of 8 billion and voila!

Edited May 3, 2013 by Northern Avid Judo Ant

[DragonScholar]

If you are interested in scientific studies of reincarnation, I recommend looking into the work of the late Dr. Ian Stevenson from the University of Virginia School of medicine. He conducted numerous case studies looking into the phenomenon of past life memories, and documented a great deal of evidence which is suggestive of reincarnation.

 

If you're interested in discovering what is real and what is not, practice well and you will find out!

Edited May 4, 2013 by DragonScholar

[DragonsNectar69k]

Past lives are relative. All of life and energy is relative. What masters tend to do is they focus on their state of being and the purity of their energy and inner-kingdom, so when they do incarenate, they are most likely to attract others of the same state. One can intentionally keep good memories as well as bad memories depending upon the person you want to be in said life. Tis why some people are born with siddhi's and powers straight out of the womb and tend to live their youth in learning about themselves again to then decide on what kind of person they want to be in their current life and what it is they seek to pursue. With enough revolvutions one will eventually become an immortal, a God, what have you. That is if one does not utterly destroy themselves in the process. The suffering begins to end and then you begin to seek to help others who may be suffering because they're is nothing else to realize. Usually one's own kids or previous family members. So be nice to every one and hold no biases. lolz.

Edited May 4, 2013 by DragonsNectar69k

[Questioner]

But I believe that our past lives are purposely hidden from us as we have more than enough to contend with living our present life! We'd go mad if we kept veering off into past life situations! So, a necessary safety valve is required, unless the individual is evolved spiritually enough to remember his/her past lives without any detriment to his mental health.

Interesting point, never thought of that...

[ShinRa]

There was a point in time when I only simply believed in what is called past lives, but after weeks of deep meditation, I started reliving events from past lives whenever it was necessary. For example, I have very long hair and a few years ago I tried learning how to braid from many people (so I could keep my hair away from my face!) but the teachings never settled with me and I was stumped...after 3 days of failing, I began meditating at night and immediately I felt strong vibrations in my body and the next thing I knew....I was a young African girl in an ancient time(I knew it was an ancient time based on a powerful intuitive feeling), braiding a woman's hair with amazing speed and skill. As I braided her hair, there were very pleasurable sensations running through my fingers and abruptly the event ended and I was my current "self" again. But my fingers still retained the sensations and I had this strong feeling that I knew how to braid...so to make a long story short, I braided all of my hair within 10 minutes of reliving that event from a former life and have been braiding things ever since.

[becomethepath]

go on youtube, and search past lives hypnosis, you'll find people who have gone under hypnosis whove experienced a timeframe in their past life, one woman was a priestess in atlantis, pretty interesting stuff

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

go on youtube, and search past lives hypnosis, you'll find people who have gone under hypnosis whove experienced a timeframe in their past life, one woman was a priestess in atlantis, pretty interesting stuff

we all were, if we are all one authority over individual lives.

[xor]

.....

Edited May 13, 2013 by Guest

[eye_of_the_storm]

It's been bothering me for a while now ... the whole past lives thing. It seems like if anybody had past lives, like they'd remember something about them? Does anybody else think this whole past life thing is made up nonsense?

 

Most can't even remember their dreams... or what happened last week...

 

What did you dream of last night?

 

Just because you don't remember doesnt mean it didn't happen...

 

Sometimes during the day I'll have flashbacks to dreams... something triggers the memory.

Edited May 9, 2013 by White Wolf Running On Air

[thelerner]

I read a book about children who remembered past lives. Often they'd fade out by 7 or 8, but before then, they had information and even birthmarks that would be damn hard to explain with standard science. The researchers themselves were American and tended to be neutral to skeptical, but the evidence was overwhelming.

 

One could argue what the phenomena behind it might be, but there was no trickery involved. While the cases were somewhat rare in the U.S, when the researcher went to India, it was everywhere; considered almost normal. I'm not a believer in much psychic phenomena, but there's something there. Whereas hypnotized adults can be led to indepth role playing, even recalling faint bits of old articles or conversations picked up decades earlier to blend into believable but made up scenarios.