Past lives awareness

[Gerard]

.

Edited October 25, 2023 by Gerard

[Ajay0]

1 hour ago, Gerard said:

 

We indeed live many, many, many lives. Really the process never ends but the main focus now is 'enjoying/putting up' with the burden of a physical form. 

 

 

As per eastern philosophy, the process of reincarnation ends when all karma or the underlying vasanas or psychological defilement's are wiped out . This is done through the practice of awareness, total love, virtuous conduct, prana rich state and other spiritual exercises. 

 

Quote

If you are crawling through your work, that is karma. If you are dancing through your work, that is karma yoga. ~ Sadhguru

 

 

If one is performing actions unconsciously one will be creating karma for oneself.  Performing actions consciously and with love or enjoyment ensures no karma is created. 

 

So 'putting up' with the burden of a physical form indicates karma, while 'enjoying' the work indicates karma yoga.

[S:C]

On 15.9.2023 at 11:52 AM, Gerard said:

others which occurred in previous incarnations

This is a subjective experience or insight? Nothing that can indeed be verified, no?

[thelerner]

I read a book on past life memories of children years ago.  By a psychology professor who started out skeptical but doing years of interviews and checking up information switched his opinion.  If he's honest, and I believe he was, there is solid evidence of young children having past life memories.  Course are memories ever solid evidence?   Even when seemingly backed up by things a child shouldn't know?  

 

In adults there are such cases but some famous ones were debunked, these childhood ones, as far as I know, haven't been.  The professor found many cases in US, and when he went to India, it was considered common knowledge.  In his first taxi ride from the airport he got stories of children remembering past lives. 

 

I don't remember the books title.  Doing a google search shows lots of books on the subject.  I remember some interesting cases where the kids had birthmarks corresponding to previous life damages.  Weird stuff.  The book, to its credit, never went into explanations for such memories, but they are not super rare and usually fade as kids age up beyond 6 or 7.  

 

I didn't keep researching it but it seems like the best 'proven/unexplained' religious phenomena we have.  

 

My own kids are a pretty diverse lot.  My youngest has a strange predilection for Germany.  At 11, he wanted to join the German club so he could go there as an exchange student.  He'd be the youngest and we said no.  He insisted, made a good case of it, even saying he'd somehow pay for it himself.  This was a kid who hated sleepaway camp.  He convinced us and loved it.  He's been back since and minored in German in college.  

 

Why?? We never had much connection to Germany,  so who knows?  

Edited September 25, 2023 by thelerner

[Gerard]

.

Edited October 25, 2023 by Gerard

[Gerard]

.

Edited October 25, 2023 by Gerard

[Gerard]

.

Edited October 25, 2023 by Gerard

[stirling]

Complete insight into the "empty" nature of reality (non-duality) negates the possibility of "self", karma, and reincarnation, and negates all other dualities, including space and time and even karma. This is because the "self" as a separate thing that could have it's own story independent from anything else, the idea of a past or future, the duality of there being "self" and "other", or "here" and "there" are understood in no uncertain terms to be delusions.

 

Having said that, I have met any number of enlightened teachers who have had the experience of "past lives". These are not considered a revelation of any kind of absolute reality, or cosmological implication. 

 

Adyashanti, the neo-Advaita author details his past life experience in his book "The End of Your World", which I heard as an audio book many years ago, and his experience is very much like that of the Buddhist teachers I have heard talk about it. It is worth a read or listen if this is an area of research.

 

I have not personally had this experience. 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by stirling

[old3bob]

7 hours ago, stirling said:

Complete insight into the "empty" nature of reality (non-duality) negates the possibility of "self", karma, and reincarnation, and negates all other dualities, including space and time and even karma. This is because the "self" as a separate thing that could have it's own story independent from anything else, the idea of a past or future, the duality of there being "self" and "other", or "here" and "there" are understood in no uncertain terms to be delusions.

 

Having said that, I have met any number of enlightened teachers who have had the experience of "past lives". These are not considered a revelation of any kind of absolute reality, or cosmological implication. 

 

Adyashanti, the neo-Advaita author details his past life experience in his book "The End of Your World", which I heard as an audio book many years ago, and his experience is very much like that of the Buddhist teachers I have heard talk about it. It is worth a read or listen if this is an area of research.

 

I have not personally had this experience. 

 

 

"first there is a mountain, then there is no mountain then there is",  so i'd say to get hung up on the no mountain part (or negation) is not it,  and "buyer beware".

 

"It’s at the third stage, when mountains are once again mountains and rivers are once again rivers, that we really understand; we reconcile the paradox. This is where we learn to dwell in both the transcendent reality and the immanent one." (which btw is also pointed to in the Isha Upanishad)

Edited September 26, 2023 by old3bob

[old3bob]

more correctly quoted from Zen:

“Before one studies Zen, mountains are mountains and waters are waters; after a first glimpse into the truth of Zen, mountains are no longer mountains and waters are no longer waters; after enlightenment, mountains are once again mountains and waters once again waters.”  ― Dōgen

[S:C]

10 hours ago, old3bob said:

reconcile the paradox. This is where we learn to dwell in both the transcendent reality and the immanent one

Sounds or seems difficult. Sounds like hurting one’s eyes or seeing double.

Edited September 26, 2023 by stellarwindbubble

[awarenessrules]

On 9/26/2023 at 7:55 AM, Gerard said:

Method:

 

Gurdjieff & the Further Reaches of Self-Observation

 

Vipassana meditation, hours and hours spent on walking meditation are a great tool to connect with our HIGHER SELVES. 

 

This method allowed me to gain insight of many of my past lives. 

 

You emphasize a lot on walking meditation but most of the meditation books whether Buddhist or Hindu prefer Vipassana meditation only mostly  centered around the breath or sometimes mantra. Some Buddhist meditation books do mention walking meditation but do not give it much importance. Is there something special about walking meditation that you mention it a lot. Though I have read on a few meditation forums that connecting to earth or doing walking meditation one can avoid the dangers of long-term sitting meditation or spiritual crises by having a strong base. Also it enhances physical health. What are your thoughts?

[Gerard]

.

 

 

Edited October 25, 2023 by Gerard

[awarenessrules]

On 10/5/2023 at 3:18 AM, Gerard said:

 

This:

 

1. No books

2. August 2008.Booked 3-week Vipassana retreat at Chom Tong, Chiang Mai (Thailand).

3. Email sent to the foreigners coordinator of the retreat asking which books should I bring to the retreat. I asked specifically if The Middle Discourses of the Buddha were going to be very helpful.

4. A: NO BOOKS. You are not allowed to bring any books and let alone discuss any of your meditation experiences to other fellow meditators while attending. Daily reports to your assigned teacher (twice) where you'll be given correct guided instruction. Feel free to discuss your experiences with him.

5. Practice was split into three components: prostration, walking meditation (50%) and seated meditation (50%). Day 1 started with a 4 hour practice and every day up to day 21 practice increased slowly to the point where the last 3 days it was a 24 hour non-stop practice.

6. It was very tough. I saw several meditators pulling out of the retreat returning to their home countries. I met a lady who just finished the 3 weeks retreat, she was glowing like the sun! I was amazed that only a few weeks could change someone so dramatically!

7. Two meals a day were offered. Excellent food cooked from SCRATCH. Very healthy, tasty and nutritious. I was very pleased about it. You need it because seated meditation for so many hours a day consumes a lot of energy. Eating your meals was done in silence and mindfully unlike what normal people do: fast, multi-tasking, talking to others, while playing with your phone or watching TV. 

8. It was a silent retreat so no talking to others except your teacher and no touching anyone including your teacher. 

 

What i learnt:

1. Mind creates reality

2. The cravings of the Mind are very powerful and it is a constant daily battle trying to overcome them

3. Mind is very attached to form, this physical body we created

 

I hope this advice helps. 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your suggestions. If someone is mostly in his head or having lots of mental chatter or anxious thoughts or somewhat ungrounded etc, Is it okay to stick with walking meditation only for some months to settle in the body and get grounded before moving on to sitting meditation later at some point? What I have found that doing lots of walking meditation only each day for such a person is highly beneficial as compared to 50:50 approach. It can calm the mental chatter, sink the energy and help in grounding. Once settled and balanced he can move on to 50:50 method that you mentioned above. For some people starting with sitting meditation even if combined with walking meditation can destabilize the mind especially the ones with psychological or traumatic or spiritual issues. Doing walking meditation only for hours during the 24 hr period can be game changing for such cases. You know better than me since you are quite experienced in this stuff. My 2nd question is, what are your thoughts about replacing the Vipassana type sitting meditation with Mantra meditation or chanting using the same 50:50 approach i.e. 50% mantra or chanting while sitting and 50% walking? 

[Gerard]

.

Edited October 25, 2023 by Gerard