God, Karma, and Reincarnation - From a View of Panentheistic Monism

Post 1/3




I believe in God, karma, and reincarnation, however, my belief varies from the traditional interpretation of these words.






God

Panentheism

"Panentheism” is a constructed word composed of the English equivalents of the Greek terms “pan”, meaning all, “en”, meaning in, and “theism”, meaning God. Panentheism considers God and the world to be inter-related with the world being in God and God being in the world. It offers an increasingly popular alternative to both traditional theism and pantheism. Panentheism seeks to avoid either isolating God from the world as traditional theism often does or identifying God with the world as pantheism does. Traditional theistic systems emphasize the difference between God and the world while panentheism stresses God's active presence in the world. Pantheism emphasizes God's presence in the world but panentheism maintains the identity and significance of the non-divine.

Monism

Monism is the metaphysical and theological view that all is one, that there are no fundamental divisions, and that a unified set of laws underlie all of nature. The universe, at the deepest level of analysis, is then one thing or composed of one fundamental kind of stuff.

All is One and One is All.

God is The Alpha, The Omega, The First, The Last, The All. The Formless, but may take form. The Timeless, but may experience time. The One, but may become many.

All of existence is within God,... All of existence is of God's essence,... God imminently dwells within each iota of existence,... and God is transcendent and beyond everything.

Existence is one.
Mankind in one.
Spirit is one.
Consciousness is one.

If you don't enjoy the word "God", please, I beg of you; by all means, substitute the word "God" for whatever it is that you genuinely acknowledge as your religious, philosophical, spiritual, metaphysical, empirical, or scientific Most High and/or Absolute Truth.

If you'd prefer not to use the term "Spirit", consider it synonymous with the existent animating life-force of existence.

If you prefer not the metaphysical, think in terms of science and observation. Each human and every creature on Earth is fully dependent on the innumerable, intricate, and intimate instances of causation stemming from each and every other human and being, and so is the same with the subatomic, microscopic, and macrocosmic. There is a game known as "6-Degrees of Separation", but existence is actually an "Infinitude-Degrees of Connection". Cause-and-Effect, Effect-and-Cause, nothing arises or exists in complete isolation or sovereignty from the rest of existence. The totality of existence is One harmonious and unified happening.

God's Divine Intelligence and Universal Consciousness is intrinsic to all. We see this through the sentience of all living beings, and even by the structured growth of crystals and the actions of atoms, subatomic particles, and energy/matter itself.

If the concepts of "Universal Consciousness" or "Divine Intelligence" are too enigmatic for your liking, please substitute these qualities for; "Order Out of Chaos", random probability, and emergence.


Here are a few ATS Threads that are of relevance to my personal interpretation of God:

God: My Gnosis

King Dome's Throne Is On Water

One God, Infinite Faces

Blind Men And An Elephant; Perspective and Relativity

Post 2/3




Karma

"For every action, there is an equal, but opposite reaction."

I do not believe that Karma is a system of reward and punishment, rather, I take Karma as being synonymous with empirical Cause-and-Effect. Karma is the conceptual mechanism relating a reaction to an action, and an effect to a cause. I would, therefore, propose four types of Karma.



• Personal Karma
Personal Karma is not a spooky scoreboard keeping tally in determination of your personal good fortune or misfortune. Simply, for every thought, word, and/or action, there are a multitude of empirical reactions that reverberate throughout existence. Each cause and action that we initiate has a resulting empirical effect and reaction.

The causes and reactions that we are personally responsible for are our Personal Karma. Withholding unforeseen circumstances; if we eat healthily and exercise appropriately, the fitness and well-being of the physical body is our Personal Karma. If we abuse detrimental substances and neglect the needs of the body, disease and illness is our Personal Karma.

"We reap that which we sow."

We use the understanding of Personal Karma and Cause-and-Effect to plant seeds today that will blossom into our desired harvest of tomorrow.



• Universal Karma
Universal Karma is the summation of all causes and effects throughout all time and all place. It is the grand and stupendous dance of each and every Personal Karma partnered with each and every other Personal Karma. Universal Karma is the incomprehensible multitude of connections and interconnections between all things in existence with all other things in existence. Nothing in existence is impervious to Universal Karma.

How the Sun affects the Earth,... how the Earth affects the terrestrial biome,... how the terrestrial biome affects mankind,... how man affects man,... how man affects all and how all affects man; This is Universal Karma.

Universal Karma helps to explain why; "Bad things happen to good people." Unexplainable and undeserving misfortune does not need to be brushed aside or explained away as; "Punishment for something done in a past life," or as a; "Test," or for a means of; "Learning and evolving."

When a tyrant unleashes genocide, inhumanity, abuse, and/or oppression upon a people,.... the victims are not being punished for a past life,... they are not being tested,... and they are not suffering in the name of constructive progress. I do concede that victims and outside observers can learn and grow from negative experiences, however, I am implying that; "learning" and "past life punishment" is not the reason for its occurrence. Rather, the tyrant's Personal Karma is in a struggle with the victim's Personal Karma, resulting in Universal Karma. The victim may be completely innocent, be murdered, and never have a chance to experience a growth or test from the suffering,... nothing in their own Personal Karma warranted the suffering, simply, the tyrant's Personal Karma had a detrimental Cause-and-Effect relationship with the victim.

Universal Karma is a man planting a fruit tree, and two hundred years later it becomes a lush forest of fruit,... it is the innumerable individuals who have added to the collective knowledge base of mankind,... it is how one specimen affects the entire ecosystem in which it lives,... it is how all are connected to all.

We use the understanding of Universal Karma to brighten all of existence through the positive and beneficial use of our Personal Karma, and also to better understand suffering, cope with, and give it over to Love.


• Empathetic Karma
Empathetic Karma is the effect we experience from a cause-and-effect scenario in which we are not direct participants. Empathetic Karma stems from anything that we witness or observe that doesn't directly involve us. Listening to music, watching t.v./movies, reading, and observing the world around us affects our Empathetic Karma.

We know that certain brain regions and certain physiological responses are related to specific mental and emotional states. We know that brain activity, physiological responses, and mental & emotional states leave lasting imprints on our memories, psyche, body, and mind. We now know that all of this can be reproduced within the human element, by simple observation and imagination.

Test subjects playing violent video games had similar biometric readings to that of soldiers in high-stress combat situations. It was also discovered that entire neural networks in the brain were developed and reinforced by playing violent video games, leading to increased hostility, impatience, and anger. The neural networks developed from violent video games are in the same region of the brain associated with violence and anger.

When we watch a sad movie or listen to a sad song, our body literally reacts with sadness. When we watch someone else get hurt, our brains react as if it were us getting hurt. When we see someone smile or hear someone laugh, we react with a smile or laugh, as the "happy region" of our brain reacts to mere observation. This is the basis for Mirror Neurons in humans.

With the understanding of Empathetic Karma, we more mindfully choose the quality of entertainment, observations, and experiences that we cultivate in our daily lives. The negative that we take in affects us negatively, and the positive that we take in affects us positively.



• Metaphysical Karma
In the view of Panentheistic Monism,... Metaphysical Karma suggests that every cause is every effect, every effect is every cause,... every subject is every object, every object is every subject,... every object is every other object, and every subject is every other subject.

Jesus said that; "What you done to the least of men, you have done to me."

What you do to another, you are doing to God, for God is all-in-all; One.

What you do to another, you are doing to SELF, for there are no truly separate selves; One.

Not a punishment in a next life, but at the very moment of inflicted suffering, the tyrant is the victim, as the Divine Consciousness simultaneously experiences the event from all perspectives. With the Divine Consciousness, as a tyrant injures the body of another, it is an actuality that he is literally injuring himself. In Divine Consciousness, tyrant and victim are one, and all of existence is one.

We use the understanding of Metaphysical Karma to better cultivate and radiate Love, Compassion, and Kindness to all of existence, for as we do and do not do for the outer world and others, we are actually doing and not doing so unto God and unto our SELF.

Post 3/3



Reincarnation

We often encounter incredible stories of past life memories and research into past life regression. I would propose three types of reincarnation.



• Universal Reincarnation
According to my interpretation of Panentheistic Monism, there are no individual entities/souls being reincarnated through specific humans throughout history. I am arguing against the view that; "I, as this individual living consciousness have lived a past life as this specific person, a past life as that specific person, etc."

Panentheistic Monism concludes that all human lives and all types of creatures throughout all time and place share One Life and One Consciousness. Instead of an individual reincarnating through certain lives, there is, instead, a Singular and Absolute breathing a singular breath of life throughout all of existence past, present, and future. All life throughout all time are emanating facets of God,... facets of SELF,... and facets of you!



• Genetic Reincarnation
In natural science, we are familiar with the concepts of instincts and gene function. I would propose that Genetic Memory plays a great role in said automated mechanisms. It is my belief that our individual cells carry an inherent microcosm of our entire human macrocosm. We see that mental & emotional states, as well as memories and preferences often carry over from an organ donor to an organ recipient.

In this way, we are the ever-living incarnation of each and every one of our direct ancestors, as well as the ever-living progeny of each of their direct ancestors. Within us is the history of all the lives connected to our genetic material, and so shall we continue this chain of ever-living incarnation as we pass our genes on to future generations.


• Elemental & Atomic Reincarnation
As we observe organs and cells to have memory, so too is memory intrinsic to elements and atoms. Everything carries with them, a history of their past experiences. To what extent we can observe or tap into these histories usually frames and defines our understanding of memory, along with our acceptance of what creatures and things are capable of memory. Atoms entangle and elements transmute, but they carry with them the entire history of their being, for they carry on in structured and intelligent progress and never die-off into oblivion.

First let me say that I do believe in the idea of reincarnation and I have many ideas about how it works. But the problem I have with my own beliefs is that at my very core, The part of me that is the true me; I realize that my beliefs are only things that I WANT to be true. And if it's just wishful thinking how can it possibly be true? I think this is how everyone feels ,even if they don't realize it. Ask yourself, has anyone every believed in a purely negative afterlife and built a religion around it? Everyone wants something nice to happen after we die because of our fear of death.

a reply to: scraedtosleep

To what avail would any such belief serve? To most people, life is difficult and rotten enough without believing they're just going to receive as bad or worse after they pass. Call it "wishful thinking" or whatever you you wish, that's the reality of why no one has built a belief system such as your proposal.
In regards to reincarnation, I firmly believe in it. However, I do think there's an eventual climax where a being is either in a higher or lower vibrational existence.

a reply to: Sahabi

Question for you,... In the spirit of diactic....

We all have to make this journey on our own.

But first good topic.

Is 'god' or are 'gods' part of creation or outside of creation?

originally posted by: Sahabi
Post 1/3




I believe in God, karma, and reincarnation, however, my belief varies from the traditional interpretation of these words.

 

God

Panentheism

"Panentheism” is a constructed word composed of the English equivalents of the Greek terms “pan”, meaning all, “en”, meaning in, and “theism”, meaning God. Panentheism considers God and the world to be inter-related with the world being in God and God being in the world. It offers an increasingly popular alternative to both traditional theism and pantheism. Panentheism seeks to avoid either isolating God from the world as traditional theism often does or identifying God with the world as pantheism does. Traditional theistic systems emphasize the difference between God and the world while panentheism stresses God's active presence in the world. Pantheism emphasizes God's presence in the world but panentheism maintains the identity and significance of the non-divine.

Monism

Monism is the metaphysical and theological view that all is one, that there are no fundamental divisions, and that a unified set of laws underlie all of nature. The universe, at the deepest level of analysis, is then one thing or composed of one fundamental kind of stuff.

All is One and One is All.

God is The Alpha, The Omega, The First, The Last, The All. The Formless, but may take form. The Timeless, but may experience time. The One, but may become many.

All of existence is within God,... All of existence is of God's essence,... God imminently dwells within each iota of existence,... and God is transcendent and beyond everything.

Existence is one.
Mankind in one.
Spirit is one.
Consciousness is one.

If you don't enjoy the word "God", please, I beg of you; by all means, substitute the word "God" for whatever it is that you genuinely acknowledge as your religious, philosophical, spiritual, metaphysical, empirical, or scientific Most High and/or Absolute Truth.

If you'd prefer not to use the term "Spirit", consider it synonymous with the existent animating life-force of existence.

If you prefer not the metaphysical, think in terms of science and observation. Each human and every creature on Earth is fully dependent on the innumerable, intricate, and intimate instances of causation stemming from each and every other human and being, and so is the same with the subatomic, microscopic, and macrocosmic. There is a game known as "6-Degrees of Separation", but existence is actually an "Infinitude-Degrees of Connection". Cause-and-Effect, Effect-and-Cause, nothing arises or exists in complete isolation or sovereignty from the rest of existence. The totality of existence is One harmonious and unified happening.

God's Divine Intelligence and Universal Consciousness is intrinsic to all. We see this through the sentience of all living beings, and even by the structured growth of crystals and the actions of atoms, subatomic particles, and energy/matter itself.

If the concepts of "Universal Consciousness" or "Divine Intelligence" are too enigmatic for your liking, please substitute these qualities for; "Order Out of Chaos", random probability, and emergence.


Here are a few ATS Threads that are of relevance to my personal interpretation of God:

God: My Gnosis

King Dome's Throne Is On Water

One God, Infinite Faces

Blind Men And An Elephant; Perspective and Relativity

Sahabi you really open up the channels of what the Sufis call Himma


That ancient fountain of divine knowledge


Thanks for that light

Very complex topics here.


Karma and reincarnation. Different schools of thought in metaphysics have varying ideas here.


Only the premise that whatever one believes, its best to do what is most virtuous or cultivate that,


does all the sages agree

I like all the God descriptions, there put very well


I believe that ultimately there’s nothing but God. Anything in being has to be a part of God simply because of its being. But humans are privileged to be more than human and that is to be divine, or god-like.

People forget Jesus says in the NT “Ye are Gods”

God creates from vital source materials that are of him and as a car is made of source materials so are the basic faculties of us. The difference is that a car is a mechanical device and dies when it no longer is an optimally operating car.

A human though is a hologram of God in the sense of a copy or small copy of god.

Therefore, we have an opportunity to ignite the divine soul in us in order to be as Jesus said, “ye are Gods”

Or as Buddha said “I am awake”


The soul is so awesOme that one can say it is along with the unbound spirit, OR GREAT SPIRIT, the only thing in existence!

In fact, the trinity is really the three aspects of the soul. Every tradition has this trinity BUT USE DIFFEENT WORDS FOR IT.

Vendenta
Shiva
Brahman
Vishnu

Islam
Lord of men
King of Men
God of men


Buddhism
the Buddha,
the Dharma,
the Sangha

Chrisitianity
Father
Son
Holy Spirit

Theosopy
the Adept
the Goddesses
the Master


These trinities are all symbols of the three aspects of the divine soul…they are NOT three gods!


The fourth aspect of God is the unbound spirit or what the Native Americans call Great Spirit


That’s it folks


The thing is these aspects of the soul are indescribably awsOme.

However, the soul in humans is occulted by corruption.

Its lies deep within us and we have to dig deep to get to it.

a reply to: Willtell

Interesting....

Is 'god' self-aware?

a reply to: FyreByrd

I would say yes

Prophet Muhammad said

He who knows himself knows his Lord



Every time one becomes aware of his or her true( Holistic self) self then again God becomes aware of another aspect of himself.


This SELF is NOT the personality as Buddha taught us that the personality in an illusion

• Universal Reincarnation

Panentheistic Monism concludes that all human lives and all types of creatures throughout all time and place share One Life and One Consciousness. Instead of an individual reincarnating through certain lives, there is, instead, a Singular and Absolute breathing a singular breath of life throughout all of existence past, present, and future. All life throughout all time are emanating facets of God,... facets of SELF,... and facets of you!

Sahabi, do you think the universal karma you describe is what Buddha was referring to after his enlightenment he described seeing all his incarnations.


I always had trouble with that description of his experience myself.

a reply to: scraedtosleep

I tried to develop this world-view based upon empirical observation, not according to my personal feel-good belief system.

a reply to: FyreByrd

Indeed! We do walk the path on our own, however, the path is not separate from the land in which it was carved, nor is the traveler separate from the people, creatures, or situations encountered on the path. The path does not exist in a sovereign vacuum.

a reply to: Willtell

Peace be with you Brother Willtell. Thank you so much for the great replies.

The Buddha often told past life stories of both his human and animal incarnations. I believe that he may have communed so deeply with SELF, God, Absolute,... that he developed an intimate gnosis and knowing of what I have explained in this thread as Universal Karma, Metaphysical Karma, and Universal Reincarnation, as seen through the "eyes" of the Divine Consciousness.