Believers in after life, do you really think reincarnation takes place, why or why not?

Originally posted by webpirate
The biggest issue I have with the theory of reincarnation is this. There are basically more people alive right now, than have ever lived combined. So if reincarnation is real, then where did all of the extra people come from now?

Its my opinion that the theory of reincarnation came from a different group of people than the ones who developed the theory of a god. But its all an attempt to answer the one big question. Why are we here?

Well...we're here because we're here. There's no way to explain it. Just go with it. Deal with living now. Any attempt to live life now for some future goal, to gain or prevent some future reward or punishment...takes away from the experience of living now....for yourself.

And anyone who claims they know what is out there after we die, is either lying. or delusional. And every single claim can be explained by a rational explanation.

Maybe the men/women we see today are here because we are supposed to be here right now.. at this time?

reply to post by MamaJ


I kind of agree with this. We ALL are here now to see something AWESOME happen, what that is, I dunno, but I do believe there is a reason for being here, now, in this time, and it seems to be vital to experience it.

The only real question I have beyond what I already think is how far this extends. Is our energy limited to this rock, or does this transfer of energy extend out into other galaxies and other worlds, other lifeforms and civilizations? Interesting discussion.

reply to post by detachedindividual


I know, I totally dig this stuff.

I think we do... when we grow in spirit and perfect we are able to travel wide open in other galaxies experiencing with our personality (spirit) , and there is possibly other forms and we are other forms as well... pure consciousness, experiencing all the time and perfecting and projecting in each state we reach while going up/growing. Its possible...

Originally posted by MamaJ

The only real question I have beyond what I already think is how far this extends. Is our energy limited to this rock, or does this transfer of energy extend out into other galaxies and other worlds, other lifeforms and civilizations? Interesting discussion.

reply to post by detachedindividual

 

I know, I totally dig this stuff.

I think we do... when we grow in spirit and perfect we are able to travel wide open in other galaxies experiencing with our personality (spirit) , and there is possibly other forms and we are other forms as well... pure consciousness, experiencing all the time and perfecting and projecting in each state we reach while going up/growing. Its possible...

I agree with you on this.

2nd line

Originally posted by Darkblade71
reply to post by MamaJ

 

I kind of agree with this. We ALL are here now to see something AWESOME happen, what that is, I dunno, but I do believe there is a reason for being here, now, in this time, and it seems to be vital to experience it.

Vital indeed. I have reached a point where I believe and await for ....insert belief here, and in the mean time just try my best as each of us should do to be kind to our fellow man. When/if Jesus comes back (my belief...not a christian though) it may be from within his people which are kind in spirit.

Here on Earth we are to Treat each as yourself (golden rule).... your brother/sister are shown intent of love/peace and look out for them. A heart with an intent on love.

Next thing ya know we will be traveling it up.

Originally posted by sled735

Originally posted by MamaJ

The only real question I have beyond what I already think is how far this extends. Is our energy limited to this rock, or does this transfer of energy extend out into other galaxies and other worlds, other lifeforms and civilizations? Interesting discussion.

reply to post by detachedindividual

 

I know, I totally dig this stuff.

I think we do... when we grow in spirit and perfect we are able to travel wide open in other galaxies experiencing with our personality (spirit) , and there is possibly other forms and we are other forms as well... pure consciousness, experiencing all the time and perfecting and projecting in each state we reach while going up/growing. Its possible...

I agree with you on this.

2nd line

Love it! Thank you!

Have you ever met someone and felt you instantly knew them? ...that's someone from your past life ..that's a familiar soul!

Originally posted by webpirate
The biggest issue I have with the theory of reincarnation is this. There are basically more people alive right now, than have ever lived combined. So if reincarnation is real, then where did all of the extra people come from now?

Humans are ego-centric, we think we are the only form of intelligent life in the universe, we think Souls are Human Souls. We do not understand yet that it is not all about us, that we are only one small part of what exists.

So, there are absolutely gazillions of Souls having experience in different worlds. Some volunteer to be Here, and other volunteer to come Here when they are finished elsewhere.. just as you and I did.

We do need to stop thinking from our ego-centric patterns of behaviour if we are ever going to start grasping the bigger picture reality around us.

Originally posted by webpirate
And anyone who claims they know what is out there after we die, is either lying. or delusional. And every single claim can be explained by a rational explanation.

Once again.. BELIEF is trumped by Direct Experience. We can say this person or that is delusional.. based on OUR BELEIFS, but that does not make it Fact because it is Belief that is Delusional.

reply to post by chelle21689


First off, good first thread! S&F for that.

I too am more of an asker than an answerer around here, but I do believe in reincarnation, so I will give my thoughts.

A little background first. I was raised in a Mormon household, and most of my family are still practicing Mormons. I haven't been active in the church for years, and seven years ago I converted my spiritual path to the Practice of Zen Buddhism. I have spent time with some teachers, but never taken any formal vows. This is a personal decision based on the labeling aspect, and not a reservation in the path itself if that makes any sense.

Me belief in reincarnation is that the teaching was misunderstood and has been taught in the way that you described to appeal to people that cling to life. Reincarnation, to me is occurring every moment of my existence. Salvation is in the realization that I am unable to stop this change. This allows me to go with it. Accept it. The Buddha had several teachings that lead me to believe this. The most know is the story of the man that came and spit in his face, his reaction startled the man. He returned the next day to apologize. The Buddha explained that the man whose face he had spit in, was not the man that he had returned to seek forgiveness from. Of course this is the short form, but the story that most would know around here.

I believe in the energy that is within that you refer to, and that it never decreases, only takes other forms. I do not identify myself as that energy, therefore the illusion of "I" does not carry on into other lives. I do not reincarnate, the energy that gives me life does though. I hope that I explained that well enough.. I'm not very elegant with words.

Originally posted by zaonez
reply to post by chelle21689

 

First off, good first thread! S&F for that.

I too am more of an asker than an answerer around here, but I do believe in reincarnation, so I will give my thoughts.

A little background first. I was raised in a Mormon household, and most of my family are still practicing Mormons. I haven't been active in the church for years, and seven years ago I converted my spiritual path to the Practice of Zen Buddhism. I have spent time with some teachers, but never taken any formal vows. This is a personal decision based on the labeling aspect, and not a reservation in the path itself if that makes any sense.

Me belief in reincarnation is that the teaching was misunderstood and has been taught in the way that you described to appeal to people that cling to life. Reincarnation, to me is occurring every moment of my existence. Salvation is in the realization that I am unable to stop this change. This allows me to go with it. Accept it. The Buddha had several teachings that lead me to believe this. The most know is the story of the man that came and spit in his face, his reaction startled the man. He returned the next day to apologize. The Buddha explained that the man whose face he had spit in, was not the man that he had returned to seek forgiveness from. Of course this is the short form, but the story that most would know around here.

I believe in the energy that is within that you refer to, and that it never decreases, only takes other forms. I do not identify myself as that energy, therefore the illusion of "I" does not carry on into other lives. I do not reincarnate, the energy that gives me life does though. I hope that I explained that well enough.. I'm not very elegant with words.

Elegant enough for me

reply to post by MamaJ


It is possible and I believe it is true.

We are on the path to where Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, etc. ended up and that's very exciting for me personally.

You and I remember who we are and that remembrance teaches us to be happy and to love all living things equally, to have humility and compassion. Because we remember who we are, we also remember who everyone else is as well. We realize that we are all one and to hurt someone else is to hurt yourself.

Jesus' main message was love, not faith. Faith was something added in by the church. There is no need to believe in Jesus the man, but there is a need to believe in his message and that need is to make the world a better place.

I don't mean to speak for you but I think we might be on the same page there.

If I remember who I am now then I'd have to guess that I will somehow remember who I am in my next life, hopefully, and with that remembrance comes the attributes I spoke of earlier.

If I live a good life then I am one more rung toward the top or the "christ-conscious" so-to-speak. The reason I believe this is because of what Jesus taught, once you put Jesus' message of love into action then the rest comes naturally.

As a spirit, we reincarnate to learn our lessons to grow as a spirit. You cant truly know something until youve experienced it. Too much to explain. But look at it like this, you wont play one game of baseball and say that youre ready for the allstars right? Too much to learn in this school to just go to one grade.

Maybe I should've rephrased this question on my thread. The main thing I am concerned about is not being with the ones I love. Does my partner really have to end up being my mom/dad/brother?? O.o..................................

Also, do we remember our experiences on earth after we had died or everything is just wiped clean when you begin a new life and never ever remember?


Ugh, this CRAP sucks.

Read Home with God from Neale Donald Walshe, it is very interesting indeed, when it comes to death and the afterlife.

The reason for reincarnation is to evolve spiritually in my opinion. The body is only a vessel and you are in reality some form of energy. It is probably impossible to evolve in one human life ~80 years as you are getting programmed by the ruling powers to believe that this material life is all there is (or that there is heaven or hell after this one human life) and therefore in order to achieve happiness you have to amass material things. Once you realise you are energy you still have to learn here on Earth. After a long period of time you (the energy) might achieve a higher evolution then the other souls and then you will be able to enter higher realms (other planets, other dimensions) where you have to learn and will eventually evolve further granting access to the next learning phase.

Originally posted by chelle21689
This is my very FIRST thread and I'm excited to finally participate on here. I'm more of an asker than answerer. This thread isn't to argue whether reincarnation exists or not or whether or not there is an afterlife. I'm just asking for opinions on why you think it may exist or not.

Anyways, the thought of what happens after we die has been on my mind for the past week now. I think about it non-stop and it has given me a headache thinking about it so much. After much research of hearing people's opinions on NDE (Near death experiences), paranormal activities, etc. I believe that there is something more than this life. I believe that the conscious does exist after our bodies are gone.

1) Many people who have had NDE experience peace, love, being greeted by deceased relatives, and the bright light. A couple of stories I have heard that are very unexplainable by science. I'm confident in my faith that this is true, BUT I am not sure about reincarnation.

2) Why am I confused about reincarnation? Well, I read up on reincarnation and hear that we go through many life times (if we choose) until you reach enlightenment. BUT after you've reached enlightenment then where do you go? Do you forget all the ones you love in the past?

3) Also, with reincarnation, I believe there are so many other planets with life out there besides earth. What makes people so sure it's just earth that we reincarnate into a human?

4) I hate the thought of reincarnation honestly. I hate the thought of starting all over again, not remembering anything, and the possible idea of my husband turning into my brother in the next life LOL since some people believe those you love cycle within you.

If reincarnation DOES NOT exist, I can't imagine what we do for all eternity. If energy is neither created or destroyed then where did I come from.

Sorry for all the questions! It's been bottling up for the past week since I've been here and I couldn't wait to ask!!

1) if...reincarnation does not exist...why be greeted by dead relatives?

2) 'Enlightenment' is a slippery word...this locum (where we are) is ideally suited to learn the lessons needed for this level...when it no longer serves its designed purpose, you move to another locum...'soul groups' travel together...

3) ...partly answered in the above reply...

4) Fortunately, or unfortunately...this is the way it is...
...memory can be 'jogged', and humans do remember thier past lives (often, unfortunately repeating the same mistakes)...

The case for reincarnation is stronger than the case for 'one life and then oblivion'...

A99

Philosophically I'd say I'm aligned with Buddhism, but I'm still agnostic toward the idea of reincarnation.

But I do remember having a dream as a kid that I was killed in Vietnam, and can't remember learning anything about Vietnam that could have influenced me to have that dream before that point. I was between 6-8, and woke up scared after getting shot and falling face first into a mud puddle while wearing an army uniform. Nothing in the dream said Vietnam, I just knew that's what war it was. I've also experienced a strong nostalgic feeling for music from that period.

videos like this always interest me. I can't say they are proof or debunk them, but it keeps me thinking.

I'm not going to cite bible verses or attempt to wax prophetic here. I'm just going to say what I think and leave it at that because honestly, there is no point in arguing something we cannot possibly prove. We'll all find out the truth one day but for now, whatever we believe is simply speculation...or blind faith, whichever you choose to call it.

I do believe in reincarnation. I believe we live many lives, in order to learn the lessons we need to achieve whatever spiritual growth is required of us. Have you ever been to a place for the first time, only to feel as though you "know" it? Like you've been there many times? Or you find yourself in a completely new situation only to feel a startling familiarity? I think those may be fragments of memory left from lives we have already lived. I feel like they're nagging little hints, telling us "hey, you've done this before. It's time to make the right decision."

I can't prove it, and I'm the first to admit I could be way off base, but it's what I feel deep down inside.

reply to post by mahatche


As a side note...wow. That first video gave me goosebumps.

- I believe in an afterlife and a spirit world. I've had personal experiences that verify this.

- I believe reincarnation can happen and probably does. Why ....
1 - God can do anything He wants and isn't confined to the beliefs of any human religion.
2 - My own recurring dreams as a child of being a kid killed in London during the blitz.
3 - What others have remembered of past lives and then confirmed in research.