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

I beleive in Afterlife and Karma. Beause our soul is a form of energy and can not be destroyed. I give an example. There was a saint who lived 300 years ago in Southern part of India. His Name was 'Raghavendra', A divine Saint. Not going into his details much.Sri Raghavendra Swami attained Jeeva samadhi in 1671.

in 1800, nearly after 2 Centuries when India was under British rule,Sir Thomas Munroe was the Collector of Bellary. When he went to the Samathi of Sri Raghavendra Swami to procure the Land and income of the Mutt, Sri Raghavendra Swami appeared infornt of him and spoke with him and offered him prasad. Sir Thomas Munroe registered this event in Madras Government Gazette immediately.

Incidence in Mantralaya (Andhra Pradesh) Mantralaya village in Andhra Pradesh is a place where `Brindavana' of famous `Dvaita' saint `Raghavendra Swami' is located. When Sir Thomas Munroe was the Collector of Bellary in 1800, the Madras Government ordered him to procure the entire income from the Math and Manthralaya village. When the Revenue officials were unable to comply with this order, Sir Thomas Munroe visited the Math for investigation. He removed his hat and shoes and entered the sacred precincts. Sri Raghavendraswamy emerged from the Brindavan and conversed with him for sometime, about the resumption of endowment. The Saint was visible and audible only to Munroe who received Manthraksha (god's blessing). The Collector went back and wrote an order in favour of the Math and the village. This notification was published in the Madras Government Gazette in Chapter XI and page 213, with the caption ``Manchali Adoni Taluka. This order is still preserved in Fort St. George and Manthralayam.

Wiki Source

But I don't beleive in Hell as other different world where we will get punished for our sins commited on Earth. I beleive Earth is the Hell as the cursed soul or sinful soul takes birth on earth to get rid of our sins. If there is hell and we get punished for our sins we commit then think about this.. Once we come out of hell after the punishment is over there is no bad karma.where soul will go.. It will merge with Ultimate.i.e. Enlightement or Mukthi.

That is what my take on After life.. So no need to jump on me.. Please don't jump on me if it is different from other's.

Time is an illusion which we use to organise our experience of our dense physical state.

There is only one spark of concious existence and it fragments itself in order to have experience and so learn about itself.

Everything (including you) is just part of that spark.

When you accept that time is an illusion you realise that a 'past life' is not in the past. It is another fragment of the gigantic 'us' which you have become aware of.

After physical death, the fragment of the spark that is 'you' may choose to have more physical experience, and may inhabit any physical matter you/it chooses. This experience can be in, what we name as, past present or future - they are all the same - there is only now.

I was shown this when a lucid dream was interrupted. I 'saw' the spark in limitless emptyness and knew it was 'me and everything else'.

Originally posted by chelle21689
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.

Some people use the phrase "soul groups". We come here with a soul group who is "family" and or close friends.

Each of us having a purpose for the other.

For example.... my son is 15 and I know he is an old soul. How do i know this? He is a deep thinker, learns quickly, is a good kid with a great personality, he believes he once lived in Egypt. His fascination with the Egyptians makes me think he may very well have been here before.

When we begin a new life in the body on Earth we have a "veil" over us. Only time we are able to remember is when we tap into the subconscious. Dreaming can show us our past fears and loves. We may wake up and take note that our dream was filled with a lot of people we do not know. Our soul knows them though.

Some people come back with a lot of memory from their past life and their experience is told either in a book, on a show, or they tell people who may or may not think they are insane. lol

Psychics are more aware and I believe have lived many times as well.

Originally posted by MamaJ


For example.... my son is 15 and I know he is an old soul. How do i know this? He is a deep thinker, learns quickly, is a good kid with a great personality, he believes he once lived in Egypt. His fascination with the Egyptians makes me think he may very well have been here before.

Anybody can be an old-soul, the key-term here is spiritually developed. The person that really stands out is someone who is like benedict the moor. Able to be compassionate, forgive trespasses, exhibits patience, displays other virtues, and has an aura of humility. If your son exhibits all those qualities then he truly is an old-soul and a far better person than me and the vast majority of people here who are either pretentious or delusional.

Ultra-high standards, but imo truly special people are usually people who do not consider themselves special in anyway.

Originally posted by redrezo

Originally posted by MamaJ


For example.... my son is 15 and I know he is an old soul. How do i know this? He is a deep thinker, learns quickly, is a good kid with a great personality, he believes he once lived in Egypt. His fascination with the Egyptians makes me think he may very well have been here before.

Anybody can be an old-soul, the key-term here is spiritually developed. The person that really stands out is someone who is like benedict the moor. Able to be compassionate, forgive trespasses, exhibits patience, displays other virtues, and has an aura of humility. If your son exhibits all those qualities then he truly is an old-soul and a far better person than me and the vast majority of people here who are either pretentious or delusional.

Ultra-high standards, but imo truly special people are usually people who do not consider themselves special in anyway.

edit on 1-10-2012 by redrezo because: (no reason given)

You can call an old soul whatever you like and you can believe how ever you would like to believe.

I call it like I see it.... my son is indeed an old soul.

reply to post by MamaJ


I feel like an old soul, but I have a baby face and my ideas are radical, and since I think in "impressions" (what I call concepts without names) I have a difficult time vocalizing my thoughts a lot of the time, so no one takes me seriously. It makes for a lonely existence.

Personally, I KNOW reincarnation is real. I've had several spontaneous past-life recalls, one of them confirmed by another person who was in that past life with me. I think I've told the story before somewhere on ATS, but here it goes:

Once in Germany, I went to a "Native American Camp" (with teachings, sweat lodge, etc.). The guy who ran it was the chief of the Crow Indians, one of those tall, silent types. One morning at breakfast he sat down with me -- which was unusual, because aside from the teachings, he was not chatty at all -- took one of my hands, looked at it and said he felt I had a lot of power but that I would kind of keep a lid on it. Then he held his palm over mine for a few minutes and then just walked away.

Didn't know what that was all about, but a few hours later, I suddenly got my period though I wasn't due. That night, the campers were all sitting around a fire, talking. Next to me was A., a woman that I'd only known from a New Age Internet chat room before. While everyone was chatting, I just stared at the fire and kinda spaced out... and all of a sudden got hit with such an intense vision that it almost blew me away.

I saw myself as a baby in Victorian England. I was the child of rich people who, as was common in those days, didn't really take care of me themselves but pretty much left my care to a nanny. I saw myself lying in a plush cradle, all in white, but at the same time I also was in the baby's body, looking OUT of the cradle. A smiling nanny in a black dress, white apron and a white, ruffled cap bent over me. I just felt so much love for her, like she was my whole world... and it was the woman sitting next to me at the campfire, A.!!!

I snapped out of the vision and said to A.: "Wow... I just had a past-life memory of me as a baby... and you were in there too!"

She closed her eyes for a moment, smiled, and said, "Yeah, didn't I look ridiculous with that ruffled cap?"

I was totally floored. Within minutes, I got sucked back into the vision. This time, I saw myself in the cradle and all of a sudden, a big shadowy thing descended over me and blocked my vision. I couldn't breathe anymore. Then I saw the view from "outside" and saw that the nanny (A.) was smothering me with a big fluffy pillow.

When I snapped out of it again, I was livid. I said to A. (I guess in a pretty accusatory tone): "I just saw how I died. Can you tell me something about that?"

She closed her eyes again and said, matter-of-factly, "You suffocated."

I said, "Yes, and YOU killed me!!" (Wanted to add, "You bitch," but didn't.) She didn't bother to reply to that one.

I was in complete emotional turmoil, so I decided to go to my tent. When I finally fell asleep, I dreamed more details and saw that my (baby) skin had a bluish tint to it and that I wasn't well. The written word "typhus" appeared, and I understood that I'd been near death and was suffering and that what the nanny did had been a mercy killing.

After that day, I had numerous spontaneous past-life memories, two of them as witches. Later on, I recalled more memories from those times as well.

I also did one past-life regression to find out where the current troubles with a guy I knew came from. I found out that at one time, I'd been a young woman in the court of some nobleman, and the guy had been the court jester. He'd had a crush on me then, but I snubbed him, openly making fun of him in front of everyone. After that, he just hated my guts.

When my husband and I got together, there was one incident where we deeply looked into each others' eyes and KNEW without a doubt that we'd been together before. He knew it too, even though he doesn't believe in all this "woo-woo" stuff I believe in. I then remembered that we were brother and sister in Egypt once.

So, do I have incontrovertible proof? Of course not. But I'm totally convinced reincarnation is real. I'd say cases like Bridey Murphy and others, where people actually dug up the facts of those past lives through church records etc., are very convincing. There are also numerous cases of children who claimed to have been an Air Force pilot and such, and their claims and the details they gave were confirmed. So there's no doubt for me.

reply to post by sylvie


You are just one of innumerable examples that these things exist. Here's my theory, borrowed from the Ra Material because it makes a strange kind of sense:

When you die, you reincarnate. The amount of time that passes between death and reincarnation may vary, but it's indeterminable because time doesn't exist in that Limbo state. That is the time when your soul energy is reunited, more or less, with the energy of the cosmos. During that time, if you are "aware" enough, you can pick and choose what things you want to remember from your previous life. These are the things you take with you to the next life. If, however, you are not "aware", then you are wiped clean - unless, somehow, you become more conscious during the next life and earn the right to unlock those memories. 'Wiped clean' is the wrong phrase, I think...perhaps 'locked' would be better. Unless you have the right key, you cannot access those past-life memories.

Another theory, which comes from the same source on a different but related topic, is what's called a "Wanderer": a soul from a higher density/dimension/plane of existence who returns to a previous state of consciousness is order to teach the lifeforms there, so as to expediate or assist their spiritual/intellectual evolution. Starchildren are wanderers, and certain theorists speculate that Jesus was one too. Ra also confirms this, saying that he accidentally killed a playmate due to being so powerful, and came here on a mission of contrition. Since he came from the 4th density, or the Density of Compassion, it's no surprise that all of his philosophies revolve around - you guessed it: love. Again, this is theory; but that doesn't mean it can't be pondered, for whatever jewels you can pry from its grip.

These memories can be (read: possibly, not certainly) attributed to either of these theories, or any of many other such theories. I just figured I'd toss these onto the table; take them for what you will. At the VERY least, they are interesting and make for awesome thought-food.


Sylvie, thank you very much for sharing your story. I love hearing about these kinds of thing; at the very least, they make for an apt break from the mundane reality of "acceptable" science, and at the very most, they reveal a reality that is so much more mysterious and beautiful than the hell we've brought upon ourselves. It's Harry Potter in real life.

As most people do, I have contemplated these questions for decades. I have dabbled in Christianity, and feel like, as with most religions, it holds some internal truths. But, the message of hope was badly distorted by human beings.

I currently maintain some Buddhist beliefs, about the spirit and afterlife, although I do not practice that faith. I feel like that we are all connected as spiritual beings. Our real mission here is to learn lessons, and develop our soul for the afterlife. I believe that this likely takes many, many lifetimes. I believe that once sufficiently learned, a soul can progress to join with the greater Creation.

I can prove none of this, it is just want I personally believe, after a lot of study and reflection. Note that is the best anyone can give, their opinion. No one here knows. It is the greatest mystery of life and death.

reply to post by Jchristopher5


It's actually a very good thing we don't have any clear, absolute answers beyond the fact that we will all eventually die. If we had those answers, I can guarantee that someone would lead the movement in perverting whatever laws govern those truths so as to make us inhuman demonic beings of ungodly power. Why? Because it would make life so much more interesting to be able to f*** with everything at a whim with impunity.

That's the kind of people we breed in this world, and we're too afraid of ourselves to see it.

There's parts of reincarnation that makes sense and some that do not.

I can't help but think that people who say we reincarnate as "soul groups" is just wishful thinking. What makes you think we all reincarnate with the ones we love? I mean, it seems impossible because say my great great grandma is waiting for my great grandma, my great grandma is waiting for my grandma, and so on. Even when reincarnating at different times I just don't believe that could happen. If anything we all just reincarnate and not remember those we love and don't even have a relationship with them again. I mean it's possible but not likely in my opinion.

reply to post by chelle21689

If reincarnation is true, how do we have population growth?

reply to post by chelle21689
Here is a crash course on how our lives really go:



So, believe what you like, it will change nothing.

I will also tell you the earth will not end this coming December but again, believe what floats your boat.

Here is some more:

I actually believe in the Buddhist view of rebirth, which is actually different than reincarnation. In Buddhism there is no transmigrating soul, what you perceive to be "You" does not exist as a soul. you can be reborn in lower and higher realms. What is reborn is simply the tendencies of your former life driven by Karma until Enlightenment is reached in which "you" break free of the cycle of rebirth. It is a far more dificult concept to grasp than reincarnation, so my quick description hardly does it justice. But Buddha was very acurate in his description of consciousness and how it works, and how it provided the illusion of a self or soul. Either way for the OP some food for thought.

reply to post by kaiel


That's it though, after you break the cycle of re-birth what does your soul do for eternity? lol It's a hard concept for me to understand.

reply to post by 00018GE


Can't speak for Reincarnation but in the Buddhist view, people are not always reborn as people, you can be reborn into a lower realm e.g. hungry ghost, animal or higher ones Deva realms. Those entities in the animal realm will burn up their bad Karma and may have the opportunity to be human. Also the universe itself is cyclic, it will fizzle out and be reborn, oddly enough this coincides with some of the latest string/brane theories out there.

Not saying to take this as truth, but just showing the belief system does indeed account for human population growth, so next time you step on an ant, you might of just helped it along to becooming a human :-)

reply to post by MajorKarma


I don't want to waste my time on a video that takes up 20 minutes - oh, pardon me, 11 minutes - to tell me nothing I care to hear. Give me some form of text that I can skim to decide if I want to read in depth, please. Is there a summary? Anything?

Screw it. I'll give it a go.

Edit: is this just a theory? Because it sounds like a bunch of scrambled ideologies to me. Backed by science, yeah, but so are all the other theories.

reply to post by kaiel


That's not exactly the karma I'm familiar with. The karma I know is more of an electrical current that pervades all of the metaphysical world, affected by every grain of thought that ever existed and every will exist. Just like a pebble in the stream, our thoughts affect the movement of that energy and bring either positive or negative change. And just so, there is an opposite effect, in order to keep a balance.

There's the catch: as a species of extremes, we equate extremism with motion, and motion with purpose. Paradoxically, we often go to extremes in order to retain stagnancy, or familiarity - we try to stay in one culture, one tradition, one lifestyle. And that's what we pass down through the generations. We use the nature of the universe (motion) to resist the nature of the universe. That's why we have so much chaos today, because we're using gasoline to douse the fire, and we're getting violent because we're realizing that something's not right but we don't want to know the truth. Meanwhile, the truth's symptoms keeps burning us, making us ever more frantic.

All of this can be seen in the energy today, or the karma, as our collective intent continues to build on that paradoxical premise resulting in our frustrations and our frustrations influence the karmic cycle which in turn intereferes with our premise which provokes further fury on our part because we're so f***ing stubborn, we don't know when to shut up and listen. Part of this is due to our material mastery, which renders us the equivalent of a 16 year old who thinks he/she knows everything, can do anything with his/her body, and no one has the right to tell him/her what to do. We're afraid of defeat, because defeat entails the ending of familiarity, which we're terrified to part with because we're not sure what benefits we'll get in return (we like comfort, remember - we've become addicted to stuff that makes us happy, service to self) and on top of that, we're spiritually misguided. We think we don't have to do anything, which is awesome because we don't want responsibility for that fire we keep trying to douse. We don't want responsibility for figuring out the problem and the solution.

That is MY crash course to our current situation and how we got there. The Human Enigma For Dummies, if you will.

Hello chelle, nice to meet you!

In my personal opinion and belief...

I believe in reincarnation, but I think the correct term for most of us is 'return', to 'reincarnate' is an option to beings that have reached a certain spiritual level and comprehension.

Originally posted by chelle21689
Well, I read up on reincarnation and hear that we go through many life times (if we choose) until you reach enlightenment.

After death I believe we are measured, weighed and counted;

Our 'spiritual level' or comprehension is measured.

Our karma or 'debts' are weighed, our good deeds and bad are wieghed against each other.

Our number of lifetimes on this physical earth are counted, they are not infinite.

After this has been done, it is decided whether or not we are given the choice to return, if we have a choice at that point..

Originally posted by chelle21689
BUT after you've reached enlightenment then where do you go? Do you forget all the ones you love in the past?

After a certain level of 'enlightenment' has been reached, you are given the choice to remain in a certain level of 'heaven' or 'return' to help humanity. This return into a physical body can be dangerous for your spritual advancement as you will be surrounded by all the temptations and human pleasures you have worked so hard to deny in the first place. You could just as easily 'fall' in this new phyiscal life as you could 'ascend'.

If you can still advance spiritually and help humanity while in this new physical form, you will after death reach a 'higher level of Heaven' and being. You will be given the same choice again and may have earned the right to choose where you will reincarnate and to whom and into what physical form.

It would take a lot of work and practice spiritually to remember your past lives and the people you knew, most people can't even remember their dreams the night before, let alone their previous lives! However, with certain practices and hard work these things can be remembered.

Originally posted by chelle21689
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?

After reaching a certain level, I believe you can choose where and when you will reincarnate physically, the physical unverse is a big place!

Originally posted by chelle21689
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.

I beleive that the law of return is connected to many other laws, including karma. I also believe that many of the 'people' you knew in one life you will meet upon your return in the next.

Originally posted by chelle21689
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.

Time is different in the physical world than it is in the 'other worlds'.

You may not return to the physical worlds for a hundred earth years, but it may only seem like a blink of an eye for you in 'rest'. During this time that you are waiting to return, you may be shown things that relate to your level of being or the reason you are returning. You may be granted the gift of experiencing a certain level of 'Heaven' or 'Hell'. Or maybe shown some of the mistakes you have made regarding your spiritual advancement.

Eternity is not forever, there 'seven enternities' spoken of in the Bible. Although I think an enternity is still a very long time!

As I have already mentioned, the above is my own personal belief and understanding.

I have always believed in reincarnation or return, how else do we explain the child prodigees, being able to right a master piece of music at 3 years old etc!
Maybe these people have been granted the gift of remembering their previous life and the things they learned in it for a certain reason?

Gnobody