Do you believe in reincarnation?

[George-ananda]

You know, I was thinking about the growth of population in the context of reincarnation. If we reincarnate for millions of years....like since the beginning of the world where there were a few thousand of people...who create the new souls?

Good question. I think there are a near infinite number of souls and only the tiniest sliver are human. The rest exist in the places and dimensions of the universe unseen. New souls enter and leave the human system all the time. More humans means more soul opportunities to experience humanity.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I'm open-minded about it, but rather hope it's not true.

 

[George-ananda]

Reincarnation, as I understand it, implies a permanent soul which transmigrates from body to body after physical death. I have no knowledge of this.

In Advaita thought the soul is not permanent but exists until Nirvana/Moksha.

Rebirth, on the other hand, is the ongoing process of birth-life-death that we can observe at every moment of our lives and beyond. E.g. My 7-year old self lived, and died, in order to produce my 30-year old self, for example. Both my physical/mental/spiritual "self" at 30-years and at 7-years are neither different nor are they the same. One was reborn from the other as a continuous flux. And so cycle continues through our physical lives, and onwards.

But how does it continue onwards after physical death in your view?

 

[buddhist]

In Advaita thought the soul is not permanent but exists until Nirvana/Moksha.

As I interpret it, there is a "soul" in early Buddhism, but it is not permanent. The four khandas (excluding the body-rupa khanda) is essentially the "soul". The reason some within early Buddhism might say "not soul" is because of the implication of the word "soul", which has the context of permanence in many other religions. However, with the knowledge that it is ever-changing within samsara, I have no problem calling the four khandas as collectively the "soul" or "spirit".

But how does it continue onwards after physical death in your view?

IMO the energy of craving and attachment which sustains the physical body for as long as possible, also sustains the other khandas which remain unseen by the natural eyes after physical death. That energy, if it is still attached to the physical body, will often find itself reattaching to another body during rebirth. Or, if physical existence has lost its appeal, but it's still attached to mental things, it might find itself attaching to a mental body as a deva. Etc.

 

[George-ananda]

As I interpret it, there is a "soul" in early Buddhism, but it is not permanent. The four khandas (excluding the body-rupa khanda) is essentially the "soul". The reason some within early Buddhism might say "not soul" is because of the implication of the word "soul", which has the context of permanence in many other religions. However, with the knowledge that it is ever-changing within samsara, I have no problem calling the four khandas as collectively the "soul" or "spirit".


IMO the energy of craving and attachment which sustains the physical body for as long as possible, also sustains the other khandas which remain unseen by the natural eyes after physical death. That energy, if it is still attached to the physical body, will often find itself reattaching to another body during rebirth. Or, if physical existence has lost its appeal, but it's still attached to mental things, it might find itself attaching to a mental body as a deva. Etc.

Thanks for the explanation. Actually, I can see how this can be compatible then with my Advaita beliefs.

 

[Smart_Guy]

Nope, I don't believe in it. My soul is my own, and no one else is allowed to use it

By the way, modern Egyptians say "my soul" to those they deeply love. It is not literal, of course.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

In Advaita thought the soul is not permanent but exists until Nirvana/Moksha.

What happens to it then?

 

[Rick O'Shez]

If there is reincarnation, I don't thing it is anything like what people believe.

 

[George-ananda]

What happens to it then?

It realizes its sense of separateness was an illusion. The reality is only God/Brahman is real and 'I Am That'.

The atma/God/Brahman spark in all of us is all that is eternal.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

It realizes its sense of separateness was an illusion. The reality is only God/Brahman is real and 'I Am That'. The atma/God/Brahman spark in all of us is all that is eternal.

So what happens after death, once Moksha has been realised?

 

[George-ananda]

So what happens after death, once Moksha has been realised?

I think it is very, very rare to attain full Moksha while in a physical body but in such a case the entity will experience as paramatma/God/Brahman (no longer sensing as a separate individual as that illusion is gone). He may discard his physical vehicles and experience as God/Brahman or may even retain a subtlest body for the purpose of reincarnating denser matter not for the purpose of growth but to teach and assist the unliberated.

 

[Wirey]

Do you believe that people incarnate on Earth multiple times? Do you remember your past lives?
Do you know anyone who remembers?

Do you think that human soul can incarnate only into human bodies or to plants and animals as well? Why?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts

Didn't you ask me that when I was Caesar and you were Cleopatra?

BTW, how you doin' now?

 

[Vinayaka]

What happens to it then?

Water into water, but not a distinct drop.

 

[Vinayaka]

Didn't you ask me that when I was Caesar and you were Cleopatra?

BTW, how you doin' now?

Why assume a gender? Maybe you were Cleo.

 

[Wirey]

Why assume a gender? Maybe you were Cleo.

If so, I bet I was pretty trampy. How you... oh, wait, maybe next incarnation.

 

[Vinayaka]

If so, I bet I was pretty trampy.

Apparently, yes.
Not much has changed in 2000 years.

 

[Tabu]

Do you believe that people incarnate on Earth multiple times? Do you remember your past lives?
Do you know anyone who remembers?

Do you think that human soul can incarnate only into human bodies or to plants and animals as well? Why?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts

Yes, according to my current beliefs souls play many parts in the drama of life ,some many , some few. Like a tree , spreads out.
No , one cannot remember ones past lives because memories are stored in the brain , but one can have visions which may be true.
Human souls can incarnate only into human bodies .

 

[Whiterain]

Yes... yes... I've re-incarnated a psychotic amount of times, so bad the psychological damage is even catastrophic to my eternal soul. I've given up the structured acetic life in pursuit of games of death and foolishness relying on nothing but my underlying gnosis. jk However, gnosis has tantalized me to my core on numerous occasions, I tend to just know stuff... It puzzles peeps. Like when you have a hunch someone is deceiving you, you deliver the accusations, they deny you, insult your intelligence, later confess to their lies. lol

It is single handedly the ultimate conundrum in religion talk. I broke it down into binary reproduction, as in you are a nearly 1:1 copy of an ancestor and composite of your parents. For instance, in all of my memoirs I am me and generally look the same, except with black or brown or blonde hair with very small varying facial features. I'm not flattering my ego, believe me, just the nature of my delusional escapes.

The soul is ultimately the quagmire in it... Perhaps the Lord gave us a thorough almanac on how the universe works...

They say the soul inherits the body later... Yet in all of my visions I am me, not a frog or jaguar or a Hindu Siddhartha.

In Judea a person can create a soul... The Tetragrammaton said all that... In some understands of mine the soul is not entirely you in sentient energy, it is like a composite energy of yourself... like data...The rest is in the physical brain...

Try having a Space wife... Like your "Soul Mate" in Heaven trying to tell you to go find some strange trollep like you had been dog... Life is hard and stuff..


So I don't know... God also may absorb souls and dispatch them at his will... Like I die, I am re-absorbed by... "The God Head" or Tor and later born again to do something legendary... This life isn't legendary... the life is dook... I'm a gypsy... I'll destroy you all. jk

Tor has a plan...

 

[Nietzsche]

I really ****ing hope not.

 

[Whiterain]

I really ****ing hope not.

I'm talking about gold haired folk being extinct. What do you do...

How do we make the Gold Haired man sexy again?

Born again a gold haired child... The human race is become a parody of its own myths.

This all sickens me to my core and sympathy got us here.