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Do you believe in Reincarnation?
Posted by footiam • 1/11/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: rebirth, reincarnation
What would you be then if you reincarnate? And now that we are on this subject, is reincarnation the same as rebirth? check out my post on reincarnation or rebirth? at dhammadelights.blogspot.com/2008/01/reincarnation-or-rebirth.html
and enlighten me if possible.
User Comments
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there was a discussion about this before.... hmmmm -
Oh, yes, I just realized. From the related discussions here.I should have ask is there any difference between rebirth and reincarnation!
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nope i dont !-
There is no reason to, is there?
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Yes, this topic gets ... reincarnated frequently.
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I don't know if there is a difference between rebirth and reincarnation; possibly that rebirth is of your same self and reincarnation could be of something different. Regardless, I'd like to come back as another human, preferably with blonde hair, green eyes and no propensity for spider veins.-
Maybe, with lots of dough too. What's the good of good looks if you have no food to eat!
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i`m currently reading a book about reincarnation pretty interesting -
So, what do you think about it?
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what have you read ?
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If you want to see a different spin on reincarnation, read.
gorric.wordpress.com/the-prophecies-of-gorric-part-1/ -
Absolutely. As a glorified child of God, but not as another creature. That would be kind of like evolution of one distinct species to another. -
BSD Im getting the sense you are simply here to inflame the community. Your blogs arent about faith and G_d but snakes and money. You however continue to bring up religion no matter what you are commenting on. Your intention is quite obvious yet your response will always be that others are attacking you.-
What does what my blogs are have to do with a discussion forum? Second question have you actually looked at my blogs? One you're correct about it is all about snakes, the other one isn't about money it's actually about many things and one of them just happens to be about Christianity.
As far as why I bring up religion it's because a Christian doesn't separate their faith from who they are. It is the thing that makes them who they are. As for my intention it's to answer the question. The question in this case was do you believe in reincarnation. The answer is yes. I just don't see a need to confuse the issue by not clarifying what kind of reincarnation I believe in.
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bsd... your comments are preaching. If you want to preach start a group.
You have managed to keep your Christianity out of your snake blog.
The fact is your your other blog is about money. This is how you describe it:
" A number of different themes are explored within this blog ranging from "how to make money online", to revie…"
So what does the bible say about lying?-
You said "about money". I take that to mean you think it is exclusively "about money" and nothing could be further from the truth. Fact is I rarely discuss anything about making money. Granted sometimes I do, but it's pretty rare. I used to, but then I realized how everyone else does it so what's the point.
Seriously go read the blog itself and don't rely on the description in BC to gage what it is about. That was written a long time ago and I've never bothered to update it.
I do keep Christianity out of the snake blog because I haven't written the post about "Snakes through the Bible" which is actually something I'm working on. I keep Christianity out of threads and topics that have nothing to do with themes of Christianity, but reincarnation is at the very heart of the faith. You honestly don't get much more of a Christian theme than reincarnation. Do you?
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I don't think I can say I "believe" in reincarnation, but I'm certainly open to the possibility. It wasn't part of the beliefs I was immersed in growing up, but I do find it intriguing. -
I do believe in reincarnation...atleast to some extent! I am not too eager to find out though! -
I have seen no evidence to suggest that we reincarnate or are reincarnated. So no, I do not believe in reincarnation.-
Some people claim to have live before. Some people speak strange languages that they claim they learn in another life. Is that proof enough?
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No. What people "claim" is not proof enough.
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@ footiam: People "claiming" to have lived before is not "proof", just as me claiming that dolphin-men from the Orion nebula visit me every night is not "proof" of the purported visitations. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence to be proven correct.
One can "believe" in such a concept and point to observations of nature and the universe as grounds for their belief, or to religious teachings they subscribe to, but matters of faith are seldom things that can be tangibly proven.
I'm reminded here of the purported "past lives" and "proof of reincarnation" that supposedly came out of hypnotic therapy and was documented on the famous "Bloxham tapes." The trouble was that many of the "facts" were wrong, and those that were correct were not as "unknown" as the authors had claimed and were indeed available for one to have read or researched. Many argued that the lives recounted were retellings of books, plays, and radio programs. It's not to say that the people involved intended to conduct a hoax, but rather that the way memory is recalled in the brain is not fully understood, and "factual" evidence uncovered through hypnosis should be approached with a good deal of skepticism. -
kdawg68, for once we agree.
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We actually agree on a lot of things, and I've owed you an apology for getting out of hand in that ridiculous "dinosaur" thread for some time. If you'll accept- I offer my deepest apologies for getting emotional that day.
Most of what you say I find very interesting, and we seem to also have a similar taste in women. -
I accept and I appreciate your apology. Thank you
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Well thank you, sir! It had actually been gnawing at my conscious for the last few days. The only reason I didn't say so earlier was because I vowed to stay out of that thread and was trying to keep my word....which is a rather poor excuse now that I think of it. Thanks for accepting.
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me too! it's just an old kid story, I guess -
Oh please let me get through this lifetime first the thought of another hundred makes me tired just thinking about it-
Live well now! Why bother about the others.
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I believe totally in reincarnation as a few weeks ago I was hypnotically regressed you can read about here
newsdirect-aningeniousname.blogspot.com/2007/12/play-mesmer-for-me.html-
LOL - that was so not what I was expecting to read!
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Kdawg68, mm...mm. claims are just claims...right... It's the same thing that some people claim to have travel down the tunnel towards the light, experience death, that is and come back. Some people claim to have met God, angels etc...etc..and told to do God's work like building a boat etc.. They are as you say, claims and not proof.
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Yes - we have no proof for the things you mention. Individuals have claimed they happen, but we cannot prove their existence. Their is a difference between faith and proof. Faith requires belief. Proof requires evidence.
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I do believe in reincarnation. Although I do not subscribe to the notion that people are reincarnated into animals or tress/plants etc...
I also do not believe, although I still revere, the Samsura. To me, it is a physical representation to help explain the lessons we need to learn in life. It is allegorical, and useful, but not meant to be taken literally!-
We do not exactly come back as animals; we use them to check out what is going on in the Earthly plain, like a kind of reconnaissance, we use their senses to help us decide, if we want to come back yet.
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Ah, see perhaps my eclectic collection of religious beliefs have colored my opinion about this, but I do not believe we have a choice as to when or if, we come back. So using an animal or animal form to do this doesn't make any sense to me. Not sayin' your wrong, only that I see things differently.
I do however, believe that animals can serve or hold the position of spiritual guide. My personal totem is a bear. (But not a red panda! Why? because I'm not that cute!!!) -
more evidence about us.....my spritual guide animal has always been the wolf. Do you have any Native American blood in you by chance? My mother has a fairly strong Cherokee influence and is convinced that is where my "visions" (really more like nightmares as a child) of wolves came from.
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I really don't know Kdawg...I might. I'm a bit of a mutt. Although I wonder if the basic root of humanity or the human experience is something that calls us back to nature, in a very pagan style, and lends itself to the spiritual coupling of human and animal?
What I mean to say is that it may have less to do with genealogy, and more to do with "Humanology". -
I think that's a very interesting thing to ponder. The layers of our brains are often described as "reptilian" and "mamalian." Perhaps we do retain some connection?
I've always seen the wolf as a "spirit guide" for me because of their ability to have one foot in both worlds. At least, that's my interpretation of their prevalence in my subconscious thoughts. They can be gentle and cute, yet dangerous and wild. They can hunt at night or in the day. They can hunt alone or in packs. A perfect yin/yang in many ways. I've always seen that as a reflection of how I view myself. I often comment sarcastically that I am "in this world but not of this world", meaning that I try to not consider msyelf a product of the growing insanity around us (or at least the seeming insanity, or the suggestion of growing insanity).
My dreams of them were quite bizarre. As a small child they would chase me and violently rip me to shreds. I was probably 4 or 5 years old when the dreams got very graphic. I could feel their teeth sinking into me. I could feel my limbs being torn apart. Finally in one dream, while I was running from them in a fruitless attempt to escape, I turned to them and commandingly said "no more!" Suddenly they were at my side, whining and whimpering for affection. I distinctly remember a suggestion that I was "king of the wolves."
I've grown to see that as a conquering of fears, which is very impressive for a 4 year old to have done. Wolves have reappeared in many of my dreams since then - usually at a distance or just out of site and suggesting that I follow them even if it looks dangerous.
Of course, I named my son "Randall" (Randy) for wholly separate reasons, but imagine my surprise when I learned his named meant "wolf shield." Pretty cool, huh? -
Woah woah woah Kdawg - no shiznit....I did the SAME THING in MY DREAMS as a CHILD!!!!!
We have got to stop this!
I never did dream about bears though - I would and still do have horrific types of dreams, and it has been the bear that was my protection. I did eventually manage to gain control over my dreams - as you did - but for some reason, its me and my bear to conquer the world!
It started a strange need to collect teddy bears, as a side effect LOL. -
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If you were to believe in such a thing, a more important question is "who is it that incarnates?"-
Actually thats a great question. I really love the ancient Mayan perspective on the Gods and reincarnation, because it includes the birth of "new souls" dropped like pearls among the Earth, waiting to be conceived...
Although I would say that most folks who believe in reincarnation have some sort of belief in God or Gods, and probably a belief in spiritual energy unto itself (not a God, but still a guiding force).
I personally believe in both, and feel that they work in tandem. -
uh huh, can i keep digging?
What is this soul thing that people talk of? -
Soul? Soul? We don't need no stinkin' souls!
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you mentioned it not me
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I just enjoy teasing pandas. And, I kind of thought you were teasing as well....weren't you? If not, I'd be happy to discuss it.
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No, it was a genuine question. I'm really serious about this stuff.
Many people have a view that there is a soul, it's a word that gets thrown around in spiritual groups and religions. What are it's attributes?
And who or what supposedly does this reincarnation thing?
My objection to the idea of reincarnation is based around the question above. I'm not saying there isn't ongoing something doing something, it's just it's easy to throw these words around and everyone assumes they are speaking the same language. Truth means someting different to everyone. -
Oh! I'm sorry, I thought it was all in good fun. Well, how to sum this up with out being completely long and annoying? First, I have an eclectic set of beliefs - so my theories and beliefs are a little bit different than most. I am mostly Pagan, but I also see truths in other religions, and I sort of pick them out and fit the parts that reconcile with each other. So, with that in mind....
I believe that a "soul" is a sort of life force or energy that inhibits the body. (Sort of, this is hard to explain!), and it can be transferred to other bodies, typically in the womb, after your death. The soul in question does retain some memory of former lives, but not so literally. Its more like a dream, or dejavu. I believe that lessons learned in former lives come across in emotions, or "gut feelings".
In any case, I also believe in Gods, and karma. Karma to me, is an energy source that works a bit like auto-navigation systems. It is neither good nor bad, it is not malleable or changeable, it simply is. You can affect Karma however, because of the infinite possibilities you will never really be sure of the outcome. (Say, you do something that is "good" well, ten turns down the road your decision may have ended up hurting someone you've never met and had no intention of hurting - thus Karma isn't something to "worry" about in terms of daily life). I believe in a God and Goddess, as well as a couple of other Pagan and Heathen Gods, plus "nature/elements" as its own category.
OK...where was I? With all of that in mind, It is my belief that we, as humans, inhabit this earth starting from something unknown (Its an answer I'm sure I will know at some point...but while living as a human probably wouldn't be able to comprehend)...however that we continue to inhabit it, by transferring our souls to new bodies, until we have learned all of the lessons in life that we need to learn, in which case we exit the Wheel of Life, or Samsara and then I don't know what happens. Perhaps we become muses. In the meantime, I believe that the decisions we make, which affects Karma, also determines the path we are on, which leads us to any number of possible "exit gates" - like multiple paths in a park. (This is literal, for the purpose of explanation). At which point our exit determines which "entrance gate" we will be using, in the next life. It is the "soul" that walks through these gates, not the body.
I do not believe that the Gods actually play too big a part in the reincarnation process. Their role is much more along the lines of helping to guide humans, while living, and perhaps they had something to do with creation - or like the Mayans believed, also drop "new souls" into the world.
I do believe that reincarnation helps explain the strange leaps in technological, humanitarian, or societal advances that we have seen through out history. But thats just me, and this response has become obnoxiously long! -
Rather fascinating view, Anok. While reading this I kept thinking of Edgar Cayce's claims that there was a "collective human unconscious" that we could tap into for throught inspiration, and at some level for "memories" of past events.
In my mind this fits with what I've seen. I've mentioned before that in my family we have folks that "share dreams" or otherwise might be considered "psychic." As an example of what I'm talking about, if I were to dream tonight that my mother and Grandmother were arguing at the dinner table, I'd stand a reasonable chance of hearing from one or both of them tomorrow asking if I remembered the dream. It's very strange. It's happpened about 6 times in life and each time has involved them.
I have a theory for this, but it's not well thought out. I tend to thik that each of our brains is "tuned in" to a certain frequency, almost like a radio station. Some brains are tuned to similar frequencies in my opnion, and are capable of picking up the other brain's signal. Almost like when you are betwen major cities and 102.7 goes from being a rock station to a hip-hop station.
I have a hunch that this contributes to a lof of the "deja vu" type situations we have involving other people. Single person deja-vu I've heard described as the left brain interpreting information a micro-second before the right brain processes it.
I wonder if this might be the source of any memories or collective lessons learned that we enter/exit the world with? I'm thinking back as well to that article I posted a few weeks ago that suggested the universe may be set up to be recorded by a conscious brain.
Ah, so much to ponder and so little time!
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I should have to believe little but not totally because myself have seen some people who what others say is reincarted. I have seen two such people but I myself don't know whether they are reincarted or not. -
No I do not believe on that. How do you that it exits at all?
Live Love Life - Jojo -
already replied to in a former life - lol -
No, sorry, I'm going to need more evidence. -
I never believe in reincarnation until i saw one of the ghost spirit (white silhouette) who follows my pregnant neighbor in a restaurant couple of years ago... you may not want to believe this cuz' i'm not... when i went back home i told my mom and give our pregnant neighbor a visit. The spirit is still there only this time i can see the face, little blurry actually just like the LOTR movies when Frodo Baggins wear the ring... The ghost spirit is following her everywhere she goes... my mom and i couldn't say anything to her or her family, we just pretend to borrow some special recipe for the next social gathering...
A year later my mom accidentally met a Budha Monk in one of the 'Tsunami Helping Aid for Aceh' tent, she told him about the ghost spirit and all. And the monk said it was one of the spirit that is going to reincarnate into that baby...
Believe it or not... (sigh) i still don't believe it... well, perhaps 5% -
I would say from a practical perspective that I do not believe in reincarnation. But I have had some amazing dreams that have had me wondering.-
Don't let em fool ya.
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Dreams are just dreams!
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dreams are nice but don't mean necessarily what you think.. -
I have met people in my dreams that I later came to know in real life. I have been places in my dreams that I later visited. I've had things happen in my dreams that actually happened.
I'm grateful not all my dreams come true though -
One can still live on without believing.
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Morgantj, we are fooled by some of the people some of the time. People can fooled us by providing proof!
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absolutely not, when we die it's like turn off the light for me!
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Maybe it will happen! but right now I don't believe in it.. -
Actually, given this which I found in the Bible some years back, I am left to wonder. Been a few heated discussions over it here :-O
Ecclesiastes 1 (King James Version)
9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after -
I don't believe in reincarnation. I do believe we are part of the cycle of life, our atoms become parts of other things all the time. We might even have vestigial memories in a genetic sense. That is we may have vague memories of our ancestors, but that doesn't mean it flows forward time, it goes backwards.-
Wonder if there is a term for this.
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Well, reincarnation is getting a new body, same soul. I think Christians tend to think of rebirth as being a change in the soul, keeping the same body. I definitely believe in reincarnation.
blog.peacockandpaisley.com/dream-interpretation/2008/07/29/-
I bet you believe in dreams too! Nice blog you have there!
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It's a metaphor, just like heaven, hell, and God.-
Do you believe in metaphor?
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Metaphor is a literary device. In the context of human culture, metaphors exist.
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meh... im a fence sitter, and a happy one at that
ahhh!!!
isn't ignorance bliss
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It's nice to sit on the fence. It's airy and you'd think you own the world!
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I believe our genetic material passes through many people. At some level we can relate to our past in fairly deep dreamlike way. I think it is built into us. It is very easy to have vivid dreams of our ancestors. The concept is "ancestral dreams." I think many people are delusional about this memory, they only remember being a king, a priest, a warrior, or some great figure and forget all along the line our ancestors were beggars, peasants, thieves, scoundrels and many other things in relation to the past.
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I want to come back as a honey badger. Those things are ruthless.-
It's nice to be able to come back!
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Reincarnation? Is that where the logical people die and come back as religious nutjobs??
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a yes and a no. yes if i believe in super natural, no if i'm a logical person -
no more than i believe in santa claus or the easter bunny.
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It's fun to have santa around!
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I believe that energy is constantly being redistributed. That whole neither created nor destroyed concept in science. That being the case, I believe that reincarnation is the redistribution of that energy and that I will be reincarnated/redistributed however nature sees fit.
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Your atoms will be, your ego will not.
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Atoms reincarnated; that's a great idea!
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Oh yes, I totally believe in reincarnation. The way I've lived my life I'll probably come back as a button. But that's neither here nor there. Here is my reasoning, then I'm off to read your post. How do you explain away to science or "chance" a toddler (say like Beetovhen deaf and mute!)who was born with an inexplainable gift, INexplainable. Then there's some 95 year olds that are still immature in every way. There are just certain talents that each of us were born with and personality traits that are wise beyond our years and some traits which need continuation school...(plus the books I have read just reinforced this belief in earth as the school and reincarnation as the 2ndary training if you will) Thanks for a great question... -
I do believe in reincarnation and karma. www.katinkahesselink.net/other/reinc_i.htm -
The study of individuation shows there is a substantial unity between the body and the soul. A substantial unity does not repeat itself, precisely because it is substantial.
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