Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.
Buddhist practice and reincarnation
As a health professional, I have been trained to follow evidence based information. Is there any definitive proof that reincarnation exists, or is it a matter of faith?
0
Comments
was by Prof Ian Stevenson.
This from the famous Kalama Sutta -
"Now, Kalamas, one who is a disciple of the noble ones — his mind thus free from hostility, free from ill will, undefiled, & pure — acquires four assurances in the here-&-now:
"'If there is a world after death, if there is the fruit of actions rightly & wrongly done, then this is the basis by which, with the break-up of the body, after death, I will reappear in a good destination, the heavenly world.' This is the first assurance he acquires.
"'But if there is no world after death, if there is no fruit of actions rightly & wrongly done, then here in the present life I look after myself with ease — free from hostility, free from ill will, free from trouble.' This is the second assurance he acquires.
But for me, it is an interesting thing to ponder and consider, but it is not a major part of my life. It might exist, it might not. Heaven might exist, it might not. Summerland might exist, it might not. What happens after I die is of little concern to me compared to what I do with my life right now.
All the best.
Here is an interesting presentation of death: http://www.meditationsociety.com/week7.html
Note: K belongs to different race than mine so K can't bear any resemblance to anybody in my clan.
Anyway, I dismissed this feeling as weird and moved on. During that year I happened to bump into K a few times and we went out to have a coffee. Four years later, we got married and we will celebrate our 25 years of marriage soon.
Sometimes I wonder: Have we already met in our previous life?
He has no experience of any of these things. He doesn't even know people live on the streets sometimes, as he's never seen homelessness at this point in his life. He lives in an area of the world where we have winter 6-7 months a year, he shouldn't be aware of places where it is always hot. There's no reason he should have made those comments.
When he was about the same age, my now teenage son had similar comments, including one about how he fell and hit his head and died, with much detail.
Apparently though none of the people reporting NDE's were in a position to possibly report on seeing the images placed on top of the ER equipment. OBE's are about 1 in a 1000 so its not easy to get a sample subject, realistically it will probably take another decade or so of similar studies to get a scientific result of whether people having OBE's at death can see images on top of the equipment or not.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.055.than.html
Samajivina Sutta: Living in Tune
translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
© 1997–2013
Once the Blessed One was staying among the Bhaggas in the Deer Park at Bhesakala Grove, near Crocodile Haunt. Then early in the morning the Blessed One put on his robes and, carrying his bowl and outer robe, went to the home of the householder, Nakula's father. On arrival, he sat down on a seat made ready. Then Nakula's father & Nakula's mother went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As they were sitting there, Nakula's father said to the Blessed One: "Lord, ever since Nakula's mother as a young girl was brought to me [to be my wife] when I was just a young boy, I am not conscious of being unfaithful to her even in mind, much less in body. We want to see one another not only in the present life but also in the life to come."
And Nakula's mother said to the Blessed One: "Lord, ever since I as a young girl was brought to Nakula's father [to be his wife] when he was just a young boy, I am not conscious of being unfaithful to him even in mind, much less in body. We want to see one another not only in the present life but also in the life to come."
[The Blessed One said:] "If both husband & wife want to see one another not only in the present life but also in the life to come, they should be in tune [with each other] in conviction, in tune in virtue, in tune in generosity, and in tune in discernment. Then they will see one another not only in the present life but also in the life to come."
Husband & wife, both of them
having conviction,
being responsive,
being restrained,
living by the Dhamma,
addressing each other
with loving words:
they benefit in manifold ways.
To them comes bliss.
Their enemies are dejected
when both are in tune in virtue.
Having followed the Dhamma here in this world,
both in tune in precepts & practices,
they delight in the world of the devas,
enjoying the pleasures they desire.
(if you like the fountain, check out "what dreams may come".. even though it's a bout heaven there is also couples reincarnating to live life again etc)
what is it the buddha said.. " greater then all the water in the great oceans, are the tears you have shed for loved ones on your endless journey through Samsara".
personally I'm with the Buddha, there must be a way out of that cycle, and I intend to find it like he did. Hopefully I can help others along the way, maybe even my deceased wife in her next life(the greatest gift is dhamma!), who knows.
Jimmi Hendrix also said it pretty good - " there must be some kinda way out of here.. said the joker to the thief.. too much confusion, I can't get no relief"