What is reincarnation? Literally re-enfleshment; the return of the soul or
essence after death to inhabit a new physical form. Two-thirds of the world
follows a belief in Reincarnation. It is a foundation of belief in Hinduism,
Buddhism, ancient Egyptian religions, for the ancient Greeks, in
non-Christian Africa, for the Aborigenes in Australia, the native peoples of
the Pacific Islands, for Hasidic Jews, for the Tliglit in Alaska, in Islam as
an esoteric teaching and among Pagans as well as the early, original
Christians.
Reincarnation is viewed in various ways by different religious groups:
The word KARMA is often used in reference to reincarnation, it is directly translated as action-reaction. Karma is caused by the mental and physical deeds done in this life and passed into this and future lives.
In Hinduism there are 3 types of karma.
AGAMI - present life karma which is passed to future lives;
PRARABDA - karma from past lives which is passed to the present
SANCHITA - karma which is being accumulated but is not yet to be acted upon or reckoned with.
Karmic lessons are not necessarily literal. A rape will not necessarily be balanced out by being raped, a murder will not necessarily be balanced by being murdered. The point is to learn, understand and evolve. If balance or restitution can be made in less traumatic, dramatic ways, the lesson one receives can suffice and one can evolve.
Between lives there is a period of rest and reflection so that decisions can be made about the best way to continue to evolution in the next life.
Why is it so difficult to remember past lives? Some theories are:
Learning physical body again - all of us are very busy at the start of a new life learning how to operate the body again. We spend the first 2 years learning to crawl, walk & feed ourselves and then go on to learning the language of the culture into which we were born as well as its ways. This tends to overshadow memories of the past.
We also have a new personality with different needs and desires, perhaps even a personality not particularly interested in introspection.
At least in the industrialized West the idea of reincarnation is not particularly supported and in some cases may even be seen as delusion. As we grow in a culture, we tend to adopt its views and adapt to its ways. In cultures where reincarnation is seen as a viable reality, memories are much clearer and supported by the family as well the surrounding society.
What is the purpose of remembering past lives?
Knowledge of past lives leads to self knowledge and the knowledge of your place in the universe.
You can learn from past experience. Perhaps in the past you were a wonderful artist - you don't lose talents that you've have in the past, although you may not emphasize them as much as did you in a previous life - you can enjoy your artistic side again. Conversely, perhaps before you were a person who couldn't control themselves with fatal consequences. Remembering and reflecting on past difficulties can keep you from repeating past fatal mistakes.
Your knowledge of your karma from past lives can give you a very clear path tobalance the energies begun in a previous incarnation. You'll know what you need to do in restitution to help your soul's evolution.
By understanding Reincarnation you will lose any fear of death you might have. You'll know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is indeed life after death…life after life after life.
You choose the gender that will benefit you most for the types of experiences you decide you need in your between lives state.
As well as the family which will best suit your evolution.
Many times people come back to a life where they meet up once again will beloved friends and it is very gratifying when group goals that perhaps set up in a past life can be consciously worked on again. Just as you choose the better gender and best family situation for a given life, you also have the freedom to choose the main experiences you need for current evolution. Because you've freely chosen these things, you have set yourself up to learn the optimal amount of lessons in the most efficient way in a life.
You can take advantage of this by consciously choosing to work on your karma and your evolution without being sidetracked and wasting a life in confusion and doubt.
PAST LIFE RECALL
In many other cultures spontaneous past life recall is common. This generally falls into 4 types: VERBAL recall of names, places, events and/or dates; IMAGED recognition of people and places that you've seen in a past life; BEHAVIORAL personality traits, skills and interests you've possessed before and PHYSICAL birth marks and a similarity to a deceased person can occur. These spontaneous recalls tend to be between the years of 2-5 and can involve the memory of a sudden death or a phobia due to violent death such as fire or drowning.
A couple of people who recalled past lives and wrote about it are:
Many people have found that PAST LIFE THERAPY has given them insight into what seemed to be unfounded fears and phobias when no other type of therapy was of help. As of 1982 of the 18,463 patients were successfully regressed by various therapists 94% were helped with fears, physical ailments, an understanding of karmic ties being experienced in this lifetimes which improved their relationships with loved ones.
There are many TECHNIQUES designed to help you remember your past lives.
BOOKS & GIFTS
