Hi Alan and members,
Incarnating into this thread here
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I believe in reincarnation whether linear or non-linear (depending on one's intellectual or existential pov), since it just makes intuitive sense to me and also since some more developed souls also pointed in that direction. Based on investigation and experience, I do question the value for myself for any dire or pronounced necessity to know specifics regarding my past/other lives within the current context of this life. I have seen much misguided preoccupation within the pursuit of these issues to the point of ultimate and unfortunate (even obsessive) distraction in many seekers I have known. There are probably some cases when people who need corrective reorientation may need to know certain things about other lives in order to solve persistent problems, but I have a feeling this need is relatively rare since karma and Grace most likely provide the appropriate raw materials (including the use of regression, readings, or even personal direct facility in this area etc., if necessary and useful) in any given life with which to help process that which must be worked through. I guess in that sense I would agree with Alysia's pov to some extent.
Personally, even after having recieved 'indications' from various sources, feelings, intuitions, dreams, I have found that any such knowledge or lack thereof has evidently not created any impediment to my own current practice - iow's at least for me it has been largely unimportant even if some intermittent speculation has provided an occasional and enchanting diversion.
Of course, there is also the issue of proof, which seems to be a bit of a dead end as it is a totally subjective call for each person in either the affirmative or negative case, no matter what and how convincing information is presented from others. Also, just because one does not know something definitively doesn't mean it is untrue, and the whole continuous process of knowledge acquisition on any subject bears this out. Before you know, you don't know, and you may not even know that you don't know. When you do know, you know you know. Then, much like all else in life it seems to come down to what is useful or not, whether true and factual or not.
Here below are some good materials (in chronological order of publication) from a few contemporary sources I have found to be helpful on this subject among others, should anybody want to exlore them. It seems that spiritual masters do not make a big fuss about death, reincarnation, NDE's, etc., since for them it is all real, normal, and readily accessible 24 hours a day. They know and they know they know and apparently do not feel the need to put much energy behind the question of proof because it seems (apparently) irrelevant for them.
There are many issues brought up in this thread (and quite a few others for that matter) that are discussed in one or all of these materials, including the philosophical basis of the very discussion on the issue of proof itself.
Essay by
Swami Vivekananda on reincarnation:
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Works_of_Swami_Vivekananda/Volume_4/W...3 essays by
Sri Aurobindo on reincarnation:
1) "Rebirth", 2) "The Reincarnating Soul"
http://intyoga.online.fr/rk_1_2.htm 3) "Rebirth and Other Worlds; Karma; The Soul and Immortality"
http://intyoga.online.fr/ld2_22.htm Further recommended by Sri Aurobindo:
"The Problem of Rebirth" 17 essays - various subjects all on the theme of reincarnation and karma (including the 3 essays in the above links) - were originally published separately in 1915(?), and were later compiled and republished posthumously in the book in 1952.
At this link you can find most of the separate essays contained within the book by linking then scrolling half way down the page:
http://www.aurobindo.ru/workings/sa/16/index_e.htm A book by
Sri Chinmoy, "Death and Reincarnation" -
The entire book dealing with the same subject, including many answered questions from seekers is available here:
http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/books/0066/- u