Ghosts and Haunted Places

I have a hard time rationalizing ghosts in my mind. However, I have had several odd occurrences during my lifetime. Somebody here was recently speaking about how they felt somebody sit down on their bed while they were in it, only to see no physical presence what-so-ever. It has happened to me, when I was much younger. I believe that when we are children we are much more sensitive to these paranormal beings.

However I am curious as to why there are ghosts to begin with. A popular theory I have heard is that a ghost will haunt a particular location because something bad happened there, there was a tradgedy in their lives at a particular location etc...

But that is all just speculation, isn't it? Is it really that emotion can cause a spirirt to be trapped to a particular location? That the spirit decides not to "Go into the light?"

Why is it that people who are violently murdered decide to hang around in the spectral sense long after their remains have turned to dust? Movies and such speculate that these entities stay because they were not ready to die, are seeking justice etc.... But I am going to go out on a limb here and say that this is not the case.

I do not pretend to have any answers, just alot of questions. I somehow feel that the relationship between body and soul is like the relationship between matter and gravity. Is it possible that sometimes a spirit gets trapped to a certain location? And if so, why?

The ashtrays falling off the rail were strange, but it could have been vibrations from the street. When the disco ball suddenly lit up, it could have been a stray electrical impulse.

But when the locked back door of the Liquid Room slowly opened at 6:29 a.m. Aug. 8, Robert Lenthall and his two partners could find only one explanation: Their bar is haunted.

Spirits of a Different Kind

Ghosts are humans reborn in Peta Loka, otherwise known as the realm, or plane of hungry ghosts. Peta Loka is but another of the 32 realms of existance in buddhist thought.

Anyhow, to get onto the actual subject of ghosts, they were humans that had strong attachment to human existance, or a particular place or time, allthough they are allready dead they can't leave. Sometimes people run across "friendly ghost", these are the ghost that have "lost their way", or died suddenly, and don't know they're dead yet, or have "unfinished bussiness" to do... such as pass on a message, or ease someone in pain.

According to Buddhist philosophy those on the Peta Loka cannot do good deeds, thus they cannot generate good karma, so they rely on reserve karma to determine their next life. You can help these ghost though... simply offering love, and kindness to these beings will help them on their way. You can also share, or transfer merit with them, which will help them generate some good karma for themselves... for this they will be thankful.

keep in mind, I am sharing information that comes from my view point as a buddhist, and others explanations will vary depending on their spiritual, cultural, and educational background.

[Edited on 20-8-2003 by oui]

I would like to see a ghost,but i think that it's not true that ghost can hurt anyone because they dont have phisical body.They could probably hurt someone by taking energy while that person sleeps because people are most relax when they sleep.But nothing else exept when you are trying to "connect" with the dead people.

I also think that young children tend to be more sensitive to ghost. When I was younger weird things were always happening around me. but now that I'm older it seems to have stoped.

the questions you pose William One sac are very good questions, which still need to be completely addressed. Since around the middle of the 1800's efforts have been made to research paranormal activity in a "scientific" manner, but this has been discredited by most scientists until recently. Once Darwin and the other intellectuals broke free from the Christian dominated West, scientist in those areas tended to scoff at even looking at any of these issues, which was stupid - I mean, if you close your eyes it won't go away!!-

Every since the materialists, (Darwin, Huxley..) came onto the scene the society in the West closed its minds to there being any validity to non-material things, such as paranormal activities. However, now there is becoming a new, revived interests in paranormal activity etc... by current day scientists. Hopefully we see these issues addressed and not brushed off to the side anymore, because they do not represent traditional scientific inquries....

Here is a link to one group who seems to be attempting to find soem real answers in thh paranormal world. I looked at them a little for a research paper I wrote, but don't remember a lot..only that they were associated with one of, if not the first, guy to attempt to tread into this field using a scientific approach

www.aspr.com...


Personnlly I think Physicists will give us the key to everything, including paranormal activity, some day!!!!

-JAH

Quote: However I am curious as to why there are ghosts to begin with. A popular theory I have heard is that a ghost will haunt a particular location because something bad happened there, there was a tradgedy in their lives at a particular location etc...

***Not nessesarily. Yes, it does happen - Like this lady (not living) that was absolutly furious because back when she lived there there was a cave-in in the mine - her sons body was never found. She stayed and ranted and carried on and on because no one was looking for her son, no one was doing anything.
It suposedly gave "a bad feeling" to some people who visisted. But just because a person dies there doesn't mean they are doomed to stay 'stuck' there. It's a choice they make just as you would choose where to stay or roam. It's also a choice as to IF they are what we consider a 'ghost' from what I understand.

Quote: Is it really that emotion can cause a spirirt to be trapped to a particular location?

***Spirits do not get 'trapped'.

Quote: Why is it that people who are violently murdered decide to hang around in the spectral sense long after their remains have turned to dust? Movies and such speculate that these entities stay because they were not ready to die, are seeking justice etc.... But I am going to go out on a limb here and say that this is not the case.

***I'll ask directly on this one later - remind me if I forget...