The case for reincarnation / immortality

This is a subject that is sure to rile some feathers and create some debate, however as I age and experience, I am becoming more convinced that this is, at the very least, something that I am leaning more heavily toward.

I have had experiences, both internally, as well as externally over my life that have led me towards the probability that I have done "this" on many occassions.

I have been meditating off and on for the past 20 years, more consistently for the past 10 years, as well as practicing Out of Body and Lucid dreaming techniques. In some of my heavy trance states, I have experienced glimpses into what I can only describe are other incarnations I have had. In particular, life as a Native American in the past, navigating via horseback, living in a teepee, etc., and as a Polynesian or samoan, where I had tribal tatoos on my face and I lived on an island of some sort.

Externally, I have been investigating aspects of the paranormal for about a dozen years now, and have had too many experiences with ghosts to even count---I have heard audible voices right next to me on several occassions, and have been physically TOUCHED by an entity as well. My experiences with haunted locales have left no doubt in my mind that at least SOME form of intelligence or awareness lives on outside of the physical body...

Recently however, I have been studying the case works of a couple of Dr.'s in psychology / psychiatry that have REALLY fascinated and educated me on just what a detailed, intricate, and possibly repetitive process this may be that we continue to go through...

The first is Dr. Michael Newton, a self-professed ATHEISTIC psychologist, and author of Journey of Souls and Destiny of Souls: New Case Studies of Life Between Lives, who accidently stumbled upon the subject of past-life incarnations while placing a subject under a trance hypnotic state.

At first, Dr. Newton was HIGHLY skeptical and dismissive of the information he was receieving, having no belief in the possibility of anything surviving the death of the physical body. However as time went on, and the information became more detailed, he was able to research many of the details and events of the time period described, and found them to be so spot on that he could no longer dismiss them out of hand.

Dozens of case studies later, Dr. Newton now not only believes in the possibility (or even probability) of multiple incarnational experiences, but his clients began detailing what happens BETWEEN them.

Many of the subjects began to describe the process of their passing in previous incarnations. The exit of the physical vehicle, being met by a spirit guide and loved ones, and being taken into a realm of light, or an alternate reality of sorts. They often times describe a 'council of elders' or group of very wise beings, or intelligences, that they come before, who reflect upon their latest physical-life experience, and what they have learned through it. They are also integrated into a "soul-group", where they basically study and learn things for their next reintegration into the matter-based experience. Not only that, but according to Dr. Newtons subjects, they also get to choose WHICH BODY and EXPERIENCE they will step into, prior to returning back into "form"!

For more info on Dr. Newton and his case studies:

near-death.com...

www.amazon.com...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243787147&sr=1-3



The second is Dr. Brian Weiss, author of Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past-Life Therapy that changed both their Lives, and Same Soul, Many Bodies.

Dr. Weiss was ANOTHER self-professed Skeptic, even cynic, regarding the subject of reincarnation and the afterlife prior to, again, accidently stumbling upon this subject while regressing a patient to zero in on the root of her suffering and phobia. Being chairman of Psychiatry and professor at a university, Weiss was even WORRIED about releasing his findings, for fear of ridicule or backlash from his colleagues / employers. But dozens of case findings later, he could no longer ignore the data that was being amassed.

Not only was Weiss finding a pattern emerging and being able to back up the information with historical data confirming these experiences, but he was also beginning to get PROGRESSIVE scenarios described, where clients were able to look into FUTURE lives and experiences, which opens a whole other can of worms in terms of clairvoyancy and time itself. It appears that the soul is not governed by linear time as we know it, but can percieve ALL time (past, present, and future) as it so chooses!

For more info on Dr. Weiss and his case studies:

www.brianweiss.com...

www.amazon.com...=ed_oe_p_bargain

www.amazon.com...=pd_sim_b_1



[edit on 31-5-2009 by DimensionalDetective]

Interesting interview with Dr. Michael Newton chronicling his findings, the afterlife, ghosts, off-world incarnations, and dreams:

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:



Part 4:



Part 5:




Highly fascinating stuff, whether one believes in these things or not!

[edit on 31-5-2009 by DimensionalDetective]

I agree, as I age I find myself asking questions as to what is to come.

I have been researching near death experiences as well as past life regression and came to the same conclusions as you. We are spiritual being who have always been and will always be.

What's funny is people still claim there is no evidence of life after death, when in fact there's tons of it, and much of it is corroborative and upholds the same model.

I think we ought to still live THIS life like it means everything, because in truth, even if there is no time, and we're into an eternal recurrence of some kind, then THIS here and now is all we've got.

I totally believe you DimensionalDetective and recently came across this same information in a book called "The Holographic Universe" by Michael Talbot.

The scientific establishment will believe in life after death once they understand it. It's just a matter of "time".

Good stuff DD.

reply to post by ArtMonte


It can be understood in quantum physical terms via the holographic universe model, an aspect of which reveals that reality is, at some level, a dreamlike, consciousness-generated, non-localized holographic matrix, within which concepts like this and that, here and there, then and now become blurred.

reply to post by OmegaPoint


Yes! Quantum physics is starting to scratch the surface IMHO.

When we begin to realize that what we "percieve" as reality in terms of physicality is nearly PURE illusion, and that even though our brains interpret signals from our senses as existing in a "matter" based world, as we break down this matter, we find that it is all nearly completely EMPTY space and energy spinning and vibrating at certain frequencies that resonate with our same frequency. My feeling is that this is one SMALL frequency range we are experiencing, and that there are countless other ranges that our consciousness has access to when freed from the housing that limits it to this one.

I agree with reincarnation and have posted on it in other relevant topics here on ATS.

Without regurgitating the same detail, I remember existing before this life, from a former life where I died in a war. For me, this personal first hand experience is all I need to know the reality of reincarnation.

I think I finally understand why this is, although in some way it depresses me, in others it excites me.

Fundamentally, we are all consciousness. What is more exciting or troubling is that we are all of one consciousness system. Bill Hicks comes to mind for his quote "We are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively"

That is the wisest thing I have ever heard coming out of a comedians mouth.

I've been hanging around Dr. Tomas Campbell's neck of the woods and have finished reading his trilogy called "My Big Toe" which I highly recommend.

He further verifies The One consciousness claim, and talks about how this one consciousness evolved into many individual units of consciousness which is what we are right now.

Sacred Geometry also conveys another metaphor of a consciousness created reality system. In the very end of all discussions this is what I gather as a fundamental:

Reality is consciousness, everything else is a virtual simulation. Our beliefs make us think we are separate from the one consciousness, but in reality we are the one consciousness condensed into a personalized expression which is our current experience.

Where the depressing part comes in, it seems like we might potentially experience billions and billions of existences like the one we have right now. Potentially all of them. As everything is of this one consciousness as are we.

It could be depressing or exciting, but it seems like that might be the probable case as the one consciousness is already everything anyways.

Something to consider. Quantum entanglement to the max.

Isn't this basically the same thing as Edgar Cayce believed in, that the soul had access to all knowledge in the universe. Something he had access to when he entered into his trancelike state. I remember hearing somehting bout him saying all people could do this with a lil training, or something like that.. someone correct me if I'm wrong or can give me some enlightenment into this...


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

I think I finally understand why this is, although in some way it depresses me, in others it excites me.

That's an interesting observation.

In New Zealand we had a program on TV well worth watching called "Sensing Murder" developed from a similar Dutch TV series.

Psychics from New Zealand and Australia were vetted by producers with a blind test of their ability to figure out obscure proven murders and then the show gave them a series of unproven murders to solve.

It was uncanny when 2-3 psychics with no connection to one another and no prior knowledge of the case all came up with virtually identical conclusions and even named people involved in the murders.

Far from depressing it was very heart warming to know that the people we love never leave us and are always a part of our lives in spirit.

I know this is slightly different from re-incarnation which I also believe in, but what it's all about is that the spirit survives our physical deaths.

Didn't someone conduct studies of people about to die and found they lost a few ounces of weight at death ?

I'm curious how that is explained ?

reply to post by skeetontheconspiracy


Skeet the belief which you refer is uncannily like that in the movie Matrix. In eastern tradition a soul can have multiple lives simultaneously called Tulkus in Tibet.

The concept has it that the soul if you like is an octopus and our life is just a tentacle of the soul.

reply to post by sy.gunson

You said :
In eastern tradition a soul can have multiple lives simultaneously called Tulkus in Tibet.

With all due respect, you are misinformed, sir -

Tulku

... is an enlightened Tibetan Buddhist lama who has ... consciously determined to take birth, often many [consecutive] times, in order to [fulfill] his or her Bodhisattva vow. The most famous example is the lineage of Dalai Lamas; the current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is held to be the fourteenth [Dalai Tulku], the first being Gendun Drup (1391–1474).

Source : Wikipedia

It would be interesting attending grade school as a highly evolved sentient on another world many millions of years in advance of our own.. but I've noticed that all the reincarnation stories treat our world like it's the only one, that once here, you're stuck here, or, you stop reincarnating altogether, so maybe this is the final stop on the way to the city of light..? I find that hard to believe, there just so many star systems, more in fact than there are grains of sand on every beach and in every desert on the facae of the earth!

reply to post by visible_villain


Unfortunately this thread is supposed to be about reincarnation and not about Buddhism, which is merely one religion expounding reincarnation. However...

With all due respect, you are misinformed, sir -

Well that's because you need to get your head around time and space and how spirit is not limited by the dimension of time.

It was convenient for Tibetan Buddhist politics to ascribe to the concept of tulkus that they followed each other in successive lineage, as just like in Christianity, Buddhism is infected with politics. By subscribing to this theory the big powerful monasteries could manage succession of priestly authority.

A lot of people nowadays don't subscribe that religion is something which only a priestly elite can interpret or dictate.

A revolution in religion is happening in the same way that the internet and computers gave us all the freedom to be publishers and bloggers. Not slaves to newspapers and journalists.

In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni spoke of the mutual possession of the ten worlds and the ability of a soul to exist in all states simultaneously thereby drawing experience from multiple manifestations.

reply to post by YouAreDreaming


Yes, this is something I have pondered over many a night.

Even though we have been conditioned to think we are "seperate" from others and everything, at the consciosness level it appears that ALL is connected and is one. The seperation is the illusion we experience now, as a reference point in this giant web of perception, awareness, and intelligence.

I am quite convinced that there is a master creator, or designer in all of this, and that we and it are not seperate. It exists everywhere, including throughout us, and as "we" experience, it experiences through us, from trillions of different reference points. Just my .02 though...

I would be interested to hear some personal experiences here...

Are there any other ATS members who have experienced what they believe to be past life memories?

Please share your stories if so...

i am not advanced as some of the contributers to this thread seem to be but i do not only have the strong faith in reincarnation but as well one "memory" of a past life.
it is just a short fragment seeing myself baking bread in a village which was called by my brain "midevial" but when looking at it, it must have been somewhat donw in bronce times - all of pile dwellings.
very strange but it felt at least very good to me when i remembered this incident.

something interesting happened when my son was between 3 and 6 years old - he used to talk to me about education and most times he started his statements with "when i used to be a dad in my last life ……" – i never devaluated his experiences as some of my friends did with their kids - it is quiet easy to tell a kid he is lieing when you don.t have the same experiences

meanwhile my son is 12 years old and has no furhter knowledge about his previous life but he uses to encourage me about reincarnation

I agree with reincarnation in a sense. I had a bunch of life changing revelations this past december, before deploying on my second tour to Iraq.

I feel that every life we live is the building block to our next life, and that everything that happens to us is happening for a reason so that we can gather what we need for the next life. While we dont "remember" our past life, have you ever just felt like you "knew" something and couldnt explain it? I think this is part of the past life experiences coming into effect.

Maybe when we are done learning "as a human", or something, there is a next lifeform to take? Or maybe we just keep going on as humans furthering the knowledge of our consciousness? Its some fascinating stuff.

At some point I'd like to be a starship captain and broker a trade deal or make first contact with a new world, something like that.

I would also like to be a concert pianist physics genious and renowned theologian born into a wealthy Europian family, at some point as well.

Just putting it out there.. since this is the before life when the planning for the next life begins..

i]reply to post by DimensionalDetective


Sleeper always said that our souls are nearly immortal and most of us will go from one life to the next on Earth and other similar worlds. Our next assignment is somewhat dependant on how and what we do in this life. He maintained we belong to a "family" of souls. Interesting that he gave Earth a rather low rating as worlds go! So this assignment may not be an easy one!

An interesting and inspiring read that is convincing regarding incarnations is the book "Signals" by Joel Rothshield I heard Joel tell of his experience:

He and his gay partner were both dieing of AIDS and had a pact together. Whoever died first would contact the other, give a sign on the other side. Joel's partner took his own life, something he had promised not to do so Joel was devistated. However, the spirit of his friend came back to Joel many times to comfort him, help him through life, and even save Joel from a tragic accident. His spirit friend was with Joel often durring the year or 2 after his death.