I'm confused about reincarnation

Originally posted by Frith
reply to post by targeting

 

I'm not going to debate the subject of reincarnation since I have no idea if its true or not, but I find your first question flawed. If "souls" exist we don't know how many there are.

No We don't but We can get a ballpark idea of how many there are.

Ribbit

Originally posted by ButtUglyToad

Originally posted by Frith
reply to post by targeting

 

I'm not going to debate the subject of reincarnation since I have no idea if its true or not, but I find your first question flawed. If "souls" exist we don't know how many there are.

No We don't but We can get a ballpark idea of how many there are.

Ribbit

This depends on from which perspectives you are looking at. Zen's or Hinduism. In Zen, there is no soul. There is the will to choose to do good or bad karma. In every stage of the rebirth cycle, you can influence how you will be reborn in your next life by your will to do good. In Hinduism, the nature of your soul is the deciding factor in how you are reborn. There is no free will at all.

Originally posted by ChiForce

Originally posted by ButtUglyToad

Originally posted by Frith
reply to post by targeting

 

I'm not going to debate the subject of reincarnation since I have no idea if its true or not, but I find your first question flawed. If "souls" exist we don't know how many there are.

No We don't but We can get a ballpark idea of how many there are.

Ribbit

This depends on from which perspectives you are looking at. Zen's or Hinduism. In Zen, there is no soul. There is the will to choose to do good or bad karma. In every stage of the rebirth cycle, you can influence how you will be reborn in your next life by your will to do good. In Hinduism, the nature of your soul is the deciding factor in how you are reborn. There is no free will at all.

eYe's pretty dumb sew eYe don't know much about either or anything else, sew eYe base very little on conceptual ideas from here, but rather, eYe base more on the physical facts of the Universe, the physical facts of God/Source.

As to who/what your Soul is reborn into, you have a choice, but the choice is limited, based on your next role schedule number. Within that number, there are a variety of choices, of which, you are given choices. After you complete that role, rinse-and-repeat.

As to Free Will, that is an illusion, that is, up until the Quest-eYe-on is put into motion, then Free Will kicks in and may the chips fall where they may.

Ribbit

Originally posted by ChiForce

Originally posted by ButtUglyToad

Originally posted by Frith
reply to post by targeting

 

I'm not going to debate the subject of reincarnation since I have no idea if its true or not, but I find your first question flawed. If "souls" exist we don't know how many there are.

No We don't but We can get a ballpark idea of how many there are.

Ribbit

This depends on from which perspectives you are looking at. Zen's or Hinduism. In Zen, there is no soul. There is the will to choose to do good or bad karma. In every stage of the rebirth cycle, you can influence how you will be reborn in your next life by your will to do good. In Hinduism, the nature of your soul is the deciding factor in how you are reborn. There is no free will at all.

edit on 18-2-2012 by ChiForce because: (no reason given)

There are, and have always been, procedural flaws in all 'interpretations'.
Zen...at its root, is the propensity to just experience...(and not per se, a religion)...
Buddhism...the way you have encapsulated it...points to a notion of deterministic/clockwork existence...and as such warrants the, 'there is no FREE WILL at all', tag...and brought to its LCD, essentially removes/annihilates/dismisses...personal and group RESPONSIBILITY for thought and action.
Without this responsibility...you are an automaton, you have no choices, no blame, NO RESPONSIBILITY for thought and action!...anything and everything that you (and it's real hard to assign a word...choose - how can you if you believe there is no choice?)...'choose' to do, think, feel...is not of your...erm...'choice'...and you are therefore absolved?!
Does not make sense...IN THE EXTREME!

If reincarnation points to anything, and the root of all organised religion has a purpose (albeit hidden by dogma and just plain stupidity)...it begs a basic 'why' question.

But then, if One is of the opinion that One has no choice...all bets are off, and One can join the ranks of those who murder, rape, torment...under the comfortable umbrella of...'i had no choice...someone/something else makes me do it'...

Procedural problems...mmm...

Akushla

reply to post by akushla99

i agree with some of the other posters why do you assume its just this planet and souls can choose to come down or which i dont believe you could go with the theory only some people have souls

Originally posted by SpiritWolfPup
reply to post by akushla99

 

i agree with some of the other posters why do you assume its just this planet and souls can choose to come down or which i dont believe you could go with the theory only some people have souls

I'm sorry...I think you may have misunderstood what I responded to...and I have no idea how you arrived at the conclusions of my post that you did...nevertheless, they are wrong (the conclusions , that is)...

I was merely illustrating the 'procedural' problems inherent in exclusively believing in one interpretation...against another (and this was only 2 of them)...a simple 'contrast & compare'...

I do not have a 'theory'...I'll leave that, at that!

The confusion of reincarnation is at its root, a confusion to accept certain key aspects of its operation...and the 'why' which I mentioned in a previous post. If you do not accept the 'why'...the how, when and where do not make procedural sense.
The original post I responded to, was in relation to FREE WILL...and FREE WILL is part of the 'how', and the 'why', and the 'when' and the 'where'...your choice...

Hope this clears things up...

Akushla

Back when Christianity was first formed from the teachings of Jesus there were many different interpretations of it going on in different parts of that country. When Emperor Constantine came into power he decided he only wanted ONE teaching being taught so everyone would have the same belief, and it would stop any type of religious uprising/war. So he did away with some of the teachings and books written by the disciples. He and several of the "Elders" got together and decided which books to put in the Bible that would be used then, and for future generations to come, and which books to leave out.
There are books that contain Jesus' teachings that never made it into our Bible we use today, but none the less, they are still teachings from Jesus. Jesus also shared some knowledge with his disciples that he told them not to reveal to the public. And he said there was more that would be revealed later. I believe "later" has arrived (actually, a few decades ago).
Okay, having said that, let me say that some of the books that never made it into the Bible contained information about reincarnation. But, oops..... some verses slipped through in the books that got selected for our Bible that back-up reincarnation:
The ninth chapter of John tells the story of a man who was born blind. The disciples asked Jesus, "Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?"
In other words, the disciples acknowledged the possibility that being born blind might be this man's punishment for sins he committed. But since he was born blind, when could he have had time to sin unless it was in a previous life?
Also, in Matthew 17 Jesus was talking to Peter, James, and John and said, "Elijah does come, and he is to restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased." Verse 13 reads, "Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. In one of his other incarnations Elijah was very widely recognized as being Elijah. So obviously, if a time came when "they did not know him," it was in a different incarnation, which the disciples understood to be John the Baptist, who was beheaded by King Herod. This is the clear example of "did to him whatever they pleased".
Also, when Jesus said, "Ye must be born again of the spirit to enter the kingdom of heaven", I think that is EXACTLY what he meant! Of course man has put his own spin on the meaning of this, too. Not that I don't believe in receiving the Holy Ghost, I just think this verse means EXACTLY what it says.
Since the 1970's there have been many psychiatrists doing regressive hypnosis on people trying to find a childhood explanation for some of their client's problems. Unexpectedly, some of the clients went back even further to a previous life time, and described it in full detail giving their names in that life, dates, and where they lived. Their details checked out to be true. There have been thousands and thousands of these studies done by different psychiatrists since the first time it was revealed, and they have all had the same results. (I've read probably all the books!)
Some scientists argue it is "cell memory" that was passed to us by our ancestors that gives us memories of past lives. NOT!!! In one case study I read about this person who remembered a past life as a woman that didn't have any children, and she remembered more lives prior to, and, after that one. If it was cell memory, she wouldn't have been able to remember the life of the woman with no children because there was nobody to pass the cell memory to concerning that lifetime.
So many people have been helped with current phobias, fears, and other problems by revealing the root of their problem actually occurred in a past life. Once the clients "remember" this, they understand they carried that particular fear or health problem over into this life, and they really don't need to hang on to it now.... they let it go; they're cured!
Have you ever just met someone, and automatically felt so comfortable with them, like you've known them all your life? Or, maybe you knew that you didn't like them before they even opened their mouth? These are people we've known in past lives, and when we meet them in this life we get these "feelings" about them based on how we got along with them in a past life. Or, have you ever felt you've seen a certain place before but know that you've never been there?
If you would like to research this topic further, you can read the book, Life Without Guilt, by Hazel M. Denning, Ph.D. It is an excellent book on the topic of reincarnation, if you are ready to expand your knowledge on the subject. I have read hundreds of books on this topic, and this is a good one for "starters".