Past Life..

[Stiggy]

Not sure how many of you believe you had a past life or do you believe you live,make your own destiny and thats history.

"The Meaning of things lies not in things themselves,but in our attitude towards them"

[tegdirb]

I believe I've had several past lives...the reason I may be in this chair is probably due to something terrible I did before in one of them. Some people think birthmarks are proof or markings from past lives...I have a birthmark the size of a bullet wound directly over my heart. I'm sure it sounds silly to some people, but it makes sense to me. I've read a lot about reincarnation and it just appears more logical and reasonable than the idea heaven.

Live simply, so others may simply live ~Gandhi~

[Christopher Paddon]

everyone with sci has a past life

[KiranA]

I believe in reincarnation and past, future lives.
It may be a naive way of thinking, but it gives me some comfort to know that I may have a second chance at certain things.

~And in knowing that you know nothing, that makes you the smartest of all- Socrates~

[Steven Edwards]

I believe in a form of reincarnation, but then again, I believe in a lot of non-standard things. True love and peace, for instance. [img]/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif[/img]

-Steven
...i heard a little girl, and what she said was something beautiful, to give your love no matter what, is what she said

[Obieone]

Yup absolutely I believe in past lives .... if I didn't think "what goes around comes around" was true I couldn't tolerate life! Besides I really want to get this living thing right don't you all???? ..... Bill's SCI has taught me more about myself than I ever wanted to know (just like my kids have) and some of it hasn't been very flattering I'm ashamed to say [img]/forum/images/smilies/frown.gif[/img] !!

I'll keep working on it [img]/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]!!

Obieone

[PB72181]

I believe in all kinds of crazy things like that. I probably did have one, and I figure I either did something horrendous and I'm being punished now, or I had a really awesome one and now it's time to pay the piper. Heh.

I'm not deaf...I'm just ignoring you! [img]/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[chick]

What's the point of living to your fullest now and trying to do your best to live as best you know how, if you believe you have a second chance in another life. If you believe in this other chance to 'right' wrongs thru perpetual life incarnate, your current incarnation must be this 'other' chance- second, third, fourth... chance infinitum.

If you haven't gotten things right by now, then you probably will never get it right.... that is, given there is some 'right'.

"True Love" and "Peace" may be two of the most conventional beliefs there is.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"do not be too moral. you may cheat yourself out of much life. aim above morality. be simply not good; be good for something."

[booster]

Wow Chick!

Wonderful point.

[PB72181]

IMHO, believing in reincarnation does not necessarily mean one should not live life to the fullest of their satisfaction now. The lives don't really seem tied together enough psychologically to be considered as one continuous entity, as would seem necessary for one to have a resulting apathy about their current path of life. If one chooses to be apathetic because they believe in second chances, then that's their decision, but I see nothing wrong with choosing to live life to the fullest now as well, even with a belief in reincarnation. Some people have memories of their supposed past lives, but this seems rare, so therefore it would seem to be pretty important to live the life you remember to its fullest. [img]/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif[/img]

I'm not deaf...I'm just ignoring you! [img]/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[Steven Edwards]

I think along the same lines as Pb... some teachings on reincarnation say that you have to keep trying to be your best to attain full enlightment/ascend to the next level and break out of the life/death/rebirth cycle.

Assuming the life/death/rebirth cycle continues indefinitely, living and doing your best to make a positive change in the world is an investment in improving the quality of the world you will be reborn into, which doesn't sound pointless to me at all.

Re: the true love and peace being non-standard beliefs, that was meant as sarcasm. [img]/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif[/img]

-Steven
...i heard a little girl, and what she said was something beautiful, to give your love no matter what, is what she said

[chick]

"some teachings on reincarnation say that you have to keep trying to be your best to attain full enlightment/ascend to the next level and break out of the life/death/rebirth cycle."

So, you are never good enough nor have lived fully and been enlightened despite how best you try to live NOW. If and when you achieve enlightenment after the many lives you've embodied through the various forms (and I bet most hope it to be human, heh) into which you have ascended, your reward will be the break in this cycle of rebirth. Thus, the very cycle itself is acknowledgement of your having lived less than fully, of your having lived inadequately and insufficiently.

"Assuming the life/death/rebirth cycle continues indefinitely, living and doing your best to make a positive change in the world is an investment in improving the quality of the world you will be reborn into, which doesn't sound pointless to me at all."

Playing God, eh? [img]/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif[/img]

You can invest in LIFE today, to make positive change to improve the quality of the world. The lack of one's ability to accept that their role/participation, has an eventual end, reflects more their inability to accept their significance within this world to be limited and perhaps very minimal.

The desire for rebirth is a personal and selfish desire, which has little to do with wanting to impove the world as it does with wanting to remain significant.

Rebirth and enlightenment does not require a literal reincarnation of Self through other lives. Rebirth, change and enlightenment of Self, the world and of Self within this world exists in this life. Wanting to embody another life and/or some continuous manifestation of your life/being in some worldy form, questions your confidence and security in achieving your goals of enlightenment within this life, or sense of contentment in your contribution to this world.

Are you good enough?
Are you SO good that you need to return to do what lesser humans can not do without you?

Is it Insecurity or is it Arrogance??

or, is it FEAR?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"do not be too moral. you may cheat yourself out of much life. aim above morality. be simply not good; be good for something."

[Lindox]

There has to be something to it I feel.
Or how do you explain intense dejavous?

I have had some major ones..where going into a city I've never been before and knowing exactly where I was and where to turn to get
to another place in the city...

And also recognizing the buildings of the city. Feeling I have been there many times.

Explain those types of experiences.

Inside of every older person,
is a young person saying, "What the hell happened?"

[Steven Edwards]

Originally posted by chick:

So, you are never good enough nor have lived fully and been enlightened despite how best you try to live NOW. If and when you achieve enlightenment after the many lives you've embodied through the various forms (and I bet most hope it to be human, heh) into which you have ascended, your reward will be the break in this cycle of rebirth. Thus, the very cycle itself is acknowledgement of your having lived less than fully, of your having lived inadequately and insufficiently.

Ummm, exactly? Your point? [img]/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif[/img] You try to live as well as possible so that you can finally 'ascend" to the next, supposedly better, level, because you realize that you have lived inadequately and insufficiently and you want to get to that better place. Of course, this assumes that there is a better/next place.

Playing God, eh? [img]/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Who says I'm only playing at it? [img]/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif[/img]

You can invest in LIFE today, to make positive change to improve the quality of the world. The lack of one's ability to accept that their role/participation, has an eventual end, reflects more their inability to accept their significance within this world to be limited and perhaps very minimal.

The desire for rebirth is a personal and selfish desire, which has little to do with wanting to impove the world as it does with wanting to remain significant.

Taking the other side, maybe the lack of desire for rebirth is a personal and selfish desire? Maybe those unwilling to acknowledge the possibility that reincarnation is true are afraid of realizing that their lives and actions are significant and have repercussions both now and lasting far into the future? ^_-

Are you good enough?
Are you SO good that you need to return to do what lesser humans can not do without you?

Is it Insecurity or is it Arrogance??

or, is it FEAR?

It could be all of them. I would like to hope that in this life I will become so good that I will continue to have something to offer the future world and will be reborn into it. Arrogance? Maybe. Fear? I don't think so.

If I'm wrong, at least I will have lived a [hopefully] good life and influenced others to better themselves. [img]/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif[/img]

-Steven
...i heard a little girl, and what she said was something beautiful, to give your love no matter what, is what she said

[Eric H.]

Reincarnation, ok if you want to believe it go right ahead. After this life your going to one of two places you are not coming back. You are either going to heaven or hell there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Thats how it goes. You follow your path how you take it nothing determines it but you and God. No past-life mumbo gumbo. Sorry but thats just how I feel about that.

Eric