Friday, February 06, 2009

REINCARNATION



Here’s where the reasonable dematerializes into the spiritual without any consideration of a creator being involved. I wanted to make that clear up front before anyone assumes I’ve gotten religion. So follow this train of thought and maybe you’ll arrive where I have. Heh, heh.

So, I’m sitting in my garden shed, companion cat, Priest, still shedding on my lap basking in the rising fireball filtering through trees shedding more rapidly in the gusts from this blustery, nippy cold morning, taking occasional warm sips of ganjava and I’m thinking, this is that place where all those people whose writings and conversations inspired me most in my life were coming from. Cosmic fractal metamorphosis through metaphorical metabolism repeats the theme of life through chicken clucks, playing dogs’ snarls, wind chimes, a fence-line of trees, each taking the fondlings of the wind unto itself in turn as winter has its way with everyone.

I recall that when I reread one of those inspirational writers I come across phrases that make me realize precisely where I got the wherewithal to come up with my own entertainment, conversation with friends and jots in my journal. I have become that part of those people in the collage I am like any groupie. It would seem we’re all a synthesis of our inspirations, as solid as reincarnation needs to get to be a valid concept to my way of thinking. Each of us live on as a part of those we have inspired. There is no doubt; my parents live on in me. My Dad’s practicality (he always kept a sea chest of provisions for emergencies) and my mother’s love of fantasy (couldn’t pass up a patch of clover) have shaped this very post.

If there is any creation involved in who we are it is the choices we make throughout our lives; at first, unconsciously through our genetic memory and then consciously as we encounter situations too unnatural, arbitrary and new fangled for evolution to have imprinted in our genetic composition as an instinct or intuition. Aswim in this sea of fickle affections and rules from parents in preparation for more of the same from society, the developing psyche goes with what seems to work, testing the limits of punishment and reward in love and obedience, which pretty much sets the pattern throughout a life coping with civilized society.

I really have no idea about whether the Dalai Lama is a successive embodiment of one coherent personality or not. I feel very strongly that if children were appreciated for the clarity of wisdom they bring their civilization-beleaguered parents one hundredth as much as he was, we would realized a peace that is the natural state of the planet as it has always been, unattainable by civilization’s wars. As it is, the child must get lost in the miasma of society to learn its language to express his or her pure message understandably, by which time, none but the most honored at birth remember or intuitive rediscover.

I do understand the role of reincarnation in the wheel of life scheme the Hindu religion has worked out and find it more plausible than any other afterlife theories floating around just for its continuity of the natural process of transition rather than episodic beginnings and ends. For myself I find that whole story applies more substantially to the many revolutions of that wheel within my own lifetime with its rebirths emerging from the nurturing compost of lessons learned on the last revolution, with karma being the link from the one who knew too much to the one with broader questions.

As far as my experience of death goes — a potato with infinite eyes closes one. The potato with infinite eyes also opens a brand new, spanking fresh, debt free, clear eye elsewhere-when-who as yet another unique event quickly made common.

6 comments:

Garth said...

Oh yes! A non-mystical/non-theistic use of the concept of reincarnation.
You are right: we definitely manifest all of those who have made an impression on us (especially those impressions gathered during the 1st 20-25 years of our lives). If we continue to grow thereafter (and many don't) we will then become the amalgum of which you speak.

Vijay Kumar said...

The notion of Reincarnation... rebirth as understood by most is flawed.

Our soul atman manifests the human body to work out its karma... remove the dross impurities within! As per Bhagavad Gita God Almighty ordained a journey of 1.1 million manifestations (earthly life cycle of 12.4 million years) to reach the stage of enlightenment... the stage when the soul atman liberates forever from the cycle of birth and death... regains its original pure pristine form forever!

The human form is manifested by the soul atman after crossing through a maze of 7.3 million manifestations as insect, plant and animal life. Out of a total of 8.4 million manifestations every soul atman manifests a total of 1.1 million manifestations in the human form before it reaches the last leg of cosmic life... the 8.4 millionth manifestation!

The moment human beings reach the 8.4 millionth manifestation... one gains Enlightenment (kaivalya jnana) and finally salvation (moksha). Here we need to realize... the form of a human being is simply limited by one manifestation... one life! In the world of souls' atmans... the complete journey of 96.4 million years is one single uninterrupted span of life.

Yodood said...

Welcome, godrealized,

Having something you called a notion be explaind so extensively, specifically and numerically reminds me of the Books of Urantia, which treats Christianity as anything but a "notion." But since you do consider it a notion, you won't mind if I roll my eyes and moan, "Okay, okay, already"

Yodood said...

godrealized, there seems to be an impediment to my understanding your link to Reincarnation above: "Reincarnation facts Hindu Beliefs on reincarnation"

Are you stating facts of reality or facts about Hindu beliefs about the theory of reincarnation?

Vijay Kumar said...

Yodood... my statement is based on absolute facts of life! I would also like to state that everything what I say is based on Bhagavad Gita... the foremost of all sacred scriptures of Hinduism existing on mother earth! As stated by Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita... our soul atman simply manifests one form after another until it reaches last leg of cosmic life... the 8.4 millionth manifestation when human beings gained enlightenment (kaivalya jnana) and finally salvation (moksha)!

After reaching stage of salvation... the liberated soul atman finally enters kingdom of God (termed Baikuntha in Hinduism)... a point of no return!

Yodood said...

Godrealized,
What you call facts of life are no verifiable than the articles of faith Christians insist are true. Sorry, While I favor Hinduism over Christianity, and Buddhism over both, I find nowhere in any of them anything qualifying for the term "fact."

Sorry, I'm still rolling my eyes at such nonsense. You can quote all the nine digit numbers you want, they are proof of nothing but themselves.