Reincarnation and the Universe

[Athena]

So, research shows that there are plenty of claims for past lives and reincarnation.
Research also shows that there are billions+ planets in the universe.

BUT- of all of these documented claims of past lives, HOW COME ALL OF THEM are claims of past lives ON EARTH?

Aren't there billions of other planets in the universe that are probably habitable? Why doesn't anyone recall life on another planet?

If 'heaven' is universal, we should default back to heaven, then from there be delegated back to physical form on any one of the billions of planets in the universe. Actually, by probability then, it would be quite improbable that we would reincarnate back to earth so soon.

So HOW COME these people who claim to be reborn keep coming back to earth?

==

ALSO-- in about 5 billion years, our planet won't exist anymore. sooo... what then... where to will our spirits reincarnate?

[Athena]

btw-- to catch up on some reincarnation reading, dksprocket gave us a very nice link here -- Death, Rebirth, and Everything in Between

[Steve Rodgman]

Athena,

When I think of the universe per se I think of the main circuitry of it -- being the spirits in ether or the control centre (if this makes any sense).

I really couldn't begin to speculate about whether there are other inhabitable planets in the physical reality that we know of. But what if instead of there being other Earth-like planets here, that there are parallel physical realities where Earth is the centre of each physical reality (infinite realities at that...as the universe is infinite in scope).

This is somewhat along the lines of Steve's subject reality belief. I believe along those lines of us being able to create our own reality (as in God mode...each spirit's free will is eternal). However, I believe instead of our self (spirit) as being the only consciousness, that we (all spirits that make up the universe) are connected in consciousness. And that our individuation (which has incarnated here on Earth) is one manifest of the single consciousness.

Geez that's hard to explain!

Any thoughts?

-----

I'm also curious about a couple questions relating to this:

1. There is evidence to suggest that when you re-incarnate you do so together with other clusters of spirits (i.e. you travel from life to life with the same spirits); and/or those you meet and are close to in your current life are ones you also knew in your past lives.

2. I've also heard that your interests you have in this life are similar to those you had in past lives (e.g. perhaps you love to sign along to music all day long...this could suggest that you may have been a musician in another life).

What are your thoughts on these; and has anyone had any intuitive or higher self experiences that suggest this to be true?

Steve

[Lotus]

Maybe we're only capable of remembering lives that occurred here because remembering is a function of biology.

In other words, perhaps the biology of life on other planets is so radically different from our own that we don't recognize our lives there as actual lives.

::wicked::

[Athena]

If reincarnations were simply circulating between the ether and physical dimensions of Earth or other planets in parallel to and exactly like Earth... then... there would be no green aliens or ultra-human extraterrestrial life!?

It sounds like belief in both alien life and reincarnation doesn't really go together..

[dorothy hanna]

In reincarnation, it is my experience that as one developes in conciousness, they would begin to percieve so-called past lives, as simply, past experiences, of your, one life.
You, not having many past lives, but instead, you become more and more aware of who you really are, and that you are an entity, having many experiences.
As you become even more aware, you become even more aware of the cycling, itself, as well, as the choices you make in that cycling.
Choices to participate, in that cycle. In other words, you become more aware of the process.
You begin to not just remember past experiences, here, but also, other places, as well as the experience of the 5th demension. (how I call it).
In the process of the 5th demension, you connect with all of conciousness, and you experience EVERYTHING, that everyone has ever experienced. How you affected others, and others affected you. This causes you to 'GET IT', so to speak.
This experience of the 5th demension is extrememly intense, but also extrememly mind opening, which is why, with each cycle one begins to remember, and connect with others, and are able to identify with others, more and more, until we all will have a greater, SHARED, experience
This 5th demension is what many, not yet developed enough, have come to refer to as PURGATORY, and also HELL.
Anyway, as one developes, having experienced many, many sojourns, they begin to participate in a much more aware/concious manner, much like a lucid dream. They go through it, knowing what is happening, and can change things in the experience, make other choices to alter the experience, hence we have de javou' type experiences as we go along.
Many sojourns opens our experience to memories of other places/planets/realms, and our connection to the oneness of conciousness.
At some point we will all RE-MEMBER, and become one, and we will encompass the whole, of all the shared experiences.

[Jill]

From my very, very, very limited understanding of subjective reality, I believe this very interesting question is answered quite easily. (I hope that Steve P. chimes in here, as I'm sure he could answer it correctly.)

I think that the answer as to why everyone reincarnates to earth only is that is simply what you have created as your reality. Since there actually is no earth, or no universe or no nothing. (I might have this totally wrong, but that's my answer for now!)

[Rippin Kittin]

Hey hey!
Reincarnation on other planets does excist. I have had them myself. I actually remember (among reincarnations here on Earth) quite a few moments from them. And no, it's nothing as fancy as Star Trek Rather similair to Earth only some minor differences in the sky, buildings and technology. That last one is the biggest difference though. More advanged then we are today but nothing too sci-fi.
Just thought I might share

[Frans]

When you believe in subjective reality, it's not necessary to introduce concepts as karma and reincarnation.

As time is an illusion (like everything else in this material universe), it makes no sense to speak or think about past or future lives.

[Antarananda]

Originally Posted by Frans

When you believe in subjective reality, it's not necessary to introduce concepts as karma and reincarnation.

As time is an illusion (like everything else in this material universe), it makes no sense to speak or think about past or future lives.

Huh? Actually, when you reach the full realization that even time-space is an illusion, and that you are the causeless, spaceless, timeless underlying substratum of all that there is and all that there is not, then the "subject" has long dissolved. There is no "you" left; only what the Buddha called tathagata, or "thus gone one". Even the term "subjective reality" is an incomplete understanding of what Realization or enlightenment truly is about.

Until the merging of experiencer, experienced and experience into One happens, the Law of Karma and reincarnation is very much a real phenomenon. Only once there is the pure realization that "I was never born, and I never die, and this entire universe is a mere bubble existing within my true nature" can one claim that the law of karma is also an illusion just like the body and mind and the universe is.

[Athena]

huhh????

It seems like you guys are explaining things


========== <-- up here, using subjective reality, which sounds,
umm, a bit like you're avoiding the question


I'm wondering about a phenomenon that we're seeing

========== <-- down here, on earth, in objective reality, where
there seems to be a mismatch between two beliefs, of
reincarnation, and the existence of aliens.


===
with anything you can easily say, "well the phenomenon you're seeing doesn't exist in subjective reality." "and actually, neither you nor the earth exists in subjective reality, so why even ask?" but that doesn't really answer the actual question...

[Antarananda]

Athena, I didn't quite understand you last post, but let me answer your original question based on my understanding through meditation.

Originally Posted by Athena

BUT- of all of these documented claims of past lives, HOW COME ALL OF THEM are claims of past lives ON EARTH?

Aren't there billions of other planets in the universe that are probably habitable? Why doesn't anyone recall life on another planet?

If 'heaven' is universal, we should default back to heaven, then from there be delegated back to physical form on any one of the billions of planets in the universe. Actually, by probability then, it would be quite improbable that we would reincarnate back to earth so soon.

So HOW COME these people who claim to be reborn keep coming back to earth?

All physical planets and universes are vibrational condensations of energy. There are some realms or planes which exist in a vibrational plane which is not condensed into gross matter as our senses perceive. According to Sanatana Dharma, there exist seven such planes, of which the earth and other planets like earth are only one plane. Other planes exist at a more subtle level, such as light, or thought energy etc. Jesus Christ also refered to these planes when he said "in my Father's house there are many mansions"; he was refering to these planes of existence, not to some sort of "heaven".

Now, the reason we have incarnated on this Earth is that the desires with which we reincarnated are most easily fulfilled in this physical plane. We have had some of the same desires for thousands of incarnations - as plant forms, as animals, and as human beings, in previous lives. Now when I speak of "we", I refer not to the physical organism; I refer to the atman, which is loosely translated into "consciousness", or "spirit", although even that is only an approximation of our essential "Self".

So, the "Self" reincarnates in different bodies, but the sum total of desires are carried over into each incarnation until they are fulfilled, or transcended. These desires are embedded in our subtle bodies (Yoga recognizes five sheaths which envelope pure spirit. The physical body is the most gross form).

Now, since this planet offers the best environment for fulfillment of the mostly physical desires you and I have, our past several thousand incarnations were likely on this planet. This is true especially about the last few incarnations, since we just took up a human body this time as a result of the refinement of our consciousness over many lives as less developed life-forms, and because we had a deep urge to experience the fulfillment of certain desires in this lifetime. That must explain why most of the documented cases people recall previous lives only in this dimension (usually the immediate previous one; enlightened ones like the Buddha could recall hundreds of previous lives).

Based on accumulation of punya, or meritorious actions of a high consciousness in this lifetime, after dropping this physical body the spirit can often dwell for a long period of time in a higher, subtle realm, for example one where the condensation of vital energy is in the form of light bodies, before this accumulated meritorious karma runs out and the deeply embedded human desires once again pull one back to reincarnate in a womb on the Earth.

Both Sanatana Dharma as well as Buddhism say that it is a rare and exceedingly good fortune to incarnate as a human being, because our nervous system is the only one capable of attaining to God-consciousness through methods of meditation. Even light beings, while they float around in finer worlds than our own are not free, and must reincarnate in this realm for them to finally merge with the Universal Self or "God" and be liberated from all suffering.

[Athena]

Thanks, Antarananda, for your thoughtful post.

So basically, we keep on incarnating back to Earth, rather than to other planets, because Earth is the best place for us to fulfill our desires?

I wonder why we wouldn't be able to do so on any other planets?

As much as I'm enjoying life here, I, for one, think it would be great to some day incarnate onto an even more peaceful planet

[Radical]

What desires do we need to fulfill then?

Let me guess - love, sex etc. Are these desires? Or the result of hormones, ensuring the procreation of our species?

[Antarananda]

Originally Posted by Radical

What desires do we need to fulfill then?

Let me guess - love, sex etc. Are these desires? Or the result of hormones, ensuring the procreation of our species?

Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs

There is also the desire for Self-Realization, which is different from actualization, and is an inherent drive in all humans to a greater or lesser degree.

[Bruce Achterberg]

Originally Posted by Athena

As much as I'm enjoying life here, I, for one, think it would be great to some day incarnate onto an even more peaceful planet

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi

Why wait? There's no time like the present. You may not be able to transform the entire planet to be 100% peaceful within your lifetime, but "[a] more peaceful planet" is definitely within your capabilities.

Food for thought.

[Athena]

^^ You're right!!

(btw, a good generational/pop culture reference -- same needs to be said to this guy, to be the change rather than wait for it to happen)

Of course I do what I can while here on this planet to work towards peace,

but still nice to project ahead a bit to the next life