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[Earthbound Spirit]

I'm not so sure that we don't drop down to animals at times.

Buddha did.

[dark magus]

I'm not so sure that we don't drop down to animals at times.

Buddha did.

According to whom......a story written by a man?

[Earthbound Spirit]

According to whom......a story written by a man?

Are you discounting Buddha and his story?

[dark magus]

No more so than I'd discount the bible.

[Earthbound Spirit]

No more so than I'd discount the bible.

There is a lot to be said for that.   So you don't think you can regress back to an animal?

[dark magus]

I think we can return as anything we want, not a matter of regression. Who's to say that being human is Superior to being a tree or a rock or a frog? Each would present their own set of experiences.

As for the Buddha. He was said to have lived in the 6th century, yet it wasn't until the 5th century that the first council met to record his teachings.
I think I'd have more faith in these books if it could be documented that some scribe wondered the lands with the prophets and recorded their sayings and deeds from first hand knowledge.

[oldghost]

Can we add an addendum to this thread ?. If so what would you come back as if you could come back as anything wanted. oldghost

[Passer Urbanus]

To be fair, most people who believe in the Buddha?s teachings don?t view being reincarnated as an animal as being negative because animals are considered lesser beings.  In fact, in Buddhism, animals are capable of doing anything humans can do, within reason.  They can even achieve enlightenment.  The reason why it?s viewed as a comparatively unfavorable condition is because animals live much harder lives than we humans.  It?s not easy being an animal and trying to survive out in the wild.  Compared to living an easy life with a nice home and loving family, most people think it?s a less pleasing existence to be living out in the wild, having to live in the burning heat or freezing cold, hungry to the point of starvation sometimes, thirsty, always fearing that you?ll be attacked and killed if you?re a prey animal or smaller predator, or always worried that one day you won?t be able to catch your food if you?re a predator.

[Wyldkat]

I'm curious, so would be reincarnated as a beloved pet be considered favorable then?

[Passer Urbanus]

Indoor or outdoor pet?

Yeah, I can't see why being a loved pet, living inside a home (or just generally in a safe, comfortable environment), and with a constant supply of food would be a bad thing.  It's not the best option for attaining Nirvana.  But it's not a bad life by any means.  And, hopefully, a Buddhist would know that it takes many, many lifetimes to attain Nirvana so he or she wouldn't fret about living a single life where that's not possible, especially such a pleasant life.

[Wyldkat]

Thanks.  One of these days I'm going to do more research on Buddhism.  Sometimes I wish there were more hours in the day...

[Earthbound Spirit]

Thanks.  One of these days I'm going to do more research on Buddhism.  Sometimes I wish there were more hours in the day...

http://www.buddhistelibrary.org/en/displayimage.php?album=72&pid=793#top_display_media

ETA:  www.buddhanet.net is a very good resource

[Wood Sprite]

I believe in reincarnation. I just don't think anyone has a true grasp on what it really is. We each have bits and pieces of knowledge, but no one can see the whole picture. I think the OP has some ideas that are probably correct, but so do some of the other posters. Like Curt and some of the rest, I believe Karma is just Karma. It's not good or bad. I don't believe life, or the afterlife is geared toward reward or punishment. That's why I don't believe in Heaven or Hell. Heaven is supposed to be reward for a life well lived, while Hell is punishment for a life badly lived. I don't believe that. I think the Divine is much bigger than that. Reward and punishment is a purely human concept. It was developed by small thinkers to control other small thinkers. The Universe, and the Divine go far beyond anything we could imagine.

Here is what I have come up with so far...

Everything has a "soul", a spirit, energy force, whatever one wishes to call it. It is our sentient essence that lives on beyond this life. Each time that essence is manifested in a "life" form, it's for the purpose of learning a lesson or lessons that life has to offer. The knowledge is not carried from one life to the next, but is gathered by the essence to make it whole. No one can possibly learn all they need to know in one lifetime, but each life has specific knowledge in it that the soul, or essence retains.

I do not believe reincarnation is a progressive process, like moving up a ladder, with each life creating a slightly better person than the last. I believe it's like putting together a puzzle. Each piece is a life lived. Each piece completed moves the essence toward fulfillment, toward its wholeness. People we may be repulsed by in this life, we may have been in a past life, or will be in the future. People like Stalin, Hitler, and Hussein may have simply been pieces in the puzzle of their souls. One can not fully understand "evil" without being evil. One can not fully understand "good", without being good. In between, there is a massive amount of "ordinary". most of us fall into that category. It's all for the purpose of learning. It's not good or bad, right or wrong. It's just learning what we need to learn in the manner that our individual essence, or soul, needs to learn it. Once our essence rejoins the Universal energy, we all become part of the same energy flow again.

I also believe that we don't necessarily reincarnate back to this planet, or plane. If that were so, where would everyone/thing go when this planet dies? The earth is around 4.5 billion years old. Like all other life, it will die someday. Our Sun will die too. Nothing lives forever. In all of the Universes, I can't believe this little planet is the only one with life on it. To be practical, I believe the human race will go extinct long before the planet dies. All species a born, live for a time, then die off. So will we. If our souls are eternal, then they go someplace. If they reincarnate, they will have to find a new home when this one is no longer inhabitable. It stands to reason that we already go to other planes, other planets, for the lessons our souls need or desire.

Just my penny's worth. : )
BB  Ann
 

[Dreamer]

I've heard that people are reincarnated back into their family through the subsequent generations.
That could be for any reason: to learn, to grow, to help someone else, to influence, or just to live and have another chance to get it "right."
But the explanation of the children with past life memories as well as the prodigies, there's got to be an exhistance of reincarnation.
Because energy continues is all I need for my explanation.

[Starrry_Night]

I have to agree with the majority of Wood Sprite's comment. Many people do believe that there are more universes and our spirits either stay in this universe or go to other universes; depending on whom you speak with. There is a reason that humans haven't been able to understand the entire brain and whether reincarnation is real or not and if it is what its really about; but dont ask m what the reason is cuz i do not know.