Say I believe in reincarnation, and say it really does exist, how would I know what I did wrong in my ....?

Question

….. past life (lives, existences) so I can correct them this time around?

Or should I merely assume that I did EVERYTHING wrong and try and correct it ALL?

Or will LIFE itself show me the path to Nirvana?

I am tired of this “Groundhog Day” effect.

I have a feeling, though, there ain't much hope for this one soul after all, as I vaguely remember past reincarnations on other planets too, when Earth hadn't even existed yet! ... Darn, this is a long and winding road when you “insist” on thinking linearly! LOL

Kathy C - You are "assuming" my dear that all life forms can only encounter Meaning in service to Humanity.

x_souther... Oh I assure you, I have stumbled, and even accidentally stepped, on many a "things", my metaphysical friend. LOL

Marko F - I am NOT suffering. But, what if at the root of all suffering was The Craving for Knowledge/Understanding? … What if Aristotle was right when he said: "All human beings by nature desire/crave understanding/knowledge." What then?

Answer 1

Say you believe in reincarnation and you come back after your evil human life was over as a lion. Tell me how a lion could redeem himself? What possible good deed would a lion be able to perform? Or a tiger, or a turtle? I might buy the whole idea if you were a dog and woke me up in the middle of the night barking about an intruder. But if you're a lion, are lions out roaring safety messages to local villagers warning of impending doom?

Answer 2

You have stumbled upon part of the answer to your own question in that Life itself can show you your intended path and that if you think about it only in a linear way you'll likely not GET the CLUE in time.

Just think about and realize all the things that come,and in the future will come, very hard for you to do. These are the lessons that you must learn in this lifetime in order to continue Soul Growth in an upward pathway. If you don't overcome and learn those lessons to enable Soul Growth, yes, "Groundhog Day" can and will continue it's "Round Robin"! ;)

Answer 3

Methinks you are lumping Hinduism and Buddhism in the same jelly jar. You really mustn't do that my friend.

Hinduism believes that you are on a spiritual path to perfection and your karma follows you from one life to another like an over-affectionate pet.

Buddhism, on the other hand, believes you enter each life a new entity free of sins that have gone before. You are happily free to begin sinning anew with no old baggage to weigh you down. Your old sins from the life before were just like a ferry to carry you through that one life. When you reached the other side you wisely left that ferry behind, not wanting to lug that useless weight through all the afterlife and into your new existence. So as a Buddhist you have a choice....start sinning anew (and there's no time like the present)....or....start that long climb toward Nirvana so you'll never have to pass this way again.

Concisely put, the aim of Buddhist practice is not to free oneself of sin but rather to put an end to the stress of existence. "I teach one thing and one thing only: suffering and the end of suffering" (The Buddha). And this state of the end of suffering is Nirvana.

So finally to answer your question as succinctly as I possibly can: Sin if you like, sin all you like or not at all as you choose but STOP YOUR SUFFERING.


Next day:

I can't resist some addenda here. First just want to let you know I am extremely receptive to the possibility of reincarnation. Second, I had a close friend a number of years ago who claimed he could remember details of some of his previous incarnations, one of them on a planet in the star system of Alpha Centauri. He was otherwise a completely rational human being so why should I completely dismiss this claim and possibility? Third, you do know don't you about the Dogon tribe in Africa who claimed knowledge of Sirius B before astronomers were even aware of its existence? As an anomalous traveler (whatever the hell that is) you should be able to appreciate these points.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Centuri


P.S.-You assume my friend that I thought you were suffering. When I used that phrase "STOP YOUR SUFFERING" that was the universal "YOU" I was referring to. See I turned your surreptitiously personal question into the universal one I knew it to actually be and spoke as the Buddha might, telling all sentient beings to stop their suffering, to stop all suffering.
-m

Answer 4

Past life stuff can be helpful if it arises spontaneously, as can meditation and insight, but what matters most is the present moment. The past is gone and future isn't here yet. If you are having a "Groundhog Day Effect" then maybe you aren't fully experiencing the moment and seeing it for what it really is.

Answer 5

Just concentrating on doing only goods, avoid evils and bad, purify your mind (meditate). It really depends on how well you want Nirvana , are you prepare to spent 1 to 2 hours per day to meditate and find inner peace. Ask yourself ?

Answer 6

I guess try to get a professional to hypnotize you. To see the past. That's all I can think of.