If we presume there is rebirth, then should the memories of previous births be carried forward or removed.?

Question

Those who believe in rebirth say that we are punished or rewarded for the works done in our previous lives....then should there not be memory of previous lives be alive in our mind? When a culprit is punished, or somebody is rewarded, he is explained as to why he is being treated this way.

So when somebody is punished in this life for his previous life acts, should'nt be he aware of his crimes?????

Answer 1

Buddhists do not believe in reincarnation since that presupposes the existence of a "soul" (ataman) or some other form of an "eternal self." The Buddha taught there is no "self" that is eternal (anatman). This is a fundamental difference between Hinduism, the primary religion of India, and Buddhism. Buddhists, however, believe in rebirth. The difference between the two may seem confusing since rebirth at first glance appears to imply the existence a soul but the difference is profound.

Buddhists use fire as an example to illustrate the concept of rebirth. If you transfer the flame from a lighted candle to an unlit candle, the new flame is contingent on the old flame for its existence but they are not the same flame. There is continuity between the two but they are distinct. Reincarnation would mean that the old flame is exactly the same as the new flame. Rebirth recognizes there is a contiguous relationship of one life to the other but each is otherwise distinct.

Birth and rebirth are viewed as a continuum just as our day-to-day present life is a continuum. Remembering previous births is not always possible although there have been some studies in this area. However, for most of us we are unable to recall them although this does not mean there is no rebirth. I'm sure that you cannot recall what you ate for dinner on a specific day a year ago and that does not mean that you did not eat. In a similar manner we view that just because you cannot remember previous lives does not mean that rebirth does not occur.

There is no "punishment" in Buddhism but rather the result of karma, or action, both from this life and previous lives. We view positive and negative actions to be seeds which ripen. Perform positive well-intentioned acts and one obtains positive merit which may ripen in either this life or a future rebirth. Similarly, negative acts produce negative merit.

A person's rebirth according to Tibetan Buddhism is based on one's accrued merit. A human rebirth is the most auspicious since it gives one the opportunity to gain enlightenment and to end the cycle of rebirth.

I realize these are difficult concepts and beliefs for most Westerners to understand. I hope you have attained by reading this a small insight into the Buddhist belief.

May all be at peace.

John

Answer 2

The theory that we are punished in this birth for our sins in the previous birth/s, is wholly untenable and invalid.
"A", an accused is caught, examined and punished for the offence committed by him. How could one be caught, crossed and penalized for offences of early births.It is impossible and illogical.
A man has a corporeal body and an invisible soul .He is a living person as long as the soul is in the body.Once the soul departs, the person becomes a dead body.Once he is buried or cremated, his story is over.The corporeal body is
burnt and reduced to ashes or allowed to decay and decompose. Where exactly the soul goes, no one knows ! If
it assumes a new body then he is a very different person.He cannot be punished for his past sins.

Answer 3

Yes Sir, definitely it is possible to recollect the memory of previous births, but not though any scientific method yet. इहु मनु सकती इहु मनु सीउ ॥ This mind is power. This mind is God. इहु मनु पंच तत को जीउ ॥ This mind is the life of the five elements of the body. इहु मनु ले जउ उनमनि रहै ॥ Restraining his mind when man remains in the state of beatitude, तउ तीनि लोक की बातै कहै ॥३३॥ then can he tell the secrets of the three worlds. {{{Bhagat Kabeer Ji Raag Gauree 342}}} Kabir ji, Himself has described His previous births as : असथावर जंगम कीट पतंगा ॥ Immobile and mobile creatures, insects and moths, अनिक जनम कीए बहु रंगा ॥१॥ all those I have passed through many forms of various births. ऐसे घर हम बहुतु बसाए ॥ I had occupied many such homes, जब हम राम गरभ होइ आए ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥ like I was cast into my mother's womb. Pause. जोगी जती तपी ब्रहमचारी ॥ I become a Yogi, a continent, a penitent and an ascetic. कबहू राजा छत्रपति कबहू भेखारी ॥२॥ Sometimes I became a King, the Lord of throne and sometimes a beggar. साकत मरहि संत सभि जीवहि ॥ The mammon worshipper shall die, but the saints shall all live, राम रसाइनु रसना पीवहि ॥३॥ and quaff the Lord's elixir with their tongues. कहु कबीर प्रभ किरपा कीजै ॥ Says Kabir, my Master, have mercy on me. हारि परे अब पूरा दीजै ॥४॥१३॥ I have grown weary. Grant me perfection, now. {{{Bhagat Kabeer Ji Raag Gauree 326}}} Dear asker, one can know every thing, provided he or she could concentrate mind on One, seeking instruction from a competent true Guru. The ointment of spiritual wisdom is the destroyer of fear; through love, the Pure One is seen. The mysteries of the seen and the unseen are all known, if the mind is kept centered and balanced. If one finds such a True Guru, the Lord is met with intuitive ease. ||3|| {{{Guru Nanak Dev Ji Siree Raag 57}}}

Answer 4

Birth is of our body, which is mortal. The phenomenon of rebirth is rather not of body but of soul.
The body is made of cells. The D.N.A. and R.N.A. are the conductors of human characteristics, science says. But it is still not known by the science, how SOUL acts, transfers and enters in the new body.
The memories of previous births are always with the soul. I believe that it is good if we forget past birth data, just not to mix up present data. But in exceptional cases person may remember it for some times. But in general it is not carried forward.
That is good for us.

Answer 5

Nice question. Its one of o those I have been asked and have asked myself.

Tell me is memory a curse or blessing?

It depends on what we train ourselves to remember and replay. U c a incident might have occured only once in our life but we happen to uncontrollably recall it and suffer or enjoy it again and again. Hence thats enough to torture us.

God was graceful enough to give us fresh recorders that is a new body with new brain, though we do carry our full memories in deep sub-conscious levels. That can practically awakened by methods of yoga. Only very few in this world know that.

Well pal we are reaping what we have done and doing and going to do(And fact is we dont know how we are invovled in various things), thats the reason why we are all in different and have such variations. With all that if we deeply analyse then we will discover deep down we are all the same.

But we are not that deep enough to know that.

Answer 6

Birth starts from formation of one cell called egg and later becomes embrio. That one cell formation is from a totally new raw material and the growth depends on the environment of mother's body and health. What this cell has to do with some one who died long back and cremated to ashes.

We are making fun of God by assuming he will punish an innocent who do not have any idea what he was before.

Answer 7

In software technology this is known as data abstraction or information abstraction. The user is just shown the details of what he is required to know and not confused with the internal details.

Well, I am just talking to you in terms of high-level details.

To answer you directly. Firstly you say, you presume. Secondly you say, others believe. How can there be an answer for a little john on the streets' assumptions/presumptions and little beliefs?

Science has answers for most thrilling and rational questions put in a most logical form possible by the human mind. So we call the scientific laws as truths. But do we call the beliefs as truth themselves? No the reason is you and I just believe, we do not question the most rationalistic or logical way to get at the truth of the matter or subject.

Supposedly, let us go by your presumption and others' belief. And every one getting to know of their rewards and punishments. Which means everyone gets to know of who on this planet that is living that they have harmed in a previous life. And me the little John trodding the streets of Bangalore, India knows that another little Peter on a streets of New York, has harmed me. How can I sue him for that which happened in my past life? For that all that little Johns in Bangalore and little Peters in New York should know that there was a past life for them too. And therefore, I am logical and rightly justifying my act of suing and getting him punished. In the absence of such an evidence, that is, only few believe there is a past life and not every one. And only few assume there is a past life and not every one actually knowing it makes it a ridiculous and laughable affair of those few lunatics.

See, what is the status of these believers now. So truth must be known and known by all to be valid at all times. Truth should not be assumed or presumed or simply believed without an experience of all or just only experienced and claimed by a very few. Even only a Jesus claiming that there is a GOD would not satisfy me, only a Muhammed claiming to an Allah would not give me enough proof of a past birth and future punishments.

Far better are high courts, supreme and superior courts for however, much delayed they spell their judgements they do punish a criminal in his own life time.

Do not you know that, "A justice delayed is a justice denied?"

So let you not be unjust to criminals. Be and Do justice to one and all and now and now itself. Hail! justice.

Answer 8

Sure there is such thing a rebirth. You were born once from your mother's womb. Now you can experience rebirth by being born into the Spirit of God which is in Christ Jesus. There is no punishment in rebirth, and there is no past lives.

Answer 9

I believe in rebirth and I had dreams and memories of a past life when I was a child,It would take too long to explain it all to you ,but I think most of our hang ups and differences are caused by our past lives in our self conciseness.

Answer 10

Sorry!! don't remember a thing about a previous life and neither do anyone else as far as I can remember. The only rebirth we are going to have is through Jesus spiritually,
when he washes our sins through his blood..to make us a new creature in christ. Sorry!! I do not believe in a past life.
AND RECARNATION. Some believe they were a butterfly.