One question that I have always had concerns reincarnation. Somehow, deep inside me I have no doubt about it. In fact, since I was a child I entertained the notion that I had lived before, not as "Me", here, this self in this body, but as another I. It dawns on me now the subtle nature of that understanding, and as I child I took it for granted. How can "I" be another "I", e.g. "You"? As a seven year old child, "I lived a long time ago" rolled off my tongue as a simple understanding. Perhaps it is something innate within us all - to experience the transpersonal. Really, if you think about it, it is a profound thing to say, to perceive: I am You. This awareness we have extends beyond the bodies and minds we associate with, and tapping into that understanding can help us begin to see a bigger picture, allow our eyes to see clearer, more openly, what really is the "Self"; Both an individual and a whole, one tree and the forest. The reflection on the water's edge and the moon itself, brilliantly shining in the cosmos, one within one, within one. Perhaps this is why there is reincarnation? This interpersonal, interbeing, this suchness that is both manifest and unmanifest? These are just a few reflections, as I am new here and not sure where else to start. Please share your thoughts.

-shaman sun

Shaman Sun,

I am glad to see that you are trying to work out how reincarnation fits into your belief system. I believe in reincarnation -- it makes absolute, perfect, logical sense to me. I can see no flaw in the concept whatsoever. Feel free to ask any questions about reincarnation that you may have.

You said,

"As a seven year old child, 'I lived a long time ago' rolled off my tongue as a simple understanding."

--> It common for young children to have memories of previous lives, and for young children to forget these memories as they grow older.

"This awareness we have extends beyond the bodies and minds we associate with, and tapping into that understanding can help us begin to see a bigger picture, allow our eyes to see clearer, more openly, what really is the 'Self'; Both an individual and a whole, one tree and the forest."

--> The inteconnectedness of everything in the universe is a basic Theosophical teaching. Theosophy teaches that we will one day raise our consciousnesses up to a level where all separateness disappears. I am very much looking forward to such a day.

Have you ever thought about what happens to you, when you stop reincarnating?

What happens when we stop reincarnating? I've never deeply pondered that. Just fleeting wonder. While we're on the subject though, ever see "The Fountain" by Daron Aranofsky?

Shaman Sun,

No, I have not seen that movie. What was it about?

It is a good idea to ponder what happens after reincarnation ends. Such a question is key to Theosophy.

Shaman,

We continue to evole, but we are in a more spiritual form, not physical.

Christian

Has anyone read JJ Dewey's didactic fiction about afterlife and reincarnation? One starts ch. 19 of his book The Immortal (at freeread.com,) and another is From Self-Consciousness to Initiation at jjwritings.com treatises. The former is interesting but not necessarily sensible, and the latter is at least as good as Krishnamurti's The Path though not as poetic.