Heaven, Hell and Reincarnation.

wil

wil

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Now I don't claim to know what the hereafter may bring...

But reading another post just sparked a contemplation.

Many folks believe in reincarnation, and believe for the most part our memory slate is wiped clean for the current incarnation.

Now some folks remember or have glimpses of memories of past lives.

Ya know how in this incarnation we even begin to forget, like the bad parts of our lives we tend to cover it over, the wrong choices we've made start to become fuzzy with time.
Suppose all these incarnations are to prepare us for the real deal...

What if the real deal was perfect memory....suddenly seeing all the things you've done in your life(ves) and all their reprecussions....sort of like that book of records...but the permanent record is now in your head....

But now you see and feel all the good and all the bad, and how others were impacted by your actions, words and deeds...

That perfect memory....that could be heaven, or that could be hell...
 
Yeh Will,

I think they call perfect memory as recorded in the so-called Akashic Records

You also recall the expression:

"I saw my whole life pass before me.."

That might relate..

The "Preserved Tablet" is what we Baha'is call it although we don't subscribe to reincarnation.

- Art
 
Considering how little good our current memory does for improving our spiritual self, I doubt extending it back into past lives would accomplish much.

People mature when they mature. The important ingredient here is maturity... not memory.

It's like money, which can be a very useful tool or a means to self indulgence. Put a lot of money in the hands of an immature person and it's most likely not going to be well spent.
 
Its funny really....we spend all our waking days working hard at......remembering.
We know it all, .......but somehow have forgotten.
Preoccupied with the moment .:eek: ain't life grand.
 
Wil,

My belief system tells me that we will remember every detail of all of our previous lifetimes when we are ready for it. This makes sense to me.

"What if the real deal was perfect memory....suddenly seeing all the things you've done in your life(ves) and all their reprecussions....sort of like that book of records...but the permanent record is now in your head...."

--> That is exactly how I see it.
 
wil said:
Now I don't claim to know what the hereafter may bring...

But reading another post just sparked a contemplation.

Many folks believe in reincarnation, and believe for the most part our memory slate is wiped clean for the current incarnation.

Now some folks remember or have glimpses of memories of past lives.

Ya know how in this incarnation we even begin to forget, like the bad parts of our lives we tend to cover it over, the wrong choices we've made start to become fuzzy with time.
Suppose all these incarnations are to prepare us for the real deal...

What if the real deal was perfect memory....suddenly seeing all the things you've done in your life(ves) and all their reprecussions....sort of like that book of records...but the permanent record is now in your head....

But now you see and feel all the good and all the bad, and how others were impacted by your actions, words and deeds...

That perfect memory....that could be heaven, or that could be hell...
Click to expand...


When we die we end up in a state of being far beyond our comprehension, a state that could truly be called a place of heavenly bliss - *but* we do not exist there as we know ourselves as now.

They say we only use a small percentage of our brains, but imagine what it would be like to realise that your human form is only 2% of your actual spiritual form? That is how we are - an extremely limited physically manifestation that makes the best it can of itself.

When we die, though, there is no such thing as time - everything that may have said to have happened, to ever happen, has already done so.

So with "past lives" we're actually talking about simultaneous experiences from the perspective of an ultimate reality, with our "True Self" as I'll call it, being an part ot some degree of all of these incarnations, in all their foprms - not simply human, but animal and alien and many other things besides.

It is like - from one perspective at least - our experiences are the universe experiencing itself. It is not to prepare us for some individual future journey because at death that individual is realised to be simply a tiny part of a larger being, and those experiences.

I do not think, nor recall, those "lessons" inherent in any of the lifetimes being experienced as being ultimately required for the development of the True Self, but of course, it is very difficult to comprehend the intricacies of an experience that is considerably beyond the comprehension of the human mind.

I'll try and communciate what I saw, though. :)
 
arthra said:
Yeh Will,

I think they call perfect memory as recorded in the so-called Akashic Records

You also recall the expression:

"I saw my whole life pass before me.."

That might relate..

The "Preserved Tablet" is what we Baha'is call it although we don't subscribe to reincarnation.

- Art
Click to expand...


I like the sound of the Bahá'í faith, it has some god principles. Does the fact that it is seen as one religion and one mankind mean that you subscribe to the teachings of all monotheistic religions, as long as they are in line with those of the Bahá'í faith?
 
Namaste wil,

thank you for the post.

just an aside.. the Buddha proclaims that one need not wait till the post mortem state to experience perfect recall of a beings previous arisings, indeed the ability to have this recollection (interesting phrase that) is evidence indicating the Buddhas teachings are correct.

it is the case, however, that the understanding of the full repercussions of our actions, thoughts and words during those arisings would still be mysterious to us as the Suttas relate that only Buddhas have a full grasp of the sheer vastness of the vipaka our karma creates.

some Christian friends of mine hold the view that one of the good things about heaven is that God will answer or impart knowledge (the particulars of which are inconsequential) to any question or avenue of knowledge that a being may care to inquire about. of course at the same time they seem to also hold the view that the bliss of heaven will make such considerations vanish from our mindstreams.

metta,

~v
 
Brian,

You mentioned a a place of heavenly bliss. It is fascinating to wonder it there might be a place with even more bliss than heaven.
 
Vaj, you said,

"...any question or avenue of knowledge that a being may care to inquire about."

--> I like this idea because a person will only ask about things that they are psychologically prepared to deal with. I think that many of us are not psychologically prepared to deal with many of our past lives.
 
The Undecided said:
I like the sound of the Bahá'í faith, it has some god principles. Does the fact that it is seen as one religion and one mankind mean that you subscribe to the teachings of all monotheistic religions, as long as they are in line with those of the Bahá'í faith?
Click to expand...

Thanks for your post.. this may be a little off topic here on this thread but I'll respond as best I can to your question..

Baha'is believe that all the major religions have a common Divine Source and share basic spiritual values..

Since the Baha'i Faith is more recent it contains what we Baha'is believe to be the social teachings needed for the current age which means elimination of prejudice and the principles required for building a world civilization..

Thanks again for your question!

- Art :)
 
wil said:
That perfect memory....that could be heaven, or that could be hell...
Click to expand...


The mind, is a fort and only a few doors are open to us, if all doors were open, and we used the mind at it's full potential... Forget tinker toys such as memory, there would be far greater and ever so more powerful capabilities with the mind, and without doubt that would be a "heaven".

Shawn: What have we forgotten?
 
Nick the Pilot said:
Wil,

My belief system tells me that we will remember every detail of all of our previous lifetimes when we are ready for it. This makes sense to me.

"What if the real deal was perfect memory....suddenly seeing all the things you've done in your life(ves) and all their reprecussions....sort of like that book of records...but the permanent record is now in your head...."

--> That is exactly how I see it.
Click to expand...
Wil
I had a near death experience as I fell in to the darkness my whole life passed before me. All things good and bad were brought to light. There was no changing anything, what was done was done. I saw thousands of people all in sorrow, greiving, crying, and pleading. Hell is the absents of the goodness of God and the Glory of God. As you can tell I am alive today by the grace of God. I was dead spiritually before but now I live for Jesus, I pick-up His cross everyday and follow Him.
If you are not a Born-Again Christian accept Jesus soon.....
JerryJay
 
jerryjay said:
Wil
I had a near death experience as I fell in to the darkness my whole life passed before me. All things good and bad were brought to light. There was no changing anything, what was done was done. I saw thousands of people all in sorrow, greiving, crying, and pleading. Hell is the absents of the goodness of God and the Glory of God. As you can tell I am alive today by the grace of God. I was dead spiritually before but now I live for Jesus, I pick-up His cross everyday and follow Him.
If you are not a Born-Again Christian accept Jesus soon.....
JerryJay
Click to expand...

Well said :)
 
jerryjay said:
Wil
I had a near death experience as I fell in to the darkness my whole life passed before me. All things good and bad were brought to light. There was no changing anything, what was done was done. I saw thousands of people all in sorrow, greiving, crying, and pleading. Hell is the absents of the goodness of God and the Glory of God. As you can tell I am alive today by the grace of God. I was dead spiritually before but now I live for Jesus, I pick-up His cross everyday and follow Him.
If you are not a Born-Again Christian accept Jesus soon.....
JerryJay
Click to expand...

Namaste Jerry,

Thanx for the contribution...

What was your belief system prior to the NDE?
 
wil said:
Now I don't claim to know what the hereafter may bring...
Click to expand...
And I hope you don't find out for a long while yet!

wil said:
What if the real deal was perfect memory... suddenly seeing all the things you've done in your life(ves) and all their reprecussions... sort of like that book of records...but the permanent record is now in your head....
Click to expand...
I think the problem with memory is that it's always one step removed from the now? Memory is resistant to change, in that it tries to see new things according to old things ... things it already knows ... so the saying you can't teach an old dog is not cos old dogs lack learning skills, but rather get set in their ways?

Children live in the now, not in their history ...

Memories make us old ... from what I know of you, you seem a forever young kinda guy to me ... ?

wil said:
That perfect memory....that could be heaven, or that could be hell...
Click to expand...
Well I think we agree that hell is what we make it ... so what if our memories confine us in some way, keep us apart from what really is?


God bless,

Thomas
 
Thomas said:
Memory is resistant to change


Thomas
Click to expand...

I'm not sure. The idea that memories are like files kept safely stored, available for access unchanged is a bit out of date I think. Memories are prone to being 'worked on' whilst in our subconscious and are thus somewhat malleable. If we are able to bring them to our consciousness they may yet be changed (without us realising it).

s.
 
I would say that a definite hell is the absence of a functioning memory.

s.
 
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