Reincarnation

[Sufjon]

**I too have seen this over and over again…and wondered about it…understanding the caste system of course helps…but there is little kindness from them

stormy**

Hi Friend Stormy: While the caste system does have foundation in the Vedas, it took on a very different form in practice. Initially it was an assignment of one’s place based on their own personal proclivities, and made a good deal of sense. It was a matter of accepting who you were and where you best fit based on your personality, talent and tendencies. Then it became an inherited thing and a trap for Sudras, and in this form it no longer makes sense. It is not at this time recognized by the great saints of Hinduism. Sri Ramakrishna totally ignored caste, which really annoyed people at first until they realized the spiritual authority of Ramakrishna. Perhaps the most revered people in India, indeed, the highest spiritual level to which one could aspire are the sadhus. It is ironic because you would be hard pressed to tell what caste a sadhu comes from. They own nothing and have nothing to identify them but their faith. Anyway, the caste system thee days is a social convention.

As far as kindness goes, most of the people I know are Indian. They might not act like what you are accustomed to, but they laugh, love, cry and feel things like you do.

Always your friend,
Sufjon

 

[Sonny1954]

I used to find reincarnation a simply awful way to look at existence. Knowing that I was going to be be born again and again and probably remember each wretched life I endured. Ugh…once was enough for me!

I’m still not sure I believe in reincarnation, but I’ve learned that my assumptions about it were wrong. The purpose of the death re-birth cycle is to give each of us another chance to live purer, more Godly lives. Reincarnation assumes that all of us eventually go to Heaven, or achieve moksha. And it isn’t God who keeps sending us back to earth in various bodies, it is our own desires to cling to the things of this material earth that pulls our souls back, not God. Once our soul is re-born into a material body, we lose consciousness of our previous lives (though they may continue to affect us as “predispositions” or unexplainable predelictions. The point of reincarnation is that death does not automatically purify our souls and render us ready for Heaven. God, in His/Her/Its mercy repeatedly gives us opportunities to improve spiritually.

Reincarnation can be seen as somewhat comforting. There is no “one strike and your out.” If you need a 2nd, 3rd or millionth chance, the merciful Lord gives it to you.

 

[Snoopy333]

I guess I see reincarnation as Catholics viewed purgatory – keep coming back til you rest in the Lord (enlightenment) or sit in purgatory until your ‘sins’ are expiated.

I don’t like the thought of ‘doing it again’ either, so it is motivation sort of like the imperfect love Catholics believe in (goodness for fear of hell), that impels one toward a more perfect life in God. I fear I’ll have to come back again…and perhaps again until I ‘get it right.’

While you can claim that Hinduism teaches respect for other religions and non-violence - both of which are also part of Christianity - claiming that Hindus somehow manage to follow these teachings better than Christians is a falsehood.

I don’t think any of us can say any religion practices this better than others…we don’t know other religions as well as our own, whatever that may be. Hinduism in reality **teaches **respect and acceptance for other religions. Now whether all Hindus practice it is another question. Just like Christians who snub their noses at eastern religions, no one is perfect that I can see.

 

[arosesum]

Well, this is a long thread! Sorry for not reading the whole thing, but I guess you all understand.

Without my advocating any particular view, I have heard of some of the ones I came across scanning this thread. I also wonder about the Catholic view, as imho it loosly fits into the category under the subheading “resurrection.” I guess the difference is one “reincarnates” into their “own” body, a glorified one. Whatever tht means; I’m not quite clear on that.

But I would guess that the usual transmigration and serial incarnation ideas have been all put forth. Now I may have missed it in my brief search, but there is another one I heard of. and it goes like this:

There is only one life, called God, and the universe is the manifestation fo the body of God. So life doesn’t come and go, only life forms. So life is omnipresent as God, and explores all possibilities through what we call life. OUr :soul" then, is actually an aspecto fo God as lived through the limits of a human. Now in Christianity that idea is strictly applied only to Jesus. But in some religions what the Catholics call the hypostatic union is actually the undiscovered condition of everyone. So by that theory, everything is always all God and all whatever it looks like. And that is why there is consistency in things. And therefore tehre is not really incarnation or anything, it is just God moving one. So they say.

I’m not sure I got it all right, but that is a theory I heard, and it seems to have some good points to make.

 

[rtved]

Hi Friend Stormy: While the caste system does have foundation in the Vedas, it took on a very different form in practice. Initially it was an assignment of one’s place based on their own personal proclivities, and made a good deal of sense. It was a matter of accepting who you were and where you best fit based on your personality, talent and tendencies. Then it became an inherited thing and a trap for Sudras, and in this form it no longer makes sense. It is not at this time recognized by the great saints of Hinduism. Sri Ramakrishna totally ignored caste, which really annoyed people at first until they realized the spiritual authority of Ramakrishna. Perhaps the most revered people in India, indeed, the highest spiritual level to which one could aspire are the sadhus. It is ironic because you would be hard pressed to tell what caste a sadhu comes from. They own nothing and have nothing to identify them but their faith. Anyway, the caste system thee days is a social convention.

As far as kindness goes, most of the people I know are Indian. They might not act like what you are accustomed to, but they laugh, love, cry and feel things like you do.

Always your friend,
Sufjon

I will add few more things.The vedas say the Man’s nature determines his Varna(caste).

The Bhagavadgita says in a more eloquent manner about Nature(Svabhav) determining one’s OCCUPATION and thus his Varna(Caste)

There are many instances in Hindu history where people born in supposedly less intelligent castes/occupations writing the vedic literature and are revered as saints.

That there are some age old prejudices against certain people in some areas is different matter altogether and there are historic reasons for that.

 

[Sufjon]

I will add few more things.The vedas say the Man’s nature determines his Varna(caste).

The Bhagavadgita says in a more eloquent manner about Nature(Svabhav) determining one’s OCCUPATION and thus his Varna(Caste)

There are many instances in Hindu history where people born in supposedly less intelligent castes/occupations writing the vedic literature and are revered as saints.

That there are some age old prejudices against certain people in some areas is different matter altogether and there are historic reasons for that.

Thank you Rtved!

Your friend,
Sufjon