Dr. Granville Wardena, Sri Lanka Assoc. for the Advancement of Science; Wisdom Quarterly
Row of Buddhas, Thailand and Laos (Scott MacFarlane/Scottmac2007/Flickr.com)
Row of Buddhas, Thailand and Laos (Scott MacFarlane/Scottmac2007/Flickr.com)
The prospect of having a scientific theory accepted depends in part on geography. If an idea originated in the East or in a Third World nation, its chance of success is low.
And if a scientific theory goes contrary to the teachings of religions popular in the West, its acceptance becomes extremely difficult even if it originated in the west, as happened to Darwin's theory of evolution and Galileo's heliocentric theory.
And if a scientific theory goes contrary to the teachings of religions popular in the West, its acceptance becomes extremely difficult even if it originated in the west, as happened to Darwin's theory of evolution and Galileo's heliocentric theory.
If rebirth is to be discussed from an unbiased scientific point of view, it is necessary first of all to find a way of bypassing these unscientific barriers. This can be done by standard procedures now considered acceptable so as to test the theory of rebirth.
Geremy Hayward has described how one ventures to deal with a new theory. He describes it as a four step scientific process:
- study the phenomenon
- formulate theory
- predict observations
- look for predicted observations.
Nobel Laureate physicist Richard Feynman describes this process in detail, combining Steps 1 and 2 to form a three step process.
- Does Buddhism believe in "reincarnation"? NO. It runs contrary to an enlightened vision of what really happens. Buddhism teaches "rebirth." Reincarnation seems to be happening. The difference is that rebirth is a continuous stream of discrete moments, impermanent and dissolving, whereas reincarnation assumes an undying entity (atta, self, soul) passing from one lifetime to another. Isn't it just semantics? No, it is a crucial distinction that precludes many needless philosophical problems and misunderstandings.
Rebirth is a very old belief, which a significant portion of the world accepts. Rene Descartes, famous for concluding "I think therefore I am" (when the only conclusion to be drawn was "Thinking is going on therefore thinking is going on") made a statement in 1641. It confirms his belief: "...the extinction of the mind does not follow from the corruption of the body and also to give men the hope of another life after death." Nevertheless 20% of those whose religion shuns the belief accept it anyway.
Rebirth may be defined as the re-embodiment of an immaterial part of a person after a short or a long interval after death, in a new body, wherein it proceeds to lead a new life in the boy more or less unconscious of its past existences but containing some residua of former lives which go to make up its new character or personality. We are, therefore, not born blank slates. We have definite propensities, abilities, deficits, and talents.
THE SCIENTIFIC EXAMINATION
There are two possibilities, rebirth occurs or it does not. We understand the physical part of being human because it falls in the purview of tangible materiality.We now understand that there is much more than the physical. Materialists cling to the notion that it is all physical. Psychologists, mystics, spiritual persons, and common sense allows for more.
If the body down to the DNA is the hard drive, where is the software? It is immaterial so not anywhere in a sense. Written ideas are not in the writing; they exist independent of it.
Death is the event horizon for the body. There is no return for it after disintegrating. But as for the immaterial, death is no event horizon. It can reappear. There is a chance for return from that scientifically unknown state to a scientifically known one in a new body.
Where is the evidence? There are many lines of evidence to pursue. More
Where is the evidence? There are many lines of evidence to pursue. More
Rebirth: Best Evidence
Proof by handwriting comparison
between the living and the deceased person s/he claims to have
been?Indian researcher Vikram Raj Singh Chauhan thinks so and has undertaken a study. His findings have been received favorably at the National Conference of Forensic Scientists at Bundelkhand University, Jhansi.
- A 6-year-old Indian boy (Taranjit Singh) claimed since the age of 2 that he had been a person named Satnam Singh, a boy who had lived in another village and had been killed while riding his bike home from school. An investigation verified the many details Taranjit knew of his previous life as Satnam. But the clincher was that their handwriting -- a trait experts know is as distinct as fingerprints -- was virtually identical.
BIRTHMARKS, RECALL, AND MORE
Dr. Ian Stevenson, head of the Department of Psychiatric Medicine at
the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville,
Virginia, is one of the foremost researchers and authors on the subject
of "reincarnation" and past lives. In 1993, he wrote a paper entitled "Birthmarks and Birth Defects Corresponding to Wounds on Deceased Persons" as possible physical evidence for past lives.
"Among 895 cases of
children who claimed to remember a previous life (or were thought by
adults to have had a previous life)," Stevenson writes, "birthmarks
and/or birth defects... More
The evidence, of course, does not stop there. It encompasses physical appearance, phobias and nightmares, spontaneous recall and special knowledge (prodigies), past life regression hypnosis, illnesses and physical ailments. All of these lend themselves to scientific investigation.
- POLL: What do you think about evidence?
- Buddhist view on death and rebirth
- Do Buddhists go to heaven?The Buddhist contribution to the conception of the afterlife, it turns out, is nirvana. Nirvana is the end of suffering while one is alive and the end of rebirth after passing away.
- Bardo and rebirth in Tibetan Buddhism
In Tibetan Buddhism, a bardo is an in-between or intermediate state. The word is often used to mean a state between death and rebirth, but it can mean other things... [The problem is, of course, that one has already been reborn into this intermediate state. One is alive, one is continuing, and will usually go from here to a longer-lived state misleadingly spoken of as the "rebirth" proper.]What Buddhism teaches about karma and and rebirth The law of karma is a law of cause and effect, or an understanding that every deed produces fruit. The fruits of karma affect our lives and cause rebirth.
- BOOKS: The Angry Buddhist by Seth Greenland
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
3 comments:
Unaccomplished activities of past lives are also one of the causes for reincarnation. Some of us reincarnate to complete the unfinished tasks of previous birth. The is evident from my own story of reincarnation:
“My most Revered Guru of my previous life His Holiness Maharaj Sahab, 3rd Spiritual Head of Radhasoami Faith had revealed this secret to me during trance like state of mine. This was sort of REVELATION.
HE told me, “Tum Sarkar Sahab Ho” (You are Sarkar Sahab). Sarkar Sahab was one of the most beloved disciple of His Holiness Maharj Sahab. Sarkar Sahab later on became Fourth of Spiritual Head Radhasoami Faith.
Since I don’t have any direct realization of it so I can not claim the extent of its correctness. But it seems to be correct. During my previous birth I wanted to sing the song of ‘Infinite’ (Agam Geet yeh gawan chahoon tumhri mauj nihara, mauj hoi to satguru soami karoon supanth vichara) but I could not do so then since I had to leave the mortal frame at a very early age. But through the unbounded Grace and Mercy of my most Revered Guru that desire of my past birth is being fulfilled now.”
I am one the chief expounder and supporter of Gravitation Force Theory of God. This is most scientific and secular theory of God. This is the Theory of Universal Religion. I have given Higher Theory of Everything. Sometimes back I posted this as comments to a blog on:
‘Fighting of the Cause of Allah by Governing a Smart Mathematics Based on Islamic Teology’
By Rohedi of Rohedi Laboratories, Indonesia. Rohedi termed my higher theory of everything more wonderful than which has been developed by Stephen Hawking. Some details are quoted below:
rohedi
@anirudh kumar satsangi
Congratulation you have develop the higher theory of everything more wonderful than which has been developed by Stephen Hawking. Hopefully your some views for being considered for Unified Field Theory are recognized by International Science Community, hence I soon read the fundamental aspect proposed by you.
I have posted my comments to the Blog of Syed K. Mirza on Evolutionary Science vs. Creation Theory, and Intellectual Hypocrisy. Syed Mirza seems to be a very liberal muslim. He responded to my comments as mentioned below.
“Many thanks for your very high thought explanations of God.
You said:
“Hence it can be assumed that the Current of Chaitanya (Consciousness) and Gravitational Wave are the two names of the same Supreme Essence (Seed) which has brought forth the entire creation. Hence it can be assumed that the source of current of consciousness and gravitational wave is the same i.e. God or ultimate creator.
(i) Gravitation Force is the Ultimate Creator, Source of Gravitational Wave is God”
Whatever you call it, God is no living God of any religion. Yes, when I call it “Mother Nature” is the God generated from all Natural forces and Gravitational force is the nucleus of all forces or we can presume that Gravitation is the ultimate guiding principle of this Mother Nature we call it non-living God unlike living personal God of religions. I can not believe any personal God would do so much misery created for its creation. Hence, only non-living natural God can explain everything in the Universe. When we think of any living personal God, things do not ad up!”
I have also discovered the mathematical expression for emotional quotient (E.Q.) and for spiritual quotient (S.Q.).
Austrian Scientist Rudolf Steiner says,
“Just as an age was once ready to receive the Copernican theory of the universe, so is our age ready for the idea of reincarnation to be brought into the general consciousness of humanity”.
SCIENTIFIC AWARENESS OF REINCARNATION : BASES FOR A UNIVERSAL RELIGION
Anirudh Kumar Satsangi
Among the ancient Greeks Socrates, Pythagoras and Plato made reincarnation an integral part of their teachings. According to Dr. Granville Dharmawardena of Colombo University reincarnation may be defined as the re-embodiment of an immaterial part of a person after a short or a long interval after death, in a new body whence it proceeds to lead a new life in the new body more or less unconscious of its past existences, but containing within itself the “essence” of the results of its past lives, which experience goes to make up its new character or personality.
In the seventeenth century Rene Descartes divided everything in the universe into two realms as “Res Extensa” (matter) and “Res Cogitans” (mind). Gathering knowledge within the realm of Res Extensa was called Science and the phenomenon of reincarnation got pushed into the other realm Res Cogitans which was not considered suitable for scientific probing. Science developed in the framework of Res Estensa is known as “Classical Science”. Classical science had tremendous material achievements because it helped all round growth of technology which brought about prosperity to mankind. The air of frame work of Classical Science was blown out by Henry Becquerel in 1896 by the discovery of Radioactivity. The discovery of Theory of Relativity by Albert Einstein in early 20th Century gave it further blow. The advent of Quantum Theory and the Uncertainty Principle did the rest. It is significant to note that Einstein’s discovery fall entirely within the frame work of Res Cogitans as it did not involve any experiments or measurements. Gravitation Force Theory of Newton is also an example of such observation and intuition work involving no experiments and measurements.
Modern Science enhanced man’s knowledge surpassing the restrictions imposed by the five senses and took us to hidden areas of nature and profound changes had been introduced in procedures of science. Our ability to understand everything by way of perceptible mental pictures is reduced and it became necessary to imagine models with components which behaved in ways that had no counterparts at all in the world familiar to us. In most cases mechanisms involved in these models not only are imperceptible but also consist of elements that operate in ways never known in the world that we actually experience through sensory inputs.
Modern science tied up the two realms, Res Extensa and Res Cogitans and made us to understand that they are not independent and cannot be completely studied independently. Within the establishment of modern science some of the aspects of nature that did not strictly adhere to the realm of Res Extensa, which were therefore earlier condemned as unbecoming of scientists to talk about have become respectable. Reincarnation falls into this category
Reincarnation is a very old belief and a large fraction of the world population believes it. For example Rene Descartes’ statement “What I have said is sufficient to show clearly enough that the extinction of the mind does not follow from the corruption of the body and also to give men the hope of another life after death” in 1641 confirms his belief in reincarnation. About 20 percent of those in the Western World whose religions shun reincarnation nevertheless believe it. According to opinion polls this percentage is rising.
Lisa Miller, Religion Editor of Newsweek says that Americans are becoming more Hindus. According to 2008 Harris Poll 24% of Americans say they believe in reincarnation
Steven J Rosen writes in The Reincarnation Controversy, Uncovering the Truth in World Religions (New Age Books) that belief in reincarnation allows us to see ourselves as architects of our own future. Rosen raises certain queries,‘ what is it that reincarnates from one body to another? Is it the soul? the mind? the intellect? To understand this we should suggest answer to these questions. We all know that there are four fundamental forces in the universe viz., gravitation force, electromagnetic force, weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force. I have written a paper entitled ‘Gravitation Force is the Ultimate Creator’ and presented it at the 1st International Conference on Revival of Traditional Yoga held in Lonavla Yoga Institute, Lonavla in January 2006. In this paper I have defined soul (individual consciousness), mind and body. According to this every point of action of Gravitational Force Field is individual consciousness or soul, electromagnetic force as the force of mind and weak and strong nuclear force as the gross material force which constitute physical frame of body.
Consciousness is All Intelligent and pervades everywhere. Although all other remaining three forces are also intelligent but they are subordinate to Gravitational Force. THIS DESCRIPTION WILL HELP TO UNDERSTAND ‘WHAT IS IT THAT REINCARNATES FROM ONE BODY TO ANOTHER.
According to Buddhism this is not the supreme atman or soul that ties one life to another, instead it talks about past lives as evolvement of consciousness, emergence of a new personality from the same stream of consciousness.
Contrary to popular belief, reincarnation is not an exclusively Eastern notion but that has flourished in cultures around the world. It is still an integral part of some sects of the Jewish tradition; Kabbalistic Jewish wisdom tradition has reincarnation ideas embedded in it one way or another. Reincarnation is mentioned in numerous places throughout the classical texts of Jewish mysticism. “As long as a person is unsuccessful in his purpose in this world, the Holy One, blessed be He, uproots him and replants him over and over again”. (Zohar I 186b)
Gnostic and Early Christians also believed in reincarnation; only later on church removed all such texts and blended those heretics. History records that early Emperor Justinian in 545 A.D. was able to apply the full power of Rome and his authority to stop the belief in reincarnation. However, the Bible contain no condemnation of the principle of reincarnation, and in fact, when Christ was asked when Elijah would return, He answered that Elijah had returned, referring to John the Baptist. At one place it is also mentioned, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3).
Sakina Yusuf Khan writes in an article A Night Of Forgiveness published in The Speaking Tree: “It (Shab-e-Barat) is also a festival associated with the dead. It is believed that the souls of the dead are set free on this night to visit their relatives.” What this indicates? This is a belief in reincarnation, of course in subtle body. The Koran says, “And you were dead, and He brought you back to life. And He shall cause you to die, and shall bring you back to life, and in the end shall gather you onto Himself.” Among the followers of Islam, the Sufis especially believe that death is no loss, for the immortal soul continually pass through different bodies.
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