Ghosts And Reincarnation: Making sense of the life/death cycle

"Life is a journey.
Death is a return to earth.
The universe is like an inn.
The passing years are like dust.

Regard this phantom world
As a star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp - a phantom - and a dream."
The Buddha

A while ago I wrote an article titled Near Death Experiences-What Happens After We Die? In it I described the “for and against” if you like of what happens after we die. I described both sides of the argument and each one made perfect sense. I tried not to disclose my opinion on the subject in order to allow the reader to make his or her mind up.

I have often been asked what do I believe and I have always replied with certainty that, “of course there is life after death” and I would describe what I knew to be the answer; that we all may have lived several lives and may return to the Earth Plane again and again after we pass. I have argued with “non believers” and stood my ground on what I supposed was true and would not hear anything different other than my own view, that is until I began researching for “Near Death Experiences” (NDE) and the way opened up for another way of thinking. After talking with Dr John Happs president of "Western Australian Skeptics" I realised that his estimation made a lot of sense and I began to wonder, “What if he is right? What if there is nothing after you die?” That is a depressing suggestion to say the least, but it is incomprehensible to me that the essence of a person can just cease to exist.

Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) had the ability to leave his body and travel into the after life. He has astonished people from all over the globe with tales of his experiences. He had the ability to experience regular NDEs and developed the ability of being able to diagnose and treat sick individuals from a distance by astral travelling.

Christian beliefs are that once the body is no longer alive the soul faces judgement and is directed either into Heaven or to suffer forever in Hell.

Buddhists accept as true that whatever happens to the soul after the body dies is related to how the individual lived his or her life. Karma comes into play in regards to determining what life the spirit will be reborn into. They believe in the concept of reincarnation.

According to The Government Of Tibet In Exile His Holiness the Dalai Lama was born in 1935 and was acknowledged when he was around two years old to be the reincarnation of 13th Dalai Lama, his forerunner.

Reincarnation is the acquisition of a new body when the old one dies and therefore beginning a new life without any conscious recollection of the previous one. It has been quoted that the Buddha compared this process to the lighting of a new candle with the flame of the old one thus keeping the flame lit independent of the original source. This course of action is known as "transmigration.” The idea is to learn through each life and eventually achieve the wisdom of “Nirvana”, the state of freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth.

The basic assumption is the life is suffering and you will never achieve complete peace on earth based on material pleasure. The only road to complete peace is to follow Buddha and detach one’s self from all worldly attachments. Over time the ego will dwindle and eventually over time Nirvana will be reached.

There are spirits who have been through many lifetimes and have come to true understanding and do not physically reincarnate on the earth plane in order to help others are called "Bodhisattva". They exist in a Bodhisattva realm and are comparable to Christian Saints and people pray to them for assistance.

Buddhists believe that what we call soul or spirit, the “mindstream" lives on from one life to the next until Nirvana is reached. The cycle of rebirth is called “Samsara” and this is where Bodhisattva remains out of compassion for other’s quest for enlightenment.

So regardless of your convictions a lot of us are comfortable with the idea that we are all inherent spirits and we are much more than our physical bodies.
There are endless reports of ghost sightings and many theories in regards to this.

According to Wikipedia encyclopaedia, “A ghost is the apparition of a deceased person, frequently similar in appearance to that person, and usually encountered in places she or he frequented, the place of his or her death, or in association with the person's former belongings.”

It is often said that ghosts are spirits of people who have some kind of unfinished business on earth and refuse to leave our realm until the situation is resolved, which makes me wonder; wouldn’t the majority of us have unfinished business to take care of upon our demise? It is my view that unless you are in a situation where you had an inkling of the time of your death, such as terminal illness when you would have time to “prepare” for our final exit and tie up all loose ends you would have things that you still need to do even though your life may be over. There are numerous tales of ghosts residing in buildings here on Earth and refusing to cross over.

The McPike Mansion for example has been named as one of the most haunted houses in small town America. Built on Alby Street in the town of Alton in 1869 for Henry Guest McPike a wealthy and prominent citizen the mansion has been featured in numerous books and television shows because of supernatural activity and bizarre encounters.

The McPike family sold the home around 1936 to Paul Laichinger who resided there and put many of the rooms out for rent so many tenants came and went until 1945 when Mr Laichinger died. It is at this time that mysterious encounters began to be recorded. Apparently many of the documented occurrences may have been the ghost of Mr. Laichinger and his many tenants.

Unexplained phenomena includes the sound of children laughing and apparitions moving about the house; one of which has been named Sarah who was believed to have been a servant who resided in the mansion. She has been reported as a gentle wandering spirit who would leave living residents and visitors with a feeling of being hugged or touched. There have been reports of Paul Laichinger’s image peering through windows and has been seen doing chores around the place as he did when he was living and it is rumoured that the ghost of a lady who once drowned in one of the bathtubs in 1869 is quite active.

In 1999 Dr Rene Horath and a group of fellow researchers arrived at McPike to film paranormal activity in a basement using infrared equipment as there are no windows therefore no sunlight in the room. A thick mist which, according to Dr Horath felt like feathers brushing against her engulfed what was once the wine cellar. Renee claimed her body felt electric. The theory that the mist may have been caused by humidity was dismissed as there was no condensation on the camera lenses and could not be felt on the skin. The mist appeared to have a will of its own moving around and changing direction and eventually vanished as quickly as it materialized.

I wonder if we will ever have a plausible explanation that will answer the one question we all have in common, what happens after we die?

It makes a great deal of sense and rings true for me that when our body dies it is not the end and I have had the feeling on many occasions that I have been here before this life and I recalled that sentiment very strongly when I was a child although back then I had no real interest in spirituality or a particularly religious upbringing.

I like the notion that the Earth life is a journey. A journey of lessons in suffering and love and when this journey is over we will move on to another plane where we may reminisce about out past earthly experiences and decide from there what lessons we may need to repeat or how we will settle our own Karmic debt.

Is it as simple as that I wonder? I hope so.


Here is the link to a video called Ghosts On Tape; it includes The McPike Mansion mist incident. Fascinating stuff!
Ghosts On Tape

For those who are really curios about the Paranormal this is the link to Ghost Photographs where you will find a list of ghost pictures deemed fake and otherwise.

You can visit The McPike Mansion site for more information.

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

"Life is struggle" the Buddha.

This is an anecdote well known to Buddhists.

It is a tale about a woman named Kisagotami who was so named because “kisa” means thin; she was a slight woman who married a very rich man. Kisagotami was loved by her husband although his family did not approve of her because she came from a poor background.

She eventually gave birth to a son and this changed her status to the disapproving relatives. She adored the beautiful healthy boy and the child brought her more happiness that she had ever experienced; she was living a sheltered life and knew nothing of real pain and suffering.

One day the little boy fell ill and died suddenly. Grief stricken Kisagotami ran in the street asking for help to restore her son. Someone guided her to the Buddha and she fell at his feet and begged Him to bring her boy back.

The Buddha considered her demand and replied, “I know of a medicine, but I will require certain ingredients. The one thing I need is mustard seed,” and, as Kisagotami ran to the door to begin her hunt for the seed, the Buddha continued, “the mustard seed must come from a home that has not ever experienced the grief brought by death.”

Kisagotami went from house to house and when she returned to the Buddha she was empty handed. She told him that she had been unable to find anyone who had not, at some time, experienced death and suddenly became enlightened and let go of her son’s lifeless body realizing that she was not alone with her grief.

To this the Buddha stated, “Though one should live a hundred years without seeing the Deathless State, yet better indeed is the single day's life if one who sees the Sublime Truth". (Dhammapada V 114).

Kisagotami found comfort when she learned that no one is immune to death and suffering and it is indeed a part of life and she was not isolated in her time of sorrow.

Is there a reason for everything that happens? Why do bad things happen to good people?

In Eastern beliefs Karma and reincarnation are plausible explanations. If we are suffering in this life it may be because of Karma that we are indebted to from a previous life, not necessarily the present one, which to me makes a great deal of sense. It provides a logical explanation as to why there are innocent children who are born suffering terrible illnesses or abuse. Simply put it is a case of reaping now what we have sowed in the past.

Suffering is the foundation of the Buddhist doctrine. The Four Noble Truths reveal that living is anguish and that it is brought on by ourselves. In order to stop the pain we must learn to let go of control and desire and we must surrender. The answer is the Eightfold path, which describes the way to end suffering;

1. Right View
2. Right Intention
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

Essentially, because our Karma is the result of our choices, the key is to relinquish desire for results and abandon ourselves to the way of the Eightfold, thus avoiding more irresponsible choices that may have led us to our present suffering.

Christians hold the belief that there are no innocent people on this earth and, because of Adam and Eve’s fall from grace we are all born with sin. The only way to avoid spending our eternity in Hell is to accept Jesus in our hearts as He is the one who atoned us by sacrificing Himself to the Cross.

There is the view of Free Will. When God created us he bestowed us with Free Will and this has allowed us to make our own choices without His interference, therefore blaming God for our misfortunes becomes futile as they may well be the result of our own foolish choices.

Another interesting, albeit somewhat dismal opinion is that all the bad nasty stuff which occurs in the world is due to the Devil and the pain in the world is his doing. The thought of the Devil permeating our existence is somewhat disturbing to me. The encouraging thing is by turning to God we can ask for help in order to avoid the Devil’s temptations.

It is human nature to want an explanation for pain and suffering. We need to make sense of tragedies. This is not always possible which is what leaves us in a state of limbo awaiting answers which do seem to be forthcoming.

Being good and righteous does not ensure that bad things will never happen to us and we do not have an answer as to why they do. The important thing to remember is that there is no good and there is no bad, only our perception. Some of life’s greatest lessons and gifts have sometimes been acknowledged during periods of serious illness and grief.

The only action we can take to is look for the good in people and things and when we come across someone who is suffering lend them a hand, let go of results, live our best life, turn to our Creator for help and we can’t go wrong.

I want to sum it all up by including this piece. It is called “The Story of Life” and it by an unknown author.

“Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be, your neighbor, your coworker, a long lost friend, or a complete stranger. When you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment they will affect your life in some profound way.

Sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart. Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck.

Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls you experience, help to create who you are and who you become.

Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones.

If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious when you open your heart. If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and actually listen.

Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you.

You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.

Most importantly if you Love someone tell him or her, for you never know what tomorrow may have in store.

Learn a lesson in life each day that you live. That's the story of Life."



"My life has been filled with miseries and failures, most of which have never happened." Mark Twain

Bowing to the Buddha. Choosing Forgiveness over Anger

It was pelting down with rain; it was windy and cold and as I stood in the car park placing my groceries in the boot of the car the hideous wind blew so hard that it turned my umbrella inside out. I felt the fury build up inside of me and although I knew intellectually that my behaviour was inappropriate I felt I had no control and proceeded to hurl the umbrella across the parking lot all the while muttering profanities. I was mad as hell. I knew right there and then that my anger stemmed from something else, something much deeper and much more painful than a broken umbrella on a blustery day. It was on this day that I decided to spend a little time with myself and examine the root cause of my incensed conduct.

It didn’t take too long to figure out that my anger stemmed from past hurts and the fear of being wounded again. I walked around gnashing my teeth and with a frown; on a good day I would feel irritated and on bad days I would feel outraged. My upbringing was less than ideal to say the least and in several past relationships, romantic and otherwise; I had been made to feel small and worthless. It is true that you teach others how to treat you and that I was the one who allowed other people to disrespect me. I did know at that point how important it was to start caring for myself and to feel loved just because I existed but regardless of good intentions pain from the past remained and I had to learn to deal with it and the umbrage and bitterness that came with it. I was enraged with certain people and they were still a part of my life and I had to somehow learn to let go of these exasperated feelings.

The Buddha said, “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned." Until I learned to practice forgiveness that was exactly what I was doing, burning my hands with coal I intended for another.

Marianne Williamson writes in “A Return To Love”, “Forgiveness is ‘selective remembering’- a conscious decision to focus on love and let the rest go”.
It is not easy to do this because the ego is not so keen on letting go. The point to remember though is that the people who have hurt us and enraged us so much are our most important teachers. It is very well to see the lessons but there are times when making the shift and seeing someone as God would see them is extremely difficult. When moral, integral standards have been broken that may be something that is not easy to overlook. Dr Phil says’ “Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?” Judgment makes you wrong and the other person right.

Forgiveness does not mean condoning someone’s bad behaviour, it means letting it go so we can be free. One way to look at those who have wronged us is with compassion at the pain they must have in their hearts.

In the book “Buddhism For Mothers With Lingering Questions” Sarah Naphtali says, “In the times that someone is driving you nuts, remember ‘She is me’,” and she continues, “Bow frequently to a Buddha to remind yourself of a higher path.”

There is a higher path we all know that. The key is to remember that during the times when the pain seems intolerable. Many people think that the Buddha’s way is to be at peace and calm at all times, therefore suppressing emotions. Feelings are just that and they arise to coach us to a better way, they are not to be suppressed but to be experienced. The Buddha says that it is best to recognize each negative emotion and be with it. It is only then that we can make the shift from resentment to compassion thus avoiding the temptation of retribution.

When Dr Howard C. Cutler, M.D. asked The Dalai Lama how to deal with someone who has hurt you and therefore made you very angry, His Holiness suggested looking at the situation from a different angle and that, if we look very carefully, we will begin to see the positives in the person and the situation. He said, “For instance, you might reflect on the fact that when you are really angry at someone you tend to perceive them as having 100 percent negative qualities. Just as when you are strongly attracted to someone the tendency is to see them as having 100 percent positive qualities. But this perception does not correspond with reality. If your friend, who you view as wonderful, were to purposefully harm you in some way, suddenly you would become acutely aware that they aren’t composed of 100 percent good qualities. Similarly, if your enemy, the one you hate, were to sincerely beg your forgiveness and continue to show you kindness, it’s unlikely that you would continue to perceive them as 100 percent bad. So, the tendency to see someone as completely negative is due to your own perception rather than the true nature of the individual.”

We are all complex beings and none of us are completely good or completely bad. We are imperfect and that is the beauty of being human. We cannot always control our environment and others’ actions but what we can control is our perception. That is where the change has to occur.

I came across a little story a while back called “Nail In The Fence.” The author is unknown.


NAILS IN THE FENCE

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him
a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must
hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had
driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned
to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually
dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to
drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He
told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out
one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father
that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led
him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the
holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say
things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out, it won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there.

Anger hurts and that is all that it will ever do. There are those times when expressing one’s irritation can be beneficial to get our point across but it won’t help in the long run. The good news is that we don’t have to suppress our feelings of rage; we can let ourselves feel them and let them be. It’s how we react to them that is important, because just like the boy who hammered nails in the fence, words of fury will leave a scar long after our temper has cooled.

Something that may help when we are feeling incensed with someone is to distance ourselves and divert our attention to something else preferably something we enjoy or sometimes just going for a walk will suffice. The Dalai Lama suggests meditation as a way to deal with our angry feelings. There are several techniques out there and it would be worth taking the time to find the one suitable for each individual's needs.

Sometimes the pain is so deep that only a professional can show us the way out of the black hole and that is another thing that is worth considering because life is beautiful, but we will not see that while we are blinded by anger and resentment.

"When reason ends, then anger begins. Therefore, anger is a sign of weakness."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Check out these videos: these guys are pretty mad!
Man gets mad with his computer
An Angry Man!



Anger Management What to do when anger becomes a problem

Your Precious "Now"

“Look at what happened in the Past. Learn something valuable from it. Do things differently in the present." Spencer Johnson (Author, The Present, The One Minute Manager, Who Moved My Cheese?)

You are the sum of all the choices and experiences of your past. This is a good thing; all the lessons you have learned and the people you have loved. The drawback is that in your past lie your demons, your fears, insecurities and hurts. You are who you are right now. Think about it; there is no other time except for this present moment, the past is over and cannot be relived or undone and the future cannot be experienced in the present and no amount of thought or worry can change that fact.



According to Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, the Buddha likens this sentiment to “living alone”. This is a short excerpt from the book “Our Appointment with Life: The Buddha's Teaching on Living in the moment. (Thich Nhat Hanh)
“To live alone does not mean to reject the world and society. The Buddha said that living alone means living in the present moment deeply observing what is happening. If we do that, we will not be dragged into the past or swept away into thoughts about the future. The Buddha said that if we cannot live in the present moment, even if we are alone in deepest forest, we are not really alone. He said that if we are fully alive in the present moment, even if we are in a crowded urban area, we can still be said to be living alone.”

Have you been in a conversation or watching TV only to realize that you have not heard anything that has been said? When this happens you are not present you are not here. You are temporarily residing elsewhere. It means you are missing out on the Precious Now. Seizing the present is a habit that can be learned over time; being totally aware of right now, your surroundings, your feelings. Good or bad now is all you’ve got. It is a choice to hold onto to every moment as it were your last. You don’t want to come to the end of your life with the knowledge that your life has not been all that it could be. If you don’t saviour now when we will you?

I have a habit of worrying about things and a lot of the time it is future events. I can sit and waste my Precious Now stressing about what may or may not happen. My lesson is: If I cannot do anything about it at this moment why worry? If something can be done the wisest way to spend my time right now is by taking positive action. It makes sense but it takes practice to implement in every day life. Whenever I become aware of my mind straying to a past or future event, my affirmation is “Confine yourself to the present”. After all, what we do in the present is the only thing that is going to affect the future so worry in this instant is useless.

One of the most significant things in life is the ability to forgive. Forgiveness does not entail condoning bad behaviour, it just conduces letting go of the resentment behind it. There is no better way to waste your Precious Now than focusing on something that happened in the past no matter how hurtful.

It’s ok to be sorry and to wish you hadn’t done something but guilt, just like worry is a complete waste one’s time. Learn from your mistakes, they are yours and you’re entitled to them; look at them as valuable lessons and move on. Let go of judgment. There is only now and there is no right or wrong. Mistakes are lessons and they are not wrong. People, animals and things just are, they are not good and they are not bad they just are.

Shakyamuni, the Buddha once said’ “ If one comes across a person who as shot an arrow, one does not spend time wondering about were the arrow came from, or the caste of the individual who shot it, or analyzing what type of wood the shaft is made of, or the manner in which the arrowhead was fashioned. Rather, one should focus on immediately pulling out the arrow.”

A work of genius, a book titled The Power Of Now was written by Eckhart Tolle. He says “Do you really know what is positive and what is negative? Do you have the total picture? There have been many people for whom limitation, failure, loss, illness, or pain in whatever form turned out to be their greatest teacher. It taught them to let go of false self- images and superficial ego-dictated goals and desires. It gave them depth, humility and compassion. It made them more real. Whenever anything negative happens to you, there is a deep lesson concealed within it, although you may not see it at the time.”




Tolle says that happiness depends on the perception of outer conditions being positive, but inner peace does not, and he goes as far to say that being free of psychological time is one of the tools to inner peace. He states that psychological time is a mental disease such as always wanting to be somewhere else other than in your life, viewing fulfillment by short term pleasures such as sex food alcohol drugs etc... and always trying to achieve and acquire “stuff”. All of this, he says, distorts the reality of the Now, which is all you are ever going to have. He advises using clock time for practical matters and in order to fit into society and returning to present moment awareness as soon as the practicalities have been dealt with so that we don’t build up psychological time “which is identification with the past and continuous compulsive projection into the future.”

Think about all the things you really want versus what you need which is always peace in the now. Have you ever coveted something material only to still feel unfulfilled when you finally got it?

One may be inclined to consider “What the heck if all I have is now; I’m going to live a hedonistic life and focus only on my pleasure.” The true Zen would not say “Enjoy yourself now for you are a long time dead”; because the moment you think about your death you have ceased living in the now. True peace is not what is happening on the outside, but what is occurring on in the inside. That is not to say that one should not make plans and set goals. It just means that remembering that the journey is all we have and without the goals we would not have the journey. Life does not always flow according to plan so it is also wise to accept that things may not always go they way we expect. Acceptance of the Now does not mean resigning to situations we find unpleasant. We can focus on the present moment without judgment, therefore clearing our mind for positive action.

I am of the opinion that, like time, age does not really exist. I’m not just stating this because I want to ignore my wrinkles and not face the fact that I am getting older, but if peace is inward the wrinkles do not exist. How many times have we heard elderly people say, "I don’t feel any different now than I did when I was 20”? It is because the mind and spirit cannot age and when your body dies my belief is that the essential YOU will not.

The key is to spend each and every moment being our best self, everything else doesn’t matter. With anything that relates to growth a shift has to occur in our hearts and mind in order to become aware of our now. Although balance is the key we can learn that the greatest power is now and if we are going to spend time worrying, let’s think instead about how we can make valuable changes in the world; to lend a hand and to take care of our earth. That is something we can do at this moment and the joy and peace that it will bring cannot be duplicated by all the riches in the world.

Do not pursue the past.
Do not lose yourself in the future.
The past no longer is.
The future has not yet come.
Looking deeply at life as it is
in the very here and now,
the practitioner dwells
in stability and freedom
We must be diligent today.
To wait until tomorrow is too late,
Death comes unexpectedly.
How can we bargain with it?
The sage calls a person who knows
how to dwell in mindfulness night and day "one who knows the better way to live alone."Thich Nhat Hanh, Our Appointment With Life: The Buddha's Teaching on Living in the Present.