Past Life (Part-1)

   Chapter -1 

 Introduction

75% of the world's population today believes in reincarnation. However, when it comes to Americans and other Westerners, such belief doesn't come easy. Even though their hearts tell them it's true, their brains insist for more proof.

Past life regressions are the proof they - or maybe even you - are looking for. Have you ever experienced a sense of déjà vu in your life? Most people do - and more than once at that. Such experiences produce very vivid images in your mind that you feel like it really did happen to you. The question is, why can't it be true?

The Basics

Recurring dreams - good or bad - are also examples of past life regression. Children are more receptive to the thoughts, feelings, and experiences that linger in their minds and are remnants from their past lives. As a child's mind is free from pre-conceived notions about what is real or not, it does not automatically reject what it sees. Of course, it's a different case altogether when they tell the adults about it. Since children's minds are also impressionable, being told repeatedly by parents, teachers and older siblings that what they're seeing isn't true will eventually train them to think at a certain way.

You are no longer a child, but it will still be difficult to reverse or even just alter your thinking process. However, there is much for you to enjoy if you at least allow yourself to consider the possibility of past life regressions and reincarnation. Things that you once did not understand about your life become unbelievably clear. You may also become more at peace with yourself as you see how you past lives have shaped who you are now.

Opening yourself to these possibilities will take time and effort, but this book is meant to make your journey of self-discovery a lot easier.

As you go from page to page, just remember to keep an open mind and try not to reject anything simply because your mind tells you it is not rational. There are many things in this world that are not rational.

If you insist in limiting yourself to only rational possibilities, life will gradually lose its meaning, its magic---and even its importance.

This book is for everyone. Your faith, your age, or even how you define yourself is irrelevant. Many believe that the gods of different religions are simply variations of one Supreme Being.

It's only the name that changes. Your faith does not have to change with this book. On the other hand, it's guaranteed that how you see the world, your life, and yourself will change completely - and for the better.

Start changing your life now by embracing your past and developing the power to shape your present and future.

-Chapter 2:

Memories are Not Infallible

Synopsis

It so happens that memories are not to be relied on considering that most of us forget stuff that did occur or recalling things in a different manner from the way they actually happened, some of us even remember people we have never met or places we have never been to. Experimental evidence revealed that people can indeed remember events that never happened or perhaps they did happen but to someone else which can be very confusing as to whether or not memories are infallible or not.

Young children heavily rely on their memory as an invaluable tool for learning with those memories created before they had their second birthday being discarded by the brain in blurry childhood amnesia. As we carry on with our lives, the memories we have accumulated over time help us to predict and prepare for future experiences, actions, and encounters, and even though by itself it is not as valuable, it allows us to easily adapt to the different situations we face in our day to day lives.

Memories Define Personality

Memory is the medium through which we create our individuality and even when we regale our friends with our interesting stories we can be heard saying something like ‘I am not the type who does that kind of thing’, showing that you are using your memories as a reference point or as the basis of the conclusion you have made concerning the nature of your personality.

Memory also creates the notion that our lives are coherent and that nothing is either added or missing from it; the reality is that our lives are irrational and incoherent. This can be proved when swopping stories with each other and we realize that lying is inevitable because most of the time we tend to omit a lot of information and invent things to make our stories seem more consistent; over time, we continuously remember the stories we told and start to believe them as being true.

False Memories

Research shows that our earliest memories are highly suspect, with experiments revealing that a toddler’s memories are better than those of an older child. This is because when we are five years of age, we can remember some of our childhood experiences where as a toddler’s memories are more likely have been conjured up from the stories that they were told, they internalized them making them their own.

Memory is a dynamic process; it requires recalling events or experiences which requires a lot of construction considering that there is no portion of the brain dedicated to storing memories. We create our own history as we carry on with our lives, and every time we come across some new information, we reconstruct the latter merging it with our pre-existing memories.

Some claim that sexually abused children suffering from psychological illnesses were likely to have developed such mental disorders due to repressed memories with some citing cases where victims said that they had recovered memories of child abuse. On the other hand, psychologists and therapists refuted the reliability of these memories adding that therapists should not only be but also careful and phenomenological as well in their explorations with their patients so as not to encourage or influence the latter’s memories causing them to ‘recall’ something that in essence never occurred.

Chapter 3:

Fatalism is not the Correct Approach

Synopsis

Fatalism is a philosophical belief that all things are determined by fate, thus a person submits to his fate, feeling that it is inevitable. Oftentimes, the view on fatalism is directed towards believing that the future will predictably end in a horrible manner.

People who believe in fatalism tend to view themselves as powerless and that they won't be able to do anything to change the course of his destiny.

In fatalism, there is a perception that a person has to resign to his fate rather than fight or change it. This kind of philosophy usually stems from people who have either been taught strongly about predestination or those who believe that they have a strong cognizance to predict what will happen in life.

However, fatalism is not the correct approach when it comes to living life. Anyone has the capacity to create his own destiny and not succumb to what he believe will be his dark future.

Fatalism and the Human Unpredictability

Each individual has a different personality, and thus, this can lead to a string of different events in everybody's life. Each person has a different set of beliefs, views, actions and reactions which are oftentimes unexpected.

Every person that an individual meets will undeniably affect his future, the way he thinks or even change the way how he views life. Fatalists should recognize that unpredictability leads to uncertain events which are not exactly what is taught in fatalism.

Fatalists Avoid Social Scenario

Fatalists submit themselves to the inevitably of fate, and would rather not try to change its course. This is the reason why they are not usually too involved and too keen in interacting with people. They would rather observe and try to predict what will eventually happen in the end instead of giving their opinion. They believe that they can't influence whatever has already been destined and that they lack the capacity to change it.

In addition, fatalists tend to avoid personal relationships with others, as they are only interested in trying to see if their predicted outcome will take place or not. However, it is important to note that man is a social animal and he needs to interact with other human beings in order to grow and develop holistically. Shying away from social

situations can stunt his growth, and this shouldn't be the case if a person wants to fully live his life.

Learn how to Avoid Fatalism

The worldview of fatalists can be quite restrictive and limited. In order to overcome such beliefs, a person needs to accept that unexpected things can happen. Although maintaining hindsight can be helpful for others as they seek guidance through it when making decisions, it shouldn't determine the overall quality of a person's life. A fatalist who wants to change his views should accept the fact that his future will be determined more on his experiences. Such experiences are subjective to specific events, which mean that they will vary from one person to another.

Chapter 4:

The Law of Cause and Effect, Karma

Synopsis

When speaking about the topic of Karma, there is a wide misconception that this occurs as a negative effect of something that might have been done in the past.

However, the concept of Karma is actually beyond that. In simpler terms, it actually deals with the natural law of cause and effect. What you give, you get it back. Thus, your actions will generate the Karma that will come into your life later on. When you do something good, you can expect your Karma to be positive. At the same time, negative Karma will come into your life when your actions are ill.

Phases of Karma

Being the law of cause and effect, Karma does not necessarily mean that you will be punished or rewarded by your actions. The law of Karma is cyclic and it actually goes through different stages that help restore the balance of things in the universe. In order to understand Karma, it is important to understand the different phases that take place in its occurrence.

The first phase of Karma which is considered as the seed or the earliest stage is the Sanchita Karma. This type of Karma covers the karma from a person’s action from his past and present life.

The second phase of karma is the one which creates the seeds. The Kriyamana Karma is formed as a result of actions which were made on a daily basis. These seeds will accumulate along with those which were done in the past and in the next life.

The last phase of karma is called the Prarabdha Karma. This phase takes place day-to-day and is a part of the karma that has already matured.

Understanding Prarabdha

You may not notice it but you are currently living in the stages of Prarabdha karma. The events that are taking place in your life are a result of the seeds which have already ripened which you have sown

in your past life. This type of karma can manifest in different patterns and it can affect your emotions, dependencies, preferences and your relationship towards other people, especially with your family.

When you become aware that these events that are affecting your life at this point are part of the natural law of cause and effect, you will be mindful of creating positive seeds that will eventually mature to generate positive karma. Being a law of nature, you have the capacity to balance the negative aspects with the positive ones by eliminating ill-mannered thoughts and actions and live a life devoted to goodness. This mindfulness in creating good Karma is usually termed as “Bhakti” or devotion.

Creating Positive Karma

Bhakti is aimed towards being aware that your good action will inevitably unite you with Divinity. When you become mindful that your present Karma is an effect of your past life, you acquire the opportunity to balance the Karma in your life. Karma shouldn’t be seen as something negative or positive. Instead, it should be viewed as a window to clear out the negative imprints that might have accumulated in your past. You are given the capacity to create a positive Karma which will be connected to your current life and carried on to the next.