Reincarnation
I am not an authority on the topic but I have a perspective. It’s more of an offshoot, really – same life reincarnation.
Reincarnation can happen or not in a single lifetime. If we repeat the conditioned patterns we have acquired, we will get the same life day after day ala the movie, Groundhog Day. If we outgrow patterns that are causing us an unwelcome sameness, we become reincarnated in this lifetime. You don’t even have to read one ancient Hindu text to discover this.
“Born again” is such an accurate description of this same life reincarnation process. Too bad it’s already taken by a wing of Christianity.
Think of all the conditioning we receive from newborn to age 4 and how it stays with us for a lifetime whether useful or not. Most of it we had nothing to do with but are living with the results. Yes, you could complain about it and blame your parents and other early care givers but it does nothing to help get another life.
It’s amusing if we discover that we hang the toilet paper in the same direction our mother did, but it can be downright depressing if we’re repeating a preference they gave us which isn’t working. Discovering your patterns is only one end of the same life reincarnation equation. The other part is making an effort to outgrow the behavior(s).
Many people when they discover something they got by accident, use it as a justification to continue the pattern and claim helplessness. They will not reincarnate in this lifetime. Some deny that the behavior is present. They will also live the same life they have now.
We have all been stuck. If you investigate “stuckness,” you will notice it’s driven by some underlying pattern of behavior. And chances are you had no say in getting this particular behavior. That recognition does not cause it to disappear, but it’s a starting point.
Spiritual teacher, Eckhart Tolle tells us the ego exhibits wanting, thwarted wanting, and indifference. It’s the indifference piece that keeps most of us stuck in the same lifetime. This indifference, in many cases, can lead to isolation. The thinking goes something like this: “As long as I am apart from the ‘unwashed,’ I won’t have some numbskull eliciting my patterned behavior and I won’t have to deal with their criticisms.”
Other people help you discover yourself, flaws and all. The world is a research laboratory filled with these creatures of discovery. You won’t find them watching reruns of “Law & Order.”
My mantra for me and you is “Risk.”
Risk discovering yourself through others. You’ll find out the good, the bad and the ugly about yourself. If you then choose to go to work on the bothersome behaviors, you get a new life in this lifetime. If you don’t, you can always pray for a better life the next time around.
All the best,
John
http://cdbaby.com/cd/johnmorgan
http://www.cafepress.com/grasshoppernote/3580301
Reincarnation picture was taken from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnation
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