Question about reincarnation

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Viscid
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Re: Question about reincarnation

Post by Viscid »

rowyourboat wrote:no escape from it!
:twothumbsup:
"What holds attention determines action." - William James
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acinteyyo
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Re: Question about reincarnation

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Will wrote:
loft wrote:Hi,
I'm new to Buddhism and had a question about reincarnation, which I find very interesting.
Is reincarnation only linear? I mean, does it follow the forward flow of time? In other words, if I were to die today and were reincarnated, would it be in the future? Or is reincarnation in the past possible? So is it possible to die in 2011 and be reincarnated in the year 1450?
No, it is not possible to reincarnate backwards in time.
Wizard in the Forest wrote:
loft wrote:Or is reincarnation in the past possible?
No. Time and space is subject to certain laws, however the idea of multiple universes and life on other planets applies. So while you might not be reborn in the past, you could be reborn on another planet in a different dimension.


I really wouldn't be so sure about all that. "Time and space"... nothing but ideas, if one thing is certain, then uncertainty...
and please don't get me wrong, I neither argue for nor against anything...
best wishes, acinteyyo
Thag 1.20. Ajita - I do not fear death; nor do I long for life. I’ll lay down this body, aware and mindful.
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retrofuturist
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Re: Question about reincarnation

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

In line with acinteyyo's comment, it would be safest to say that the Buddha did not talk about dying in one time and being reborn before that.

On the other hand, there is an allusion to time dilation in the sense of time periods being different in different realms. E.g. you could go from one realm to another, feel like it was a thousand years, and get back later to find it was only a day you'd been gone.

Suttas or other Theravada materials where such time dilation appears though do not come easily to mind, so if anyone has some links to where such things are discussed it would be appreciated.

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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Viscid
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Re: Question about reincarnation

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retrofuturist wrote:Suttas or other Theravada materials where such time dilation appears though do not come easily to mind, so if anyone has some links to where such things are discussed it would be appreciated.
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retrofuturist
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Re: Question about reincarnation

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings Viscid,

But that's not "Suttas or other Theravada materials", is it?

Klingon maybe...

:thinking:

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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