APRIL 2014
Khaas Baat : A Publication for Indian Americans in Florida
MINDBODY

KEEP AN OPEN MIND ON REINCARNATION

Lavanya Dinesh

By DR. Maulik Trivedi, MD

In the last two articles, we explored two key aspects of Hindu philosophy; first we looked at the role of religion for the purpose of sustaining and progressing our mindbody, and then, the nature of karma, which binds our mindbody in a cause and effect phenomenal world.  This article explores the third key aspect of Hindu philosophy, reincarnation.

Clearly, what you are about to read can be questioned from many perspectives because of the nature of the topic. The only way to prove reincarnation for oneself is to actually die, or so I believe. At that point, it may not matter so much to most people. However, most of us are not in that much of a hurry to prove that reincarnation exists. Nevertheless, indirect means of observation from nature and recurrent anecdotal reports from people about their 'past life' substantiate reincarnation as real phenomena. As such, the topic deserves scientific inquiry and exploration.

Let's look at nature of everything we see in the physical world. Everything has a cycle. Everything has a beginning, middle and an end. Then it starts all over again. Everything exists in the space of time with a cycle of creation, maintenance and its phenomenal dissolution. Then the cycle repeats. For example, every day begins with a dawn, progresses to noon and finishes into the night. The cycle begins again and repeats phenomenally in the space of every 24 hours. Human life also adheres to this phenomena. We all start as a child, grow older and eventually pass away from the physical world. So why would not we reincarnate to repeat the cycle? In fact, at every moment in time, the cells in our body are turning over in millions. We grow new cells to replace old dead ones. We consume food to grow our body from that of a child to that of an adult. That which is our food, comes from the earth. And when we die, we will return to the stuff that makes up this earth. Until we are born again and consume the food stuff produced from the same earth again. We get recycled from one birth to the next.

Physical existence ends at the time of death, however, spiritual existence is not finite. According to Hindu philosophy, we are born again. We take on a new life in a different physical body. You see, our spirituality transcends our physical time-limited lifespan of our current life. In fact, "We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are actually, spiritual beings on a human journey. Our spiritual self IS our true self.

Take a pause to reflect on the power of this idea. Do not simply accept the concept because it’s printed on paper or because it represents Hindu philosophy and you consider yourself a devout Hindu. Likewise, do not simply discredit it because you are not a Hindu. Question this concept as much as you need. And until you are not satisfied for yourself, keep questioning it.

If you are curious and want to learn from other's experiences, I recommend the following sources. There have been and currently are people who have recollections of their previous birth. You can read or view their account of their past-life experience in books and on the Web. Swami Paramhansa Yogananda has given his account in his autobiography called the “Autobiography of a Yogi.” A current mystic named ‘Sadhguru’ from India also references his prior births in his biography. Also, Dr. Wayne Dyer, who is a currently alive psychologist and author, has publicly spoken and written about his experiences prior to being born on this life. A fine scientific account of past-lives is given by Brian Weiss, MD, in his book “Many lives, Many Masters.” Also if you want to see live accounts of their past lives provided by currently alive children, visit Biography Channel's Website and view episodes of a show called “The Ghost in my Child.” You will see accounts of children who tell stories about their past lives, from being in the Twin Towers at the time of their death to being in a fighter jet in World War II.

Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, keep an open mind and go on our own scientific inquiry into this topic. Let your own experience guide you to the truth. Happy journey, to your TRUE SELF.’

Maulik Trivedi, MD, is a practicing psychiatrist and a MindBody physician. For details, visit www.FMCmindbody.com You can also follow him on Twitter @MindBodyYogaMD

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