Your Afterlife vs My Afterlife - History, Culture, and Religion as One

That is all part of the experience and learning process that gains us our wisdom. I like your analogy in succinct terms of “suffering” its a relevant discourse we all share in common.

Have you ever read anything from Jane Roberts?

Just what I’ve gleaned from Google just now. I do admit I’m wary when it comes to self-proclaimed psychics (or psychics of any kind really), so at first glance she seems a bit off-putting in the direction of a rabbit hole, and not the forum kind.

Any notable wisdom from her?

Why do you talk about “suffering?” What exactly do you mean? Is it depression, melancholic feelings? Surely in the West, our lives are pretty good? Don’t you feel blessed? I feel luckier than most and generally happy with what I’ve got, definitely not “suffering!”

I have seen a ghost. I nearly ran it over. I have also had a lot of strange electrical activity in my houses. I knew who it was. For 2 years, lights would turn themselves on and off, as would the TV. Then for another 10 years or so, the bathroom scales would light up every time I went near. That is despite moving houses several times and replacing the scales.

I think there may be something there, but what I have no idea. It’s not something I think about.

About reincarnation; do you recall previous lives? How do you know you have previously lived? I don’t recall anything so I don’t think I have been around before. If there is no past life, why should there be a future life?

I can’t answer for whom you’ve addressed.

Suffering is a part of life. So is joy. We suffer the loss of a loved one. We experience joy at the arrival of a new one.

Our lives are very good. If only people could step outside of themselves and learn gratitude. Yet so many carry the the bucket with a hole in it called “entitlement” or “victimhood”.

I do as well. Practicing gratitude for even what seems like a small thing gives a wonderful perspective on how truly blessed we are.

We cannot prove there hasn’t been, we cannot prove there won’t be. As is the converse.

It hurts no one to explore or to converse.

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Sufferings are things unwanted and in the way, that require unwanted effort to get around in order to achieve a goal.

I can’t just make coffee in the morning by grabbing water out of the tap, or else the innards will get fouled with calcium deposits within a week. At that point, I can either run vinegar through the machine to clean it out, which costs money, or just keep a stock of distilled water on hand so the scaling doesn’t happen in the first place, which costs money that I could spend elsewhere, like on an old-fashioned steam brewer so I won’t have these scaling issues, which takes longer with more steps than using the normal coffee maker.

All those decisions and all that work just to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee. Does that mean I shouldn’t make one? Of course not, I will suffer through a given number of steps needed to achieve a desired outcome, and then be happy for the suffering because now I can appreciate better what I’m enjoying.

Coffee is a minuscule example, but it’s the first thing I do every morning before suffering a long day to ensure my family is fed, housed, and clothed.

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Do you attribute these particular events to a ghost(s) as well, or is there possibly something about you, physically, that’s causing it? :thinking:

You cannot appreciate sunshine if you haven’t lived through cloudy and overcast days.

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And what makes people think there isn’t?

A matter of personal choice I suspect.

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The kind of “Suffering” I am referring to has nothing to do with a personal outlook on life but a general term to describe the Human condition in life. More specific its a term I learned from being a Buddhist, and the symbolism of the lotus flower is a prominent profound one. For example, the Lotus flower grows in a murky swamp with long roots. The swamp represents all of life’s conditions, its roots is our accumulated Karma, and the flower in which closes at night and opens during the day represents our minds; as we go to sleep at night and are awake during the day. We are constantly struggling with the 10 conditions of life. Hell, Hunger, animosity, anger, Humanity, Heaven, Learning, Realization, Bodhisattva, and Buddhahood.

The six states from Hell to Heaven are called “the six paths or six lower worlds.” Any happiness or satisfaction to be gained in these states depends totally upon circumstances and is therefore transient and subject to change. In these six lower worlds, we base our entire happiness, indeed our whole identity, on externals.

Buddahood being the highest state, is a dynamic state that is difficult to describe. We can partially describe it as a state of perfect freedom, in which we are enlightened to the ultimate truth of life. It is characterized by infinite compassion and boundless wisdom. In this state, we can resolve harmoniously what appear from the standpoint of the nine worlds to be insoluble contradictions. A Buddhist sutra describes the attributes of the Buddha’s life as a true self, perfect freedom from karmic bonds throughout eternity, a life purified of illusion, and absolute happiness.

On your other question: Yes I can recall past lives, and have been to the after life. It is my belief that we are a product of our past, both in past lives lived and the present one we are now living. You bring your karma everywhere you go!

You may be what is referred to a “very young soul” therefore you may not be able to recall past lives. This of course is just an assumption on my part, as you could very well be an old soul too and that you haven’t found the means to channel your energy in a way that allows you to recall your past incarnations.

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I can understand your skepticism therefore I won’t try to convince you otherwise. Her book “Seth Speaks” is a remarkable book and it changed my life many years ago. In it the entity that speaks through Jane Roberts (the premise of the book is Jane Roberts is a vessel in which Seth uses to communicate his concepts of non substantiated reality) conveys certain ideas about reincarnation and species of humans that have lived on the Earth many years ago. Seth lived as a human on Earth for thousands of years before reaching his current state. Fascinating read nevertheless and its only for people who truly can approach such works with an open mind without the prejudices of their own beliefs.

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That’s also assuming we’re the only being of import in the universe. I find that really hard to believe if our creator also created everything around us. Personally, I believe everything is connected and all life is sacred, human or otherwise. That being said, if our creator had intended for us to be vegans, he wouldn’t have made animals delicious. :wink:

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Look to the blue sky
And lift your hands high
And pray for love at your feet

Jesus my saviour
My favourite flavour
I prefer God to my kids

God bless all the universe
Krishna bells are in
Stop, look down on stolen cars
This is just a sin

Ok, I’m somewhat of a ski nut (British understatement, if you’re taking me literally). So I have to suffer getting up at 3am, having suffered all the organising and packing, then I have to suffer a 14 hour drive and suffer the revolting “aires” an route. Well, the French are making an effort to improve their toilet situation and it’s not as bad as it used to be. Anyway, unlucky and we end up with holes in the ground, surrounded by puddles of other people’s piss that you try not to stand in, then the little one says they need a poo. So I have to suffer that.

Isn’t that all part of the fun? You call it “suffering;” here we call it “fun and games.”

It started happening on the first Christmas eve following my mum getting killed. Christmas eve was when I would go over to my mum’s to stay over Christmas. It carried on for about 12-13 years after. I don’t get anything at all these days.

How do you recall past lives? Is it in a dream? Or simply memory? I’ve had a lot of pretty wacky dreams with clear recollections of places that I have never been to in real life, but I wouldn’t attribute them to past lives, more likely the brain doing a system defrag.

It has been shown that drugs can create the same sort of experiences. Not saying you were tripping, but could it not all be simply electrical and chemical firings happening in the brain naturally?

Yes I have seen things, but that is not enough for me to conclude there is an afterlife. It could be electrical imprints or something else we can’t explain. There is certainly something, I just don’t know what. Others’ beliefs are simply that. Some believe if they kill enough kafirs, they will be rewarded with 72 virgins.

Ok, you are losing me here. You have to go easy :wink: I think I will just head back to the cave to prepare some mammoth for dinner. :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

Before I answer your litany of questions first answer me this:

How many dreams over the course of your life you had that you can remember being conscious within your dreams? Self aware?

Gave up the ski thing years ago.

The commute, 3-4 hours each way a little deterrent.
The cost of the lift ticket, can be over 200 bucks a day, another deterrent.
The idiots that think the know how to ski, board clearly a deterrent to skiing.
The really bad food on the mountain. Bring your own.
The long lift lines a deterrent.

And after you weather all the above, you say I had a great day skiing.

Which ones? Breckinridge? Winter park? A Basin? Copper, Keystone?

I’m not sure I understand that because surely you are self aware in all of them? I am self aware from the absurd to the scary. There are also recurring dreams of the same places, but places I do not recognise in real life. There are stupid ones, where for the life of me I cannot hit a squash ball and am playing someone useless. I played competitive squash for 12 years so in real life, I’m not bad!

My brother lives in Colorado, he tells me the same thing. Try France :grin: Food is excellent. Ski areas biggest in the world. Depends on timing and resort, but no lift queues really. Off again next month, can’t wait!