Thais And There Superstitions

[travelmann]

Reincarnation is not scary. I'm sure I've been here before.

At least half the world's population believe in it.

how do you think the Dalai lama is chosen, and all the other Lamas - they have to identify objects that used to be theirs in a previous life.

Anyone who thinks we live, die and nothing happens doesn't understand the laws of thermodynamics or spirituality.

I'm pretty sure that I used to be my grandfather. He died by jumping off a tall building. I have a phobia about heights.

All through my early days, all my Aunts and Uncles said there was a remarkable similarity between us(character-wise).

I used to hang out in a bar in Melbourne all day and night when I was a student and felt at home there. Not so long ago I found out my grandfather worked there.

I don't know about any LAWS of spirituality, but ..

laws of Thermodynamics? Really? Can you elaborate?

The second law of thermodynamics filled my nights with nightmare when I was in high school,

There are no law that I fear more than the 2nd law of thermodynamics

I fought the law, the law won

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed.

We are souls, surrounded by temporary bodies.

The soul has energy.

Nearly all religions talk about reincarnation, even Christianity.

it's bizarre that some people don't believe in it.

Please show me a soul or bucket of souls, let me know when you find them. Because all religions talk about it is funny after all if we just died what would they have to offer us to behave whilst alive?? be good live forever...........yeah right Whats bizzarre is that people do believe it although really not bizzarre just wishful thinking.

[inthepink]

Reincarnation is not scary. I'm sure I've been here before.

At least half the world's population believe in it.

how do you think the Dalai lama is chosen, and all the other Lamas - they have to identify objects that used to be theirs in a previous life.

Anyone who thinks we live, die and nothing happens doesn't understand the laws of thermodynamics or spirituality.

I'm pretty sure that I used to be my grandfather. He died by jumping off a tall building. I have a phobia about heights.

All through my early days, all my Aunts and Uncles said there was a remarkable similarity between us(character-wise).

I used to hang out in a bar in Melbourne all day and night when I was a student and felt at home there. Not so long ago I found out my grandfather worked there.

I don't know about any LAWS of spirituality, but ..

laws of Thermodynamics? Really? Can you elaborate?

The second law of thermodynamics filled my nights with nightmare when I was in high school,

There are no law that I fear more than the 2nd law of thermodynamics

I fought the law, the law won

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed.

We are souls, surrounded by temporary bodies.

The soul has energy.

Nearly all religions talk about reincarnation, even Christianity.

it's bizarre that some people don't believe in it.

Not really. It's more bizarre that otherwise intelligent people would believe in it.

Man invented gods for everything that he did not understand and that scared him, such as Thor, the god of thunder and dozens of other examples from dozens of other cultures. The last thing that we have yet to work out is why we are here and most people do not want to accept that there might be no reason at all. Most people are scared of dying too. Hence some still believe in a god that created the universe and others believe that they will be reincarnated. The alternative, oblivion. is a little unpalatable.

The fact that nothing is ever created or destroyed (in the known universe) does not back up a belief in reincarnation in any way whatsoever.

[JurgenG]

I'm not really qualified to discuss the matter but it seems to me that a "soul" should be an heresy for a buddhist, as there is no "self"

But as I said my understanding of these notions are very limited. Every time I try to discuss this matter with monks, i get complicated answers, answers that makes me think they would rather not dig too much in this subject.

Or maybe it's just because I sound so stupid that they have better things to do than wasting their time with me.

[saraburioz]

Not really. It's more bizarre that otherwise intelligent people would believe in it.

Man invented gods for everything that he did not understand and that scared him, such as Thor, the god of thunder and dozens of other examples from dozens of other cultures. The last thing that we have yet to work out is why we are here and most people do not want to accept that there might be no reason at all. Most people are scared of dying too. Hence some still believe in a god that created the universe and others believe that they will be reincarnated. The alternative, oblivion. is a little unpalatable.

The fact that nothing is ever created or destroyed (in the known universe) does not back up a belief in reincarnation in any way whatsoever.

:lol: :lol:

YOU'LL BE SAYING THE SOUL DOESN'T EXIST NEXT.

:lol: :lol:

[saraburioz]

Aristotle, Shakespeare, Plato, Goethe, Nietsche, Socrates, Thoreau, Benjamin Franklin, General George S. Patton, Henry ford, Jesus, Gandhi, The Buddha, Napolean, Mark Twain, Shakespeare, Tolsto, Wordsworth, carl Jung, voltaire, Pythagoras to name a few people who are certainly not stupid.

[JurgenG]

Aristotle, Shakespeare, Plato, Goethe, Nietsche, Socrates, Thoreau, Benjamin Franklin, General George S. Patton, Henry ford, Jesus, Gandhi, The Buddha, Napolean, Mark Twain, Shakespeare, Tolsto, Wordsworth, carl Jung, voltaire, Pythagoras to name a few people who are certainly not stupid.

What you mean is all these people support the idea of a soul ?

[dean999]

I enjoyed the story.

I am very open minded but, people need an explanation of things they don't understand or are scared of. This is why things like aliens, ghost's ect are created. 100's of years ago people believed that the great gods were raising and lowering the sun each day by there chariots, just because they couldn't understand how it all worked.

People are afraid of dieing, so they make themselfs feel better by making up stories about where we end up next. It helps you except death.

Like i said i'm open minded and i hope i'm wrong. I just hope you can choose what you come back as. I don't want to be a snail or something like that.

[SteeleJoe]

DavidSL:Buddha, by my understanding, is like a God without being a creator?

Sorry, no. The Buddha himself would disagree.

Trisailor:

Many scientist believe that we are born with far greator brain capacity than what most of us are accustomed to using.

Myth. Please feel free to list these many sicentists. or even show me a source for one. (I'd like to now if I'm wrong because personally it bugs me a lot when peole just make casual assertions of fact that are actually nothing of the sort -- and I believe you've been know to do that on this forum).

(I realize that's a stretch for many TVer's)

For one who likes to speak so much of being balanced and enlightened, you certainly seem lacking in self-awareness given how often you feel the need to pretend you are superior and denigating the intellect and interests of so many peole you don't even know.

Just sayin'...

[SteeleJoe]

Man invented gods for everything that he did not understand and that scared him, such as Thor, the god of thunder and dozens of other examples from dozens of other cultures. The last thing that we have yet to work out is why we are here and most people do not want to accept that there might be no reason at all. Most people are scared of dying too. Hence some still believe in a god that created the universe and others believe that they will be reincarnated. The alternative, oblivion. is a little unpalatable.

The fact that nothing is ever created or destroyed (in the known universe) does not back up a belief in reincarnation in any way whatsoever.

Spot. On.

[SteeleJoe]

Aristotle, Shakespeare, Plato, Goethe, Nietsche, Socrates, Thoreau, Benjamin Franklin, General George S. Patton, Henry ford, Jesus, Gandhi, The Buddha, Napolean, Mark Twain, Shakespeare, Tolsto, Wordsworth, carl Jung, voltaire, Pythagoras to name a few people who are certainly not stupid.

This or someting like it is your source I imagine?

Qoutes

Do you have any context for these words otr did you just google somwething that cherrry-picked the right stuff.

In any case, loads of intelligent people believe in religion. Doesn't make them right (especially if they lived hundreds of years ago for more...) -- though for all I know, they are.

[DavidSL]

I think the most interesting thing about this subject is the debates that arise from it. You have the open-minded, the ones who simply acknowledge the possibility, and the close-minded, those who simply refuse to even acknowledge the possibility.

Being close-minded is very common. It's easy to close your mind and say, 'nope - Gods were created by man to repress the population and keep us in control' - but where is YOUR proof? All you are doing is simply regurgitating age-old theories, just as we are about reincarnation and religion. It all starts somewhere, and maybe neither of us are right or wrong. BUT simply saying 'MYTH' or 'debunking' any of our beliefs by reciting things you once heard on a TV programme doesn't really change the fact that neither of us can explain any of this. That's why being open-minded isn't saying, 'Yes, this is definitely reincarnation' but simply acknowledging the possibility that there is something out there we don't yet understand that could be spiritual or otherwise.

SteeleJoe, why don't you do a Google search if you're so interested. Why should we pander to you by quoting scientists - it's a well known theory that we only use 10% of our brains. It's not that the other 90% gives us magical powers, but scientists do believe there are many cognitive functions that we don't understand or use on freak occurrences. If you haven't heard this before, maybe you should research and open your mind a little.

[SteeleJoe]

I think the most interesting thing about this subject is the debates that arise from it. You have the open-minded, the ones who simply acknowledge the possibility, and the close-minded, those who simply refuse to even acknowledge the possibility.

Being close-minded is very common. It's easy to close your mind and say, 'nope - Gods were created by man to repress the population and keep us in control' - but where is YOUR proof? All you are doing is simply regurgitating age-old theories, just as we are about reincarnation and religion. It all starts somewhere, and maybe neither of us are right or wrong. BUT simply saying 'MYTH' or 'debunking' any of our beliefs by reciting things you once heard on a TV programme doesn't really change the fact that neither of us can explain any of this. That's why being open-minded isn't saying, 'Yes, this is definitely reincarnation' but simply acknowledging the possibility that there is something out there we don't yet understand that could be spiritual or otherwise.

SteeleJoe, why don't you do a Google search if you're so interested. Why should we pander to you by quoting scientists - it's a well known theory that we only use 10% of our brains. It's not that the other 90% gives us magical powers, but scientists do believe there are many cognitive functions that we don't understand or use on freak occurrences. If you haven't heard this before, maybe you should research and open your mind a little.

1) I don't rule out reincarnation. I simply don't feel anyone here has made a decent case for it.

2) The onus is on the person who makes the claim to support it. Not for me to support his claim.

It's not a well-known theory, it's a commonly believed myth. Among other things, it makes no evolutionary sense at all.

[SteeleJoe]

OK David, I've pandered to you; I honestly didn't know of any specific source but I was sure there must be some and it took a couple seconds to google:

Scientific American

Here's my favorite bit:

Though an alluring idea, the "10 percent myth" is so wrong it is almost laughable, says neurologist Barry Gordon at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.

There's loads of stuff to prove my claim (try googling it - or are you going to tell me now that the same rules you gave for me don't apply to you?) . Now, how about somethign to support his? I genuinely want to know if I'm wrong about these alleged scientists.

EDIT to fix typo and link and to add last line.

Edited May 19, 2011 by SteeleJoe

[DavidSL]

Forum arguments aside - it's an interesting theory. It seems to attract it's fair share of believers and non-believers, just like any theory.

Here's one I found.

http://www.neilslade.com/Papers/how.html

Now lets stop trying to be clever and debate this on a more mature level. I know, I know, I started it

[RedFxTrade]

I think the most interesting thing about this subject is the debates that arise from it. You have the open-minded, the ones who simply acknowledge the possibility, and the close-minded, those who simply refuse to even acknowledge the possibility.

Being close-minded is very common. It's easy to close your mind and say, 'nope - Gods were created by man to repress the population and keep us in control' - but where is YOUR proof? All you are doing is simply regurgitating age-old theories, just as we are about reincarnation and religion. It all starts somewhere, and maybe neither of us are right or wrong. BUT simply saying 'MYTH' or 'debunking' any of our beliefs by reciting things you once heard on a TV programme doesn't really change the fact that neither of us can explain any of this. That's why being open-minded isn't saying, 'Yes, this is definitely reincarnation' but simply acknowledging the possibility that there is something out there we don't yet understand that could be spiritual or otherwise.

SteeleJoe, why don't you do a Google search if you're so interested. Why should we pander to you by quoting scientists - it's a well known theory that we only use 10% of our brains. It's not that the other 90% gives us magical powers, but scientists do believe there are many cognitive functions that we don't understand or use on freak occurrences. If you haven't heard this before, maybe you should research and open your mind a little.

A voice of reason. Good post.

Real and sincere inquiry starts from within. You cannot expect to take it from scientists and outer sources, You need to make your own observations.. The origin and ancestry of man is something which baffles his understanding.

What is the origin of man?

From where did he originate?

Who is his first father?

Did tree precede seed or seed precede tree?

What is the origin of this world?

The origin of all living creatures?

The origin of this universe none the less?

These are the questions of utmost obscurity and mystery. The best intellects have failed to throw light on these fundamental questions. Did the cause appear first or the effect? Is there a causeless cause? The mystery surrounding these questions agitates the human mind. To appease the agitated mind religious prophets gave a name to that causeless cause...the name was God.

God is believed to be the primeaval source of everything. The creator of the universe. Some posit a personal God, others God without a form. The introduction of God as the creator of the universe is a mere proposition. An intellectual supposition. How can any enquirer of truth be satisfied with that answer? Can you satisfy truth with a bare assumption.

In arithmetic a problem is solved by assuming the final answer to be X. But X is not the real answer. It is like, God, a postulation, an assumption.. The answer has to be derived methodically from the laws of arithmetic.. God is just another name for origin. That is not a solution to the fundamental questions asked above.. However, the vast majority have passively accepted thru the ages as God being the creator of everything. To question it is indeed blasphemous,sacrilegious, absurd.

Man has lost his reason. Mere words are spoke from the pulpit ti the masses.

To start on inquiry towards the unknown X, and to unravel the mystery, you need to move from what is already "know" to the "unknown". A fundamental law of education that has been lost is that you can only gain knowledge of the unknown with reference to an known factor. If I asked someone here, where is The Landmark hotel, and you said well its not far from Times Square...and I said, but I do not know where Times square is...then you said it is near nanaplaza. And I said well I do not know where that is. You said do you know Siam sq BTS...And I said, yes I do, then you could explain how to get there. The know reference revealed the unknown.

You need to start by developing the faculty of reasoning, and the known world first, before understanding the unknown. God/the uinverse is described as omnipotent, all pervading. Science now shows that there are billions of stars and galaxies. We are told that God is outside the realms of time, space and causation. How can the mind understand what is outside time, space and causation when it operates with those parameters itself?

When you ask Where did the world come from the where is related to Space.

When you ask, "when did the universe begin" you are pertaining to "time"

When you ask "How did the world begin" you are pertaining to "causation"

But God we are told by the enlightened souls from the past is outside all this, all pervading, omnipresent. Yet we try to grasp omnipresence through the parameters of mind. The mind works with time, space and cause. It cannot grasp infinity,omnipresence. How can the mind grasp knowledge of the unknown through the unknown? It is impossible. That is why we need to start from where we are the objective reality.

To start doing that, one needs to think deeply, meditate on, analyse the individual, the world and their mutual relationship. Who is the individual? How does he contact the world? What is the mode of contact? What is the nature of the world being contacted? How far can you improve the world? How far can you improve the individual? Who is the experiencer and what is the experienced? What is the chemical reaction between the two? What is the root of unmanifested desire? What is the chronology of action? Where does emotion come from?

Is it easy to do? Of course its not. You need to be scientific in your approach. You need to develop the intellect (different from intelligence). You could have the best scientist in the world, could still be an alcholic and wife beater. Intellect is the ability to reason, to discriminate. To control and direct the mind, or the heart in philosophical terms.

Good luck

Edited May 19, 2011 by RedFxTrade

[Phatcharanan]

I am not a teacher, and normally I hate the people that are pedantic over spelling, but as an English man you should know the difference between There, Their and They're.

Peace

Errrrrrrrrr, shouldn't that be Englishman?

Edited May 19, 2011 by Phatcharanan

[LazyYogi]

Buddha denied the existence of a self or soul.

This was what distinguished Buddhism from other Indian philosophies.

He did not teach "reincarnation" of a soul into a new body.

He did teach "rebirth" of a new being due to a chain of cause and effect from a previous being.

The attachment to the apparent existence of a self or soul is what continues this chain of cause and effect of beings from life to life.

[colinscarr]

Some mathematicians a few years ago produced a (mathematical) model of a 248 dimensional universe.

I have a good understanding of three dimensions, and an imperfect understanding of a fourth.

I also believe that mathematics is the language of nature. This leads me to think that if a 248 dimensional universe is mathematically conceivable, the real universe likely has AT LEAST 248 dimensions and maybe more.

I can't prove this, and I'm not about to try. But it's my way of thinking how little we know of the universe. As Sir Isaac Newton said over 300 years ago, we are as someone strolling along a beach occasionally seeing a brighter pebble than the others, while the whole ocean of truth lies open before us. He was talking about natural philosophy, which didn't so sharply separate science from religion as we do today.

Just my tuppence worth

[RedFxTrade]

Some mathematicians a few years ago produced a (mathematical) model of a 248 dimensional universe.

I have a good understanding of three dimensions, and an imperfect understanding of a fourth.

I also believe that mathematics is the language of nature. This leads me to think that if a 248 dimensional universe is mathematically conceivable, the real universe likely has AT LEAST 248 dimensions and maybe more.

I can't prove this, and I'm not about to try. But it's my way of thinking how little we know of the universe. As Sir Isaac Newton said over 300 years ago, we are as someone strolling along a beach occasionally seeing a brighter pebble than the others, while the whole ocean of truth lies open before us. He was talking about natural philosophy, which didn't so sharply separate science from religion as we do today.

Just my tuppence worth

If you didn't do it, you would have liked this...Eternity Puzzle. Two million USD prize money. Wasn't claimed.

[saraburioz]

Aristotle, Shakespeare, Plato, Goethe, Nietsche, Socrates, Thoreau, Benjamin Franklin, General George S. Patton, Henry ford, Jesus, Gandhi, The Buddha, Napolean, Mark Twain, Shakespeare, Tolsto, Wordsworth, carl Jung, voltaire, Pythagoras to name a few people who are certainly not stupid.

What you mean is all these people support the idea of a soul ?

No, they all know that reincarnation exists.

[Cobalt60]

It must exist, Shakespear appears twice in the quoted list above........wow

[SteeleJoe]

Aristotle, Shakespeare, Plato, Goethe, Nietsche, Socrates, Thoreau, Benjamin Franklin, General George S. Patton, Henry ford, Jesus, Gandhi, The Buddha, Napolean, Mark Twain, Shakespeare, Tolsto, Wordsworth, carl Jung, voltaire, Pythagoras to name a few people who are certainly not stupid.

What you mean is all these people support the idea of a soul ?

No, they all know that reincarnation exists.

You mean "knew". You do realize they are dead, don't you?

Oh, wait...

[SteeleJoe]

It must exist, Shakespear appears twice in the quoted list above........wow

He REALLY knew it existed. He knew it very much!

[saraburioz]

Buddha denied the existence of a self or soul.

This was what distinguished Buddhism from other Indian philosophies.

He did not teach "reincarnation" of a soul into a new body.

He did teach "rebirth" of a new being due to a chain of cause and effect from a previous being.

The attachment to the apparent existence of a self or soul is what continues this chain of cause and effect of beings from life to life.

What did he say was reborn?

Didn't he just say it was a waste of time trying to think about it?

I believe he didn't deny the existence of God too.

[happyrobert]

The roots of all religion are in animism and mythology. Mythology is like great art which gets appreciated in the soul.

Many scientist believe that we are born with far greator brain capacity than what most of us are accustomed to using. I think that we in the west are trained to discount that subconscious part of our brain and we're probably missing out on some pretty cool stuff by doing so. Jung was interested in the collective unconscious and dreams and one can see that it has power.

One of the things that I like about my Thai grandmother is that she has a direct line to the ancesters and everyone in the village knows it.

Years ago I became interested in my genealogy and I've always been courious about Native American sprituality. I had a friend who was a Native American and had a shop that sold Native crafts. He had set up a tee pee in front to advertise the shop and had a tee pee blessing cerimony at sun rise. As I entered the Shaman did this smoke thing with sage smoke to clense us. As I entered the door I felt these spider webs on my face and even while I was sitting listening to his incantations I couldn't seem to wipe these webs off. At the end of the Shaman's ceromony he looked right at me and told me that my sprit was spider. I looked it up and the spider is a weaver who seeks balance and who's medicine is illusion. The more I learned about it the more it fit.

I wouldn't rule anything out. The vast majority of the universe is made up of dark matter and dark energy and we don't begin to know what that is.

Like great art it's interesting and makes us think. (I realize that's a stretch for many TVer's)

Geez, you are really a piece of work, Bud. You are in need of some serious professional help accompanied by heavy sedation. Please.

[thaifkrlim]

Sometimes in my sleep I have a feeling that myself have left my body and is hovering overhead in the room, but i couldnt wake myself up

Sometimes I dream of my deceased relatives with intense powerful emotions

And several times I felt a heavy object next to my feet or arm , stepping on my bed , I was too tired and unable to move but I feel it

[SteeleJoe]

Sometimes in my sleep I have a feeling that myself have left my body and is hovering overhead in the room, but i couldnt wake myself up

Sometimes I dream of my deceased relatives with intense powerful emotions

And several times I felt a heavy object next to my feet or arm , stepping on my bed , I was too tired and unable to move but I feel it

These are called "dreams".

At least, that's my bet.

[happyrobert]

I forced myself to go back to read some more of your drivel and noticed something that I agree with you on...at least, when it comes to you:

Many scientist believe that we are born with far greator brain capacity than what most of us are accustomed to using.

I don't, however, agree with the spelling of "greater."

[saraburioz]

Some vdo of proof of reincarnation - I've heard many more like it.

[SteeleJoe]

I don't, however, agree with the spelling of "greater."

That's because you are narrow minded!