In the interest of mental health to match my bodily health, I have been meditating. In talking to others about meditation, which need not be religious, many of my conversations have turned to religion, and in particular, the Buddhist idea of reincarnation, and inevitably, my formerly Catholic training in eternal life.
I refer to myself as a naturalist. I believe and trust, spiritually speaking, in what I find in nature. Morality, life, death, recovery, and spiritual inspiration all come from nature for me, and nature provides answers to my questions through observation, experiment, and evidence. My church is a park, and my sabbath is daily, and my prayers are small, kind acts for improvement of natural, observable life. But that is another post.
I only know what I can sense, and I can not now sense reincarnation in the same way that I can sense a tree, aside from the literal reincarnation through the reuse of elements, like carbon, iron, calcium, when they change from making up one object to making up another.
In this, reincarnation exists. But I disperse, in my everyday life, the literal electricity of my thought, which is recordable evidence of my mental activity. Thoughts exist only in the brain’s bio-electrical function of storage, retrieval, and experiential record. When the brain ceases to exist, I believe I will not exist as a thinking, acting entity.
The same way that carbon in my former body is the same carbon in a tree, but not a functioning part of ‘me’ any longer, the electricity and impulse of thought that was formerly a part of ‘me’ and is now electricity in the air, water, and so on is no longer me, but simply air, water and so on.
My skin dies off, as will my brain, and so my thoughts, and I will no longer exist but in the memories of others and evidence of products. Hence, I choose to focus on what I can do to create good products and memories of me in others now, such as my boys, and perhaps you. I can live on in the minds and thoughts and inspired acts of others.
In this, one’s life exists posthumously. I wonder what your thoughts are on these ideas? I’m open to discussion, as none of us knows what we all know separately.
This content is published under the Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
This is really interesting. Did you read Lao Tse’s “Tao To King” ?
Because the part about observing your environment and making your needed philosophy with it, is basically the base of the Tao ( I always add “do not confuse with confusianism and Taoism which are religions” but here it’s not too important )
Concerning reincarnation, I agree with your article, but for me, I want to add that when I’ll not “own” (or use) those atoms anymore so… It will not be of my concern anymore :p hey hey
I love the idea that you are so willing to let go that you will even disown those atoms. Brilliant.
And I have not read it, but I will, certainly, now.
Thanks.
the cataract you used to have was surely unbearably painful ; that’s when I used to have kidney stones I started asking questions about all those things that is said about death. -not to be morbid, just to have my opinion…- When in pain there’s so many things that we think about, it’s strange.
It was not physically painful, but very emotionally painful. Not being able to see, for a visual person, is equivalent to a certain kind of death, and the surgery a kind of rebirth. Questions are the best intent in life, I think. 🙂
Loosing sight is a terrific thought indeed.
Yes questions are really important in life. it’s probably why we like technology 🙂
That is both a wonderful insight, and likely very true. 🙂