Reincarnationist view on ghosts?

[pwil]

The afterlife is my most intriguing subject. I personally do not believe in reincarnation but I do believe that we all possess a "soul". Regardless of the religion, I feel that all souls go somewhere. Maybe Heaven. Maybe throughout the universe. Maybe another dimension. Although I personally haven't experienced a ghost or spirit, there are so many accounts it is hard to dismiss. Some of my family members and personal friends have sworn they encountered some and I truly believe that they have. It hadn't happened in their dreams but while they were awake. Day or night. It's not something that happens every day but time to time. I am hoping someday I can experience this for myself since technically it is heresay. But I would like to hear from a reincarnationist how they view the subject. Do you just say that it is all nonsense? Do you think that it is possible until the soul finds a new vessel? And if so, how is it believed the soul morphs into a new personality losing its memories and experiences that made that person who he or she was all about? Personality would have to change, wouldn't it, especially if it lived through a different culture, race, environment, bringing up, or even organism depending on the extent of your belief in reincarnation.

[SydneyPSIder]

I'm not a reincarnationist, but that is a debate I have with them also, in the way that you have put it. I have other theories about how past life regressions etc might work (apart from the activity of overactive imaginations). I'm trying to get more info on the notion of an 'alternative dimension' ghosts inhabit in terms of our understanding of the time-space continuum, places ghosts might go to live or become a collective, etc.

[ProfWag]

The brain is the most amazing thing on earth, in my humble opinion. I absolutely believe that many people who see things that may seem strange, are truly honest in their belief in what they saw. I just think that, again, the brain does things we can't even imagine (pardon the pun)...

[pwil]

Yes it is Profwag, but there hasn't been just sitings and creepy feelings. There had been interactions too according to people in my every day life, actual brief interactive conversations. Like I posted when I first joined, my own mother says she possessed this gift all her life. I see no reason for her to lie or make this up. I know that you don't really know me or her and might probably roll your eyes about this, but I do believe her. And I am not just basing this on just her accounts alone. Even the soul of an Atheist will go somewhere, but that is just based on my belief.

Now I have started to go off the subject at hand. Interested in a reincarnist's response about ghosts.

[Scepcop]

As far as I understand, reincarnationists believe that ghost remain on earth because they are attached to their lives and aren't ready to leave yet. When they go into the light, then they are given a choice whether to reincarnate on Earth again, on other words, or remain in the astral levels or in heaven.

See the movie "What Dreams May Come" with Robin Williams. It shows that process.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120889/

[ProfWag]

[NinjaPuppy]

[SydneyPSIder]

I can only offer the opposite: a non-reincarnationist's idea about ghosts, since we don't seem to be being swamped with reincarnationists rushing out of the woodwork to tell us their views.

I've mentioned before in other threads that I don't believe in reincarnation and the 'logistics' or particularly exponential popn growth kind of suggests it's impossible. I do however believe in sentient life after death and the presence of ghosts who persist for a long time and optionally remain on earth. It's also possible they can occasionally introduce memories of their lives into living persons, who can experience that as 'evidence of reincarnation'. (I suppose it is in a sense, as the ghost momentarily works through a carnal body.) But I don't believe in spirit recycling, especially as the human population is growing exponentially, just as any biological species can under the right conditions. The question is who they choose to transfer the memories to and why -- young children, mediums or ppl with medium potential, just anybody, etc.

[pwil]

So is this "light" that they may choose to enter in order to reincarnate some sort of mind eraser of their life's knowledge and experiences?
Hinduism for example believes that when a person realizes that the true self is the immortal soul rather than the body, the cycle of rebirth comes to an end. This is achieved when the soul loses the desire to reincarnate through past lives' experiences whether through pleasurable fulfillment or boredom. So in this example, would this light also be a data storage bank that records every past life's experiences and memories for the soul to see after a death and come to the conclusion of contentment or to continue reincarnating?

[SydneyPSIder]