Reincarnation and Vasana-s - From Shree Raghava Rao

[Guest guest]

Shree Raghavarao asked me to post to the group - perhaps concerned about

the internet problems.

Hari OM!

Sadananda

 

Namaste.

 

Here are some thoughts on reincarnation and vasanas,

not necessarily in order or with accuracy.

 

a) How long does it take one to reincarnate ?

b) Where does one reincarnate ?

c) Why does one reincarnate ?

d) How long is the next journey after reincarnation ?

e) What is the single and most important lesson

to be learned that was scheduled or is being

scheduled now ?

f) What does one do in the intermittent time between

births ?

 

I will try and ponder over them at surface.

All are requested to pitch in with details and

insights.

 

c) Why does one reincarnate ?

As we know, the single driving force behind everything

one does or does not do is, 'Vasanas'.

It is like a pilot to an airplane while one's body is

like an airplane.

 

b)Where does the airplane land ? (Where is the next

reincarnation ?)

If things go well, it will land in a proper runway

which is conducive to its landing. This is like

reincarnation. An airplane will not land

normally on trees. Birds land on trees.

Thus, innate vasanas decide where one will land next.

 

a)How long does it take between births ?

An airplane will stay/move in the skies until the

correct runway and city are reached. Sometimes, the

airplane may need to stay in the sky for a long time

hovering over the city until things are conducive for

landing.

 

f) What does one do in the intermittent time between

births ?

No clue.

Probably, things which are like what we do in dreams.

 

g) Where do Vasanas reside ?

Seems Vasanas do not reside anywhere. Vasanas

themselves reincarnate ?

Then, Physical memory and records of previous births

must be different from Vasanas, like a trail of smoke

when a rocket is fired. This implies, anyone can see

anyone else's all previous births.

Edgar Cayce used to call these, 'Akashic Records'.

 

e) Lot of times, we see similar thinking people living

in proximity.

They together, live out a collective vasana, it seems,

with a

collective interdependancy to fulfil their individual

life's purposes.

For eg. Set of Musicians, Set of dancers, Set of

scientists,

Set of politicians, Set of <xyz> where xyz is a

living-phenomenon.

 

f) Interestingly, a city also may have a vasana. It

has a starting,

it is sustained over a long period and undergoes many

many changes

depending on how the people lived in it. In brief, it

has a history and lives.

All together, it may be called a 'Vasana' for the

city.

 

g) where does the 'vasana' of the city of #f reside ?

Interestingly, we might just laugh it off. Are human

Vasanas also, any different ? Don't have clue.

 

Please contradict, support or add.

I will watch now on.

 

With Love,

Raghava

 

=====

What you have is His gift to you and what you do with what you have is your gift

to Him - Swami Chinmayananda.

[Guest guest]

Namaste Raghavaji.

 

Your post is a welcome relief from the heat of time and space.

 

As an introductory remark, let me say that any discussion on advaita

will not be cogent without accepting the basic premise that idam

sarvam comprise only two basic categories: (1) I, the subject, and

(2) All the rest other than me.

 

We know that (1) cannot be known and that (2) is because (1) is.

 

Let us now look at your questions from this angle. My comments are

in brackets .

> a) How long does it take one to reincarnate ?

 

[if reincarnation is accepted, time and space has no meaning. You

can reincarnate instantly anywhere at any time. Everything exists

together and you can find expression according to your vAsanAs born

out of delusion anywhere (even in worlds you do not currently know

of) in past or future. There are roles galore that you can pick from

in a beginningless and unending scenario.]

> b) Where does one reincarnate ?

 

[Answered above.]

> c) Why does one reincarnate ?

 

[You answered that in your post. Due to vAsanAs born out of

delusion. It is a vicious circle. Advaita holds the key to get out

of it.]

> d) How long is the next journey after reincarnation ?

 

[Where is the journey, Sir? I should think we keep expressing

ourselves all the time as long as we are in the grip of the vicious

circle.]

> e) What is the single and most important lesson

> to be learned that was scheduled or is being

> scheduled now ?

 

[i didn't quite understand your question. For me, the only lesson is

Advaita.]

 

> f) What does one do in the intermittent time between

> births ?

 

[if one is doing something in the intermittent time, then that itself

is a reincarnation! Your question seems to arise from the belief

that, once we leave the body, we remain something like a body-less

individual 'soul', a body of light like we see in our movies.

Granted that that is a possibility, what is important to note is that

whatever 'remains' is a body, an entity and, therefore something

that 'experiences'. I should, therefore, imagine that the projection

that happened while with a body in the world continues unabated.]

>

> I will try and ponder over them at surface.

> All are requested to pitch in with details and

> insights.

>

> c) Why does one reincarnate ?

> As we know, the single driving force behind everything

> one does or does not do is, 'Vasanas'.

> It is like a pilot to an airplane while one's body is

> like an airplane.

 

[Already accepted above.]

>

> b)Where does the airplane land ? (Where is the next

> reincarnation ?)

> If things go well, it will land in a proper runway

> which is conducive to its landing. This is like

> reincarnation. An airplane will not land

> normally on trees. Birds land on trees.

> Thus, innate vasanas decide where one will land next.

 

[Quite true.]

>

> a)How long does it take between births ?

> An airplane will stay/move in the skies until the

> correct runway and city are reached. Sometimes, the

> airplane may need to stay in the sky for a long time

> hovering over the city until things are conducive for

> landing.

 

[Please see my thoughts above. The airplane has still a world around

it (projections) while hovering.]

>

> f) What does one do in the intermittent time between

> births ?

> No clue.

> Probably, things which are like what we do in dreams.

 

[As I said above, projections should continue. The question of an

intermittent time is, therefore, not valid.]

>

> g) Where do Vasanas reside ?

> Seems Vasanas do not reside anywhere. Vasanas

> themselves reincarnate ?

> Then, Physical memory and records of previous births

> must be different from Vasanas, like a trail of smoke

> when a rocket is fired. This implies, anyone can see

> anyone else's all previous births.

> Edgar Cayce used to call these, 'Akashic Records'.

 

[That expression "physical vAsanAs" is bothersome. You seem to

attach importance to the brain which after all belong to category (2)

mentioned in my introductory remark. Your statement "VasanAs

themselves reincarnate" is the safest conclusion. Or else, we can

say the vAsanAs reside in the delusion or the deluded 'I'. Remember

the traditional answer to the question "Who is deluded?". The answer

is the asker of the question. VasanAs can be likened to waves on the

ocean surface. This is only an analogy. They take various forms. If

the ocean is deluded to think that it is the waves, then it suffers

from all the tumult. Otherwise, it is really 'oceanic' - deep, vast

and magnificient despite the 'suffering' waves.]

>

> e) Lot of times, we see similar thinking people living

> in proximity.

> They together, live out a collective vasana, it seems,

> with a

> collective interdependancy to fulfil their individual

> life's purposes.

> For eg. Set of Musicians, Set of dancers, Set of

> scientists,

> Set of politicians, Set of <xyz> where xyz is a

> living-phenomenon.

 

[My introductory remark where I categoriezed everything into I and

the rest of the world other than me should help here. It is I who

project the world I am in for finding expression through the delusion

of vAsanAs. They are seen to subside and subsist in me when delusion

ends, bothering me no more.]

>

> f) Interestingly, a city also may have a vasana. It

> has a starting,

> it is sustained over a long period and undergoes many

> many changes

> depending on how the people lived in it. In brief, it

> has a history and lives.

> All together, it may be called a 'Vasana' for the

> city.

 

[Well. The vAsanAic cohesion that you perceive in a city or your

surroundings is yet another objectification warranted by the

ingredients of delusion.]

>

> g) where does the 'vasana' of the city of #f reside ?

> Interestingly, we might just laugh it off. Are human

> Vasanas also, any different ? Don't have clue.

 

[if there are such vAsAnAs, they verily reside in you - the deluded

one.]

 

PraNAms.

 

Madathil Nair