Coincidence and synchronicity abounds these days for many who are on a spiritual path, making it clear that there really is something more than we realize going on around here. The Infinity movie talks about this phenomena, and also covers reincarnation in some detail with people like Brian Weiss and Robert Thurman.  It’s a worth watch…

I was reminded of this movie after visiting the Dachau Memorial outside of Munich Germany last month.  One of the people interviewed is an 80-something year old woman who survived her experience in a concentration camp as a young girl, and her insights about that experience are really interesting.  She relates how she has come to know that those who suffered were relieved of their karmic burdens from many lives, and while it doesn’t necessarily seem to make sense from our perspective here in this world looking at that part of history, maybe from a higher perspective it does make sense.  One thing is for sure, events like that lay the ground work for many lifetimes of karma for those who play a part in creating them…

"I've discovered that the surest way to be reincarnated into a particular group of people, defined by religion, race, nationality, or culture, is to hate those people in a previous life, to be prejudiced or violent against that group."--Brian Weiss, M.D.

Brian Weiss relates the story in one of his books about a Jewish lady who came to see him regarding an issue she was having, I don’t recall what it was at the moment, but during the course of their exploration of the source of the issue, it became apparent that she was a Nazi soldier in her last lifetime. There is also a story at this site along similar lines, which is fascinating.  It seems that we change culture and religious affiliation, sometimes quite a lot, from life to life.  So, that kind of understanding makes much of the current religious and cultural bias look a little different, eh?  Would we still act the same way towards each other if we understood how this life works?

However, the thing I find most fascinating about the story is that it’s translated from Chinese.  How is it that a Chinese language website is quoting reincarnation stories reported by western researchers, when reincarnation has been a key part of all Eastern philosophies for thousands of years?  Wouldn’t you think that it would be the other way around?  There is a reason for this shift, as it seems that the old traditions are changing…

Recently Geshe Thupten Phelgye gave a talk on the state of things in Tibet, and after the talk I had an opportunity to ask him a question.  Ever since learning of how the newly identified Panchen Lama and his family were seized by the current Chinese bureaucracy (hereafter referred to as the CCB for short) and replaced by a state appointed Panchen Lama, I have wondered what effect those actions will have on the Panchen Lama tradition, and by extension what that means for the future of the Dalai Lama tradition, since they go hand in hand.  I asked him, basically, if the fact that the real Panchen Lama is either in prison or dead, and the CCB appointed Panchen Lama is not the same spirit who has previously reincarnated back into that position for many centuries, does that mean that the tradition is no longer valid?  His answer was long and eloquent, saying that there is no reason to dislike or distrust the CCB approved Panchen Lama because, after all, he has a Tibetan heart, and blood…and basically stated that the tradition is still valid.  I walked away feeling satisfied and disturbed at the same time.

There is a movie called Tulku (see this link for preview) that documents the story of a few young people who were Tibetan Buddhist Lamas in their last lifetime, but reincarnated into various western countries in their current life, instead of their previous Tibetan lineage.  There has been much press about this phenomena already, with cases such as Osel and Elijah Ary.  It’s the consciousness that makes the person, and the heritage that one chooses to express oneself in changes.  This being true, if the real Panchen Lama is in prison, does it matter that the CCB appointed Panchen Lama is Tibetan? 

The thing that people in the west don't understand is that while there is a certain mystique towards Buddhism in general, and to the Tibetans in particular, to those in the east it's nothing special.  To many in the east the Tibetan Buddhist institution is similar to the Roman Catholic Church, in that it was established a long time ago, has (at least historically) exercised much political power and influence, and attracts influential supporters.  However, the Tibetans, along with other Buddhist organizations and the more esoteric orders that exist not so secretly today, are very important keepers of ancient sacred knowledge and do provide much needed spiritual support to people, therefore much good comes from their efforts.  It's just that, like many of us here in the west, increasingly people are having issues with organized religion of all kinds, even though they may embrace the teachings that those organizations are based upon.

Anyway, I was thankful for Geshe’s answer to my question, and also thankful that it helped to clarify my own thinking on the issue of reincarnation as it relates to religious traditions…

To illustrate this point, a recent story from my life:  

On my 37th birthday I was informed that some of our family ancestors were Jewish Kohanim, the priestly clan, descedents of Aaron, brother of Moses.  It seems that a recently retired relative decided to spend much of her free time researching her family history, and found that in the mid 1700’s a Jewish man from France boarded a ship bound for Louisiana, and there started a family tree that eventually produced my maternal grandfather.  Suddenly, memories from childhood listening to my grandparents speak French Creole was viewed within a whole new context, and there was a new found interest in the history of the family.  The brief fascination with the ramifications of being a descendent of the Hebrew priestly class was used to explain my long standing interest in all things metaphysical and spiritual in nature, and also the life long manifestation of varying degrees clairsentience and other psychic phenomena (although these things are not necessarily related to the tradition, as far as I am aware, it just somehow made sense to me).  However, I was Chinese in my last lifetime, and something slightly different before that, and something very different before that...it changes.

We may come into a certain cultural heritage or family tradition in order to experience or express certain things in this life experience, or to learn certain lessons, but the consciousness that informs the physical body is not even human, much less Jewish or German, Tibetan or Chinese.  Yes, our karma or accumulated life experience does help determine the type of life we will experience next, but often a life of luxury and prestige can be more of a challenging learning experience than a reward, and life as a common man can provide a psychically rich vacation, free from the burdens and trappings that often accompany a life of prominence.

Maybe someday soon the work of people like Walter Semkiw will be commonly understood as being the way that things work, thereby shining a bright light on the fact that at a fundamental level, we are all the same.  Yes, different people may be at different levels in their evolutionary process, but even the best and brightest of us have a very limited perspective and understanding of how this life works. Then again, that is probably by design...