Scientific Reincarnation Research
Upvote:1
Doesn't this approach contradict Buddhist doctrines on rebirth and dependent arising?
I think that some forms of Buddhism have a doctrine of reincarnation. I'm unqualified to explain it but for example, there's a page about Reincarnation on the Dalai Lama's web site.
Given that it conflicts with our fundamental doctrines, how do we explain the popularity of such reincarnation research amongst Buddhists?
I don't know that they are especially popular but you can use this search to see the contexts in which Stevenson is cited on this site.
Upvote:2
Buddhist more frequently refers Edgar Cayce:
Edgar Cayce (1877–1945) founded the non-profit Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) in 1931, to explore spirituality, holistic health, intuition, dream interpretation, psychic development, reincarnation, and ancient mysteries—all subjects that frequently came up in the more than 14,000 documented psychic readings given by Cayce.
The concept of reincarnation shocked and challenged Edgar Cayce and his family. They were deeply religious people, doing this work to help others because that's what their Christian faith taught. Reincarnation was not part of their reality.Yet, the healings and help continued to come. So, the Cayce family continued with the physical material, but cautiously reflected on the strange philosophical material. Ultimately, the Cayce's began to accept the ideas, though not as "reincarnation." Edgar Cayce preferred to call it, "The Continuity of Life." As a child, he began to read the Bible from front to back, and did so for every year of his life. He felt that it did contain much evidence that life, the true life in the Spirit, is continual.
With an international headquarters in Virginia Beach, Va., a regional headquarters in Houston, regional representatives throughout the U.S., Edgar Cayce Centers in 37 countries, and individual members in more than 70 countries, the A.R.E. community is a global network of individuals. http://www.edgarcayce.org
**Body/mind or matter/spirit dualism**
Buddhist equivalent is nāma-rūpa/viññāna.
Explained using Dependent arising (paṭiccasamuppāda).
Upvote:3
As far as I'm aware, experiments of Dr.Ian Stevenson are referred to by Buddhists to convince materialists & the followers of monotheistic religions that there's a Samsara. There's no intention of getting them to believe in a soul. The approach isn't perfect as you have pointed out. But it could be effective for monotheists and those who refuse to accept anything other than what scientists say. Putting Anatta into the mix can make it too confusing for newbies. So as long as the emphasis is put on Samsaric existences, it should be ok. A question related to memory and persistance is answered here.
More post
- 📝 The Experience of What Arises
- 📝 Buddhist Jhanas, how best to describe them?
- 📝 What's the purpose of AN 2.61?
- 📝 What is the difference between Yogacara Buddhism and Idealism?
- 📝 Other people may misinterpret my "calming my mind"
- 📝 Is self enlightenment achieved through contemplation of impermanence?
- 📝 The Animal Plane & Evolution?
- 📝 What exactly did Lord Buddha say about Size of Atom?
- 📝 Elder Beginner Practicing Theravada
- 📝 Which aggregate (khandha) is or generates 'suffering'?
- 📝 Cause and effect
- 📝 Does this kind of meditation have grounding or an equivalent in Buddhism?
- 📝 Do Buddhists think other religions are wrong?
- 📝 Is Rupa an Experience?
- 📝 Where is recorded that the Buddha said this (perhaps about microorganisms)?
- 📝 Is our surroundings affecting our ability to concentrate the mind?
- 📝 What are the Five Pungent (Vegetables/Roots/Spices) and when were they first proscribed?
- 📝 Does using or watching YouTube break a bhikkhu's rules?
- 📝 Is it wrong to watch fight events like boxing, MMA, judo etc.?
- 📝 Anybody know what is Nirvana and where we can find it?
- 📝 Is divination for fun acceptable?
- 📝 Chronological or other sequence for beginners
- 📝 Seeking scriptural source for "all defilements temporarily suppressed when in jhana"
- 📝 Monks and politics
- 📝 Is really that "Breath Stops when Thought Stops"
- 📝 Who were the wise in the Buddha's discourses?
- 📝 What does wrong freedom or wrong release mean?
- 📝 Meditation technique proposed by the Buddha
- 📝 At what point do we arrest reification?
- 📝 What would be the motivation for an arahant to perform generous deeds?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Scientific Reincarnation Research
- 📝 Are there research based or scientific explanation on the working of Abhiññā / Iddhi?
- 📝 Reincarnation and stem cell research
- 📝 Isn't Buddhist insight practice more scientific than the so-called scientific method?
- 📝 In terms of reliability of understanding reality, how does the scientific method compare with Buddhist insight practice?
- 📝 Is Buddhism against scientific attitude?
- 📝 Scientific approach of Kamma
- 📝 Do Theravada monks search for reincarnation of teachers?
- 📝 How can the idea of reincarnation be true if all the information of who we are is already destroyed
- 📝 Any research on the authorship of the Avatamsaka Suttra?
- 📝 Does rebirth or reincarnation occur in Buddhism?
- 📝 What is the equivalent scientific term for samsedaja? What kind of beings on earth are born from samsedaja?
- 📝 Buddhist point of view in the research process
- 📝 Consciousness, death and reincarnation
- 📝 Is Scientific Realism/Materialism and/or Historicity compatible with Mahayana?
- 📝 Is academic research right livelihood?
- 📝 Can Right View be interpreted as scientific fervor?
- 📝 Is there a scientific book summarizing the orthodox buddhism, the most ancient form of it?
- 📝 Is there any research on physiology of deep and long meditative states (i.e. days and weeks of sitting)?
- 📝 How should one look at buddhist mythologies and cosmologies from a scientific perspective
- 📝 Is there a scientific consensus on meditation?
- 📝 Difference between the Scientific Law of Causality and the Buddhist Law of Conditionality
- 📝 Scientific Problem solving and Wu Wei
- 📝 A scientific error of the Buddha?
- 📝 Reincarnation of a Sotapanna person (Stream Enterer)
- 📝 Can reincarnation be proved with using a mixture of logic, science, and philosophical belief?
- 📝 Anatta & reincarnation
- 📝 Causes of Reincarnation
- 📝 The four great elements and scientific equivalent
- 📝 Is rebirth a delusional belief?