【Description】
Where do we come from, and where do we go after death? Do reincarnation and past lives truly exist?
If an innocent child claims himself as a victim of 9/11; if a little boy claims to be a pilot who died 60 years ago in World War II; if a pair of twins say that they were friends in a previous life and died at the same time and place, and were reincarnated as twin sisters in the present life, would you believe them?
Reincarnation and causality are two of the many unknown mysteries in life. If there is reincarnation, if you can create a better future and fate through your actions, and if you want to understand the mysterious reincarnation, please follow Grandmaster JinBodhi’s teachings and look for your own beautiful and blissful paradise.
【You will learn】
- The laws of causality and reincarnation.
- The truth of how one cause can yield ten thousand effects.
- How to create a good destiny for yourself.
- The genuine prosperity that money can’t buy.
【Featured aphorisms】
- If you attach too deeply to love, you will be confused; if you attach too much to hatred, you will cause harm.
- As long as you have a way out, even if you can’t forget about it, you will be fine.
- Do compassionate deeds and create a “new cause and effect” of kindness.
- Wealth comes from cultivation!
- Accumulate virtue to receive blessings for a better destiny.
【Content】
For thousands of years, since the beginning of civilization, we have been exploring life after death. Egyptian mummies, reincarnation in India, and mausoleum palaces in China, all these ancient civilizations explored what happens after life. Today, modern science, together with ancient historical civilizations, provide a new perspective on life.
Where do human beings go after death?
Is death the end of life?
Does the soul truly exist?
Can humans reincarnate after death?
Grandmaster JinBodhi Talks Karma Series: Causality and Reincarnation
Life & Death & Reincarnation
A 3-year-old American boy’s past life was a victim of the 9/11 attacks?
The 9/11 attacks happened in 2001. 3 years later, Cade was born. At such a young age, he wouldn’t know about this terrible event, but he could recount the entire event including how he died during 9/11. Is Cade the reincarnate of a 9/11 victim?
A WWII Fighter Pilot’s Memories of Reincarnation
On March 3, 1945, in the Sulfur Island Battle in WWII, American pilot, James Huston Junior’s plane was shot down and he was killed. Unbelievably, 60 years later, a boy had the pilot’s memories. The boy was also named James.
Questioning their son, they found he could describe the Sulfur Island Battle in detail. Little James also knew that he served on the ship “Natoma” and his good friend was Jack Larsen.
That was a bloody battle against the Japanese fighting for the island. There actually was a pilot called Jack Larsen on this ship. This aroused the Dad’s curiosity about James Huston. He continued to search war records and found Jack Larsen in person.
Jack Larsen was amazed at James’ parents’ visit. He recounted his memories of the war and told James’ parents that among his good friends, there was indeed a pilot named James. Coincidentally, his name was the same as the boy’s. Unfortunately, in the Sulfur Island Battle, his plane was shot down by the Japanese. It caught fire and fell into the sea. This whole scene was exactly the same as the boy’s dream.
Then Jack Larsen took out an old photo for them to look at. Upon seeing it, little James could recall each person’s name as if encountering old friends. James’ parents were finally willing to believe their little James was the dead pilot James Huston reincarnated.
These incomprehensible reincarnation cases renew our understanding of life. Many questions arise from this. Where do we come from? Where do we go after death? Does reincarnation truly exist? Have we had previous lives prior to this present life?
Let’s hear Grandmaster JinBodhi’s views on reincarnation.
Through videos and online sources, our practitioners have found many stories of Eastern and Western reincarnations that have been studied by teams of scientists.
In China, the story of a young man in Hainan Province impressed me. He was knifed to death in his previous life. His birth place is 100 to 200 km away from where he lived in his previous life.
In a farmer’s courtyard in the Mill-Not village in Gancheng Town in East City, we saw the renowned reincarnate Tang Jiangshan. I am Tang Jiangshan in my birth place. But I am Chen Mingdao from Danzhou, because I am Chen Mingdao reincarnated.
In the Yellow Jade village in Dan county, Tang Jiangshan can recognize his relatives, acquaintances and even his girlfriend from his previous life.
I knew the names of people in the crowd, and who I played with. They all knew the places I mentioned.
He knew everyone in the village. If he didn’t, we wouldn’t have believed him. He knew each person and all the places of the village. He could also recall what he had done. All his recollections were accurate and true.
At 3, his past life memories became very clear. His parents brought him to the village he talked about. At 3, he had never been to this village, but upon arriving in the village he recognized the roads from his past life.
The first time I went to visit my relatives, the house was rural like this place. Sandie (his father) sat outside in the yard. I walked in and called Sandie.
The first time Tang Jiangshan visited his Sandie, he knew the way to the house. Tang Jiangshan remembered that when he was little he sat on the shoulders of his parents and pointed out the road to the home.
When I arrived in the village, I intuitively knew where my previous home was.
After hearing about the reincarnate in Hainan Province, we googled the birth place of Tang Jiangshan. Gancheng town in East City in Hainan Province is 150 km away from the home of his previous life in Xinying town in Dan County. A 5-year-old child recognizing the road to his distant home in his past life, knowing the villagers, and recalling events that happened in his previous life is incredible. Does he truly remember his previous life? Is he truly a reincarnate? When we continued googling reincarnation stories, we were dumbfounded by another story. In Pingyangxiang in Hunan Province, there were 160 people who claimed to have memories of their previous lives.
In Pingyang village in Tongdao Autonomous County of the Tong ethnic group, at the intersecting mountainous area of Hunan, Guangxi and Guizhou, more than 10 people were interviewed in December 2015 about their reincarnation. According to initial statistics, among the 8,000 people in Pingyang village, there are about 160 to 170 people identified as having been reincarnated.
The case of the twins, Wu Shicai and Wu Shiheng, in Pingyang has been reported most often on TV and in newspapers. During the interview, the mother took out a notebook. On it was written “The Choice of Souls, the past and present life of my daughters”. This mother intentionally recorded the incredible daily details of her daughters, including the recounting of events from their previous lives.
They died when they were pushed down a slope. They heard rumbling sounds as their bodies rolled down. I don’t know. The soul may have that feeling after death.
The twin sisters also have clear memories of the period between their death and rebirth. They saw their bodies being kicked and heard the rumbling sound as they rolled down. This memory is still sharp and clear.
There’s a place in China where reincarnation commonly happens. They have memories of their reincarnation. It seems to be a minority group living in Guizhou. They build beautiful bamboo houses in this mountainous area. Reincarnation is common in this area. From what I know, those who recall their past life often died at a young age. The American pilot was also very young. A fighter pilot is usually younger than 30. The person from Hainan died at 17 in his previous life. Those in the Guizhou mountainous area often died in their teens. Those who died while still a teenager or younger have past life memories. They can remember and recognize the people from their past life. This is really incredible.
Because of numerous documented cases of reincarnation, reincarnation is once again a hot topic in science research. Professor Ian Stevenson from Virginia University in the U.S. spent 40 years collecting and studying more than 3,000 cases of reincarnation. In his published book Reincarnation and Biology, he wrote that reincarnation truly exists. Past bodily injuries may become birthmarks or causes of birth defects. Preferences, behavioral traits and phobias may come from past lives.
British doctor Sam Parnia spent years researching near-death experiences. Some scientific research indicates that death isn’t the end of life. It may be the turning point between this life and the next. When I assume reincarnation truly exists, another question arises. Why don’t most people remember their past lives? What causes us to forget events from past lives?
After death, when the soul arrives in hell, it drinks the mengpo soup which is similar to anesthesia. After that, it forgets all events from the previous life. Thus, we don’t have memories about our past life. I think that is good. It is like upgrading your computer. Otherwise, it would hold chaotic, traumatic incidents from your past. It would be troublesome if you are filled with too many past life memories. You would always recall love affairs and grudges from past lives, right? It would be hard to live this life well. Think about it.
When you remember that your neighbor, the 80-year-old lady, was your wife, but you are 8 years old, how can you live peacefully, right? After your birth, in terms of relationships, you should call your wife from the past life “Grandma”, but if you remember her as your wife from your past life, it makes it hard to live this life. In this life, as you become an adult, you want to date and get married, but you always think of the 100-year-old lady. How can you date another person? Erasing the memory of the past life is correct.
If you remember the love from past lives, problems may arise. If you remember hatred from past lives, harm is created. “That is why I don’t like you. You murdered my father in a past life. I will kill you.” This will cause trouble, right? You will seek revenge. You are a human, not a god. Thus, if we have clear memories of a past life, our afflictions will increase.
Forget about past lives. When events that occurred 10 years ago are still fresh in your mind, you get upset easily. Thus, forgetting brings you less afflictions. We are not saints. Though saints can’t forget these things, they can see through them, so they aren’t obstructed or afflicted. As an ordinary person, recalling these memories makes our heart ache as we cannot understand. So, the best way is to forget them.
When we let go of past-life memories, we can let go of past loves and hates. Then one can begin a beautiful new life. Perhaps forgetting is the key element of reincarnation that is part of Nature. After death, our soul leaves the body it inhabited in this life, letting go of fame and fortune, families and friends, love and hate. Then it enters a new body to carry on in the next life. Do humans reincarnate after death? Recall when we discussed this topic at the beginning. You may have a new understanding now. As to whether death is the end of life or beginning of the next life, this mystery will slowly resolve with scientific advancements. Truth will be revealed.
When we have a new understanding about life, the word “death” will bring not only despair and darkness, but also hope of rebirth and new life. From birth to death and death to birth, if reincarnation truly exists, how are the past life, this life and the next life related? To understand, we need to know the law of cause and effect.
Let’s talk about “causality”, the most important thought in Buddhism. Causality means there is a cause for every resulting effect. Let’s say you have got a cold and fever because you are tired and have the flu. Your fever has a cause. Why do you sing? Because you are happy. Why do you exercise? You want health. Why do you read? You need knowledge. There is a need, so a result ensues. Causality is the law of Nature. Different philosophers summarized it differently. Buddha made it clear, so it is easier for us to learn.
Let’s come back to this fundamental truth, causality. Good or bad, joy or pain are “guobao” or effects. This term seems like a Buddhist term, right? Actually, if we use another term it would be autumn harvest. We harvest fruit in autumn. In autumn, fruit ripens. This is “guo” or fruit. “Bao” (effect) refers to feelings. The apple tree you planted 3 years ago yields fruit now. We pick the fruit when ripe. Though it is not called “guobao” (effect), it brings you feelings, that is “bao”. “Guo” is harvest; “bao” is feelings. Putting them together, we say “guobao”.
Let’s say 3 years ago, I planted an apple tree. I worked hard trimming the branches and fertilizing, watering, managing and taking care of it every year. 3 years later it yielded much fruit, and I am very happy. This is “guobao” or effect. First, “Guo” represents fruit; second, it also means harvest. “Bao” means feelings; feelings of joy. Also, when I planted the tree, I didn’t know what type of tree it was. It turned out to produce sour apples. After a bite, I had a toothache for 3 days. This is “effect”. Why? Because you planted a sour apple tree. Now we know the general meaning of effect.
The seed you planted is the “cause”. The yielded fruit is the “effect”. The feeling fruit brings us is “bao”. Relating to our life, our behavior, even arising thoughts or intentions are “causes”. In the change of time and space, it surely yields fruit. The different emotions we feel are the “bao” or effects.
The given example is about planting an apple tree. Let’s say, 3 years ago, you were involved in a hit-and-run accident. Instead of helping the dying victim, you left the scene. What would the consequences be now, or several years from now? You might feel guilty. You might have nightmares. Though you escaped the law, you are always fearful and jolted awake by nightmares. You might get sick because of this.
Later on you might feel the person isn’t really dead. His soul always appears in your dreams, frightening you and wanting your life (“suoming”). What’s “suoming?” “Suo” is a rope and “ming” is life. When taking your life, he uses the rope. This is “suoming” or taking your life. If the dead often appear in your dreams, what will happen? You will go crazy; your kidneys and heart will fail, and you will suffer more. “Guobao” appears, and “bao” refers to the feelings. Thus, you will get ill.
We mentioned planting trees and running over a person. Let’s say something positive. Let’s say you are a school teacher. You love children very much. You conscientiously teach and help them. If they make mistakes, you teach, guide or encourage them. 10 years later, they are excellent and talented adults. They will even want to repay your kindness. You feel happy and honored. Your feelings are “guobao”, that of happiness and achievement. You feel your effort had been worthwhile. You are proud. Your students’ outstanding achievements bring you happiness.
When we are happy, we have wondrous feelings. But if the “guobao” is bad, you will feel life is hard, with much suffering. Everyone has experienced “guobao” of suffering, no matter how old. When suffering comes, life becomes difficult. There is no way to escape it. All kinds of suffering exists. Suffering varies for people. There is nowhere to escape. Life isn’t easy when one suffers. Thus, some choose suicide. He felt there was no way out. There is no path to liberation, only obstruction and death. They can no longer face these life afflictions, so eventually they choose to leave this world.
When good “guobao” arrives, people feel so happy; but when the bad comes, they feel extremely troubled. These afflictions won’t go away just by chatting with friends. When afflictions come, it is almost impossible to escape. Such afflictions are the “guobao” of karma, also called negative karma.
Causality is the concept of reaping what you sow. Good karma is like planting good seeds; negative karma, bad seeds. Eventually, we will reap what we sow.
If we have more understanding about kindness and causality, we will become cautious. Causality is a matter of math. Let’s say you stole $100 from someone 10 years ago. This person later died, not as a result of your robbery. He might have died of illness or old age. It doesn’t matter. It seems the debt is settled. Not at all. How much do you need to pay back 10 years later? Calculate. Add interest on the debt. 10 years later, $100 becomes $200 with interest. What is the annual interest? 10% annually, right? It is high, right? For business investments, it is very high.
Do you know the interest rate of causality? It is 1 to 10,000. How much will it be if the $100 you stole 10 years ago is multiplied by 10,000? A million. This is much higher than what a lender charges. It is like this. The result of kind, compassionate causality is almost the same, simply a matter of math. It is also 1 to 10,000. Knowing causality, we know how to behave.
Buddha taught us to do good deeds and stop doing bad ones. We stop bad intentions and behaviors and perform all good deeds. We partake in all auspicious, kind deeds. Don’t do any deeds that you know to be bad. Though stealing a small amount is not a big problem, it is bad. Don’t do it. Learn to stop doing bad deeds. Apply self-discipline. We call it self-awareness. It is actually self-discipline. The better your self-discipline, the more rational and wise you will be.
What we learn here isn’t theology, but truth and the laws of Nature. Grasp the truth and laws of Nature, and apply them to many circumstances. After knowing these truths of causality, we can find out the root causes of our illness and suffering. Let’s say I am upset about one thing. I may want to find out why I am upset. Eventually, I find the root cause. Dealing with it amiably, affliction is resolved.
In many of our retreats, chanting is included to cultivate compassion. I want to guide everyone to create a beautiful, healthy and joyful future. If you are compassionate now, then you will become a compassionate, happy and wise person in the future. Now we want to be compassionate persons and surely do compassionate deeds. Thus, we create a new causality. After understanding causality, we will grasp it and use it.
Knowing causality, we should learn to use it well in our daily lives. Don’t do any bad deeds; perform all good deeds. Thus, create new causality of compassion and favorable connections. After understanding causality from a scientific perspective, we analyze how the connections are made.
Some psychologists believe that if parents quarrel and swear, their children will follow suit. Another belief is that inborn traits aren’t acquired but inherited. Say a grandfather ‘s behavior was extremely violent. He was a rogue and bandit who had never seen his grandson. This grandson wasn’t taught by his grandfather, but he is a villain just like his grandfather. How come? He has the genes.
Children inherit our DNA. All our behaviors are recorded in our cells or DNA. Our karma and behaviors are imprinted in our cells. A zygote, a fertilized egg, will become a baby. Can our behaviors be passed down through this small cell? You tell me. Yes. Let’s say in the year before a woman gets pregnant, she takes drugs, drinks, smokes and loses her temper frequently. Her child won’t be healthy, as elements of drugs, negative emotions and smoking are in the child’s DNA.
Let’s say you have taken drugs. A black spot may appear in the child’s bones. As the child grows, the black spot grows, too. If you behaved like a maniac during pregnancy, another black spot appears in the child’s brain. It becomes a brain defect. A brain scan shows that a small section is missing. That is a problem. If the missing piece is part of memory, the child’s memory will be poor. If the missing piece deduces numbers, the child’s math skill will be weak.
Our behaviors are fully recorded in our DNA. There are numerous cells in our body. All behaviors are synchronously recorded in each cell. The behaviors are encoded in our DNA, such as the ones mentioned: taking drugs, hot-temper, murderer. Good behaviors or deeds are recorded as well. Before and during pregnancy, you often help others, chant, meditate, respect and honor the elderly. The joy from these behaviors is imprinted in all your cells. Any missing parts in your child’s body will be compensated for by these acts. The child’s body will be perfect.
Thus, doing kind deeds will atone for what is missing in your DNA or life, and even your descendants’ lives. It is so important. Causality is passed down from the past life to this life, from ancestors to descendants. It is the process of heredity.
DNA is the medium for inheriting causality from that of our parents and ancestors. Our thoughts, emotions and behavior are all imprinted in our DNA, continually passing down to our descendants. Besides genetic heredity, can causality be passed down through other means?
Causality can also be passed down through non-biological relationships. Thus, there are 2 ways causality can be passed down. Let me repeat: Causality or karma is passed down through heredity from our ancestors and parents to us. The concept of heredity is easily understood, right? Let’s say, if grandpa has heart problems, the grandson may have them too. Doctors tell you this too, right? Your grandparents’ faces are wide and squarish, but your face is thin and narrow. Why? Something is wrong. You should know this truth. The grandpa has a square face, so does the grandson. That is normal. Thus, one’s character, health, looks, and personality are all inherited traits. Causality or karma is passed down through blood relations.
Causality is also passed down through non-biological relations. An example is the person in love with you. They aren’t related to you by blood. There was a karmic connection between both of you in a past life. Also, benefactors who helped you aren’t related by blood. For example, one of your supervisors likes you. He gives you work opportunities, promotions and guides you in your career. We may often meet people who aren’t related to us but help us. Such great karmic connections are beyond heredity. Some cases of causality can be easily understood; some are not.
Now we’ve learned deeper truths. Now we have learned that causality can be inherited through family relations and non-biological relations. After learning this truth, we realize that the existence of everyone and everything around us is due to causality. If we often have kind thoughts and do good deeds, we can allow ourselves, our children and descendants to receive an auspicious, perfect new causality.
In fact, in my teaching and being in contact with others, I can’t use scientific methods to measure causality, but I truly sense practitioners’ merits. For instance, a person comes to see me and I feel very comfortable. It has nothing to do with a beautiful face or figure. Honestly, the person’s figure is a bit heavy, 1.55m tall, but weighs as much as me. But I feel very auspicious and comfortable. This is my feeling.
Often when meeting a person for the first time, I don’t look at the person carefully. I close my eyes to look at their past. Sometimes, it seems I can see past behaviors. I conclude that this person is very kind; that they have helped many people and done many good deeds. I believe this person’s life is auspicious and blessed.
Later I will verify my conclusion by chatting and asking about their profession, experiences and the reason they are here. Because of high blood pressure, nothing else. “What profession?” “I just own a small business.” “How small?” “I lost a billion last year. And I earned 2 billion the previous year.” “Oh, is this a small business?” That is a big business. Their sense of ease reflects their great prosperity.
True prosperity isn’t proportional to the amount of money owned. True prosperity means having sufficient money for necessities; it relates to a person’s aspirations or values. Their belief is that it is fine to have enough money for living. Due to merits from their past life, we assume they would have 10 billion. But they have 10 million at this moment in this life and are very happy. So Buddha won’t give them money.
What will they be given? Blessings such as longevity, and children who are auspicious, well-behaved and successful. Being well-behaved differs from being foolish, ok? Don’t take well-behaved as foolish. No. The children are on the right path. They don’t make their parents worry. They will have good jobs and partners, and similarly have well-behaved kids. All this cannot be bought with money. True prosperity and fortune manifest in many aspects. This is “guobao”. Prosperity is gained through self-cultivation.
In Buddhism, prosperity is a small reward of cultivation. Some can’t make a fortune and they blame the poor economy or scams. Indeed, I have met many people whose wealth was amassed over 20 years, worth millions, and taken away overnight. They came to me, crying over the situation. I don’t beat around the bush. I said, “You can’t blame anyone. You are simply not blessed.” Don’t feel sad, alright? Blessed people find gold even in the washroom. Those who aren’t may drown there. Both visit the washroom, but the outcome is completely different. It sounds funny, but this is my true understanding.
Often it is said that blessed people don’t have to work hard. In imperial palace dramas, the manager of palace affairs often had the upper hand as she used tolerance to deal with narrow-minded people. Her fortitude and life energy was overwhelming. Such people are compassionate and can’t bear to kill. Those who kill usually died early. Imperial palace dramas often reflect this law of Nature. These plots of drama aren’t fictional but are historical incidents. It is her fate that determines if she is the empress. It is not determined by being cunning and cruel. It is all fate.
We can then study how such a fate can arise. It comes from accumulated merits and virtues. Buddhist sutras say people with beautiful looks have offered flowers before Buddha. Great prosperity and fortune come from giving and offering to others. Such is causality.
Heaven gives great fortune to people with great compassion. Heaven seldom gives a miserly person great fortune. One who gave offerings generously in a past life, giving money to the poor, offerings to compassionate practitioners, and building facilities, bridges and roads that helped sentient beings, will have great prosperity in the next life. Because he will be given great fortune, and then uses the money where it is needed most for the public’s interest.
By observing people’s lives, we hear so many stories. These are just a small fraction. Unimaginable things and people do exist. Let’s summarize: Causality means we will yield rewards if we do more good deeds; negative results if we commit bad deeds.
After listening to Grandmaster JinBodhi’s teaching on “Causality and Reincarnation”, let’s review. Causality is likened to harvesting in autumn after planting in spring. We get rewards for good deeds and consequences for evil deeds. Planting an apple seed will yield a tree of apples. Causes always yield disproportionately large effects when circumstances ripen.
Causality or karma can be passed down to posterity through blood relations. Causality can be passed down through non-biological relations. Existence of everyone and everything around us is due to causality. Having compassion, often giving, having good thoughts and doing good deeds creates a fate of great prosperity.
After we have learned the law of causality, what can we do in real life to make our life more beautiful? Next in the series: Building Future Positive Connections.
After we learn causality as taught by Buddha, besides knowing how to act, we should also know how to choose.