It is impossible to know precisely, but millions of people worldwide identify themselves with belief systems in which reincarnation plays a part. This includes over 300 million Buddhists, 800 million Hindus, at least one million adherents of New Age religions, and several million others, as well as many whose beliefs are held privately. Overall, it is reasonable to estimate that about a quarter of the world’s population believes in reincarnation in some form. That’s a lot of people! It’s also a lot of time, energy and attention used to figure out how it all fits into our present day lives. Other than mindfulness’ connection with other spiritual traditions that believe in reincarnation, I can’t find any specific references to how mindfulness relates to it so I will proceed to tell you what mindfulness has taught me in relationship to the concept of reincarnation. Firstly, I have come to learn that the past is always present. It is expressed in every little detail of our lives even though we may not be able to point to the exact connection. Since that is my reality then I would find the logic to connect it to everything in the past, even a hypothetical concept of reincarnation. If the past of this life is always present, then everythingin the past is present too, including past lives. If we are interested in our past the best way to access it is by noticing the present moment, not necessarily to learn the specific details but to gain the understanding and the ability to integrate it all.
Secondly, the concept of interconnectedness, which is very real and palpable to me renders the whole idea of separate lives irrelevant….past or present. Empathy is the beginning stage of being able to share the experiences of others in a very real way and on many levels. As empathy matures and is joined by an ability to stay anchored in the present moment, there is an opening of ones ability to explore other’s experiences past or present without losing the center of oneself. In a sense it is perhaps the real definition of time travel. Since the past is always accessible to the present, once we have mastered the present we have mastered and gained access to the past and can explore it on many levels. That being said…it is far more important to me to simply attend to this present moment and explore everything as it is right now. The whole concept of the past has lost it’s appeal to me and my curiosity is centered in the present moment. So now that we have addressed the past and present, how about the future…..ahhh….a subject for another time…perhaps in the future……..