Remembering past lives

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Meezer77
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Remembering past lives

Post by Meezer77 »

Is remembering past lives a mandatory part of the path? Can you get enlightened without doing it?
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DooDoot
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Re: Remembering past lives

Post by DooDoot »

Then, having known thus, having seen thus, do you recollect your manifold past lives (lit: previous homes), i.e., one birth, two births, three births, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, one hundred, one thousand, one hundred thousand births, many aeons of cosmic contraction, many aeons of cosmic expansion, many aeons of cosmic contraction & expansion, [recollecting], 'There I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose there. There too I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose here'?

No, friend.

So just now, friends, didn't you make that declaration [of enlightenment] without having attained any of these Dhammas?

We're released through discernment (wisdom), friend Susima.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html
There is always an official executioner. If you try to take his place, It is like trying to be a master carpenter and cutting wood. If you try to cut wood like a master carpenter, you will only hurt your hand.

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Zom
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Re: Remembering past lives

Post by Zom »

No, but rather useful and interesting skill.

Btw,
Caodemarte
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Re: Remembering past lives

Post by Caodemarte »

It might be far more useful to remember this current life, this current moment.
dharmacorps
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Re: Remembering past lives

Post by dharmacorps »

The Suttas tell us that upon arhantship this is a part of the path. Occasionally pieces leak through to non-arhants while people are on the path, but usually the advice is not to be concerned or distracted by those too much.
justindesilva
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Re: Remembering past lives

Post by justindesilva »

Meezer77 wrote: Fri Feb 02, 2018 5:41 am Is remembering past lives a mandatory part of the path? Can you get enlightened without doing it?
One who follows the path ( if meant to be arya ashtangika marga) need not be skilled in remebering the past lives. But one who is skilled in jhana at a certain stage will remember the past with abignana.
How ever the follower of the path essentially has to believe that there is a life after death. This is possible by evaluating evidence of rebirths made known to us either by researchers like Dr. Ian Stevenson or following other similar literature. Perhaps treatment for sicknesses on reading past lives either by hypnosis or clairvoyants such as Edgar Kaysee are evidence for rebirths.
To have faith and belief on paticca samuppada belief on rebirth is necessary.
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DooDoot
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Re: Remembering past lives

Post by DooDoot »

Zom wrote: Fri Feb 02, 2018 2:56 pm No, but rather useful and interesting skill.
Is the video teaching the same pubbenivāsaṃ anussaramānā as in SN 22.79?
There is always an official executioner. If you try to take his place, It is like trying to be a master carpenter and cutting wood. If you try to cut wood like a master carpenter, you will only hurt your hand.

https://soundcloud.com/doodoot/paticcasamuppada
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Alīno
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Re: Remembering past lives

Post by Alīno »

Zom wrote: Fri Feb 02, 2018 2:56 pm No, but rather useful and interesting skill.

Btw,
Thank you Zom! :anjali:
Its quite intresting all that changes in NDE-peoples lives after this experiance.Pritty close to 5 low fetters, what do you think ?
Ajahn Nanadassano (before ordaining) : Venerable Ajahn, what is the bigest error that buddhist do in their practice?
Ajahn Jayasaro : They stop practicing ...
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