Understanding Science of reincarnation || Acharya Prashant (2024)

Acharya Prashant

‍♂️ Want to meet Acharya Prashant? Be a part of the Live Sessions: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/enquir...   Want to read Acharya Prashant's Books? Get Free Delivery: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/books?...  ~~~~~ Video Information: 11.05.2022, VBC, Greater Noida  Context: What is reincarnation? What are the beliefs about reincarnation in different cultures and religions? Is there any scientific evidence supporting the concept of reincarnation? How does the process of reincarnation work according to various beliefs? Do people retain memories or traits from past lives in reincarnation? Can someone choose their next life in reincarnation? Are there any documented cases of people remembering past lives? How does karma relate to reincarnation?  Music Credits: Milind Date  ~~~~~

Transcript

00:00Namaste Acharyaji. So my question is around this rebirth and reincarnation and around

00:15this science of reincarnation. I have heard about this through my colleague and he was

00:24talking about the University of Virginia and they have been doing research on this science

00:36of reincarnation. So they have found a baby who can remember the past life memories. So

00:47can you throw some lights on those? Can you throw some light on this University of Virginia

00:54first thing? Where is the research paper? Where is the proof? I can say no, University

01:01of Virginia has never done any such research and no such baby ever existed. How will you

01:07refute my claim? Facts are to be greatly respected. Rumours are not to be treated as

01:18facts. Anybody can create anything from imagination and float it around. That is not to be quoted

01:28as a fact. If it's a university, then the research paper would most probably be public.

01:35Had it not been public, the news wouldn't have reached you.

01:43Do we even understand the implications? Was such a paper to be published ever?

01:51Please understand what it would do to the entire field of identity.

01:57It would have great consequences on every sphere of human activity.

02:03Everything would be upturned. Sir, nothing like this has ever been proven.

02:15And it conversely tells about the composition and intentions of those who believe in such things.

02:25They would very liberally appropriate the name of any high-ranking scientific institution

02:34just to prove that reincarnation in the lowest sense possible does happen. What does that tell

02:42about their own composition? That these people are liars. Had I had any substance in my claim,

02:51would I have proceeded to substantiate my claim with lies, University of Virginia?

03:06Yes. There is nothing in it, sir. Nothing.

03:15And also, please remember,

03:17basics of probability, probability as in mathematics.

03:28If you take a billion monkeys and just give them keypads,

03:39one of them will be able to type something meaningful.

03:42It has been said that if you take enough monkeys and give them pens,

03:48one of them would surely be able to write down all the works of Shakespeare.

03:53That is just probability. You only have to have sufficient number of monkeys and that will happen.

04:04So, if you look at the 800 crore people who are alive,

04:08look at the 800 crore people who are alive and the numbers that have been diseased,

04:18just randomly, just by way of probability,

04:26if you go to all these people who were kids once and ask them to utter something about their previous life,

04:35a few people would end up saying something meaningful.

04:43That does not mean that there is something in it. That is just the law of randomness.

04:55Okay. What's there on this table next to me? Please tell me.

05:00I can't see. Okay, try.

05:09No, I cannot. But if I ask you to just try.

05:13Yes. What would you say?

05:17A ball maybe. Okay. Now, if I give you

05:21infinite number of tries, will you not succeed in giving the correct answer at least once?

05:27Yes. That is called probability.

05:30That is called probability. Given an infinite number of attempts, anything is possible.

05:41Anything is possible. So, if you take all the kids

05:47who are born and ask them, please tell us something about your previous birth,

05:53one or two of them will end up saying something meaningful.

05:57That proves nothing. In fact, that only proves that mathematics is great.

06:07No place of any repute has ever conducted any conclusive research on this reincarnation thing.

06:16In fact, the scientific community, the world over takes it as something of a joke.

06:24It is not even considered a subject fit enough to be taken for a serious study.

06:32Yes, studies have been done. But those studies have amounted to nothing. Nothing came out of them.

06:39You must also reflect on why a lot of people insist on things like personal reincarnation.

06:50You must ask, what stake do they have? Why do they so forcefully insist that,

06:56yes, if I die, I will be reincarnated as a human being.

07:00You must ask, what stake do they have? Why do they so forcefully insist that,

07:07yes, if I die, I will be reborn as somebody else.

07:12What is it in their psyche that impels them

07:18to believe in, to aggressively believe in the concept of reincarnation?

07:23The answer will be very interesting.

07:30When you are living an unfulfilled life, then the concept of reincarnation comes as a saviour.

07:39However, it is also the same concept that prevents you from bringing richness and meaning and joy

07:55to this one life that you have.

07:59You are told, I have so many lives and the subsequent lives will probably be better.

08:06If you are in turmoil, in bondage currently,

08:12then you are saved from challenging your fears and your bondages with the greatest ferocity.

08:21How? You say, you know, I somehow deserve my sorry state.

08:26I must have done something in my past lives to deserve the pain that I have now.

08:32So, there is no need to fight against my suffering and my bondage

08:38because I anyway deserve it. It is my Karmphal.

08:44What annoys me is that both these concepts, which are interrelated of course,

08:52reincarnation and karma are attributed to the Gita,

08:57whereas the Gita very forcefully destroys both these concepts.

09:04But fantastic are the ways of Maya.

09:11Yes.

09:13Thank you, Asalji.

09:15Welcome.

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