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From: esot@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Eric Sotnak)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: Re: Reincarnation
Message-ID: <1990Dec11.022245.11063@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 11 Dec 90 02:22:45 GMT
References: <1990Dec10.030247.15986@nas.nasa.gov>
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In article <1990Dec10.030247.15986@nas.nasa.gov> hugh@achilles.adelaide.edu.au (Hugh Garsden) writes:
>Therefore, is there any reason why I could not be reincarnated
>in the _past_ (i.e. the past according to the current direction
>of time in the universe). Or, weirder still, could I be
>reincarnated in my own _present_.

  There is a non-standard interpretation of the doctrine of rebirth (not 
reincarnation -- reincarnation is the voluntary rebirth of a bodhisattva
resulting from his/her vow) which may address this concern and also the
other concern you have alluded to.

  On this interpretation, rebirth is a metaphorical description of the
passage from one (type of) psychological state to another.  For example,
an unenlightened person whose personality is characterized by anger is
(often) reborn as a titan or avenging demon (or whatever you want to 
translate asura as).  The metaphorical reading of this is that anger
tends to assert itself as an enduring personality trait, so that being
angry once is likely to lead to further occurences of a like psychological
state.  It is likewise with all sorts of other psycological states/character
dispositions/etc.  According to the law of karma (psycho-physical causality)
each event-type (physical and psychological) tends to produce other events or
states according to its basic character.

  The enlightened person gains mastery over his/her own mind and body, and
therefore over his or her karma insofar as his/her actions produce
consequences according to the preceding psychological states, etc.  The
enlightened person is thus able to free him/herself from the cycle of
birth and rebirth, death and redeath.

  The answer to your question about why one cannot be reborn in one's past
is thus that (a) it would violate the law of causality and (b) there is
no soul or self "outside space and time" (nor in it!) to be reborn.

  (I appologize for any infelicities of expression resulting from my
being too lazy to go back and correct them).

EOS