M.J. Rose

Deepak Chopra answers some deep questions on his site. Here is a recent Q/A on the subject of reincarnation:

Question:
If there is one infinite being (and everything is an infinite possibility) then why do we need Reincarnation (individual souls having experience over and over?) We are either one infinite possibility having this experience or we are a soul having many experiences. (term soul being one continuous being.)

Answer:
Putting aside the issue of whether we need reincarnation for the moment, your question seems to boil down to why does infinite being need to do anything—create, know, evolve—if it is already everything?

The best answer I can give you is what the enlightened sages of the past have said about this, namely, that there is a distinction between infinite potentiality and actual manifestation. Just as there is a difference between the potentiality of a redwood tree in seed form and the full grown redwood tree…

[the complete answer can be found here]

Easter is about reincarnation. Renewal of body, mind and spirit.

Here is a lovely and inclusive piece reflecting on this time of year from America: The National Catholic Weekly

Paramahamsa Yogananda I: on Holy Thursday

by Francis X. Clooney, S.J.

Cambridge, MA. In this Holy Week, we are of course invited to quiet ourselves down, pull back a bit, and reflect on the meaning of our lives, in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are fortunate to have an abundance of aids in this reflection, ranging from the Bible and the liturgies of the Triduum to myriad homilies, spiritual writings, works of music and art. What we are not used to doing is listening to how people of other faith traditions think about the death and resurrection of Jesus. Hindus and Buddhists, Jews and Muslims, have been listening for centuries to what we Christians think of them and their faiths; rarely do we take time in a week like this to listen to their insights. Even if they see things differently than we do, and perhaps misunderstand parts of what we believe — as we have always tended, even with best intentions, to misunderstand the traditions of others — learning is still possible.

I would like to take a step in this direction with a small series of reflections for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter, based on the reflections on the Gospels by Paramahamsa Yogananda (1893-1952). Founder of the Self-Realization Fellowship, and author of the famous Autobiography of a Yogi, lived a good part of his life in the West. During these years he studied the Gospels, and wrote The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ within You (Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 2004), a nearly 1600 page reflection on selected Gospel passages, published posthumously. For the three days, I will simply offer a summation of a few of his insights into the relevant texts…

[the rest, here]

Alas, a list of unusual deaths – unique or extremely rare circumstances – recorded throughout history. The list also includes less rare, but still unusual, deaths of prominent people.

My question is: Does an unusual death tend to cause an unusual rebirth? Some people believe that the next incarnation will sometimes reflect the circumstances of the reborn’s previous experience in death – oftentimes physically – as in Dr. Ian Stephenson’s work with people who have been born with unusual markings. Click here for an article with photographs regarding this research.