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Kalchaya
USA
3 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 17 2019 : 8:33:39 PM
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I have been practicing the Chinese arts of Neijia and Chi-kung for about ten years, and wish to expand my path into Yoga. I am over sixty, and have started moving into a reclusive lifestyle. I do not know how close to 'vanaprastha' I have gotten, but that is where I am heading. I have been reading whatever books I could find on Yoga to familiarize myself with the subject. I have come across the topic of 'jatismara' or 'jatiamaravatara' (different books spell Indian words differently), and this is what I have been seeking all of my life, without exactly realizing it. So there is no error in understanding, the jatismara I speak of is defined here (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jatismara). While some books say this is restricted to Saints, my research indicates this is untrue. When I was looking into reincarnation, I found many examples of 'normal' people that recall their their previous life.
To be able to recall at least some or all of this life in the next incarnation is my primary goal now. I would like advice from anyone knowledgeable in such things, as to what sadhanas I should focus on to attain 'jatismara' in the next rebirth. |
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luce
France
25 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2019 : 5:33:51 PM
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Hello Kalchaya,
We never know exactly where we are on the path, because we are all unique and so is each path to enlightenment.
I am not particularly knowledgeable about Jatismara (from personal experience) however, what I can say is that the Yoga path is about detachment and letting go of things.
It seems that you are trying to control the process by giving it a precise direction.
AYP is not about that. It is the opposite. Of course we all have the goal in mind, but in our daily pratices, we let go (as much as we can) of our expectations and attachments and this is how we make progress.
Even though you might find someone giving you techniques that have worked for him(her)self, they might not work for you because we are all different.
AYP is about steady and regular effective practice, but then whatever happens, happens. When and what? we let go of that. We only interfere with the process if it becomes uncomfortable. If Jatismara has to happen with you soon, it will, if not, other things will.
AYP is also about all the benefits we get along the way because enlightenment is a never ending on-going process. And as we practice daily, eventually we see our expectations fade away and this is why we feel freer. Precisely because we let go of expectations. And that is the beauty of it. That freedom we get from letting go of things. And that is when we experience things like Jatismara. Precisely because we don't expect it anymore...
So, why don't you give it a (letting)go from lesson 10 and see what happens  ?
Best wishes
luce
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Edited by - luce on Feb 23 2019 07:36:01 AM |
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Blanche
USA
859 Posts |
Posted - Feb 24 2019 : 09:04:56 AM
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Hi Kalchaya,
Your quest for Jatismara is another expression of human desire for spiritual transformation. As we progress, more and more of our unconscious comes to light and it is integrated, and this may include memories of the past lives. It is said that at the moment of enlightenment Buddha remembered his infinite row of past lives.
Why don’t we all remember our past lives? Actually, many of us do remember at least small increments of them, but we tend to dismiss them as the notion of past lives is not part of the main culture. While some memories might help understand the choices we make and our behavior, many others can be a challenge to our evolution, just as in meditation there are more interferences from difficult experiences than from positive ones. In other words, many memories of past lives could be challenging and difficult to deal with as we still have purifications and attachments to clear from this life. It is easier to manage one thing – or one life – at a time.
However, if you still find that your calling is to remember your past lives, deep meditation would be the most helpful technique. As the process of purification advances, more and more light is cast over the past, and the veils start to get thinner and thinner. Once you have a stable level of inner silence brought in by deep meditation, you can start to practice samyama. Patanjali writes in the third chapter of the Yoga Sutrast that samyama on deep impreessions (samskara) brings the knowledge of previous lives.
Best wishes on your chosen path!
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Annadora Claire
Germany
1 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2021 : 1:09:31 PM
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Namaste Kalchaya!
I do remember parts of about 25 lifetimes, a few of them large parts, others very small pieces. It began with a regression, where, however, I did not really believe that I was really remembering anything. I told myself, that my subconscious was giving me insight into myself and let it be at that. However, the lives I did remember were very important ones after all, when I realized the truth of it.
The last one was actually the one that finally convinced me fully that I was indeed remembering, since I recognized changes in a place that I had never even heard of before, an ancient sacred place in Germany, and I placed my fire at the time that archeologists placed the traces of a fireplace exactly where I saw it. I was really glad of this, as you may imagine. In that lifetime I hardly remembered more than the place, no story, and I had always wondered why I had that vision at all.
I agree that we do have memories, many of us, and that we do dismiss them as something we heard or dreamed or such. My granddaughter recognized her art kit, that was my fathers. She was adamant it was hers when she first saw it at age 3. She remembered some other things, but then she turned away from this as a reality, even though she resembles my father so much, even having said things to me in his exact words and with his strange sense of humor.
Most of my memories came along with the souls who were there with me showing up again, and I would see them wearing more than one kind of clothing at the same time and sometimes having an overlay of faces. Mostly it is their essence that is familiar.
In America, the remembering of past lives is a big deal in certain circles and people regard one who remembers as superior somehow, perhaps the mark of a teacher that is worthy. And therefore some people make it their job to either tell people their lives or seek to assist them. I have seen more bad than good come from that.
My own recollections have cost me some time in the present, my friends would say who knew of it, for I would be so engrossed in the experience. They would chide me and tell me it was a bad thing. But I am deeply grateful for this gift, since it has helped me to right some wrongs, to understand some difficult relationships and myself as well. It has given me a needed respect for myself, always tempered with humility for not everything i found was wonderful, but when I would understand, it was always alright.
My advice is to listen inside, pay attention to visions and dreams - I mean - do not dismiss them as meaningless. Sometimes they might be, but do not assume that right away and always. After some time I came to be pretty certain what was real and meaningful and what not. In some cases my partners in the experience also did remember and that helped also.
Perhaps the best thing was, that I learned to remember and eventually also remembered my early childhood which held secrets I desperately needed to know. Those memories were confirmed by other people, luckily.
In short - I think you are the one who will know what is good for you. Even if it becomes an obsession for a while and others find that bad - who are they to know.... And sometimes - who are even we ourselves to know. God knows. Our soul knows. So those are the hands to surrender it to, without squashing your interest. You might ask yourself why you want to remember. If it is a question of ego then be careful....
Oh by the way, I just found out about this term, did not know it existed at all. And it is a bit funny - the life I remember the most and have a lot of proof of it, I was actually made a saint by the Catholic Church. But I know more than they seem to. I think I became a saint out of necessity. There were two others with me whom I know in this life as well and who were also sainted, and I have sometimes thought it would be fun to write a book and call it "The real Lives of Saints". |
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Dogboy
USA
2192 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2021 : 7:00:11 PM
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| Perhaps the All is a stew, to which we are added at death, and ladeled into being at birth, and “our” past memories are but the onions, carrots, and broth of the multitudes rather than individual servings. |
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SeySorciere
Seychelles
1532 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2021 : 12:51:45 AM
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@Dogboy - I consider that a likely possibility, especially as daily I have images and streams of thoughts creep into my awareness that have nothing to do with me. I am just a receiver - must be the veggies 
Sey  |
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Obtaining 'Jatismara'
