No man ever steps in the same river twice. For it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.
HERACLITUS
For almost all of us, the way in which we perceive the idea of reincarnation, rebirth and karma – both believers as well as skeptics – is limited.
Join me, Chetan Narang, in this episode of The Unlearning Playground podcast to go into the depth of understanding these heavy terms. We unpack what these terms do not mean, what are the misconceptions surrounding them in our everyday interpretations of them, what we need to let go to actually digest the nectar of what they were always meant for.
I try to provide a nondual explanation of reincarnation, rebirth and karma that is in line with an understanding of Life that does not warrant any belief or faith or bias – all you need to do is to sit with these words in the most honest way possible, especially when they do not resonate with you. That is, after all, when we need honesty the most.
All said and done, let’s get into it.
I’ll see you in the playground.
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When it comes to reincarnation, like most spiritual matters, ideas on both sides of the coin – believers as well as skeptics – are limited, incomplete and based on misinterpretations.
Understanding these concepts is hard, not because they require us to learn a lot of new things. However, like most real wisdom, this understanding requires us to let go of our sticky ideas about them first. Or, speaking the language of this podcast, it requires us to unlearn our preconceived notions about them.
If what you hear in this episode is something you have never thought about before, make sure you listen to it multiple times, and makes sure you spend time to meditate on it. You know, just like someone who works out a whole lot but doesn’t get the maximum benefits from it because he does not rest/sleep enough, someone who reads or consumes a whole lot of philosophy but doesn’t find the time to meditate on it doesn’t really extract the juice out of it. I can’t stress it enough how important meditation is in really grasping matters such as these.
Life, at its very root, is a continuous process – a flux. It is more a verb than a noun. And this is true not just for Life in general. It it true for every one and every thing. In fact, that is the central message behind the quote I shared at the very start of this page. Allow me to repeat.
No man ever steps in the same river twice. For it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.
Heraclitus
This quote is one of the most potent ones you should definitely cement in your mind. While it is just very useful everyday life advice too, I would especially emphasise on the importance of this quote with respect to the topic at hand here.
To really grasp the understanding of reincarnation, one has to unlearn a whole lot of preconceived ideas. One big one amongst them is the idea of identifying with a fixed, static image – both for oneself and also for others. While it is a very useful image to help us navigate the world, it has its limitations. These limitations, by their very definition, create blindspots that we simply cannot see, unless we are receptive, open and honest enough if and when triggered externally.