The Conversation Continues... (Agnosticism)

by David Turell , Wednesday, December 14, 2022, 02:31 (709 days ago) @ xeno6696

Ajahn Brahm, (Brahmali's teacher) goes directly into what he calls "proof" of reincarnation:

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-qdqh8-1337429

Matt: Nothing controversial here--he's not calling anything baloney, but his background makes this interesting. Before he became a monk he completed a degree in Theoretical Physics. So he's rather well-equipped to handle western science.

I have the same uncomfortable feeling I had reading Sabom's book. Many of these stories are personal which make them harder to criticize. However, you guys are about the only people that I'd feel fine talking about these kinds of stories as literally everyone else I know would think I'm looney for even listening to them!

DAVID: I didn't feel strange with Sabom. I found it fascinating.

Well, you weren't a materialist. (Or at least you weren't as of the time where you suggested I read his book!)

I'm far from a materialist.

Where Buddhism offers some answers down this path, supposedly there are meditations we can do that allow us to have these experiences (even veridical OBE) that at least on paper, offer a 2500yr old answer to these questions. I'm almost done with Brahm's podcast but his argument is fairly squishy. However he's right to point out that rebirth was a Greek answer and I know from my own research that rebirth was even a belief within early Christianity as well as Kabbalah.

Actually I plan on writing a book titled "Where did our Mind go?" which is an exploration attempting to locate precisely when "The West" stopped treating the mind as one of the senses I mean short answer is probably the Scottish Enlightenment and David Hume, but it was taken for granted by the Greeks.

That is a great point. The mind is one of our senses.