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Essay / The Undying Soul: Reincarnation - 807
Have you ever thought about experiencing a past life regression? Probably not, because many people think the idea of reincarnation is unrealistic. It is defined as “a mystical doctrine or belief according to which an essential part of a living being survives death to be reborn in a new body” (Gadit). According to Elizabeth Fenwick, this concept is "a central element of the doctrines of Eastern religion." However, many people do not believe in rebirth. People tend to question reincarnation because they are unable to remember what happened in their past lives (Macintosh 154). Although rebirth is a questionable phenomenon, there is a body of evidence proving that reincarnation is the next step for the soul after the death of the physical body. Ian Stevenson is known for his paranormal research, which "appears to provide scientific proof that reincarnation is real" (Bowman). He spent the last forty years of his life documenting the memories of children's past lives. He traveled the world to collect the three thousand files stored in files (Bowman). Among these cases is that of Swarnlata Mishra. She was a young girl of just three years old when she recognized a street and asked her driver for a ride home, pointing to a house a hundred miles from her current home (Bowman). Mishra had come with her father to Katni for the first time and said that she lived in a house near here. She went on to state that her name was Biya Pathak and she had given birth to two sons. When his father heard him say this, he began to take notes. She continued and: “…gave details about the house: it was white with black doors with iron bars; four rooms were stuccoed, but other parts were less finished; the front floor was stone slabs. It was located in the middle of the paper a few years ago, at this exact time you wouldn't be able to remember it. But that doesn't mean the event didn't happen. In the same way, we have experienced death, but it was so long ago that we could not remember exactly how it happened. I believe that reincarnation exists, not just because it is part of my religion. But also because of Dr. Stevenson's many cases, where children, even adults, remembered their past lives. Cases like that of Swarnlata, where children are able to recognize places, people and even remember events from their past lives, constitute exceptional evidence of rebirth. Reincarnation seems pretty absurd, but there is evidence that proves its presence. The reason we all don't remember our past lives is when we die. This traumatic event makes us forget what happened in our past lives. But that doesn't stop us from knowing that we all have an immortal soul...