Past-life recall has neurological explanations as well! Please discuss

@daverupa made the above statement in another link.
Please share your thoughts.

I think that any final proof of whether past life experiences are a product of neuronal activity or valid reminiscence of our past lives will not be found during our lifetime. Maybe it will, then this discussion doesn’t really have a point, but let’s just assume it won’t. In that case, our opinion on the matter can only be a matter of faith, which also renders any discussion on the matter as meaningless.

On a side note, if it is proven the memories of past lives can be produced by brain, it doesn’t mean those are memories of the same type that the Buddha had or that there are no past lives. In fact, the way these people describe their memories and the way the Buddha’s knowledge of past lives encompassing thousands of cosmis aeons are described in the Nikayas are quite unsimilar. So, this will certainly strengthen the atheists’ case, but it is still no proof, and there can indeed be no proof (maybe a subjective one if you achieve full knowledge about your past lives). We’re on the saddha territory again.

Just so you don’t get me wrong: it doesn’t me other people shouldn’t share their thoughts on the problem. Sharing thoughts is not a discussion :slight_smile:

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Just as an example, a bedside medical assessment of cognition for an elderly patient claiming past-life recall will be approached by asking for specific details of the past life, rather than letting the one with recall focus on what they want to recall.

So, for anyone claiming recall, the approach is not to let them tell a story and then have confirmation bias & wishful thinking let one feel the truth & get convinced (for example), one asks for precise details from what should be episodic memory. Failure to meet this request is significant; asking for ongoing details, such as images on local currency and so on, and receiving no information are also significant findings.

Please note that past-life recall in Iron Age India tended to involve … Iron Age Indian features. This highlights a “the-brain-making-it” aspect as well.

And, at the end of this story-telling, we simply note that we now have a story to compete with the earlier story that it’s a possible psychic power of the human mind, and we notice these stories have nothing to do with the Dhamma (I know! not even past lives!) and we move on.

:dharmawheel:

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