1 Reincarnation: The Data and the DharmaClaire Villarreal March 12, 2016

2 Some terms for this morningCase of the reincarnation type (CORT): person (typically small child) claims to remember a previous life Near death experience (NDE): person either comes close to death and experiences one or more traits of NDE Out of body experience (OBE): person experiences the mind separating from the body Previous personality (PP): person whose life subject of a CORT case claims to remember Solved case: one in which PP could be identified with certainty; unsolved is one in which that wasn’t possible

3 Stevenson and UVa’s researchVideo on Stevenson and Tucker’s work Sample case: Sujith/Sammy, Life Before Life pp Video of case: Suresh “Features of Past Life Statements” “Age when talking about a previous life”: many start making statements as soon as they can talk; older children often see something that reminds them “Details of the statements”: children in cases tend to talk more about end of previous life, esp. in case of sudden death (70% of cases) “Manner of speaking”: typically with emotional attachment to PP “Written records”: often statements not written when child first makes statements (but strengthen case when available)

4 Types of evidence in CORT casesChild’s statements, ideally written before identification of PP and/or confirmed by multiple witnesses Child identifying people, places, and/or items known to PP Birthmarks and birth defects

5 Alternate explanations for CORT casesFamilies are mistaken or fabricating evidence Children are fantasizing rather than remembering Children heard about “PP” through normal means Researchers are biased “Super-psy”: children obtain information paranormally about “PP” Possession Worldwide conspiracy

6 Patterns in CORT data In series of 1,095 cases analyzed, “62 percent of subjects where male and 38 percent female”—explained with rate of violent death by gender In another data set, 61% of cases involved sudden or violent death (from Children, p. 165) “Among same-family cases of the Tlingit, … [i]n 75 percent of cases [PP and subject] are related on the side of the subject’s mother. This accords with the matrilineal organization of Tlingit society.” It’s reversed for Igbo, patrilineal society (Children, pp ) “Median interval [between death and birth] for 616 cases from ten different cultures was fifteen months,” and violent deaths tend to correlate with shorter intermediate periods. Also, different cultures have different intermediate periods, and shorter period corresponds with more details remembered. (Children, p. 120)

7 Some terms for this afternoonTulku (སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་): person recognized as reincarnation of deceased lama or other practitioner; Tibetan translation of nirmanakaya Rinpoché (རིན་པོ་ཆེ་): title given to tulkus but also to people (like Khetsun Rinpoché) who have become accomplished practitioners within one lifetime Lama (བླ་མ་): title that can be earned by completing a three-year retreat or by long training and practice; is also given to tulku (e.g., Lama Osel)

8 Tulku case study: The Unmistaken ChildLama dies, here Geshe Lama Konchog After suitable period of time, students or other lamas have visions, dreams, etc. Search party locates several candidates Tests: can child recognize objects, does s/he recognize people from previous life, do lamas definitively recognize her/him? Enthronement and study

9 How do CORTs and tulku cases overlap?Dreams, visions, other announcing premonitions Child may have memories from previous life (but also may not) People who knew PP may also recognize child Child is taken to previous “family” Continuity between interests and habits of previous and present lives

10 How do CORTs and tulku cases not overlap?Child doesn’t typically initiate recognition process (with significant exceptions) Active search for reincarnation of PP Social and political stakes of recognition can be high Reincarnation as way of handing down power became institutionalized in Tibet as early as 12th century

11 Tulku theory (from Incarnation)Four foundations Three buddha-bodies: dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya Three main types of tulkus Tulkus of buddhas Tulkus of adepts Tulkus of virtuous lamas Secondary types of tulkus Unrecognized tulkus of buddhas (recognized posthumously or remained unknown) Blessed by enlightened lamas to serve as another lama’s tulku (though not born as such) Fallen through not devoting life to dharma False tulkus, not recognized or enthroned in traditional way but claiming title

12 The tulku institution in TibetKarma Pakshi ( ), Second Karmapa, recognized himself as reincarnation of Dusum Khyenpa ( ), retroactively recognized as First Karmapa Dalai Lamas began with Third, Sonam Gyatso ( ) All four schools of Buddhism in Tibet adopted tulku system to some degree

13 Tibetan Buddhism on reincarnationModel of mind Mind “rides” on subtle, physical energy (རླུང་) As energies of body break down, mind becomes more subtle, passes through clear light Continuity of mind explains reincarnation Death process

14 Relevant works Children Who Remember Previous Lives: A Question of Reincarnation, Ian Stevenson, M.D. Death, Intermediate State, and Rebirth in Tibetan Buddhism, Lati Rinbochay and Jeffrey Hopkins Incarnation: The History and Mysticism of the Tulku Tradition in Tibet, Tulku Thondup Life Before Life: A Scientific Investigation of Children’s Memories of Previous Lives, Jim B. Tucker, M.D. Films: The Unmistaken Child; Kundun