Next–To Reincarnation 102 from Proof of Reincarnation
The word reincarnation literally means, ‘to take on the flesh again’. In other words, to take on a new fleshly (physical) body. The idea of reincarnation derives from a universal observation of fact which can be verified by everyone at the individual level and is not such an alien proposition as it might appear on the surface.
A biochemist or doctor would tell us that the individual cells in our body have a limited lifespan—from days, to weeks and a few years.
The technical abstract and a more detailed related article can be accessed here and here.
For a more people-friendly summary of these, reach for this New York Times article on the right entitled, ‘Your Body Is Younger Than You Think’.
The changing and the unchanging
Considering this sober evidence we can understand that as we age, our bodily cells are replaced regularly. Hence, we have a constantly changing body.
However, our consciousness of who we are remains unchanging. Our identification of ourselves, the ‘I-consciousness’ (I-con) factor remains constant and unchanging. Even though we may develop our likes and dislikes and thinking over the years, we always know who we are in the sense of personal continuity or personal ‘being-ness’.
That may be quite a heavy realization to absorb all at once, but that does not make it less valid. The reality is that all the layers of our being and existence change in time except the I-consciousness element.
Further, we must necessarily consider this—everything that exists, invariably has in it the quality of its source and origins. So even though we may not be clear what exactly ‘consciousness’ is, we do know that it has the quality of constancy, it’s nature is of being unchanging. There are other words to describe this state—permanent, eternal, immortal, forever. You can consult your own personal experience to check the truth of this. On looking everywhere, you will find that this truth is:
Next–To Reincarnation 102 – ‘The Here and Hereafter’- What happens after death?