Some children spontaneously remember their past lives, usually between the ages of two and four years. Carol Bowman, a housewife, experienced this with her own children. Her consequent interest in the subject led her to interview other people in similar situations. Her findings are recorded in a book called ‘Children’s Past Lives’.
The stage of life from ages seven through eleven is called the Latency Period. During this time children are extremely curious about everything. In his book ‘The Spiritual Life of Children’ Dr. Robert Coles, Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard, writes about the moral intelligence of children. He says that the conscience, which is already present by then, develops further as the child begins to raise questions about ethical issues.
The story ‘Invisible Patterns’ is about Harsh, a 10-year-old boy who remembers a past life and talks to his parents about it. Despite a belief in rebirth as a theory they are baffled by their son’s experience when actually faced with it. Nevertheless, they encourage him to figure things out for himself. By and by, Harsh begins to notice the invisible patterns that run through the universe as he deals with the ethical dilemmas he comes across in the course of his school life.
Reincarnation has always been a widely-held belief in India. There are often reports in the press of people claiming to remember past lives. Dr. Ian Stevenson, a psychiatrist, followed up about 3000 such cases over 40 years, flying to different countries to meet and interview them. In India Dr.Satwant Pasricha, former Professor of Psychology at NIMHANS, Bangalore, is known for her research in this field. There are also people like Dr. Brian Weiss, author of several books on the subject, who practice past-life regression, offering somewhat indirect proof that rebirth happens.
-Author
drshyamalavatsa 