In Buddhist countries the idea of having
past lives is not considered unusual. In
Tibet, for example, people believe that the Dalai Lama is reincarnated
each time he dies. So the current Dalai
Lama was chosen when he was a child because he had certain characteristics
or mannerisms which were similar to the former Dalai Lama or former
Dalai Lamas.
In some ways Japan is a Buddhist country
but people do not seem to take the religion as seriously as in Tibet. There are many Buddhist temples, and people
go there for funerals or to celebrate New Year or other festivals. But they also get married in a Christian
church. And they ask for the help of
local Shinto gods when they go to shrines for the worship of the spirits of
mountains, an oddly shaped rock etc.
Do Japanese people believe in
reincarnation, or past lives? I would be
interested to hear my students’ opinions or stories.
The reason I have been thinking about past
lives today is because in a Haruki Murakami short story I have been reading,
one of the characters claimed to remember her past life as an eel. This is good timing since on Tuesday this
week, it is traditional to eat eel in Japan.
I think any country which seriously believed in Buddhism couldn’t have a
special day to eat eel since the eel may have once been a human or may one day
become a human.
But anyway, it reminded me of a belief I
had when I was younger. When I was in
elementary school (we call it primary school in the UK), I decided that in my
past life I had been John Lennon. I had
no evidence for this; it was just a feeling that rose up in me.
A few years later I found out that John
Lennon died on 8th December 1980 (or 9th December, UK
time), several days before I was born. I
liked the idea that John Lennon’s spirit floated around the world for several
days before finding a newborn baby to inhabit. Perhaps he was flying from New York to the
UK, looking for Liverpool and got a little bit lost and ended up in Glasgow?
I can’t say that I truly believe that I was
John Lennon in a past life. It is just a
feeling that I remember. And if I was possessed
by his spirit, he unfortunately did not bring much of his musical genius with him. I can play the guitar and have written a few
songs. But they haven’t sold 100 million
copies yet. They haven’t sold even 1
copy yet.
But, like him, I am a bit of a
dreamer. Like him, I married an older
Japanese woman. I think I will carry on
imagining that there is a little of John Lennon inside of me. It must be better than having a little eel inside
of you... especially on July 29th.
Vocabulary:
To be reincarnated – To be reborn as
another person or creature.
A characteristic – A property which sets
something or someone apart or makes it unique.
For example, a characteristic of mammals is their warm blood.
a mannerism – A habit or way of
behaving that somebody has but is not aware of. A good actor can imitate the voice and
mannerisms of another person.
A funeral – A ceremony held when someone
dies.
Oddly – Strangely; unusually.
An eel – A kind of fish which is long and
thin and looks a little like a snake.
Evidence – If you try to prove something,
you look for evidence. For example,
after a murder, the police collect blood, ask witnesses what they saw etc. They are collecting evidence.
To inhabit something or somewhere – To live
in something or somewhere. For example,
this island is inhabited by cats.
To be possessed – To be taken over by a
spirit or ghost or demon etc. For
example, in the film “The Exorcist”, a little girl is possessed by a demon.
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