I have had the tremendous good fortune to study with several amazing lamas in my life. I feel these opportunities came because I made aspirations, wishes, in this life that I would be able to receive from their teachings even though they lived very far away or there were other obstacles that made it seem impossible. Then, it came to be.
There is a genera of prayers for future lifetimes, in the Tibetan traditions. They expressed formalized wishes that we will accomplish the path very quickly, and that we will be born into a situation where we can meet with genuine Dharma in future lives. These are recited in the daily liturgies. Why? Can we really have control over such things?
On a brain science level, there is evidence that setting a clear intention to have breakthroughs in our deep understanding, and big spiritual shifts, does prime the brain for that kind of experience. You can read Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman’s book, How Enlightenment Changes the Brain for more about that. The book defines enlightenment much more loosely than we Buddhists do, but is still interesting.
As far as future lives go, Jim Matlock’s thorough review of the large number of studies that have been done on children who remember past lives, Signs of Reincarnation, indicates that ordinary people’s intention does have an impact on their rebirth. In many traditional cultures throughout the world, kids are frequently reborn in their same families, when this is what is expected in their culture. Modern Western people from cultures where familial rebirth is not expected, interestingly, sometimes are reborn in far-flung places. Until our current pandemic, the world seemed quite small and accessible to us.
My message is that it will pay off to make heartfelt positive aspirations for our spiritual development and training in this life and for future lives. They really work!
