Question: Can we remember past lives?
Answer: Yes, but consider that in this present life in this current body there is so much that we forget. How much of our childhood, for example, do we remember? How much of what we were thinking 2 hours ago can we remember?
The simple fact that most people don’t remember past lives should not surprise us. Besides, our forgetfulness of past lives gives us a fresh start with each lifetime.
But, in fact, in the last century a very large amount of documentation has accumulated establishing that many different people from all over the world do in fact remember some important aspects of their past life.
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali states that until we attain a high level of non-attachment to the current life (our body and personality) we won’t begin to remember past lives.
Nonetheless, in this day of widespread travel and awareness of other countries I don’t think it’s uncommon that many have a certain uncanny feeling of familiarity with other cultures, places, languages, cuisine, dress and customs.
But let it be said that the spiritual importance of knowing the details of our past lives is not paramount. Does it really matter whether we were Cleopatra or Marc Antony?
Answered by Nayaswami Hriman