Category: Gender Change and Transsexualism

A Boy Reincarnates as a Girl, Retains Masculine Traits and Finds Her Past Life Home: The Story of Nishith De | Dolon Mitra

How Derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood

Researchers: Ian Stevenson, MD and Professor P. Pal

From: Cases of the Reincarnation Type: Volume 1, India,by Ian Stevenson, MD, pages 281-311

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

Click on Images to Enlarge Them

The Life and Death of Nishith De

Nishith De, a boy, was born in 1940 in the city of Burdwan, which is located in the Indian state of West Bengal. The capital of West Bengal is Kolkata, identified in the map provided to the right.

The city of Nishith’s birth, Burdwan, is now known as Barddhaman. In the map provided to the right, Barddhamar is marked by the symbol A and Kolkata is south of that point. The town of Narendrapur, which is part of this story, is south of Kolkata.

Nishith’s father, Anath De, was very rich. His mother’s name was Baudi. He  he had a younger brother, named Sisil, and a younger sister.

Due to their wealth, the family chose not to associate with those below their social class. The family socialized primarily with their closest relatives.

Nishith attended local schools and colleges. He played soccer and cricket. Nishith did not have the elitist personality of his father and made friends with people of all classes of society, the poor and the privileged.

Nishith Develops Head Pain, Paralysis and Dies in Kolkata

In the beginning of 1964, at the age of 24, while attending Raj College in Burdwan, Nishith developed pain at the back of his head, along with nausea, vomiting and fever. Local physicians were unable to diagnose his illness.

Nishith became worse after 6 months and his father arranged for him to be admitted to the Calcutta Tropical School of Medicine. Calcutta is now known as Kolkata, which is 105 kilometers or 63 miles from Burdwan.

In the hospital Nishith developed paralysis and the inability to speak. He later fell into a coma, then died on July 25, 1964 at 24 years of age. An autopsy was not done and Nishith’s body was cremated. His physicians, though, thought Nishith had died of an abscess or a localized infection of the brain.

Nishith Reincarnates as a Girl in Kolkata, the Place Where He Had Died

Dolon Mitra, a girl, was born in Kolkata on August 8, 1967, about 3 years after Nishith had died. Her father was Audaryamoy Mitra and her mother was named Kanika. She had a brother who was 4 years older than her.

After Dolon was born, the family moved 10 kilometers or about 6 miles south of Kolkata to the town of Narendrapur, which is identifed on the map provided above. Dolon started to speak between 1 and 2 years of age.

Though a Girl, Dolan Likes to Wear Boys’ Clothing and States She was a Boy Before and Had Pain in the Head

Dolan had a penchant to wear the clothes of her older brother, which were much too big for her. When she was about 3 and a half years old, her mother scolded her for this behavior. Dolan then rebuked her mother, saying:

“I was a little bigger boy in a house like the palace.”

Her mother asked what she meant by that. Dolan responded:

“Yes, Mother, I am speaking the truth. I had a younger brother and sister. I had a fat aunt and my mother was named Baudi. Take me near the Maharajah’s palace and I shall lead you to the house.”

A Maharajah in India refers to a king or ruler. The Maharaja’s palace in Burdwan is featured in the photo to the right.

For no apparent reason, Dolan then bent her neck backwards and gazed at the ceiling of the room. Her mother asked why she was making this posture. Dolan replied that when she had been in the hospital in her past life, she had pain in the back of her head and held her head in the same position.

Additional Statements Made by Dolan Regarding Her Past Life

The rebuke her mother made about wearing boy’s clothes caused Dolan to make numerous additional statements regarding her past lifetime.

Dolan said lived she had lived a house in Burdwan.  She said her father was stout and of fair complexion, though Dolan’s own father was slim and had dark skin. She said that in her past lifetime, her grandfather lived with them and repeated that she had a fat aunt. The statements made by Dolan were true for the life of Nishith.

Dolan said that her past life mother wore better dresses and put on much jewelry, which was true for the mother of Nishith. In contrast, Dolan’s mother dressed plainly without ornaments.

Dolan said her past life house was near the Maharaja’s palace. This was true for Nishith, as his family’s home was less than 300 meters or yards from the Maharaja’s residence in Burdwan.

Dolan said that her previous home was like a palace, very large and elegant, with floors made of marble or mosaics. It also had a separate shrine room, which was across the street from a teahouse. These statements were true for the home of Nishith.

She said that there were deer and peacocks at the house. It turned out that the De family had peacocks, but they did not have deer. At the park of the Maharaja’s property in Burdwan, though, there were deer and peacocks. Ian Stevenson speculated that Dolan may have confused memories of her past life home and that of the Maharaja. Dolan’s family, in contrast, had neither peacocks or deer.

Dolan said that her past life house had 2 stories and that her room had been on the first floor, just above the street or lane, near where stairs led to the house. She said that in the house there were shiny brass buckets, as well as many books, and that her father bought her many clothes. She also said that her father had “heaps of money.” These statements were true for the life of Nishith.

Dolan said she had studied at the Raj College, pictured to the right, and that she played soccer and cricket there. Dolan said she had been injured playing soccer and afterwards had pain in her leg. These statements were true for Nishith, including a knee injury incurred by Nishith while playing soccer, which led to chronic knee pain.

Dolan said she had a blue striped shirt that was her favorite piece of clothing and that: “There is a almirah in my room, where is a blue striped shirt and pants in it. Give these to me!” An almirah means a cabinet with drawers or shelves. Later it was verified that Nishith had a favorite blue striped shirt.

Dolan described an incident in which a car was going to a wedding, struck another car and broke down. An auto accident did occur in 1960, 4 years before Nishith had died. Anath De, Nishith’s father, was driving the car with family members to a wedding reception. The car struck a tree, not another auto, which resulted in fatalities. One of those killed was Anath’s brother, the paternal uncle of Nishith. Nishith, who was not in the car, later visited survivors of the accident in the hospital and cried due the loss of his uncle.

Dolan related that in her past lifetime, she had pain at the back of her neck and head, which resulted in her being taken to a hospital. She said that she had been there for a long time. Dolan said she had fallen from a bed in the hospital and had later died there.

Nishith indeed had been hospitalized in Kolkata for head and neck pain, had fallen from his bed and was unable to get up from the floor. He then went into a coma for 15 days before he died.

In sum, hospital records from the Calcutta Tropical School of Medicine showed that Nishith was admitted on July 4, 1964 and then died there on July 25, 1964.

Nishith, from the Spirit World, Watches His Body Taken from the Hospital to a Cremation Site: Dolan’s Past Life Memory

Dolan said that she had then been carried from the hospital by friends and relatives for cremation. Indeed, relatives had carried Nishith’s body out of the hospital to a truck, which transported his body to a cremation site. Note that this statement made by Dolan indicates that the soul of Nishith | Dolan was able to observe from the spirit world events after Nishith had died.

Dolan Insists that She Be Taken to Burdwan

Dolan repeatedly asked to be taken to Burdwan. Dolan also proclaimed that she could find her past life home if she was brought to the Maharaja’s palace in Burdwan.

To satisfy her incessant requests, Dolan’s parents took her to Burdwan in October 1971, when she was about 4 years old. Narendrapur, the town where the family lived, is 72 miles from Burdwan. On this excursion, though, Dolan could not find her past life home, which made her very unhappy.

After returning home, Dolan continued to insist that her parents take her to Burdwan. Her parents eventually complied and took her there again on March 30, 1972, about 4 or 5 months after their initial visit.

Dolan’s Mother Enlists Help from Pritima to Find Her Past Life Family

To prepare for this second trip, Dolan’s parents contacted family acquaintances who lived in Burdwan. These relatives were Nilachal Samanta and his wife, Pritima. Dolan’s parents asked the Samantas if they knew of a boy who had lived in a house like a palace who had died.

The couple had not heard of such a boy, but they made inquiries in the community and learned that the past life personality described by Dolan may have been a son of a family named De, who were wealthy and prominent citizens of the city.

With this information, Dolan and her mother Kanika traveled from Narendrapur to the Burdwan, identified as Barddahman on the map featured on the right, for their second visit at the end of March 1972. Dolan’s father did not go on this trip as he didn’t believe that his daughter would find her reported past life home. He thought the journey would be a waste of time.

Dolan and her mother met Pratima in Burdwan and then went to the home of Prithwis De, assuming this person was of the family that Dolan had been referring to. Fortunately, after hearing their story. Prithwis and his wife, Mira, were receptive to the possibility that Dolan was referring to a deceased relative of theirs, Nishith De.

Dolan Spontanously Finds Her Past Life Home

The group decided to see if Dolan could find her reported past life home. Mira led Dolan and her mother to a temple not far from the Maharaja’s palace in Burdwan. They then released her to go ahead to see if she could find the past life home that she had described.

This time, Dolan succeeded in her quest by taking a winding series of streets that eventually led to a narrow lane. She followed this lane until she came to a small public shrine and teahouse on the other side of the path, which she seemed to recognize. She then pointed to a nearby house on the lane and communicated that this was her past life home. It turned out to be the house of Anath De, the father of Nishith De.

The party knocked on the door of this dwelling and Dolan, her mother, Kanika and Mitra were let in. Anath De, the man of the home, was not there at the time, but his son was, as well numerous women of the household.

Dolan Identifies Her Past Life Mother and Past Life Photo

One of these women was Nishith’s mother, Baudi, who was sitting in the living room of the house with about a dozen women of similar age Dolan’s mother asked her to point out her mother from the previous life. Dolan gazed at Baudi for some time and then said, pointing at her: “This is my mother.”

During this visit, Dolan recognized Nishith’s bedroom. She said: “This is my room.” She also found a photograph of Nishath and said: “Here am I.”

Dolan Finds Her Favorite Past Life Shirt, Keys and a Photo of Her Past Life Father

Dolan recognized the wooden cabinet that contained her past life clothing. There was also a steel cabinet in the room which Dolan correctly rejected as hers. She stated that her clothes were contained in the upper shelf of the wooden almirah, which she pointed to. She then asked for the almirah to be opened and her favorite past life blue striped shirt was found on the upper shelf

Dolan also found a photograph in the wooden cabinet featuring a group of several stout, middle aged men eating a meal. Dolan was asked to point out her father. Dolan correctly identified Anath De as her past life parent.

There were a bunch of keys in the almirah and when Dolan saw them, she said: “These are the keys of the drawers of my reading room.” She then pointed to another room and said “This is my study. Who reads here now?” The room was indeed Nishith’s study and the keys she had recognized in the other room did indeed open drawers located in the study.

Dolan Identifies Her Past Life Grandmother, Aunt and Brother

Later, when Dolan was standing outside near the property’s teahouse, a swarm of people surrendered her, as neighbors heard of the visit by this possible reincarnation of Nishith. One of these people was the paternal grandmother of Nishith. This person asked of Dolan: “Who am I?

Dolan correctly replied that this woman is my grandmother from the house I had lived in.

In addition, Nishith’s aunt Laxmi asked Dolan who she was. Dolan responded, the “aunt of the other house.” Indeed Laxmi, Nishith’s aunt, lived across the street from the larger De home.

Dolan was also confronted by Nishith’s younger brother, Sisil De. Sisil just stood before her, saying nothing. Dolan then spontaneously said: “He was my younger, not older brother,” which was correct, as Sisil was Nishith’s younger brother.

After all these recognitions and identifications, the family of De household understood Dolan was describing a past lifetime as Nishith De.

Dolan’s Reincarnation Case Draws the Attention of Ian Stevenson, MD of the University of Virginia

Ian Stevenson, MD

Dolan and his mother returned to Narendrapur and reported their experiences to Dolan’s father, who subsequently contacted he a Kolkata newspaper, which published an article on this reincarnation case on May 7, 1972.

In July 1972, Professor P. Pal, a colleague of Ian Stevenson, began investigating the case. Dr. Pal brought this reincarnation case to the attention of Stevenson, who traveled to India to interview  Dolan’s parents in October and November 1972. In March 1973, Stevenson returned for further interviews of witnesses of this case, verifying the testimony provided above.

Stevenson also documented that Dolan’s family had never been to Burdwan before their first visit Dolan in October 1971 and that Dolan’s family had never known or heard about the De family before their second visit to Burdwan in March 1972.

Dolan’s Past Life Masculine Traits

As noted, though a girl, Dolan liked to dress herself and her older brother’s shirt and pants, despite these clothes being much too big for her. She also preferred to play boy’s games, rather than engage in activities typical for girls.

Of interest, Nishith’s mother, Baudi, upon meeting Dolan and witnessing her past life identifications, was upset that her son had been reborn as a girl. She was also anxious that Dolan and her kin may claim the wealth of the De family.

Principles of Reincarnation-Understanding Past Lives

Change of Gender with Retention of Masculine Traits: Nishith was a male but reincarnated as a female. Though Dolan was a girl, she liked to dress as a boy and preferred male activities.

Geographic Memory: On her second visit to Burdwan, without directions, Dolan led her party though winding streets and lanes to her past life home. Ian Stevenson retraced this path during one of his visits and vouched that it would be extremely difficult to find the De house without prior knowledge of the area.

This phenomenon, of spontaneously finding a past life residence, was also observed in the:

Reincarnation Case of Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen

Relationships Renewed through Reincarnation: Dolan was reunited with her past life family.

Split Incarnation: The Soul of Daw Soe, a Burmese Woman, Begins a New Life as a Man, While Daw is Still Alive: Reincarnation Case of Daw Soe | Maung Tun

How Derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood

Researcher: Ian Stevenson, MD

From: Reincarnation and Biology: A Contribution to the Etiology of Birthmarks and Birth Defects, by Ian Stevenson, MD, pages 1906-1911

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

Friendship of Daw’s Mother with Tint, Who Will Become Daw’s Mother When She Reincarnates

Daw Soe, a girl, was born in Burmese city of Mandalay in about the year 1887. Burma is now known as Myanmar. The Buddhist temples of Mandalay are featured in the image to the right. Click on it to enlarge.

Daw grew up in Mandalay and as a young woman, she married and then had five children. Daw and her husband earned their living through a trading company that they had founded. Daw also enjoyed doing meditation.

Daw had a younger female friend whose name was Khin San Tint, who we will refer to as Tint. Though Tint was not a relative, there was a close connection between her and Daw. In fact, Daw kept a photograph of Tint at her home and conversely, Tint kept a photo of Daw at her home.

When she was in her early 60’s, Daw developed cataracts or opacties of the lenses of both eyes, which led to her becoming blind. When she was 64 years old, she had an operation on one of her eyes to remove the cataract. Surgery was successful, though Daw had to wear eyeglasses with thick lenses for the rest of her life to see well through the eye that was operated on.

Daw’s friend, Tint, married and became pregnant at the end of 1964. Daw died shortly afterwards, on February 22, 1965 at the age of 78.

Daw Reincarnates as a Boy, Tun, with Tint as his Mother

About 6 months later, on August 28, 1965, Tint gave birth to a baby boy, who she named Maung Soe Tun. For simplicity, we will refer to him as Tun.

Tun was born in the Burmese city of Magwe, which is about 60 kilometers or 37 miles west of Mandalay, where Daw Soe had lived.

Tint worked as a schoolteacher.  As she was absent from the family’s home during the day, Tun was raised by Tint’s aunt.

Tun Recognizes His Past Life Photo

As noted, Tint kept a photo of Daw Soe at her home. When Tint’s son, Tun, was 7 months old he would point to the photograph of Daw Soe. While looking at this photo, he would pat himself on the chest.

This behavior stimulated his family to ask him: “Are you mother Soe?” In response, Tun seemed to be pleased by this identification.

When Tun started to speak at 18 months of age, he made more direct references to his previous life as Daw Soe. For example, Tun talked about the relatives of Daw Soe who lived in Nga-Zun, Burma, though Tun had never been there.

Tun Makes Past Life Identifications at Daw’s Home

When Tun was 4 years old, he was taken to Daw Soe’s home and he recognized people that Daw Soe had known, who Tun had never met in his lifetime.  For example, Tun recognized Daw’s brother, U Shwe Gaing, who Tun correctly called by a nick-name that Daw had used for her brother.

Also at Daw’s home, Tun pointed to a room, which, it turned out, was where Daw Soe had always slept.

Daw Soe’s family, as a past life test, mixed up clothing and jewelry that had belonged to Daw with apparel and jewelry that belonged to other family members. Tun then correctly identified clothing and jewelry that had belonged to Daw and rejected items that did not belong to Daw.

At 7 years of age, Tun pointed to a photo of Daw Soe and stated that she was him. Tun also reported that as Daw, his right eye had been operated on. Like Daw, Tun developed an interest in meditation.

Parallel Lives or Split IncarnationSplit Incarnation

Ian Stevenson, MD noted that Tun’s mother, Tint, was 3 months pregnant when Daw had died. As such, Tun was conceived three months before Daw had died.

If the soul is involved in conception, which I do believe it is, then the lives of Daw and Tun overlapped by 3 months. Ian Stevenson, MD documented a number of cases in which lifetimes overlapped. Stevenson termed these: “Cases with Anomalous Dates”

I call these types of cases “Split Incarnation,” as the soul inhabits or animates more than one human body at a time. An older term for this phenomenon is “Parallel Lives.”

A split incarnation case that Stevenson documented involved Ruprecht Schultz. Ruprecht was born 6 weeks before his past life personality. Helmut Kohler, had died. Stevenson considered this reincarnation case as one of strongest he had ever researched. The setting of this story is World War II in Germany. To learn more, please go to:

IISISReincarnationPastLifeEvidenceBombingSuicide and Reincarnation Case of Helmut Kohler | Ruprecht Schultz

Evidence and Principles of Reincarnation-Understanding Past Lives

Planning Lifetimes and Past Life Relationships: Daw Soe had a close relationship with a younger female friend named Tint. Daw reincarnated as Tint’s son, Tun.

Reincarnation and Gender Change: Daw Soe was a woman, but reincarnated as Tun, a male.

Split Incarnation or Parallel Lives: Tun was conceived three months before Daw died. If the soul is involved in the process of conception,  then the soul of Daw | Tun was animating two human bodies at a time. Ian Stevenson, MD of the University of Virginia called these “Cases with Anomalous Dates,” as lifetimes overlapped.

Two Japanese Brother Soldiers Occupying Burma in WWII Die in an Allied Air Attack and Reincarnate as Twin Girls, San and Yin, to a Burmese Mother, Whose Home was Where the Brothers Died

How derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood

Researcher: Ian Stevenson, MD

From: Reincarnation and Biology, Volume 2, by Ian Stevenson, MD, pages 2025-2034

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

The Burmese Family of Thi, His Son Htwe and Daughter-In-Law Kyi During the WW II Japanese Occupation

During World War II, the Japanese invaded and occupied the country of Burma, which is now known as Myanmar.

On March 3, 1945, the British Army, fighting the Japanese, captured the Burmese town of Meiktila. The British then marched south towards the city of Pyawbe, encountering strong resistance from the retreating Japanese Army. The British captured Pyawbe on April 10, 1945.

Minlan, a village 3 kilometers or about 2 miles south of Pyawbe, was subsequently bombed by the Allies. As the Allied bombings occurred during daylight, Burmese villagers would flee their homes at sunrise and escape to the countryside to escape the bombings. The villagers then returned to their houses under the cover of night.

A couple that lived in Minlan during this time were U Chit Htwe, who worked as a blacksmith, and his wife, Daw Khin Kyi. The father of U Chit Htwe, whose name was U Shwe Thi, lived with the couple. For simplicity we will refer to the husband as Htwe, the wife as Kyi and Htwe’s father as Thi.

At sunrise, Htwe and Kyi would go to a pagoda, a Buddhist temple, in the countryside, to escape the horrors of war. Perhaps due to his age, Htwe’s father, Thi, remained at their home in Minlan to look after their property.

On about April 17, 1945, Minlan village endured an Allied bombing attack. It was about 3 PM in the afternoon when Allied planes bombed, and also strafed Minlan with machine gun fire.

Two Japanese Brother Soldiers Die on the Property of a Burmese Family and Reincarnate as Twin Girls, Born to the Burmese Woman Who Lived where the Brothers Died

Reincarnation Japanese Soldier, Gender Identity Issues, P 38During this attack, Thi, the father of Htwe, observed two Japanese soldiers, armed with rifles, hand grenades and knives, running from the Allied aircraft attack towards the family’s property, which featured two tamarind trees. Thi thought the Japanese soldiers intended to kill him, so Thi jumped into a trench that his family had previously dug as a shelter from the weapons of war.

After the Allied attack from the air was over, Thi emerged from the trench and saw that the entirety of Minlan villiage was in flames. He saw that the two Japanese soldiers that had been advancing to his position had been killed and that they and their weapons were lying on the ground near the tamarind trees. Thi then ran from this carnage to the family’s refuge in the countryside at the Buddhist pagoda.

Three days after the attack on Minlan, Thi, his son Htwe and Htwe’s wife, Kyi, returned to the village to see what had become of their home. They found that their house had been destroyed by fire, but that the two tamarind trees of the property were still standing. These trees were  about 10 meters or yards from their home.

Thi observed that the bodies of the two Japanese soldiers who had been killed near the tamarind trees had been removed. Japanese trucks had been destroyed and the bodies of other Japanese soldiers had been burned to death. The weapons of the deceased Japanese soldiers were absent, presumably taken by Burmese villagers.

As such, the deaths of the two Japanese soldiers who were killed during the Allied air attack on Minlan occurred around April 17, 1945.

Xenoglossy: Kyi, the Burmese Wife, Gives Birth to Twin Girls, Who Remember Past Lives as Japanese Soldiers and Who Speak a Foreign Language

About 7 months later on November 17, 1959, in Minlan, Kyi, at 22 years of age, gave birth to twin, fraternal girls, who Htwe and Kyi named Ma Khin San and Ma Khin Yin. For simplicity, we will refer to the twins girls as San and Yin.

When the twins developed the ability to speak at 3 years of age, they spoke in a language that their Burmese family did not understand. They did not talk to their parents about their remembered past lives until 10 years later, when they were 13 years of age. The girls featured in the image to the right are wearing thakana paste on their faces, which is a beauty aid used in Burma. 

In the Burmese language, the twins, when they were 13 years old, made statements referring to past lives as Japanese brothers, soldiers who were killed in Burma during the war. The twins said that they were killed near the house that they had been born in.

Burmese Twin Girls San and Yin Recall their Past Lives as Japanese Soldiers

San said that she, in her past life, was the older brother to Yin. Specifically, San said that she was 3 years older than Yin in their past lives. In agreement, Yin reported to her family that she had been the younger brother of San.

The twins reported that when San was 15 years old in her past lifetime, and Yin was 12 years old in her past incarnation, their father died. They said that they then lived with their mother, who did not have to work as she had independent wealth. They expressed much love for their past life mother. They remembered that their house in Japan faced south and that their roof was made of corrugated iron.

Burmese Twin Girls Remember Enlisting in the Japanese Army in their Past Lives

San related that when she was 18 years old in her past lifetime, she, as a Japanese teenager, decided to serve as a volunteer in the Japanese army. San’s younger past life brother, Yin, did not want to be separated from her older brother and despite the objections of their mother, also enlisted in the Japanese army.

Yin, though she was girl in her contemporary life, said regarding her past life decision: “He was determined to live or die together with his brother.”

They both, in their past lives, thought it was admirable to die for their country, Japan. They related that they had one year of military training in Japan and then were sent abroad to fight in the war.

The twins stated that they remembered fighting in Burma when the older brother was 25 years old and the younger 22. They related that neither of them had married before they deployed for the war.

The twins also related that San, the older Japanese brother, had an insignia of three lines and three stars, whereas the younger brother, Yin, only wore one star. The twins also reported that Yin, the younger brother, was taller than the older brother, San.

The twins stated that in their past Japanese lives, they were armed with long swords, revolvers and grenades. The twins stated they served in the same unit and were always together.

Burmese Twin Girls Remember The Past Life Allied Air Attack that Led to their Deaths

The twins remembered that the Japanese retreated from Meiktila and that they found themselves in Minlan village. They recalled the Allied air attack on Minlan and that they ran for shelter in between two tamarind trees. They related that they sprawled on the ground in a small space between the trees. The twins stated they were killed in this spot, which was close to where they were reborn.

After Life Communication: After Death, the Japanese Soldiers Visit their Mother in Japan, Who Cannot Perceive Them

The Burmese twins recalled that as they were dying as Japanese soldiers in their past lives, they thought of their mother in Japan and called for her help.

After dying, the twins said that they found themselves instantly in Japan where they saw their mother, but they could not communicate with her as she could not see or hear them. They felt sad and frustrated.

The twins related that they did not remember what happened to them after this moment with their past life mother until the age of three, at which time they began to remember their previous lives as if, “They were awakened from a dream.”

After the twins disclosed their past life memories to their family, they expressed nostalgia for Japan and voiced their desire to return to Japan. This plea to return to Japan continued until they were 16 years of age. This behavior was very unusual, as most Burmese despised the Japanese for the atrocities that they had committed against the Burmese population during WW II.

Burmese Female Twins Demonstrate Masculine Behavior Related to their Past Lives as Male Japanese Soldiers

Though the twins were female, they both demonstrated masculine behavior at least until they were 17 years of age. For example, they both preferred to wear trousers or pants rather than dresses.

Ian Stevenson, MD also noted in his documentation of these cases that the twins demonstrated “Japanese behavior.” For example, the twins showed marked animosity towards the British and Americans. They complained about the heat in Burma and the spiciness of the food. The twins also had hot tempers and when angry, they would slap the face of those who annoyed them. Slapping of the face by Japanese soldiers was frequently observed by the Burmese when the Japanese soldiers felt disrespected by subordinates.

Burmese Female Twins have Physical Traits Reflecting their Past Lives as Male Japanese Soldiers

Ian Stevenson noted that the physiques of the twins seemed to match their past life personas.

For example, Tin, who recalled being the younger Japanese brother, was 4 cm or about 2 inches taller than Yin. This corresponded to the different heights of the Japanese brothers whose lives they remembered.

Evidence and Principles of Reincarnation-Understanding Past Lives

Planning of Lifetimes and Relationships Renewed through Reincarnation: Two Japanese brothers who died together in WW II reincarnated as twin girls. Ian Stevenson, MD compiled 31 sets of twins who recalled their past lives in childhood. In 100 percent of these cases, the twins had significant past life relationships, demonstrating how souls plan lifetimes to be reunited with loved ones. To learn more, please go to:

Ian Stevenson, MD Twin Study

Change of Nationality and Ethnic Affiliation: The Japanese brothers who fought the Burmese died and reincarnated into the ethnic population that they had fought against, demonstrating how war is self-defeating.

Change of Gender in Reincarnation Cases: The Japanese male soldiers who fought the Burmese, reincarnated as Burmese twin girls. The girls demonstrated masculine behavior.

A similar case involving a Japanese soldier who was reborn as a girl to a Burmese mother, in which the girl demonstrated male traits, even to the point of becoming a lesbian, can be reviewed at the following page:

A Japanese Male Soldier, a Cook, Reincarnates as Burmese Girl

Xenoglossy: As children, San and Yin were overheard speaking to each other in a language their parents did not understand. It is likely that the twins were speaking in their past life language, Japanese.

Physical Resemblance in Reincarnation Cases: Though there was no documentation of facial features in these cases, the heights of the Japanese soldiers corresponded to their reincarnations as twins.

Spirit Beings in Reincarnation Cases: The twins reported after they were killed as the Japanese soldiers, they found themselves with their mother in Japan. They tried to communicate with their mother, but she could not perceive them.

 

Reincarnation and Planning Lifetimes: A Couple Who Were Born on the Same Day, Married and Died on the Same Day are Reborn as Twin Boys

How Derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood

Researcher: Harold Fielding

From: The Soul of a People, by Harold Fielding

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

Nyein and Gywin are Born and Die on the Same Day

In the year 1849, a boy and a girl were born on the same day in neighboring houses in a small rural village in Burma called Oksitgon. Burma is now known as Myanmar. The boy’s name was Maung San Nyein and the girl’s name was Ma Gywin.  For simplicity, we will refer to the boy as Nyein and the girl as Gywin.

Nyein and Gywin played together, grew up together and came to love one another. When they became adults, Nyein and Gywin married and worked as farmers.

Nyein and Gywin, knew a couple in the village of Oksitgon named Maung Kan and his wife.

As they entered life together on the same day, the lovers, Nyein and Gywin, man and wife, died on the same day.

Relationships Renewed through Reincarnation: Nyein and Gywin are Reborn as Twin Boys

At the time, Britain was waging a war with Burma in an attempt to reestablish England as a colonial power ruling over Burma.  Britain won this war on November 28, 1885.

While still living in Oksitgon, in 1886, Maung Kan’s wife gave birth to twin boys. The couple named their sons Maung Gye and Maung Nge. For simplicity, we will refer to them as Gye and Nge.

Shortly after their twin sons were born, Maung Kan and his wife left Oksitgon and moved to the village of Kabyu in Burma, which is where their twin boys grew up.

When Gye and Nge developed the ability to speak, their parents heard their sons referring to each other as Nyein and Gywin. Gye was referred to by the twins by the male name Nyein, while Nge was referred to by the female name Gywin.

Their parents recalled that these names matched the names of the couple that they had known in Oksitgon.

Gye and Nge Recognize their Past Life Home and Clothing

Considering the possibility that their twin boys were remembering past lives as the couple Nyein and Gywin, they took their sons from Kabyu to Oksitgon to see if their boys would recognize places from these hypothesized past incarnations.

Indeed, Gye and Nge recognized roads in Oksitgon that lead to houses of people that they had known in their past lives as Nyein and Gywin. They recognized their past life home and inside this house, they recognized clothes that they had worn in their previous lives.

Nge Correctly Recalls a Past Life Debt

When the young twins ran into a woman in Oksitgon named Ma Thet, Nge, who recalled being the past life wife, Gywin, spontaneously remembered borrowing money, specifically 2 rupees, from Ma Thet, that was never paid back.  Ma Thet confirmed that she did loan 2 rupees to Gywin that was never repaid.

Gye and Nge have Physiques Corresponding to their Past Lives

When the twin boys were 6 years of age, Harold Fielding, who documented this case in his book, The Soul of a People, met them. Fielding noticed that the physique of each twin matched who they were in their past lives. Gye, who remembered being the husband, Nyein, was larger than his twin.  In contrast, Nge was smaller, reflecting the build of the wife, Gywin.

Principles of Reincarnation-Understanding Past Lives

Planning Lifetimes and Relationships Renewed through Reincarnation: The married couple, Nyein and Gywin, reincarnated as the twins Gye and Nge. Ian Stevenson, MD of the University of Virginia compiled 31 sets of twins who in childhood, spontaneously remembered their past lives. Stevenson found that in 100 percent of these cases, the twins had significant past life relationships. To learn more, please go to:

Ian Stevenson, MD Twin Study

Change of Gender: Gywin was female, but reincarnated as Nge, a male.

Physical Resemblance in Reincarnation Cases: Though there was no documentation regarding facial features in these cases, it was noted that the physiques of Nyein and Gywin were reflected in builds of Gye and Nge.

Burmese Grandparents Reincarnate as their Daughter’s Fraternal Twin Girls, Demonstrating Planning of Lifetimes and Gender Change Involving the Grandfather. The Past Life Cases of Ma Khin Ma Gyi and Ma Khin Ma Nge: Muslim Reincarnation


How Derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood 

Researcher: Ian Stevenson. MD

From: Reincarnation and Biology, Volume 2, by Ian Stevenson, pages 2000-2017

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

The Lives and Deaths of U Maung Muang and Daw Aye Hla

The name of the grandfather in this case was U Maung Maung and the grandmother was Daw Aye Hla.  For simplicity, we will refer to the grandfather as Maung and the grandmother as Daw. The couple lived in Burma, which today is known as Myanmar.

Maung was ethnically an Indian, of the subcontinent of India, but he adopted a Burmese name. Burma is just east of the northern region of India. On the map of Burma featured to the right, cities involved in this story involve Mandalay, which a hotel and casino in Las Vegas is named for, Rangoon and the city of Pantanaw, which is on the large Irrawaddy River just west of Rangoon. The Irrawaddy river is marked by the blue line. Click on the image to enlarge it.

Maung Considers Himself a Muslim

Maung’s father was a Buddhist, but he died before Maung’s birth. His mother remarried a man who was Islamic, and she converted to the Muslim faith. As such, Maung was raised as a Muslim. He did not learn that his father was a Buddhist until a year before his own death at the age of 44. As such, throughout his life, Maung identified himself as a Muslim.

Maung was intelligent, obtained an education and became a Burmese governmental official. He also had mechanical skills and enjoyed repairing motor engines, cars and even watches. Maung had a gun, which he would use to hunt birds.

He was observed to be honest and straightforward, but was vulnerable to flattery. As such, he was very kind to those who praised him.

Maung raised chickens. He would tie a string to a leg of young chicks and Islam reincarnation past lives cresent moonhe would tie the other end of the string to a post on his property, so that the chicks would not run away. Once the chicks identified the terrain as their home, he would free them, as they would no longer run off.  He did not eat the chickens, rather, he would employ them to lay eggs, which his family ate as a source of food. As a Muslim, he ate meat.

Daw, Maung’s Wife, Condemns his Treatment of Chickens and his Hunting of Birds

Maung married Daw, who was a devout Buddhist. Daw was uneducated and illiterate, but she was headstrong and bossy.

As a Buddhist, Daw considered Maung’s killing of birds with his gun and the binding of chickens by their legs to a post as misdeeds, which would create bad karma for him. Daw told Maung that these practices would cause him punishment in a future life.

Maung and Daw had a daughter, who they named Daw Mya Tin. For simplicity, we shall refer to their daughter as Tin.

Maung the Muslim and Daw the Buddhist Separate

The religious conflict between Maung and Daw became so severe that that the couple decided to separate. They both hoped to reconcile, but this never happened. They had been apart for two years when Maung died in the Burmese town of Pantanaw in 1950, at the age of 44. Pantanaw, just east of Rangoon, is near the large Irrawaddy River, which supplies locals with fish and shrimp as a source of food.

After her husband’s death, Daw started to cough up blood and it was suspected that she had tuberculosis. It was also thought that she may have contracted malaria. She died in the Burmese city of Mandalay in 1954, four years after her husband died.

Tin Receives an Announcing Dream in Which her Parents Reveal That They Would Be Reborn as Her Children.

The daughter of Maung and Daw, Tin, married a man named Thaw and they lived in the town of Ba Htu Myo.

Tin became pregnant and at 4 months of gestation, she had a dream in which her parents appeared and said that they would be reborn as her children.

Tin went into labor at 7 months of her pregnancy and on February 5, 1961, she had twin girls. The twins had different facial features and laboratory testing confirmed that they were fraternal, not identical twins. After the birth of the twins, the family moved to the Burmese city of Rangoon.

The twin girls were named Ma Khin Ma Gyi and Ma Khin Ma Nge. For simplicity, we will refer to them as Gyi and Nge.

Gyi Attributes Her Birth Defects to Her Cruelty Towards Birds in Her Past Life as Maung

Gyi was born with two birth defects. She had a major defect of her left hand in which her fingers appeared to have been amputated. She had a minor defect of her left lower leg in which there was a circular indentation, as if a rope had been forcefully tied round her lower leg which caused the defect of her leg.

Gyi started to speak when she was three years of age. Between ages four and five she began to talk about a previous life as her mother’s father, Maung. She stated that she had been born with the malformation of her left hand because in her lifetime as Maung, she used a gun to kill birds. She said that the circular indentation on her left lower leg was due to her tying chickens by their legs to a post. There was no history of birth defects in the family.

Gyi’s parents observed that she became sad and took on a ‘faraway” look whenever she talked about her past life. As a result, her father adopted a policy of suppressing her talking of a past lifetime. Though Gyi obeyed her father at home, she still spoke about her previous life with her childhood playmates.

In addition, Gyi expressed a desire to go to Pantanaw for the summer because she said there were a lot of shrimp and fish there. Pantanaw is 70 kilometers or 44 miles from Rangoon, where the family lived.

The twins and their parents had never been to Pantanaw, so Gyi could not have known this fact through normal means. Recall that Maung lived in Pantanaw at the time of his death.

Nge Tells Her Parents that She Had Been Daw, Tin’s Mother, in a Previous Life

The twin’s parents often observed their girls identifying each other from their previous lives. Gyi would tell Nge that Nge was Daw in their past lives. Nge would tell Gyi that she was had been Maung. Further, Nge, when speaking to persons outside of the family, would refer to her mother, Tin, as her daughter.

Nge would particularly talk about her previous life when she was scolded. She would object to the individual who scolded her and say that she had been Daw and that she resented being scolded. Nge continued to do so at least until 1972, when the twins were almost 12 years old.

Gyi’s Masculine Behavior and Traits that Reflected Her Past Lifetime as Maung, Her Maternal Grandfather.

Gyi strongly expressed masculine traits. She chose to wear boy’s clothes and did so whenever she could at least up to age of nine. She even asked to have a boy’s suit specially made for her, which was done. She also had her hair cut in the style of a boy.

Gyi preferred to play with toy cars and trucks, rather than dolls, which seemed to reflect Maung’s fondness for repairing engines and cars. She also preferred to play with boys, rather than other girls.

She also showed zeal in catching insects and then crushing them, reflecting Maung’s practice of shooting birds with his gun. Gyi enjoyed eating poultry and wanted to keep chickens at their home, much like Maung did. Maung was ethnically Indian and he enjoyed Indian foods, such as curries, and so did Gyi. In contrast, no one else in Gyi’s family liked Indian food.

Nge’s Feminine Behavior and Traits that Reflect Her Past Lifetime as Daw, Her Maternal Grandmother

In contrast to Gyi, Nge preferred to play with dolls, enjoyed dancing and singing, and she loved flowers. Nge preferred to play with other girls, wore her hair in the style of a girl and she was very concerned about her appearance. She kept herself cleaner than Gyi and Nge eagerly put on Thanaka paste on her face and arms, which is a cosmetic paste made from ground tree bark used by women in Burma as a beauty aid. Gyi, on the other hand, refused to use Thanaka paste.

Nge was respectful of Buddhist monks and participated in giving food to them. Recall Daw was a devout Buddhist. Gyi did not show respect to monks, which reflected Maung’s Muslim faith.

Nge was bossy, especially towards Gyi, which reflected Daw’s bossy behavior towards her husband, Maung. Gyi, in contrast, was compliant.

When the twins entered school, Nge was found to be less intelligent than Gyi, which reflected Daw’s illiteracy. Gyi, recall, was intelligent, educated and worked as a government employee. Nge would not drink coffee, only tea, which reflected Daw’s preferences. Gyi enjoyed coffee and tea, much like Maung.

The Physiques of the Twins Reflect their Past Life Appearances

At 6 years of age, Gyi was taller and had a had a heavier build than Daw. These features corresponded to Gyi’s past life as Maung, a man, and Nge’s past life as Daw, a female.

When Gyi was 13 years old, she stated that she preferred to have been a boy.

Were Gyi’s Birth Defects Due to Karma Related to Past Life Treatment of Birds?

Gyi, as a child, stated that the deformity of her left hand was a consequence of her shooting birds with a gun and that her left lower leg deformity was due to tying chickens to a post during her past life as Maung.

It is unlikely that Gyi’s deformitis were karmic in nature because if everyone who shot or mistreated birds incurred such birth defects, then there would be a large number of such deformities in the general population.

Ian Stevenson, MD speculated that thoughts in a soul’s mind can influence the development of the body during gestation. In other words, if the soul of Maung believed that he would have deformities related to his treatment of birds based on his wife’s admonitions, then these beliefs or thoughts may have been imprinted on Gyi’s developing body to create her birth defects. I too favor this explanation.

Principles of Reincarnation-Understanding of Past Lives

Islam reincarnation past lives cresent moonPhysical Resemblance in Reincarnation Cases: Photographs of Maung and Daw were not provided in Dr. Stevenson’s documentation of these cases, so we do not know if the facial features of Maung | Gyi and Daw | Nge were similar. It was noted, however, that the twins’ physiques mirrored their past life builds.

Change of Gender with Gender Identity Issues: Maung, the grandfather, was a male and reincarnated as one of his daughter’s twin girls, Gyi. Gyi demonstrated masculine traits, including playing with toy cars and wearing boy’s clothing, reflecting het past life as a man. Gyi also remarked that she wished she had been born as a boy.

In the series of over 1500 validated childhood past life memory cases compiled at the University of Virginia, gender change only occurs in 10 percent of cases. When gender change does occur, the individual is often observed to demonstrate behavior typical of the previous gender. Homosexuality can also result, as demonstrated in the:

Reincarnation Case of a Japanese Soldier | Ma

Change of Religion through Reincarnation: Maung was a Muslim, while Daw was Buddhist. Dr. Stevenson did not document what religion the twin’s parents,  Tin and Thaw, belonged to, but either Maung or Daw reincarnated into a different religion. To review other reincarnation cases involving Muslims, please go to:

Reincarnation in Islam and Muslim Reincarnation Cases

Relationships Renewed through Reincarnation: Maung and Daw reincarnated as the fraternal twin girls of their own daughter, Tin.

In Dr. Stevenson’s documentation of the cases involving Maung | Gyi and Daw | Nge, he cited a another set of Burmese cases in which a husband and wife reincarnated as twin boys. This case was documented by Fielding Hall in his book, The Soul of a People, which was published in 1898. Hall noted that the physiques of these twin boys also mirrored their builds in their past lives as husband and spouse.

Stevenson complied 31 sets of twins who had spontaneous past life memories in childhood that were objectively validated. In 100 percent of these cases, the twins had significant past life relationships. To learn more about loved ones who reincarnated as twins, please go to:

Ian Stevenson, MD Twin Study and Twin Cases

Spirit Being Involvement in Reincarnation Cases: Tin received an announcing dream from her parents, Maung and Daw, indicating that they would be reborn as her children, which did occur.

A Man Reincarnates as a Girl Who Loves Beautiful Dresses: The Reincarnation case of Jinadasa Perera| Purnima Ekanayake

How Derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood

Researcher: Erlendur Haraldsson, PhD

From: I Saw a Light and Came Here, by Erlendur Haraldsson, PhD and James G. Matlock, PhD

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

The Life and Death of Jinadasa Perera

Jinadasa Perera was a man who lived in Kelaniya, a suburb of Colombo in Sri Lanka. The city is known for its Buddhist Kelaniya Temple, which sits on the bank of the Kelani River. Jinadasa’s mother was named Simona and he had two younger brothers and two sisters. The younger sister was named Violet. He had attended the Rahula school and completed the fifth grade.

His father was a poor farmer and Jinadasa left school to work to help support his family.  He did odd jobs until his sister married a man named Wijisiri, who made his living by manufacturing incense. Jinadasa then joined his brother-in-law in making incense. Their family business was prosperous, employing up to 30 people at a time.  They made incense by blending charcoal ash with a fragrant substance and marketed incense through two brands, Ambiga and Geta Pichcha.

Jinadasa entered into a relationship with Wijisiri’s sister, Kusumi, who he lived with for several years, though they were never officially married. Since they quarreled, Jinadasa left Kusumi and moved to the south of Sri Lanka where he acquired a new girlfriend named Nanda, whom he lived with in the town of Weliggama. There he produced incense with a friend whose name was Somasiri.

After five years in Weliggama, Jinadasa took a trip to Colombo and there he learned that his brother-in-law, Wijisiri, had incurred an injury to his knee which made him bedridden. This induced Jinadasa to move back to Kelaniya to help with Wijisiri’s incense business.

After being there for a few days, in September 1985, Jinadasa went by bicycle to sell incense at the local market. On the way, in the village of Nugegoda, he was run over by a bus and died immediately.

One of Jinadasa’s brothers, Chandradasa, went to the mortuary to identify the body. Chandradasa observed massive injuries on Jinadasa’s body from the left lower ribs up and across the body, which appeared to be caused by the tires of the bus. An autopsy revealed that several ribs had been broken on the left side of the chest, which punctured the lungs. The liver and the spleen were ruptured.

Jinadasa Reincarnates as a Girl

Purnima Ekanayake was born in 1987 in the northern Sri Lankan city of Bakamuna, which is 145 miles away from Kelaniya. Prominent birthmarks were observed on the left side of Purnima’s chest.  Her father was a principle of a secondary school and her mother was a teacher at that school.

As a small child, Purnima repeatedly said: “People who drive over people are bad persons.” She would ask her mother, “Do you not also think that persons who cause accidents are bad people?”

Purnima’s mother became upset by a serious motor vehicle collision that occurred near their home. Purnima responded by telling her mother, “Do not think about this accident. I came to you after such an accident.” Purnima said that after the accident she closed her eyes and came “here.” When her  mother asked if she was treated at a hospital after the accident, Purnima related that she was not taken to a hospital as: “A heap of iron was on my body.” She said she was killed by a “big vehicle.”

Purnima reports Observing her Past Life Funeral and Existence in the Spirit World between Death and Rebirth

Purnima elaborated that after the accident she floated for a few days in a dimly lit setting, where there were many other people floating around her. From the spirit realm she observed her own funeral where she saw people crying. She then saw a light, which she went to and then came “here,” meaning to her parents and home in Bakamuna.

Past Life Memories of Being an Incense Maker

Purnima said that she was a man in her prior lifetime and that her family made incense, specifically two types of incense, Ambiga and Geta Pichcha. (These brands, by the way, did not exist in Bakamuna.)  Further, she said that the family employed outsiders in making incense and that she would supervise these people. She demonstrated her habit of walking with her hands behind her back, observing the progress of workers.

She related that their incense factory was near a brick factory and a pond. Purnima related that the family had two vans and a car. She stated that her mother’s name was Simona. Purnima said she attended Rahula School, though only up to the fifth grade. All these statements were correct for the life of Jinadasa.

Past Life Relationships

Purnima also said that, in her past lifetime, she was married to a sister-in-law whose name was Kusumi. She also said she had two wives. Dr. Harraldsson, in his narrative of this case, explained that in Sri Lanka couples who are not officially wed but who are living together are considered married. As such, these statements were accurate for the life of Jinadasa.

Purnima Recognizes the Kelaniya Temple and the Location of her Past Life Home

When Purnima was four years old, the family was watching a television program on the Kelaniya Temple. Purnima said she recognized the temple. Soon thereafter, her parents organized a trip for their students to tour the Kelaniya Temple, which as noted above, is 145 miles from Bakamuna. Purnima joined her parents on this trip and once on the temple grounds, she told her parents that in her past life, she used to live across the river.

An opportunity to investigate Purnima’s memories arose when in January 1993, her father hired a new teacher who spent weekends in Kelaniya, as he married there. This teacher, WG Sumanasiri, agreed to investigate Purnima’s statements regarding a past life across the river from the Kelaniya Temple. The information that he was given included that Purnima was a man who sold incense sticks on a bicycle who died in a fatal accident involving a large vehicle. In addition, he was given the names of the incense that this man sold, specifically, Ambiga and Geta Pichcha.

Purnima’s Past Life Family is Found

On his return to Kelaniya, Sumanasiri found that there were three incense makers who were located across the river from the temple. One of these manufacturers, LA Wijisiri, made the Ambiga and Geta Pichcha brands. Sumanasiri learned that Wijisiri’s brother-in-law and business partner, Jinadasa Perera, had been killed when he was hit by a bus while taking incense to a market on a bicycle. This accident occurred in 1985, about two years before Purnima was born.

Soon after Sumanasiri conveyed his findings, Purnima, her parents, Sumanasri and his brother-in-law made an unannounced visit to the Wijisiri family. When they approached the residence, Purnima whispered to her mother: “This incense dealer (referring to herself) had two wives. This is a secret. Don’t give them my address. They might trouble me.”

Wijisiri’s daughters were home and they let the visitors into the house. Wijisiri was not home at that time. Shortly thereafter, Wijisiri walked up to the house and Purnima told her party:

“This is Wijisiri, he is coming. He is my brother-in-law.”

Purnima inspected packets of incense that were found at the Wijisiri home. She then told Wijisiri that she herself used to sell these incense sticks. She then asked:

“Have you changed the outer cover of these packets?”

Wijisiri indeed changed the packet colors and design about every two years.

Purnima noted that Wijisiri had an injury to his knee, which resulted in him not being able to bend it. She told Wijisiri that she herself, as Jinadasa, had applied medicine to his knee injury.

Purnima asked Wijisiri about past life friends, including Somasiri, who made incense with Jinadasa in Weliggama, and Padmasiri, the brother of Wijisiri. She also asked about her past life sister, who was married to Wijisiri, and her past life mother. She also noted that the Wijisiri family had their home and factory at a different place when Jinadasa was alive, which was correct. Purnima’s knowledge of these facts convinced Wijisiri that she was indeed the reincarnation of Jinadasa.

Purnima then showed Wijisiri her birthmark and she said: “This is the mark I received when I was hit by a bus.” She also stated that her fatal accident occurred in Nugegoda, which was true.

Purnima Identifies a Past Life Sister and Friend

During this visit a number of people stood outside the Wijisiri house, including Somasiri. Purnima saw him and said, “This is my friend.” When her father asked who this person was, she replied: “This is Somasiri, my friend.” Purnima also pointed to a woman and said: “This is my younger sister.” The woman was Violet, Jinadasa’s younger sister.

Purnima Remembers how to Make Incense

Purnima was asked if she remembered how to make incense. She replied that there are two methods. In one, cow dung is used and the other utilizes charcoal ash from firewood. A paste is made from either the cow dung or charcoal ash, to which is added an ingredient that lends the fragrance. The paste is applied to a bamboo stick and rolled, to create an incense stick. She noted that in her past life, she used the charcoal method of making incense. All these statements were correct.

Dr. Haraldsson noted that Purnima’s father only had heard that cow dung was used to make incense and her mother had no knowledge of the manufacturing process. Haraldsson also affirmed that Purnima’s family and the Wijisiri family had no knowledge of each other prior to their meeting in 1993.

Despite Gender Change, Purnima is Feminine

We have observed in other cases involving gender change that gender identity issues and homosexuality can result. A dramatic case in this regard is:

Reincarnation Case of a Japanese Soldier | Ma Tin Aung Myo

This did not occur with Purnima, as she enjoyed wearing beautiful dresses, indicating that she is very comfortable with her femininity.

Principle of Reincarnation-Understanding Past Lives

Change of Gender: Jinadasa, a man, reincarnated as a woman.

Past Life Birthmarks: Purnima had birthmarks on the left side of her chest corresponding to injuries incurred by Jinadasa.

Relationships Renewed through Reincarnation: Purnima was reunited with her past life family and friends.

Spirit Being Involvement: Purnima described her experience in the spirit realm. Another case that involves a detailed account of the transition from death to rebirth is: The Reincarnation Case of Nai Leng | Choate

Source: Haraldsson, Erlendur and Matlock, James: I Saw a Light and Came Here, White Crow Books, 2016, pages 3-12

A Boy Reincarnates as a Girl, Who Retains a Male Mindset: The Reincarnation Case of Karunasena | Ruby Silva

How Derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood

Researched by: Ian Stevenson, MD and Francis story

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

The Life of Karunasena

GG Karunasena was born on March 4, 1952 in the small Sri Lankan town of Aluthwala. His father, who was bald, was GG Punchi Singho and his mother was DW Punchi Nona. In contrast to many natives of Sri Lanka, both parents were fair-skinned. Karunasena had two older brothers, Dhanasiri and Upasena. He had a younger brother named Nandasena, who Karunasena was very fond of. The family’s nickname for Karunasena was Kira.

The family were farmers, who owned a rubber tree plantation and coconut groves. They also grew vegetables in cordoned off plots, which could spark arguments with neighbors regarding whose land it was to cultivate. Karunasena’s father also drove trucks and buses for income. In 1957, GG Punchi Singho suffered a stroke, was bedridden for two years, then recovered to the extent that he could walk, though with a cane and a limp.

Karunasena liked to be clean and well dressed. His hobbies included dancing, drumming and flying kites.  He had a rather avid interest in Buddhism.

phobias in reincarnation casesOne dramatic event that occurred in the family’s life was when two cobras made their way into the Singho home. One snake was killed and the other one was burned.

Karunasena enjoyed gardening and was noted to exert himself vigorously on the family’s agricultural land. When he was seven years old, Karunasena returned from working in the fields, went to the family’s well to wash himself and then fell in and drowned. One of Karunasena’s brothers retrieved his body and held him. The family discussed whether to take Karunesna to the hospital, but it was determined that Karunesena was dead and that there was no point in seeking medical attention. Karunasena’s death occurred on July 18, 1959. He was buried in the grounds of the family’s rubber plantation.

Ruby Silva, the Reincarnation of Kurunasena, is Born

Ruby Kusuma Silva was born on September 12, 1962 in the Sri Lankan city of Galle, about three years after the death of Karunasena. Her father was WK Simon Silva and her mother was Somie Nona Jayasekera. At the time that Ruby was born, her parents had seven children, six boys and one girl. The family lived in the town of Batapola, which lies halfway between the cities of Galle and Colombo. When Ruby was two years old, the family relocated to the village of Pollewa that was 1.5 kilometers or about a mile from Batapola.

Ruby started to speak when she was less than 1 ½ years old and began to talk about a previous life when she was still under two years old. She said that in her previous life she had been a “brother” and not a “sister.”  Rudy stated she wanted to be called a “brother” or “son” and not a “sister” or “daughter.”

IISIS ReincarnationEvidenceYellowBusFrontViewWhen Ruby first spoke about her past life she did not seem to have adequate vocabulary to express herself. At one point, when she was trying to relate that cobras had invaded her past life family’s home and that one snake was burned and another killed, she used childish words. Her father, Simon, related that he had to translate her baby words into adult terms. When she wanted to convey that her past life father was a bus driver, she knew the word for bus but not for driver, so she communicated this by making motions of a person steering a vehicle.

Rudy seemed to perplexed that she was a girl and would say “why did I become a girl?” She also said “I am big” and said that she could do the work of a big person. When her mother asked why she had come to them, Ruby replied, “I was beaten by the other mother.”

Ruby said that her parents were fair-skinned and that her father was bald and lame. Rudy said that she lived in a town called Aluthwala and that she attended religious Sunday school at the temple there. She implied that her current parents were not her real parents, as she stated that her mother and father were in Aluthwala.

Regarding her past life death, Ruby said that she had been working in the paddy fields, went to the well to wash and then slipped into the well and drowned. She also said that she had injured her leg in doing so and had bled, pointing to the right leg just below the knee. She said that one of her brothers said, “Let us take him to the hospital,” while the other brother said “He is dead.” She said that her mother was there and crying when she died. Ruby’s description was true regarding the death of Karunasena.

Ruby would talk as if she was still living her past life, speaking in the present tense. For example, she made the statements:

“there are piles of coconuts at my house”

“buses pass along the road by my house”

“the coconuts are brought by carts and lorries” (lorries are a term used in Sri Lanka for trucks)

“if you do not have coconuts here, we can get them at Aluthwala”

All these statements were correct for the life of Karunasena. Ian Stevenson noted Ruby talked as if she was “on leave” from her past life in Aluthwala.

Stevenson noted that Ruby’s remarks were often stimulated by an activity of a family member which would lead her to say, “I used to do that.” For example, when she saw her mother cutting vegetables, she reported that in her past life neighbors would argue with her family over fences separating their vegetable patches.  Ruby noted that her past life family was much better off financially than her current family.

Ruby Remembers her Past Life Name and Nick Name

Ruby said that at school she was known as Karunasena, but that at home she was called Kira. She said that she had two older brothers and one younger brother. Ruby noted that her older brother and she would go to Sunday school together.  She said that on the way to her past life home one comes to a culvert and then a junction. Her past life home, she related, was tiled and that the walls were color washed. Further, they had many coconuts at her past life home, which was in contrast to her contemporary home, where they had very few coconuts. Ruby related that her older brother would climb trees to bring down coconuts, which they would cut and drink water from. She said that her past life father would bring mangoes from a shop, as they did not have mango trees at their home. Ruby also stated that the family had a rubber plantation, though her past life mother would not allow her to go there. All these statements were correct for the life of Karunasena.

Ruby said that at the temple in Aluthwala, she saw a belly tree. Ruby said that she visited Kataragama, which is a well-known religious center in southern Sri Lanka. She correctly stated that at this center, there were big crowds, a bo tree and a temple. She also said that she had been to Galle and to another Sri Lankan city, Dodanduwa. These remarks were true for the life of Karunasena.

Ruby said that her aunts once washed a burnt part of a machine in a well. In actuality, the Singho family owned looms and one of Karunasena’s aunts had washed a part of a loom machinery that had become blackened with soot from an oil lamp. Karunasena had helped this aunt in cleaning of this machine.

Ruby’s Past Life Identity is Discovered

IISIS Reincarnation, Gender Identity Issues, Thai TempleRuby’s mother, Somie, traveled to Aluthwala in March 1966 and went to the Nandaramaya Temple inquiring whether there was a boy who fitted Ruby’s description of her past life.

After some investigation, Somie was referred to the Singho family. It became clear that Ruby’s memories matched the life of Karunasena. Due to the inquiries that were made, the Singho family heard about Ruby and her past life memories. They went to visit Ruby in Pollewa in April 1966. Aluthwala, where the Singho family lived, is about 14 kilometers or 8 miles from Pollewa. Ian Stevenson, MD, noted that the two families had no prior contact or knowledge of each other before they met.

Ruby Identifies her Past Life Family Members by Name

In April 1966 multiple family members of the Singho family came to visit Ruby and she recognized them on sight and identified all of them by name. These included:

GG Punchi Singho, the father of Karunasena: Specifically, when Ruby saw a man who was a stranger to the family approaching the house she said, “Here comes my father.” Ruby went to him and sat on his lap.

DW Punchi Nona, Karunasena’s mother

Dhanasiri, Karunasena’s older brother

Nandasena, the younger brother of Karunasena

JG Mary Nona, Karunasena’s aunt: No one in the Silva family knew who she was but when Ruby met her, Ruby was very friendly and even affectionate.  Her father asked, “Who is she?” Ruby replied, “That is my aunt.”

Karunasena’s maternal uncle: When he came to the Silva house, he asked Ruby, “Who am I?” She replied “You are my uncle.”

Ian Stevenson noted that these identifications were especially impressive as Ruby’s family had no idea of who these past life family members were when they arrived at their home.

Past Life Phobia

Ruby had a phobia of wells. At the age of 3 ½ she would go to the well only with an adult. She warned her brothers and other persons about the danger of falling into a well. This phobia continued to at least 1968, at which time Ruby was 6 years old, but had resolved by the time she was 8 years old.

Ruby’s Masculine Behavior

As with other cases that involve gender change, Ruby retained the mindset of her previous incarnation, that of a male. In contrast, her older sister did not demonstrate male traits. These included:

A desire to wear boy’s clothing: She said that she had worn trousers in her prior life and she asked to be given trousers. When she would wear a dress, she would wear boy’s shorts underneath. Ruby would also wear her brothers’ shirts and undershirts.

Playing of boys’ games: Ruby liked to fly kites, play marbles, play cricket, ride her brother’s bicycle and climb trees, once even climbing a coconut tree to fetch the fruit.  Recall that Karunasena liked to fly kites.

Ruby liked to whistle and when she wanted to get someone’s attention, she would make a clucking noise from the back of her throat. Karunasena had made the same clucking sound.

Ruby could be aggressive and during arguments with her brothers, she would punch them with her fists.

Ruby had no interest in cooking.

She asked her family to call her a brother or son, not a sister or daughter. Ruby’s mother was referring to Ruby as her son at least up to 1968.

When Ruby attended the funeral of an elderly woman, she told her mother that when she, Ruby, died, she would like to be reborn as a boy.

Ian Stevenson gave Ruby Draw-a-Person Tests twice, in which Ruby was given free choice regarding the gender of the two people she was instructed to draw. In 1968, Ruby drew two males, which Stevenson interpreted as Ruby having an identification as a male. In 1973, Stevenson gave her another Draw-a-Person Test. At this time, she drew a woman and then a girl, indicating that identification as a female had emerged.

Past Life Traits: Similarities between Karunasena and Ruby

ReincarnationPastLifeResearchDrummingIan Stevenson tabulated common features of Ruby and her past life persona, Karunasena. These include:

Both were interested in gardening and planting. Ian Stevenson noted he witnessed Ruby using a shovel type tool with unusual vigor.

Both liked to dance to drum music. When Ruby heard drum music, she would invite her brothers to sing and dance with her.

Both were interested in religion and in particular, Buddhism.

Both liked high quality clothes, with both preferring clothing worn by boys

Both were aggressive: Karunasena was known to be mischievous and he would get into physical fights with other boys. As noted, Ruby would use her fists to strike her brothers during arguments.

Both were very fond of Karunasena’s younger brother, Nandasena. When he would visit Ruby, she would hide Nandasena’s bicycle so that he would be forced to stay longer. Nandasena would typically stay 1 to 2 days with the Silva family.

Principles of Reincarnation: Understanding Past Lives

Gender Change with Gender Identity Issues: Though a girl, Ruby retained the mindset of a boy. A dramatic case in which gender change through reincarnation resulted in homosexuality can be reviewed at the following page:

A Male Japanese Soldier Reincarnates as a Girl and becomes a Lesbian

Past Life Phobia: Ruby had a fear of wells due to her death caused by falling into a well.

Past Life Talents and Behaviors: Ruby was skillful at playing games typically engaged in by boys. She was able to climb trees. She could wield a shovel type tool with the skill of an adult.

Relationships Renewed though Reincarnation: Ruby was reunited with her past life family.

Spirit Beings in Reincarnation Cases: Ruby reported events after Karunasena’s death, such as the family’s discussion of whether to take him to the hospital. As such, the soul of Karunasena/Ruby was able to observe events from the spirit world.

Source: Stevenson, Ian: Cases of the Reincarnation Type, Volume II, Ten Cases in Sri Lanka, University of Virginia Press, 1977, pages 163-202

Gender Change in Reincarnation Cases and Homosexuality-Introduction

Gender change occurs in only 10 percent of reincarnation cases, which can help us understand homosexuality and transsexualism. The diagram for gender change in reincarnation cases is the male and female symbols merged, indicating me can be male and female across incarnations.

reincarnation and gender change

Article by Walter Semkiw, MD

Reincarnation research reveals that gender can change from one lifetime to another, though facial features or facial architecture can remain consistent.

Gender Change in Reincarnation Cases, Homosexuality and Transsexualism

Ian Stevenson MD found that in his series of 1200 validated childhood past memory cases, in only 10% of cases was a gender change observed. In other words, 90% of the time individuals reincarnationed in the same gender. This infers that each soul has a preferred gender.

In some cases of gender change, the individual may still relate to the gender in the prior incarnation, which can lead to homosexuality or lesbianism. Two cases that demonstrate this phenomenon include:

A Male Japanese Soldier Reincarnates as a Woman and becomes a Lesbian: Understanding Homosexuality through Reincarnation

Chuey, a Boy, Drowns & Reincarnates as a Girl, but Retains Male Traits

Though no reincarnation cases have been documented that involve transsexualism, it is likely that some individuals who are transsexual or have gender identity issues represent gender change cases, in which the person still relates to the gender of a prior incarnation.

Reincarnation Cases with Gender Change

Reincarnation Research Home Page

Reincarnation Case of Pablo Picasso | Alexandra Nechita: Past Life Patterns & Innate Talent

The reincarnation case of Pablo Picasso is so self-apparent, that it almost solved itself. Let us briefly review the histories of Pablo Picasso and Alexander Nechita here where every detail is discussed.

Affirmed by: Spirit Guide or Spirit Being Ahtun Re in a Ryerson-Semkiw Reincarnation Research Session, 2005

From: Born Again

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

Alexandra Nechita as Pablo Picasso Reborn

Past Life TalentThis case was brought to my attention in a casual way. Indeed, the reincarnation case of Pablo Picasso is so self-apparent, that it almost solved itself.  Let me explain how the Picasso | Nechita case evolved.

In the summer of 2004, I did a reincarnation presentation in Boulder, Colorado. A member of the audience was a friend of Wayne Peterson, a retired US Diplomat and former Director of the Fulbright Scholarship Program in Washington, DC, who has met four US Presidents: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Clinton. Mr. Peterson’s own reincarnation cases can be reviewed at: Past Lives of Wayne Peterson: A Diplomat, Artist, Socialite and Doge

Wayne’s friend told me that I should investigate a young artist named Alexandra Nechita, as her work is remarkably similar to that of Picasso and it has been speculated that she may be the reincarnation of Picasso. I was advised that Alexandra’s work was being displayed in Denver, at that time, at Gallery M.

The next day, I took a drive to see Alexandra’s work and found myself dumbfounded. Though I had observed how linguistic writing patterns can remain the same across incarnations, such as in the case of John B. Gordon | Jeff Keene, this was the first time I had the opportunity to see how talent could be recapitulated by a painter in such a dramatic way.   Later, I would observe how artistic talent and even compositions could be replicated in The Reincarnation Case of Paul Gauguin | Peter Teekamp

Though I am no expert in art, Alexandra’s work was so much like Picasso’s, it was simply striking. I asked the director of Gallery M whether there were any photos of Alexandra available, perhaps on a brochure or business card, and whether I could get contact information for Alexandra. The gallery director told me that no photos of Alexandra were on hand and that the artist was a private person and personal contact information could not be given out. In my next session with Kevin Ryerson, though, I asked Ahtun Re whether Alexandra was indeed the reincarnation of Picasso, which he affirmed.

NechitaPicassoReincarnationImageIn January 2006, as I was preparing to publish Born Again, on the Internet, I found that Alexandra now had a web site with images of herself. I quickly compared her facial features with Picasso’s and though not as striking as some reincarnation facial matches, I felt her facial architecture was consistent with that of Picasso. Though Alexandra is a beautiful young woman with fine features and Picasso was a rather rugged looking man, the bone structure, the overall architecture of the face and head, I found to be the similar. Later on, I found images of Picasso and Alexandra when they were both children, where a similarity in facial features can also be seen. At this point, I decided to try to contact Alexandra for her inclusion in this book. Little did I know that the subject of reincarnation had already been entertained in her mind.

Pablo Picasso as a Child Prodigy Artist

Let us briefly review the histories of Pablo Picasso and Alexander Nechita. Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain, on October 25, 1881. Picasso demonstrated artistic gifts early in his boyhood and at the age of 15, he was enrolled in Barcelona’s School of the Fine Arts. His painting, Science and Charity, won a gold medal at an exhibit in Malaga when he was 16 and by this time, Picasso had his own studio in Barcelona.

5YgReincarnationPicassoNechitaIn 1900, Picasso made a brief trip to Paris, where he admired the work of modern artists such as Edgar Degas and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. Picasso later moved to Paris in 1904 and established friendships with writers, such as Gertrude Stein and Max Jacob. Picasso also witnessed the emerging popularity of Paul Gauguin while he was in Paris and Picasso was influenced by his work.

With Georges Braque, Picasso pioneered the “Cubist” style of painting, in which landscape images were composed of what appeared to be small cubes. Picasso did sculpture in innovative ways, using a variety of common objects to create abstract constructions. Picasso also became involved in set design, working for the Ballets Russes in Rome. Picasso’s illustrious career culminated in an exhibition at the Louvre, in Paris, which occurred in honor of his 90th birthday, in 1971. With this event, Picasso was the first living artist to have works displayed at the Louvre. Picasso died in France on April 8, 1973.

Past Life Talent: Alexandra Nechita as a Child Prodigy Artist and a “Petite Picasso”

Eight years after Picasso died, on August 27, 1985, Alexandra Nechita was born in Romania. Alexandra’s father, Niko, unfortunately was not present for his daughter’s birth. Niko had left Communist Romania to seek a better future for his family in the United States, when his wife, Viorica, was six months pregnant with Alexandra. Niki would not see his wife and new daughter until 1987, when they were reunited in Los Angeles.

Like Picasso, Alexandra demonstrated artistic talent as a very young child. In fact, Alexandra began to draw as soon as her developing nervous system would allow her to do so. Alexandra became obsessed with her coloring books, which was a concern for her parents, as she didn’t seem interested in the usual things that little girls do, such as playing and skipping rope. Her first pen and ink drawings were done at age two.

A truly startling observation was made by her parents when Alexandra was four years old. Alexandra was drawing abstract figures with two faces and four eyes, as seen in the art of Picasso.  Alexandra rapidly built up a collection of original works. At eight years of age, Alexandra’s first art exhibit was held at a Los Angeles public library on April 1, 1994. In a symbolic synchronistic event, on the same day that she had her first exhibit, she also saw the art of Picasso for the first time at the Los Angeles County Art Museum.

5PicassoNechitaChicagoMasterpieceAlexandra loved the freedom of expression that she saw in Picasso’s art, unencumbered by rules. Alexandra’s career advanced rapidly from that point on. As cited on her web site:

“She attracted the attention of art critics and the media who began telling the world about this rarest of child prodigies—an artist who had mastered drawing and color, an artist who had created a visual language of her own, in a unique, lyrical, figurative, abstract cubist manner, an artist who had only recently turned nine years old.”

In fact, the press had dubbed her, “The Petite Picasso.”  In 1999, at the age of fourteen, Alexandra was selected to lead the Global Arts Initiative, involving more than one hundred countries, sponsored by the World Federation of United Nations. In her still nascent voyage, Alexandra has been a guest on numerous national television shows in the United States, including CBS Sunday Morning, NBC’s Today, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Past Life Patterns: Picasso’s Guernica and Alexandra’s Past Life Theory

In early 2006, I tried to contact Alexandra using information provided on her website. She was still only 20 years of age at this point in time. I was put in touch with her mother, Viorica, who was open to reincarnation.

7HandsDovePicassoNechitaReincarnationImageAfter Born Again came out in 2006, I met Viorica and her daughter at an art exhibition that Alexandra was holding in Las Vegas.  Many of the oil paintings were priced close to $100,000. Alexandra also displayed works of art created in glass and other media. The centerpiece of the exhibit was a 20 foot tall metal statue entitled, Hands and Dove, which is presented to the right.  Picasso also worked in multiple media and created enormous statues such as the untitled sculpture in Chicago’s Daley Plaza, the bird like monument featured above Hands and Dove.

Alexandra’s Day of September 11 mirrors Picasso’s Guernica

At this event, Alexandra’s manager, Ben Valenty, who has represented her from childhood, was very excited to receive a copy of Born Again, which included the case of Pablo Picasso | Alexandra Nechita. He shared with me that on his deathbed, Picasso stated that a young child would be born with his talent. I got the impression that Ben himself had wondered whether this child was Alexandra. Then he gave me a copy of her recently released book, entitled Hands and Dove: The Art of Alexandra Nechita.

7911PicassoNechita ReincarnationImage

When I read this book, I had further insight into this theory. Inside, I found an image of her work entitled The Day of September 11, provided above.

This is a huge painting that is the size of a wall. Not only in size, but in content, this painting appeared to be an updated version of Picasso’s Guernica. To appreciate the size of The Day of September 11, look at the left side of the painting and you will see Alexandra herself standing in front of the canvas. This painting is essentially a contemporary version of Guernica which is featured below.

7GuernicaPicassoNechitaReincarnation

Just as Guernica portrayed the horror of the Spanish city undergoing aerial bombardment, The Day of September 11 captured the horror of the destruction of the World Trade Center. Both paintings feature human beings with arms outstretched skyward. Picasso placed farm animals in his painting and depicted their annihilation, while Alexandra used doves to represent the victims of the towers, who were streaming out towards heaven. Of course, one could suggest that Alexandra simply was inspired by Guernica, but recall that she started doing Picasso like art when she was only four years old, before she had exposure to the art world.

An even more revealing Nechita painting is entitled Past Life Theory, which features the horse head found in Guernica, which is the most famous and recognizable object in Guernica. In her painting, Alexandra gave this horse female breasts and in the right-hand corner of the painting, a red question mark is prominent. By utilizing one of the most famous symbols of Picasso and title of the painting being Past Life Theory, it appears that Alexandra is musing on the question of whether Picasso has been reborn in her.

5PastLifeThPicassoNechitaReincarnationPast Life Patterns

If the reincarnation case of Pablo Picasso | Alexandra Nechita is accepted, reflect on how these souls have demonstrated such characteristic patterns in their development across two lifetimes. Picasso and Alexandra both dove into art as toddlers and demonstrated genius already in their teenage years, becoming world renowned artists early in their lives.

Repetition of patterns is similarly observed in the case of Paul Gaugin | Peter Teekamp. Paul Gauguin and Peter Teekamp, as young men, both became carefree world travelers. They both then embarked on business careers as a way to support themselves. Gauguin and Teekamp both started painting in adulthood as a hobby. Both only decided to pursue art as a full time profession in maturity. Gauguin died poor and unrecognized and Peter, though an accomplished artist,  is at this time relatively unknown.

Let us also reflect on how these two cases illustrate that we do indeed build upon accomplishments of past lifetimes. The Gauguin | Teekamp sketches, with the horses, women in circles, men in berets and Jesus on the cross—drawn from above, demonstrate that Peter Teekamp unconsciously replicated Gauguin’s artist development, but at an earlier age.

Similarly, Alexandra replicated Picasso’s development by drawing abstract figures with two faces and four eyes at the age of four.  Picasso became a pioneer of the Cubist style of painting in 1907, when he was 26 years old. The media has noted that Alexandra Nechita painted in an “abstract cubist manner” when she was nine years old.

Another case that demonstrates how the pattern of being a childhood prodigy is replicated from one lifetime to another involves The Reincarnation Case of Anne Frank | Barbro Karlen, as Barbro had her first book of prose published at 12.

3BenValentyPicassoNechitaReincarnationPrinciples of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

If this reincarnation case is accepted, it demonstrates the following features:

Physical Resemblance: Alexandra Nechita’s facial bone structure is consistent with that of Picasso.

Past Life Innate Talent: Alexandra Nichita was a child prodigy artist, as was Picasso.  She replicated the style of Picasso in childhood, works in multiple media, as did Picasso, and in The Day of September 11, she did a contemporary version of one Picasso’s most famous paintings, Guernica.  Ben Valenty, who has represented Alexandra and is featured in the picture to the right, told me that Picasso, on his death-bed, predicted that a child would be born with his talent.

Anniversary Phenomenon: Alexandra had her first art exhibit at age eight and on that same day, she first saw an exhibit of Picasso’s art.

Change of Nationality and Ethnic Affiliation from One Incarnation to Another: Picasso was born in Spain and lived in Europe, while Alexandra is a native of Romania, who lives in the United States.

Gender Change: Picasso was male who reincarnated as Alexandra, a female.

 

Child’s Past Life Story with Phobia, Gender Change and Experience of Heaven: The Reincarnation Case of Chuey Puang Pei | Ampan Petcherat

Chuey, a boy, encounters a snake in a waterway, drowns and is reborn as Ampan, a girl. Ampan has spontaneous memories of her past life as Chuey and retains the midset of a boy. This case can help understand homosexuality and gender identity issues though reincarnation. Ampan also had phobia of snakes and memories of heaven.

How Case Derived: Past Life Memories in Childhood

Researchers: Francis Story and Ian Stevenson, MD

From: Cases of the Reincarnation Type, Volume IV, Thailand and Burma, by Ian Stevenson, MD

Article by: Walter Semkiw, MD

The Drowning Death of Chuey Puang Pei

klongChuey Puang Pei was born in 1946 in Thailand. His father’s name was Tai Puang Pei and his mother was Tong Bai Puang Pei. Chuey had a brother, Chuan, and a sister, Khao.

The family lived along one of the many canals or waterways that are found in the central plain of Thailand, which are called khlongs. These canals stem from major rivers in the area. Through the use of boats, khlongs serve as routes of transportation, much like the canals of Venice, Italy. Chuey lived in the village of Bang Chan, which was on a waterway of the same name, Khlong Bang Chan.

Ironically and unfortunately, though Chuey lived by a waterway, he never learned to swim. In 1950, when he was 4 years old, Chuey was on the shore of the Khlong Bang Chan with his uncle, Klah Puang Pei, and his older brother, Chuan, who was about 8 years old at the time.

Chuey and Chuan were playing in shallow water by the shore. At one point, Chuan and his uncle lost sight of Chuey. At one moment he was on the bank of the waterway and the next moment he was gone. Shortly thereafter, they found Chuey’s body in the water and as they pulled him out, they discovered that he had drowned. This tragedy was not unusual, as at the time, young children were known to perish in the klongs of Thailand fairly often.

Reincarnation & Gender Change, Ian Stevenson Research, Chuey templeThe uncle, Klah Puang Pei, said that he saw Chuan playfully pulling on Chuey’s legs before the drowning, though when questioned, Chuan denied this. Chuey’s body was taken to the wat or Buddhist temple at Khlong Bang Plee Noi, where it was cremated. As mentioned, Chuey died in 1950 at 4 years of age. His brother Chuan went on to become a Buddhist monk.

Child’s Past Life Memories: Chuey is Reborn as Ampan, a Girl, Who recalls her Past Life Name & Death by Drowning

Ampam Petcherat, a girl, was born in March 1954 in the village of Song Khlong, which is located on the waterway of the same name. Song Khlong is 15 kilometers or 9 miles from Bang Chan, the village where Chuey lived. At the time, Song Khlong could only be reached from Bang Chan by boat. Song Khlong is 37 kilometers or 23 miles from Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand.

Ampan’s father was named Yod and her mother was Kim Saum. When she learned to talk, Ampan said that Yod was not her father and that Kim Saum was not her mother, as she had another mother. Ampan also said she had a previous brother who was going to become a monk.

Ampan’s parents separated when she was a child. Ampan and her mother, Kim Saum, moved 7 kilometers, or a little over 4 miles, north to the village of Khlong Darn. When she was one year old, Ampan told her mother that she had another mother and father at Klong Bang Chan. She said that she was a boy before and described her house. She cried when she talked about her previous home and said that she wanted to be taken there. She said she died by drowning after being bitten by a snake. Ampan repeated this story regarding a previous life from time to time. She said that in her prior lifetime, her name was Chuey.

Past Life Memory: Ampan Recognizes her Past Life Village and Aunt

Each year at harvest time, Kim Saum would paddle by boat to sell produce in the area of Khlong Bang Chan. When Ampan was one and a half years of age, Kim Saum took her on one of these trips. Ampan recognized the area and said that this was where she had lived before as a boy.

When Ampan was 7 years old, she spontaneously recognized a woman who was walking in Khlong Darn, the village where Ampan and her mother lived. Ampan told this woman that she was her aunt. As the woman had never met Ampan and her mother before, she paid no attention to Ampan.

On a second occasion, Ampan saw the same woman and addressed her as “my aunt.” This time the woman stopped and asked Ampan how she knew her. Ampan responded, “You are my mother’s older sister.” Ampan embraced the woman and asked to be taken to her previous family. This woman was Joy Ruang Gun, who was indeed Chuey’s maternal aunt.

Ampan Recalls the Names of her Past Life Parents, Details of her Past Life Home and Place of Cremation

IISIS Reincarnation, Gender Identity Issues, Thai ShoreJoy then asked, “Who are your parents?” Ampan replied that that her father’s name was Tai and that her mother’s name was Bai. Recall that Chuey’s father’s name was Tai Puang Pei and that his mother was Tong Bai Puang Pei.

Ampan went on and said that at her prior home, there was a bamboo tree in front of the house and that there were 2 red jars at the house. She said that there were 2 red dogs and 3 buffaloes at her prior home. Regarding her death in the prior lifetime, Ampan said that she was playing in the water when she fell into the water and drowned. She said that her father took her body to the Wat Bang Plee for cremation (the full name of the temple is Wat Bang Plee Noi).

As all these statements were correct for the lifetime of Cheuy, Joy decided to take Ampan and her mother to meet Cheuy’s family.

At her Past Life Home, Ampan recognizes her Past Life Parents, Sister and Place of Drowning

When Ampan was taken to Khlong Bang Chan and her past life family’s home, she went to Tong Bai, Chuey’s mother, embraced her tightly and said “mother.” Chuey’s father was not at home initially, but Tai returned shortly thereafter in a boat with two other men. While they were still in the vessel at the boat landing, Ampan was asked to identify her previous father. Though attempts were made to mislead her, Ampan correctly identified Tai as her past life father.

When Ampan saw Khoa, she pointed at her and said, “Sister.” Khoa was Chuey’s sister.

In surveying the property where Chuey’s family lived, Ampan noted that there used to be banana and coconut trees. She also said that there used to be two houses, rather than just one. Ampan was right, as when Chuey was alive, the banana and coconut trees were there, but removed after his death. Similarly, one of the structures that had been on the property had been removed, but was present during Chuey’s time. Ian Stevenson was impressed that Ampan made these accurate statements regarding items that were no longer there.

Ampan also correctly pointed out the location near the house where she, as Chuey, had drowned.

Past Life Memories: At the Temple, Ampan Identifies her Past Life Brother, Cousin & Friend

IISIS Reincarnation, Gender Identity Issues, Thai TempleAfter being taken to her past life home, Ampan was taken to the temple, or wat, at Bang Plee Noi where Chuey was cremated and where Chuan, Chuey’s brother, was now living as a monk. At the temple, Ampan recognized, among a group of a dozen or more monks, Chuan. Ampan correctly pointed out Chaun as her brother in her prior lifetime. Both Chuan and Ampan wept at this reunion.

Another monk in the group was one of Chuey’s cousins. Ampan also correctly identified this monk, Sa Ing, as one of her past life cousins. She pointed to another young monk, named Sak, who was seated among the group and said, “This monk is the son of Nang Pad.” Chuey was acquainted with this individual and Ampan’s statement that Sak was the son of Nang Pad was accurate.

Ampan’s Account of Drowning & Past Life Phobia of Snakes

IISIS Reincarnation, Transgender & Gender Identity Issues, Water SnakeThere was a discrepancy between Ampan’s account of how she had drowned in her prior incarnation and the version known by Chuey’s parents. According to Ampan’s memory, Chuey had been playing with Chuan in shallow water near the shore. Ampan said Chuan was pulling on Chuey’s legs, which was observed by Chuey’s uncle, Klah Puang Pei. Ampan said that Chuey was then bitten by a snake on the right leg, fell into the water and drowned. Chuey’s family had no knowledge of Chuey being bitten by a snake prior to drowning.

Ian Stevenson noted that there are many water snakes that inhabit Thai waterways or khlongs, and that some inflict fatal bites that do not cause significant swelling. As such, Stevenson reasoned, Chuey could have been bitten by a snake without his brother or uncle noticing the snake or a snake bite.

Stevenson questioned whether there would have been enough time for venom from a snake bite to take effect. Recall that Chuey was present on the shore at one moment, suddenly disappeared and was then found dead in the water. Stevenson hypothesized that Cheuy may have simply been startled by the sight of a snake in the klong and in attempting to flee, slipped into the water, which led to his drowning.

Ampan had a severe phobia of snakes, presumably due to her memories of being bitten or startled by a snake in the water, which led to her drowning death as Chuey.

Ampan Scolds Chuan for Causing Her Past Life Death as Chuey

Ampan also insisted that one of the series of events that had led to his drowning was Chuan pulling at his legs in the water. As noted, Chuey’s uncle, Klah Puang Pei, had reported that Chuan was pulling at Chuey’s legs before he disappeared. Chuan, as an 8 year old, denied this claim, perhaps out of fear that he would be blamed for Chuey’s death. Of interest, when Ampan recognized Chuan at the temple where he was living as a monk, after they embraced and wept together, Ampan chastised Chuan for causing her drowning as Chuey.

Of interest, Ampan had a phobia of snakes, though she did not have a fear of water.

Ampan’s Experience of Heaven

Reincarnation, Transgender & Gender Identity Issues, HeavanWhen Ian Stevenson met with Ampan in 1966, he asked if she remembered what happened in the period between Chuey’s death in 1950 and her birth in 1954. Ampan said that after Chuey drowned and his body was cremated, a man, who we will call the first man, took him to another place where other dead persons were located and introduced him to the “head man.” Then he, Chuey, went with a second man who escorted him to heaven. In heaven, he met a third man of large size and black complexion who was dressed in white and who he remembered was kind. The second man then took him back to the first man. Ampan said she, or he as Chuey, was then given a piece of fruit. When she ate the fruit, she was reborn.

Reincarnation and Change in Gender: Ampan Acts as if She is Still a Boy

Ampan, when young, had definite masculine traits, which seem to reflect her past lifetime as Chuey, a male. Ampan’s mother said that she liked to dress like a boy, including wearing pants instead of a skirt. Ampan also engaged in boy’s sports, such as boxing. In 1968, when Ampan was 14, she told Ian Stevenson that she would prefer to be a boy as men have freer lives. Stevenson noted that Ampan walked with a masculine gait. A year later, in 1969, Ampan still did boxing, still wished she was a boy and had little romantic interest in boys, which is unusual for a teenage girl.

Reincarnation & Homosexuality, Lesbianism, Transsexualism & Gender Identity Issues

Ampan’s wish to be a man, which appears to be related to her past incarnation as a male, has prominent similarities to: The Reincarnation Case of a Japanese Soldier | Ma Tin Aung Myo

In this Ian Stevenson reincarnation study, a male Japanese soldier serving in Burma during World War II died, reincarnated as a Burmese woman named Ma, but maintained masculine traits and was attracted to women. Ma became a lesbian. This case shows how reincarnation can bring insight in understanding homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, transsexualism, transgender and gender identity issues.

In Ian Stevenson’s series of approximately 1200 validated reincarnation cases in which young children spontaneously remembered their past lives, in only 10 percent of cases did the soul change gender. It may be that if a soul is accustomed to incarnating into a particular gender and then reincarnates into the opposite sex, gender identity issues may arise.

In contrast to the Japanese Soldier | Ma reincarnation case, Ampan eventually married a US male soldier who was stationed in Thailand. The couple later moved to California.

Principles of Reincarnation & Understanding Past Lives

Phobia from a Past Lifetime: Ampan demonstrated a phobia of snakes, apparently due to her memories of being bitten or startled by a water snake, which led to her drowning.

Gender Change: Chuey, a boy, reincarnated as Ampan, a girl. As a child and teenager, Ampan insisted on wearing boy’s clothing, she participated men’s sports such as boxing and she walked like a boy. Ampan told Ian Stevenson that she wished that she were a boy. Though she demonstrated these gender identity issues when young, she eventually married a man.

Spirit Beings in Reincarnation Cases: Ampan, as a spirit being, described her experience of heaven.

Relationships Renewed through Reincarnation: Ampan was reunited with her past life family.