Controversy over ghost stories
<p>Controversy over ghost stories</p><p> JAKARTA (JP): Discussing the possible existence of ghosts is
always sure to lead to disagreements and arguments.</p><p>A Dutch expert on historical buildings, Lodewijk Wagenaar,
once said he did not believe the stories about old buildings
being haunted by ghosts.</p><p>"It's nonsense. For me it is even surprising that the word
'ghost' exists in dictionaries."</p><p>However, while there are many fictitious ghost stories -- some
presented on movie screens -- there are many people who claim to
have had experiences with ghosts, claims which most of us cannot
easily digested because they go against our logic</p><p>"There are too many things which have yet to be revealed in
this big world and are beyond our understanding. We can't just
say that there are no ghosts in this world. How can you prove
that?" said Cornelis Wowor, the director of Buddhism affairs at
the Ministry of Religious Affairs.</p><p>Cornelis and his family have had their own experiences with
the spirit world. One such experience was when his late mother,
who lived in Tomohon, North Sulawesi, was ill. She was visited by
a spirit that looked like Cornelis, and after this visit she
recovered.</p><p>"It was my father and my younger brother who saw the spirit;
at the time I was in Java and I did not feel anything. An
'expert' said it was the spirit of my uncle in one of my previous
lives," he said.</p><p>Buddhism teaches that there are 31 realms of existence,
including the two which can be seen, namely the realms occupied
by human beings and animals, said the lecturer at the Nalanda
School of Buddhism in East Jakarta.</p><p>"Unseen creatures live all around us and they have
characteristics similar to those of human beings, namely some of
them are kind and some are cruel," he said.</p><p>That is why, Cornelis said, it is not surprising that people
sometimes see ghosts. "The ghosts can materialize but it is
difficult to prove that their appearance represents the
personality of the person that is seen."</p><p>So if you see a ghost that looks like your dead grandmother,
it can either be the spirit of your grandmother or the spirit of
another creature.</p><p>"In this case, we should always be alert and not immediately
trust the appearance (of the ghost)," he added.</p><p>The existence of spirits is also acknowledged by other
religions, including Islam.</p><p>The book Dialog dengan Jin Muslim, Pengalaman Spiritual
(Dialog with Muslim Genies, Spiritual Experience) says God
created the spirits from fire before creating humans.</p><p>The book's author, Muhammad Isa Dawud, says that principally
spirits are unseen unless God wills otherwise, and that the
spirits can change into various forms.</p><p>"The number of genies is very great .... The number of spirits
that resides in this world is billions of time greater than the
number of human beings," Muhammad said, adding that these spirits
consist of different races and religions, and have their own
kingdoms and nations. (ind)</p>
always sure to lead to disagreements and arguments.</p><p>A Dutch expert on historical buildings, Lodewijk Wagenaar,
once said he did not believe the stories about old buildings
being haunted by ghosts.</p><p>"It's nonsense. For me it is even surprising that the word
'ghost' exists in dictionaries."</p><p>However, while there are many fictitious ghost stories -- some
presented on movie screens -- there are many people who claim to
have had experiences with ghosts, claims which most of us cannot
easily digested because they go against our logic</p><p>"There are too many things which have yet to be revealed in
this big world and are beyond our understanding. We can't just
say that there are no ghosts in this world. How can you prove
that?" said Cornelis Wowor, the director of Buddhism affairs at
the Ministry of Religious Affairs.</p><p>Cornelis and his family have had their own experiences with
the spirit world. One such experience was when his late mother,
who lived in Tomohon, North Sulawesi, was ill. She was visited by
a spirit that looked like Cornelis, and after this visit she
recovered.</p><p>"It was my father and my younger brother who saw the spirit;
at the time I was in Java and I did not feel anything. An
'expert' said it was the spirit of my uncle in one of my previous
lives," he said.</p><p>Buddhism teaches that there are 31 realms of existence,
including the two which can be seen, namely the realms occupied
by human beings and animals, said the lecturer at the Nalanda
School of Buddhism in East Jakarta.</p><p>"Unseen creatures live all around us and they have
characteristics similar to those of human beings, namely some of
them are kind and some are cruel," he said.</p><p>That is why, Cornelis said, it is not surprising that people
sometimes see ghosts. "The ghosts can materialize but it is
difficult to prove that their appearance represents the
personality of the person that is seen."</p><p>So if you see a ghost that looks like your dead grandmother,
it can either be the spirit of your grandmother or the spirit of
another creature.</p><p>"In this case, we should always be alert and not immediately
trust the appearance (of the ghost)," he added.</p><p>The existence of spirits is also acknowledged by other
religions, including Islam.</p><p>The book Dialog dengan Jin Muslim, Pengalaman Spiritual
(Dialog with Muslim Genies, Spiritual Experience) says God
created the spirits from fire before creating humans.</p><p>The book's author, Muhammad Isa Dawud, says that principally
spirits are unseen unless God wills otherwise, and that the
spirits can change into various forms.</p><p>"The number of genies is very great .... The number of spirits
that resides in this world is billions of time greater than the
number of human beings," Muhammad said, adding that these spirits
consist of different races and religions, and have their own
kingdoms and nations. (ind)</p>