japanese past-life

recently i have been feeling very similar to the way i felt when i no longer 'believed' in santa, but hadnt yet confirmed my theories. more accurately, no one had given me the evidence i was searching for. i knew it was out there, but i was being kept in the dark with tales of frosty white beards and lies that only the good ones got gifts. although i agree that the santa story is a fantastic behaviour mangement tool, albiet a conniving one, i always felt the collusion and goings on surrounding it. similarly i have never been one to fully swallow the whole god jesus holy spirit story either, for i always felt it was simply that; a story, not unlike the stories told by aesop or anderson that i loved but never for a second bought as the truth.
so i guess i have always been a sceptic and my untrusting mind insists on full and undeniable evidence. but recently zume has been very vocal about a book he stumbled upon. written by a japanese professor from fukushima national university. in 1996 fumihiko iida wrote a book called 'creating the value of life'. no newcomer to the self help scetion of the bookstore(i always argued that it wasnt me who was searching for 'help' i was simply interested in watching how others needed it and looked for help), i have scoured books that delve into everything from the hari krishnas stance on yoga as a lifestyle not merely a series of stretches to franciscan monks and the teachings of buddha. having studied reiki, attended countless meditation classes and retreats and encountered most things of a spiritual nature over the years(making me a a fully fledged wacko in some peoples eyes), i often feel there is nothing new to venture into, simply rehashes. but for the first time in a long time an author has put this 'stuff' so succinctly that zumes book of the month begged to be read.
no no i have not mastered japanese in under a month (but according to a new weekly e-zine that i am reading by some crazy canadian raw foodist - if i put my mind to it i certainly could have it and many other languages down pat in no time). thanks to google all i had to do was type in fumihiko iida and up popped the book already translated and ready for me to read.
i dont know what i believe but leave it to the japanese to make things so clear and simply. for such a heavy subject and one surrounded by so much scepticism and disbelief that most dont even attempt to understand it, 'creating the value of life' gives a fresh approach to all things before and after NOW.
i still havent made up my mind, but idda's theories go a long way in aiding ones now life.
for now i guess i will have to rely on the internet to tell me my past life.