Question: We forget our past lives when we reincarnate and then we have to do the same things all over again. Why is this?

Sri Chinmoy: The physical mind forgets, but the soul remembers. Anything that is worth having or worth remembering, the soul keeps. If we accept the spiritual life, it becomes easier for us to remember our past experiences. But even realised spiritual Masters remain ignorant for the first ten or eleven years after they reincarnate. But then, through prayer and meditation, they become conscious again of their past inner achievements and illumination.