Agreed. The brain is mostly a "receiving station" for the mental awareness of each individual. The little neurons are actually separate "receivers" and we implement what is received and how by training it during infancy / childhood / etc.

As far as not remembering what we were in past lives - - consider what I just said above. We come into each life with a "new brain." In other words - - all the receiving stations have to be re-trained. The tendencies towards our previous beliefs are carried in the causal body. Hence - - the name causal. It is one of those bodies / sheaths that Soul (or the Atman) uses to be able to withstand the harsh environment here in these worlds.

And yes - - the "tendency" for certain things to happen in our lives is something we bring with us. We will bring the high tendency to do this or meet that person or go thru this experience at some point or another. What we "do" with it - - how we deal with it - - how we react to these situations and what we make out of them - - is always up to us. No one knows how the individual will act / react until in the middle of the situation itself.

As with all things - - semantics plays a HUGE part in the understanding or misunderstanding of how things "are" or how they "work." The ancient teachings offer this information - - the one true God is at the center of all existence. This "God exudes an essence - - a Spirit if you will - - and this gives rise to the concept of Divine Spirit / Holy Ghost / etc. Soul / Atman is spawned as a KNOWING aspect of Divine Spirit Itself. (The whole principle of Soul being a knowing aspect is the crux of SO much of the Path and the understanding of it that it is incredible.) Divine Spirit and Soul are of the pure essence of God. When Soul must enter into the lower world of duality / opposites - - where there is a negative factor to contend with - - then Soul must take on bodies / sheaths / armour (if you will) to withstand the harsh vibrations. From the top down - - these are the etheric to the mental to the causal (past lives) to the astral (emotions) and finally to the physical. The causal is in between the astral and the mental so that it "shapes so much of what and how we view our own personal lives.

I don't like to portray all of this in such a "pancake" fashion. It's not that way at all. Each of these bodies is just a matter of vibrational differences and each can occupy the same "space" because they can layer one on top of each other because of these vibrancies.

Soul / Atman - - is the driver of "them" all. Of all the bodies. But - - for the most part - - unknowingly. To finally figure all of this out - - to understand and contend with each of these facets - - to isolate Self as Soul and to knowing begin to "drive" each of these bodies for the benefit of Self and for all - - and ultimately - - to learn to step momentarily beyond the etheric world and back into the true home of Soul and be able to carry on living thru a balance of it all - - is pretty much - - the Path.

In my very humble opinion.