The Theory of Reincarnation

In some parts of the globe people know it. Some people think that it is only a belief. It was considered to be a religious belief also. In course of time people came to know of the evolution on this earth. The coming of Darwin and his followers once again introduced the theory of evolution. Many scientists have improved upon Darwin’s theory till now. Even now the Darwinian theory of evolution has some questions left unsolved. There are still many things to be explained and many gaps are to be filled. 

The Theory of Evolution, Reincarnation and Karma

In the meanwhile, the science of spiritualism developed with all its branches. It has gradually covered the missing links of evolution theory. Because of the foremost thinkers of the world till now, many of the gaps in the theory of evolution have been filled up and now we have self-sufficient theory before us. The theory contains three aspects: the theory of evolution, the theory of reincarnation and the theory of karma.

The three branches put together form a self-sufficient science and people who want to understand this theory, no more take it in the light of a religious belief. It is not a belief, it is a scientific truth. It is understood by common sense of those who have an objective approach. It is a matter of experience to those who have undergone spiritual discipline. It is a simple scientific truth in the eyes of the true scientists. Now, there are people who don’t believe, there are people who really understand and believe and there are people who believe though they do not understand. There are also people who have made their own fantastic theories. Our purpose today is to pick-up the real theories, that stand to reason, commonsense and experience of those who have undergone spiritual discipline.

Aspects of Illusion of Reincarnation in the East and West

Some people believe that a soul may be born as a human being or as an animal. Many times we are born as animals and human beings as a result of our karma. Those who do good deeds are born as human beings and those who do bad deeds are born as animals or insects. For moral teachings the theory may be good, but the theory is semi-imaginative or fantastic. How can animals choose to be born as human beings unless they do good deeds and avoid bad deeds?

Some believe in India that men are born only as men in the next birth and women are born as women, and in the Occident also I have seen people who believe so. It is also not true because man and woman are only biological conveniences of the physical body though many of us are conditioned by the instinct of sex. The much emotion and romance which the biological kingdom feels about man and woman are the result of an instinct given by nature. Therefore nature has no classification of man souls and woman souls for persons to be born as male and female. The choice lies in the law of fitness for soul training. The reason exists in nature which teaches us things. To be born as a woman or a man teaches us different aspects of life that teaches two different dispositions which find their perfection in motherhood and fatherhood. 

Since these two aspects are to be perfected by every soul in evolution, it is natural that every one of us should be born as woman and man also many times. Since nature wants us to develop all dimensions, man and woman, it uses either male birth or female birth according to the need of our evolution. Hence it is not true that male souls are continuously born as men and female souls are born as women. 

One fact in nature is, man takes interest in woman more, and woman takes interest in man more. It is a natural instinct and the reason for this must be the supplementary development of temperament of the human beings. Since nature contrives multidimensional development, there is the need of attraction between two sexes. The whole earth has its own axis which acts with the two poles of a magnet, and whenever it is necessary in creation, nature introduces this strange phenomenon of polarity that is attraction and repulsion. The physical cells of the man attract the woman and the physical cells of the woman attract the man. Thus nature contrives reproduction. When all these things are carefully observed, we understand that we need to be born both as man and as woman in a series of births. When the mother nature is to be induced, we are born to play the role of a wife, when the father nature is to be induced, we are born as a husband. So, when immature, we play the role of husband and wife and when mature, we realize fatherhood and motherhood. That is what nature expects of us. Therefore, we may be man or woman in the next birth, as per the need of our evolution. 

Some people believe that we have alternation of male and female births. If we are born as a male this time, the next time we will be born as female. It is a probability and it cannot be reduced to a theory. The probability is that a person who is dedicated to sex life will be thinking of the opposite sex, in which case he will be born in opposite sex. This is also a probability.

Another popular misconception in India is that a couple will be born in the next birth as a couple. In more than eighty per cent of the cases in India, marriage is a mutual identification of souls. With the exception of a few men who are beastly in their evolution, there is no possibility of thinking of second marriage. The type of affection an average couple holds in India is something which is not easily understood in the Occident. Such a relationship makes the average Indian thinking that the same husband and wife will be born as husband and wife again. But it is like the theory that a husband and wife should be transferred to the same place to do their job. It is not possible always. Nature has its own way of doing things. Husband and wife, father and son, mother and son, brother and brother – all these relationships are only conditions by one birth and there is no continuity in them. Nature creates by progressive steps and not by sentiments. 

We may have great affection towards our brother or mother or wife -or sister, but it is a sentiment. It is a preparatory training for love. Nature’s procedure is always based on something progressive. Nature wants to necessitate proper expansion to the consciousness. A gradual unfoldment of consciousness like the blossoming of a flower is intended. Nature makes grouping and rearrangements every time, so that people of different natures will have a sharing of experience. Then they can develop all dimensions of consciousness more or less for a common understanding. So let us eliminate false notions which do not stand to reason.

We now come to the apparently scientific arguments: Some people believe that the theory of evolution and the theory of reincarnation are connected in such a way that the way in which we behave in this life will give us a clue to understand the next birth. Some people believe that they can know their past lives. Some experiments are conducted on these lives and there is much emotion in the name of theories and conclusions. Going into some hypnotic state or trance they begin to narrate stories after stories about the past lives of others.

This has become very common in the Occident during the past forty years. It has come to such a ridiculous stage that a particular lady telephoned in the middle of the night to her friend and said: “I have just discovered a great truth! I could understand who you were in your past birth! You were Issac Newton!” And her friend was much worried to know that he was Issac Newton, because, if he were to accept it, tomorrow many people would question him about Newton’s Laws and he had to put up a sorry face. Moreover, he is very poor in calculations in this birth.

Another lady met a young gentleman and said: “I have discovered something sweet about you. In your past birth you were my husband.” Then the fellow said: “What if? What shall we propose to do now?” She had no answer.

In India there is a funny story: A fellow approached a monk and asked for a clue to know his previous births. The monk said it was dangerous. “I want it” the fellow insisted. Then the monk gave him a little touch with a mantram. For twenty-four hours the fellow had a peculiar vision, when he saw his wife of his previous birth. Presently she is the wife of another young man. The couple was going on a motorcycle to the cinema. He saw it and felt very jealous. He followed them, he forgot that it was his previous birth. He was in a trance. So he grew furious about the person who was taking “his wife” to cinema. He straight went to the theatre, and sat by the side of “his wife”. Then the real husband pulled him by the collar, and gave him a kick. Then he came out of his trance and went home to see his present wife and to live in peace.

Such stories indicate that people have strange notions about rebirth. Truth is something different. There is a good relationship between the theory of karma and reincarnation. There is no doubt.

The present life and its incidents are supposed to be in a sequence with our previous deeds. For example, if I had ill-treated someone in my previous birth, I will be ill-treated by someone at present. If I injured anyone in a previous birth, that will be registered in the memory. This memory is carried with the particular tissues of the body so that I will be born with weak tissues in that part. Consequently I will have an incurable disease in that part. This is a part of the external truth of the law of rebirth but this is not also the whole truth of it.

If we are born as a result of our previous deeds, what brought us birth for the first time? There is no answer. Therefore this theory also is not complete in its truth. Last but not the least, the law of reincarnation has nothing to do with the theory of transmigration of souls.

Chain actions of different states of consciousness

Now, what the Masters of wisdom teach us is as follows: The whole solar system is the result of a series of chain actions, part of which is the birth and development of the planets. Our Earth is a part of the solar system. It has its own series of chain actions in the making and development of the earth’s substance. It is against common sense to think that the earth’s substance is a mass of some minerals. There should be a consciousness that is preparing these minerals. Otherwise these minerals cannot aggregate into a planet called the earth and stand compact as the earth’s globe. Nor can the earth’s globe rotate on its own axis in uniform motion. Nor can it go round the sun to produce the effect of the season. All these things prove that there is a team of intelligences making the earth. They are called the Devas and their creation is called the Deva kingdom. They are creating the chain actions in the matter of this earth. When the whole evolution theory of the spiritualists is understood, the minerals of this earth show a chain action of evolution. 

The liquids, solids and gases of the earth are being treated by the heat of the earth, by the heat of the sun and the internal heat of the earth. A great experiment of conscious metallurgy is going on. A great experiment of magnetism is going on and much electricity is being produced on earth. The whole thing is a big laboratory, creating the chain action of evolution. It includes the evolution to the mineral atoms, plant atoms, animal souls and human souls. All this takes place through a gradual increase of the degree of consciousness. The candle power of awareness is increased until we find ourselves as human beings on this earth. Even after this, there is much to be unfolded in each of us through time. This creates the necessity of reincarnation, and the result is that we are being born many thousands of times as human beings.

Every time we are purified of our experience and given opportunity to do things better. We are permitted to do things because our doing requires thinking and understanding. Thinking and understanding will be bettered when we are permitted to do more things.

We learn much from the environment and we learn much through experience. All that we learn is piled up in our brain cells as memory. When this body is lost, all the records of our memory are lost. We do not remember any detail. At the same time, a ‘micro photo’ of everything is taken by our recollection. This recollection will be preserved in the form of seed principles. We should not fear that all that we have learned is lost, because all that we have learned is not necessary for us to remember. Real unfolding of enlightenment is what is required, just once in every five years the records of an office are being burned after taking micro photo of the required documents, similarly all the arts and sciences we have learned and the information we have gathered and preserved will be mercilessly burnt down. The result of experience is kept as the quality of our intelligence while the intelligence is also burnt down. The potentiality of intelligence is preserved, just as the banyan seed preserves all the parts of the big banyan tree in supra-physical planes. Thus, the memories are preserved, in a sense, only as potentialities which can be re-germinated when needed. 

According to these potentialities we are born on this earth again, and our present personality is nothing but a re-germination of all our past potentialities. That is the reason why it is very difficult to change the personality of any one. You can change your belief, religion or political party. You can almost never change the individuality and personality. They are like the signature and handwriting of a person, through which you can identify him. How can you identify your friend? It is not by the face, because when we see our friend after fifteen years or twenty years, there is much difference in his face and shape. Previously he was having beautiful silky hair and now he will be like full moon, totally bald. But after blinking for a few minutes, you will say: “Hello, how are you?” You are talking to the same person, you will be able to understand only by his individual nature and personality and not the body. Normally speaking it is not possible to change the personality. It gives the totality of the previous experience and behaviour.

It takes time for us to know that many times we do not lead our life meaningfully. It takes time before we can understand what life is. When we pass childhood and reach youth, there is the cloud of emotions’. It prevents us from understanding truth just as the sun cannot be seen on a cloudy day. We spend much of our youth according to our emotion, not according to our understanding. The result is our body and mind are often misused by us according to our taste and not according to our need in terms of food, drink, sex and enjoyment. The result is that the body is much damaged with faulty procedures before we understand.

Nature’s Role

Nature has provided us death and birth because it wants to give us a fresh body for a better approach. A new machine is given once again with a new lease of life. Many times it is given so that we may be able to use the potentialities of our experience and begin to behave better. When once the purpose is understood, the necessity of bodies is over. That is what is called liberation or Nirvana. During every span we are doing certain things and getting involved in certain situations. We have to clear the involvement and therefore many of our births are occupied with repayment. So goes the necessity of births and deaths until we carefully clear off the present debts. Then we will be able to understand what life is in its reality. The purpose of evolution is fulfilled.

 The Earth Plan

Reincarnation is part of the chain actions of this earth. The real cause of our birth on this earth is the chain actions of the planet and not merely our past deeds. The same chain actions push us on the way of the grand plan of this earth. There is a plan that increases the awareness for this earth. According to the plan it creates each of us as sparks of awareness. Each spark has a vehicle made up of its layers. We call those layers our body, mind, etc. Every time these vehicles are dropped off and new vehicles are taken by us, according to the plan of this earth. See how the run of a river conditions the water of its canals. Similarly, according to the plan of this earth we are created and produced into the human kingdom. We take rebirths according to the great plan.

There are two parts in understanding ourselves. The first part is that the problem of evolution cannot be solved and the necessity of rebirth continues. If I believe I have my own life, and if you believe you have your own life, the relationship will be quite different. In such a way everyone has his own way of living, believing in separate births and rebirths. There after we will understand that there is an ocean of common consciousness in all of us which makes everyone live in it with a ripple of individual consciousness. Still there is another substratum consciousness in which we are not separated from one another at all. In the mind we are separated. 

I gave you one example yesterday of the thousands of bottles immersed in a river. Every bottle has its own water but all the bottles are in the same water. There is one consciousness in all of us and one life in all of us in which we exist. At the same time, just as every bottle has its own water in it, we have our own separated existence in our mind. This separated existence creates fear and jealousy because of the idea of separation. The result is we live helpless like orphans and homeless beggars, having our own fear about others and our future, our suspicion and anger. The result is misery and sorrow. Until this is transformed into the consciousness of one life, there is no happiness at any cost.

Love – the Linking Principle

It is the purpose of Nature to make you understand this one life. It wants you to live in this undercurrent of common consciousness. When once you begin to understand this, life becomes love. You will have nothing but love for others. Love is the linking principle. You have nothing to do with the behaviour of others. Nature directs us towards that goal, and therefore it is the purpose of rebirth to lead us to such a destination. The common life and common consciousness is what we call “soul”. Every one of us is a soul. But it is not “my soul” or “your soul”. It is ignorance that makes one feel, “I have a soul, you have a soul.” Separate thought is objectivity which leads to mind. Soul leads to Oneness. When we begin to understand and experience soul consciousness, we begin to live a group life.

Group existence will be known. You will understand that everyone of us is existing in all others. This mystery will be clearly understood. You will have a planetary experience of the whole earth when you once reach that state. In that state there is no more necessity of evolution. It will be the stoppage of births. You will begin to exist as one with everything in the planet.

Reincarnation of the Personality

What is reborn is not the soul, it is the personality. It germinates the mind and the five senses at every birth, and it prepares its own body inside the mother’s womb out of the same earth minerals. This body, mind and senses will be dropped off at the time of death, but the seed is preserved as potential non-material substance. The seed of a plant throws the same flower in the next germination. Similarly the mind, the senses and the body are germinated again. Every time we are awakened into the mind, the senses and the body, the intelligence will be unfolding, the experience is kindled and we are exposed to the light of recognizing ourselves individually and personally.

After some births, we raise the question, “Who am I?” For some births we will answer to ourselves, “I am my body.” Then, “I am the mind.” After sometime we understand that we are the intelligence. After sometime we understand that we are beyond our intelligence, that we are our nature. Gradually, birth after birth we will be able to know ourselves and begin to know the art of withdrawing into our real Self. 

Individual Karma – Divine Karma

We will shed light as the body, the mind and the senses, but we will live as the light of what we are, just as we live different from our hair and nails. This is what the theory of rebirth tells us according to ancient Indian Scriptures. In its totality it is only the earth’s karma that gives births and rebirths. Karma is of two types: divine karma and individual karma. Divine karma is the planetary work of this earth. It includes the chain actions of the earth and it causes wave after wave of living beings. It produces us in groups and we reincarnate in groups, not as individuals. 

For example, our meeting and spending time here proves that many times we were born as contemporaries. That does not mean all of us must have met one another in our previous births, but it proves that we were born as contemporaries many times and lived on this earth in one group. In future also, when everyone of us is reborn, we will be contemporaries with just a few years difference. One shepherd guards a herd of sheep while another shepherd leads another herd at a distance. Contemporary groups are tended by one leader whom we call Manu. Temperamental differences on this Earth are due to the difference in seniority of evolution. A bunch of flowers has its buds, flowers, blossoms and fruits. Various degrees of blossoming we see in the same bunch. It is because each of the flowers has started its schedule on different days. Similarly, we are having our own individual evolution different from that of the group, so that we show temperamental differences. Instinctively some people behave badly, and some people behave well. Some people are decent in their behaviour, while others are rough and insulting; some people believe in revolution while others believe in law and order. These arc temperamental differences due to the individual stages of evolution. Some people can be happy with all the people, some people can be happy only with “their own” people; some people can be happy with their wives and husbands and there are some people who cannot be happy even with wives and husbands. We know husbands who torture their wives and wives who torture their husbands, eating misery in the name of life. They weep and make others weep. But there are people who are very happy and who keep others happy. This difference is all due to the different degrees of evolution. These are external differences, but the undercurrent of consciousness is Soul. When once the soul consciousness is touched by the individual, the differences disappear and the individual becomes group conscious. This is the goal of evolution, this is the goal of rebirth.

The Theory of Reincarnation – a Brief Review

Rebirth has a balancing work on this. It is not our individual karma that decides our next birth. It only indicates. It is the impulsion of the whole planet that decides our direction. Our past karma is only an apparent cause of the quality of the next birth. Suppose I have done something wrong in my past birth. To rectify it I am born once again. This is the apparent cause. The real cause is the impulsion of the earth planet. The impulsion is to lead you to group consciousness. Until then rebirths are compulsory. When once perfection is gained, rebirth is not a necessity, though it can be willed and steered for more useful purposes. After we reach perfection, the choice is left to us. Some people do not want rebirth and they merge into group consciousness totally. This is what is called liberation or Nirvana. But some people refuse this. They teach that individual liberation is not possible when its motto is selfish. If we wish to have liberation away from those who are suffering, such an idea is nothing but selfishness. It is a test conducted by nature to see if we choose or refuse liberation. Many of the human beings choose liberation at the end and again fall into a new cycle of rebirths. There are some who refuse to receive liberation. 

Lord Buddha and Christ have refused liberation because they wanted the liberation of others. Buddha wanted to be on this earth, one with the group consciousness of the whole earth. He bluntly refused to have personal liberation and that is the reason why he has become a planetary principle. That is ultimate perfection. The idea of liberation is not ultimate perfection. It is the temptation of the common human being to do good deeds to get liberated. In the process we are purified, we are made to take many births according to many an environment. We are permitted to gain much experience without getting involved. Our vehicles are being purified of emotion through rebirths. Our hopes and desires are being purified because they are never realized. They create a necessity of another birth.

At the same time the Earth is creating its own chain actions with us. Remember that the process of reincarnation is not something for which we are responsible. It is part of the Great Plan of the earth. We are expected to behave accordingly and purify our psychological vehicles with the motives of charity and benevolence, tolerance and acceptance. We have to happily accept responsibilities and burdens, readily forgiving others of their faults. Do not react to the “misbehaviour” of others. Then your vehicles are to be purified. A gradual purification automatically takes place and we come to understand that every good deed is not merely because it is useful to the world. Good deeds are to purify our vehicles. 

Any useful thing done by us to the world is useful to us not to others. This attitude leads you to the culmination of rebirths and makes you stand the last test. If you refuse liberation, you will be one among the planetary workers, called the Holy Hierarchy. If you accept to have liberation you will have a personal liberation, which is only a self-deception and self-fooling. 

This in short is the review of the theory of reincarnation. All other theories except this include sweet thoughts and personal imaginations and stories that cannot fit into the planetary work on this earth. So let us try to follow the wisdom of the Masters on the path and let us identify ourselves with our own work so that our misconceptions are washed off.