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study paper 7
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Introductory Study Paper 7; THE DOCTRINE OF REBIRTH |
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Like corn, a man ripens and falls to the ground; like
corn, he springs up again in his season. Katha Upanishad As a man, casting off worn-out garments, taketh new ones, so the dweller in the body, casting off worn-out bodies, entereth into others that are new. Bhagavad Gita The pains which I endured in one body were powers which I wielded
in the next. Edward Carpenter: The Secret of Time and
Satan. Towards Democracy
W. Macneile Dixon: The Human Situation
A. Besant, Reincarnation
An analysis of the word into its Latin elements shows the scope of the
doctrine and its several aspects: re - (again, more than once);
in - (into, suggesting entry); cam - (from caro, flesh);
ation - (indicative of becoming or process ). To complete the meaning
of reincarnation, there must be added a term to denote the entity that
is the subject of the process, as well as some indication of the purpose
it is designed to accomplish. The individualised Principle mentioned above is the Reincarnating
Ego, the Higher Self in man, immortal in its essence and untouched by
death. This Self is the Actor who plays his many parts on the stage of
life. Each life on earth is an opportunity to play a different role, the
personality being the temporary character assumed. Through the experience
of each performance, the Actor learns to express some of his inexhaustible
talents, described by one of the Adept Teachers in words of tremendous
significance, 'the deific powers in man and the possibilities contained
in nature'. The purpose to be accomplished by reincarnation is expressed in the injunction, Unfold, and become what you are' . That purpose may also be described as Self-realisation, salvation, the attainment of perfection, (a word which carries the meaning of completion, of a work finished). Reincarnation is a doctrine of infinite opportunity, the means whereby mankind is assured of continuing progress towards its goal, 'the assirnilation of the human soul with the Universal Soul' -a purpose not to be achieved in a single life. Says the Katha Upanishad:
In modem language, it might be said that the man returns to another day
work in order to deal with unfinished business, an idea that brings out
the intimate relationship between reincarnation and karma. Another analogy is suggested by the educational system which offers a
goal to be achieved over a period of time through a varied syllabus, with
repeated opportunities for the development of the talents that lie hidden
in the infant. Just as a day, or even a year, of schooling would be inadequate
for this purpose, so a single life-time with its limited range of opportunities
is inadequate to release the truly deific powers of the individual.
As every act, thought and desire is the effect of an antecedent cause,
so in its turn it becomes the cause of a subsequent effect: 'whatsoever
a man soweth, that shall he also reap' (Gal. vi 7). These verses
from The Light of Asia summarise the twin doctrines:
A considerable body of evidence has been assembled "both in recent
Anthologies and in the published accounts of scientific investigation.
The Anthologies show the antiquity and the universality of the doctrine
of the plurality of lives and the intellectual stature of its exponents.
The accumulation of case studies in which reincarnation offers the best
explanation, especially the researches of Ian Stevenson, although not
constituting proof, lend substantial support to the ancient teaching.
According to the esoteric philosophy, the vehicles of consciousness are
normally newly formed for the new incarnation. The absence of memory is
explained thus:
The Key to Theosophy The Ego alone is permanent throughout the cycle of lives; it follows
that knowledge of past incarnations is attainable by putting oneself en
rapport with that Ego. So it is that, among the powers of the Self (the
siddhis), whether developed naturally or by special discipline,
is the ability to recall past lives. This is mentioned in the Yoga
Sutras of Patanjali (Book III verse 18). Similarly in the story of
the Buddha we are told how, as Enlightenment came to him, he saw 'the
line of all his lives in all the worlds.' For the Adept, therefore, in
whom this power is awakened, reincarnation is not a matter of belief but
of knowledge. If it is asked: can anyone follow in detail the chain of causation by which past, present and future lives are linked together? the answer is clearly: yes, when the conditions are fulfilled. Those who, after many incarnations dedicated to the practical pursuit of the higher knowledge, have developed the requisite faculties, have been able thereby to study directly "the mysteries of being, of life, death and rebirth, and all have taught in their turn some of the facts so learned."
The sequence of births and deaths is frequently, and appropriately, compared
with the succession of days of activity and nights of rest, as also with
the recurring cycle of the seasons. Indeed, whatever support may be contributed
by other kinds of evidence, the truth of reincarnation rests rather on
its conformity to the law of analogy, 'the surest guide to the comprehension
of the occult teaching'. All things, all beings, pass through the sequence
of birth, growth, decay and death, then entering again on a new phase
of the spiral pilgrimage.
The cyclic nature of the evolutionary process on the vast scale of the
Kosmos as on the scale of human life, its inherent purpose as the unfolding
of potentialities, the 'indivisible divine order, which embraces man and
nature alike', and of which reincarnation is but one instance within the
context of human life - all this is comprehensively expressed in this
passage by a modern writer:
Shirley Nicholson, Ancient Wisdom-Modern
Insight
The literature of Reincarnation is very extensive - and still growing!
The Key to Theosophy, which was published in 1889, quotes a passage from
E. D. Walker's Reincarnation: A Study of Forgotten Truth, an early anthology
which includes a substantial bibliography on Reincarnation. General text
books of Theosophy will include chapters on Reincarnation and Karma. Anthologies Research Studies Recent titles
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It
is Plato's doctrine, and none more defensible, that the soul before it
entered therealm of Becoming existed in the universe of Being. Released
[at death] from the region of time and space, it returns to its former
abode ... into communion with itself. After a season of quiet "alone
with the Alone," of assimilation of its earthly experiences and memories,
refreshed and invigorated, it is seized again by the desire for further
trials of its strength, further knowledge of the universe, the 