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Various spiritual traditions suggest that this is not the first
life we have lived on this earth, and that our individual lives form part of
a greater cycle. We can relate to this idea because, on a minor scale,
every day we have periods of activity followed by
periods of rest and each new day can be seen as a fresh start. Theories of Human Life The are three main theories commonly suggested or believed in:
In the first explanation we have no
individual past but we seem to have an endless future. Our characters
are specially created by God and imposed upon us without any choice on
our part. In the second
heredity/environment and evolution becomes significant. However, there
is difficulty in accounting for qualities such as saintliness or genius
and the conditions experienced are determined by
chance. In the third
explanation, reincarnation and evolution are essential aspects, but with
added features not generally recognised
by science. Reincarnation allows for intellectual and spiritual evolution,
as well as our physical evolution which is greatly influenced by hereditary
and environmental factors. Reincarnation, along with Karma, the spiritual law of cause and effect, provides
for choice and restores balance. Consider the idea that each of us is a spiritual soul that begins
a pilgrimage by entering a cycle of incarnations. We learn from our experiences,
pleasant and painful, and the results of these experiences help to develop
our mental and moral faculties. Thus the
heredity and environment we encounter in each life are not accidental,
but are the consequences of our thoughts, emotions and actions in previous
lives. Our total nature is therefore the outcome of
the choices we have made during our many incarnations and those choices
become more thoughtful and deliberate as we evolve. Memory
Of Previous Lives A question
often asked is: "If I have been here before, why do I not remember
my past lives?" Surely we
would agree that we forget more of our present life than we remember.
Many people cannot remember learning to speak, yet the fact that they
can speak proves that they did. Incidents of childhood and youth may fade
from memory, yet they leave traces on our character.
This may include memories of past lives which some children do
in fact have (see the work of Ian Stevenson and others). Events in
our present lives can be traumatic and an accumulation of such events
could be excessive, however it is suggested that, although not remembered
now, they leave a permanent trace which will eventually be remembered
when we are developed sufficiently to deal with them. When we feel
we know a stranger on first meeting, we may be recognising a friend from
the past. When we react negatively to a stranger, it could be recognition of an old enemy. These affinities, or warnings, come
from deep within. We remember but, as the body and brain are new, it is
the soul that truly remembers. What
Reincarnates? The theosophical
view is that we have a number of aspects or 'bodies'. That we consist
of temporary aspects — the physical body, emotions and the factual mind
— which make up our personality; but
also there is a deeper spiritual self,
a more permanent part of ourselves which contains the accumulated
result of experiences gained over many lives. These various aspects of
our makeup are not separate, but interpenetrate each other. Our more
permanent self, remaining with us throughout the whole cycle of reincarnations,
is often called the higher self or soul. At death, the temporary aspects
fall away and return to their elements. New mental, emotional and physical
matter is moulded for the next incarnation or birth. An accountant closing
a year's accounts and opening new ones does not enter in the new all the
items of the old, but only its balances. In a similar way, the soul hands
on to the new bodies the qualities, tendencies and capacities which are
the result of past life experiences. Our conscience and
our “instinctive” responses to emotional and intellectual situationsare
the result of past experiences. Growth
Of Capacity Evolutionary development is a key
aspect of reincarnation. The emphasis is on continual growth toward human
perfection and is only achieved by personal effort. According
to theosophical teachings we do not regress, i.e. reincarnate as an animal
or plant. On the contrary, we
take a human form again in order to gradually develop our full human potential
in all areas. This process takes many lives, but may be hastened if we
apply ourselves unselfishly. When a philosophy or a science is quickly
grasped and applied, when an art is mastered easily, these could be the
result of accomplishments gained in past lives, although the facts of
the experience may have been forgotten. Spiritual
Growth Memory of
past lives can be recovered, but this faculty is related to spiritual
growth Only when we are capable of hearing the quiet
voice of the soul may the full story of the past be unrolled and the lessons
it contains be fully learned. Pain follows
mistakes, but this can be constructive once we learn not to make the same
mistakes again. Strength is developed by effort. We learn from every experience
the inevitable consequences: happiness grows out of doing what is right,
sorrow out of error. In every
case, the past explains the present and the present influences the future.
If we accept the notion of spiritual growth through many lives, we can
become more responsible for building our own future. Our lives will then
become increasingly fulfilled, until we reach the goal of the human journey.
Along the way we are able to make an increasingly effective contribution
toward humanity's progress. Books suggested for further reading: * The Key To Theosophy by H.P. Blavatsky (Abridged Ed. J. Mills) * Reincarnation Explored by Dr. John Algeo * Reincarnation: Fact Or Fallacy? by Geoffrey Hodson * Experiencing Reincarnation by James S. Perkins * Reincarnation In Christianity by Geddes MacGregor * Reincarnation: The Phoenix Fire Mystery by Joseph Head and S.L. Cranston * Twenty Cases Suggestive Of Reincarnation by Dr. Ian Stevenson * More Lives that One by Jeffrey Iverson * Karma And Rebirth by Christmas Humphreys
* Exploring Reincarnation by Hans TenDam
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