The Hindus
While Reincarnation has been believed and taught in nearly every nation,
and among all races, in former or present times, still we are justified
in considering India as the natural Mother of the doctrine, inasmuch as
it has found an especially favorable spiritual and mental environment in
that land and among its people, the date of its birth there being lost
in the cloudiness of ancient history, but the tree of the teaching being
still in full flower and still bearing an abundance of fruit. As the
Hindus proudly claim, while the present dominant race was still in the
savage, cave-dwelling, stone-age stage of existence--and while even the
ancient Jewish people were beginning to place the foundation stones of
their religion, of which the present Christian religion is but an
offshoot--the great Hindu religious teachers and philosophers had long
since firmly established their philosophies and religions with the
doctrine of Reincarnation and its accompanying teachings, which had been
accepted as Truth by the great Aryan race in India. And, throughout
forty centuries, or more, this race has held steadfastly to the original
doctrine, until now the West is looking again to it for light on the
great problems of human life and existence, and now, in the Twentieth
Century, many careful thinkers consider that in the study and
understanding of the great fundamental thoughts of the Vedas and the
Upanishads, the West will find the only possible antidote to the virus
of Materialism that is poisoning the veins of Western spiritual
understanding.
The idea of reincarnation is to be found in nearly all of the
philosophies and religions of the race, at least in some period in their
history--among all peoples and races--yet, in India do we find the
doctrine in the fullest flower, not only in the past but in the present.
From the earliest ages of the race in India, Reincarnation in some of
its various forms has been the accepted doctrine, and today it is
accepted by the entire Hindu people, with their many divisions and
sub-races, with the exception of the Hindu Mohammedans. The teeming
millions of India live and die in the full belief in Reincarnation, and
to them it is accepted without a question as the only rational doctrine
concerning the past, present and future of the soul. Nowhere on this
planet is there to be found such an adherence to the idea of "soul"
life--the thinking Hindu always regarding himself as a soul occupying a
body, rather than as a body "having a soul," as so many of the Western
people seem to regard themselves. And, to the Hindus, the present life
is truly regarded as but one step on the stairway of life, and not as
the only material life preceding an eternity of spiritual existence. To
the Hindu mind, Eternity is here with us Now--we are in eternity as much
this moment as we ever shall be--and the present life is but one of a
number of fleeting moments in the eternal life.
The early Hindus did not possess the complicated forms of religion now
existing among them, with their various creeds, ceremonials, rituals,
cults, schools, and denominations. On the contrary, their original form
of religion was an advanced form of what some have called
"Nature-Worship," but which was rather more than that which the Western
mind usually means by the term. Their "Nature" was rather a "Spirit of
Nature," or One Life, of which all existing forms are but varying
manifestations. Even in this early stage of their religious development
they held to a belief in reincarnation of the soul, from one form to
another. While to them everything was but a manifestation of One Life,
still the soul was a differentiated unit, emanated from the One Life,
and destined to work its way back to Unity and Oneness with the Divine
Life through many and varied incarnations, until finally it would be
again merged with the One. From this early beginning arose the many and
varied forms of religious philosophy known to the India of today; but
clinging to all these modern forms is to be found the fundamental basis
idea of reincarnation and final absorption with the One.
Brahmanism came first, starting from the simple and working to the
complex, a great priesthood gradually arising and surrounding the
original simple religious philosophy with ceremonial, ritual and
theological and metaphysical abstractions and speculation. Then arose
Buddhism, which, in a measure, was a return to the primitive idea, but
which in turn developed a new priesthood and religious organization. But
the fundamental doctrine of Reincarnation permeated them all, and may be
regarded as the great common centre of the Hindu religious thought and
philosophy.
The Hindu religious books are filled with references to the doctrine of
Reincarnation. The Laws of Manu, one of the oldest existing pieces of
Sanscrit writing, contains many mentions of it, and the Upanishads and
Vedas contain countless reference to it. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna
says to Arjuna: "Know thou, O Prince of Pandu, that there never was a
time when I, nor thou, nor any of these princes of earth was not; nor
shall there ever come a time, hereafter, when any of us shall cease to
be. As the soul, wearing this material body, experienceth the stages of
infancy, youth, manhood, and old age, even so shall it, in due time,
pass on to another body, and in other incarnations shall it again live,
and move and play its part. * * * These bodies, which act as enveloping
coverings for the souls occupying them, are but finite things--things of
the moment--and not the Real Man at all. They perish as all finite
things perish--let them perish. He who in his ignorance thinketh: 'I
slay' or 'I am slain,' babbleth like an infant lacking knowledge. Of a
truth none can slay--none can be slain. Take unto thy inner mind this
truth, O Prince! Verily, the Real Man--the Spirit of Man--is neither
born, nor doth it die. Unborn, undying, ancient, perpetual and eternal,
it hath endured, and will endure forever. The body may die; be slain; be
destroyed completely--but he that hath occupied it remaineth unharmed.
* * * As a man throweth away his old garments, replacing them with new
and brighter ones, even so the Dweller of the body, having quitted its
old mortal frame, entereth into others which are new and freshly
prepared for it. * * * Many have been my births and rebirths, O
Prince--and many also have been thine own. But between us lies this
difference--I am conscious of all my many lives, but thou lackest
remembrance of thine."
In the Mahabarata is said: "Even as when he casteth off an old garment,
man clothes himself in new raiment, even so the soul, casting off the
wornout body, takes on a new body, avoids the fatal paths leading to
hell, works for its salvation, and proceeds toward heaven."
The Brhadaranyakopanishad, one of the old Hindu writings, contains the
following: "As the caterpillar, getting to the end of the straw, takes
itself away after finding a resting place in advance, so the soul
leaving this body, and finding another place in advance, takes himself
off from his original abode. As the goldsmith taking little by little
of the gold expands it into a new form, so, indeed, does this soul,
leaving this body, make a new and happy abode for himself."
But to attempt to quote passages relating to incarnation from the Hindu
books, would be akin to compiling a library of many volumes. The sacred
writings of the East are filled with references to Reincarnation, and if
the latter were eliminated it would be "like the play of Hamlet with
Hamlet omitted."
We cannot enter into a description of the various schools of Hindu
religious thought and philosophy in this work, for to do so would be to
expand this little volume in several of larger size, so extended is the
subject. But underlying the many divisions and subdivisions of Hindu
thought may be found the fundamental idea of an original emanation from,
or manifestation of, One Divine Being, Power and Energy, into countless
differentiated units, atoms, or egos, which units, embodying in matter,
are unconscious of the spiritual nature, and take on a consciousness
corresponding with the form in which they are embodied. Then follows a
series of embodiments, or incarnations, from lower to higher, in which
occurs an evolution or "unfoldment" of the nature of the soul, in which
it rises to higher and higher planes of being, until finally, after aeons
of time, it enters in Union with the Divine Nirvana and
Para-Nirvana--the state of Eternal Bliss.
The great difference between the Hindu thought and the Grecian is that
while the Greeks considered repeated life with joy as a means of greater
and greater expression of life, the Hindus, on the contrary, regard life
as but a period of travail and sorrow, the only light to be perceived
being the expectation and hope of eventually emerging from the region of
materiality, and illusion, and regaining true existence in the Spirit.
The Hindus nearly all agree that this material life is occasioned by
"avidya" or ignorance on the part of the soul of its own real nature and
being, whereby it fails to recognize that this material life is "maya"
or illusion. They hold that Wisdom consists in the soul recognizing its
real nature, and perceiving the illusion of material life and things,
and striving to liberate itself from the bondage of materiality and
ignorance.
The principal differences among the various Hindu schools of religion
and philosophical thought arise from their differing views regarding the
nature and constitution of the soul on the one hand, and the means of
attaining liberation and freedom from material embodiment on the other.
The doctrine of "Karma" of spiritual cause and effect, which we shall
consider in another chapter, also runs along with all the varying Hindu
conceptions, doctrines, and theories.
Without considering the matter of differences of opinion between the
various schools, concerning the nature and constitution of the soul, we
may say that all the schools practically agree that the constitution of
Man is a complex thing, comprising a number of sheaths, bodies,
coverings, or elements, from the grosser to the more spiritual, the
various sheaths being discarded as the soul advances on its way toward
perfection. There are disputes between the various schools regarding
terminology and the precise arrangement of these "principles," but the
following classification will answer for the purpose of giving a general
idea of the Hindu views on the subject, subject always to the
conflicting claims of the various schools. The classification is as
follows, passing from lower to higher:
1. Physical or material body, or Rupa. 2. Vitality of Vital Force, or
Prana-Jiva. 3. Astral Body, Etheric Double, or Linga Sharira. 4. Animal
Soul, or Kama Rupa. 5. Human Soul, or Manas. 6. Spiritual Soul, or
Buddhi. 7. Divine Spirit, or Atma.
From the beginning, the tendency of the Hindu mind was in the direction
of resolving the universe of forms, shapes, and change, back into some
One Underlying Principle, from which all the phenomenal world
emerged--some One Infinite Energy, from which all else emerged,
emanated, or evolved. And the early Hindu mind busied itself actively
with the solution of the problem of this One Being manifesting a
Becoming into Many. Just as is the Western world of today actively
engaged in solving many material problems, so was ancient India active
in solving many spiritual problems--just as the modern West is straining
every energy toward discovering the "How," so was ancient India
straining every effort to discovering the "Why." And from that struggle
of the mind of India there arose countless schools of religious and
philosophical thought, many of which have passed away, but many of which
persist today. The problem of the relationship of the human soul to the
One Being, and the secondary problem of the life, present and future, of
the individual soul, is a most vital one to all thinking Hindus today as
in the forty centuries or more of its philosophical history. To the
Hindu mind, all material research is of minor importance, the important
Truth being to discover that "which when once known, all else is
understood." But, as we have said, in spite of the numerous religions,
schools, and phases of teaching, among the Hindus, the one fundamental
conception of Reincarnation is never lost sight of, nor is it ever
doubted in any of the forms of the philosophies or religions.
Ignoring the subdivisions of Hindu philosophical thought, we may say
that the Hindu philosophies may be divided into a few general classes,
several of which we shall now hastily consider, that you may get a
glimpse at the variety of Hindu speculative philosophy in its relation
to the soul and its destiny. You will, of course, understand that we can
do no more than mention the leading features of each class, as a careful
consideration would require volumes for each particular school.
We will first consider the philosophy of Kanada, generally known as the
Vaisheshika Teaching, which inclines toward an Atomic Theory, akin to
that formulated by the old Greek philosopher Democritus. According to
this teaching the substance of the universe is composed of an infinite
number of atoms, which are eternal, and which were not created by God,
but which are co-eternal with Him. These atoms, combining and forming
shapes, forms, etc., are the basis of the material universe. It is held,
however, that the power or energy whereby these atoms combine and thus
form matter, comes from God. This teaching holds that God is a Personal
Being, possessing Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence. It is also
held that there are two substances, or principles, higher, that the
material energies or substance, namely, Manas, or Mind, and Atman, or
Spirit. Manas or Mind is held to be something like a Mind-Stuff, from
which all individual minds are built up--and which Mind-Stuff is held to
be eternal. Atman, or Spirit, is held to be an eternal principle, from
which the Selves or Souls are differentiated. The Atman, or Spirit, or
Self, is regarded as much higher than Mind, which is its tool and
instrument of expression. This philosophy teaches that through
progression, by Reincarnation, the soul advances from lower to higher
states, on its road to freedom and perfection.
Another great school of Hindu philosophy is the philosophy of Kapila,
generally known as the Sankhya system. This teaching opposes the Atomic
Theory of the Vaisheshika system, and holds that the atoms are not
indestructible nor eternal, but may be resolved back into a primal
substance called Prakriti. Prakriti is held to be an universal, eternal
energy or ethereal substance, something similar to certain Western
scientific conceptions of an Universal Ether. From this eternal,
universal energy, Kapila held that all the universe has been
evolved--all material forms or manifestations of energy being but
manifestations of Prakriti. But, the Sankhya system is not
materialistic, as might be supposed at first glance, for side by side
with Prakriti it offers the principle of Purusha, or Soul, or Spirit, of
which all individual souls are atomic units--the Principle of Purusha
being an Unity of Units, and not an Undivided One. The Purusha--that is,
its units or Individual Souls--is regarded as eternal and immortal.
Prakriti is devoid of mind, but is possessed of active vital energy,
and is capable of producing forms and material manifestations by reason
of its inherent energy, and laws, and thus produces what the Hindus call
"Maya," or material illusion, which they hold to be devoid of reality,
inasmuch as the forms are constantly changing and have no permanence.
This philosophy holds that Prakriti, by means of the glamour of its
manifestations of Maya, entices the individual souls, or Purushas, which
when once in the centre of attraction of the Maya are drawn into the
vortex of material existence, losing a knowledge of their real nature.
But the souls never lose entirely the glimmer of the Light of the
Spirit, and, consequently, soon begin to feel that they have made a
mistake, and consequently begin to strive to escape the bondage of
Prakriti and its Maya--but such escape is possible only through a
gradual rising up from the depths of Maya, step by step, cycle by cycle,
by a series of purification and cleansing of themselves, just as a fly
cleanses itself of the sticky substance into which it has fallen. This
escape is accomplished by Spiritual Unfoldment or Evolution, by means of
Reincarnation--this Evolution not being a "growth," but rather an
"unfoldment" or "unwrapping" of the soul from its confining sheaths, one
by one.
Another great school of Hindu philosophy is the philosophy of Patanjali,
generally known as the Yoga Philosophy, but which differs from the Yogi
Philosophy of the West, which is eclectic in nature. The Yoga Philosophy
of Patanjali bears some resemblance to the Sankhya school of Kapila,
inasmuch as it recognizes the teachings regarding Prakriti, from which
universal energy the material universe has been evolved; and inasmuch as
it also recognizes the countless individual Purushas, or souls, which
are eternal and immortal, and which are entrapped in the Maya of
Prakriti. But it then takes a position widely divergent from the Sankhya
school, inasmuch as Patanjali's Yoga school holds that there also exists
a Supreme Purusha, Spirit, Soul--or God--who is without form; infinite;
eternal; and above all attributes and qualities common to man. In this
respect, Patanjali differs from Kapila, and inclines rather toward
agreement with Kanada, of the first mentioned school of the Vaisheshika
system. All three philosophers, however, seem to generally agree in the
main upon the Mind Principle, which they hold to be beneath Soul or
Spirit, and to be in the nature of Mind-Stuff, which is of a
semi-material nature--Kapila and Patanjali even going so far as to hold
that it is a manifestation of Prakriti or the Universal Energy, rather
than a distinct principle. They hold that the Purusha, or Spirit, not
the Mind, is the Real Self, and the source of consciousness and the real
intelligence. The practical teachings of the school of Patanjali is a
system by which the Purusha may escape from and overcome the Prakriti,
and thus gain emancipation, freedom, and a return to its natural and
original purity and power. This school, of course, teaches
Reincarnation, and Progression through Rebirth, in accordance with the
principles mentioned above.
Another great school of Hindu philosophy is that known as the Vedanta
Philosophy, which many consider the most advanced of all the Hindu
systems, and which is rapidly growing in popularity among the educated
Hindus, and also among many very intelligent students of philosophical
thought in the Western world. Its followers claim that the Vedanta
Philosophy has reached the very highest point of philosophical thought,
speculation and analysis possible to the human mind of today, and many
Western students have claimed that it contains the highest conceptions
found in any and all of the great World Philosophies. Be this as it may,
it certainly contains much that is the most subtle, refined and keen in
the field of philosophical speculative thought of the world, and while,
as some claim, it may lack the "appeal to the religious emotions" that
some other forms of thought possess, still it proves very attractive to
those in whom intellectual development and effort have superseded the
"emotional" side of philosophy or religion.
The Vedanta System holds that the Ultimate Reality, or Actual Being, of
the universe--the One Absolute Energy or Substance from which all the
universe proceeds--is THAT which may be called The Absolute, which is
eternal, infinite, indivisible, beyond attributes and qualities, and
which is the source of intelligence. The Absolute is held to be One, not
Many--Unique and Alone. It is identical with the Sanscrit "Brahman," and
is held to be THAT which has been called "The Unknowable"; the "Father";
the "Over-Soul"; the "Thing-in-Itself"--in short, it is THAT which men
mean, and have always meant, when they wished to express the ABSOLUTE
REALITY. The Vedantists hold that this Absolute Brahman is the essence
of "Sat," or Absolute Existence; "Chit," or Absolute Intelligence; and
"Ananda," or Absolute Bliss. Without attempting to enter into an
analysis, or close exposition, of the Vedanta Philosophy, or so far as
concerns the soul, and its destiny, we may say that it holds that there
do not exist the countless eternal, immortal souls or Purushas of the
Sankhya philosophy, but instead that the individual souls are but the
countless "images or reflections" of the Absolute Being, or Brahman, and
have their existence only by reason of the Real Existence of the One
Only Being. Consequently, the Spirit within the soul of Man, and which
is "the soul of his soul," is Divine. The Vedantists admit the existence
of a "Logos," or Ishwara, the Lord of the Universe, who is, however, but
a manifestation of Brahman--a Great Soul, as it were, and who presides
over the evolution of Universes from the Prakriti, and who plays the
part of the Demiurge of the old Grecian and Gnostic philosophies. The
Vedantists admit the existence (relative) of Prakriti, or Universal
Energy, but hold that it is not eternal, or real-in-itself, but is
practically identical with Maya, and may be regarded as a form of the
Creative Energy of the Absolute, Brahman. This Maya (which while
strictly speaking is illusion inasmuch as it has no real existence or
eternal quality) is the source of time, space, and causation, and of
the phenomenal universe, with its countless forms, shapes, and
appearances. The Vedantists teach that the Evolution of the Soul is
accomplished by its escaping the folds of Maya, or Materiality, one by
one, by means of Rebirths, until it manifests more and more of its
Divine Nature; and thus it goes on, and on, from higher to still higher,
until at last it enters into the Divine Being and attains Union with
God, and is "One with the Father."
Another great Hindu philosophy is the philosophy of Gautama, the Buddha,
which is generally known as the Buddhistic Philosophy, or as Buddhism.
It is difficult to give a clear idea of Buddhism in a concise form, for
there are so many schools, sects, and divisions among this general
school of philosophy, differing upon the minor points and details of
doctrine, that it requires a lengthy consideration in order to clear
away the disputed points. Speaking generally, however, it may be said
that the Buddhists start with the idea or conception of an Unknowable
Reality, back of and under all forms and activity of the phenomenal
universe. Buddha refused to discuss the nature of this Reality,
practically holding it to be Unknowable, and in the nature of an
Absolute Nothing, rather than an Absolute Something in the sense of
"Thingness" as we understand the term; that is to say, it is a No-Thing,
rather than a Thing--consequently it is beyond thought, understanding,
or even imagination--all that can be said is that it IS. Buddha refused
to discuss or teach of the manner in which this Unknowable came to
manifest upon the Relative Plane, for he held that Man's proper study
was of the World of Things, and how to escape therefrom. In a vague way,
however, Buddhism holds that in some way this Unknowable, or a part
thereof, becomes entangled in Maya or Illusion, through Avidya or
Ignorance, Law, Necessity, or perhaps something in the nature of a
Mistake. And arising from this mistaken activity, all the pain and
sorrow of the universe arises, for the Buddhist holds that the Universe
is a "world of woe," from which the soul is trying to escape. Buddhism
holds that the soul Reincarnates often, because of its desires and
attractions, which if nursed and encouraged will lead it into lives
without number. Consequently, to the Buddhist, Wisdom consists in
acquiring a knowledge of the true state of affairs, just mentioned, and
then upon that knowledge building up a new life in which desire and
attraction for the material world shall be eliminated, to the end that
the soul having "killed out desire" for material things--having cut off
the dead branch of Illusion--is enabled to escape from Karma, and
eventually be released from Rebirth, thence passing back into the great
ocean of the Unknowable, or Nirvana, and ceasing to Be, so far as the
phenomenal world is concerned, although of course it will exist in the
Unknowable, which is Eternal. Many Western readers imagine the
Buddhistic Nirvana to be an utter annihilation of existence and being,
but the Hindu mind is far more subtle, and sees a vast difference
between utter annihilation on the one hand, and extinction of
personality on the other. That which appears Nothingness to the Western
Mind, is seen as No-Thingness to the Oriental conception, and is
considered more of a resumption of an original Real Existence, rather
than an ending thereof.
There is a great difference between the two great schools of Buddhism,
the Northern and Southern, respectively, regarding the nature of the
soul. The Northern school considers the soul as an entity,
differentiated from the Unknowable in some mysterious way not explained
by Buddha, and yet different from the individual Purusha of the Sankhya
school, before mentioned. On the contrary, the Southern school does not
regard the soul as a differentiated or distinct entity, but rather as a
centre of phenomenal activity saturated or charged with the results of
its deeds, and that therefore the Karma, or the Essence of Deeds, may be
considered as the soul itself, rather than as something pertaining to
it. The Northern school holds that the soul, accompanied by its Karma,
reincarnates along the same lines as those taught by all the other
Hindu schools of Reincarnation and Karma. But the Southern school, on
the contrary, holds that it is not the soul-entity that re-incarnates
(for there is no such entity), but that instead it is the Karma, or
Essence of Deeds, that reincarnates from life to life, according to its
attractions, desires, and merits or demerits. In the last mentioned view
of the case, the rebirth is compared to the lighting of one lamp from
the flame of another, rather than in the transferring of the oil from
one lamp to another. But, really, these distinctions are quite
metaphysical, and when refined by analysis become hair-splitting. It is
said that the two schools of Buddhism are growing nearer together, and
their differences reconciled. The orthodox Hindus claim that Buddhism is
on the decline in India, being largely supplanted by the various forms
of the Vedanta. On the other hand, Buddhism has spread to China, Japan
and other countries, where it has taken on new forms, and has grown into
a religion of ritualism, creeds, and ceremonialism, with an
accompanying loss of the original philosophy and a corresponding
increase of detail of teaching, doctrine and disciple and general
"churchiness," including a belief in several thousand different kind of
hells. But even in the degenerated forms, Buddhism still holds to
Reincarnation as a fundamental doctrine.
In this consideration of the philosophies of India, we do not consider
it necessary to go into an explanation of the various forms of
religions, or church divisions, among the Hindus. In India, Religion is
an important matter, and there seems to be some form of religion adapted
to each one of that country's teeming millions. From the grossest form
of religious superstition, and crudest form of ceremony and worship, up
to the most refined idealism and beautiful symbolisms, runs the gamut of
the Hindu Religions. Many people are unable to conceive of an abstract,
ideal Universal Being, such as the Brahman of the Hindu Philosophy, and
consequently that Being has been personified as an Anthropomorphic
Deity, and human attributes bestowed upon him to suit the popular fancy.
In India, as in all other countries, the priesthood have given the
people that which they asked for, and the result is that many forms of
churchly ceremonialism, and forms of worship, maintain which are
abhorrent and repulsive to Western ideas. But we of the West are not
entirely free from this fault, as one may see if he examines some of the
religious conceptions and ceremonies common among ignorant people in
remote parts of our land. Certain conceptions, of an anthropomorphic
Deity held by some of the more ignorant people of the Western world are
but little advanced beyond the idea of the Devil; and the belief in a
horned, cloven-hoofed, spiked-tail, red-colored, satyr-like, leering
Devil, with his Hell of Eternal Fire and Brimstone, is not so uncommon
as many imagine. It has not been so long since we were taught that "one
of the chief pleasures of God and his angels, and the saved souls, will
be the witnessing of the tortures of the damned in Hell, from the walls
of Heaven." And the ceremonies of an old-time Southern negro
camp-meeting were not specially elevating or ideal.
Among the various forms of the religions of India we find some of the
before mentioned forms of philosophy believed and taught among the
educated people--often an eclectic policy of choosing and selecting
being observed, a most liberal policy being observed, the liberty of
choice and selection being freely accorded. But, there is always the
belief in Reincarnation and Karma, no matter what the form of worship,
or the name of the religion. There are two things that the Hindu mind
always accepts as fundamental truth, needing no proof--axiomic, in fact.
And these two are (1) The belief in a Soul that survives the death of
the body--the Hindu mind seeming unable to differentiate between the
consciousness of "I Am," and "I always Have Been, and always Shall
Be"--the knowledge of the present existence being accepted as a proof of
past and future existence; and (2) the doctrine of Reincarnation and
Karma, which are accepted as fundamental and axiomic truths beyond the
need of proof, and beyond doubt--as a writer has said: "The idea of
Reincarnation has become so firmly fixed and rooted in the Hindu mind as
a part of belief that it amounts to the dignity and force of a moral
conviction." No matter what may be the theories regarding the nature of
the universe--the character of the soul--or the conception concerning
Deity or the Supreme Being--you will always find the differing sects,
schools, and individuals accepting Reincarnation and Karma as they
accept the fact that they themselves are existent, or that twice one
makes two. Hindu Philosophy cannot be divorced from Reincarnation. To
the Hindu the only escape from the doctrine of Reincarnation seems to be
along the road of the Materialism of the West. From the above statement
we may except the Hindu Mohammedans and the native Hindu Christians,
partially, although careful observers say that even these do not escape
entirely the current belief of their country, and secretly entertain a
"mental reservation" in their heterodox creeds. So, you see, we are
justified in considering India as the Mother Land of Reincarnation at
the present time.
More
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Northern India was the cradle of the present race--the fifth--the Eden of our humanity, our physical, moral, mental, and spiritual mother.[81] From her womb issued the emigrant hordes that peopled Europe after spreading over Egypt, Asia Minor, and S... Islamism
It has been said that the Arabs believed in Reincarnation before Mohammed forbade it. Some, however, think that the Koran was written only after the death of the Prophet, and that the latter committed nothing to writing, but taught by word of mouth.... Manifestation Of The Higher Consciousness In The Phenomena Of Possession And Materialisation
In these strange phenomena, not only manifestations of the higher consciousness, analogous with or similar to those just cited, have been noted, but also a number of facts which prove, to some extent, the casual presence in a normal human body or in... Manifestation Of The Higher Consciousness In Various Cases Of Mental Faculties Lost To Normal Consciousness
A rather large number of people born blind have images in dreams, and can see with the higher consciousness, when placed in a state of somnambulism. This proves that the higher consciousness possesses the power of vision on its own plane, and can im... Manifestations Of The Higher Consciousness During The Different Kinds Of Sleep
Normal dream. During normal sleep there exists a special consciousness which must not be confounded either with waking consciousness or with that of the astral body. It is due to the automatic, cerebral vibration which continues during sleep, and wh... Manifestations Of The Higher Consciousness In Apparitions
A final group of phenomena to which I wish to call attention is the one which goes under the name of apparitions. A considerable number of these are to be found; we will confine ourselves, however, to referring the reader to a volume entitled Phanta... Manifestations Of The Higher Consciousness In Phenomena Of Double Consciousness
The "strata of memory" met with in many cases also prove the existence of the second vehicle of consciousness which we are trying to demonstrate. Certain dreams continue night after night, beginning again just where they stopped the previous nigh... Manifestations Of The Higher Consciousness Indicating Not Only That It Extends Farther Than Normal Consciousness
The Soul functioning in the finer body sees the physical body in a state of coma. Dr. Abercrombie relates the case of a child aged four, who was trepanned as the result of fracture of the skull, and whilst in a stale of coma. He never knew what happ... Manifestations Of The Higher Consciousness Under The Form Of Memory
The memory that is lost by the brain is preserved in its entirety by the finer vehicle. A musician, a friend of Hervey's, once heard a remarkable piece of music; he remembered it on awaking, and wrote it down, regarding it as his own inspiration.... Metempsychosis
After the disintegration of the body, the kamic[92] elements continue for some time, us a "shade"[93] or a "phantom,"[94] in the finer and invisible atmosphere;[95] then they, in turn, become disintegrated by the various forces of this environment,[... Neoplatonism
The great philosophic body that formed a bridge, as it were, between the Old World and the New was the famous School of Alexandria, founded about the second century of our era by Ammonius Saccas and closed in the year 429 A.D. through the intoleranc... New Testament
The New Testament is far more explicit than the Old, even though we find the teachings of reincarnation indicated in only a vague, indirect fashion. All the same, it must not be forgotten that the canonical Gospels have suffered numerous suppression... Objection
An apparently serious objection to the doctrine of Rebirth is constantly being made. It is unjust and useless, people say, to be punished for misdeeds that are forgotten. As this objection has reference to moral proofs, we must deal with it here. ... Objection
Reincarnation is not necessary, it has been alleged; the soul's evolution is continued after death in the invisible worlds in finer bodies; consequently it is needless to return to the denser bodies of earth. In our opinion, the trials of life, s... Objection
Reincarnation and Forgetfulness of the Past. Sceptics are ever bringing forward against reincarnation the absence of all memory of past lives, convinced that there can be no answer to this argument. They do not reflect that human ignorance is a... Old Testament
H. P. Blavatsky tells us that the Old Testament is not a homogeneous composition; that Genesis alone is of immense antiquity; that it is prior to the time when the Libra of the Zodiac was invented by the Greeks, for it has been noticed that the chap... Progress
The observer of Nature makes a third discovery. Every fresh cycle of life is characterised by an advance on the preceding cycle; every stage brings the end nearer. This represents progress, and it is seen everywhere; when it does not appear, it is b... Proofs Of The Astral Body
Certain normal and abnormal or morbid phenomena in man have proved the existence of this vehicle, which we will call the higher consciousness, for it is far greater than normal, waking consciousness, that of the brain. In the somewhat rare cases in ... Reincarnation
The process of disintegration[97] which, after disincarnation, destroys the physical, astral, and mental bodies of the man leaves the Soul--or, to be more exact, the causal body, for the soul is not the causal body any more than it is any of the oth... Reincarnation And Science
The secret of the Universe lies in observation; it is for man to develop his senses and patiently to search into the hidden things of Nature. All science proceeds thus, and the reason that savants have not unearthed the precious object for which ... Reincarnation And The Moral Law
The Goodness, justice, and Omnipotence of God are the guarantees of Providence. It is absolutely impossible that the faintest breath of injustice should ever disturb the Universe. Every time the Law appears to be violated, every time Justice se... Reincarnation And The Religious And Philosophic Consensus Of The Ages
In the rapid review we are now about to make of the religion and philosophy of the past, we shall find that, under many and divers names and veils, the doctrine of Rebirths has been taught from the farthest antiquity right up to the present time. Th... Resurrection
The human body is a species of polyp colony, a kind of coral island like those that emerge above the waves of the Pacific, by reason of the collective efforts of lower organisms. The most numerous of the compounds of the human aggregate are known ... Rome
Although Rome, above all else, was a warlike republic, and religion principally a State cult, that allowed but slight opportunity for the outer expression of spirituality, none the less did it inherit the beliefs of Egypt, Greece, and Persia; the Ba... The Argument For Reincarnation
In addition to the consideration of Justice, there are many other advantages claimed by the advocates of Reincarnation which are worthy of the careful consideration of students of the problem of the soul. We shall give to each of these principal p... The Celts
Sacerdotal India--and perhaps also Atlantis--in early times sent pioneers into the West to spread religious teachings amongst their energetic inhabitants; those who settled in Gaul and the British Isles were the Druids. "I am a serpent, a druid," th... The Cyclic Process Of Evolution
Another fact strikes the observer: the cyclic march of evolution. After action comes reaction; after activity, rest; after winter, summer; after day, night; after inspiration--the breath of life during which universal Movement works in a molecular a... The Doctrine Of Rebirth In Modern Philosophy
In antiquity, science and philosophy were scarcely anything else than parts of religion[223]; the most eminent scientists and the greatest philosophers alike were all supporters of the established form of religion, whenever they did not happen to be... The Early Christian Church
The documents to which we have access, dealing with the philosophical and religious history of Christianity in the first few centuries of our era, are so questionable, that we can place but faint reliance upon them, if we would really become acquain... The Early Races
By "Reincarnation" we mean the repeated incarnation, or embodiment in flesh, of the soul or immaterial part of man's nature. The term "Metempsychosis" is frequently employed in the same sense, the definition of the latter term being: "The passage ... The Egyptians Chaldeans Druids Etc
After considering the existence of the doctrines of Reincarnation among the primitive peoples, and its traditional existence among the vanished peoples of the past, we find ourselves irresistibly borne toward that ancient land of mystery--the home... The Evolutionary Series
If we look attentively at the totality of beings we perceive a progressive series of forms expressing a parallel series of qualities and states of consciousness. The portion of this scale we are able to compass extends from the amorphous state[42]--... The Goal Of Evolution
The Formation of Centres of Consciousness that become "Egos." Through innumerable wanderings this general progress traces a clear, unwavering line. Those capable of following evolution on the planes of finer matter at once perceive, as it were, wi... The Hindus
While Reincarnation has been believed and taught in nearly every nation, and among all races, in former or present times, still we are justified in considering India as the natural Mother of the doctrine, inasmuch as it has found an especially fav... The Jews Essenes And Early Christians
The early Jewish people had an Inner Teaching which embraced certain ideas concerning Reincarnation, although the masses of the people knew nothing of the doctrine which was reserved for the inner circles of the few. There is much dispute concerni... The Justice Of Reincarnation
There are three views entertained by men who believe in the existence of the soul--there are many shades of belief and opinion on the subject, but they may be divided into three classes. These three views, respectively, are as follows: (1) That th... The Kabala
Contact with the Babylonians, during the Captivity, brought about a rapid development in the Hebrews, who were at that time far more advanced souls than those that animated the bodies of their fathers,[156] and taught them many important details of ... The Law Of Causality (karma)
Karma is the Law of the Universe, the expression of divine Will. Its seemingly essential attributes are Justice and Love; it neither punishes nor rewards, but adjusts things, restores disturbed balance and harmony, brings back evolving souls to the ... The Law Of Karma
"Karma" is a term in general use among the Hindus, and the Western believers in Reincarnation, the meaning of which is susceptible of various shades of definition and interpretation. It is most important to all students of the subject of Reincarna... The Modern West
In the modern thought of the Western world, we find Reincarnation attracting much attention. The Western philosophies for the past hundred years have been approaching the subject with a new degree of attention and consideration, and during the pas... The Problem Of Human Heredity
If materialism were the whole truth, it ought to explain the whole of heredity; instead of that it clashes with almost all the problems of life. Physical substance offers for analysis none but physical phenomena: attraction, repulsion, heat, electri... The Problem Of The Inequality Of Conditions
If suffering in general is the child of Necessity--since it is born of multiplicity and the limitation of the Infinite, without which the Universe could not exist--it would seem that we ought to find it falling upon all beings without distinction, i... The Proofs Of Reincarnation
To many minds the "proof" of a doctrine is its reasonableness and its adaptability as an answer to existing problems. And, accordingly, to such, the many arguments advanced in favor of the doctrine, of which we have given a few in the preceding ch... The Romans And Greeks
One unfamiliar with the subject would naturally expect to find the Ancient Romans well advanced along the lines of philosophy, religion, and spiritual speculation, judging from the all-powerful influence exerted by them over the affairs of the who... The Soul And The Bodies
In a book dealing with the resurrection of bodies and the reincarnations of the Soul, a chapter must be devoted to the fundamental elements of the question. We will give the name of Soul to abstract Being, to the Unknown, that unmanifested Prin... Why Does Pain Exist?
To admit, as do certain ignorant fatalists, that the Universe was created by the stroke of some magic wand, and that each planet, kingdom, and being is condemned, so to speak, to a definite crystallisation in the state in which it has pleased God to...