"Reincarnation is a refining process, attributing to the evolution of consciousness." Exploring theories of reincarnation from various civilizations. We hold the belief that when prayers are burned in the homa fire, they manifest in the inner worlds. Evolution occurs on Earth from experience to experience and after death on the astral plane dependent upon strong desires. "Generally, the soul, at the time of conception, choose the body he will inhabit..." Treat all animals with kindness--the animal may be attached to a great soul in the inner world. At the time of conception couples through love, devotion and their states of consciousness attract to themselves either old souls or young souls.

Master Course Trilogy, Merging with Siva, Chapter 50, Lesson 347, 348.

Unedited Transcript:

Good morning everyone. We're continuing our series from "Merging with Siva." This is Reincarnation: "Merging with Siva" Chapter 50, talk that was given in 1958 at the Sutter Street Temple and we're up to Lesson 347. "Earth Peoples' Shared Wisdom" Text:

"Therefore, reincarnation is a refining process, attributing to the evolution of consciousness. To the watchful observer, the evolution of man's inner bodies can be seen reflected in the tone and form of his physical vehicle. Being a reflection of the inner bodies, the physical shell can and does pass through radical transformation as the spiritual path is followed. Some people seem to reincarnate within this very life, changing themselves so deeply through tapas and sadhana that they are totally renewed or reborn on the physical plane. Their new light and energy pass through the very cells of the body, invigorating and strengthening it. Still, the inner bodies are more malleable than the physical forces and generally evolve more quickly, becoming quite different and more refined in this life than the physical shell. In the next life, the physical structure will be entirely different, as the spiritual body manifests a new physical body more like unto itself."

Well that's a very interesting idea. I don't think it's stated anywhere else in "The Master Course" that the inner bodies get ahead of the physical bodies so to speak in their evolution and takes a brand new physical body to reflect the refinement that they've achieved.

"Other theories propose that the soul remains on the astral plane after death. After reviewing all of our Earthly experiences on the playback, we release the astral body and enter the heavenly realms of consciousness, never coming back to the physical plane, or at least not for a long time. Many cultures, such as the Native American Indian culture, recognize this basic law of reincarnation in their 'Happy Hunting Ground' concepts. Also related to this theory is the belief that when something is destroyed through fire on the physical plane, whether animate or inanimate, it will be found again on the astral plane. For example, when an Indian brave died, his saddle, clothing and valuables were buried and sometimes burned along with his body so that he might continue using these possessions to live well on the inner, astral, plane. These theories of reincarnation assure us that we will meet our loved ones and friends on the inner planes after death. Similar traditions exist among the Hindus in Bali and the Shintoists in Japan."

So one of the examples that we run into the most is burning items in the homa fire and prayers for example. So we burn the prayer in the homa fire and then it manifests in the inner worlds. So that's how we use that principle on a regular basis.

"By exploring the theories of various civilizations we discover that man can either incarnate soon after his death, with little or no interlude, or he may remain for thousands of years on the astral plane, evolving in those force fields, just as on Earth he evolved from experience to experience. How long he will spend on the astral plane depends on how he has created or chosen what he wants to do while on Earth. If he left things undone and felt compelled to accomplish more, to see more, then he would return quickly to another body in fulfillment of the desire for Earthly experience. However, were he satisfied that life had taught him all of the lessons and wished to exist away from the physical plane in mental and spiritual spheres, he might never return to inherit another body. "

So this is my, my comment is this is another example of how strong desires determine what happens on the astral plane, the point Gurudeva made previously.

"If we study the Pyramids and explore the intricate ceremonies which the Egyptians provided for their death, we find they kept the body preserved with elaborate chemical and environmental treatment. When the elements of the physical body are kept intact and not allowed to decompose, the departed may remain consciously on the astral, mental or spiritual plane for as long as he wants. A contact can even be maintained on the physical plane through these laws. However, as soon as the physical body begins to disintegrate, awareness is polarized once again and pulled back to the lower chakras and the physical plane. Actually, as the elements of the previous body disintegrate, all of the instinctive-mind atoms form a force field around that body. This generates a power center. When the body is completely disintegrated, the force field is dissolved, and the soul reincarnates at that time. The Egyptians believed that if a body could be durably mummified, the deceased could enjoy a fine life on the inner planes for thousands of years. Modern science can freeze bodies and thus preserve them perfectly, thus opening up possible research into these principles one day."

Then we get the next lesson [MWS 348] here.

"Yoga Adept's Special Pattern

"These first laws of reincarnation dealing with the astral plane governed by the powers of the first three chakras seem to be quite valid when man is living in his instinctive mind. However, when he passes from the physical body through the will, cognition, or universal love chakras, he comes into a different reincarnation law. He then is living on two planes at the same time and, according to this theory, would have representative bodies on both planes. His evolution on the physical plane would be quick, since his only physical, conscious expression would be a small animal, perhaps a little bird or cat or some extremely sensitive animal. This creature would represent and polarize the advanced soul's instinctive mind on the physical plane while he evolved at an accelerated pace on vast inner planes. This dual existence would continue until such time as the process of reincarnation was intensified and the vibration of the Earth was strong enough in his mind to pull awareness back dynamically to another human life. This might take years, and it might take centuries.

"In a sense, this mystic would be held through the power of the higher chakras in a very subtle force field and only touch into physical consciousness sporadically by using different bodies of animals and people for a few minutes or hours to contact the Earth. He would not necessarily be conscious of doing this. His awareness would exist predominantly on the inner planes.

"This is one reason we find some of the Indian religions forbidding the killing of animals of any kind. They believe an animal may be a great saint or jnani who has passed on. Non-killing of animals, especially cows, is widely observed in India even today. Of course, many consider such a theory senseless, ridiculous, fraught with superstition. However, we could look at everything which we don't yet understand as superstitious until we comprehend the intricate mechanism of the laws of the governing force fields."

So comment:

This definitely gives a new dimension to treating all animals with kindness--that the animal at that moment may be attached to a great soul in the inner worlds. Something we don't normally think of.

Another postulate of this theory is that an advanced being living in his inner bodies, having left consciousness through one of the higher chakras, would be working out a certain amount of karma by helping others who are still in physical bodies to work out their karma. For various reasons, this being would not be able to return to Earth consciously. What, then, would cause him to reincarnate? It would be the intellectual clarity and spiritual intensity of the mother and father in the process of conception or planned conception. They would have to reach very deeply into the inner planes in order to provide the channel for a high reincarnation, whereas couples cohabiting in lust or free-for-all sex more or less take potluck off the astral plane. This indicates briefly an ancient but neglected law: that the parents--through their love for one another, through their devotion and through their states of consciousness during the days of conception--attract to themselves either old souls or young souls.

"Generally, the soul, at the time of conception, chooses the body he will inhabit but does not actually enter the womb until the infant body takes life and begins to move and kick. Similarly, on the physical plane we may buy an acre of land and plan the house we wish to live in, but not actually move in until months later when the house is completed."

So this idea relates to the modern hotly debated concept of: When does the soul attach to the infant? and this is pointing out at the time of conception there is an attachment.

Have a wonderful day.