(c) John, Rekesh 2004-2008. No part of this work may be copied or reproduced without the author's permission
Notions of Karma and Reincarnation
Many of the religions practiced in the West or the Middle East hold that Being is created at physical conception, and is from then on eternal. Many Eastern religions hold that eternity is what it is, and there is no beginning or end to Being. The latter therefore have notions of reincarnation and of 'karma'.
While there are philosophical merits to the eastern view, the western theistic view is a more practical one for everyday living. This is because of certain mistaken and unproductive notions about karma and reincarnation that rose in the east, which introduced a kind of fatalism and seriously stifled the creative efforts of large populations. There arose a view of karma that one must inevitably suffer one's lot, which gave little incentive to alleviate the misery of fellow human beings, for after all, it is their karma. There also arose views of endless cycles of birth and death and the need to escape from such a cycle by turning away from society and human endeavor. These negative effects are precisely why such notions were expelled from western theology (which then proceeded to incorporate negativity in other forms).
While there is continuity of Being and births, reincarnation as it is commonly understood is more or less a caricature of what happens. A more correct exposition of this continuity is covered in the chapters 'Tree of Life' and 'Path' and need not be repeated here. In the following discussion, the terms 'karma' and 'reincarnation' will however be taken
at their face value, as they are usually understood.
If reincarnation is indeed a fact, then it can be asked why one does not remember prior births. There are very many reasons to this (some are covered in the chapter 'War'), but the most compelling one is that the scheme and the loss of memory exists to facilitate one's evolution. A personality as it goes through life begins with a flexible mindset in its childhood, which invariably becomes a rigid and very often crusty system of thought, emotions, opinions and belief systems toward late years. While the experiences and innate wisdom from its physical existence have been valuable, this rigid framework often prevents or stifles the personality from experiencing anything truly fresh, and from exploring new avenues and perspectives. It comes to a kind of dead-end at some point, where the past becomes a heavy burden that weighs it down and also acts as a filter. If this were to continue as such into many future experiences, the progress of Being would be seriously limited.
What is required then, is a dismantling of all old habits, patterns and opinions, and retaining experiences that changed the core of its Being. What better freedom and benediction than to return to the suppleness, curiosity and wonder of a new born or toddler, where a fragment of Being is enabled to explore anew and take a different path unfettered? Without such a scheme, a hermit (for example) can never hope to experience
or understand what it means to be an athlete, an artist, a leader or a
scientist. The result would be a serious evolutionary run down or inhibition for that Being - unable to experience, understand or develop its own fullness, diversity, capabilities and potential - before it returns to the ONE.
Yet, all prior experiences and memories are part and parcel of Being, and never lost at any time. These have temporarily been delegated to subconscious levels, so that the
gift of a fresh exploration is offered to the personality. However, the influence of the subconscious is powerful and it can often be one's greatest friend as well as adversary, in the sense of its contents. It colors many experiences and outlooks of the personality and does not offer it a free ride. This should necessarily be so, otherwise Being would lose a part of itself. So there is this trade-off for the
personality: a fresh exploration mostly free of inhibitions, yet a subconscious coloring of those experiences and outlook which does not significantly obstruct progress. And at the level of the greater Being, all memories and experiences are assimilated and never lost.
The notion of births and karma also bring perplexing questions as to why a personality should 'suffer' for something it does not remember at all. While this sounds reasonable enough, the vast majority of cases of negative karma involves actions to others that offered no prior intimation or explanation to the 'victim', where the latter perceived events as coming 'out of the blue'. Therefore it is also reasonable that the karmic 'victim' in this case also incur like circumstances. This state of affairs dovetails very well into the loss of memory discussed above.
Now the
law of returns, or 'karma' as it is known in the east, has been grossly misunderstood to the point it is considered the very antithesis of free will. This has very often resulted in fatalistic notions about events, of destiny, and a subsequent resignation to fate. Nothing could be further from a true understanding of 'karma'.
This principle or law is the very essence of free will, for it states that actions out of free will have consequences that must be faced.
If there were no free will, there would be no karma. And the karmic impact is only an influence, not the main determining factor of an outcome. It may be compared to a feedback loop in a system or circuit where the result is fed back to its origins and can result in positive amplification or negative attenuation. This feedback can be mistakenly viewed as the primary cause, resulting in a fatalistic notion of endless cycles. The trick here is to see that the circuit element is really oneself, and all it takes to fix the situation is to modify the element, by virtue of free will, and change the output. The purpose of the karmic feedback is to amplify and make one discern a problem (if there were a problem).
Thus the
most significant determining factor of an outcome, as implied by this principle, is the ability of Being to exercise its own will. To imply or believe that karma determines everything that one goes through, is to place the cart before the horse. Karma is truly about free will and the power to change reality through amplification. It is a great gift of action, of change and of understanding oneself. It also results in our eventual
return to the ONE.