Reincarnation

When a person dies the physical body is left behind on earth and the subtle body, i.e. the essence of the person, the consciousness, travels into the subtle world.

• Carnate means ‘of Flesh’.

• Reincarnate means to ‘re-enter the flesh’.

When a person dies the physical body is left behind on earth and the subtle body, i.e. the essence of the person, the consciousness, travels into the subtle world. Here the subtle body spends a certain time period depending upon the merits and the sins accrued by the person during his lifetime. After that time period, the subtle body is free to be reborn again. It takes birth in a family or environment most suitable to settle some of its karma. This is reincarnation. This happens again and again until such a time that the soul reaches full maturity. After that there is no need for the soul to be born again. This is the natural way in which a soul is meant to progress.

When people have strong attachments towards earthly pleasures, such as fame, money, sex; strong addictions, the subtle body becomes heavy. After death, it becomes very difficult for such subtle bodies to leave earth and go into the subtle world. Hence they remain attached to the earth plane. The natural progression of the soul is delayed until we learn to lose these attachments.

The cycle of reincarnation ends after the soul reaches full maturity and completes all its give and take accounts. This means the soul will still exist but no longer be pulled back to incarnate into a physical body. For example; after we graduate from college we do not have to nor do we wish to re-enroll into primary school. We are well past that point in our soul-life. We can come back only if we wish to teach others.

For the soul who wishes to ascend to the highest spiritual states, reincarnation is to be avoided.

People who have accrued a lot of negative karma go into the hell region of the subtle world for a certain period of time after which they may reincarnate on earth.

We have undergone this cycle of birth and death innumerable number of times. The reason we do not remember it is that these vast memories remain hidden in our subconscious mind.

One may need thousands of births to reach the supreme state of spiritual maturity. We must perform spiritual practice, live righteously and have an abundance of good deeds and the grace of a Spiritual master to attain it.