In this article,
I will transcribe what Master Kuthumi wrote about the reincarnation in the book
The Mahatmas Letters.
PAST LIVES
When Mr. Alfred Sinnett asked him:
« 1) There is a
very interesting allusion in your last, when speaking of Hume you speak of
certain characteristics he brought back with him from his last incarnation.
2) Have you the
power of looking back to the former lives of persons now living, and
identifying them?
3) In that case
would it be improper personal curiosity — to ask for any particulars of my own? »
Master Kuthumi answered him:
« 1) All of us we bring some
characteristics from our previous incarnations. It is unavoidable.
2) Unfortunately some of us have. I, for one do not
like to exercise it.
3) "Man know thyself" — saith the Delphian
oracle. There is nothing "improper" — certainly in such a curiosity.
Only would it not be still more proper to study our own present personality
before attempting to learn anything of its creator, — predecessor, and
fashioner — the man that was?
Well, some day I may treat you to a little story —
no time now — only I promise no details; a simple sketch, and a hint or two to
test your intuitional powers. »
(ML 23A, p.145)
And in the
following letter, Kuthumi informed him:
« You were Nonius Asprenas,
Consul of the Emperor Domitian together with Arrecinus Clemens, and you were
also friend of the Flamen Dialis of that
time (the high priest of Jupiter and chief of the Flamenes) which would account for A.P. Sinnett's suddenly developed love for
mysticism. »
(ML
23B, p.175)
The full
name of that Roman politician was Lucius Nonius Calpurnius Torquatus
Asprenas. He belonged to an aristocratic family. He was first Senator, then
Consul in 94 AD, later Proconsul of Asia between 107 and 108 AD, and finally
again Consul in 128 AD
His daughter
Torquata married with Lucius Pomponius Bassus and his family and ancestors held
important positions during the Roman Empire.
And this
information tells me two things:
1) First,
Sinnett took approximately 1700 years before reincarnating.
2) And
second, finding your past lives only serves as a curiosity, but it doesn't help
you get to know yourself better, because there is almost no information about
those characters from the past. So if you really want to meet yourself, it is
better to investigate who you are today, because you are the synthesis of
everything you have lived before.
HIDDEN DATA ABOUT THE REINCARNATION
Master
Kuthumi wrote:
« The progress of man throughout the whole — from its starting to its
closing points meeting on the highest point of its circumference — is what we
call the Maha Yug
or Great Cycle, the Kuklos,
whose head is lost in a crown of absolute
Spirit, and its lowest point of circumference in absolute matter — to viz.: the point of
cessation of action of the active
principle.
If using a more familiar term we call the great cycle
the Macrokosm
and its component parts or the interlinked star worlds Microkosms, the
occultists' meaning in representing each of the latter as perfect copies of the
former will become evident.
The great is the Prototype of the smaller cycles: and
as such, each star world has in its turn its own cycle of Evolution which
starts with a purer and ends with a grosser or more material nature. As they descend,
each world presents itself naturally more and more shadowy, becoming at the
"antipodes" absolute
matter.
Propelled by the irresistible cyclic impulse the
Planetary Spirit has to descend before he can reascend. On his way he has to
pass through the whole ladder of Evolution, missing no rung, to halt at every
star world as he would at a station; and, besides the unavoidable cycle of that
particular and every respective star world to perform in it his own "life-cycle" to, viz.:
returning and reincarnating as many times as he fails to complete his round of
life in it, as he dies on it before reaching the age of reason as correctly
stated in Isis. »
(ML
9, p.46)
At the
beginning of their cosmic existence, humans are like seeds with all the
potential in them, but still nothing built yet.
And at the
end of their evolution, they have already become fully developed divine beings.
And to
achieve that goal, humans need to evolve in the increasingly dense and then
increasingly spiritualized balloons of a planetary chain. But since this route
is very long, that is why they require many reincarnations, because a single
life on the planet is not enough to achieve it.
And in another letter, Master Kuthumi gave more details about that
journey:
« However, to set you right
so far I will say — one life in each of the seven root-races; seven lives in
each of the 49 sub-races — or 7 x 7 x 7 = 343 and add 7 more. And then a series
of lives in offshoot and branchlet races; making the total incarnations of man
in each station or planet 777.
The principle of acceleration and retardation
applies itself in such a way, as to eliminate all the inferior stocks and leave
but a single superior one to make the last ring. Not much to divide over some
millions of years that man passes on one planet.
Let us take but one million of years — suspected and
now accepted by your science — to represent man's entire term upon our earth in
this Round; and allowing an average of a century for each life, we find that
whereas he has passed in all his lives upon our planet (in this Round) but
77,700 years he has been in the subjective spheres 922,300 years.
Not much encouragement for the extreme modern
reincarnationists who remember their several previous existences!
Should you indulge in any calculations do not forget
that we have computed above only full average lives of consciousness and
responsibility.
Nothing has been said as to failures of Nature in
abortions, congenital idiots, death of children in their first septenary cycle,
nor of the exceptions of which I cannot speak. No less have you to
remember that average human life varies greatly according to the Round.
Though I am obliged to withhold information about
many points yet if you should work out any of the problems by yourself it will
be my duty to tell you so. Try to solve the problem of the 777 incarnations. »
(ML
14, p.83)
And in another letter, Master Kuthumi wrote:
« Every Spiritual Individuality has
a gigantic evolutionary journey to perform a tremendous gyratory progress to
accomplish. First — at the very beginning of the great Maha-manwantaric
rotation, from first to last of the man-bearing planets, as on each of them,
the monad has to pass through seven successive races of man.— From the dumb
offshoot of the ape (the latter strongly differentiating from the now known
specimens) up to the present fifth
race, or rather variety, and through two more races, before he has done with
this earth only; and then on to the next, higher and higher still.
. . .
But we will confine our attention
but to this one. Each of the seven races sends seven ramifying branchlets from
the Parent Branch: and through each of these in turn man has to evolute before he
passes on to the next higher race; and that — seven times. Well may you open wide your
eyes, good friend, and feel puzzled — it is so. The branchlets typify varying
specimens of humanity — physically and spiritually — and no one of us can miss
one single rung of the ladder. With all that there is no reincarnation as taught
by the London Seeress — Mrs. A.K., as the intervals between the rebirths are too
immeasurably long to permit of any such fantastic ideas.
Please, bear in mind, that when I
say "man," I mean a human being of our type. There are other and
innumerable manwantaric chains of globes bearing intelligent beings — both in
and out of our solar system — the crowns or apexes of evolutionary being in
their respective chains, some — physically and intellectually — lower, others
immeasurably higher than the man of our chain. But beyond mentioning them we
will not speak of these at present. »
(ML
18, p.119)
_ _ _
Keep in mind
that what Master Kuthumi wrote should not be taken literally because
interpreting it would require keys that Kuthumi did not reveal. As Blavatsky
pointed out:
« We know that not one of the exact numbers will ever be given out, as
they pertain to the Mysteries of Initiations and to the Secrets of the occult
influence of Numbers. »
(CW
XIII, p.306)
But despite
this, there is relevant information:
1) Contrary
to the belief that is currently widespread in Eastern religions and also in
many people, which humans quickly return to reincarnate (usually considered a
few minutes to a few decades).
In fact,
humans take much longer to reincarnate, and here Master Kuthumi indicated an
average of 1200 years.
2) The
second relevant information is that as a general rule, humans have to go
through the different branch races that are being formed as the development of
humanity proceeds.
And this
reminds me that in another letter, Master Kuthumi also mentioned that animal
monads reincarnate into increasingly evolved species. That is, animals,
vegetables and minerals have a similar process, but each monad with its
respective kingdom.
The goal of
animal monads at the end of their reincarnation cycle is to become human, and
the goal of human monads at the end of their reincarnation cycle is to become
divine beings.
3) The third
relevant information is that the duration of reincarnation varies a lot
throughout evolution. And so, for example, Master Pasteur specified that during
the Atlantean civilization, humans lived for much longer due to various
factors.
And I
suspect that the long lives that appear in the Old Testament and that progressively were shortened, symbolize this
reduction in the duration of their reincarnations that humans have been
experiencing throughout these last millennia.
4) And the
fourth relevant information is that the number 777 does seem to be an important
number, since Blavatsky in another letter wrote to Mr. Sinnett:
« That there were hundred apparent
inconsistencies just because you had not the key to the *777* and could not be
given it. In short that you gave the truth, but by far not the whole truth especially about
rounds and rings which was only at best allegorical. »
(ML135,
p.464)
CAN YOU STOP REINCARNATING?
Master
Kuthumi says you can't:
« No one can get rid of
reincarnation. »
(ML
17, p.117)
But instead,
what can be done is to accelerate your evolution so that you get out of the
reincarnation cycle more quickly:
« This tired succession of
reincarnations, for centuries and centuries must be crossed from one extreme to
the other, until the human being reaches the end of the seventh round, or
attains in the interim the level of development of an Arhat, then the of a
Buddha, and thus be liberated by a round or two.
And this weary round of birth upon birth must be ever
and ever run through, until the being reaches the end of the seventh round, or
— attains in the interim the wisdom of an Arhat, then that of a Buddha and thus
gets relieved for a round or two. »
(ML
25, p.196)
But this
will only allow you to stop reincarnating during the current fourth round, and
when the beginning of the fifth round begins, you will have to return to Earth
to continue your evolution (like all mankind) and you will re-start with a new
and higher reincarnation cycle.
To give you
an analogy, it is as if a child is far ahead in his studies to the point of
passing the final exams in the middle of the year, and therefore the rest of
the school year he would already spend it on vacation, while the other
classmates would follow studying until the end of the year.
But then, at
the beginning of the next school year, that child would have to return to
school to continue his studies just like his other classmates. The difference
is that he had much more vacations than the rest.
And Kuthumi
said that the only human who has managed to get ahead, but not only one, but
two rounds, has been Lord Buddha:
« No; if we except Buddha — a
sixth round being, as he had run so successfully the race in his previous
incarnations as to outrun even his predecessors. But then such a man is to be
found one in a billion of human creatures.
He
differed from other men as much in his physical appearance as in spirituality
and knowledge.
Yet even
he escaped further reincarnations but on this earth; and, when the last of the
sixth round men of the third ring is gone out of this earth, the Great Teacher
will have to get reincarnated on the next planet.
Only, and
since He sacrificed Nirvanic bliss and Rest for the salvation of his fellow
creatures He will be reborn in the highest — the seventh ring of the upper planet. »
(ML
17, p.117)
HOW LONG DO YOU REBORN AGAIN?
Theosophical
instructors specified that humans usually take 1200 to 1500 years to
reincarnate, but this is only an average that encompasses large differences.
And Master
Kuthumi explained that the duration in the divine world depends on several
factors:
« The stay in Devachan is proportioned to the unfinished psychic impulses originating
in Earth-life: those persons whose attractions were preponderatingly material
will sooner be drawn back into rebirth by the force of Tanha (the desire of having earthly
experiences). »
(ML
25, p.200)
This means
that more your life on Earth has been enriching in knowledge, experiences,
development and spirituality, more longer you will remain in the divine world
before reincarnating again.
But Master Kuthumi
also specified that another very important factor is karma:
« What the lives in devachan
and upon Earth shall be respectively in each instance is determined by karma. »
(ML
25, p.196)
« The period in the Devachan is
in proportion to good karma, after which the monad will reincarnate again.
And for how long does this state of spiritual
beatitude endure?
For years, decades, centuries and millenniums,
oftentimes multiplied by something more. It all depends upon the duration of
Karma.
Fill with oil Den's little cup, and a city Reservoir
of water, and lighting both, see which burns the longer.
The Ego
is the wick and Karma
the oil: the difference in the quantity of the latter (in the cup and the
reservoir) suggesting to you the great difference in the duration of various Karmas.
Every effect must be proportionate to the cause. And,
as man's terms of incarnate existence bear but a small proportion to his
periods of internatal existence in the manvantaric cycle, so the good thoughts,
words, and deeds of any one of these "lives" on a globe are causative
of effects, the working out of which requires far more time than the evolution
of the causes occupied.
Therefore, when you read in the Jats and other fabulous
stories of the Buddhist Scriptures that this or the other good action was
rewarded by Kalpas of several figures of bliss, do not smile at the absurd
exaggeration, but bear in mind what I have said. »
(ML
16, p.106)
SPECIFIC CASES
The general
rule is that after death, humans must ascend to Heaven before they can reincarnate. But the masters also specified
that every rule has its exceptions:
« Save a few exceptional cases in the case of the initiated such as our
Teshu-Lamas and the Boddhisatwas and a few others, no monad gets ever reincarnated
before its appointed cycle. »
(ML
23B, p.176)
And in those
special cases, the soul is very quickly reincarnated without ascending to the
divine world and waiting for an average of 1200 to 1500 years where it usually
remains in the Devachan.
THE INCARNATION OF THE BIG ADEPTS
As we saw,
all humans have to continue to incarnate (including the great adepts) but the
difference between them and ordinary humans is that the vast majority of humans
lose their consciousness when they die and only recover their consciousness when
they are reborn.
Instead the
great adepts remain conscious after his death, and they have gained such
immense control in the process of reincarnating that they can achieve incredible
prowess.
« Our "Byang-tzyoobs" and "Tchang-chubs" — the
Brothers who pass from the body of one great Lama to that of another — as Lhas or disembodied Spirits.
Remember what I said in my last of Planetary Spirits.
The Tchang-chub
(an adept who has, by the power of his knowledge and Soul-enlightenment, become
exempt from the curse Of unconscious transmigration)
— may, at his will and desire, and instead of reincarnating himself only after
bodily death, do so, and repeatedly — during his life if he chooses.
He holds the power of choosing for himself new bodies
— whether on this or any other planet — while in possession of his old form,
that he generally preserves for purposes of his own.
Read the book of Khiu-tee
and you will find in it these laws. »
(ML
49, p.285)
The great adherents can even occupy several bodies at
once!
CAN HUMANS
INCARNATE AS ANIMALS?
Mr. Kuthumi
says they don't:
« Thus far Mrs. Kingsford's idea that the human Ego is being reincarnated
in several successive human bodies is the true one. As to its being reborn in
animal forms after human
incarnation it is the result of her loose way of expressing things and ideas. »
(ML
9, p.46)
And what I
have read is that this cannot be done because the body of an animal does not
have the capacity to receive a human monad, because the human monad is much
more elaborate than an animal monad.
To give you
an analogy, it is as if you wanted to install a very modern operating system in
an old computer. Well, although the old computer and a new computer in appearance
seem similar, this cannot be because its internal structure are very different.
And the same happens between animals and humans.
And that is
why animals require a whole evolutionary cosmic cycle to reach the level that
humans have.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEOSOPHY AND SPIRITISM
ABOUT THE RE INCARNATION
Spiritualists
belonging to the French School, founded by Allan Kardec, also believe in
reincarnation, but Master Kuthumi pointed out that there is a big difference
with the explanation given by these spiritualists and the explanation given by the
transhimalayic masters:
« No doubt the real Ego
inheres in the higher principles which are reincarnated periodically every one,
two, or three or more thousands of years. But the immortal Ego the "Individual
Monad," is not the personal
monad.
Eastern reincarnationists — who maintain in that same Isis — had you but read
the whole of it — that the individuality
or the immortal "Ego"
has to reappear in every
cycle — but the Western especially the French reincarnationists,
who teach that it is the personal,
or astral monad,
the "moi fluidique". »
(ML
24B, p.183)
In other
words, while Kardec’ spiritualists think that the personality that existed in
the previous life returns to reincarnate, Theosophists assure that the human is
a much more complex being and in reality is his “immortal Ego” who reincarnates
again.
To give you
an analogy, the "Immortal Ego" is the actor (that is you), and the
personality is the character that the actor interprets in his reincarnation each
time he descends to Earth (John, Mary, Mike, etc.).
In other
words, it is not Cleopatra, who later reincarnates again, but you are who in one
life was born as an Egyptian queen, and in another life was born with another
personality, etc.
EVOLUTION AND NUMBER OF REINCARNATIONS
And finally,
when Mr. Sinnett asked to Master Kuthumi:
What has the number
of incarnations to do with the shrewdness, cleverness, or the stupidity of an
individual?
The Master
replied:
« Not necessarily, since a strong craving for physical life may lead an entity through a number of
incarnations and yet these may not develop its higher capacities. »
(ML
86, p.404)
To give you
an analogy, imagine a student who likes to be in school a lot because there he
has fun with his friends, but that student makes no effort to study. Well, that
student, although he has attended many days to class, he will not have advanced
much.
Instead,
imagine another student who has only gone to school for a few days, but he has
studied hard, and the result will be that this second student will be much more
advanced than the lazy student.
And the same goes for reincarnations.
