,,reincarnation ,,and ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,karma ,a ,study of the ,old-,new ,world-,doctrine of ,rebirth1 and ,spiritual ,cause and ,effect by ,,william ,,walker ,,atkinson ,published and ,sold by ,yogi ,publication ,society ,masonic ,temple1 ,chicago1 ,ill4 ,london ,agents ,l4,n4 ,fowler ,co41 #g ,imperial ,arcade1 ,ludgate ,circus4 ,e4,c4 7,reincarnation and the ,law of ,karma7 ,copyright1 #aijh1 by ,yogi ,publication ,society ,all ,rights ,reserved ,,notice4--,this book is protected by ,copyright and simultaneous publication in ,great ,britain1 ,france1 ,germany1 ,russia and other countries4 ,all foreign rights reserved4 ,,table ,,of ,,contents ,,page ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,early ,,races #g ,what is ,reincarnation8--,transmigration of ,souls--,the ,something ,that ,persists ,after ,death--,the ,soul ,not a ,fresh ,creation1 but a ,traveler on a ,long ,journey4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,egyptians1 ,,chaldeans1 ,,druids1 ,,etc4 #bj ,the ,egyptian ,idea of the ,soul--,forty ,centuries of ,occult ,history--,the ,inner ,teachings of ,egypt--,the ,ancient ,chinese ,teachings and ,doctrine--,the ,ancient ,druids and ,their ,teachings4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,romans ,,and ,,greeks #ce ,the ,reasons of ,rome's ,backwardness in ,spiritual ,knowledge--,why the ,greeks were ,advanced--,pythagoras2 ,orpheus2 ,plato--,the ,various ,grecian ,teachings ,regarding the ,soul and ,its ,future ,life--,plato's ,wonderful ,teachings and ,philosophy4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,jews1 ,,essenes1 ,,and ,,early ,,christians #di ,the ,inner ,teachings of the ,jewish ,priests--,the ,jewish ,rabbins and ,their ,secret ,doctrines--,the ,kaballah1 the ,zahar1 ,nichema2 ,ronach2 and ,nephesh--,a ,mysterious ,brotherhood--,the ,christian ,inner ,doctrine--,the ,mysteries of ,jesus4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,hindus #fd ,india the ,mother of ,reincarnation1 ,past and ,present--,the ,aryan ,teachings--,the ,history of the ,belief ,among the ,hindus--,fundamental ,hindu ,philosophy4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,modern ,,west #ie ,reincarnation in the ,modern ,western ,world--,the ,revival of ,interest and ,its ,cause--,theosophical ,society--,madame ,blavatsky--,the ,western ,school of ,yogi ,philosophy3 ,its ,fundamental ,teachings--,the ,spiritists1 and ,their ,doctrine--,the ,teachings of the ,elect ,few in ,their ,secret ,societies--,is ,earth a ,hell8--,christian ,reincarnationists and ,their ,beliefs4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,between ,,and ,,beyond ,,incarnations #aag ,how ,long ,between ,incarnations8--,necessity for ,mental and ,spiritual ,digestion and ,assimilation--,the ,advanced ,teachings--,earth-bound ,souls--,advanced ,souls and ,their ,rest ,period--,where ,does the ,soul ,dwell ,between ,incarnations8--,what ,happens at ,death--,the ,great ,astral ,world and ,its ,planes and ,sub-planes--,where the ,soul ,goes ,after ,death and ,what ,it ,does ,there--,rebirth and ,its ,laws--,what is the ,final ,state of the ,soul8--,the ,message of the ,illumined4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,justice ,,of ,,reincarnation #acd ,the ,contrasting ,theories of the ,soul and ,its ,future ,life--,doctrine of ,reincarnation the ,only ,philosophical ,theory that ,reconciles ,facts with ,theory--,the ,law of ,karma ,automatic and ,enforces ,itself--,every ,one ,their ,own ,judge and the ,executor of ,their ,own ,destiny--,the ,opinions of the ,world's ,great ,thinkers4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,argument ,,for ,,reincarnation #aea ,natural ,laws ,universal--,if the ,soul is ,immortal1 it ,must ,have ,always ,been ,so--,a ,mortal ,thing ,cannot be ,made ,immortal ,any ,more ,than ,nothing ,can be ,made ,something--,future ,life ,implies ,past ,life--,varient ,experiences ,necessary for the ,soul's ,education--,advancement ,necessary to ,enjoyment of the ,soul's ,higher ,states of ,being--,the ,true ,teaching4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,the ,,proofs ,,of ,,reincarnation #afi ,actual ,proofs of ,personal ,conscious ,experience ,demanded by ,science--,such ,proofs ,possible and ,have ,occurred to ,many of the ,race--,the ,remembrance of the ,details of ,past ,existence ,common to the ,race--,interesting ,cases ,given on ,good ,authority--,messages from the ,past4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,arguments ,,against ,,reincarnation #aib ,why ,reincarnation is ,opposed by ,some--,the ,answers to the ,objections--,the ,proof of the ,existence of the ,soul--,is ,reincarnation ,un-,christian and ,derived from ,pagan and ,heathen ,sources8 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,karma #bbb ,what ,karma ,means--,does ,karma ,punish or is it but the ,workings of a ,natural ,law8--,the ,various ,kinds of ,karma--,the ,advanced ,mystical ,doctrine--,the ,end is ,absolute ,good--,there is ,no ,devil but ,fear and ,unfaith4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,early ,,races4 ,by ,reincarnation we mean the repeated incarnation1 or embodiment in flesh1 of the soul or immaterial part of man's nature4 ,the term ,metempsychosis is frequently employed in the same sense1 the definition of the latter term being3 ,the passage of the soul1 as an immortal essence1 at the death of the body1 into another living body4 ,the term ,transmigration of ,souls is sometimes employed1 the term being used in the sense of passing from one body into another4 ,but the term ,transmigration is often used in connection with the belief of certain undeveloped races who held that the soul of men sometimes passed into the bodies of the lower animals1 as a punishment for their sins committed during the human life4 ,but this belief is held in disrepute by the adherents of ,reincarnation or ,metempsychosis1 and has no connection with their philosophy or beliefs1 the ideas having sprung from an entirely different source1 and having nothing in common4 ,there are many forms of belief--many degrees of doctrine--regarding ,reincarnation1 as we shall see as we proceed1 but there is a fundamental and basic principle underlying all of the various shades of opinion1 and divisions of the schools4 ,this fundamental belief may be expressed as the doctrine that there is in man an immaterial ,something 7called the soul1 spirit1 inner self1 or many other names7 which does not perish at the death or disintegration of the body1 but which persists as an entity1 and after a shorter or longer interval of rest reincarnates1 or is re-born1 into a new body--that of an unborn infant--from whence it proceeds to live a new life in the body1 more or less unconscious of its past existences1 but containing within itself the essence or results of its past lives1 which experiences go to make up its new character1 or personality4 ,it is usually held that the rebirth is governed by the law of attraction1 under one name or another1 and which law operates in accordance with strict justice1 in the direction of attracting the reincarnating soul to a body1 and conditions1 in accordance with the tendencies of the past life1 the parents also attracting to them a soul bound to them by some ties in the past1 the law being universal1 uniform1 and equitable to all concerned in the matter4 ,this is a general statement of the doctrine as it is generally held by the most intelligent of its adherents4 ,e4 ,d4 ,walker1 a well-known ,english writer on the subject1 gives the following beautiful idea of the general teachings3 ,reincarnation teaches that the soul enters this life1 not as a fresh creation1 but after a long course of previous existences on this earth and elsewhere1 in which it acquired its present inhering peculiarities1 and that it is on the way to future transformations which the soul is now shaping4 ,it claims that infancy brings to earth1 not a blank scroll for the beginning of an earthly record1 nor a mere cohesion of atomic forces into a brief personality1 soon to dissolve again into the elements1 but that it is inscribed with ancestral histories1 some like the present scene1 most of them unlike it and stretching back into the remotest past4 ,these inscriptions are generally undecipherable1 save as revealed in their moulding influence upon the new career2 but like the invisible photographic images made by the sun of all it sees1 when they are properly developed in the laboratory of consciousness they will be distinctly displayed4 ,the current phase of life will also be stored away in the secret vaults of memory1 for its unconscious effects upon the ensuing lives4 ,all the qualities we now possess1 in body1 mind and soul1 result from our use of ancient opportunities4 ,we are indeed 'the heir of all the ages1' and are alone responsible for our inheritances4 ,for these conditions accrue from distant causes engendered by our older selves1 and the future flows by the divine law of cause and effect from the gathered momentum of our past impetuses4 ,there is no favoritism in the universe1 but all have the same everlasting facilities for growth4 ,those who are now elevated in worldly station may be sunk in humble surroundings in the future4 ,only the inner traits of the soul are permanent companions4 ,the wealthy sluggard may be the beggar of the next life2 and the industrious worker of the present is sowing the seeds of future greatness4 ,suffering bravely endured now will produce a treasure of patience and fortitude in another life2 hardships will give rise to strength2 self-denial must develop the will2 tastes cultivated in this existence will somehow bear fruit in coming ones2 and acquired energies will assert themselves whenever they can by the ,law of ,parsimony upon which the principles of physics are based4 ,vice versa1 the unconscious habits1 the uncontrollable impulses1 the peculiar tendencies1 the favorite pursuits1 and the soul-stirring friendships of the present descend from far-reaching previous activities4 ,the doctrine of ,reincarnation--,metempsychosis--,rebirt h--has always been held as truth by a large portion of the human race4 ,following the invariable law of cyclic changes--the swing of the pendulum of thought--at times it has apparently died out in parts of the world1 only to be again succeeded by a new birth and interest among the descendants of the same people4 ,it is a light impossible to extinguish1 and although its flickering flame may seem to die out for a moment1 the shifting of the mental winds again allows it to rekindle from the hidden spark1 and lo6 again it bursts into new life and vigor4 ,the reawakened interest in the subject in the ,western world1 of which all keen observers have taken note1 is but another instance of the operation of the ,cyclic ,law4 ,it begins to look as if the occultists are right when they predict that before the dawn of another century the ,western world will once more have embraced the doctrines of ,rebirth--the old1 discarded truth1 once so dear to the race1 will again be settled in popular favor1 and again move toward the position of orthodox teaching1 perhaps to be again crystallized by reason of its orthodoxy and again to lose favor and fade away1 as the pendulum swings backward to the other extreme of thought4 ,but the teaching of ,reincarnation never has passed away altogether from the race--in some parts of the world the lamp has been kept burning brightly--nay1 more1 at no time in human history has there been a period in which the majority of the race has not accepted the doctrine of ,rebirth1 in some of its various forms4 ,it was so one thousand years ago--two thousand--five thousand--and it is so to-day4 ,in this ,twentieth ,century nearly if not quite two-thirds of the race hold firmly to the teaching1 and the multitudes of ,hindus and other ,eastern peoples cling to it tenaciously4 ,and1 even outside of these people1 there are to be found traces of the doctrine among other races in the ,east1 and ,west4 ,so ,reincarnation is not a forgotten truth1 or discarded doctrine1 but one fully alive and vigorous1 and one which is destined to play a very important part in the history of ,western thought during the ,twentieth ,century4 ,it is interesting to trace the history of the doctrine among the ancient peoples--away back into the dim recesses of the past4 ,it is difficult to ascribe to any particular time1 or any particular race1 the credit of having originated ,reincarnation4 ,in spite of the decided opinions1 and the differing theories of the various writers on this subject1 who would give ,egypt1 or ,india1 or the lost ,atlantis1 as the birthplace of the doctrine1 we feel that such ideas are but attempts to attribute a universal intuitive belief to some favored part of the race4 ,we do not believe that the doctrine of ,reincarnation ever originated anywhere1 as a new and distinct doctrine4 ,we believe that it sprang into existence whenever and wherever man arrived at a stage of intellectual development sufficient to enable him to form a mental conception of a ,something that lived after ,death4 ,no matter from what source this belief in a ghost originated1 it must be admitted that it is found among all peoples1 and is apparently an universal idea4 ,and1 running along with it in the primitive peoples1 we find that there is1 and always has been1 an idea1 more or less vague and indistinct1 that somehow1 someway1 sometime1 this ghost of the person returns to earthly existence and takes upon itself a new fleshly garment--a new body4 ,here1 then1 is where the idea of ,reincarnation begins--everywhere1 at a certain stage of human mental development4 ,it runs parallel with the ghost idea1 and seems bound up with that conception in nearly every case4 ,when man evolves a little further1 he begins to reason that if the ghost is immortal1 and survives the death of the body1 and returns to take upon itself a new body1 then it must have lived before the last birth1 and therefore must have a long chain of lives behind it4 ,this is the second step4 ,the third step is when man begins to reason that the next life is dependent upon something done or left undone in the present life4 ,and upon these three fundamental ideas the doctrine of ,reincarnation has been built4 ,the occultists claim that in addition to this universal idea1 which is more or less intuitive1 the race has received more or less instruction1 from time to time1 from certain advanced souls which have passed on to higher planes of existence1 and who are now called the ,masters1 ,adepts1 ,teachers1 ,race ,guides1 etc41 etc4 ,but whatever may be the explanation1 it remains a truth that man seems to have worked out for himself1 in all times and in all places1 first1 an idea of a ghost which persists after the body dies2 and second1 that this ghost has lived before in other bodies1 and will return again to take on a new body4 ,there are various ideas regarding heavens and hells1 but underlying them all there persists this idea of re-birth in some of its phases4 ,soldi1 the archaeologist1 has published an interesting series of works1 dealing with the beliefs of primitive peoples1 who have passed from the scene of human action4 ,he shows by the fragments of carving and sculpture which have survived them that there was an universal idea among them of the ghost which lived after the body died2 and a corresponding idea that some day this ghost would return to the scene of its former activities4 ,this belief sometimes took the form of a return into the former body1 which idea led to the preservation of the body by processes of mummifying1 etc41 but as a rule this belief developed into the more advanced one of a re-birth in a new body4 ,the earlier travelers in ,africa have reported that here and there they found evidences and traces of what was to them a strange belief in the future return of the soul to a new body on earth4 ,the early explorers of ,america found similar traditions and beliefs among the ,red ,indians1 survivals of which exist even unto this day4 ,it is related of a number of savage tribes1 in different parts of the world1 that they place the bodies of their dead children by the roadside1 in order that their souls may be given a good chance to find new bodies by reason of the approaching of many traveling pregnant women who pass along the road4 ,a number of these primitive people hold to the idea of a complex soul1 composed of several parts1 in which they resemble the ,egyptians1 ,hindus1 ,chinese1 and in fact all mystical and occult philosophies4 ,the ,figi ,islanders are said to believe in a black soul and a white soul1 the former of which remains with the buried body and disintegrates with it1 while the white soul leaves the body and wanders as a ghost1 and afterward1 tiring of the wandering1 returns to life in a new body4 ,the natives of ,greenland are said to believe in an astral body1 which leaves the body during sleep1 but which perishes as the body disintegrates after death2 and a second soul which leaves the body only at death1 and which persists until it is reborn at a later time4 ,in fact1 the student finds that nearly all of the primitives races1 and those semi-civilized1 show traces of a belief in a complex soul1 and a trace of doctrine of ,reincarnation in some form4 ,the human mind seems to work along the same lines1 among the different races--unless one holds to the theory that all sprang from the same root-race1 and that the various beliefs are survivals of some ancient fundamental doctrine--the facts are not disturbed in either case4 ,in the last mentioned connection1 we might mention that the traditions concerning ,ancient ,atlantis--the lost continent--all hold to the effect that her people believed strongly in ,reincarnation1 and to the ideas of the complex soul4 ,as the survivors of ,atlantis are believed to have been the ancestors of the ,egyptians on the one hand1 and of the ,ancient ,peruvians on the other--the two branches of survivors having maintained their original doctrines as modified by different environments--we might find here an explanation of the prevalence of the doctrine on both sides of the ocean4 ,we mention this merely in passing1 and as of general interest in the line of our subject4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,egyptians1 ,,chaldeans1 ,,druids1 ,,etc4 ,after considering the existence of the doctrines of ,reincarnation among the primitive peoples1 and its traditional existence among the vanished peoples of the past1 we find ourselves irresistibly borne toward that ancient land of mystery--the home of the mystics and occultists of the past--the land of ,isis--the home of the builders of the ,pyramids--the people of the ,sphinx4 ,whether these people were the direct descendants of the people of destroyed ,atlantis1 the home of the ,ancient ,wisdom--or whether they were a new people who had rediscovered the old doctrines--the fact remains that when tracing back any old occult or mystic doctrine we find ourselves gradually led toward the land of the ,sphinx as the source of that hidden truth4 ,the ,sphinx is a fit emblem of that wonderful race--its sealed lips seem to invite the ultimate questions1 and one feels that there may be a whispered answer wafted from those tightly closed lips toward the ear that is prepared to hear and receive it4 ,and so1 in our search for the origin of ,reincarnation1 we find ourselves once more confronting the ,egyptian ,sphinx as we have done so often before in our search after ,truth4 ,notwithstanding its obvious prehistoric origin1 many have claimed that ,metempsychosis has its birthplace in old ,egypt1 on the banks of the ,nile4 ,india disputes this claim1 holding that the ,ganges1 not the ,nile1 gave birth to the doctrine4 ,be that as it may1 we shall treat the ,egyptian conception at this place1 among the ancient lands holding the doctrine1 for in ,india it is not a thing of the past1 but a doctrine which has its full flower at the present time1 and which flower is sending forth its subtle odor to all parts of the civilized world4 ,and so we shall defer our consideration of ,india's teachings until we reach the present stage of the history of ,reincarnation4 ,herodotus1 many centuries ago1 said of the ,egyptians that3 ,the ,egyptians are the first who propounded the theory that the human soul is imperishable1 and that where the body of any one dies it enters into some other body that may be ready to receive it2 and that when it has gone the round of all created forms on land1 in water1 and in air1 then it once more enters the human body born for it2 and that this cycle of existence for the soul takes place in three thousand years4 ,the doctrine of ,reincarnation is discernible though hidden away amidst the mass of esoteric doctrine back of the exoteric teachings of the ,egyptians1 which latter were expounded to the common people1 while the truth was reserved for the few who were ready for it4 ,the inner circles of the ,egyptian mystics believed in and understood the inner truths of ,reincarnation1 and although they guarded the esoteric teachings carefully1 still fragments fell from the table and were greedily taken up by the masses1 as we may see by an examination of the scraps of historical records which have been preserved1 graven in the stone1 and imprinted on the bricks4 ,not only did these people accept the doctrine of ,reincarnation1 but ,egypt was really the home of the highest occult teachings4 ,the doctrines and teachings regarding several sheaths or bodies of man1 which are taught by occultists of all times and races1 are believed to have been fully taught in their original purity on the banks of the ,nile1 and in the shadow of the ,pyramids--yes1 even before the days of the ,pyramids4 ,their forty centuries of history saw many modifications of the philosophical and religious beliefs1 but the fundamental doctrine of ,reincarnation was held to during the entire period of history in ,ancient ,egypt1 and was not discarded until the decadent descendants of the once mighty race were overwhelmed by stronger races1 whose religions and beliefs superseded the vestiges of the ,ancient ,doctrine4 ,the ,egyptians held that there was ,ka1 the divine spirit in man2 ,ab1 the intellect or will2 ,hati1 the vitality2 ,tet1 the astral body2 ,sahu1 the etheric double2 and ,xa1 the physical body 7some authorities forming a slightly different arrangement71 which correspond to the various bodies of man as recognized by occultists to-day4 ,the ,ancient ,chaldeans also taught the doctrine of ,rebirth4 ,the body of ,persian and ,chaldean mystics and occultists1 known as the ,magi1 who were masters of the ,hidden ,wisdom1 held to the doctrine of ,reincarnation as one of their fundamental truths4 ,in fact1 they managed to educate the masses of their people to a much higher point than the masses of the ,egyptians1 and1 escaping the idolatrous tendencies of the ,egyptian populace1 they manifested a very high degree of pure philosophical1 occult1 and religious knowledge4 ,the ,magi taught that the soul was a complex being1 and that certain portions of it perished1 while certain other parts survived and passed on through a series of earth and other-world existences1 until finally it attained such a degree of purity that it was relieved of the necessity for further incarnation1 and thenceforth dwelt in the region of ineffable bliss--the region of light eternal4 ,the teaching also held that just before entering into the state of bliss1 the soul was able to review its previous incarnations1 seeing distinctly the connection between them1 and thus gaining a store of the wisdom of experience1 which would aid it in its future work as a helper of future races which would appear on the face of the earth4 ,the ,magi taught that as all living things--nay1 all things having existence1 organic or inorganic--were but varying manifestations of the ,one ,life and ,being1 therefore the highest knowledge implied a feeling of conscious brotherhood and relationship toward and with all4 ,even among the ,chinese there was an esoteric teaching concerning ,reincarnation1 beneath the outer teaching of ages past4 ,it may be discerned in the teachings of the early philosophers and seers of the race1 notably in the work of ,lao-,tze1 the great ,chinese sage and teacher4 ,lao-,tze1 whose great work1 the ,tao-,teh-,king1 is a classic1 taught ,reincarnation to his inner circle of students and adherents1 at least so many authorities claim4 ,he taught that there existed a fundamental principle called ,tao1 which is held to have been identical with the primordial reason1 a manifestation of which was the ,teh1 or the creative activity of the universe4 ,from the union and action of the ,tao and the ,teh proceeded the universe1 including the human soul1 which he taught was composed of several parts1 among them being the huen1 or spiritual principle2 and the phi1 or semi-material vital principle1 which together animate the body4 ,lao-,tze said3 ,to be ignorant that the true self is immortal1 is to remain in a grievous state of error1 and to experience many calamities by reason thereof4 ,know ye1 that there is a part of man which is subtle and spiritual1 and which is the heaven-bound portion of himself2 that which has to do with flesh1 bones1 and body1 belongs to the earth2 earthly to earth--heavenly to heaven4 ,such is the ,law4 ,some have held that ,lao-,tze taught the immediate return of the huen to the tao after death1 but from the writings of his early followers it may be seen that he really taught that the huen persisted in individual existence1 throughout repeated incarnations1 returning to the tao only when it had completed its round of experience-life4 ,for instance1 in the ,si ,haei1 it is said that3 ,the vital essence is dispersed after death together with the body1 bones and flesh2 but the soul1 or knowing principle of the self1 is preserved and does not perish4 ,there is no immediate absorption of the individuality into the ,tao1 for individuality persists1 and manifests itself according to the ,law4 ,and ,chuang-,tze said3 ,death is but the commencement of a new life4 ,it was also taught by the early ,taoists1 that the deeds1 good and evil1 of the present life would bear fruit in future existences2 in addition to the orthodox heavens and hells1 in which the ,chinese believed1 and of which they had a great variety adapted to the requirements of the various grades of saints and sinners1 the minute details of which places being described with that attention to minor details and particulars peculiar to the ,chinese mind4 ,the teachings of a later date1 that the soul of the ancestor abided in the hall of the ancestors1 etc41 were a corruption of the ancient teaching4 ,other ,chinese teachers taught that the soul consists of three parts1 the first being the kuei1 which had its seat in the belly1 and which perished with the body2 the second being the ling1 which had its seat in the heart or chest1 and which persisted for some time after death1 but which eventually disintegrated2 and the third1 or huen1 which had its seat in the brain1 and which survived the disintegration of its companions1 and then passed on to other existences4 ,as strange as it may appear to many readers unfamiliar with the subject1 the ancient ,druids1 particularly those dwelling in ancient ,gaul1 were familiar with the doctrine of ,reincarnation1 and believed in its tenets4 ,these people1 generally regarded as ancient barbarians1 really possessed a philosophy of a high order1 which merged into a mystic form of religion4 ,many of the ,romans1 upon their conquest of ,gallia1 were surprised at the degree and character of the philosophical knowledge possessed by the ,druids1 and many of them have left written records of the same1 notably in the case of ,aristotle1 ,caesar1 ,lucan1 and ,valerius ,maximus4 ,the ,christian teachers who succeeded them also bore witness to these facts1 as may be seen by reference to the works of ,st4 ,clement1 ,st4 ,cyril1 and other of the early ,christian ,fathers4 ,these ancient barbarians entertained some of the highest spiritual conceptions of life and immortality--the mind and the soul4 ,reynaud has written of them1 basing his statements upon a careful study of the ancient beliefs of this race3 ,if ,judea represents in the world1 with a tenacity of its own the idea of a personal and absolute ,god2 if ,greece and ,rome represent the idea of society1 ,gaul represents1 just as particularly1 the idea of immortality4 ,nothing characterized it better1 as all the ancients admit4 ,that mysterious folk was looked upon as the privileged possessor of the secrets of death1 and its unwavering instinctive faith in the persistence of life never ceased to be a cause of astonishment1 and sometimes of fear1 in the eyes of the heathen4 ,the ,gauls possessed an occult philosophy1 and a mystic religion1 which were destroyed by the influences of the ,roman ,conquest4 ,the philosophy of the ,druids bore a remarkable resemblance to the ,inner ,doctrine of the ,egyptians1 and their successors1 the ,grecian ,mystics4 ,traces of ,hermeticism and ,pythagoreanism are clearly discernible1 although the connecting link that bound them together has been lost to history4 ,legends among the ,druids connected their order with the ancient ,aryan creeds and teachings1 and there seems to have been a very close connection between these priests and those of ,ancient ,greece1 for there are tales of offerings being sent to the temples of ,greece from the priests of ,gaul4 ,and it is also related that on the island of ,delphos there was once a ,druidic tomb in the shape of a monument1 believed to have been erected over the remains of ,druid priestesses4 ,herodotus and others speak of a secret alliance between the priests of ,greece and those of the ,druids4 ,some of the ancient legends hold that ,pythagoras was the instructor of the ,druidic priests1 and that ,pythagoras himself was in close communication with the ,brahmins of ,india1 and the ,hermetists of ,egypt4 ,other legends have it that the ,druids received their first instruction from ,zamolais1 who had been a slave and student of ,pythagoras4 ,at any rate1 the correspondence between the two schools of philosophy is remarkable4 ,much of the ,druidic teachings has been lost1 and it is difficult to piece together the fragments4 ,but enough is known to indicate the above mentioned relationship to the ,pythagorean school1 and of the firm hold of the doctrine of ,reincarnation upon the ,druids4 ,the preserved fragments show that the ,druids taught that there was in man an immaterial1 spiritual part1 called ,awen1 which proceeded from an ,universal ,spiritual ,principle of ,life4 ,they taught that this ,awen had animated the lower forms of life1 mineral1 vegetable and animal1 before incarnating as man4 ,in those conditions it was entangled and imprisoned in the state of abysmal circling1 called ,anufu1 from which it finally escaped and entered into the circle of freedom1 called ,abred1 or human incarnation and beyond4 ,this state of ,abred includes life in the various human races on this and other planets1 until finally there is a further liberation of the ,awen1 which then passes on to the ,circle of ,bliss1 or ,gwynfid1 where it abides for aeons in a state of ecstatic being4 ,but1 beyond even this transcendent state1 there is another1 which is called the ,circle of the ,infinite1 or ,ceugant1 which is identical with the ,union with ,god of the ,persians and ,greek ,mystics1 or the ,nirvana of the ,hindus4 ,rather an advanced form of philosophy for barbarians1 is it not8 ,particularly when contrasted with the crude mythology of the ,roman conquerors6 ,the ,gauls were so advanced in the practical phases of occultism that they gave every condemned criminal a respite of five years1 after sentence of death1 before execution1 in order that he might prepare himself for a future state by meditation1 instruction and other preparation2 and also to prevent ushering an unprepared and guilty soul into the plane of the departed--the advantages of which plan is apparent to every student of occultism who accepts the teaching regarding the astral planes4 ,the reader will understand1 of course1 that the degree of advancement in spiritual and philosophical matters evidenced by the ,gauls was due not to the fact that these people were generally so far advanced beyond their neighbors1 but rather to the fact that they had been instructed by the ,druid priests among them4 ,tradition has it that the original ,druidic priests came to ,gaul and other countries from some far-off land1 probably from ,egypt or ,greece4 ,we have spoken of the connection between their teachings and that of the ,pythagoreans1 and there was undoubtedly a strong bond of relationship between these priests and the occultists of other lands4 ,the ,druidic priests were well versed in astronomy and astrology1 and the planets had an important part in the teachings4 ,a portion of their ritual is said to have correspondences with the early ,jewish rites and worship4 ,their favorite symbol--the mistletoe--was used as indicating re-birth1 the mistletoe being the new life springing forth from the old one1 typified by the oak4 ,the ,druids traveled into ,ancient ,britain and ,ireland1 and many traces of their religious rites may still be found there1 not only in the shape of the stone places-of-worship1 but also in many curious local customs among the peasantry4 ,many a bit of ,english folk-lore--many an odd ,irish fancy concerning fairies and the like2 symbols of good-luck2 banshees and the little-folk--came honestly to these people from the days of the ,druids4 ,and from the same source came the many whispered tales among both races regarding the birth of children who seemed to have remembrances of former lives on earth1 which memory faded away as they grew older4 ,among these people there is always an undercurrent of mystic ideas about souls coming back in some mysterious way not fully understood4 ,it is the inheritance from the ,druids4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,romans ,,and ,,greeks4 ,one unfamiliar with the subject would naturally expect to find the ,ancient ,romans well advanced along the lines of philosophy1 religion1 and spiritual speculation1 judging from the all-powerful influence exerted by them over the affairs of the whole known world4 ,particularly when one considers the relationship with and connection of ,rome with ancient ,greece1 it would seem that the two peoples must have had much in common in the world of thought4 ,but such is not the case4 ,although the exoteric religions of the ,romans resembled that of the ,greeks1 from whom it was borrowed or inherited1 there was little or no original thought along metaphysics1 religion or philosophy among the ,romans4 ,this was probably due to the fact that the whole tendency of ,rome was toward material advancement and attainment1 little or no attention being given to matters concerning the soul1 future life1 etc4 ,some few of the philosophers of ,rome advanced theories regarding the future state1 but beyond a vague sort of ancestor worship the masses of the people took but little interest in the subject4 ,cicero1 it is true1 uttered words which indicate a belief in immortality1 when he said in ,scipio's ,dream3 ,know that it is not thou1 but thy body alone1 which is mortal4 ,the individual in his entirety resides in the soul1 and not in the outward form4 ,learn1 then1 that thou art a god2 thou1 the immortal intelligence which gives movements to a perishable body1 just as the eternal ,god animates an incorruptible body4 ,pliny the younger left writings which seem to indicate his belief in the reality of phantoms1 and ,ovid has written verses which would indicate his recognition of a part of man which survived the death of the body4 ,but1 on the whole1 ,roman philosophy treated immortality as a thing perchance existing1 but not proven1 and to be viewed rather as a poetical expression of a longing1 rather than as an established1 or at least a well grounded1 principle of philosophical thought4 ,but ,lucretius and others of his time and country protested against the folly of belief in the survival of the soul held by the other nations4 ,he said that3 ,the fear of eternal life should be banished from the universe2 it disturbs the peace of mankind1 for it prevents the enjoyment of any security or pleasure4 ,and ,virgil praised and commended the philosophical attitude which was able to see the real cause of things1 and was therefore able to reject the unworthy fear of a world beyond and all fears arising from such belief4 ,but even many of the ,roman philosophers1 while denying immortality1 believed in supernatural powers and beings1 and were very superstitious and childlike in many respects1 so that their philosophy of non-survival was evidently rather the result of temperament and pursuit of material things than a height of philosophical reasoning or metaphysical thought4 ,and so1 the ,romans stand apart from the majority of the ancient peoples1 in so far as the belief in ,reincarnation is concerned4 ,while there were individual mystics and occultists among them1 it still remains a fact that the majority of the people held no such belief1 and in fact the masses had no clearly defined ideas regarding the survival of the soul4 ,it is a strange exception to the general rule1 and one that has occasioned much comment and attention among thinkers along these lines4 ,there was a vague form of ancestor worship among the ,romans1 but even this was along the lines of collective survival of the ancestors1 and was free from the ordinary metaphysical speculations and religious dogmas4 ,roughly stated1 the ,roman belief may be expressed by an idea of a less material1 or more subtle1 part of man which escaped disintegration after death1 and which in some mysterious way passed on to combine with the ancestral soul which composed the collective ancestral deity of the family1 the peace and pleasure of which were held as sacred duties on the part of the descendants1 sacrifices and offerings being made toward this end4 ,nevertheless1 here and there1 among the ,romans1 were eminent thinkers who seemingly held a vague1 tentative belief in some form of ,reincarnation1 as1 for instance1 ,ovid1 who says3 ,nothing perishes1 although everything changes here on earth2 the souls come and go unendingly in visible forms2 the animals which have acquired goodness will take upon them human form2 and ,virgil says3 ,after death1 the souls come to the ,elysian fields1 or to ,tartarus1 and there meet with the reward or punishment of their deeds during life4 ,later1 on drinking of the waters of ,lethe1 which takes away all memory of the past1 they return to earth4 ,but it must be admitted that ,rome was deficient in spiritual insight and beliefs1 on the whole1 her material successes having diverted her attention from the problems which had so engrossed the mind of her neighbor ,greece1 and her older sisters ,persia1 ,chaldea1 and ,egypt4 ,among the ,greeks1 on the contrary1 we find a marked degree of interest and speculation regarding the immortality of the soul1 and much interest in the doctrines of ,metempsychosis or ,reincarnation4 ,although the great masses of the ,grecian people were satisfied with their popular mythology and not disposed to question further1 or to indulge in keen speculation on metaphysical subjects1 still the intellectual portion of the race were most active in their search after truth1 and their schools of philosophy1 with their many followers and adherents1 have left an indelible mark upon the thought of man unto this day4 ,next to the ,hindus1 the ,greeks were the great philosophers of the human race4 ,and the occultists and mystics among them were equal to those of ,persia1 ,india1 ,chaldea or ,egypt4 ,while the various theories regarding the soul were as the sands of the sea1 so many were the teachers1 schools and divisions of thought among these people--still the doctrine of ,reincarnation played a very important part in their philosophy4 ,the prevailing idea was that the worthy souls pass on to a state of bliss1 without rebirth1 while the less worthy pass the waters of the river of ,lethe1 quaffing of its waters of forgetfulness1 and thus having the recollection of their earth-life1 and of the period of punishment that they had undergone by reason of the same1 obliterated and cleansed from their memories1 when they pass on to re-birth4 ,one of the old ,orphic hymns reads as follows3 ,the wise love light and not darkness4 ,when you travel the journey of ,life1 remember1 always1 the end of the journey4 ,when souls return to the light1 after their sojourn on earth1 they wear upon their more subtle bodies1 like searing1 hideous scars1 the marks of their earthly sins--these must be obliterated1 and they go back to earth to be cleansed4 ,but the pure1 virtuous and strong proceed direct to the ,sun of ,dionysus4 ,the teachings of the ,egyptians left a deep impression upon the ,grecian mind1 and not only the common form of belief1 but also the esoteric doctrines1 were passed along to the newer people by the elder4 ,pythagoras was the great occult teacher of ,greece1 and his school and that of his followers accepted and taught the great doctrine of ,reincarnation4 ,much of his teaching was reserved for the initiates of the mystic orders founded by himself and his followers1 but still much of the doctrine was made public4 ,both ,orpheus and ,pythagoras1 although several centuries separated them1 were students at the fount of knowledge in ,egypt1 having traveled to that country in order to be initiated in the mystic orders of the ancient land1 and returning they taught anew the old doctrine of ,rebirth4 ,the ,pythagorean teaching resembles that of the ,hindus and ,egyptians1 in so far as is concerned the nature of man--his several bodies or sheaths--and the survival of the higher part of his nature1 while the lower part perishes4 ,it was taught that after death this higher part of the soul passed on to a region of bliss1 where it received knowledge and felt the beneficent influence of developed and advanced souls1 thus becoming equipped for a new life1 with incentives toward higher things4 ,but1 not having as yet reached the stage of development which will entitle it to dwell in the blissful regions for all eternity1 it sooner or later reaches the limit of its term of probation1 and then passes down toward another incarnation on earth--another step on the ,path of ,attainment4 ,the teaching was1 further1 that the conditions1 circumstances and environments of the new earth-life were determined by the actions1 thoughts1 and mental tendencies of the former life1 and by the degree of development which the several previous earth-lives had manifested4 ,in this respect the teaching agrees materially with the universal doctrine regarding ,reincarnation and ,karma4 ,pythagoras taught that the doctrine of ,reincarnation accounted for the inequality observable in the lives of men on earth1 giving a logical reason for the same1 and establishing the fact of universal and ultimate justice1 accountable for on no other grounds4 ,he taught that although the material world was subject to the laws of destiny and fatality1 yet there was another and higher state of being in which the soul would rise above the laws of the lower world4 ,this higher state1 he taught1 had laws of its own1 as yet unknown to man1 which tended to work out the imperfect laws of the material world1 establishing harmony1 justice1 and equality1 to supply the apparent deficiencies manifested in the earth life4 ,following ,pythagoras1 ,plato1 the great ,grecian philosopher1 taught the old-new doctrine of ,rebirth4 ,he taught that the souls of the dead must return to earth1 where1 in new lives1 they must wear out the old earth deeds1 receiving benefits for the worthy ones1 and penalties for the unworthy ones1 the soul profiting by these repeated experiences1 and rising step by step toward the divine4 ,plato taught that the reincarnated soul has flashes of remembrance of its former lives1 and also instincts and intuitions gained by former experiences4 ,he classed innate ideas among these inherited experiences of former lives4 ,it has been well said that everything can be found in ,plato1 and therefore one who seeks for the ancient ,grecian ideas concerning ,reincarnation1 and the problems of the soul1 may find that which he seeks in the writings of the old sage and philosopher4 ,plato was the past master of the inner teachings concerning the soul1 and all who have followed him have drawn freely from his great store of wisdom4 ,his influence on the early ,christian church was enormous1 and in many forms it continues even unto this day4 ,many of the early ,christian fathers taught that ,plato was really one of the many forerunners of ,christ1 who had prepared the pagan world for the coming of the ,master4 ,in ,phaedo1 ,plato describes the soul1 and explains its immortality4 ,he teaches that man has a material body which is subject to constant change1 and subject to death and disintegration2 and also an immaterial soul1 unchangeable and indestructible1 and akin to the divine4 ,at death this soul was severed from its physical companion1 and rose1 purified1 to the higher regions1 where it rendered an account of itself1 and had its future allotted to it4 ,if it was found sufficiently untainted and unsullied by the mire of material life1 it was considered fit to be admitted to the ,state of ,bliss1 which was described as ,union with the ,supreme ,being1 which latter is described as ,spirit1 eternal and omniscient4 ,the base and very guilty souls undergo a period of punishment1 or purgation1 to the end that they may be purged and purified of the guilt1 before being allowed to make another trial for perfection4 ,the souls which were not sufficiently pure for the ,state of ,bliss1 nor yet so impure that they need the purging process1 were returned to earth-life1 there to take up new bodies1 and endeavor to work out their salvation anew1 to the end that they might in the future attain the ,blissful ,state4 ,plato taught that in the ,rebirth1 the soul was generally unconscious of its previous lives1 although it may have flashes of recollection4 ,besides this it has a form of intuition1 and innate ideas1 which was believed to be the result of the experiences gained in the past lives1 and which knowledge had been stored up so as to benefit the soul in its reincarnated existence4 ,plato taught that the immaterial part of man--the soul--was a complex thing1 being composed of a number of differing1 though related1 elements4 ,highest in the hierarchy of the soul elements he placed the ,spirit1 which1 he taught1 comprised consciousness1 intelligence1 will1 choice between good and evil1 etc41 and which was absolutely indestructible and immortal1 and which had its seat in the head4 ,then came two other parts of the soul1 which survived the dissolution of the body1 but which were only comparatively immortal1 that is1 they were subject to later dissolution and disintegration4 ,of these semi-material elements1 one was the seat of the affections1 passions1 etc41 and was located in the heart2 while the other1 which was the seat of the sensual and lower desires1 passions1 etc41 was located in the liver4 ,these two mentioned lower elements were regarded as not possessed of reason1 but still having certain powers of sensation1 perception1 and will4 ,the ,neo-,platonists1 who followed ,plato1 and who adapted his teachings to their many conflicting ideas1 held firmly to the doctrine of ,reincarnation4 ,the writings of ,plotinus1 ,porphyry1 and the other ,mystics1 had much to say on this subject1 and the teaching was much refined under their influence4 ,the ,jewish philosophers were affected by the influence of the ,platonic thought1 and the school of the ,essenes1 which held firmly to the idea of ,rebirth1 was a source from which ,christianity received much of its early influence4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,jews1 ,,essenes ,,and ,,early ,,christians4 ,the early ,jewish people had an ,inner ,teaching which embraced certain ideas concerning ,reincarnation1 although the masses of the people knew nothing of the doctrine which was reserved for the inner circles of the few4 ,there is much dispute concerning the early beliefs of the ,jewish people regarding the immortality of the soul4 ,the best authorities seem to agree that the early beliefs were very crude and indefinite1 consisting principally of a general belief that after death the souls are gathered up together in a dark place1 called ,sheol1 where they dwell in an unconscious sleep4 ,it will be noted that the earlier books in the ,old ,testament have very little to say on this subject4 ,gradually1 however1 there may be noticed a dawning belief in certain states of the departed souls1 and in this the ,jews were undoubtedly influenced by the conceptions of the people of other lands with whom they came in contact4 ,the sojourn in ,egypt must have exerted an important influence on them1 particularly the educated thinkers of the race1 of which1 however1 there were but few1 owing to the condition in which they were kept as bondsmen of the ,egyptians4 ,moses1 however1 owing to his education and training among the ,egyptian priests1 must have been fully initiated in the ,mysteries of that land1 and the ,jewish legends would indicate that he formed an ,inner ,circle of the priesthood of his people1 after they escaped from ,egypt1 and doubtless instructed them fully in the occult doctrines1 which1 however1 were too advanced and complicated for preaching to the mass of ignorant people of which the ,jewish race of that time was composed4 ,the lamp of learning among the ,jews of that time was kept alight but by very few priests among them4 ,there has always been much talk1 and legend1 concerning this ,inner ,teaching among the ,jews4 ,the ,jewish ,rabbis have had so much to say regarding it1 and some of the ,early ,fathers of the ,christian ,church were of the opinion that such ,secret ,doctrine existed4 ,scholars have noted that in important passages in the ,jewish ,bible1 three distinct terms are used in referring to the immaterial part1 or soul1 of man4 ,these terms are ,nichema1 ,rouach1 and ,nephesh1 respectively1 and have been translated as soul1 spirit or breath1 in several senses of these terms4 ,many good authorities have held that these three terms did not apply to one conception1 but that on the contrary they referred to three distinct elements of the soul1 akin to the conceptions of the ,egyptians and other early peoples1 who held to the trinity of the soul1 as we have shown a little further back4 ,some ,hebrew scholars hold that ,nichema is the ,ego1 or ,intelligent ,spirit2 ,rouach1 the lower vehicle of the ,ego2 and ,nephesh1 the ,vital ,force1 ,vitality1 or ,life4 ,students of the ,kaballah1 or ,secret ,writings of the ,jews1 find therein many references to the complex nature of the soul1 and its future states1 as well as undoubted teachings regarding ,reincarnation1 or ,future ,existence in the ,body4 ,the ,kaballah was the book of the ,jewish ,mysteries1 and was largely symbolical1 so that to those unacquainted with the symbols employed1 it read as if lacking sense or meaning4 ,but those having the key1 were able to read therefrom many bits of hidden doctrine4 ,the ,kaballah is said to be veiled in seven coverings--that is1 its symbology is sevenfold1 so that none but those having the inner keys may know the full truth contained therein1 although even the first key will unlock many doors4 ,the ,zohar1 another ,secret ,book of the ,jews1 although of much later origin than the ,kaballah1 also contains much of the ,inner ,teachings concerning the destiny of the soul4 ,this book plainly recognizes and states the three-fold nature of the soul1 above mentioned1 and treats the ,nichema1 ,rouach and ,nephesh as distinct elements thereof4 ,it also teaches that when the soul leaves the body it goes through a long and tedious purifying process1 whereby the effect of its vices is worn off by means of a series of transmigrations and reincarnations1 wherein it develops several perfections1 etc4 ,this idea of attaining perfection through repeated rebirths1 instead of the rebirths being in the nature of punishment as taught by ,plato1 is also taught in the ,kaballah1 showing the agreement of the ,jewish mind on this detail of the doctrine4 ,the essence of the ,kaballic teaching on this subject is that the souls undergo repeated rebirth1 after long intervals of rest and purification1 in entire forgetfulness of their previous existences1 and for the purpose of advancement1 unfoldment1 purification1 development1 and attainment4 ,the ,zohar follows up this teaching strictly1 although with amplifications4 ,the following quotation from the ,zohar is interesting1 inasmuch as it shows the teaching on the subject in a few words4 ,it reads as follows3 ,all souls are subject to the trials of transmigration2 and men do not know which are the ways of the ,most ,high in their regard4 ,they do not know how many transformations and mysterious trials they must undergo2 how many souls and spirits come to this world without returning to the palace of the divine king4 ,the souls must re-enter the absolute substance whence they have emerged4 ,but to accomplish this end they must develop all the perfections2 the germ of which is planted in them2 and if they have not fulfilled this condition during one life1 they must commence another1 a third1 and so on1 until they have acquired the condition which fits them for reunion with ,god4 ,the mystic sect which sprung up among the ,jewish people during the century preceding the birth of ,christ1 and which was in the height of its influence at the time of the ,birth--the sect1 cult1 or order of ,the ,essenes--was an important influence in the direction of spreading the truths of ,reincarnation among the ,jewish people4 ,this order combined the earlier ,egyptian ,mysteries with the ,mystic ,doctrine of ,pythagoras and the philosophy of ,plato4 ,it was closely connected with the ,jewish ,therapeutae of ,egypt1 and was the leading mystic order of the time4 ,josephus1 the eminent ,jewish historian1 writing of the ,essenes1 says3 ,the opinion obtains among them that bodies indeed are corrupted1 and the matter of them not permanent1 but that souls continue exempt from death forever2 and that emanating from the most subtle ether they are unfolded in bodies as prisons to which they are drawn by some natural spell4 ,but when loosed from the bonds of flesh1 as if released from a long captivity1 they rejoice and are borne upward4 ,in the ,new ,international ,encyclopedia 7vol4 vii1 page #bag7 will be found an instructive article on ,essenes1 in which it is stated that among the ,essenes there was a certain view entertained regarding the origin1 present state1 and future destiny of the soul1 which was held to be pre-existent1 being entrapped in the body as a prison1 etc4 ,and in the same article the following statement occurs3 ,it is an interesting question as to how much ,christianity owes to ,essenism4 ,it would seem that there was room for definite contact between ,john the ,baptist and this ,brotherhood4 ,his time of preparation was spent in the wilderness near the ,dead ,sea2 his preaching of righteousness toward ,god1 and justice toward one's fellow men1 was in agreement with ,essenism2 while his insistence upon ,baptism was in accordance with the ,essenic emphasis on lustrations4 ,in this very conservative statement is shown the intimate connection between the ,essenes and ,early ,christianity1 through ,john the ,baptist4 ,some hold that ,jesus had a still closer relationship to the ,essenes and allied mystic orders1 but we shall not insist upon this point1 as it lies outside of the ordinary channels of historical information4 ,there is no doubt1 however1 that the ,essenes1 who had such a strong influence on the early ,christian ,church1 were closely allied to other mystic organizations with whom they agreed in fundamental doctrines1 notably that of ,reincarnation4 ,and so we have brought the story down to the early ,christian ,church1 at which point we will continue it4 ,we have left the phase of the subject which pertains to ,india for separate consideration1 for in ,india the doctrine has had its principal home in all ages1 and the subject in that phase requires special treatment4 ,that there was an ,inner ,doctrine in the early ,christian ,church seems to be well established1 and that a part of that doctrine consisted in a teaching of ,pre-existence of the ,soul and some form of ,rebirth or ,reincarnation seems quite reasonable to those who have made a study of the subject4 ,there is a constant reference to the ,mysteries and ,inner ,teachings throughout the ,epistles1 particularly those of ,paul1 and the writings of the ,early ,christian ,fathers are filled with references to the ,secret ,doctrines4 ,in the earlier centuries of the ,christian ,era frequent references are found to have been made to ,the ,mysteries of ,jesus1 and that there was an ,inner ,circle of advanced ,christians devoted to mysticism and little known doctrines there can be no doubt4 ,celsus attacked the early church1 alleging that it was a secret organization which taught the ,truth to the select few1 while it passed on to the multitude only the crumbs of half-truth1 and popular teachings veiling the ,truth4 ,origen1 a pupil of ,st4 ,clement1 answered ,celsus1 stating that while it was true that there were ,inner ,teachings in the ,christian ,church1 that were not revealed to the populace1 still the ,church in following that practice was but adhering to the established custom of all philosophies and religions1 which gave the esoteric truths only to those who were ready to receive them1 at the same time giving to the general mass of followers the exoteric or outer teachings1 which were all they could understand or assimilate4 ,among other things1 in this reply1 ,origen says3 ,that there should be certain doctrines1 not made known to the multitude1 which are divulged after the exoteric ones have been taught1 is not a peculiarity of ,christianity alone1 but also of philosophic systems in which certain truths are exoteric and others esoteric4 ,some of the followers of ,pythagoras were content with his 'ipse dixit1' while others were taught in secret those doctrines which were not deemed fit to be communicated to profane and insufficiently prepared ears4 ,moreover1 all the mysteries that are celebrated everywhere through ,greece and barbarous countries1 although held in secret1 have no discredit thrown upon them1 so that it is in vain he endeavors to calumniate the secret doctrines of ,christianity1 seeing that he does not correctly understand its nature4 ,in this quotation it will be noticed that not only does ,origen positively admit the existence of the ,inner ,teachings1 but that he also mentions ,pythagoras and his school1 and also the other ,mysteries of ,greece1 showing his acquaintance with them1 and his comparison of them with the ,christian ,mysteries1 which latter he would not have been likely to have done were their teachings repugnant to1 and at utter variance with1 those of his own church4 ,in the same writing ,origen says3 ,but on these subjects much1 and that of a mystical kind1 might be said1 in keeping with which is the following3 ',it is good to keep close to the secret of a king1' in order that the entrance of souls into bodies may not be thrown before the common understanding4 ,scores of like quotations might be cited4 ,the writings of the ,early ,fathers of the ,christian ,church are filled with many allusions to the current inner doctrine of the pre-existence and rebirth of souls4 ,origen in particular has written at great length regarding these things4 ,john the ,baptist was generally accepted as the reincarnation of ,elias1 even by the populace1 who regarded it as a miraculous occurrence1 while the elect regarded it as merely another instance of rebirth under the law4 ,the ,gnostics1 a mystic order and school in the early church1 taught ,reincarnation plainly and openly1 bringing upon themselves much persecution at the hands of the more conservative4 ,others held to some form of the teaching1 the disputes among them being principally regarding points of doctrine and detail1 the main teachings being admitted4 ,origen taught that souls had fallen from a high estate and were working their way back toward their lost estate and glory1 by means of repeated incarnations4 ,justin ,martyr speaks of the soul inhabiting successive bodies1 with loss of memory of past lives4 ,for several centuries the early ,church held within its bosom many earnest advocates of ,reincarnation1 and the teaching was recognized as vital even by those who combatted it4 ,lactinus1 at the end of the third century1 held that the idea of the soul's immortality implied its pre-existence4 ,st4 ,augustine1 in his ,confessions1 makes use of these remarkable words3 ,did ,i not live in another body before entering my mother's womb8 ,which expression is all the more remarkable because ,augustine opposed ,origen in many points of doctrine1 and because it was written as late as ,a4 ,d4 #dae4 ,the various ,church ,councils1 however1 frowned upon these outcroppings of the doctrine of ,reincarnation1 and the influence of those who rose to power in the church was directed against the heresy4 ,at several councils were the teachings rebuked1 and condemned1 until finally in ,a4 ,d4 #ech1 ,justinian had a law passed which declared that3 ,whoever shall support the mythical presentation of the pre-existence of the soul and the consequently wonderful opinion of its return1 let him be ,anathema4 ,speaking of the ,jewish ,kaballists1 an authority states3 ,like ,origen and other church ,fathers1 the ,kaballists used as their main argument in favor of the doctrine of metempsychosis1 the justice of ,god4 ,but the doctrine of ,reincarnation among ,christian races did not die at the orders and commands of the ,christian ,church ,councils4 ,smouldering under the blanket of opposition and persecution1 it kept alive until once more it could lift its flame toward ,heaven4 ,and even during its suppression the careful student may see little flickers of the flame--little wreathings of smoke--escaping here and there4 ,veiled in mystic phrasing1 and trimmed with poetic figure1 many allusions may be seen among the writings of the centuries4 ,and during the past two hundred years the revival in the subject has been constant1 until at the close of the ,nineteenth ,century1 and the beginning of the ,twentieth ,century1 we once more find the doctrine openly preached and taught to thousands of eager listeners and secretly held even by many orthodox ,christians4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,hindus4 ,while ,reincarnation has been believed and taught in nearly every nation1 and among all races1 in former or present times1 still we are justified in considering ,india as the natural ,mother of the doctrine1 inasmuch as it has found an especially favorable spiritual and mental environment in that land and among its people1 the date of its birth there being lost in the cloudiness of ancient history1 but the tree of the teaching being still in full flower and still bearing an abundance of fruit4 ,as the ,hindus proudly claim1 while the present dominant race was still in the savage1 cave-dwelling1 stone-age stage of existence--and while even the ancient ,jewish people were beginning to place the foundation stones of their religion1 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 teachings1 which had been accepted as ,truth by the great ,aryan race in ,india4 ,and1 throughout forty centuries1 or more1 this race has held steadfastly to the original doctrine1 until now the ,west is looking again to it for light on the great problems of human life and existence1 and now1 in the ,twentieth ,century1 many careful thinkers consider that in the study and understanding of the great fundamental thoughts of the ,vedas and the ,upanishads1 the ,west will find the only possible antidote to the virus of ,materialism that is poisoning the veins of ,western spiritual understanding4 ,the idea of reincarnation is to be found in nearly all of the philosophies and religions of the race1 at least in some period in their history--among all peoples and races--yet1 in ,india do we find the doctrine in the fullest flower1 not only in the past but in the present4 ,from the earliest ages of the race in ,india1 ,reincarnation in some of its various forms has been the accepted doctrine1 and today it is accepted by the entire ,hindu people1 with their many divisions and sub-races1 with the exception of the ,hindu ,mohammedans4 ,the teeming millions of ,india live and die in the full belief in ,reincarnation1 and to them it is accepted without a question as the only rational doctrine concerning the past1 present and future of the soul4 ,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 body1 rather than as a body having a soul1 as so many of the ,western people seem to regard themselves4 ,and1 to the ,hindus1 the present life is truly regarded as but one step on the stairway of life1 and not as the only material life preceding an eternity of spiritual existence4 ,to the ,hindu mind1 ,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 life4 ,the early ,hindus did not possess the complicated forms of religion now existing among them1 with their various creeds1 ceremonials1 rituals1 cults1 schools1 and denominations4 ,on the contrary1 their original form of religion was an advanced form of what some have called ,nature-,worship1 but which was rather more than that which the ,western mind usually means by the term4 ,their ,nature was rather a ,spirit of ,nature1 or ,one ,life1 of which all existing forms are but varying manifestations4 ,even in this early stage of their religious development they held to a belief in reincarnation of the soul1 from one form to another4 ,while to them everything was but a manifestation of ,one ,life1 still the soul was a differentiated unit1 emanated from the ,one ,life1 and destined to work its way back to ,unity and ,oneness with the ,divine ,life through many and varied incarnations1 until finally it would be again merged with the ,one4 ,from this early beginning arose the many and varied forms of religious philosophy known to the ,india of today2 but clinging to all these modern forms is to be found the fundamental basis idea of reincarnation and final absorption with the ,one4 ,brahmanism came first1 starting from the simple and working to the complex1 a great priesthood gradually arising and surrounding the original simple religious philosophy with ceremonial1 ritual and theological and metaphysical abstractions and speculation4 ,then arose ,buddhism1 which1 in a measure1 was a return to the primitive idea1 but which in turn developed a new priesthood and religious organization4 ,but the fundamental doctrine of ,reincarnation permeated them all1 and may be regarded as the great common centre of the ,hindu religious thought and philosophy4 ,the ,hindu religious books are filled with references to the doctrine of ,reincarnation4 ,the ,laws of ,manu1 one of the oldest existing pieces of ,sanscrit writing1 contains many mentions of it1 and the ,upanishads and ,vedas contain countless reference to it4 ,in the ,bhagavad ,gita1 ,krishna says to ,arjuna3 ,know thou1 ,o ,prince of ,pandu1 that there never was a time when ,i1 nor thou1 nor any of these princes of earth was not2 nor shall there ever come a time1 hereafter1 when any of us shall cease to be4 ,as the soul1 wearing this material body1 experienceth the stages of infancy1 youth1 manhood1 and old age1 even so shall it1 in due time1 pass on to another body1 and in other incarnations shall it again live1 and move and play its part4 99 99 99 ,these bodies1 which act as enveloping coverings for the souls occupying them1 are but finite things--things of the moment--and not the ,real ,man at all4 ,they perish as all finite things perish--let them perish4 ,he who in his ignorance thinketh3 ',i slay' or ',i am slain1' babbleth like an infant lacking knowledge4 ,of a truth none can slay--none can be slain4 ,take unto thy inner mind this truth1 ,o ,prince6 ,verily1 the ,real ,man--the ,spirit of ,man--is neither born1 nor doth it die4 ,unborn1 undying1 ancient1 perpetual and eternal1 it hath endured1 and will endure forever4 ,the body may die2 be slain2 be destroyed completely--but he that hath occupied it remaineth unharmed4 99 99 99 ,as a man throweth away his old garments1 replacing them with new and brighter ones1 even so the ,dweller of the body1 having quitted its old mortal frame1 entereth into others which are new and freshly prepared for it4 99 99 99 ,many have been my births and rebirths1 ,o ,prince--and many also have been thine own4 ,but between us lies this difference--,i am conscious of all my many lives1 but thou lackest remembrance of thine4 ,in the ,mahabarata is said3 ,even as when he casteth off an old garment1 man clothes himself in new raiment1 even so the soul1 casting off the wornout body1 takes on a new body1 avoids the fatal paths leading to hell1 works for its salvation1 and proceeds toward heaven4 ,the ,brhadaranyakopanishad1 one of the old ,hindu writings1 contains the following3 ,as the caterpillar1 getting to the end of the straw1 takes itself away after finding a resting place in advance1 so the soul leaving this body1 and finding another place in advance1 takes himself off from his original abode4 ,as the goldsmith taking little by little of the gold expands it into a new form1 so1 indeed1 does this soul1 leaving this body1 make a new and happy abode for himself4 ,but to attempt to quote passages relating to incarnation from the ,hindu books1 would be akin to compiling a library of many volumes4 ,the sacred writings of the ,east are filled with references to ,reincarnation1 and if the latter were eliminated it would be like the play of ,hamlet with ,hamlet omitted4 ,we cannot enter into a description of the various schools of ,hindu religious thought and philosophy in this work1 for to do so would be to expand this little volume in several of larger size1 so extended is the subject4 ,but underlying the many divisions and subdivisions of ,hindu thought may be found the fundamental idea of an original emanation from1 or manifestation of1 ,one ,divine ,being1 ,power and ,energy1 into countless differentiated units1 atoms1 or egos1 which units1 embodying in matter1 are unconscious of the spiritual nature1 and take on a consciousness corresponding with the form in which they are embodied4 ,then follows a series of embodiments1 or incarnations1 from lower to higher1 in which occurs an evolution or unfoldment of the nature of the soul1 in which it rises to higher and higher planes of being1 until finally1 after aeons of time1 it enters in ,union with the ,divine ,nirvana and ,para-,nirvana--the state of ,eternal ,bliss4 ,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 life1 the ,hindus1 on the contrary1 regard life as but a period of travail and sorrow1 the only light to be perceived being the expectation and hope of eventually emerging from the region of materiality1 and illusion1 and regaining true existence in the ,spirit4 ,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 being1 whereby it fails to recognize that this material life is maya or illusion4 ,they hold that ,wisdom consists in the soul recognizing its real nature1 and perceiving the illusion of material life and things1 and striving to liberate itself from the bondage of materiality and ignorance4 ,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 hand1 and the means of attaining liberation and freedom from material embodiment on the other4 ,the doctrine of ,karma of spiritual cause and effect1 which we shall consider in another chapter1 also runs along with all the varying ,hindu conceptions1 doctrines1 and theories4 ,without considering the matter of differences of opinion between the various schools1 concerning the nature and constitution of the soul1 we may say that all the schools practically agree that the constitution of ,man is a complex thing1 comprising a number of sheaths1 bodies1 coverings1 or elements1 from the grosser to the more spiritual1 the various sheaths being discarded as the soul advances on its way toward perfection4 ,there are disputes between the various schools regarding terminology and the precise arrangement of these principles1 but the following classification will answer for the purpose of giving a general idea of the ,hindu views on the subject1 subject always to the conflicting claims of the various schools4 ,the classification is as follows1 passing from lower to higher3 #a4 ,physical or material body1 or ,rupa4 #b4 ,vitality of ,vital ,force1 or ,prana-,jiva4 #c4 ,astral ,body1 ,etheric ,double1 or ,linga ,sharira4 #d4 ,animal ,soul1 or ,kama ,rupa4 #e4 ,human ,soul1 or ,manas4 #f4 ,spiritual ,soul1 or ,buddhi4 #g4 ,divine ,spirit1 or ,atma4 ,from the beginning1 the tendency of the ,hindu mind was in the direction of resolving the universe of forms1 shapes1 and change1 back into some ,one ,underlying ,principle1 from which all the phenomenal world emerged--some ,one ,infinite ,energy1 from which all else emerged1 emanated1 or evolved4 ,and the early ,hindu mind busied itself actively with the solution of the problem of this ,one ,being manifesting a ,becoming into ,many4 ,just as is the ,western world of today actively engaged in solving many material problems1 so was ancient ,india active in solving many spiritual problems--just as the modern ,west is straining every energy toward discovering the ,how1 so was ancient ,india straining every effort to discovering the ,why4 ,and from that struggle of the mind of ,india there arose countless schools of religious and philosophical thought1 many of which have passed away1 but many of which persist today4 ,the problem of the relationship of the human soul to the ,one ,being1 and the secondary problem of the life1 present and future1 of the individual soul1 is a most vital one to all thinking ,hindus today as in the forty centuries or more of its philosophical history4 ,to the ,hindu mind1 all material research is of minor importance1 the important ,truth being to discover that which when once known1 all else is understood4 ,but1 as we have said1 in spite of the numerous religions1 schools1 and phases of teaching1 among the ,hindus1 the one fundamental conception of ,reincarnation is never lost sight of1 nor is it ever doubted in any of the forms of the philosophies or religions4 ,ignoring the subdivisions of ,hindu philosophical thought1 we may say that the ,hindu philosophies may be divided into a few general classes1 several of which we shall now hastily consider1 that you may get a glimpse at the variety of ,hindu speculative philosophy in its relation to the soul and its destiny4 ,you will1 of course1 understand that we can do no more than mention the leading features of each class1 as a careful consideration would require volumes for each particular school4 ,we will first consider the philosophy of ,kanada1 generally known as the ,vaisheshika ,teaching1 which inclines toward an ,atomic ,theory1 akin to that formulated by the old ,greek philosopher ,democritus4 ,according to this teaching the substance of the universe is composed of an infinite number of atoms1 which are eternal1 and which were not created by ,god1 but which are co-eternal with ,him4 ,these atoms1 combining and forming shapes1 forms1 etc41 are the basis of the material universe4 ,it is held1 however1 that the power or energy whereby these atoms combine and thus form matter1 comes from ,god4 ,this teaching holds that ,god is a ,personal ,being1 possessing ,omnipotence1 ,omniscience1 and ,omnipresence4 ,it is also held that there are two substances1 or principles1 higher1 that the material energies or substance1 namely1 ,manas1 or ,mind1 and ,atman1 or ,spirit4 ,manas or ,mind is held to be something like a ,mind-,stuff1 from which all individual minds are built up--and which ,mind-,stuff is held to be eternal4 ,atman1 or ,spirit1 is held to be an eternal principle1 from which the ,selves or ,souls are differentiated4 ,the ,atman1 or ,spirit1 or ,self1 is regarded as much higher than ,mind1 which is its tool and instrument of expression4 ,this philosophy teaches that through progression1 by ,reincarnation1 the soul advances from lower to higher states1 on its road to freedom and perfection4 ,another great school of ,hindu philosophy is the philosophy of ,kapila1 generally known as the ,sankhya system4 ,this teaching opposes the ,atomic ,theory of the ,vaisheshika system1 and holds that the atoms are not indestructible nor eternal1 but may be resolved back into a primal substance called ,prakriti4 ,prakriti is held to be an universal1 eternal energy or ethereal substance1 something similar to certain ,western scientific conceptions of an ,universal ,ether4 ,from this eternal1 universal energy1 ,kapila held that all the universe has been evolved--all material forms or manifestations of energy being but manifestations of ,prakriti4 ,but1 the ,sankhya system is not materialistic1 as might be supposed at first glance1 for side by side with ,prakriti it offers the principle of ,purusha1 or ,soul1 or ,spirit1 of which all individual souls are atomic units--the ,principle of ,purusha being an ,unity of ,units1 and not an ,undivided ,one4 ,the ,purusha--that is1 its units or ,individual ,souls--is regarded as eternal and immortal4 ,prakriti is devoid of mind1 but is possessed of active vital energy1 and is capable of producing forms and material manifestations by reason of its inherent energy1 and laws1 and thus produces what the ,hindus call ,maya1 or material illusion1 which they hold to be devoid of reality1 inasmuch as the forms are constantly changing and have no permanence4 ,this philosophy holds that ,prakriti1 by means of the glamour of its manifestations of ,maya1 entices the individual souls1 or ,purushas1 which when once in the centre of attraction of the ,maya are drawn into the vortex of material existence1 losing a knowledge of their real nature4 ,but the souls never lose entirely the glimmer of the ,light of the ,spirit1 and1 consequently1 soon begin to feel that they have made a mistake1 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 ,maya1 step by step1 cycle by cycle1 by a series of purification and cleansing of themselves1 just as a fly cleanses itself of the sticky substance into which it has fallen4 ,this escape is accomplished by ,spiritual ,unfoldment or ,evolution1 by means of ,reincarnation--this ,evolution not being a growth1 but rather an unfoldment or unwrapping of the soul from its confining sheaths1 one by one4 ,another great school of ,hindu philosophy is the philosophy of ,patanjali1 generally known as the ,yoga ,philosophy1 but which differs from the ,yogi ,philosophy of the ,west1 which is eclectic in nature4 ,the ,yoga ,philosophy of ,patanjali bears some resemblance to the ,sankhya school of ,kapila1 inasmuch as it recognizes the teachings regarding ,prakriti1 from which universal energy the material universe has been evolved2 and inasmuch as it also recognizes the countless individual ,purushas1 or souls1 which are eternal and immortal1 and which are entrapped in the ,maya of ,prakriti4 ,but it then takes a position widely divergent from the ,sankhya school1 inasmuch as ,patanjali's ,yoga school holds that there also exists a ,supreme ,purusha1 ,spirit1 ,soul--or ,god--who is without form2 infinite2 eternal2 and above all attributes and qualities common to man4 ,in this respect1 ,patanjali differs from ,kapila1 and inclines rather toward agreement with ,kanada1 of the first mentioned school of the ,vaisheshika system4 ,all three philosophers1 however1 seem to generally agree in the main upon the ,mind ,principle1 which they hold to be beneath ,soul or ,spirit1 and to be in the nature of ,mind-,stuff1 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 ,energy1 rather than a distinct principle4 ,they hold that the ,purusha1 or ,spirit1 not the ,mind1 is the ,real ,self1 and the source of consciousness and the real intelligence4 ,the practical teachings of the school of ,patanjali is a system by which the ,purusha may escape from and overcome the ,prakriti1 and thus gain emancipation1 freedom1 and a return to its natural and original purity and power4 ,this school1 of course1 teaches ,reincarnation1 and ,progression through ,rebirth1 in accordance with the principles mentioned above4 ,another great school of ,hindu philosophy is that known as the ,vedanta ,philosophy1 which many consider the most advanced of all the ,hindu systems1 and which is rapidly growing in popularity among the educated ,hindus1 and also among many very intelligent students of philosophical thought in the ,western world4 ,its followers claim that the ,vedanta ,philosophy has reached the very highest point of philosophical thought1 speculation and analysis possible to the human mind of today1 and many ,western students have claimed that it contains the highest conceptions found in any and all of the great ,world ,philosophies4 ,be this as it may1 it certainly contains much that is the most subtle1 refined and keen in the field of philosophical speculative thought of the world1 and while1 as some claim1 it may lack the appeal to the religious emotions that some other forms of thought possess1 still it proves very attractive to those in whom intellectual development and effort have superseded the emotional side of philosophy or religion4 ,the ,vedanta ,system holds that the ,ultimate ,reality1 or ,actual ,being1 of the universe--the ,one ,absolute ,energy or ,substance from which all the universe proceeds--is ,,that which may be called ,the ,absolute1 which is eternal1 infinite1 indivisible1 beyond attributes and qualities1 and which is the source of intelligence4 ,the ,absolute is held to be ,one1 not ,many--,unique and ,alone4 ,it is identical with the ,sanscrit ,brahman1 and is held to be ,,that which has been called ,the ,unknowable2 the ,father2 the ,over-,soul2 the ,thing-in-,itself--in short1 it is ,,that which men mean1 and have always meant1 when they wished to express the ,,absolute ,,reality4 ,the ,vedantists hold that this ,absolute ,brahman is the essence of ,sat1 or ,absolute ,existence2 ,chit1 or ,absolute ,intelligence2 and ,ananda1 or ,absolute ,bliss4 ,without attempting to enter into an analysis1 or close exposition1 of the ,vedanta ,philosophy1 or so far as concerns the soul1 and its destiny1 we may say that it holds that there do not exist the countless eternal1 immortal souls or ,purushas of the ,sankhya philosophy1 but instead that the individual souls are but the countless images or reflections of the ,absolute ,being1 or ,brahman1 and have their existence only by reason of the ,real ,existence of the ,one ,only ,being4 ,consequently1 the ,spirit within the soul of ,man1 and which is the soul of his soul1 is ,divine4 ,the ,vedantists admit the existence of a ,logos1 or ,ishwara1 the ,lord of the ,universe1 who is1 however1 but a manifestation of ,brahman--a ,great ,soul1 as it were1 and who presides over the evolution of ,universes from the ,prakriti1 and who plays the part of the ,demiurge of the old ,grecian and ,gnostic philosophies4 ,the ,vedantists admit the existence 7relative7 of ,prakriti1 or ,universal ,energy1 but hold that it is not eternal1 or real-in-itself1 but is practically identical with ,maya1 and may be regarded as a form of the ,creative ,energy of the ,absolute1 ,brahman4 ,this ,maya 7which while strictly speaking is illusion inasmuch as it has no real existence or eternal quality7 is the source of time1 space1 and causation1 and of the phenomenal universe1 with its countless forms1 shapes1 and appearances4 ,the ,vedantists teach that the ,evolution of the ,soul is accomplished by its escaping the folds of ,maya1 or ,materiality1 one by one1 by means of ,rebirths1 until it manifests more and more of its ,divine ,nature2 and thus it goes on1 and on1 from higher to still higher1 until at last it enters into the ,divine ,being and attains ,union with ,god1 and is ,one with the ,father4 ,another great ,hindu philosophy is the philosophy of ,gautama1 the ,buddha1 which is generally known as the ,buddhistic ,philosophy1 or as ,buddhism4 ,it is difficult to give a clear idea of ,buddhism in a concise form1 for there are so many schools1 sects1 and divisions among this general school of philosophy1 differing upon the minor points and details of doctrine1 that it requires a lengthy consideration in order to clear away the disputed points4 ,speaking generally1 however1 it may be said that the ,buddhists start with the idea or conception of an ,unknowable ,reality1 back of and under all forms and activity of the phenomenal universe4 ,buddha refused to discuss the nature of this ,reality1 practically holding it to be ,unknowable1 and in the nature of an ,absolute ,nothing1 rather than an ,absolute ,something in the sense of ,thingness as we understand the term2 that is to say1 it is a ,no-,thing1 rather than a ,thing--consequently it is beyond thought1 understanding1 or even imagination--all that can be said is that it ,,is4 ,buddha refused to discuss or teach of the manner in which this ,unknowable came to manifest upon the ,relative ,plane1 for he held that ,man's proper study was of the ,world of ,things1 and how to escape therefrom4 ,in a vague way1 however1 ,buddhism holds that in some way this ,unknowable1 or a part thereof1 becomes entangled in ,maya or ,illusion1 through ,avidya or ,ignorance1 ,law1 ,necessity1 or perhaps something in the nature of a ,mistake4 ,and arising from this mistaken activity1 all the pain and sorrow of the universe arises1 for the ,buddhist holds that the ,universe is a world of woe1 from which the soul is trying to escape4 ,buddhism holds that the soul ,reincarnates often1 because of its desires and attractions1 which if nursed and encouraged will lead it into lives without number4 ,consequently1 to the ,buddhist1 ,wisdom consists in acquiring a knowledge of the true state of affairs1 just mentioned1 and then upon that knowledge building up a new life in which desire and attraction for the material world shall be eliminated1 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 ,karma1 and eventually be released from ,rebirth1 thence passing back into the great ocean of the ,unknowable1 or ,nirvana1 and ceasing to ,be1 so far as the phenomenal world is concerned1 although of course it will exist in the ,unknowable1 which is ,eternal4 ,many ,western readers imagine the ,buddhistic ,nirvana to be an utter annihilation of existence and being1 but the ,hindu mind is far more subtle1 and sees a vast difference between utter annihilation on the one hand1 and extinction of personality on the other4 ,that which appears ,nothingness to the ,western ,mind1 is seen as ,no-,thingness to the ,oriental conception1 and is considered more of a resumption of an original ,real ,existence1 rather than an ending thereof4 ,there is a great difference between the two great schools of ,buddhism1 the ,northern and ,southern1 respectively1 regarding the nature of the soul4 ,the ,northern school considers the soul as an entity1 differentiated from the ,unknowable in some mysterious way not explained by ,buddha1 and yet different from the individual ,purusha of the ,sankhya school1 before mentioned4 ,on the contrary1 the ,southern school does not regard the soul as a differentiated or distinct entity1 but rather as a centre of phenomenal activity saturated or charged with the results of its deeds1 and that therefore the ,karma1 or the ,essence of ,deeds1 may be considered as the soul itself1 rather than as something pertaining to it4 ,the ,northern school holds that the soul1 accompanied by its ,karma1 reincarnates along the same lines as those taught by all the other ,hindu schools of ,reincarnation and ,karma4 ,but the ,southern school1 on the contrary1 holds that it is not the soul-entity that re-incarnates 7for there is no such entity71 but that instead it is the ,karma1 or ,essence of ,deeds1 that reincarnates from life to life1 according to its attractions1 desires1 and merits or demerits4 ,in the last mentioned view of the case1 the rebirth is compared to the lighting of one lamp from the flame of another1 rather than in the transferring of the oil from one lamp to another4 ,but1 really1 these distinctions are quite metaphysical1 and when refined by analysis become hair-splitting4 ,it is said that the two schools of ,buddhism are growing nearer together1 and their differences reconciled4 ,the orthodox ,hindus claim that ,buddhism is on the decline in ,india1 being largely supplanted by the various forms of the ,vedanta4 ,on the other hand1 ,buddhism has spread to ,china1 ,japan and other countries1 where it has taken on new forms1 and has grown into a religion of ritualism1 creeds1 and ceremonialism1 with an accompanying loss of the original philosophy and a corresponding increase of detail of teaching1 doctrine and disciple and general churchiness1 including a belief in several thousand different kind of hells4 ,but even in the degenerated forms1 ,buddhism still holds to ,reincarnation as a fundamental doctrine4 ,in this consideration of the philosophies of ,india1 we do not consider it necessary to go into an explanation of the various forms of religions1 or church divisions1 among the ,hindus4 ,in ,india1 ,religion is an important matter1 and there seems to be some form of religion adapted to each one of that country's teeming millions4 ,from the grossest form of religious superstition1 and crudest form of ceremony and worship1 up to the most refined idealism and beautiful symbolisms1 runs the gamut of the ,hindu ,religions4 ,many people are unable to conceive of an abstract1 ideal ,universal ,being1 such as the ,brahman of the ,hindu ,philosophy1 and consequently that ,being has been personified as an ,anthropomorphic ,deity1 and human attributes bestowed upon him to suit the popular fancy4 ,in ,india1 as in all other countries1 the priesthood have given the people that which they asked for1 and the result is that many forms of churchly ceremonialism1 and forms of worship1 maintain which are abhorrent and repulsive to ,western ideas4 ,but we of the ,west are not entirely free from this fault1 as one may see if he examines some of the religious conceptions and ceremonies common among ignorant people in remote parts of our land4 ,certain conceptions1 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 ,devil2 and the belief in a horned1 cloven-hoofed1 spiked-tail1 red-colored1 satyr-like1 leering ,devil1 with his ,hell of ,eternal ,fire and ,brimstone1 is not so uncommon as many imagine4 ,it has not been so long since we were taught that one of the chief pleasures of ,god and his angels1 and the saved souls1 will be the witnessing of the tortures of the damned in ,hell1 from the walls of ,heaven4 ,and the ceremonies of an old-time ,southern negro camp-meeting were not specially elevating or ideal4 ,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 observed1 a most liberal policy being observed1 the liberty of choice and selection being freely accorded4 ,but1 there is always the belief in ,reincarnation and ,karma1 no matter what the form of worship1 or the name of the religion4 ,there are two things that the ,hindu mind always accepts as fundamental truth1 needing no proof--axiomic1 in fact4 ,and these two are 7#a7 ,the belief in a ,soul that survives the death of the body--the ,hindu mind seeming unable to differentiate between the consciousness of ,i ,am1 and ,i always ,have ,been1 and always ,shall ,be--the knowledge of the present existence being accepted as a proof of past and future existence2 and 7#b7 the doctrine of ,reincarnation and ,karma1 which are accepted as fundamental and axiomic truths beyond the need of proof1 and beyond doubt--as a writer has said3 ,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 conviction4 ,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 sects1 schools1 and individuals accepting ,reincarnation and ,karma as they accept the fact that they themselves are existent1 or that twice one makes two4 ,hindu ,philosophy cannot be divorced from ,reincarnation4 ,to the ,hindu the only escape from the doctrine of ,reincarnation seems to be along the road of the ,materialism of the ,west4 ,from the above statement we may except the ,hindu ,mohammedans and the native ,hindu ,christians1 partially1 although careful observers say that even these do not escape entirely the current belief of their country1 and secretly entertain a mental reservation in their heterodox creeds4 ,so1 you see1 we are justified in considering ,india as the ,mother ,land of ,reincarnation at the present time4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,modern ,,west4 ,in the modern thought of the ,western world1 we find ,reincarnation attracting much attention4 ,the ,western philosophies for the past hundred years have been approaching the subject with a new degree of attention and consideration1 and during the past twenty years there has been a marvellous awakening of ,western public interest in the doctrine4 ,at the present time the ,american and ,european magazines contain poems and stories based upon ,reincarnation1 and many novels have been written around it1 and plays even have been based upon the general doctrine1 and have received marked attention on the part of the public4 ,the idea seems to have caught the public fancy1 and the people are eager to know more of it4 ,this present revival of attention has been brought about largely by the renewed interest on the part of the ,western world toward the general subject of occultism1 mysticism1 comparative religion1 oriental philosophy1 etc41 in their many phases and forms4 ,the ,world's ,parliament of ,religions1 held at the ,world's ,fair in ,chicago1 in #ahic1 did much to attract the attention of the ,american public to the subject of the ,oriental ,philosophies in which ,reincarnation plays such a prominent part4 ,but1 perhaps1 the prime factor in this reawakened ,western interest in the subject is the work and teachings of the ,theosophical ,society1 founded by ,madame ,blavatsky some thirty years ago1 and which has since been continued by her followers and several successors4 ,but1 whatever may be the cause1 the idea of ,reincarnation seems destined to play an important part in the religious and philosophical thought of the ,west for some time to come4 ,signs of it appear on every side--the subject cannot be ignored by the modern student of religion and philosophy4 ,whether accepted or not1 it must be recognized and examined4 ,but the forms of the doctrine1 or theory1 regarding ,reincarnation1 vary almost as much in the ,modern ,west as in the various ,eastern countries at present1 and in the past4 ,we find all phases of the subject attracting attention and drawing followers to its support4 ,here we find the influence of the ,hindu thought1 principally through the medium or channel of ,theosophy1 or of the ,yogi ,philosophy--and there we find the influence of the ,grecian or ,egyptian philosophical conceptions manifesting principally through the medium of a number of occult orders and organizations1 whose work is performed quietly and with little recognition on the part of the general public1 the policy being to attract the elect few rather than the curious crowd--and again we find quite a number of persons in ,america and ,europe1 believing in ,reincarnation because they are attracted by the philosophy of the ,neo-,platonists1 or the ,gnostics of the ,early ,christian ,church1 and favoring ,reincarnation as a proper part of the ,christian ,religion1 and who while remaining in the bosom of the ,church interpret the teachings by the light of the doctrine of ,rebirth1 as did many of the early ,christians1 as we have seen4 ,the ,theosophical conception and interpretation appeals to a great number of the ,western ,reincarnationists1 by reason of its wide circulation and dissemination1 as well as by the fact that it has formulated a detailed theory and doctrine1 and besides claims the benefit of authoritative instruction on the doctrine from ,adepts and ,masters who have passed to a higher plane of existence4 ,we think it proper to give in some little detail an account of the general teachings of ,theosophy on this point1 the reader being referred to the general ,theosophical literature for more extended information regarding this special teaching4 ,theosophy teaches that the human soul is a composite entity1 consisting of several principles1 sheaths of vehicles1 similar to those mentioned by us in our account of ,hindu ,reincarnation4 ,the ,theosophical books state these principles as follows3 7#a7 ,the ,body1 or ,rupa2 7#b7 ,vitality1 or ,prana-,jiva2 7#c7 ,astral ,body1 or ,linga-,sharira2 7#d7 ,animal ,soul1 or ,kama-,rupa2 7#e7 ,human ,soul1 ,manas2 7#f7 ,spiritual ,soul1 or ,buddhi2 and 7#g7 ,spirit1 or ,atma4 ,of these seven principles1 the last or higher ,three1 namely1 the ,atma1 ,buddhi1 and ,manas1 compose the higher ,trinity of the ,soul--the part of man which persists2 while the lower ,four principles1 namely1 ,rupa1 ,prana-,jiva1 ,linga-,sharira1 and ,kama-,rupa1 respectively1 are the lower principles1 which perish after the passing out of the higher principles at death4 ,at ,death the higher principles1 or ,triad1 lives on1 while the lower principles of ,quarternary dissolve and separate from each other and finally disintegrate1 along the lines of a process resembling chemical action4 ,theosophy teaches that there is a great stream of ,egos1 or ,monads1 which originally emanated from a ,source of ,being1 and which are pursuing a spiral journey around a chain of seven globes1 including the earth1 called the ,planetary ,chain4 ,the ,life ,wave of ,monads reaches ,globe ,a1 and goes through a series of evolutionary life on it1 and then passes on to ,globe ,b1 and so on until ,globe ,g is reached1 when after a continued life there the ,life ,wave returns to ,globe ,a1 but not in a circle1 but rather in a spiral1 that is1 on a higher plane of activity1 and the round begins once more4 ,there are seven ,races to be lived through on each globe1 many incarnations in each--each ,race having seven sub-races1 and each sub-race having seven branches4 ,the progress of the ,life ,wave is illustrated by the symbol of a seven-coil spiral1 sweeping with a wider curve at each coil1 each coil1 however1 being divided into a minor seven-coil spiral1 and so on4 ,it is taught that the human soul is now on its fourth great round-visit to the ,earth1 and is in about the middle of the fifth ,race of that round4 ,the total number of incarnations necessary for each round is quite large1 and the teaching is that none can escape them except by special merit and development4 ,between each incarnation there is a period of rest in the ,heaven ,world1 or ,devachan1 where the soul reaps the experiences of the past life1 and prepares for the next step4 ,the period of rest varies with the degree of attainment gained by the soul1 the higher the degree the longer the rest4 ,the average time between incarnations is estimated at about fifteen hundred years4 ,devachan is thus a kind of temporary ,heaven1 from whence the soul must again pass in time for a rebirth1 according to its merits or demerits4 ,thus1 accordingly1 each soul has lived in a variety of bodies1 even during the present round--having successively incarnated as a savage1 a barbarian1 a semi-civilized man1 a native of ,india1 ,egypt1 ,chaldea1 ,rome1 ,greece1 and many other lands1 in different ages1 filling all kinds of positions and places in life1 tasting of poverty and riches1 of pleasure and pain--all ever leading toward higher things4 ,the doctrine enunciated by ,theosophy is complicated and intricate1 and we can do no more than to barely mention the same at this place4 ,another ,western form of the ,oriental ,teachings1 known as the ,yogi ,philosophy1 numbers quite a large number of earnest students in this country and in ,europe1 and has a large circle of influence1 although it has never crystallized into an organization1 the work being done quietly and the teachings spread by the sale of popular books on the subject issued at nominal prices4 ,it is based on the ,inner ,teachings of the ,hindu ,philosophy and is ,eclectic in nature1 deriving its inspiration from the several great teachers1 philosophies and schools1 rather than implicitly following any one of them4 ,briefly stated this ,western school of ,yogi ,philosophy teaches that the ,universe is an emanation from1 or mental creation of1 the ,absolute whose ,creative ,will flows out in an outpouring of mental energy1 descending from a condition above ,mind1 downward through ,mind1 ,physical ,energy1 and ,matter1 in a grand ,involution or infolding of the divine energy into material forms and states4 ,this ,involution is followed by an ,evolution1 or unfoldment1 the material forms advancing in the scale of evolution1 accompanied by a corresponding ,spiritual ,evolution1 or ,unfoldment of the ,individual ,centres or ,units of ,being1 created or emanated as above stated4 ,the course of ,evolution1 or rather1 that phase of it with which the present human race on earth is concerned1 has now reached a point about midway in the scale of ,spiritual ,evolution1 and the future will lead the race on1 and on1 to higher and still higher planes and states of being1 on this earth and on other spheres1 until it reaches a point incomprehensible to the mind of man of today1 and then still on and on1 until finally the souls will pass into the plane of the ,absolute1 there to exist in a state impossible of present comprehension1 and transcending not only the understanding but also the imagination of the mind of man as we know him4 ,the ,yogi ,philosophy teaches that the soul will reincarnate on earth until it is fitted to pass on to higher planes of being1 and that many people are now entering into a stage which will terminate the unconscious reincarnation1 and which enables them to incarnate consciously in the future without loss of memory4 ,it teaches that instead of a retributive ,karma1 there is a ,law of ,spiritual ,cause and ,effect1 operating largely along the lines of ,desire and what has been called the ,law of ,attraction1 by which like attracts like1 in persons1 environments1 conditions1 etc4 ,as we have stated1 the ,yogi ,philosophy follows closely the lines of certain phases of the ,hindu philosophies from which it is derived1 it being1 however1 rather an eclectic system rather than an exact reproduction of that branch of philosophy favored by certain schools of ,hindus and known by a similar name1 as mentioned in our chapter on ,the ,hindus--that is to say1 instead of accepting the teachings of any particular ,hindu school in their entirety1 the ,western school of the ,yogi ,philosophy has adopted the policy of ,eclecticism1 that is1 a system following the policy of selection1 choosing from several sources or systems1 rather than a blind following of some particular school1 cult or teacher4 ,the ,yogi ,philosophy teaches that man is a seven-fold entity1 consisting of the following principles1 or divisions3 #a4 ,the ,physical ,body4 #b4 ,the ,astral ,body4 #c4 ,prana1 or ,vital ,force4 #d4 ,the ,instinctive ,mind4 #e4 ,the ,intellect4 #f4 ,the ,spiritual ,mind4 #g4 ,spirit4 ,of these1 the first four principles belong to the lower part of the being1 while the latter three are the higher principles which persist and ,reincarnate4 ,man1 however1 is gradually evolving on to the plane of the ,spiritual ,mind1 and will in time pass beyond the plane of ,intellect1 which he will then class along with ,instinct as a lower form of mentality1 he then using his ,intuition habitually and ordinarily1 just as the intelligent man now uses his ,intellect1 and the ignorant man his ,instinct-,intellect1 and the animal its ,instinct alone4 ,in many points the ,yogi ,philosophy resembles the ,vedanta1 and in others it agrees with ,theosophy1 although it departs from the latter in some of the details of doctrine regarding the process of ,reincarnation1 and particularly in its conception of the meaning and operation of the ,law of ,karma4 ,there are many persons in the ,west who hold firmly to ,reincarnation1 to whom the ,hindu conceptions1 even in the ,western form of their presentation1 do not appeal1 and who naturally incline toward the ,greek conception and form of the doctrine4 ,a large number of these people are generally classed among the ,spiritualists1 although strictly speaking they do not fit into that classification1 for they hold that the so-called ,spirit ,world is not a place of permanent abode1 but rather a resting place between incarnations4 ,these people prefer the name ,spiritists1 for they hold that man is essentially a spiritual being--that the ,spirit is the ,real ,man--and that that which we call ,man is but a temporary stage in the development and evolution of the individual ,spirit4 ,the ,spiritists hold that the individual ,spirit emanated from the ,great ,spirit of the ,universe 7called by one name or another7 at some distant period in the past1 and has risen to its present state of ,man1 through and by a series of repeated incarnations1 first in the form of the lowly forms of life1 and then through the higher forms of animal life1 until now it has reached the stage of human life1 from whence it will pass on1 and on1 to higher and still higher planes--to forms and states as much higher than the human state than man is above the earthworm4 ,the ,spiritists hold that man will reincarnate in earthly human bodies1 only until the ,spirit learns its lessons and develops sufficiently to pass on to the next plane higher4 ,they hold that the planets and the countless fixed stars or suns1 are but stages of abode for the evolving ,spirit1 and that beyond the ,universe as we know it there are millions of others--in fact1 that the number of ,universes is infinite4 ,the keynote of this doctrine may be stated as ,eternal ,progression toward the ,divine ,spirit4 ,the ,spirits do not insist upon any particular theory regarding the constitution of the soul--some of them speak merely of soul and body1 while others hold to the seven-fold being--the general idea being that this is unimportant1 as the essential ,spirit is after all the ,real ,self1 and it matters little about the number or names of its temporary garments or vehicles of expression4 ,still another class of ,reincarnationists in the ,western ,world incline rather more toward the ,grecian and ,egyptian forms of the doctrine1 than the ,hindu--the ideas of the ,neo-,platonists which had such a powerful effect upon the early ,christian ,church1 or rather among the elect few among the early ,fathers of the ,church1 seeming to have sprung into renewed activity among this class4 ,these people1 as we have said in the beginning of this chapter1 are rather inclined to group themselves into small organizations or secret orders1 rather than to form popular cults4 ,they follow the examples of the ancients in this respect1 preferring the few elect to the curious general public who merely wish to taste or nibble at the ,truth4 ,many of these organizations are not known to the public1 as they studiously avoid publicity or advertisement1 and trust to the ,law of ,attraction to bring their own to them--and them to their own4 ,the teachings of this class vary in interpretation1 and as many of them maintain secrecy by pledges or oaths1 it is not possible to give their teachings in detail4 ,but1 generally speaking1 they base their doctrines on the general principle that ,man's present condition is due to the ,descent of ,spirit1 in the nature of ,the ,fall of ,man1 occurring some time in the far distant past4 ,they hold that ,man was originally ,spirit ,pure and ,free1 from which blissful state he was enticed by the glamour of ,material ,life1 and he accordingly fell from his higher state1 lower and lower until he was sunken deep into the mire of ,matter4 ,from this lowly state he then began to work up1 or evolve1 having in the dim recesses of his soul a glimmer of remembrance of his former state1 which dim light is constantly urging him on and on1 toward his former estate1 in spite of his frequent stumbling into the mire in his attempts to rise above it4 ,this teaching holds to a theory and doctrine very similar to that of the ,spiritists just mentioned1 except that while the latter1 in common with the majority of ,reincarnationists1 hold that the evolution of the ,soul is in the direction of advancement and greater expression1 similar to the growth of a child1 these secret order people hold forcibly and earnestly to the idea that the evolution is merely a ,returning of the ,prodigal to his ,father's ,mansion--the parable of the ,prodigal ,son1 and that of the ,expulsion from ,eden1 being held as veiled allegories of their teaching4 ,in the above view1 the present state of existence--this ,earthly ,life--is one of a series of ,hells1 in the great ,hell of ,matter1 from which ,man is creeping up slowly but surely4 ,according to this idea1 the ,earth is but midway in the scale1 there being depths of ,materiality almost impossible of belief1 and on the other hand1 heights of heavenly bliss equally incapable of understanding4 ,this is about all that we can say regarding this form of the doctrine1 without violating certain confidences that have been reposed in us4 ,we fear that we have said too much as it is1 but inasmuch as one would have to be able to read between the lines to understand fully1 we trust that those who have favored us with these confidences will pardon us4 ,there is still another class of believers in ,reincarnation1 of which even the general public is not fully aware1 for this class does not have much to say regarding its beliefs4 ,i allude to those in the ranks of the orthodox ,christian ,church1 who have outgrown the ordinary doctrines1 and who1 while adhering firmly to the fundamental ,christian ,doctrines1 and while clinging closely to the ,teachings of ,jesus the ,christ1 still find in the idea of ,rebirth a doctrine that appeals to their souls and minds as closer to their highest conceptions of immortality than the ordinary teachings of the resurrection of the body1 or the vague doctrines that are taking its place4 ,these ,christian ,reincarnationists find nothing in the doctrine of ,reincarnation antagonistic to their ,faith1 and nothing in their ,faith antagonistic to the doctrine of ,reincarnation4 ,they do not use the term ,reincarnation usually1 but prefer the term ,rebirth as more closely expressing their thought2 besides which the former term has a suggestion of pagan and heathen origin which is distasteful to them4 ,these people are inclined toward ,rebirth for the reason that it gives the soul ,another ,chance to ,redeem ,itself--other chances to perfect itself to enter the ,heavenly ,realms4 ,they do not hold to an idea of endless reincarnation1 or even of continued earthly incarnation for all1 their idea being that the soul that is prepared to enter heaven passes on there at once1 having learned enough and earned enough merit in the few lives it has lived on earth--while the unprepared1 undeveloped1 and unfit1 are bound to come back and back again until they have attained ,perfection sufficient to enable them to advance to the ,heaven ,world4 ,a large number of the ,christian ,reincarnationists1 if ,i may call them by that name1 hold that ,heaven is a place or state of ,eternal ,progression1 rather than a fixed state or place--that there is no standing still in ,heaven or ,earth--that ,in my ,father's ,house are ,many ,mansions4 ,to the majority1 this idea of ,progression in the ,higher ,planes seems to be a natural accompaniment to the ,spiritual ,progression that leads to the ,higher ,planes1 or ,heaven4 ,at any rate1 the two ideas seem always to have run together in the human mind when the general subject has been under consideration1 whether in past time or present2 whether among ,christians or pagans and heathen4 ,there seems to be an intuitive recognition of the connection of the two ideas4 ,and on the other hand1 there seems to be a close connection between the several views of special creation of the soul before both--the single earth-life--and the eternity of reward or punishment in a state or place lacking progression or change4 ,human thought on the subject seems to divide itself into two distinct and opposing groups4 ,there are quite a number of ,christian preachers1 and members of orthodox churches1 who are taking an earnest interest in this doctrine of ,rebirth1 and ,eternal ,progression here and hereafter4 ,it is being considered by many whose church associates do not suspect them of being other than strictly orthodox in their views4 ,some day there will be a breaking out of this idea in the churches1 when the believers in the doctrine grow in numbers and influence4 ,it will not surprise careful observers to see the ,church once more accepting the doctrine of ,rebirth and reinstating the doctrine of ,pre-existence--returning to two of its original truths1 long since discarded by order of the ,councils4 ,prof4 ,bowen has said3 ,it seems to me that a firm and well-grounded faith in the doctrine of ,christian ,metempsychosis might help to regenerate the world4 ,for it would be a faith not hedged round with many of the difficulties and objections which beset other forms of doctrine1 and it offers distinct and pungent motives for trying to lead a more ,christian life1 and for loving and helping our brother-man4 ,and as ,james ,freeman ,clarke has said3 ,it would be curious if we should find science and philosophy taking up again the old theory of metempsychosis1 remodelling it to suit our present modes of religious and scientific thought1 and launching it again on the wide ocean of human belief4 ,but stranger things have happened in the history of human opinion4 ,so1 as we have said1 there is a great variety of shades of belief in the ,western world regarding ,reincarnation today1 and the student will have no difficulty in finding just the shade of opinion best suited to his taste1 temperament and training or experience4 ,vary as they do in detail1 and theory1 there is still the same fundamental and basic truth of the ,one ,source--the ,one ,life--and ,reincarnation1 reaching ever toward perfection and divinity4 ,it seems impossible to disguise the doctrine so as to change its basic qualities--it will always show its original shape4 ,and1 so it is with the varying opinions of the ,western thought regarding it--the various cults advocating some form of its doctrine--the original doctrine may be learned and understood in spite of the fanciful dressings bestowed upon it4 ,the ,truth is ,one--,men call it by many names4 ,it may be of interest to ,western readers to mention that some of the teachers of ,occultism and ,reincarnation hold that the present revival of interest on the subject in the ,western world is due to the fact that in ,europe and ,america1 more particularly the latter1 there is occurring a reincarnating of the souls of many persons who lived from fifteen hundred to two thousand years ago1 and who were then believers in the doctrine4 ,according to this view1 those who are now attracted toward the ,hindu forms of the doctrine formerly lived as natives of ,india2 those who favor the ,grecian idea1 lived in ,ancient ,greece2 others favor the ,egyptian idea1 from similar reasons2 while the revival of ,neo-,platonism1 ,gnosticism and general ,mysticism1 among the present-day ,christians is accounted for by the fact that the early ,christians are now reincarnating in the ,western world1 having been reborn as ,christians according to the ,law of ,karmic ,attraction4 ,in this manner the advocates of the doctrine offer the present revival as another proof of their teachings4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,between ,,and ,,beyond ,,incarnations4 ,one of the first questions usually asked by students of the subject of ,reincarnation is3 ,where does the soul dwell between incarnations2 does it incarnate immediately after death2 and what is its final abode or state8 ,this question1 or questions1 have been asked from the beginning1 and probably will be asked so long as the human mind dwells upon the subject4 ,and many are the answers that have been given to the questioners by the teachers and authorities upon the subject4 ,let us consider some of the leading and more authoritative answers4 ,in the first place1 let us consider that phase of the question which asks3 ,does the soul incarnate immediately after death8 ,some of the earlier ,reincarnationists believed and taught that the soul reincarnated shortly after death1 the short period between incarnations being used by the soul in adjusting itself1 striking a balance of character1 and preparing for a new birth4 ,others held that there was a period of waiting and rest between incarnations1 in which the soul 'mentally digested' the experiences of the last life just completed1 and then considered and meditated over the mistakes it had made1 and determined to rectify the mistakes in the next life--it being held that when the soul was relieved of the necessities of material existence1 it could think more clearly of the moral nature of its acts1 and would be able to realize the spiritual side of itself more distinctly1 in addition to having the benefit of the spiritual perspective occasioned by its distance from the active scenes of life1 and thus being able to better gauge the respective worth-whileness of the things of material life4 ,at the present time1 the most advanced students of the subject hold that the average period of rest between incarnations is about fifteen hundred years1 the less advanced souls hastening back to earth in a very short time1 the more advanced preferring a long period of rest1 meditation and preparation for a new life4 ,it is held that the soul of a gross1 material1 animal-like person will incarnate very shortly after death1 the period of rest and meditation being very short1 for the reason that there is very little about which such a soul could meditate1 as all of its attractions and desires are connected with material life4 ,many souls are so earth-bound that they rush back at once into material embodiment if the conditions for rebirth are favorable1 and they are generally favorable for there seems to be always an abundant supply of new bodies suitable for such souls in the families of people of the same character and nature1 which afford congenial opportunities for such a soul to reincarnate4 ,other souls which have progressed a little further along the path of attainment1 have cultivated the higher part of themselves somewhat1 and enjoy to a greater extent the period of meditation and spiritual life afforded them4 ,and so1 as the scale advances--as the attraction for material life grows less1 the period of purely spiritual existence between incarnations grows longer1 and it is said that the souls of persons who are highly developed spiritually sometimes dwell in the state of rest for ten thousand years or more1 unless they voluntarily return sooner in order to take part in the work of uplifting the world4 ,it must be remembered1 in this connection1 that the best teaching is to the effect that the advanced souls are rapidly unfolding into the state in which they are enabled to preserve consciousness in future births1 instead of losing it as is the usual case1 and thus they take a conscious part in the selection of the conditions for rebirth1 which is wisely denied persons of a more material nature and less spiritual development4 ,the next phase of the question3 ,where does the soul dwell between incarnations8 is one still more difficult of answer1 owing to the various shades of opinion on the subject4 ,still there is a fundamental agreement between the different schools1 and we shall try to give you the essence or cream of the thought on the subject4 ,in the first place1 all occultists set aside any idea of there being a place in which the souls dwell--the existence of states or planes of existence being deemed sufficient for the purpose4 ,it is held that there are many planes of existence in any and every portion of space1 which planes interpenetrate each other1 so that entities dwelling on one plane usually are not conscious of the presence of those on another plane4 ,thus1 an inhabitant of a high plane of being1 in which the vibrations of substance are much higher than that which we occupy1 would be able to pass through our material world without the slightest knowledge of its existence1 just as the ,x rays pass through the most solid object1 or as light passes through the air4 ,it is held that there are many planes of existence much higher than the one we occupy1 and upon which the disembodied souls dwell4 ,there are many details regarding these planes1 taught by the different schools of occultism1 or spiritualism1 but we have neither the time nor space to consider them at length1 and must content ourselves with mentioning but a few leading or typical beliefs or teachings on the subject4 ,the ,theosophists teach that just when the soul leaves the body1 there occurs a process of psychic photography in which the past life1 in all of its details1 is indelibly imprinted on the inner substance of the soul1 thus preserving a record independent of the brain1 the latter being left behind in the physical body4 ,then the ,astral ,body1 or ,etheric ,double1 detaches itself from the body1 from which the ,vital ,force1 or ,prana-,jiva also departs at the same time1 the ,astral ,body enfolding also the four other principles1 and together the ,five ,surviving ,principles pass on to the plane of ,kama ,loka1 or the ,astral ,plane of ,desire4 ,kama ,loka is that part of the ,astral ,plane nearest to the material plane1 and is very closely connected with the latter4 ,if the soul is filled with hot and earnest desire for earth life1 it may proceed no further1 but may hasten back to material embodiment1 as we said a moment ago4 ,but if the soul has higher aspirations1 and has developed the higher part of itself1 it presses on further1 in which case the ,astral ,body1 and the ,animal ,soul which is the seat of the passions and grosser desires1 disintegrate1 and thus release the ,triad1 or three-fold higher nature of the soul1 namely the higher human soul1 the spiritual soul1 and the spirit--or as some term them1 the intellect1 the spiritual mind1 and the spirit4 ,the ,triad then passes on to what is known as the plane of ,devachan1 where it rests divested of the lower parts of its nature1 and in a state of bliss and in a condition in which it may make great progress by reason of meditation1 reflection1 etc4 ,kama ,loka has been compared to the ,purgatory of the ,catholics1 which it resembles in more ways than one1 according to the ,theosophists4 ,devachan is sometimes called the ,heaven ,world by ,theosophists1 the word meaning the state or plane of the gods4 ,theosophy teaches that the ,soul ,triad dwells in ,devachan for a period proportionate to the merit of the being1 and from whence in the proper time the being is drawn down again to be reborn in the world of mortals4 ,the ,law of ,karma which rules the earth-life of man1 and which regulates the details of his rebirth1 is said to operate on the ,devachnic ,plane as well1 thus deciding the time of his abode on that plane1 and the time when the soul shall proceed to rebirth4 ,the state of existence in ,devachan is described at length in the ,theosophical writings1 but is too complex for full consideration here4 ,briefly stated1 it may be said that it is taught that the life on ,devachan is in the nature of a ,dream of the ,best that is ,in ,us--that is1 a condition in which the highest that is in us is given a chance for expression and growth1 and development4 ,the state of the soul in ,devachan is said to be one of ,bliss1 the degree depending upon the degree of spiritual development of the soul1 as the ,bliss is of an entirely spiritual nature4 ,it may be compared to a state of people listening to some beautiful music--the greater the musical development of the person1 the greater will be his degree of enjoyment4 ,it is also taught that just as the soul leaves ,devachan to be reincarnated1 it is given a glimpse of its past lives1 and its present character1 that it may realize the ,karmic relations between the cause and effect1 to the end that its new life may be improved upon--then it sinks into a state of unconsciousness and passes on to rebirth4 ,the ,western school of the ,yogi ,philosophy gives an idea of the state between incarnations1 somewhat eclectic in its origin1 agreeing with the ,theosophical teaching in some respects1 and differing from it in others4 ,let us take a hasty glance at it4 ,in the first place it does not use the terms ,kama ,loca and ,devachan respectively1 but instead treats the whole series of planes as the great ,astral ,world containing many planes1 divisions1 and subdivisions--many sub-planes1 and divisions of the same4 ,the teaching is that the soul passes out of the body1 leaving behind its physical form1 together with its ,prana or ,vital ,energy1 and taking with it the ,astral ,body1 the ,instructive ,mind1 and the higher principles4 ,the last vision of the past life1 in which the events of that life are impressed upon the soul just as it leaves the body1 is held to be a fact--the soul sees the past life as a whole1 and in all of its minutest details at the moment of death1 and it is urged that the dying person should be left undisturbed in his last moments for this reason1 and that the soul may become calm and peaceful when starting on its journey4 ,on one of the ,astral ,planes the soul gradually discards its ,astral ,body and its ,instinctive ,mind1 but retains its higher vehicles or sheaths4 ,but it is taught that this discarding of the lower sheaths occurs after the soul has passed into a soul-slumber on a sub-plane of the ,astral ,world1 from which it awakens to find itself clothed only in its higher mental and spiritual garments of being1 and free from the grosser coverings and burdens4 ,the teachings say3 ,when the soul has cast off the confining sheaths1 and has reached the state for which it is prepared1 it passes to the plane in the ,astral ,world for which it is fitted1 and to which it is drawn by the ,law of ,attraction4 ,the planes of the ,astral ,world interpenetrate1 and souls dwelling on one plane are not conscious of those dwelling on another1 nor can they pass from one plane to another1 with this exception--that those dwelling on a higher plane are able to see 7if they so desire7 the planes below them in the order of development1 and are also able to visit these lower planes if they so desire4 ,but those on the lower planes are not able to either see or visit the planes above them--not that there is a 'watchman at the gate' to prevent them1 but for the same reason that a fish is not able to pass from the water to the plane of air above that water4 ,the same teachings tell us that the souls on the higher planes often visit friends and relatives on the lower1 so that there is always the opportunity for loved ones1 relatives and friends meeting in this way2 and also many souls on the higher planes pass to the lower planes in order to instruct and advise those dwelling on the latter1 the result that in some cases there may be a progression from a lower to a higher plane of the ,astral ,world by promotion earned by this instruction4 ,regarding ,rebirth1 from the ,astral ,world1 the teachings say3 ,but sooner or later1 the souls feel a desire to gain new experiences1 and to manifest in earth-life some of the advancement which has come to them since 'death1' and for these reasons1 and from the attraction of desires which have been smoldering there1 not lived out or cast off1 or1 possibly influenced by the fact that some loved soul1 on a lower plane1 is ready to incarnate and wishing to be incarnated at the same time in order to be with it 7which is also a desire7 the souls fall into the current sweeping toward rebirth1 and the selection of proper parents and advantageous circumstances and surrounding1 and in consequence again fall into a soul-slumber1 gradually1 and so when their time comes they 'die' to the plane upon which they have been existing and are 'born' into a new physical life and body4 ,a soul does not fully awaken from its sleep immediately at birth1 but exists in a dream-like state during the days of infancy1 its gradual awakening being evidenced by the growing intelligence of the babe1 the brain of the child keeping pace with the demands made upon it4 ,in some cases the awakening is premature1 and we see cases of prodigies1 child-genius1 etc41 but such cases are more or less abnormal1 and unhealthy4 ,occasionally the dreaming soul in the child half-wakes1 and startles us by some profound observation1 or mature remark or conduct4 ,the third phase of the question3 ,what is the final state or abode of the soul8 is one that reaches to the very center or heart of philosophical and religious thought and teaching4 ,each philosophy and religion has its own explanation1 or interpretation of the ,truth1 and it is not for us to attempt to select one teaching from the many in this work4 ,the reader will find many references to these various explanations and teachings as he reads the several chapters of this book1 and he may use his own discrimination and judgment in selecting that which appeals to him the most strongly4 ,but he will notice that there is a fundamental agreement between all of the teachings and beliefs--the principle that the movement of the soul is ever upward and onward1 and that there is no standing still in spiritual development and unfoldment4 ,whether the end--if end there be--is the reaching of a state of ,bliss in the presence of the ,divine ,one--or whether the weary soul finds rest in the ,bosom of the ,father1 by what has been called ,union with ,god--the vital point for the evolving soul is that there is a better day coming--a haven of rest around the turn of the road4 ,and whatever may be the details of the ,truth1 the fact remains that whatever state awaits the soul finally1 it must be ,good1 and in accordance with ,divine ,wisdom and ,ultimate ,justice and ,universal ,love4 ,the majority of occultists look forward to an end in the sense of being absorbed in the ,divine ,being1 not in the sense of annihilation1 but in the sense of reaching a consciousness of the ,whole in the ,whole--this is the true meaning of ,nirvana4 ,but whether this be true1 or whether there is a place of final rest in the highest spiritual realms other than in the sense of absorption in the ,divine1 or whether there is a state of ,eternal ,progression from plane to plane1 from realm to realm1 on and on forever ,godward1 and more and more ,god-like--the ,end must be ,good1 and there is nothing to ,fear1 for the ,power that rules ,here1 rules ,there1 and ,everywhere4 ,and remember this1 ye seekers after ultimate truths--the highest authorities inform us that even the few stages or planes just ahead of us in the journey are so far beyond our present powers of conception1 that they are practically unknowable to us--this being so1 it will be seen that states very much nearer to us than the ,end must be utterly beyond the powers not only of our understanding but also of our imagination1 even when strained to its utmost4 ,this being so1 why should we attempt to speculate about ,the ,end8 ,instead1 why not say with ,newman3 ,i do not ask to see the distant scene4 ,one step enough for me-- ,lead ,thou me on6 ,it is said that when ,thoreau was dying1 a friend leaned over and taking him by the hand1 said3 ,henry1 you are so near to the border now1 can you see anything on the other side8 ,and the dying ,thoreau replied3 ,one world at a time1 ,parker6 ,and this seems to be the great lesson of ,life--,one ,plane at a ,time6 ,but though the ,veil of ,isis is impossible of being lifted entirely1 still there is a ,something that enables one to see at least dimly the features of the ,goddess behind the veil4 ,and that ,something is that ,intelligent ,faith that knows1 although it is unable to explain even to itself4 ,and the voice of that ,something ,within informs him who has that ,faith3 ,all ,is ,well1 ,brother6 ,for beyond planes1 and states1 and universes1 and time1 and space1 and name1 and form1 and ,things--there must be ,,that which transcends them all1 and from which they all proceed4 ,though we may not know what ,,that is--the fact that ,it must exist--that ,it ,,is1 is a sufficient guarantee that the ,,law is in constant operation on all planes1 from the lowest to the highest1 and that ,,the ,,cosmos ,,is ,,governed ,,by ,,law6 ,and this being so1 not even an atom may be destroyed1 nor misplaced1 nor suffer ,injustice2 and all will attain the ,end rightly1 and know the ,sat-chit-ananda of the ,hindus--the ,being-,wisdom-,bliss ,absolute that all philosophies and religions agree upon is the ,final ,state of the ,blessed4 ,and to the occultist ,all are ,blessed1 even to the last soul in the scale of life4 ,and over all the tumult and strife of ,life there is always that ,something--,,that--silently brooding1 and watching1 and waiting--the ,life1 ,light1 and ,love of the ,all4 ,such is the message of the ,illumined of all ages1 races1 and lands4 ,is it not worthy of our attention and consideration8 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,justice ,,of ,,reincarnation4 ,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 subject1 but they may be divided into three classes4 ,these three views1 respectively1 are as follows3 7#a7 ,that the soul is specially created by the ,supreme ,power at the time of conception1 or birth1 and that its position on earth1 its circumstances1 its degree of intelligence1 etc41 are fixed arbitrarily by that power1 for some inscrutable reason of its own2 7#b7 ,that the soul was pre-existent1 that is1 that it existed before conception and birth1 in some higher state not understood by us1 from whence it was thrust into human form and birth1 its position on earth1 its circumstances1 its degree of intelligence1 etc41 being determined by causes unknown to us2 7#c7 ,that the soul is one of countless others which emanated from the ,source of ,being at some period in the past1 and which souls were equal in power1 intelligence1 opportunity1 etc41 and which worked its way up by spiritual evolution from lowly forms of expression and life to its present state1 from whence it is destined to move on and on1 to higher and still higher forms and states of existence1 until in the end1 after millions of aeons of existence in the highest planes of expressed life it will again return to the ,source of ,being from which it emanated1 and becomes one with the ,father1 not in a state of annihilated consciousness1 but in a condition of universal consciousness with ,all4 ,this view holds that the present condition of each soul is due to its own progress1 development1 advancement1 unfoldment1 or the lack of the same--the soul being its own ,fate and ,destiny--the enforcer of the ,law upon itself1 under the ,law of ,karma4 ,considering the first named view1 namely that the soul is newly created1 and that its condition has been arbitrarily fixed by the ,divine ,power1 the student free from prejudice or fear finds it difficult to escape the conclusion that under this plan of creation there is lacking a manifestation of ,divine ,justice4 ,even admitting the inability of the finite mind to fully grasp infinite principles1 man is still forced to the realization of the manifest inequality and injustice of the relative positions of human beings on earth1 providing that the same is thrust arbitrarily upon them2 and it would seem that no amount of future reward could possibly equalize or explain these conditions4 ,unless there be something back of it all1 it would certainly seem that ,injustice was manifested4 ,of course1 many argue that the idea of ,justice has nothing to do with the universal processes1 but all who think of a ,divine ,being1 filled with ,love1 and ,justice1 are compelled to think that such qualities must manifest themselves in the creations of such a ,being4 ,and1 if there be nothing back of it all1 then the candid observer must confess that the scheme of ,justice manifested is most faulty according even to the human imperfect idea of ,justice4 ,as ,figuier1 a ,french writer said about forty years ago3 ,if there are a few men well organized1 of good constitution and robust health1 how many are infirm1 idiotic1 deaf-mute1 blind from birth1 maimed1 foolish and insane8 ,my brother is handsome and well-shaped3 ,i am ugly1 weakly1 rickety1 and a hunchback4 ,yet we are sons of the same mother4 ,some are born into opulence1 others into the most dreadful want4 ,why am ,i not a prince and a great lord1 instead of a poor pilgrim on the earth1 ungrateful and rebellious8 ,why was ,i born in ,europe and at ,paris1 whereby civilization and art life is rendered supportable and easy1 instead of seeing the light under the burning skies of the tropics1 where1 dressed out in a beastly muzzle1 a skin black and oily1 and locks of wool1 ,i should have been exposed to the double torments of a deadly climate and a barbarous society8 ,why is not a wretched ,african negro in my place in ,paris1 in conditions of comfort8 ,we have1 either of us1 done nothing to entitle us to our assigned places3 we have invited neither this favor nor that disgrace4 ,why is the unequal distribution of the terrible evils that fall upon some men1 and spare others8 ,how have those deserved the partiality of fortune1 who live in happy lands1 while many of their brethren suffer and weep in other parts of the world8 ,figuier continues3 ,some men are endowed with all benefits of mind2 others1 on the contrary1 are devoid of intelligence1 penetration and memory4 ,they stumble at every step in their rough life-paths4 ,their limited intelligence and their imperfect faculties expose them to all possible mortifications and disasters4 ,they can succeed in nothing1 and ,fate seems to have chosen them for the constant objects of its most deadly blows4 ,there are beings who1 from the moment of their birth to the hour of their death1 utter only cries of suffering and despair4 ,what crime have they committed8 ,why are they here on earth8 ,they have not petitioned to be here2 and if they could1 they would have begged that this fatal cup might be taken from their lips4 ,they are here in spite of themselves1 against their will4 ,god would be unjust and wicked if he imposed so miserable an existence upon beings who have done nothing to incur it1 and have not asked for it4 ,but ,god is not unjust or wicked3 the opposite qualities belong to his perfect essence4 ,therefore the presence of man on such or such parts of the earth1 and the unequal distribution of evil on our globe1 must remain unexplained4 ,if you know a doctrine1 a philosophy1 or a religion that solves these difficulties1 ,i will destroy this book1 and confess myself vanquished4 ,the orthodox theology answers ,figuier's question by the argument that in our finite understanding1 we cannot pretend to understand ,god's plans1 purposes and designs1 nor to criticize his form of justice4 ,it holds that we must look beyond that mortal life for the evidence of ,god's love1 and not attempt to judge it according to what we see here on earth of men's miseries and inequalities4 ,it holds that the suffering and misery come to us as an inheritance from ,adam1 and as a result of the sins of our first parents2 but that if we are good it will all be evened up and recompensed in the next world4 ,of course the extremists who hold to ,predestination have held that some were happy and some miserable1 simply because ,god in the exercise of ,his will had elected and predestined them to those conditions1 but it would scarcely be fair to quote this as the position of current theology1 because the tendency of modern theological thought is away from that conception4 ,we mention it merely as showing what some have thought of the subject4 ,others have sought refuge in the idea that we suffer for the sins of our parents1 according to the old doctrine that the sins of the parents shall be visited upon the children1 but even this is not in accordance with man's highest idea of justice and love4 ,passing on to the second view1 namely that the soul was pre-existent1 that is1 existed in some higher state not understood by us1 from whence it was thrust into human form1 etc41 we note that the questions as to the cause of inequality1 misery1 etc41 considered a moment ago1 are still actively with us--this view does not straighten out the question at all4 ,for whether the soul was pre-existent in a higher state1 or whether it was freshly created1 the fact remains that as souls they must be equal in the sense of being made by the same process1 and from the same material1 and that up to the point of their embodiment they had not sinned or merited any reward or punishment1 nor had they earned anything one way or another4 ,and yet1 according to the theory1 these equally innocent and inexperienced souls are born1 some being thrust into the bodies of children to be born in environments conducive to advancement1 development1 etc41 and gifted with natural advantages1 while others are thrust into bodies of children to be born into the most wretched environments and surroundings1 and devoid of many natural advantages--not to speak of the crippled1 deformed1 and pain-ridden ones in all walks of life4 ,there is no more explanation of the problem in this view than there was in the first mentioned one4 ,passing on to the third view1 namely1 that the soul is one of countless others which emanated from the ,source of ,being aeons ago1 equal in power1 opportunities1 etc41 and which individual soul has worked its way up to its present position through many rebirths and lives1 in which it has gained many experiences and lessons1 which determine its present condition1 and which in turn will profit by the experiences and lessons of the present life by which the next stage of its life will be determined--we find what many have considered to be the only logical and possible explanation of the problem of life's inequalities1 providing there is an answer at all1 and that there is any such thing as a soul1 and a loving1 just ,god4 ,figuier1 the ,french writer1 from whom we quoted that remarkable passage breathing the pessimism of the old view of life1 a few moments ago1 admitted that in rebirth was to be found a just explanation of the matter4 ,he says3 ,if1 on the contrary1 we admit the plurality of human existences and reincarnation--that is1 the passage of the same soul through several bodies--all this is made wonderfully clear4 ,our presence on such or such a part of the earth is no longer the effect of a caprice of ,fate1 or the result of chance2 it is merely a station in the long journey that we make through the world4 ,before our birth1 we have already lived1 and this life is the sequel and result of previous ones4 ,we have a soul that we must purify1 improve and ennoble during our stay upon earth2 or having already completed an imperfect and wicked life1 we are compelled to begin a new one1 and thus strive to rise to the level of those who have passed on to higher planes4 ,the advocates of ,reincarnation point out that the idea of ,justice is fully carried out in that view of life1 inasmuch as what we are is determined by what we have been2 and what we shall be is determined by what we are now2 and that we are constantly urged on by the pressure of the unfolding spirit1 and attracted upward by the ,divine ,one4 ,under this conception there is no such thing as ,chance--all is according to ,law4 ,as an ancient ,grecian philosopher once said3 ,without the doctrine of metempsychosis1 it is not possible to justify the ways of ,god1 and many other philosophers and theologians have followed him in this thought4 ,if we enjoy1 we have earned it2 if we suffer1 we have earned it2 in both cases through our own endeavors and efforts1 and not by chance1 nor by reason of the merits or demerits of our forefathers1 nor because of predestination nor election to that fate4 ,if this be true1 then one is given the understanding to stoically bear the pains and miseries of this life without cursing ,fate or imputing injustice to the ,divine4 ,and likewise he is given an incentive toward making the best of his opportunities now1 in order to pass on to higher and more satisfactory conditions in future lives4 ,reincarnationists claim that rewards and punishments are properly awarded only on the plane in which the deed1 good or bad1 was committed1 else their nature is changed1 their effects impaired1 and their collateral bearings lost4 ,a writer on the subject has pointed out this fact in the following words3 ,physical outrage has to be checked by the infliction of physical pain1 and not merely by the arousing of internal regret4 ,honest lives find appropriate consequence in visible honor4 ,but one career is too short for the precise balancing of accounts1 and many are needed that every good or evil done in each may be requited on the earth where it took place4 ,in reference to this mention of rewards and penalties1 we would say that very many advanced ,reincarnationists do not regard the conditions of life as rewards and punishments1 but1 on the contrary1 look upon them as forming part of the ,lessons in the ,kindergarten of ,life1 to be learned and profited by in future lives4 ,we shall speak of this further in our consideration of the question of ,karma--the difference is vital1 and should be closely observed in considering the subject4 ,before we pass from the consideration of the question of ,justice1 as exemplified by ,reincarnation1 we would call your attention to the difference in the views of life and its rewards and punishments held by the orthodox theologians and the ,reincarnationists1 respectively4 ,on the one hand1 the orthodox theologians hold that for the deeds1 good or evil1 performed by a man during his short lifetime of a few years1 and then performed under conditions arbitrarily imposed upon him at birth by his ,creator1 man is rewarded or punished by an eternity of happiness or misery--heaven or hell4 ,perhaps the man has lived but one or two years of reasonable understanding--or full three-score and ten--and has violated certain moral1 ethical or even religious laws1 perhaps only to the extent of refusing to believe something that his reason absolutely refused to accept--for this he is doomed to an everlasting sojourn in a place of pain1 misery or punishment1 or a state equivalent thereto4 ,or1 on the other hand1 he has done the things that he ought to have done1 and left undone the things that he ought not to have done--even though this doing and not-doing was made very easy for him by reason of his environment and surroundings--and to crown his beautiful life he had accepted the orthodox creeds and beliefs of his fathers1 as a matter of course--then this man is rewarded by an eternity of bliss1 happiness and joy--without end4 ,try to think of what ,,eternity means--think of the aeons upon aeons of time1 on and on1 and on1 forever--and the poor sinner is suffering exquisite torture all that time1 and in all time to come1 without limit1 respite1 without mercy6 ,and all the same time1 the good man is enjoying his blissful state1 without limit1 or end1 or satiety6 ,and the time of probation1 during which the two worked out their future fate1 was as a grain of sand as compared with the countless universes in space in all eternity--a relation which reduces the span of man's lifetime to almost absolutely ,,nothing1 mathematically considered4 ,think of this--is this ,justice8 ,and on the other hand1 from the point of view of the ,reincarnationist1 is not the measure of cause and effect more equitably adjusted1 even if we regard it as a matter of reward and punishment--a crude view by the way--when we see that every infraction of the law is followed by a corresponding effect1 and an adherence to the law by a proportionate effect4 ,does not the punishment fit the crime better in this case--the rewards also4 ,and looking at it from a reasonable point of view1 devoid from theological bias1 which plan seems to be the best exemplification of ,justice and ,natural ,law1 not to speak of the higher ,divine ,justice and ,cosmic ,law8 ,of course1 we are not urging these ideas as proofs of ,reincarnation1 for strictly speaking proof must lie outside of speculation of what ought to be--proof belongs to the region of what is and facts in experience4 ,but1 nevertheless1 while one is considering the matter1 it should be viewed from every possible aspect1 in order to see how it works out4 ,it is also urged along the lines of the ,justice of ,reincarnation1 as opposed to the injustice of the contrary doctrine1 that there are many cases of little infants who have only a few days1 or minutes1 of this life1 before they pass out of the body in death4 ,according to the anti-reincarnation doctrine1 these little souls have been freshly created1 and placed into physical bodies1 and then without having had to taste of the experiences of life1 are ushered into the higher planes1 there to pass an eternal existence--while other souls have to live out their long lives of earth in order to reach the same higher states1 and then1 according to the prevailing doctrine1 even then they may have earned eternal punishment instead of eternal bliss4 ,according to this idea the happiest fate would be for all to die as infants 7providing we were baptized1 some good souls would add71 and the death of an infant should be the occasion for the greatest rejoicing on the part of those who love it4 ,but in spite of the doctrine1 human nature does not so act4 ,according to the doctrine of ,reincarnation1 the little babe's soul was but pursuing the same path as the rest of the race--it had its past1 as well as its future1 according to ,law and ,justice4 ,while1 if the ordinary view be correct1 no one would begrudge the infant its happy fate1 still one would have good cause for complaint as the ,inequality and ,injustice of others having to live out long lives of pain1 discomfort and misery1 for no cause1 instead of being at once translated into a higher life as was the infant4 ,if the ordinary view be true1 then why the need of earth-life at all--why not create a soul and then place it in the heavenly realms at once2 if it is possible and proper in some cases1 why not in all2 if the experience is not indispensable1 then why impose it on certain souls1 when all are freshly created and equal in merit and deserts8 ,if earthly life has any virtue1 then the infant's soul is robbed of its right4 ,if earthly life has no virtue1 the adult souls are forced to live a useless existence on earth1 running the risk of damnation if they fail1 while the infant souls escape this4 ,is this equality of opportunity and experience1 or ,justice8 ,there would seem to be something wrong with either the facts1 or the theory4 ,test the problem with the doctrine of ,reincarnation1 and see how it works out6 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,argument ,,for ,,reincarnation4 ,in addition to the consideration of ,justice1 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 soul4 ,we shall give to each of these principal points a brief consideration in this chapter1 that you may acquaint yourself with the several points of the argument4 ,it is argued that the principle of analogy renders it more reasonable to believe that the present life of the soul is but one link in a great chain of existences1 which chain stretches far back into the past on one side1 and far out into the future on the other1 than to suppose that it has been specially created for this petty term of a few years of earth life1 and then projected for weal or woe into an eternity of spiritual existence4 ,it is argued that the principle of ,evolution on the ,physical ,plane points to an analogy of ,evolution of the ,spiritual ,plane4 ,it is reasoned that just as birth on the next plane of life follows death on the present one1 so analogy would indicate that a death on past planes preceded birth on this1 and so on4 ,it is argued that every form of life that we know of has arisen from lower forms1 which in turn arose from still lower forms1 and so on2 and that following the same analogy the soul has risen from lower to higher1 and will mount on to still higher forms and planes4 ,it is argued that special creation is unknown in the universe1 and that it is far more reasonable to apply the principle of evolution to the soul than to consider it as an exception and violation of the universal law4 ,it is also claimed by some thinkers that the idea of future-existence presupposes past-existence1 for everything that is begun must end some time1 and therefore if we are to suppose that the soul is to continue its existence in the future1 we must think of it as having an existence in the past--being eternal at both ends of the earth-life1 as it were4 ,opponents of the idea of immortality are fond of arguing that there was no more reason for supposing that a soul would continue to exist after the death of the body1 than there was for supposing that it had existed previously4 ,a well-known man once was asked the question3 ,what becomes of a man's soul after death8 when he evaded the question by answering3 ,it goes back to where it came from4 ,and to many this idea has seemed sufficient to make them doubt the idea of immortality4 ,the ancient ,greek philosophers felt it logically necessary for them to assert the eternal pre-existence of the soul in order to justify their claim of future existence for it4 ,they argued that if the soul is immortal1 it must have always existed1 for an immortal thing could not have been created--if it was not immortal by nature1 it could never be made so1 and if it was immortal by nature1 then it had always existed4 ,the argument usually employed is this3 ,a thing is either mortal or immortal1 one or the other2 if it is mortal it has been born and must die2 if it is immortal1 it cannot have been born1 neither can it die2 mortality means subject to life and death--immortality means immunity from both4 ,the ,greeks devoted much time and care to this argument1 and attached great importance to it4 ,they reasoned that nothing that possessed ,reality could have emerged from nothingness1 nor could it pass into nothingness4 ,if it were ,real it was ,eternal2 if it was not ,eternal it was not ,real1 and would pass away even as it was born4 ,they also claimed that the sense of immortality possessed by the ,ego1 was an indication of its having experienced life in the past1 as well as anticipating life in the future--there is a sense of oldness pervading every thought of the soul regarding its own nature4 ,it is claimed as an illogical assumption to hold that back of the present there extends an eternity of non-existence for the soul1 while ahead of it there extends an eternity of being--it is held that it is far more logical to regard the present life as merely a single point in an eternity of existence4 ,it is argued1 further1 that ,reincarnation fits in with the known scientific principle of conservation of energy--that is1 that no energy is ever created or is lost1 but that all energy is but a form of the universal energy1 which flows on from form to form1 from manifestation to manifestation1 ever the same1 and yet manifesting in myriad forms--never born1 never dying1 but always moving on1 and on1 and on to new manifestations4 ,therefore it is thought that it is reasonable to suppose that the soul follows the same law of re-embodiment1 rising higher and higher1 throughout time1 until finally it re-enters the ,universal ,spirit from which it emerged1 and in which it will continue to exist1 as it existed before it emerged for the cycle of manifestation4 ,it is also argued that ,reincarnation brings ,life within the ,law of ,cause and ,effect1 just as is everything else in the universe4 ,the law of re-birth1 according to the causes generated during past lives1 would bring the existence of the soul within and in harmony with natural laws1 instead of without and contrary to them4 ,it is further argued that the feeling of original sin of which so many people assert a consciousness1 may be explained better by the theory of ,reincarnation than by any theological doctrine4 ,the orthodox doctrine is that original sin was something inherited from ,adam by reason of our forefather's transgression1 but this jars upon the thought of today1 as well it might1 for what has the soul to do with ,adam--it did not descend from him1 or from aught else but the ,source of ,being--there is no line of descent for souls1 though there may be for bodies4 ,what has ,adam to do with your soul1 if it came fresh from the mint of the ,maker1 pure and unsullied--how could his sin taint your new soul8 ,theology here asserts either arrant nonsense1 or else grave injustice4 ,but if for ,adam we substitute our past existences and the thoughts and deeds thereof1 we may understand that feeling of conscious recognition of past wrong-doing and remorse1 which so many testify to1 though they be reasonably free from the same in the present life4 ,the butterfly dimly remembers its worm state1 and although it now soars1 it feels the slime of the mud in which it once crawled4 ,it is also argued that in one life the soul would fail to acquire the varied experience which is necessary to form a well rounded mentality of understanding4 ,dwarfed by its limited experience in the narrow sphere occupied by many human beings1 it would be far from acquiring the knowledge which would seem to be necessary for a developed and advanced soul4 ,besides this there would be as great an inequality on the part of souls after death1 as there is before death--some would pass into the future state as ignorant beings1 while others would possess a full nature of understanding4 ,as a leading authority has said3 ,a perfected man must have experienced every type of earthly relation and duty1 every phase of desire1 affection and passion1 every form of temptation and every variety of conflict4 ,no one life can possibly furnish the material for more than a minute section of such experience4 ,along this same line it is urged that the soul's development must come largely from contact and relationship with other souls1 in a variety of phases and forms4 ,it must experience pain and happiness1 love1 pity1 failure1 success--it must know the discipline of sympathy1 toleration1 patience1 energy1 fortitude1 foresight1 gratitude1 pity1 benevolence1 and love in all of its phases4 ,this1 it is urged1 is possible only through repeated incarnations1 as the span of one life is too small and its limit too narrow to embrace but a small fraction of the necessary experiences of the soul on its journey toward development and attainment4 ,one must feel the sorrows and joys of all forms of life before understanding may come4 ,narrowness1 lack of tolerance1 prejudice1 and similar forms of undeveloped consciousness must be wiped out by the broad understanding and sympathy that come only from experience4 ,it is argued that only by repeated incarnations the soul is able to realize the futility of the search for happiness and satisfaction in material things4 ,one1 while dissatisfied and disappointed at his own condition1 is apt to imagine that in some other earthly condition he would find satisfaction and happiness now denied him1 and dying carries with him the subsconcious desire to enjoy those conditions1 which desire attracts him back to earth-life in search of those conditions4 ,so long as the soul desires anything that earth can offer1 it is earth-bound and drawn back into the vortex4 ,but after repeated incarnations the soul learns well its lesson that only in itself may be found happiness--and that only when it learns its real nature1 source1 and destiny--and then it passes on to higher planes4 ,as an authority says3 ,in time1 the soul sees that a spiritual being cannot be nourished on inferior food1 and that any joy short of union with the ,divine must be illusionary4 ,it is also argued that but few people1 as we see them in earth-life1 have realized the existence of a higher part of their being1 and still fewer have asserted the supremacy of the higher1 and subordinated the lower part of the self to that higher4 ,were they to pass on to a final state of being after death1 they would carry with them all of their lower propensities and attributes1 and would be utterly incapable of manifesting the spiritual part of their nature which alone would be satisfied and happy in the spiritual realms4 ,therefore1 it needs repeated lives in order to evolve from the lower conditions and to develop and unfold the higher4 ,touching upon the question of unextinguished desire1 mentioned a moment ago1 the following quotation from a writer on the subject1 gives clearly and briefly the ,reincarnationist argument regarding this point4 ,the writer says3 ,desire for other forms of earthly experience can only be extinguished by undergoing them4 ,it is obvious that any one of us1 if now translated to the unseen world1 would feel regret that he had not tasted existence in some other situation or surroundings4 ,he would wish to have known what it was to possess wealth and rank1 or beauty1 or to live in a different race or climate1 or to see more of the world and society4 ,no spiritual ascent could progress while earthly longings were dragging back the soul1 and so it frees itself from them by successively securing them and dropping them4 ,when the round of such knowledge has been traversed1 regret for ignorance has died out4 ,this idea of ,living-,out and ,out-,living is urged by a number of writers and thinkers on the subject4 ,j4 ,wm4 ,lloyd says1 in his ,dawn ,thought1 on this subject3 ,you rise and overcome simply by the natural process of living fully and thus outliving1 as a child its milk-teeth1 a serpent his slough4 ,living and ,outliving1 that expresses it4 ,until you have learned the one lesson fully you are never ready for a new one4 ,the same writer1 in the same book1 also says3 ,by sin1 shame1 joy1 virtue and sorrow1 action and reaction1 attraction and repulsion1 the soul1 like a barbed arrow1 ever goes on4 ,it cannot go back1 or return through the valves of its coming4 ,but this must not be understood to be fulfilled in one and every earth-visit4 ,it is true only of the whole circle-voyage of the soul4 ,in one earth-trip1 one 'life1' as we say1 it may be that there would nothing be but a standing still or a turning back1 nothing but sin4 ,but the whole course of all is on4 ,but there is the danger of a misunderstanding of this doctrine1 and some have misinterpreted it1 and read it to advise a plunging into all kinds of sinful experience in order to live-out and out-live1 which idea is wrong1 and cannot be entertained by any true student of the subjects1 however much it may be used by those who wish to avail themselves of an excuse for material dissipation4 ,mabel ,collins1 in her notes to ,light on the ,path1 says on this subject3 ,seek it by testing all experience1 and remember that1 when ,i say this1 ,i do not say1 ',yield to the seduction of sense1 in order to know it4' ,before you have become an occultist1 you may do this1 but not afterwards4 ,when you have chosen and entered the path1 you cannot yield to these seductions without shame4 ,yet you can experience them without horror2 can weigh1 observe and test them1 and wait with the patience of confidence for the hour when they shall affect you no longer4 ,but do not condemn a man that yields2 stretch out your hand to him as a brother pilgrim whose feet have become heavy with mire4 ,remember1 ,o disciple6 that great though the gulf may be between the good man and the sinner1 it is greater between the good man and the man who has attained knowledge2 it is immeasurable between the good man and the one on the threshold of divinity4 ,therefore1 be wary1 lest too soon you fancy yourself a thing apart from the mass4 ,and again1 the same writer says3 ,before you can attain knowledge you must have passed through all places1 foul and clean alike4 ,therefore1 remember that the soiled garment you shrink from touching may have been yours yesterday1 may be yours tomorrow4 ,and if you turn with horror from it when it is flung upon your shoulders1 it will cling the more closely to you4 ,the self-righteous man makes for himself a bed of mire4 ,abstain because it is right to abstain1 not that yourself shall be kept clean4 ,it is also argued that ,reincarnation is necessary in order to give the evolving races a chance to perfect themselves--that is1 not through their physical descendants1 which would not affect the souls of those living in the bodies of the races to-day1 but by perfection and growth of the souls themselves4 ,it is pointed out that to usher a savage or barbarian to the spiritual planes after death1 no matter how true to his duty and his lights the soul had been1 would be to work an absurd translation4 ,such a soul would not be fitted for the higher spiritual planes1 and would be most unhappy and miserable there4 ,it will be seen that ,reincarnationists make quite a distinction between goodness and advancement--while they recognize and urge the former1 they regard it as only one side of the question1 the other being spiritual growth and unfoldment4 ,it will be seen that ,reincarnation provides for a ,spiritual ,evolution with all of its advantages1 as well as a material evolution such as science holds to be correct4 ,concluding this chapter1 let us quote once more from the authority on the subject before mentioned1 who writes anonymously in the pamphlet from which the quotation is taken4 ,he says3 ,nature does nothing by leaps4 ,she does not1 in this case1 introduce into a region of spirit and spiritual life a being who has known little else than matter and material life1 with small comprehension even of that4 ,to do so would be analogous to transferring suddenly a ploughboy into a company of metaphysicians4 ,the pursuit of any topic implies some preliminary acquaintance with its nature1 aims1 and mental requirements2 and the more elevated the topic1 the more copious the preparation for it4 ,it is inevitable that a being who has before him an eternity of progress through zones of knowledge and spiritual experience ever nearing the ,central ,sun1 should be fitted for it through long acquisition of the faculties which alone can deal with it4 ,their delicacy1 their vigor1 their penetrativeness1 their unlikeness to those called for on the material plane1 show the contrast of the earth-life to the spirit-life4 ,and they show1 too1 the inconceivability of a sudden transition from one to the other1 of a policy unknown in any other department of ,nature's workings1 of a break in the law of uplifting through ,evolution4 ,a man1 before he can become a 'god1' must first become a perfect man2 and he can become a perfect man neither in seventy years of life on earth1 nor in any number of years of life from which human conditions are absent4 99 99 99 ,re-birth and re-life must go on till their purposes are accomplished4 ,if1 indeed1 we were mere victims of an evolutionary law1 helpless atoms on which the machinery of ,nature pitilessly played1 the prospect of a succession of incarnations1 no one of which gave satisfaction1 might drive us to mad despair4 ,but we have thrust on us no such cheerless exposition4 ,we are shown that ,reincarnations are the law for man1 because they are the conditions of his progress1 which is also a law1 but he may mould them and better them and lessen them4 ,he cannot rid himself of the machinery1 but neither should wish to4 ,endowed with the power to guide it for the best1 prompted with the motive to use that power1 he may harmonize both his aspirations and his efforts with the system that expressed the infinite wisdom of the supreme1 and through the journey from the temporal to the eternal tread the way with steady feet1 braced with the consciousness that he is one of an innumerable multitude1 and with the certainty that he and they alike1 if they so will it1 may attain finally to that sphere where birth and death are but memories of the past4 ,in this chapter we have given you a number of the arguments favorable to the doctrine of ,reincarnation1 from a number of sources4 ,some of these arguments do not specially appeal to us1 personally1 for the reason that they are rather more theological than scientific1 but we have included them that the argument may appear as generally presented1 and because we feel that in a work of this kind we must not omit an argument which is used by many of the best authorities1 simply because it may not appeal to our particular temperament or habit of thought4 ,to some1 the theological argument may appeal more strongly than would the scientific1 and it very properly is given here4 ,the proper way to present any subject is to give it in its many aspects1 and as it may appear from varied viewpoints4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,the ,,proofs ,,of ,,reincarnation4 ,to many minds the proof of a doctrine is its reasonableness and its adaptability as an answer to existing problems4 ,and1 accordingly1 to such1 the many arguments advanced in favor of the doctrine1 of which we have given a few in the preceding chapters1 together with the almost universal acceptance of the fundamental ideas on the part of the race1 in at least some period of its development1 would be considered as a very good proof of the doctrine1 at least so far as it might be considered as the most available working theory of the soul's existence1 past and future1 and as better meeting the requirements of a doctrine or theory than any other idea advanced by metaphysical1 theological1 or philosophical thinkers4 ,but to the scientific mind1 or the minds of those who demand something in the nature of actual experience of facts1 no amount of reasonable abstract theorizing and speculation is acceptable even in the way of a working hypothesis1 unless based upon some tangible facts or knowledge gained through human experience4 ,while people possessing such minds will usually admit freely that the doctrine of ,reincarnation is more logical than the opposing theories1 and that it fits better the requirements of the case1 still they will maintain that all theories regarding the soul must be based upon premises that cannot be established by actual experience in human consciousness4 ,they hold that in absence of proof in experience--actual facts--these premises are not established1 and that all structures of reasoning based upon them must partake of their insecurity4 ,these people are like the slangy man from ,missouri who wants to be shown--nay1 more1 they are like the companion of the above man--the ,man from ,texas1 who not only says3 ,you've got to show me1 but who also demands that the thing be placed in my hand4 ,and1 after all1 one has no right to criticize these people--they are but manifesting the scientific spirit of the age which demands facts as a basis for theories1 rather than theories that need facts to prove them4 ,and1 unless ,reincarnation is able to satisfy the demands of this class of thinkers1 the advocates of the doctrine need not complain if the scientific mind dismisses the doctrine as not proven4 ,after all1 the best proof along the above mentioned lines--in fact1 about the only possible strict proof--is the fragmentary recollections of former lives1 which many people possess at times--these recollections often flashing across the mind1 bringing with it a conviction that the place or thing has been experienced before4 ,nearly every person has had glimpses of something that appeared to be a recollection from the past life of the individual4 ,we see places that we have never known1 and they seem perfectly familiar2 we meet strangers1 and we are convinced that we have known them in the past2 we read an old book and feel that we have seen it before1 often so much so that we can anticipate the story or argument of the writer2 we hear some strange philosophical doctrine1 and we recognize it as an old friend4 ,many people have had this experience in the matter of ,occultism--in the very matter of the doctrine of ,reincarnation itself--when they first heard it1 although it struck them as strange and unusual1 yet they felt an inner conviction that it was an old story to them--that they had heard it all before4 ,these experiences are by far too common to be dismissed as mere fancy or coincidence4 ,nearly every living person has had some experience along this line4 ,a recent writer along the lines of ,oriental ,philosophy has said regarding this common experience of the race3 ,many people have had 'peculiar experiences' that are accountable only upon the hypothesis of ,metempsychosis4 ,who has not experienced the consciousness of having felt the thing before--having thought it some time in the dim past8 ,who has not witnessed new scenes that appear old1 very old8 ,who has not met persons for the first time1 whose presence awakened memories of a past lying far back in the misty ages of long ago8 ,who has not been seized at times with the consciousness of a mighty 'oldness' of soul8 ,who has not heard music1 often entirely new compositions1 which somehow awakened memories of similar strains1 scenes1 places1 faces1 voices1 lands1 associations1 and events1 sounding dimly on the strings of memory as the breezes of the harmony floats over them8 ,who has not gazed at some old painting1 or piece of statuary1 with the sense of having seen it all before8 ,who has not lived through events which brought with them a certainty of being merely a repetition of some shadowy occurrences away back in lives lived long ago8 ,who has not felt the influence of the mountain1 the sea1 the desert1 coming to them when they are far from such scenes--coming so vividly as to cause the actual scene of the present to fade into comparative unreality8 ,who has not had these experiences8 ,we have been informed by ,hindus well advanced in the occult theory and practice that it is quite a common thing for people of their country to awaken to an almost complete recollection of their former lives2 in some cases they have related details of former lives that have been fully verified by investigation in parts of the land very remote from their present residence4 ,in one case1 a ,hindu sage related to us an instance where a poor ,hindu1 who had worked steadily in the village in which he had been born1 without leaving it1 ever since his childhood days4 ,this man one day cried out that he had awakened to a recollection of having been a man of such and such a village1 in a province hundreds of miles from his home4 ,some wealthy people became interested in the matter1 and after having taken down his statements in writing1 and after careful examination and questioning1 they took him to the town in question4 ,upon entering the village the man seemed dazed1 and cried out3 ,everything is changed--it is the same and yet not the same6 ,finally1 however1 he began to recognize some of the old landmarks of the place1 and to call the places and roads by their names4 ,then1 coming to a familiar corner1 he cried3 ,down there is my old home1 and1 rushing down the road for several hundred yards1 he finally stopped before the ruins of an old cottage1 and burst into tears1 saying that the roof of his home had fallen in1 and the walls were crumbling to pieces4 ,inquiry among the oldest men of the place brought to light the fact that when these aged men were boys1 the house had been occupied by an old man1 bearing the same name first mentioned by the ,hindu as having been his own in his previous life4 ,other facts about the former location of places in the village were verified by the old men4 ,finally1 while walking around the ruins1 the man said3 ,there should be a pot of silver buried there--,i hid it there when ,i lived here4 ,the people rapidly uncovered the ground indicated1 and brought to light an old pot containing a few pieces of silver coin of a date corresponding to the lifetime of the former occupant of the house4 ,our informant told us that he had personal knowledge of a number of similar cases1 none of which1 however1 were quite as complete in detail as the one mentioned4 ,he also informed us that he himself1 and a number of his acquaintances who had attained certain degrees of occult unfoldment1 were fully aware of their past lives for several incarnations back4 ,another instance came under our personal observation1 in which an ,american who had never been to ,india1 when taken into a room in which a ,hindu priest who was visiting ,america had erected a shrine or altar before which he performed his religious services1 readily recognized the arrangement of the details of worship1 ritual1 ceremony1 etc41 and was conscious of having seen1 or at least dreamed of seeing1 a similar shrine at some time in the past1 and as having had some connection with the same4 ,the ,hindu priest1 upon hearing the ,american's remarks1 stated that his knowledge of the details of the shrine1 as then expressed1 indicated a knowledge possible only to one who had served at a ,hindu altar in some capacity4 ,we know of another case in which an acquaintance1 a prominent attorney in the ,west1 told us that when undergoing his initiation in the ,masonic order he had a full recollection of having undergone the same before1 and he actually anticipated each successive step4 ,this knowledge1 however1 ceased after he had passed beyond the first three degrees which took him to the place where he was a full ,master ,mason1 the higher degrees being entirely new to him1 and having been apparently not experienced before4 ,this man was not a believer in any doctrine of ,reincarnation1 and related the incident merely as one of those things that no man can explain4 ,we know of another case1 in which a student of ,hindu ,philosophy and ,oriental ,occultism found that he could anticipate each step of the teaching and doctrine1 and each bit of knowledge gained by him seemed merely a recollection of something known long since4 ,so true was this that he was able to supply the missing links of the teaching1 where he had not access to the proper sources of information at the time1 and in each case he afterward found that he had stated the same correctly4 ,and this included many points of the ,inner ,teachings not generally taught to the general public1 but reserved for the few4 ,subsequent contact with native ,hindu teachers brought to light the fact that he had already unraveled many tangled skeins of doctrine deemed possible only to the elect4 ,many of these recollections of the past come as if they were memories of something experienced in dreams1 but sometimes after the loose end of the thought is firmly grasped and mentally drawn out1 other bits of recollection will follow4 ,sir ,walter ,scott wrote in his diary in #ahbh3 ,i was strangely haunted by what ,i would call the sense of pre-existence1 viz41 a confused idea that nothing that passed was said for the first time2 that the same topics had been discussed1 and the same persons had stated the same opinions on them4 ,william ,home1 an ,english writer1 was instantly converted from materialism to a belief in a spiritual existence by an incident that occurred to him in a part of ,london utterly strange to him4 ,he entered a waiting room1 and to his surprise everything seemed familiar to him4 ,as he says3 ,i seemed to recognize every object4 ,i said to myself1 what is this8 ,i have never been here before1 and yet ,i have seen all this1 and if so1 there is a very peculiar knot in that shutter4 ,he then crossed the room1 and opened the shutter1 and after examination he saw the identical peculiar knot that he had felt sure was there4 ,pythagoras is said to have distinctly remembered a number of his previous incarnations1 and at one time pointed out a shield in a ,grecian temple as having been carried by him in a previous incarnation at the siege of ,troy4 ,a well-known ancient ,hindu sage is said to have transcribed a lost sacred book of doctrine from memory of its study in a previous life4 ,children often talk strangely of former lives1 which ideas1 however1 are generally frightened out of them by reproof on the part of parents1 and often punishment for untruthfulness and romancing4 ,as they grow older these memories fade away4 ,people traveling in strange places often experience emotion when viewing some particular scene1 and memory seems to painfully struggle to bring into the field of consciousness the former connection between the scene and the individual4 ,many persons have testified to these occurrences1 many of them being matter-of-fact1 unimaginative people1 who had never even heard of the doctrine of ,reincarnation4 ,charles ,dickens1 in one of his books of foreign travel1 tells of a bridge in ,italy which produced a peculiar effect upon him4 ,he says3 ,if ,i had been murdered there in some former life1 ,i could not have seemed to remember the place more thoroughly1 or with more emphatic chilling of the blood2 and the real remembrance of it acquired in that minute is so strengthened by the imaginary recollection that ,i hardly think ,i could forget it4 ,another recorded instance is that of a person entering a foreign library for the first time4 ,passing to the department of ancient books1 he said that he had a dim idea that a certain rare book was to be found on such a shelf1 in such a corner1 describing at the same time certain peculiarities of the volume4 ,a search failed to discover the volume in the stated place1 but investigation showed that it was in another place in the library1 and an old assistant stated that a generation back it had been moved from its former place 7as stated by the visitor71 where it had been previously located for very many years4 ,an examination of the volume showed a perfect correspondence in every detail with the description of the strange visitor4 ,and so the story proceeds4 ,reference to the many works written on the subject of the future life of the soul will supply many more instances of the glimpses of recollection of past incarnations4 ,but why spread these instances over more pages8 ,the experience of other people1 while of scientific interest and value as affording a basis for a theory or doctrine1 will never supply the experience that the close and rigid investigator demands4 ,only his own experiences will satisfy him--and perhaps not even those1 for he may consider them delusions4 ,these experiences of others have their principal value as corroborative proofs of one's own experiences1 and thus serve to prove that the individual experience was not abnormal1 unusual1 or a delusion4 ,to those who have not had these glimpses of recollection1 the only proof that can be offered is the usual arguments in favor of the doctrine1 and the account of the experiences of others--this may satisfy1 and may not4 ,but to those who have had these glimpses--particularly in a marked degree--there will come a feeling of certainty and conviction that in some cases is as real as the certainty and conviction of the present existence1 and which will be proof against all argument to the contrary4 ,to such people the knowledge of previous existences is as much a matter of consciousness as the fact of the existence of last year--yesterday--a moment ago--or even the present moment1 which slips away while we attempt to consider it4 ,and those who have this consciousness of past lives1 even though the details may be vague1 intuitively accept the teachings regarding the future lives of the soul4 ,the soul that recognizes its oldness also feels its certainty of survival--not as a mere matter of faith1 but as an item of consciousness1 the boundaries of time being transcended4 ,but there are other arguments advanced in favor of ,reincarnation1 which its advocates consider so strong as to entitle them to be classed as proofs4 ,among these may be mentioned the difference in tastes1 talents1 predispositions1 etc41 noticeable among children and adults1 and which can scarcely be attributed to heredity4 ,this same idea carries one to the consideration of the question of youthful genius1 prodigies1 etc4 ,it is a part of this argument to assume that if all souls were freshly created1 by the same ,creator1 and from the same material1 they would resemble each other very closely1 and in fact would be practically identical4 ,and1 it is urged1 the fact that every child is different in tastes1 temperament1 qualities1 nature1 etc41 independent of heredity and environment1 then it must follow that the difference must be sought for further back4 ,children of the same parents differ very materially in nature1 disposition1 etc42 in fact1 strangers are often more alike than children of the same parents1 born within a few years of each other1 and reared in the same environment4 ,those having much experience with young babies know that each infant has its own nature and disposition1 and in which it differs from every other infant1 although they may be classed into groups1 of course4 ,the infant a few hours born shows a gentleness1 or a lack of it--a yielding or a struggle1 a disposition to adjust itself1 or a stubbornness1 etc4 ,and as the child grows1 these traits show more plainly1 and the nature of the individual asserts itself1 subject1 of course1 to a moulding and shaping1 but always asserting its original character in some way4 ,not only in the matter of disposition but in the matter of tastes1 tendencies1 moral inclinations1 etc41 do the children differ4 ,some like this1 and dislike that1 and the reverse2 some are attracted toward this and repelled by that1 and the reverse2 some are kind while others are cruel2 some manifest an innate sense of refinement1 while others show coarseness and lack of delicate feeling4 ,this among children of the same family1 remember4 ,and1 when the child enters school1 we find this one takes to mathematics as the duck does to water1 while its brother loathes the subject2 the anti-arithmetic child may excel in history or geography1 or else grammar1 which is the despair of others4 ,some are at once attracted to music1 and others to drawing1 while both of these branches are most distasteful to others4 ,and it will be noticed that in the studies to which the child is attracted1 it seems to learn almost without effort1 as if it were merely re-learning some favorite study1 momentarily forgotten4 ,and in the case of the disliked study1 every step is attended with toil4 ,in some cases the child seems to learn every branch with the minimum effort1 and with practically no effort2 while in other cases the child has to plod wearily over every branch1 as if breaking entirely new ground4 ,and this continues into after life1 when the adult finds this thing or that thing into which he naturally fits as if it were made for him1 the knowledge concerning it coming to him like the lesson of yesterday4 ,we know of a case in which a man had proved a failure in everything he had undertaken up to the age of forty1 when his father-in-law1 in disgust1 placed him at the head of an enterprise which he had had to take over for a bad debt4 ,the failure immediately took the keenest interest in the work1 and in a month knew more about it than many men who had been in the concern for years4 ,his mind found itself perfectly at home1 and he made improvement after improvement rapidly1 and with uniform success4 ,he had found his work1 and in a few years stepped to the front rank in the country in that particular line of business4 ,blessed is he that hath found his work4 ,reincarnationists would hold that that man had found his work in a line similar in its mental demands with that of his former life or lives--not necessarily identical in details1 but similar in its mental requirement4 ,instances of this thing are to be seen all around us4 ,heredity does not seem to account for it--nor does environment answer the requirements4 ,some other factor is there--is it ,reincarnation8 ,allied to this phenomena is that of youthful genius--in fact1 genius of any age1 for that matter1 for genius itself seems to be out of the category of the ordinary cause of heredity and environment1 and to have its roots in some deeper1 richer soil4 ,it is a well-known fact that now and then a child is born which at a very early age shows an acquaintance with certain arts1 or other branches of mental work1 which is usually looked for only from those of advanced years1 and after years of training4 ,in many cases these children are born of parents and grandparents deficient in the particular branches of knowledge evidenced by the child4 ,babes scarcely able to sit on the piano stool1 or to hold the violin1 have begun to play in a way that certainly indicated previous knowledge and technique1 often composing original productions in an amazing manner4 ,other young children have begun to draw and design without any instruction whatever4 ,others have shown wonderful mathematical ability1 there being several cases on record where such children have performed feats in mathematics impossible to advanced adults teaching the same lines4 ,what are the cause of these phenomena8 ,is it ,reincarnation8 ,as ,figuier said1 years ago3 ,we hear it said every day that one child has a mathematical1 another a musical1 another an artistic turn4 ,in others we notice savage1 violent1 even criminal instincts4 ,after the first years of life these dispositions break out4 ,when these natural aptitudes are pushed beyond the usual limit1 we find famous examples that history has cherished1 and that we love to recall4 ,there is ,pascal1 mastering at the age of twelve years the greater part of ,plane ,geometry without any instruction1 and not a figment of ,calculus1 drawing on the floor of his chamber all the figures in the first book of ,euclid1 estimating accurately the mathematical relations of them all--that is1 reconstructing for himself a part of descriptive ,geometry2 the herdsman ,mangia ,melo1 manipulating figures1 when five years old1 as rapidly as a calculating machine2 ,mozart1 executing a sonata on the pianoforte with four-years-old fingers1 and composing an opera at the age of eight2 ,theresa ,milanollo1 playing the violin at four years1 with such eminent skill that ,baillot said she must have played it before she was born2 ,rembrandt1 drawing with masterly power before he could read4 ,the same authority says1 in reference to the fact that some of these prodigies do not become famous in their after years1 and that their genius often seems to flicker out1 leaving them as ordinary children3 ,that is easily understood4 ,they come on earth with remarkable powers acquired in an anterior existence1 but they have done nothing to develop their aptitudes2 they have remained all their lives at the very point where they were at the moment of their birth4 ,the real man of genius is he who cultivates and improves incessantly the great natural aptitudes that he brought into the world4 ,there is an interesting field for study1 thought and investigation1 along the lines of the early development of traits1 tendencies1 and thought in young children4 ,here evidently will be found the answer to many problems that have perplexed the race4 ,it is true that heredity and environment plays an important part1 but nevertheless1 there seems to be another element working in the case1 which science must have to reckon with in making up its final conclusions4 ,is that something connected with the soul rather than the mind of the child8 ,is that something that which men call ,metempsychosis--,re-,birth--,reincarnat ion8 ,along the same lines1 or thought1 lie the great questions of instinctive ,like and ,dislike--,loves and ,hates--that we find among people meeting as strangers4 ,from whence come those strange1 unaccountable attractions and repulsions that many feel when meeting certain strangers1 who could never have occasioned such feelings in the present life1 and which heredity does not account for8 ,is it merely an absurd1 irrational1 fancy or feeling2 is it the result of natures inharmonious and discordant2 is it remnants of inherited ancestral feelings toward similar individuals hated1 loved or feared2 is it a telepathic sensing of certain elements in the other2 or is it a manifestation of the feelings experienced in a past existence8 ,is this phenomena to be included in the ,proofs of ,reincarnation8 ,many people think that in ,reincarnation the only answer may be found4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,arguments ,,against ,,reincarnation ,the honest consideration of any subject necessitates the examination of the other side of the case1 as well as the affirmative side4 ,we have given much space to the presentation and consideration of the arguments advanced by those convinced of the truth of ,reincarnation1 and before closing our work we think it well to give at least a little glimpse of the other side as it is presented by the opponents of the doctrine1 together with the reply to the same usually made by the ,reincarnationists4 ,the first adverse argument usually presented is that the advocates of ,reincarnation have not established the existence of a soul which may reincarnate2 nor have they proven its nature1 if it does exist4 ,the natural reply to this is that the doctrine of ,reincarnation is not called upon to establish the proof of the existence of a soul1 as the idea of existence of the soul practically is universal1 and1 therefore1 axiomic--that is1 it is a truth that may be considered as an axiom1 or self-evident truth1 worthy of being assumed as a principle1 necessary to thought on the subject1 a proposition which it is necessary to take for granted1 an established principle of thought on the subject4 ,strictly speaking1 perhaps the fact of the existence of the soul is incapable of material proof1 except to those who accept the fact of proven spirit return1 either in the shape of unmistakable manifestation of the disincarnate soul by materialization1 or by equally unmistakable manifestation in the shape of communications of some sort from such discarnate soul4 ,science does not admit that there are any real proofs of the existence of a soul which persists after the death of the body--but all religious1 and at least the older philosophical thought1 generally agrees that the existence of such a soul is a self-evident fact1 needing no proofs4 ,many regard the statement of ,descartes3 ,i think1 therefore ,i am1 as a logical proof of the existence of an immaterial soul1 and others hold that the self-consciousness of every human being is sufficient proof that the ,ego1 or ,i1 is a something immaterial1 ruling the material body which it inhabits4 ,and so the ,reincarnationists claim that this demand upon them for proof of the existence of the soul is not a fair one1 because such discussion belongs to the more general field of thought2 that they are justified in starting with the idea that the soul does exist1 as an axiomic truth2 and that their real task is to establish1 not that the soul exists1 but that it reincarnates after the death of the body4 ,as ,figuier says1 ,the difficulty is not to prove that there is a spiritual principle in us that resists death1 for to question the existence of this principle we must doubt thought4 ,the true problem is to ascertain if the spiritual and immortal principle within us is going to live again after death1 in ourselves or somebody else4 ,the question is1 ,will the immortal soul be born again in the same individual1 physically transformed--into the same person8 ,as to the other objection1 that the ,reincarnationists have not proven the nature of the soul1 to which many of the advocates of the doctrine feel it necessary to reply at great length and with much subtle reasoning1 we feel that the objection is not well taken4 ,so far as ,reincarnation is concerned1 if it be taken as an axiom that the soul really exists1 that is sufficient as a beginning for the argument in favor of the doctrine1 and the proof or disproof of any special theory regarding the nature of the soul is outside of the main question1 so we shall not consider it here4 ,it is possible to think of the soul as a reincarnating entity1 whether it be a monad1 duad1 triad1 or septenary being4 ,the second objection usually made is that ,reincarnation cannot be true1 else we would remember the incidents of our past lives1 clearly and distinctly1 the fact that the majority of persons have no such recollection1 being held to be a disproof of the doctrine4 ,the reply to this objection is 7#a7 that it is not true that people do not remember the events of their past lives1 the instances quoted by us1 and similar ones happening to others1 together with the fact that nearly every one remembers something of the past1 showing that the objection is not correctly stated4 ,and 7#b7 that the fact that we have but a very cloudy and imperfect recollection is not an objection at all1 for have we a clear recollection of the events of our infancy and childhood in this life8 ,have we a clear recollection of the events of twenty years ago1 outside of a few scattered instances1 of which the majority are only recalled when some associated fact is mentioned8 ,are not the great majority of the events of our present life completely forgotten8 ,how many can recall the events of the youthful life8 ,old companions and friends are completely forgotten or only recalled after much thought and assistance in the way of suggested associations4 ,then again1 do we not witness a complete forgetfulness in cases of very old people who relapse into a state of second childhood1 and who then live entirely in the present1 the past having vanished for them4 ,there are cases of people having grown old1 and while retaining their reasoning faculties1 were as children1 so far as the past was concerned4 ,a well-known writer1 when in this state1 was wont to read the books that he had written1 enjoying them very much and not dreaming that he was their author4 ,professor ,knight says of this matter3 ,memory of the details of the past is absolutely impossible4 ,the power of the conservative faculty1 though relatively great1 is extremely limited4 ,we forget the larger portion of experience soon after we have passed through it1 and we should be able to recall the particulars of our past years1 filling all the missing links of consciousness since we entered on the present life1 before we were in a position to remember our ante-natal experience4 ,birth must necessarily be preceded by crossing the river of oblivion1 while the capacity for fresh acquisition survives1 and the garnered wealth of old experience determines the amount and characters of the new4 ,loss of memory is not loss of being--or even loss of individuality or character4 ,in this connection1 we must mention the various instances of ,double ,personality1 or ,lost ,personality1 noted in the recent books on ,psychology4 ,there are a number of well authenticated cases in which people1 from severe mental strain1 overwork1 etc41 have lost the thread of ,personality and forgotten even their own names and who have taken up life anew under new circumstances1 which they would continue until something would occur to bring about a restoration of memory1 when the past in all of its details would come back in a flash4 ,the annals of the ,english ,society for ,psychical ,research contain quite a number of such cases1 which are recognized as typical4 ,now1 would one be justified in asserting that such a person1 while living in the secondary personality and consequently in entire ignorance of his past life1 had really experienced no previous life8 ,the same ,i was there--the same ,ego--and yet1 the personality was entirely different6 ,is it not perfectly fair and reasonable to consider these cases as similar to the absence of memory in cases of ,reincarnation8 ,let the reader lay down this book1 and then endeavor to remember what happened in his twelfth year4 ,he will not remember more than one or two1 or a half dozen1 events in that year--perhaps not one1 in the absence of a diary1 or perhaps even with the aid of one4 ,the majority of the happenings of the three hundred and sixty-five days of that year are as a blank--as if they never had happened1 so far as the memory is concerned4 ,and yet1 the same ,i1 or ,ego1 persists1 and the person's character has certainly been affected and influenced by the experiences and lessons of that year4 ,perhaps in that year1 the person may have acquired certain knowledge that he uses in his everyday life4 ,and so1 in this case1 as with ,reincarnation1 the essence of the experiences are preserved1 while the details are forgotten4 ,for that is the ,reincarnationist contention4 ,as a matter of fact1 advanced occultists1 and other ,reincarnationists1 claim that nothing is really forgotten1 but that every event is stored away in some of the recesses of the mind1 below the level of consciousness--which idea agrees with that of modern psychologists4 ,and ,reincarnationists claim that when man unfolds sufficiently on some higher plane1 he will have a full recollection of his past experiences in all of his incarnations4 ,some ,reincarnationists claim that as the soul passes from the body all the events of that particular life pass rapidly before its mind1 in review1 before the waters of ,lethe1 or oblivion1 causes forgetfulness4 ,closely allied to the last mentioned argument against ,reincarnation is the one that as the memory of the past life is absent1 or nearly so1 the new personality is practically a new soul1 instead of the old one reincarnated1 and that it is unreasonable and unjust to have it enjoy or suffer by reasons of its experiences and acts in the previous life4 ,we think that the answers to the last mentioned objection are answers to this one also4 ,the ,i1 ,ego1 or ,individuality1 being the same1 it matters not if the details of the old ,personality be forgotten4 ,you are the same ,i that lived fifty years ago in the same body--or even ten years ago--and you are enjoying certain things1 or suffering from certain things1 done or left undone at the previous time1 although you have forgotten the incidents4 ,the impress of the thing is on your ,character1 and you are today largely what you are by reason of what you have been in past years1 though those years are forgotten by you4 ,this you will readily admit1 and yet the argument of the ,reincarnationists is merely an extension of the same idea4 ,as ,figuier says3 ,the soul1 in spite of its journeys1 in the midst of its incarnations and divers metamorphoses remains always identical with itself2 only at each metempsychosis1 each metamorphosis of the external being1 improving and purifying itself1 growing in power and intellectual grasp4 ,another argument against ,reincarnation is that it is not necessary1 for the reason that ,heredity accounts for all of the facts claimed as corroborative of ,reincarnation4 ,answering this the advocates of the doctrine insist that ,heredity does not account for all the facts1 inasmuch as children are born with marked talents and genius1 while none of their family for generations back have displayed any such tendencies4 ,they also claim that if ,heredity were the only factor in the case1 there would be no advance in the races1 as the children would be precisely like their ancestors1 no variety or improvement being possible4 ,but it must be remembered that ,reincarnationists do not deny certain effects of ,heredity1 particularly along physical lines1 and to an extent along mental lines1 in the way of perpetuating tendencies1 which1 however1 are and may be overcome by the individuality of the child4 ,moreover1 the doctrine holds that one of the laws of ,rebirth is that the reincarnating soul is attracted to parents harmonious to itself1 and likely to afford the environments and association desirable to the soul4 ,so in this way the characteristics likely to be transmitted to the offspring are those which are sought for and desired by the reincarnating soul4 ,the law of ,rebirth is held to be as exact and certain as the laws of mathematics or chemistry1 the parents1 as well as the child1 forming the combination which brings forth the rebirth4 ,rebirth is held to be above the mere wish of the reincarnating soul--it is in accordance with an invariable natural law1 which has ,justice and ,advancement as its basis4 ,another argument against ,reincarnation is that it holds that human souls are reborn as animals1 in some cases4 ,this objection we shall not discuss1 for the reason that the advanced ideas of ,reincarnation expressly forbid any such interpretation1 and distinctly deny its legitimate place in the doctrine4 ,among some of the primitive people this idea of transmigration in the bodies of animals has been held1 but never among advanced occultists1 or the leaders in philosophical thought favoring ,reincarnation4 ,reincarnation teaches the ,evolution of the soul from lowly forms to higher1 but never the ,devolution or going back into animal forms4 ,a study of the doctrine of ,reincarnation will dispel this erroneous idea from the mind of an intelligent person4 ,another favorite argument is that it is repulsive to the mind and soul of the average person4 ,analysis of this objection will show that what is repugnant to the person is usually the fear that he will be born again without a memory of the present1 which seems like a loss of the self4 ,a moment's consideration will show that this objection is ill founded4 ,no one objects to the idea of living in the same body for1 say1 ten years or twenty years more1 in health4 ,but at the end of that ten or twenty years he will be practically a different person1 by reason of the new experiences he has undergone4 ,persons change very much in twenty years1 and yet they are the same individuals--the same ,i is there with them4 ,and at the end of the twenty years they will have forgotten the majority of the events of the present year1 but they do not object to that4 ,when one realizes that the ,individual1 or ,i1 is the ,real ,self instead of the ,personality1 or the ,john ,smith1 grocer1 aged #cf1 part of them--then will they cease to fear the loss of the personality of the day or year4 ,they will know that the ,i is the ,self--the same yesterday1 today and tomorrow4 ,be the doctrine of ,reincarnation true or false1 the fact remains that so long as ,,you exist1 it will be the same ,i in you that you will know that ,i am4 ,it will always be ,i ,,am--,,here--,,now1 with you1 be it this moment1 or a hundred years1 or a million years hence4 ,,you can never be ,,someone ,,else1 no matter what form you wear1 nor by what name you are known1 nor what personality you may be acting through1 nor in what place you may have your abode1 nor on what plane of existence you may be4 ,you will always be ,,yourself--and1 as we have just said1 it will always be ,i ,,am--,,here--,,now with ,you4 ,the body1 and even the ,personality1 are things akin to garments which you wear and take off without affecting your ,real ,self4 ,then we must note another objection often made by people in discussing ,reincarnation4 ,they say1 ,but ,i do not ,,want to come back6 ,to this the ,reincarnationists answer that1 if one has reached a stage in which he really has no desire for anything that the earth can offer him1 then such a soul will not likely have to reincarnate again on earth1 for it has passed beyond the need of earthly experiences1 and has worn out its earth ,karma4 ,but they hold that but few people really have reached this stage4 ,what one really means is that he does not want any more of ,earth--life similar to that which he has been undergoing4 ,but if he thought that he could have certain things--riches1 position1 fame1 beauty1 influence1 and the rest of it1 he would be perfectly willing to come back4 ,or else he might be so bound by links of ,karma1 acting by reason of ,love or ,hate1 ,attachment or ,repulsion1 or by duties unperformed1 or moral debts unpaid1 that he might be brought back to work out the old problems until he had solved them4 ,but even this is explained by those ,reincarnationists who hold to the idea of ,desire as the great motive power of ,karma1 and who hold that if one has risen above all earthly desire or dislike1 that soul is freed from the attraction of earth-life1 and is prepared to go on higher at once1 or else wait in realms of bliss until the race is ready to pass on1 according to the various theories held by the various advocates of the doctrine4 ,a little self-examination will show one whether he is free from all desire to come back1 or not4 ,but1 after all1 if there is ,ultimate ,justice in the plan1 working ever and ever for our good and advancements1 as the ,reincarnationists claim--then it must follow that each of us is in just the best place for his own good at the present moment1 and will always be in a like advantageous position and condition4 ,and if that be so1 then there is no cause for complaint or objection on our part1 and our sole concern should be in the words of the ,persian sage1 to ,so live1 that that which must come and will come1 may come well1 living on one day at a time1 doing the best you know how1 living always in the belief that it is well with us now and evermore1 and that the ,power which has us in charge ,here will have us in charge ,there4 ,there is a good philosophy for ,living and ,dying4 ,and1 this being true1 though you may have to come back1 you will not have to go back1 or fall behind in the ,scale of ,advancement or ,spiritual ,evolution--for it must always be ,onward and ,upward on the ,ladder of ,life6 ,such is the ,law6 ,another objection very often urged against the doctrine of ,reincarnation is that it is un-,christian1 and derived from pagan and heathen sources1 and is not in accord with the highest conceptions of the immortality of the soul4 ,answering this objection1 it may be said that1 insofar as ,reincarnation is not a generally accepted doctrine in the orthodox ,christian ,churches of today1 it may be said to be non-,christian 7rather than un-,christian71 but when it is seen that ,pre-existence and ,rebirth was held as ,truth by many of the ,early ,fathers of the ,church1 and that the doctrine was finally condemned by the dominant majority in ,church ,councils only by means of the most severe methods and the exercise of the most arbitrary authority1 it may be seen that in the opinion of many of the most eminent early authorities there was nothing un-,christian about it1 but that it was a proper doctrine of the ,church4 ,the doctrine was simply voted down1 just as were many important doctrines revered by some of the great minds of the early church1 in some cases the decision being made by a majority of one vote4 ,and1 again1 there have been many bright minds in the ,christian ,church who persisted in the belief that the doctrine was far more consistent with the ,inner ,teachings of ,christianity than the prevailing conception1 and based upon quite as good authority4 ,so far as the charge that it is derived from pagan and heathen sources is concerned1 it must be answered that certainly the doctrine was accepted by the pagan and heathen world centuries before the dawn of ,christianity1 but1 for that matter1 so was the doctrine regarding the soul's future generally accepted by orthodox ,christianity--in fact1 nearly every doctrine or theory regarding the survival of the soul was derived from pagan and heathen sources4 ,the pagan and heathen mind had thought long and earnestly upon this great problem1 and the field of thought had been pretty well covered before the advent of ,christianity4 ,in fact1 ,christianity added no new doctrine--invented no new theory--and is far from being clear and explicit in its teachings on the subject1 the result being that the early ,christians were divided among themselves on the matter1 different sects and schools favoring different doctrines1 each and all of which had been derived from pagan and heathen sources4 ,if all the doctrines regarding the immortality of the soul are to be judged by the test of their having been1 or not been1 derived from pagan and heathen sources1 then the entire body of doctrine and thought on the subject must be thrown out of the ,christian mind1 which must then endeavor to create or invent an entirely new doctrine which has never been thought of by a pagan or heathen--a very difficult task1 by the way1 considering the activity of the pagan and heathen mind in that respect4 ,it must be remembered that there is no authoritative teaching on this subject--none coming direct from ,jesus4 ,the ,christian ,doctrines on the subject come from the ,theologians1 and represent simply the views of the majority of some ,church ,council--or of the most powerful faction4 ,while the objection that ,reincarnation is not in accord with the highest conceptions of the immortality of the soul is one that must depend almost entirely upon the personal bias or opinion of the individual as to what constitutes the highest conceptions1 still a comparison of the conceptions is not out of the way at this place4 ,do you know what was the doctrine favored by the dominant majority in the ,church ,councils1 and for which ,pre-,existence and ,re-,birth finally was discarded8 ,do you know the dogma of the ,church and the belief of masses of the orthodox ,christians of the early centuries8 ,well1 it was this3 ,that at the death of the body1 the person passes into a state of coma1 or unconsciousness1 in which state he rests today1 awaiting the sound of the trumpet of the great ,day of ,judgment1 when the dead shall be raised and the righteous given eternal life ,,in ,,their ,,former ,,bodies1 while the wicked in their bodies may pass into eternal torment4 ,that is the doctrine4 ,you doubt it8 ,then look over the authorities and examine even the current creeds of today1 many of which state practically the same thing4 ,this belief passed into one of the ,christian ,creed1 in the words3 ,i believe in the ,resurrection of the ,body4 ,the great masses of ,christians today1 in general thought on the subject1 speak as if the accepted doctrine of the ,church was that the soul passed to ,judgment1 and then eternal soul life in ,heaven or ,hell immediately after the death of the body1 thus ignoring the dogmas of the ,church ,councils regarding the future ,day of ,judgment and the ,resurrection of the ,body at that time4 ,a little questioning of the religious teachers1 and a little examination of religious history1 and the creeds and doctrines of their respective churches1 would astonish many good church members who have been fondly thinking of their beloved ones1 who have passed on1 as even now dwelling in ,heaven as blessed angels4 ,they would be astonished to find that the angels of the churches are not the souls of the good people who have been judged and awarded heavenly joys1 but1 rather1 a body of supernatural beings who never inhabited the flesh2 and that instead of their loved ones now enjoying the heavenly realms1 the dogmas hold that they are now in a state of coma or unconsciousness1 awaiting the great ,day of ,judgment1 when their bodies will be resurrected and life everlasting given them4 ,those who are interested in the matter1 and who may doubt the above statement1 are invited to examine the records for themselves4 ,the doctrine of the ,resurrection of the ,body1 which is of undoubted pagan and heathen origin1 was a favorite theological dogma of the ,church in the first thousand years of its existence1 and for many centuries after1 and it still occupies a most important place in the church doctrines today1 although it is not so often publicly preached or taught4 ,david ,kay says3 ,the great distinguishing doctrine of ,christianity is not the ,immortality of the ,soul1 but the ,resurrection of the ,body4 ,that the soul of man is immortal was a common belief among the ,ancients1 from whom it found its way at an early period into the ,christian ,church1 but the most influential of the early ,fathers were strenuously opposed to it1 holding that the human soul was not essentially immortal1 but only1 like the body1 capable of immortality4 ,vinet says3 ,the union of the soul and body appears to me essential and indissoluble4 ,man without a body is1 in my opinion1 man no longer2 and ,god has thought and willed him embodied1 and not otherwise4 ,according to passages in the ,scriptures1 we can not doubt that the body1 or a body1 is essential to human personality and to the very idea of man4 ,john ,milton said3 ,that the spirit of man should be separate from the body1 so as to have a perfect and intelligent existence independent of it1 is nowhere said in ,scripture1 and the doctrine is evidently at variance both with nature and reason4 ,masson1 commenting on ,milton's conception1 says3 ,milton's conception is that at the last gasp of breath the whole man dies1 soul and body together1 and that not until the ,resurrection1 when the body is revived1 does the soul live again1 does the man or woman live again1 in any sense or way1 whether for happiness or misery4444 ,are the souls of the millions on millions of human beings who have died since ,adam1 are those souls ready either with ,god and the angels in ,heaven1 or down in the diabolic world waiting to be rejoined to their bodies on the ,resurrection ,day8 ,they are not1 says ,milton2 but soul and bodies together1 he says1 are dead alike1 sleeping alike1 defunct alike1 till that day comes4 ,and many ,christian theologians have held firmly to this doctrine1 as may be seen by reference to any standard encyclopedia1 or work on theology4 ,coleridge said3 ,some of the most influential of the early ,christian writers were materialists1 not as holding the soul to be the mere result of bodily organization1 but as holding the soul itself to be material--corporeal4 ,it appears that in those days the vulgar held the soul to be incorporeal1 according to the views of ,plato and others1 but that the orthodox ,christian divines looked upon this as an impious1 unscriptural opinion4 ,dr4 ,r4 ,s4 ,candlish said3 ,you live again in the body--in the very body1 as to all essential properties1 and to all practical intents and purposes in which you live now4 ,i am to live not a ghost1 a spectre1 a spirit1 ,i am to live then1 as ,i live now1 in the body4 ,dr4 ,arnold says3 ,i think that the ,christian doctrine of the ,resurrection meets the materialists so far as this--that it does imply that a body or an organization of some sort is necessary to the full development of man's nature4 ,rev4 ,r4 ,j4 ,campbell1 the eminent ,english clergyman1 in his recent work entitled1 ,the ,new ,theology1 says1 speaking of the popular evangelical views3 ,but they are even more chaotic on the subject of death and whatever follows death4 ,it does not seem to be generally recognized that ,christian thought has never been really clear concerning the ,resurrection1 especially in relation to future judgment4 ,one view has been that the deceased saint lies sleeping in the grave until the archangel's trumpet shall sound and bid all mankind awake for the great assize4 ,anyone who reads the ,new ,testament without prejudice will see that this was ,paul's earlier view1 although later on he changed it for another4 ,there is a good deal of our current1 every-day religious phaseology which presumes it still--',father1 in thy gracious keeping1 leave we now thy servant sleeping4' ,but alongside this view1 another which is a flagrant contradiction of it has come down to us1 namely1 that immediately after death the soul goes straight to ,heaven or ,hell1 as the case may be1 without waiting for the archangel's trumpet and the grand assize4 ,on the whole1 this is the dominant theory of the situation in the ,protestant circles1 and is much less reasonable than the ,catholic doctrine of purgatory1 however much the latter may have been abused4 ,but under this view1 what is the exact significance of the ,judgment ,day and the ,physical ,resurrection8 ,one might think they might be accounted superfluous4 ,what is the good of tormenting a soul in ,hell for ages1 and then whirling it back to the body in order to rise again and receive a solemn public condemnation8 ,better leave it in the ,inferno and save trouble1 especially as the solemn trial is meaningless1 seeing that a part of the sentence has already been undergone and that there is no hope that any portion of it will ever be remitted4 ,truly the tender mercies with which the theologians have credited the ,almighty are cruel indeed6 ,but1 by the irony of progress1 the orthodox churches are gradually coming around to the one much-despised ,platonic conception of the naturally ,immortal ,immaterial ,soul--the pagan and heathen idea1 so much at variance with the opposing doctrine of the ,resurrection of the ,body1 which doctrine really did not teach the immortality of the soul at all4 ,as ,prof4 ,nathaniel ,schmidt says1 in an article in a standard encyclopedia3 ,the doctrine of the natural immortality of the human soul became so important a part of ,christian thought that the resurrection naturally lost its vital significance1 and it has practically held no place in the great systems of philosophy elaborated by the ,christian thinkers of modern times4 ,but still1 the letter of the old doctrine persists on the books of the church and in its creeds1 although opposed to the enlightened spirit now manifesting in the churches which is moving more and more toward the pagan and heathen conception of a naturally ,immaterial and ,immortal ,soul1 rather than in a ,resurrection of the ,body and an eternal life therein4 ,it is scarcely worth while here to contrast the two doctrines--the ,immortal ,immaterial ,soul on the one hand1 and the ,immortal ,body on the other4 ,the latter conception is so primitively crude1 and so foreign to modern thought1 that it scarcely needs an argument against it4 ,the thought of the necessity of the soul for a material body--the same old material body that it once cast off like a worn out garment--a body perhaps worn by disease1 crippled by accident or the slipping of the hand of the ,potter--a body similar to those we see around us every day--the ,immortal ,soul needing such a garment in order to exist6 ,better accept plain ,materialism1 and say that there is no soul and that the body perishes and all else with it1 than such a gross doctrine which is simply a materialistic ,immortality4 ,so far as this doctrine being the highest conception of the ,immortality of the ,soul1 as contrasted with the pagan and heathen doctrine of ,reincarnation--it is not a conception of the ,immortality of the ,soul at all1 but a flat contradiction of it4 ,it is a doctrine of the ,immortality of the ,body1 which bears plain marks of a very lowly pagan and heathen origin4 ,and as to the later ,christian conception1 it may be seen that there is nothing in the idea of ,re-birth which is inconsistent therewith--in fact1 the two ideas naturally blend into each other4 ,in the above discussion our whole intent has been to answer the argument against ,reincarnation which charges that the latter is derived from pagan and heathen sources1 and is not in accord with the highest conceptions of the immortality of the soul4 ,and in order to do this we have found it necessary to examine the opposing theological dogmas as we find them1 and to show that they do not come up to the claims of being the highest conception1 etc4 ,we think that the strongest point against the dogmas may be found in the claims of their advocates4 ,that the ,church is now growing away from them only proves their unfitness as the highest conception4 ,and ,reincarnationists hold that as the ,church grows in favor of the ,immaterial ,immortal ,soul1 so will it find itself inclining toward the companion-doctrine of ,pre-existence and ,re-birth1 in some of its varied forms1 probably that of the ,early ,fathers of the ,church1 such as ,origen and his followers--that the ,church will again claim its own4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,karma4 ,karma is a term in general use among the ,hindus1 and the ,western believers in ,reincarnation1 the meaning of which is susceptible of various shades of definition and interpretation4 ,it is most important to all students of the subject of ,reincarnation1 for it is the companion doctrine--the twin-truth--to the doctrine of ,metempsychosis4 ,strictly speaking1 ,karma is the ,law of ,cause and ,effect as applied to the life of the soul--the law whereby it reaps the results of its own sowing1 or suffers the reaction from its own action4 ,to the majority of ,reincarnationists1 however1 it has a larger meaning1 and is used in the sense of the ,law of ,justice1 or the ,law of ,reward and ,punishment1 operating along the lines of personal experience1 personal life1 and personal character4 ,many authorities hold that the original idea of ,karma was that of a great natural law operating along exact lines1 as do the laws of mathematics and chemistry1 bringing forth the exact effect from every cause1 and being1 above all1 questions of good or evil1 reward or punishment1 morality or immorality1 etc41 and acting as a great natural force above all such questions of human conduct4 ,to those who still adhere to this conception1 ,karma is like the ,law of ,gravitation1 which operates without regard to persons1 morals or questions of good and evil1 just as does any other great natural law4 ,in this view the only right or wrong would be the effect of an action--that is1 whether it was conducive to one's welfare and that of the race1 or the reverse4 ,in this view1 if a child places its hand on a hot stove1 the action is wrong1 because it brings pain and unhappiness1 although the act is neither moral or immoral4 ,and another action is right because it brings happiness1 well-being and satisfaction1 present and future1 although the act was neither moral nor immoral4 ,in this view there can be neither reward nor punishment1 in the common acceptation of the term1 although in another sense there is a reward for such right doing1 and a punishment for such wrong doing1 as the child with the burnt hand may testify to4 ,in this sense of the term1 some of the older schools of ,reincarnation accepted ,karma as determining the ,re-,birth1 along the lines of ,desire and ,attraction1 holding that the souls' character would attract it to re-birth along the lines of its strongest desires1 and in such environment as would give it the greatest opportunity to work out those desires into action1 taking the pains and pleasures of experience arising from such action1 and thus moulding a new1 or fuller character1 which would create new ,karma1 which would determine the future birth1 etc41 and so on1 and on4 ,those holding to this view believed that in this way the soul would learn its lesson1 with many a crack over the knuckles1 and with the pain of many an experience that would tend to turn it into the road most conducive to spiritual happiness and well-being2 and lead it away from the road of material desires and pleasures1 because the repeated experiences had shown that no true spiritual well-being was to be obtained therefrom4 ,in other words1 the soul1 in its spiritual childhood1 was just like a little child in the physical world1 learning by experience that some things worked for its good and others for bad4 ,this view naturally carried with it the idea that true ethics would show that whatever tended toward the advancement of the soul was good1 and whatever retarded its advancement was bad1 in spite of any arbitrary standard of right or wrong erected by man during the ages1 and which standard has constantly changed from time to time1 is changing now1 and always will change4 ,but the ,hindu mind1 especially1 soon enlarged upon this original idea of ,karma1 and the priests of ,india soon had the idea of ,karma working as a great rewarder of good1 and a great punisher of evil4 ,corresponding to the rewards and punishments in the future life1 as taught by ,christian preachers1 the ,hindu priests held over the sinner the terrors of ,karma2 and the rewards promised the good people from the same source served to spur on the worshiper to actions in accordance with the ethics of the particular church preaching the doctrine4 ,it was taught that the man's future state1 in the next incarnation1 and perhaps for many others1 depended upon his state of goodness1 in accordance with the laws of the church and priestly teaching--surely as powerful an argument and as terrifying a threat as the orthodox bribe of heaven1 and threat of hell of the ,western world4 ,the effect of this teaching is seen among the masses of the but slightly educated ,hindu classes of today1 who are very desirous of acquiring merit by performing some good deed1 such as bestowing alms upon the wandering religious mendicant2 making contributions to the temples1 etc41 as well as performing the acts of ordinary good will toward men2 and who are as equally anxious to avoid acquiring demerit from the lack of proper observances1 and the performance of improper actions4 ,while the general effect of this may be in the direction of holding the ignorant masses in the ethical road most conducive to the public weal1 it also has a tendency to foster credulity1 superstition and imposition1 just as do similar teachings in any land1 time1 under the cover of any religion4 ,there is a strong family resemblance between these teachings among all the religions1 and there are many men who hold that this crack of the theological whip is most necessary for the keeping of the masses of the people in the strait road of morality1 they being held incapable of the practice of doing good for good's sake1 and avoiding evil because it is evil4 ,we shall not discuss this question--decide it for yourself4 ,one of the strongest applications of the above mentioned form of the doctrine in ,india is the teaching that the caste of the man in his next incarnation will be determined by his degree of good conduct in the present life--and that his present caste has been determined by his conduct in his previous lives4 ,no one who has not studied the importance of caste in ,india can begin to understand how powerful a lever this teaching is upon the people of ,india4 ,from the exalted ,brahman caste1 the priestly caste--down to the ,sudra caste of unskilled laborers1 or even still further down to the ,pariahs or outcasts1 the caste lines are strongly marked2 the higher caste person deeming it the greatest disgrace to be touched by one of an inferior caste1 or to eat food prepared by a lower-caste person1 and so on in every act of daily life4 ,the only comparison possible to the ,american mind is the attitude of the old-time ,southerner toward the lowest class of negroes1 and even in this case the prejudice does not extend so far as in the case of the ,hindus1 for the ,southerner will eat food cooked by a negro servant1 and will permit the latter to shave him1 act as his valet1 etc41 something at which the high-caste ,hindu would be horrified on the part of one below him in caste4 ,this being understood1 it is easy to see how careful a high-caste ,hindu would be to avoid performing actions which might rob him of his caste in his next life1 and how powerful an incentive it is to a low-caste ,hindu to strive for birth in a higher caste after many incarnations4 ,to people holding such a view1 birth in a low caste is the mark of crime and evil action performed in a previous life1 and the low-born is accordingly felt to be worthy of no respect4 ,we understand1 from ,hindu acquaintances1 that this idea is gradually being dispelled in ,india1 and an era of common human brotherhood and common interest is beginning to manifest itself4 ,in the ,western world1 the ,reincarnationists1 without doubt1 have been greatly affected by the prevailing orthodox ,hindu conception of ,karma1 rather than by the ,grecian and general occult conception4 ,although there are many who regard ,karma as rather a moulder of character1 and consequently a prime factor in the re-birth1 rather than as a dispenser of rewards and punishments--still1 there are many who1 discarding the orthodox ,devil of their former faith1 have found a worthy substitute for him in their conception of ,karma1 and manifest the same terror and fear of the new devil as of the old one--and his name may be summed up as ,,fear1 in both cases4 ,theosophists have discussed the matter of ,karma very thoroughly1 and their leading authorities have written much about it1 its various interpretations showing in the shades of opinion among the writers4 ,generally speaking1 however1 it may be said that they have bridged over the chasm between the natural law idea and that of the moral law1 with its rewards and punishments1 by an interpretation which places one foot on each conception1 holding that there is truth in each4 ,of course1 justice requires the reference of that student to the ,theosophical writings themselves1 for a detailed understanding of their views1 but we feel that a brief summary of their general interpretation would be in order at this place4 ,one of their leading authorities states that the ,law of ,karma is automatic in action1 and that there is no possible escape from it4 ,he likewise holds that ,absolute ,justice is manifested in its operations1 the idea of mercy or wrath being absent from it2 and that1 consequently1 every debt must be paid in full1 to the last penny1 and that there is no vicarious atonement or exceptions made in answer to supplications to a higher source4 ,but he particularly states that this action of the law must not be confused with ordinary reward and punishment for good deed or bad1 but that the law acts just as does any other law of ,nature1 just as if we put our hand in the fire we shall be burned as a natural consequence1 and not as a punishment4 ,in his statement of this view he says3 ,we hold that sorrow and suffering flow from sin just precisely in that way1 under the direct working of natural law4 ,it may be said1 perhaps1 that1 obviously1 the good man does not always reap his reward of good results1 nor does the wicked man always suffer4 ,not always immediately2 not always within our ken2 but assuredly1 eventually and inexorably4 ,the writer then goes on to define his conception of ,good and ,evil4 ,he says3 ,we shall see more clearly that this must be so if we define exactly what we mean by good and evil4 ,our religious brothers would tell us that that was good which was in accordance with ,god's will1 and that that was evil which was in opposition to it4 ,the scientific man would say that that was good which helped evolution1 and whatever hindered it was evil4 ,those two men are in reality saying exactly the same thing2 for ,god's will for man is evolution1 and when that is clearly realized all conflict between religion and science is at once ended4 ,anything1 therefore1 which is against evolution of humanity as a whole is against the ,divine will4 ,we see at once that when a man struggles to gain anything for himself at the expense of others he is distinctly doing evil1 and it is evil because it is against the interest of the whole4 ,therefore the only true gain is that which is a gain for the race as a whole1 and the man who gains something without cost or wrong to anyone is raising the whole race somewhat in the process4 ,he is moving in the direction of evolution1 while the other man is moving against it4 ,the same writer then gives the list of the three kinds of ,karma1 according to the ,hindu teachings1 namely3 #a4 ,there is the ,samchita1 or 'piled up' ,karma--the whole mass that still remains behind the man not yet worked out--the entire unpaid balance of the debit and credit account2 #b4 ,there is the ,prarabdha1 or 'beginning' ,karma--the amount apportioned to the man at the commencement of each life--his destiny for that life1 as it were2 #c4 ,there is the ,kriomana ,karma1 that which we are now1 by our actions in this present life1 making for the future4 ,he further states3 ,that second type1 the ,prarabdha ,karma1 is the only destiny which can be said to exist for man4 ,that is what an astrologer might foretell for us--that we have apportioned to us so much good or evil fortune--so much the result of the good and evil actions of our past lives which will react on us in this4 ,but we should remember always that this result of previous action can never compel us to action in the present4 ,it may put us under conditions in which it will be difficult to avoid an act1 but it can never compel us to commit it4 ,the man of ordinary development would probably yield to the circumstances and commit the act2 but he may assert his free will1 rise superior to the circumstances1 and gain a victory and a step in evolution4 ,so with a good action1 no man is forced into that either1 but an opportunity is given to him4 ,if he takes it certain results will follow--not necessarily a happy or a wealthy life next time1 but certainly a life of wider opportunity4 ,that seems to be one of the things that are quite certain--that the man who has done well in this life has always the opportunity of doing still better in the next4 ,this is nature's reward for good work--the opportunity to do more work4 ,of course1 wealth is a great opportunity1 so the reward often comes in that form1 but the essence of the reward is the opportunity and not the pleasure which may be supposed to accompany the wealth4 ,another ,theosophical writer says further on the subject of ,karma3 ,just as all these phases of ,karma have sway over the individual man1 so they similarly operate upon races1 nations and families4 ,each race has its karma as a whole4 ,if it be good1 that race goes forward2 if bad1 it goes out--annihilated as a race--though the souls concerned take up their karma in other races and bodies4 ,nations cannot escape their national karma1 and any nation that has acted in a wicked manner must suffer some day1 be it soon or late4 ,the same writer sums up the idea of individual unhappiness in any life1 as follows3 7a7 ,it is punishment for evil done in past lives2 or 7b7 it is discipline taken up by the ,ego for the purpose of eliminating defects or acquiring fortitude and sympathy4 ,when defects are eliminated it is like removing the obstruction in an irrigating canal which then lets the water flow on4 ,happiness is explained in the same way--the result of prior lives of goodness4 ,the general idea of a number of writers on the subject of ,karma is that as ye sow1 so shall ye reap1 brought down to a wonderful detail of arrangement1 and effect flowing from causes4 ,this conception1 carried to its logical conclusion1 would insist that every single bit of pain and unhappiness in this life is the result of some bad deed done either in the present life or in the past1 and every bit of happiness1 joy or pleasure1 the result of some good action performed either in the present or past life4 ,this conception of ,karma affords us the most intricate1 complex and detailed idea of reward for good1 and punishment for evil 7even when called the operation of natural law7 possible to the mind of man4 ,in its entirety1 and carried to its last refinement of interpretation and analysis1 it has a tendency to bewilder and terrify1 for the chance of escape from its entangling machinery seems so slight4 ,but still1 the same authorities inform us that every soul will surmount these obstacles1 and everyone will ,attain--so there is no need to be frightened1 even if you accept the interpretation of doctrine in its completeness4 ,but there are some thinkers who carry this idea of retributive ,karma to such an extreme that they hold that every instance of physical pain1 disease1 deformity1 poverty1 ill fortune1 etc41 that we see among people1 is the inevitable result of some moral wrong or crime committed by that person in some past life1 and that therefore every instance of poverty1 want or physical suffering is the just result of some moral offense4 ,some of the extremists have gone so far as to hesitate at relieving poverty1 physical pain and suffering in others1 lest by so doing they might possibly be interfering with ,karma--as if any great ,law could be interfered with4 ,while we1 generally1 have refrained from insisting upon our personal preference of interpretation in this work1 we cannot refrain from so doing in this instance4 ,we consider that such an interpretation of the ,law of ,karma is forced and unnatural1 and results from the seeming natural tendency of the human mind to build up devils for itself--and hells of one kind or another4 ,robbed of their ,devil1 many people would attribute to their ,god certain devilish qualities1 in order that they may not be robbed of the satisfaction of smugly thinking of the just punishment of others4 ,and1 if they have also discarded the idea of a ,personal ,god1 their demand for a ,devil causes them to attribute certain devilish qualities to ,natural ,law4 ,they are bound to find their ,devil somewhere--the primitive demand for the ,vengeful ,spirit must manifest itself in one form or another4 ,these people confound the action of ,cause and ,effect on the ,material and ,physical ,plane1 with ,cause and ,effect on the ,spiritual ,plane1 whereas all true occultists teach that the ,cause operating on one plane manifests effects upon the same plane4 ,in this connection1 we would call your attention to the instance in the ,new ,testament 7,john ,,ix41 #b71 in which ,jesus was asked regarding the cause of the affliction of the man who was ,,born ,,blind4 ,and his disciples asked him1 saying1 ',master1 who did sin1 this man1 or his parents1 that he was born blind8' ,the question being asked in order that ,jesus might determine between the two prevailing theories3 7#a7 ,that the blindness was caused according to the operation of the law of ,moses1 which held that the sins of the parents were visited on the children unto the third and fourth generation2 or 7#b7 that it was caused according to the ,law of ,karma1 along the lines of reincarnation1 and because of some sin which the man had committed in some past incarnation 7for no other interpretation of the passage is possible1 and it shows the prevalence of the idea of ,reincarnation among the people of that time74 ,but ,jesus promptly brushed away these two crude1 primitive conceptions and interpretations1 and in the light of his superior spiritual knowledge answered3 ,neither hath this man sinned1 nor his parents2 but that the works of ,god should be manifest in him1 the explanation of the term the works of ,god being that ,jesus meant thereby the operation of the ,laws of ,nature imposed by ,god--something above punishment for sins1 and which operated according to invariable physical laws and which affected the just and the unjust alike1 just as do any natural laws4 ,it is now known that many infants are rendered blind by negligence of certain precautions at birth--this may have been a case of that kind4 ,we consider any attempt to attribute physical infirmities to sin unconnected with the physical trouble to be a reversion to primitive theological dogmas1 and smacking strongly of the devil idea of theology1 of which we have spoken4 ,and ,poverty results from economic conditions1 and not as punishment for ,sin4 ,nor is ,wealth the reward of ,virtue--far from it4 ,but before leaving this phase of the subject we would like to say that many careful thinkers have been able to discern certain spiritual benefits that have arisen from physical suffering1 or poverty1 and that the sufferers often manifest a high degree of spiritual development and growth1 seemingly by reason of their pain4 ,not only this1 but the divine faculties of pity1 help1 and true sympathy1 are brought out in others1 by reason thereof4 ,we think that this view of the matter is far more along the lines of true spirituality than that of want and disease as the punishment of sins committed in past lives4 ,even the human idea of ,justice revolts at this kind of punishment1 and1 in fact1 the highest human justice and human law eliminates the idea of punishment altogether1 so far as reprisal or revenge is concerned1 the penalty being regarded merely as a deterrent of others1 and a warning to the criminal against further infractions of the law1 and as a reformatory agent--this at least is the theory of ,human ,law--no matter how imperfectly it works out in practice--and we cannot think of ,divine ,law being less just and equitable1 less merciful and loving4 ,the eye for eye1 tooth for tooth conception of human justice has been out-lived by the race in its evolution4 ,after considering the above mentioned extreme ideas of punishments1 through the ,law of ,karma1 we ask you to consider the following lines written by a writer having great insight1 and published in a leading magazine several years ago4 ,the idea of ,the ,kindergarten of ,god therein expressed1 we think1 is far nearer in accordance with the highest ,occult ,teachings1 than the other idea of ,divine ,wrath and punishment for sin1 along the lines of a misinterpretation of the ,law of ,karma1 worthy of the worshipers of some ancient ,devil-,god4 ,read this little quotation carefully1 and then determine which of the two views seems to fit in better with your highest spiritual conceptions3 ,a boy went to school4 ,he was very little4 ,all that he knew he had drawn in with his mother's milk4 ,his teacher 7who was ,god7 placed him in the lowest class1 and gave him these lessons to learn3 ,thou shalt not kill4 ,thou shalt do no hurt to any living thing4 ,thou shalt not steal4 ,so the man did not kill2 but he was cruel1 and he stole4 ,at the end of the day 7when his beard was gray--when the night was come71 his teacher 7who was ,god7 said3 ,thou hast learned not to kill4 ,but the other lessons thou hast not learned4 ,come back tomorrow4 ,on the morrow he came back1 a little boy4 ,and his teacher 7who was ,god7 put him in a class a little higher1 and gave him these lessons to learn3 ,thou shalt do no hurt to any living thing4 ,thou shalt not steal4 ,thou shalt not cheat4 ,so the man did no hurt to any living thing2 but he stole and he cheated4 ,and at the end of the day 7when his beard was gray--when the night was come71 his teacher 7who was ,god7 said3 ,thou hast learned to be merciful4 ,but the other lessons thou hast not learned4 ,come back tomorrow4 ,again1 on the morrow1 he came back1 a little boy4 ,and his teacher 7who was ,god7 put him in a class yet a little higher1 and gave him these lessons to learn3 ,thou shalt not steal4 ,thou shalt not cheat4 ,thou shalt not covet4 ,so the man did not steal2 but he cheated1 and he coveted4 ,and at the end of the day 7when his beard was gray--when the night was come71 his teacher 7who was ,god7 said3 ,thou hast learned not to steal4 ,but the other lessons thou hast not learned4 ,come back1 my child1 tomorrow4 ,this is what ,i have read in the faces of men and women1 in the book of the world1 and in the scroll of the heavens1 which is writ with stars4--,berry ,benson1 in ,the ,century ,magazine1 ,may1 #ahid4 ,but there is still another view of ,karma held by some ,western thinkers1 who received it from the ,greek mystics and occultists1 who in turn are thought to have received it from ancient ,egypt4 ,these people hold that the ,law of ,karma has naught to do with ,man's theories of ethics1 or religious dogmas or creeds1 but has as the basis of its operations only ,universal and ,cosmic ,principles of ,action1 applicable to the atom as well as ,man--to the beings above ,man as well4 ,and that these universal principles of action have to do with the evolution of all things in ,nature1 according to well established laws4 ,and that the evolving soul is continually striving to find the path along the lines of evolution1 being urged to by the unfolding spirit within it--and that that path is always along the lines of least spiritual friction1 and therefore along the lines of the least ultimate spiritual pain4 ,and that1 accordingly1 ,spiritual ,pain is an indication to the evolving thing that it is on the wrong path1 and that it must find a better way onward--which message it heeds by reason of the pain1 and accordingly seeks out for itself a better way1 and one that will bring less spiritual pain and greater ultimate spiritual satisfaction4 ,this teaching holds that all material things are a source of more or less pain to the growing and evolving soul1 which tends to urge it along the line of the least spiritual resistence--the least spiritual friction4 ,it may be that the soul does not recognize the direction of the urge1 and insist in tasting this material pleasure 7so-thought7 and then that--only to find that neither satisfy--that both are ,dead ,sea ,fruit--that both have the thorn attached to the flower--that all bring pain1 satiety and disgust--the consequence being that the tired and wearied soul1 when rested by the ,lethal slumber1 and then re-born has a horror and distaste for the things which disgusted it in its previous life1 and is therefore urged toward opposite things4 ,if the soul has not been satiated--has not yet been pricked by the hidden thorn--it wishes to go on further in the dream of material pleasure1 and so it does1 until it learns its lesson4 ,finally1 perceiving the folly and worthlessness of materiality1 it emerges from its cocoon and1 spreading out its newly found wings1 takes its flight for higher planes of action and being--and so on1 and on1 and on1 forever4 ,under this view people are not punished for their sins1 but by them--and ,sin is seen to be merely a mistake1 not a crime4 ,and ,pain arises not as a punishment for something done wrongly1 but as a warning sign of hands off2 and consequently ,pain is something by which we may mount to higher things--to ,something ,better--and not a punishment4 ,and this idea holds1 also1 that on the physical plane physical law governs1 and physical effects follow physical causes2 likewise on the mental plane2 likewise on the ,spiritual ,plane4 ,and1 therefore1 it is absurd to suppose that one suffers physical pain as a punishment for some moral offense committed on another plane4 ,on the contrary1 however1 this idea holds that from the physical pain which was occasioned by the operation of physical law alone one may develop higher spiritual states by reason of a better understanding of the nature of pain in oneself and others4 ,and this idea refuses to recognize material pleasures or profits as a reward for spiritual or moral actions4 ,on the whole this last mentioned conception of ,karma refuses to use the terms reward and punishment1 or even to entertain those ideas1 but instead sees in everything the working out of a great ,cosmic ,plan whereby everything rises from lower to higher1 and still higher4 ,to it ,karma is but one phase of the great ,,law operating in all planes and forms of ,life and the ,universe4 ,to it the idea that ,,the ,,universe ,,is ,,governed ,,by ,,law is an axiom4 ,and while to it ,,ultimate ,,justice is also axiomic1 it sees not in the operation of penalties and reward--merits and demerits--the proof of that ,ultimate ,justice2 it looks for it and finds it in the conception and realizing that ,,all ,,works ,,for ,,good--that ,everything is tending upward--that everything is justified and just1 because the ,,end is ,,absolute ,,good1 and that every tiny working of the great cosmic machinery is turning in the right direction and to that end4 ,consequently1 each of us is just where he should be at the present time--and our condition is exactly the very best to bring us to that ,divine ,consummation and ,end4 ,and to such thinkers1 indeed1 there is no ,devil but ,fear and ,unfaith1 and all other devils are illusions1 whether they be called ,beelzebub1 ,mortal-,mind1 or ,karma1 if they produce ,fear and ,unfaith in the ,all-,good4 ,and such thinkers feel that the way to live according to the ,higher ,light1 and without fear of a ,malevolent ,karma1 is to feel one's relationship with the ,universal ,good1 and then to ,live ,one ,day at a time--,doing the ,best you ,know ,how--and ,be ,kind--knowing that in the ,all-,good you live and move and have your being1 and that outside of that ,all-,good you cannot stray1 for there is no outside--knowing that ,,that which brought you ,here will be with you ,there--that ,death is but a phase of ,life--and above all that ,,there ,,is ,,nothing ,,to ,,be ,,afraid ,,of--and that ,,all ,,is ,,well with ,god2 with the ,universe2 and with ,,you6 ,,finis4 ,,advertisement ,,the ,,hindu-,,yogi ,science of ,breath ,a ,complete ,manual of the ,oriental ,philosophy of ,physical1 ,mental1 ,psychic1 and ,spiritual ,development by the ,intelligent ,control of the ,breath4 ,by ,,yogi ,,ramacharaka ,synopsis3--,chapter ,i4 ,the ,hindu ,yogis--,something ,about ,their ,teachings4 ,chapter ,,ii4 ,breath is ,life--,teachings of the ,orient and ,occident ,compared4 ,chapter ,,iii4 ,the ,exoteric ,theory of ,breath4 ,chapter ,,iv4 ,the ,esoteric ,theory of ,breath--,prana4 ,chapter ,v4 ,the ,nervous ,system--,yogi ,teachings ,concerning the ,solar ,plexus--,the ,solar ,plexus a ,store-,house of ,prana4 ,chapter ,,vi4 ,how to ,breathe--,oriental ,methods4 ,chapter ,,vii4 ,four ,methods of ,respiration as ,classified by the ,yogis--,the ,yogi ,complete ,breath4 ,chapter ,,viii4 ,how to ,acquire the ,yogi ,complete ,breath4 ,chapter ,,ix4 ,physiological ,effect of the ,complete ,breath4 ,chapter ,x4 ,yogi ,lore--,the ,yogi ,cleansing ,breath--,the ,yogi ,nerve ,vitalizing ,breath--,the ,yogi ,vocal ,breath4 ,chapter ,,xi4 ,seven ,yogi ,developing ,exercises4 ,chapter ,,xii4 ,chapter ,,xiii4 ,vibration and ,yogi ,rhythmic ,breathing--,how to ,ascertain the ,heart ,beat ,unit ,used by the ,yogis as the ,basis of ,rhythmic ,breathing4 ,chapter ,,xiv4 ,phenomena of ,psychic ,breathing--,directions for ,yogi ,psychic ,breathing--,prana ,distributing--,inhibiting ,pain--,self-,healing--,healing ,others--,distant ,healing4 ,chapter ,,xv4 ,more ,phenomena of ,yogi ,psychic ,breathing--,thought ,projection--,forming an ,aura--,recharging ,yourself--,recharging ,others--,charging ,water--,acquiring ,mental ,qualities--,controlling the ,emotions--,transmutation of ,reproductive ,energy--,brain ,stimulating--,the ,grand ,yogi ,psychic ,breath4 ,chapter ,,xvi4 ,yogi ,spiritual ,breathing--,soul ,consciousness--,how ,unfolded--,the ,universal ,consciousness--,how the ,yogi ,attain ,this ,consciousness--,general ,directions4 #ge ,pages4 ,price1 ,paper #j4ec ,postpaid2 ,cloth #j4ge ,postpaid4 ,i received the copy of ,science ,breath promptly and ,i am very much pleased with it4 ,the simple1 clear1 logical manner in which it is written will certainly be appreciated and will enhance its usefulness4 ,please send me another copy4--,h4 ,w4 ,a41 ,pittsburg1 ,pa4 ,the ,hindu-,yogi ,system of ,practical ,water ,cure ,by ,,yogi ,,ramacharaka ,chapter ,i4 ,the ,hindu-,yogi ,water ,cure--,an ,important ,branch of ,hatha ,yoga--,the ,underlying ,principle--,prana in the ,water--,how slow ,water ,loses ,prana--,how ,water ,may be ,pranaized4 ,chapter ,,ii4 ,nature's ,great ,remedy--,water the ,basis of ,life--,the ,important ,part ,played by ,water in the ,psychological ,mechanism of the ,system--,what ,water ,does1 and ,why4 ,chapter ,,iii4 ,water ,drinking--,why ,man ,needs ,water--,how ,much ,water ,he ,needs--,what ,he ,suffers from ,neglecting the ,normal ,amount of ,fluids--,an ,important ,secret--,surprising ,facts4 ,chapter ,,iv4 ,the ,stomach and ,intestines--,a ,plain1 ,practical1 ,scientific ,description of the ,organs of ,assimilation and ,elimination--,something that ,everyone ,should ,know to be ,healthy4 ,chapter ,v4 ,the ,obstructed ,sewer--,a ,scientific ,statement ,regarding the ,great ,sewer of the ,system1 ,which ,when ,clogged1 ,obstructed and ,choked with ,waste-,matter1 ,causes ,disease and ,weakness4 ,chapter ,,vi4 ,the ,internal ,bath--,the ,scientific ,method of ,keeping ,clean the ,great ,sewer of the ,system--,a ,simple ,method of ,internal ,cleanliness1 and ,resulting ,health4 ,chapter ,,vii4 ,the ,skin--,a ,plain ,scientific ,description of the ,skin1 and the ,part it ,plays in ,health and ,disease--,something that ,everyone ,should ,know1 but ,few ,realize4 ,chapter ,,viii4 ,scientific ,bathing--,scientific ,methods of ,bathing--,the ,cleansing ,bath--,the ,non-,drying ,bath--,the ,hot ,bath--,the ,cold ,bath--,hardening ,baths--,private ,information4 ,chapter ,x4 ,pack ,treatments--,the ,wet ,sheet ,pack1 and ,how to ,apply ,it--,the ,half ,pack--,the ,sweat ,pack--,endosmose and ,exosmose--,hydropathy in a ,nut ,shell4 ,chapter ,x4 ,other ,valuable ,methods--,fomentations1 or ,hot ,steam ,applications--,water ,bandages and ,compresses--,hot ,water ,compresses1 and ,cold ,water ,bandages--,special ,applications--,sexual ,vitality ,treatments--,special ,applications1 etc4 ,this book has just been published1 although ,yogi ,ramacharaka wrote it some time ago4 ,,the ,,kybalion ,a ,,study ,,of ,the ,hermetic ,philosophy of ,ancient ,egypt and ,greece ,,by ,,three ,,initiates ,the lips of ,wisdom are closed1 except to the ears of ,understanding4 ,this new book is bound to attract the earnest attention of all students of the ,secret ,doctrines of the ,east4 ,perhaps the better way to describe this work is to give you the following words from its authors3 ,from old ,egypt have come the fundamental esoteric and occult teachings which have so strongly influenced the philosophies of all races1 nations and peoples1 for several thousand years4 ,egypt1 the home of the ,pyramids and the ,sphinx1 was the birthplace of the ,hidden ,wisdom and ,mystic ,teachings4 ,from her ,secret ,doctrine all nations have borrowed4 ,india1 ,persia1 ,chaldea1 ,medea1 ,china1 ,japan1 ,assyria1 ancient ,greece and ,rome1 and other ancient countries partook liberally at the feast of knowledge which the ,hierophants and ,masters of the ,land of ,isis so freely provided for those who came prepared to partake of the great store of ,mystic and ,occult ,lore which the master-minds of that ancient land had gathered together4 ,in ancient ,egypt dwelt the great adepts and ,masters who have never been surpassed1 and who seldom have been equaled during the centuries that have taken their processional flight since the days of the ,great ,hermes4 ,in ,egypt was located the ,great ,lodge of ,lodges of the ,mystics4 ,at the doors of her ,temples entered the ,neophytes who afterward1 as ,hierophants1 ,adepts1 and ,masters1 traveled to the four corners of the earth1 carrying with them the precious knowledge which they were ready1 anxious1 and willing to pass on to those who were ready to receive the same4 ,all students of the ,occult recognize the debt that they owe to these venerable ,masters of that ancient land4 ,,the ,,kybalion ,the ,hermetic ,teachings are to be found in all lands1 among all religions1 but never identified with any particular country1 nor with any particular religious sect4 ,this because of the warning of the ancient teachers against allowing the ,secret ,doctrine to become crystallized into a creed4 ,the wisdom of this caution is apparent to all students of history4 ,the ancient occultism of ,india and ,persia a degenerated1 and was largely lost1 owing to the fact that the teachers became priests1 and so mixed theology with the philosophy1 the result being that much of the occultism of ,india and ,persia has been lost amidst the mass of religious superstition1 cults1 creeds and gods4 ,so it was with ,ancient ,greece and ,rome4 ,so it was with the ,hermetic ,teachings of the ,gnostics and ,early ,christians1 which were lost at the time of ,constantine1 whose iron hand smothered philosophy with the blanket of theology4 ,,the ,,hermetic ,,philosophy ,but there were always a few faithful souls who kept alive the flame1 tending it carefully1 and not allowing its light to become extinguished4 ,and thanks to these staunch hearts1 and fearless minds1 we have the truth still with us4 ,but it is not found in books1 to any great extent4 ,it has been passed along from ,master to ,student2 from ,initiative to ,heirophant2 from lip to ear4 ,when it was written down at all1 its meaning was veiled in terms of alchemy and astrology1 so that only those possessing the key could read it aright4 ,this was made necessary in order to avoid the persecutions of the theologians of the ,middle ,ages1 who fought the ,secret ,doctrine with fire and sword2 stake1 gibbet and cross4 ,even to this day there will be found but few reliable books on the ,hermetic ,philosophy4 ,although there are countless references to it in many books written on various phases of ,occultism4 ,and yet1 the ,hermetic ,philosophy is the only ,master ,key which will open all the doors of the ,occult ,teachings6 ,,about ,,the ,,book ,in this book we invite you to examine into the ,hermetic ,teachings as set forth in ,,the ,,kybalion4 ,we therein give you many of the maxims and precepts of ,,the ,,kybalion1 accompanied by explanations and illustrations which we deem likely to render the teachings more easily comprehended by the modern student1 particularly as the original text is purposely veiled in obscure terms4 ,the trust that the many students to whom we now offer this little work will derive as much benefit from the study of its pages as have the many who have gone on before1 treading the same ,path to ,mastery throughout the centuries that have passed since the times of ,,hermes ,,trismegistus--the ,master of ,masters--the ,great-great4 ,according to the ,teachings1 this book will attract the attention of such as are prepared to receive its ,teaching4 ,and1 likewise1 when the pupil is ready to receive the truth1 then will this book come to him1 or her1 and not before4 ,such is ,the ,law4 ,the ,hermetic ,principle of ,cause and ,effect1 in its aspect of ,the ,law of ,attraction1 will bring lips and ear together--pupil and book in company4 ',the ,principles of ,truth are ,seven2 he who knows these1 understandingly1 possesses the ,magic ,key before whose touch all the ,doors of the ,temple fly open4'--,the ,kybalion4 ,,the ,,three ,,initiates4 ,bound in ,blue ,silk ,cloth1 ,lettered in ,gold1 #bbc ,pages4 ,price #a4jh ,postpaid4 ,yoga ,lessons ,,for ,,developing ,,spiritual ,,consciousness ,by ,,swamie ,a4 ,p4 ,,mukerji ,,of ,,india ,associate ,editor ,kalpaka ,magazine ,price #a4bj net4 ,yoga is a subject which has enthralled the attention of the world from time out of mind4 ,no one has hitherto done justice to such a grand system1 though there have been1 now and then1 innumerable attempts4 ,the present author1 my esteemed friend1 ,swamie ,mukerji1 a ,yogi who comes out of a successive generation of ,yogis1 is able and proper instrument to handle the subject4 ,he1 in these lessons1 prepares the layman for an understanding of the ,yoga and through a series of wise and masterful sayings1 impresses on the mind of the reader the necessity for rising above materialism1 nay1 solves the very problem ,what am ,i8 ,every line is pregnant with mature thoughts and rivets on his attention1 and makes him think1 think1 think4 ,this is not a work for which an introduction1 briefly setting forth the contents1 could be written4 ,i can but ask you to read1 digest and improve4 ,,dr4 ,t4 ,r4 ,,sanjivi1 ,ph4 ,d41 ,president ,the ,latent ,light ,culture ,tennevelley1 ,india4 ,,books ,,published ,,and ,,for ,,sale ,,by ,,the ,,yogi ,,publication ,,society ,chicago1 ,illinois ,price1 ,postpaid4 ,fourteen ,lessons in ,yogi ,philosophy1 and ,oriental ,occultism4 ,by ,ramacharaka4 ,bound in green silk cloth #a4aj ,advanced ,course in ,yogi ,philosophy1 and ,oriental ,occultism4 ,by ,ramacharaka4 ,bound in brown silk cloth #a4aj ,raja ,yoga4 ,by ,ramacharaka4 ,bound in brown silk cloth #a4aj ,gnana ,yoga4 ,by ,ramacharaka4 ,bound in blue silk cloth #a4aj ,psychic ,healing4 ,by ,ramacharaka4 ,bound in maroon silk cloth #a4aj ,hatha ,yoga4 ,by ,ramacharaka4 ,bound in yellow silk cloth #a4aj ,science of ,breath4 ,by ,ramacharaka4 ,bound in paper1 #ec;c2 cloth 4#ge ,light on the ,path and ,illumined ,way4 ,by ,m4 ,c4 ,cloth 4#dd ,a ,treatise on the ,light on the ,path4 ,by ,m4 ,c4 ,paper 4#aj ,a ,visit to a ,gnani4 ,by ,edward ,carpenter4 ,paper 4#bh ,jesus3 ,the ,last ,great ,initiate4 ,by ,edouard ,schure4 ,silk cloth 4#hj ,krishna and ,orpheus4 ,by ,edouard ,schure4 ,silk cloth 4#hj ,bhavagad ,gita4 ,by ,ramacharaka 4#hj ,the ,spirit of the ,upanishads 4#ee ,mystery of ,being 4#ej ,karma4 ,occult ,novel4 ,by ,a4 ,p4 ,sinnett4 ,cloth 4#fj ,practical ,mind ,reading4 ,by ,w4 ,w4 ,atkinson4 ,cloth 4#ej ,practical ,psychomancy and ,crystal ,gazing4 ,by ,w4 ,w4 ,atkinson4 ,cloth 4#ej ,mental ,influence4 ,by ,w4 ,w4 ,atkinson4 ,cloth 4#ej ,mystic ,christianity4 ,by ,ramacharaka4 ,pamphlet ,edition1 #a4ab2 ready in book form1 ,sept #a1 '#jh #a4aj ,kybalion4 ,by ,three ,initiates4 ,cloth #a4jh ,inner ,consciousness4 ,by ,w4 ,w4 ,atkinson 4#ej ,secret of ,success4 ,by ,w4 ,w4 ,atkinson 4#ej ,the ,philosophies and ,religions of ,india1 by ,ramacharaka4 ,cloth #a4ab ,,complete ,,catalog ,,on ,,application4 ,we will be pleased to send descriptive circulars to anyone that you think would be interested4 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,bhavagad ,gita in the list of books published by ,the ,yogi ,publication ,society is a misprint for ,bhagavad ,gita4 ,ronach in the ,table of ,contents1 ,chapter ,,iv1 is a misprint for ,roauch4