REINCARNATIONdJ.act AYl. dJ.~?

Are reincarnation andtransmigration the same?Does reincarnation neces-sarily assume rebirth in alower form?

How dd the concept ofreincarnation originate?What did the ancientEgyptians and Greeksbelieve about rebirth?

Are there any proofs? Hasthere been any scientificinvestigation of the claimsof reincarnated souls?

ESOTERIC ESSAYS consist of a simple presen-tation of particularly interesting subjects in therealm of metaphysics and mysticism. Theessence of these age-old subjects is introducedfor brevity, and yet they are prepared in a man-ner which, it is hoped, will stimulate the readerto a more extensive inquiry and study of suchchannels of knowledge.

Issued by Permissionof the

Department of PublicationsSupreme Grand Lodge

A.M.O.R.C.

Copyright 1968By Supreme Grand Lodge of A.M.O.R.C.

G-4 174 LlTHO IN U. S. A.

REINCARNATION -Fact or Fancy

V VMULTITUDES throughout the world cherish a beliefin rebirth. This conception in its variations isperhaps one of the most universally held religious doc-trines. It is undoubtedly as ancient as the belief inimmortality. Certain religious sects demean reincarna-tion because it is not compatible with their own exe-getical interpretation, or because it is condemned bytheir theologians.Yet reincarnation has postulations equally as plausi-

ble as other beliefs in the afterlife. Most religious doc-trines are founded upon faith and personal experience.They are not in the same category as the empiricallawsof science, which are demonstrable. Consequently, twodoctrines, even though diametrically opposed, may haveequal claim upon the beliefs of men if each is to beaccepted on faith alone and not upon objective evidence.The continuation of life after death has intrigued

the imagination since the earliest known records. It hasbeen the dominant mystery of life which has challengedthe human mind. The instinctive impulse to survivehas caused both afear of death and a hope of immor-tality.The early conception of the duality of man-the asso-

ciation of air and breath with an intangible spirit-suggested that an element of man survives the apparent

1

destruction of rus body. But where and how would thisincorporeal, invisible entity of the duality of man sur-vive, since the animating force related to breath de-parted with death?

There was no evidence that it was destroyed, how-ever. It was simple for the primitive mind to believethat perhaps this immanent entity soared on invisiblewings like a bird to another realm high above theclouds. Or perhaps it entered a nether world beneathearth as the sun seemed to do each day in the west.What constituted this other IHe after death? What

the experiences were assumed to be varied with theculture of different civilizations. Sorne adherents pre-sumed the next life to be a virtual paradise as do somereligious devotees today. Man's entrance into this para-dise, of course, was to be determined by whether or nothe had observed a certain moral code on earth.Most such beliefs required that the soul be first

judged for its conduct. This paradise was usual!y aplace of ecstatic pleasures similar to those on earth butmore intense and within the moral restrictions of thereligious sect. The tedious and mean labor and suffer-ing of earth were excluded from this other world para-dise. Conversely the sinner was condemned to a regionwhere al! the tortures which the human mind couldimagine would be imposed upon him.

In the Koran, the devout Moslem was promised inthe afterlife a world where he might recline on a silkencouch and be surrounded by surpassingly beautfulmaidens whose eyes were like "hidden pearls." Thoughthe Moslem was forbidden stimulating drinks in thismortal IHe, in this afterlife he was to have wines that

2

would neither cause his head to ache nor confuse hismind.

Along with the conception of the continuation of lifeafter death was the belief in rebirth in some form onearth. How this notion arose among primitive people,even anthropologists, ethnologists, and philosophers canonly speculate. In plant life, there is every indicationof ressurection or rebirth. Perhaps man, too, is rebornto live again among mortals in some other living formoAt least, nature would seem to suggest it.

Psychologically, the desire to live again among one'sfriends and family and continue the familiar ways oflife one has enjoyed would certainly have as strong anappeal as a promise of life in another world which hasnever been experienced personally. A cursory examina-tion of the history of this subject reveals that the beliefin reembodiment again on earth has been accepted bymillions for centuries.Today, the words reincarnation, transmigration, and

metamorphosis are commonly and erroneously inter-changed. There is, in fact, quite a technical differencebetween their meanings. The doctrines of transmigra-tion suppose the possibility of the soul of man, afterdeath, entering a plant, a bird, a reptile, or a bull, infact, anything that is animate.

Transmigration

Wherever it has been a religious doctrine, transmi-gration has been governed by certain assumed super-natural laws; the form in which the soul incarnatedbeing dependent upon its personal development, and the

3

experience to be gained dependent upon the form inwhich it is placed or the punishments imposed upon it.Usually, transmigration into an animal has been ac-cepted as an act of regression.Primitive peoples are keen observers of animal life

and behavior and see a certain similarity between thecharacteristics of animals and the behavior of humans.There was a bond or relationship between animals andthe human personality. Consequently, such people as-sume a particular species of living things possesses soulsof humans that have passed into them at death.

Theoretically, Buddhism teaches neither the existenceof reincarnation nor, in fact, the soul of mano However,it does refer to a "stream of existence." There can be acontinual renewal of births. This "turning of the wheel,"or rebirth, is dependent upon man's deeds on earth.

Rebirth is a retributive act of karma, the consequenceof certain human deeds. Therefore in effect, Buddhismconforms to the doctrine of reincarnation. Some Buddhistliterature indicates that certain persons remember theirformer lives. Buddha, it is related, said that this recallingwas one of the supernormal attainments of Buddhistsainthood.

The ancient Celts had a defmite belief in reincarna-tion, but not transmigration in the true meaning of thatword. The soul after death was thought to await itsreincarnation, continuing to live but in a manner unlikethat on earth. Then the soul passed into another humanbody. The Druids so firmly believed that man reincar-nated in human form that their burial rites requiredthat they burn and bury with the dead the things thatthe deceased could use in this new life.

4

There is a Jewish esoteric mysticism that includesreferences that can be construed as pertaining to rein-carnation. It is believed these ideas are syncretic orborrowed from early Egyptian and Indian teachings.

In this system, God does not create new souls. Heceased creation at the end of the sixth day. Souls of thedead after being in paradise return again to the lowerworld. However, there would appear to be, in addition,a reservoir of unborn souls. This paradise is a kind ofworld in which there is a realization of the glory of theDivine. There the souls of the dead rema in with thesouls who are created but have not yet been born.

Herodotus says that the Greeks (Pythagoras, for ex-ample) gained their ideas of reincarnation and trans-migration from the Egyptians. The Orphic school ofGreece taught that the soul is imprisoned in the bodyas in a dungeon. It continues to return to earthly im-prisonment until it finally attains perfection. Plato inhis dialogues makes reference to this notion.

Myth of PersephoneThe myth of Persephone, the daughter of Demeter,

related that she sent souls back to earth from the under-world when they were purfied. Afterthree such incar-nations, they continued an immortal existence "in theisland of the blest."Heraclides Ponticus says that Pythagoras retained

the memory of his previous incarnations. On his visitto the Heraeum at Argolis he indentified as his ownthe shield of Euphorbus before seeing the inscriptionupon it, implying that he had been Euphorbus, who waskilled at Troy.

5

Pythagoras also apparently believed in transmigra-tion. Once he took pity on a dog being beaten. He said,"Beat him no more; for his soul is my friend's, as 1recognized when 1 heard his voice."Plato proclaims that those who fail to emancipate

themselves from the burden of corporeal things cannotrise to the pure elements above but live in the under-world as apparitions. Later, their souls are again im-prisoned in some formo Those who lack philosophicalvirtue but live respectable lives become bees or evenmen. Only those who devote themselves to philosophyand exalted reason-which in man is considered divine-are entirely exempt from further incarnations.

Did Egyptians BelieveReincarnation?

.t.n

THOUGH almost a11peoples have had a belief in im-mortality, the earliest religious doctrine of thesurvival of life after death was fonnulated by theEgyptians. This religious belief in survival after deathcontributed greatly to the architecture, arts, and indus-tries of the Egyptians. It inspired great tombs of amonumental nature, as the pyramids and the splendidmortuary temples such as that of Queen Hatshepsut.The tombs of the feudal nobles became depositories ofartifacts, and the elabora te designs on their wa11s re-vealed the life and customs of that ancient periodo Thebuilding of the pyramids was an evolvement from themastaba, or mud-brick, flat, oblong coverings over a

6

shallow pit grave in which the body of the departedwas placed.

In the Egyptian religion the survival was not thoughtto be merely a shadowy kind of being. The body wasreborn in physical substance. The soul reentered a resur-rected body. The surviving personality retained all thesensations of its earthly existence provided it passedthe judgment of the gods, the weighing of the soul orpsychostasia. In such a sta te, the deceased experiencedno adversity or suffering, but an intensification of theenjoyments of this IHe.The soul of man was depicted by the Egyptians as a

human-headed bird called Ba. On tombs this bird wasshown fluttering from the mouth at death. Ba, as abird, was associated with breath and wind, a commonassociation among ancient peoples.

Accompanying Ba was the Ka, a miniature replica ofthe deceased. It is, however, generally conceded to be asymbol of the self, the inner being or conscience. It wasthus distinguished from the soul.In the chapel adjoining the sepulchral chamber of

the tomb, the family of the deceased would leave actualquantities of food, or symbols of it, for the departed.Likewise, in the tombs were placed the treasured pos-sessions of the embalmed bady. The favorite weapons,musical instruments, furniture and even timepieces wereplaced therein. These were to be used in the physicalsense by the deceased in his afterlife.The Egyptians had three ideas regarding the human

personality after death. One was the mystical un ionwith God; the second, transmigration into an animal;and third, metamorphosis, or the voluntary entering of

7

the soul into another formo In mystical union, the soulwas returned to merge with God.

This is an ancient expression of the highest form ofmystical pantheism present in many esoteric teachingstoday. In the Book of the Dead there are such sta te-ments as "1 am Ra (a god)" or, "1 am Thoth." It wasbelieved that when the soul had union with God itwas complete apotheosis conferring on the soul adivinepower equal to that of God.

Egyptologists are in doubt as to what extent theEgyptians believed in transmigration. Some inscriptionsseem to imply transmigration, yet there are examplesof a metamorphosis. They apparently also believed thatin anima te objects could be transformed into living ones,as the metamorphosis of a' wax model in to a crocodile.Prevailing religious conceptions during the long periodof Egyptian civilization were both primitive and repre-sentative of advanced abstraction.

If this practice seems elementary and primitive, wemust realize that in civilized lands today many religion-ists have an idea of the afterlife approaching this notion.They may not place objects in the crypts for the deadto use in the next world, but they imagine that thedeceased lives in a quite material realm doing andusing things similar to those on earth.The other world, to the Egyptians, was where Osiris

dwelt. Osiris, a highly venerated god, was murderedby his brother Seth. From this it is conceived the storyof Cain and Abel originated. The body of Osiris wasdismembered and cast into the Nile. His sister-wifelsis recovered the pieces of his body and put themtogether. He was resurrected and was then eternal in

8

the next world. This is the earliest evidence of thedoctrine of resurrection. The whole tale of Os iris becamea religio-drama of the mystery schools, the first passionplay. This idea of resurrection greatly influenced alllater concepts concerning it, including that of Chris-tianity.

The Book of the Dead states that, if the body decays,the soul may settle in one of the deceased's portraitstatues. The soul was also thought to again enter themummfied body in the tomb, returning from the otherworld for a brief sojourn.

In the next world the personality would sit on thethrones "in the circumpolar region of the sky," wherethe "higher divinities dwell." The souls in the nextworld are also depicted as perching like birds "onbranches of a celestial tree." The stars were thoughtto be the souls of the deceased perching on the treeof the heavens.

Prayers in the Book of the Dead indica te that thedeceased might leave the tomb not just by night, "whenall spirits are free to haunt the earth," but by day inany form they choose. Forms in which the deceasedcould incarnate were animals, birds, and flowers. Onmany sarcophagi are painted small ladders in tended tohelp the soul ascend to heaven. Little faience ladders,blue or green in color, some not over two inches inlength, were placed as symbols on the mummifiedfigures. In the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, in Ros-crucian Park, the collections of human mummies andsarcophagi include originals of these fascinating faienceladders.

9

Among the funereal appurtenances were what aretermed ushabtiu, or respondent gods. These are smallfigures representing the deceased who were in thenext world and assuming for them all the unpleasanttasks which the deceased had to perform here. This,then, left the deceased free for the enjoyment of hisexalted existence. A most interesting collecton of theseis also to be seen in the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum.One division of the next world, the "field of rushes,"

was a fertile area where agriculture was carried onwith ease, resulting in tremendous crops. The Egyptiansconceived the other world to be the habitat of thosewhose souls were weighed against the feather of Truthand found moralIy good. "The deceased is like the godswho abide there."

Animals were worshipped as early as the beginningof the feudal period of Egypt, beca use they symbolizedsome virtue or power which men revered. In livingcreatures men saw objectified the qualities which theydesired for themselves.

Later, however, it was believed that these animalswere "the abode of spirits of divine and other beings."The bull Apis was worshipped at Memphis. It wasthought to be an incarnatiori of the god Osiris, andthe second life of Ptah.

We have noted that, according to Egyptian religion,the popular belief was that the dead could assume dif-ferent shapes at will. This is the doctrine of transmi-gration often confused with reincarnation. Transmigra-tion is the belief that the soul resides in animal forminstead of passing only into ahuman shape. This mustbe distinguished from the later beliefs of the Vedic

10

teachings of India. The soul, according to the Egyptianconcept, was not made to reside in animal forms (asthe Indians taught) to expiate its sins.

It would seem that the Egyptians were intoxicatedwith a belief in the afterlife, and that their earthlyexistence was one of joyous anticipation of this nextlife. However, a spirit of skepticism and pessimism en-tered a period of their history. It is referred to as the"Era of Pessimism." The Egyptians became somewhatdubious of the claims of their priesthood. After all,there was no tangible evidence of the existence of anafterlife.

In spite of this pessimism, the belief in transmigrationand reincarnation prevailed. Herodotus, the Greek his-torian who spent some time in Egypt, says: "TheEgyptians were the first who asserted that the soulof man is immortal, and that when the body perishes itenters into some other animal, constantly springing intoexistence; and when it has passed through the differentkinds of terrestrial, marine, and aerial beings, it againenters into the body of aman that is born; and that thisrevolution is made in three thousand years."

The soul was thought after death to incarnate upwardin successive states through lower forms, eventuallyafter three thousand years to again function in humanformo There are other indications of a doctrine of rein-carnation. The ritualistic names of the first two kingsof the XIIth Dynasty seem to bear this out. AmonemhatI's name was "He who repeats birth." Senusert I's namewas "He whose births live." The Ka name of SetekhyI of the XIXth Dynasty was "Repeater of births." The

11

XVIIlth Dynasty left records that indicate reincarnationincludes lesser folk.

Orthodox Christians often abhor the belief in rein-carnation, either because of their unfamiliarity withthe subject or because of religious dogma tic prejudice.They willfully or otherwise identify it with transmi-gration and metamorphosis. There are numerous refer-ences in the Bible, however, that can only be properlyunderstood in terms of reincarnation. Such quotationsare too numerous to consider here; however, in hisexcellent book Mansions of the Soul, a treatise on re-incarnation, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis has cited many ofthem.T many intelligent persons, the doctrine of reincar-

nation seems to be more in accord with what they con-sider divine justice. To them, rebirth affords theopportunity for man properly to expiate his mistakes-or sins, if you wish to call them that. To such thinkers,reincarnation is a compassionate principle which allowsman more than just one short span of mortal life inwhich to learn how to achieve a harmony with cosmicand divine laws. It is con tended that, if spiritual truthsare more profound and more vital than mortal knowl-edge, souls should be allowed a greater span for learn-ing than that provided the mortal mind.

Certainly a belief in reincarnation cannot detractfrom the development of the moral sense or an apprecia-tion of spiritual values; nor does it lessen man's mysticalunity with whatever he considers to be the initial andinfinite cause. The charge that it cannot be substanti-ated could likewise be laid by perverted personalitiesagainst the belief that the soul exists in a paradise orheavenly state for eternity. There are traditional and

12

sacerdotal authorities for and against all of the dfferenthuman conceptions of the immortality of the soul.

Prooj 01 Reincarnation

PROOF of immortality after death or of reincarnationhas been considered beyond the real m of physicalscience. It either scofIed at the notion of rebirth inanother physical body or declared there was no em-pirical foundation by which science could either acceptor reject the age-old belief.

In the last few decades the subject of reincarnationhas been placed under the category of a new sciencetermed parapsychology. This science itself was at firstunder question as to the reliability of its method. Now,it enters into a serious investigation of all so-calledpsychic phenomena, or phenomena which appear to beperceived by human senses but are over and beyondthose perceived by ordinary receptor senses. The popularterm for such phenomena is Extrasensory Perception.

Parapsychology is now an established department ofseveral outstanding universities in the world and ofpriva te research institutions. Its phenomena have alsoevoked the serious interest of research departments ofgovernments and their military bureaus, including thoseof the United States, Russia, and England. No longeris reincarnation to be looked upon by parapsychologyas just a religious topic or conjecture. It is to be thor-oughly analyzed and approached in an empirical man-ner. However, since reincarnation is concerned withimmaterial factors, the scientific approach is obviouslyextremely difficult. How and where do you begin to look

13

for facts, for realities in the objective sense with sucha subject as reincarnation?

The belief of the individual in reincarnation, theemotional or inner experience which he has had isnot sufficient proof from a scientific point of view. Abasis must be found, naturallaws discovered or revealedthat establish a uniformity of phenomena regardlessof personal beliefs. Reincarnation must be establishedas a natural phenomenon Irom the scientific viewpointand not just as an abstract conclusion.

Case Histories

Certain so-called case histories relating proof of apast life form the basis for a parapsychological investi-gation of reincarnation. Some of the case histories, asrelated, are amazing and sensational in their details-but are they true? Are they, perhaps, just a conse-quence of hallucinations? Are they an example of men-tal telepathy by which such information was merelyreceived by the individual from the mind of anotherliving person? Or, were the facts gained by consultingpublic records and memorizing certain Iacts for publicitypurposes to attract attention and perhaps acquire finan-cial gain from them? Finally, will such case historiesactually prove to be true and thus establish a scientificgraund or at least a hypothesis for reincarnation?

Professor H. N. Banerjee, head of Rajasthan Univer-sity's Parapsychology Department in India, travelledto America and England to investigate the most puzzlingof such reported cases of recollection of past life. Afew of the cases that received the attention of Dr.Banerjee were related in the Sunday lndian Express.14

Gopal Gupta, an eleven-year-old boy at Delhi, "recallshis previous life very vividly." He relates that he wasborn in London into an Indian family. He recalls hisfather's name: a Mr. Raj Coomar. He had two sistersnamed Prema and Veena.Young Gupta states that his death occurred due to

"vomiting of blood." At that time he was studying inthe First Standard of a school in London. He recallsanother incident when he fell from a roof and fracturedhis lego

"Professor Banerjee also narrated the story of Vishola,a Bhopal girl." The girl at the age of thirteen beganrecalling incidents of her past life, especially when shewas in a semi-awake state. She identified herself inher previous life as a woman physician, a Dr. Jaimini,in a London hospital. At that time she was nearlytwenty-three years of age.Her transition occurred in "an accident on a stormy

night." She stated her "father had left for Africa onthe day of the accident." She recalled the name of afriend (Niani) and a lover (Mr. Abraham). The fatherat the time, according to the girl, was a judge and aboutsixty years of age. She too recalled "a friend of hermother named Sairiya." Vishola will journey to Londonto meet the people she claimed to be members of herfamily in her past life.Professor Banerjee cited two other interesting cases.

One was of an uneducated weaver "who speaks pureSanskrit in his sleep." The utterances have been re-corded in four consecutive volumes. It is admitted, how-ever, that they are different from any previous Sanskritwork.

15

The other case cited is of a Korean boy who speaksexcellent English and who is qualified to be admittedinto a very high grade in a school in America. But heis only three years of age!

Professor Banerjee has been in communication withan AMORC member in India. He expressed a desire tovisit AMORC on his return from England to discusswith its officers the studies and research the RosicrucianOrder has carried on in the realm of parapsychology.Technically, parapsychology does not refer to the phe-nomenon of the recall of past lives as reincamation, butrather as Extracerebral Memory.

16

The RosicruciansInvite You ...to share the useful knowledge which makes life moreenjoyable and free of much of the doubt and confusionthat beset the average man and woman today.

The Rosicrucians are a nonsectarian fraternity, de-voted to an investigation of the high prnciples of lifeas expressed in man and nature. The so-called mysteriesof life and death, of the inequalities of people, and ofthe purpose of our existence here are removed by thesensible exposition of the Rosicrucian teachings.

The age-old truths expounded by the Rosicruciansprovide men and women with such useful knowledge ofthe cosmic prnciples as makes it possible for them tomaster their lives instead of drifting with the years. Youwill be amazed at your own potentialities and the op-portunities afforded you to realize your fondest hopesand dreams. No change in your personal or social af-fairs is required.

Write today for the free booklet, The Mastery of Life,which explains who and what the Rosicrucians are andmoreover how they can help you with your own life.Address: SCRIBE R. F. F.

The ROSICRUCIANS(AMORC)

San Jose, California 95191, U.S.A.