REIN C A RN A T IO N

A ST UDY O F F O RG O T T EN T RU T H

E D . . W A LK ER

Ex orien te la x

N EW YO RK

J OHN W LOVELL. C OW ANY

150 WO RT H ST REE T , C O RN E R M I SSI O N PL A C E

 THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

AN D TO

T HA T E MBOD IMEN T O F T RU T H , NA MED

A RI EL,

I I
T H S L TT LE VO LUME P RO MP T ED BY
505 ib wicateb ,

W IT H T HE H O PE T HA T T HE Y ARE N OT H E RE DISH ON ORED

I
B Y TH E R D S I CIP LE ,

THE AUTHOR .
Soul , dwellin g of t i n God s in n i tu d e

A n d som e tim es see mi n g n o m ore art p of me

T hi s m e , worms h e ritage

th an th at su n can be
Part of h h e h as with warm th im ue d ,
th e e art b
Whe n e am e st th ou Whi th er goest th ou
c c I, b du ed
'

su

With aw e of m in e own ein g th us sit still , b

D um b ,
on th e su m m it of th is l on el y hil l ,
Wh ose d ry N o v e m b er g rass e s d ew -
b estre we d

Mirror a m ill ion su n s . Tha t su n so b ri h

g t,
Pa sses as t h ou m u st p Soul , in t o n ight
ass , .

A rt th ouf wh a ra id o solit ary h ast t rod

p
A ath I k w t f no no ,
ro m a so u r e c to a b ou rn

B th wh ich I k w
o no n ot Fe are st th ou to re turn

Al v
on e , e th u c en as o am e s t a l o n e , t o G od
D . M MULO CK
. .

c
I n se t a n d re ptil e, sh an d bi rd an d b east ,

C ast th e ir worn ro b e s as i d e , f r es h ro b es t o d on ;
Tre e , owe r, an d m oss , pu t n ew y ear s raim en ts

on ;
c
Ea h n at ura l t yp e , th e gre a t est as th e l e as t ,
Re n ews its ve st ure wh e n it s use h ath c eas e d .

H ow sh oul d m an
s sp irit k e ep in u n ison

With th e w orl d

s l aw of outgr owth , s a v e it won
New ro b e s an d a m pl i ts girth in re ase d
e r as c
"uit sh run k en c ree d , an d d wa r e d hil oso hy f p p "
Let gen tl y d i e an art s d e ayi n g r e I
c
Wor on th e an ie n t lin es , b ut y e t b e re e
k c f
v f
T o l e a e an d ram e a n e w , if God i n s ire p
T he pl an e ts ch a n ge th eir f c
s ur a e as th e y rol l

Th e f c or e that bi n ds th e s ph e res m us tbi nd th e soul .

HE N RY G . HEW LE TT .
 PREFA C E .

TH E id ea of a transmigration of souls has hith e rto

re main e d a dre am of the fancy nor has an y on e yet
,

succ eed e d in giving it a high e r mo ra l signic anc e

for the ord e r Of th e unive rse SO write s He rm ann
.

Lotze the G e rm an philosophe r in his m agn ic e nt

, ,

Microcosm e xpr e ssing
,
the common f eeling of

C hrist endom If thi s little b ook achi e ve s its pu rpose

.

it will show the strength an d valu e of th at dreamy

idea .

The pre s ent pe rpl exity of all C hrist e ndom upon the
deep e st prob l ems of life the s ens e of b lind fat e op
,

pre ssing m ankind the d e sp airing re stl e ssn e ss of m any

,

leading po ets the ab se nc e of sub lim e id e als in art

, ,

the pre val enc e of m at eri alism an d agnosticism ( if not

in philosophy in the most vit al form of practic al

, ,

life ) all fe ed a ood tide of diss atisfaction which

,
-

C hristi anity tri e s in v ain to re sist an d indic ate th at

,

the W e st d ee ply n ee ds som e n ew truth Not only .

the w av ering m ass e s of men b ut m any of thos e n u

,

compromising d e vote e s of truth who d are surre nd e r

th ems e lve s like St C hristoph e r to the mightie st are
, .
, ,

yearning afte r a l arge r re vel ation A portion of this.

mu
0 6 6

PREPA C E .

is contain ed we b eli e ve in the doctrin e v ariously

, ,

t e rm e d as R e inc arn ation M et empsychosis Tran smi

, ,

g r ation. By this w e do not m ea n the th e ori e s con

c e rning re b irth of m en in b rute b odi es which are

-

a ttri b ut e d to orie nt al religions an d philosophi e s b e

c aus e popularly acc ept e d b y their follow ers Th e s e .

are crud e c a ric atur e s of th e tru e conc e ption T h ey .

r epr es ent the re ality as ab s ur dl y as ordin ary life in

Europ e an d A m e ric a illustrat e s the t eaching of J e sus .

But we m ean the inn e r kern e l of th at husk which in ,

prot ean for m s has irrepr e ssib ly w ell e d up in e ve ry

gre at ph as e of thought which is an op en s e cret lying
,

all a round us an d not si m ply a for e ign import ation ,

an d which C hrist e ndom c annot a ord to los e .

For thos e who are conte nt with the usu al creeds

this littl e work will h ave no attraction Th ey may
.

b e pl e as e d to r eg ard it as a h eath e n inv asion of C hris

te n do m. But for truth s e eke rs it m ay prov e us ef ul
-

though it cl ai m s only to b e an e arn e st inv e stigation

of wh at s eems an und emonstrab l e proposition Its .

doctrin e was rst m et as the d e cl aration of the pro

found e st stud ents of the myst eri e s e nve loping hu
m anity co m ing with authority b ut no proof of
w eight to most w e st ern think ers Its viol ent an tago
.

nism to c urre nt id ea s comp e ll e d the writer to dispos e

of it b y ind e p end ent m ethods If tru e th e re must
.
,

b e som e conrm ation of it such a s will impr e ss an y

c andid mind If fals e nothing can fo rc e it to live
.
,
.

T his le d to a c are ful study of the sub j e ct which was

,

summ ariz ed in a b ri e f e ss ay read an d pub lish ed to

 PRE FA C E . 1x

a sm all circle of Theosophists A con tinu ation of .

that study has r e sul ted in this vol um e Som e r ead ers .

will r egard it as a w a st e of en ergy e xc ept as a di ve rt ,

ing curiosity the truth or fals ehood of reinc arn ation

,

b e ing to t he m of littl e cons e qu enc e But a sincere .

m otiv e und erlie s it For reinc arn ation illumin ate s

.

th e d ark e st p a ss age s in the murky ro a d of lif e dis ,

p els m any h aunting en igm a s an d illusions an d re ,

veals c ardin al principle s which if appreh end ed will , ,

ste ady the sha m b ling gait of m ankind Virtu e kind .

,

li n e ss an d spiri tu ality m ay thus b e s e e n in th e ir un

,

v eil e d splendor as the only prop er mod e s of action

an d thought .The no b l e st life is disc ern e d to b e the
only s en si b l e kind an d not ab andon e d to the accid ental
,

e xpr e ssion of i m p ul s e or s e ntim ent The c aus e of all .

the e vils of m od e rn soci ety the p ar ent of the rev olu

,

tions of Eur op e the sourc e of the lab or disturb anc e s

,

aggr a v ating Am e ric a is the arch e n e my of the r ac e

,
-

mat eri alism . R einc arn ation comb ats th at f oe by a

mo st sub tle an d d eadly w arfare .

The sinc er e th anks of the write r are due to a num

b er of kind f ri ends whos e a ssist anc e has l argely facil
,

itate d the coll ection of m at e ri als for this b ook an d ,

also to the authors who h a v e kindly p erm itt e d the

u se of e xtracts from th eir writings ( in ch apte rs i v ,

an d v .
)
E
. D W . .
 Of al l th e th e ori es re spe cti g th n e ori gin of th e soul , it (pre -
e xist

en c
) e mse e m s
e th e m os to
a s e t p l u ib l
a n d th e re ore th e on e m os t l i e f k
ly to thr ow ligh t on th e qu e stion of a li e t o om e FRE D ERI H f c . CK .

HED C E .

I t would b e cu i
r ous if we sh oul d n d ci c d phil phy t k
s en e an oso a

in g u p agai n th e ol d th e or y f m t m p y ch i
o e e m d lli g it t
s os s , re o e n o

su i t ou r p re se n t m odes of re ligi u o d ci ti c th u gh t
s an s d l u ch
en o ,
an a n

ing it again on th e wid e oc ea n o f h um b l i f But t g thi g

an e e . s ran er n s

ha v e ha pp en e d in th e his tor y f h um
o pi i anJA ME S FRE E MA N
o n on .

C LAR KE .

c
If we oul d l egiti ma tely d et erm in e an y question of e lie b y th e b f
b
n u m e r of its a dh e ren ts , th e quad semp er, quad ubi que , quad a b amni
bus woul d appl y t o m et em sy h osis m ore tl y th a n t o an y oth erp c .

I thi n k k
it is qui te as l i ely t o b e re i e d a n d t o om e t o th e vv c f ron t

again as an y ri al th e ory v PRO F E SS OR W LL AM KN H T

. I I IG .

It se em s m e , a rm an d well groun d e d a ith in th e d o trin e of

to -
f c
Christian p c
m e t em sy h osis mi ght h el t o re ge n e rat e th e world For p .

i t woul d b e a f aith n ot h e dge d roun d wi th man y of th e di f ul ti es c

an d o b j cti whi ch b t th f
e ons ese o er c
orms of d o tri n e , a n d it o f ers d is f
t in c t d p u g t m t iv f t y i g t
an n en o es or r n o lead a m ore C hristi an life ,
an d f l vi g
ord h lpi g u b th
o n an e n o r ro er -
m an . PRO F ESSO R F RA N C IS
BO W E N .
 C ONTENTS .

IN T RODU CT ION

WHA T IS REIN CA RN A T I ON

WE ST ERN Ev N C ES or RE I N CA RN A T ION
1 Im m ortal ity d e ma n d s it ; 2 A n al ogy suggests it ; 3 S ien e
. . . c c
c
on rm s it ; 4 Th e n ature of th e soul re qui re s it ; 5 I t
. .

an swe rs th e th e ol ogi c al q u estion of ori gin al sin an d

futu pu n ishm en t ;
re 6 Ma n y stra n ge . e x p e rien c es are

expla in e d b y it ; 7 The pro l ems of li e . b f an d of Nem esis

are sol v ed b est b y it .

I II .

WEST ERN OBJ E CT IO N S T o RE IN CARN A T I ON

1 We ha ve n o m em ory of past l ive s ; 2 . I t is un ust j f or us
to c v
re e i e th e resul ts of f orgott e n d eed s ; 3 . He red ity o
p
p ose s it ; 4 I t i s. an u n c on genia l c
d o trin e .

IV .

WEST ERN AUT H O RS U ON P RE IN C A RN A T ION

c
Ex tra ts : 1 S h o . c pLess in g ; 3 Fi h te ; 4 He r
e n ha u er ; 2 . c .

d e r ; 5 He n ry More ; 6 Sir Th om as Brown e ; 7 C he a~

. . . v
lier Ra msay ; 8 Sa am e Je n y ns ; 9 Jos eph Glan v il ; 10
. . .

Dowd en s Sh el l e y ; 11 Hum e ; 12 South ey ; 13 Wil

. . .

l iam Bla e ; 14 Will iam Kn igh t ; 15 W A Butl e r ; 16

k . . . . .

Bul we r ; 17 Pe zzan i ; 18 Em e rson ; 19 Jam es Fre e man

. . .

Cl ar e ; 20 Will iam R Alge r ; 2 1 Fran is Bowen ; 2 2

k . . . c .

Fred e ri ck
H He dge ; 23 Sir H um phry Da y
. . v .
xii C ON TE N TS .

V .

WEST ERN PO ET S UP O N RE I N A RN A T I O N C
I A m e ri a n Poe ts : H ay n e , Whi t ti er , T a yl or, La n don , Al dri h ,
. c c
Lel a n d , T h om p s on , Willis , Tro w ri dge , Lon g e ll ow, Lowe ll , b f
Whitm an , Parsons .

I I British Po et s : Words worth , G osse , A l ord , Mil n e s , T e n n y

. f
s on , Ross e t t i , A ddiso n , B ail e y , Sh arp , T u p e r, Bro wn in ,
g p
Le y d en , C ol e rid ge , Miss Tatham , D r D on n e , C olli ns , .

M atth e w Arn ol d .

I II . C on tin e n tal Poe ts : Boye se n , H ugo , B era n ge r , Goe th e ,

c
S hill e r, C a m an ell a p .

IV . Pl aton i c Poets : More , Mil ton , A n on ym ous , She ll e y ,

V augh an , Em erson , Mrs Rowe , Hym ns . .

VI .

RE I N CA RN A T IO N A MO N G T HE AN C I EN TS

I Brahma ns ; II Egy tia n s ; . p I II . Pyt hagoras ; IV . Plato ;

V The Jews
. .

REI N CA RN A T ION IN T HE B I B LE

V II I .

RE I N CA RN A T IO N IN EARL Y C H RI ST E N DO M
I T he Gn osti ; I I T h c
e N e
s oPl aton ists ; III
. . Th e Orthod ox
C h ur c
h Fath ers .

IX
RE IN CA RN A T I ON IN T HE EA ST T o -
DAY

I . Brah m an ism ; II . Bud dhism ; I I I . Z oroastrian ism an d Su

sm .

EA ST E RN PO ET R Y OF RE I N C ARN AT ION
c
Extra ts : 1 Kal id sa s Sak oon tala
. 2 Th e Katha Upan i
.

sh ad ; 3 Th e Ligh t of A sia ; 4 A Persi an Poem ; 5

. . .

From Ha 6 A Su Poe m z . .

ES OT ERI C ORI E N T A L RE I N CA RN A T IO N
 C ON TE N TS .
xiii
X II .

TRAN SMI RAT ION

G T HRO UG H AN I M ALS

XI II .

DEA T H , HEA VE N , AN D HELL , WHA T T HE N or

XIV .

T HE C O MP A N I O N TRUT H or RE IN CA RN A T ION

C ON CLUSION
APPEN DIX .

or REIN CA RN A T IO N

I N D EX
 By th e sea , b y th e d reary d ar eni ng se a k .

Th ere stan d s a y outh ul ma n , f

f bb
Hi s ram e is thro in g wi th d ou t s agon y ,

b
H is lip s m ov e sadl y a n d wan .

Oh , sol v e m e Li f e s e n igma ,

y e wa v e s,

Th e tort urin g ri ddl e of ol d

With whi ch th e min d of h um an ity raves ,

Whose answer is n e ver t ol d ;

Th e m y ste ry hi dd en rom hoary sage , f
From sol dier, sa in t , an d in g ; k
From wises t h e ads i n e v e ry age ,

Weary an d l an guishi n g

For light u p on th e m i sty road .

T e l l m e , wh at a m I
Whe n c e c am e I wh ither d o I pl od
,

Wh o d wells in the bl azin g sk y

The bill ows m urm ur c e asel e ssl y ,

T h e wi n d sp k ea s n igh t an d d ay ,
Cal m a n d c ol d sin g th e stars on h igh ,
B ut h e k n ows n ot wh a t th e y sa y .

HE IN E .

c c
Th e d o trin e of m ete m psy h os is m ay al m ost la im t o b e a natural c
b
or i nn ate f
elie in th e h u m an min d , if w e m ay j u dge rom its wid e f
f
dif usion am on g th e n ati on s of th e e arth an d its re al e n e through out p v c
c
th e his t ori al age s
. PRO F E SSOR FRA N IS BO W EN C .
We saw th e gl eb e we reap the c orn
, ,

W e b ui l d th e h ouse where we m ay rest,

A n d th e n , at m om en ts , su dd en l y,

We l oo k up t o th e gre at wi d e Sk y ,

En quirin g wh eref ore we were b orn ,

For e arn est , or f or j e st

The se ns e s f o l d in g thi ck an d d ar k
A b out th e sti e d soul W ithi n ,
We v
gu e ss di in e r thi n gs b e y on d

A n d y e a rn t o th e m wi th y e arn in g f on d;
We stri e out ol dl y t o a m ar
k b k
v
B elie e d in , b ut n ot se en .

A n d som etim e s horror h ills our l ood c b

c
T o b e so n e ar su h my sti thi ngs , c
An d we wrap roun d us , f or d e en e , f c
p
Our urpl e m an n ers , m ood s of sen se ,
As a n gel s , f ro m th e f c
a e of God ,
Stan d hidd en in th eir wi n gs .

MRs . BROWN IE C .
 INTR ODUC TI ON .

O N C E the whole civilize d world em b rac ed rein car

n ation an d found th er ein a compl ete answ er to th at
,

riddl e of m an s de sc ent an d d e stiny which the in ex

orab l e Sphinx Life propounds to e v e ry tra v el e r along

her way .But the w e s te rn b ranch of the rac e in ,

working out the m ateri al conqu e st of the world has ,

acquir e d th e compens ating disconte nt of a m at eri al

philosophy It has lost the old faith an d drifte d into

.

a sh ad owy r e gion wh e r e the e agern e ss for
, practic al
things rej ects wh at e ve r c annot b e p hysic ally proven .

Eve n G od an d immort ality are for the most p art can

ect ure s b eli e v e d only afte r d emonst ration an d not
j , ,

v it ally th e n The r e alization of this condition is pro

.

v o kin
g th roughout C hriste ndom a count e r curr e nt of
-

Spiritu ali ty The gr o wing fr e e dom of thought an d

.

the e astw ard look of m any l e ading m inds s e e m to

he rald a r en aiss anc e mor e r a dic al although m or e
,

sub tle an d grad u al th an the re form ations of C olum b us

, ,

Luth er an d G uthen b erg A s surely as the occup ation

, .

an d d ev e lopm e nt of the we st e rn Eldo rad o r e viv e d

Europ e into unpre c ed ent e d vigor the e xplor ati on of
,

Pale stin e an d b eyond into Indi a for treasure s more

, ,

preciou s th an gold an d dominion sh all r e vitaliz e the

,

W e st with an unp ar allele d gr owth of spi ritu al powe r .

Strangely e nough too just as the , ,

N e w W o rl d
prov ed to b e ge ologic ally the old e st contin ent so the ,
4 I N TROD UC TI ON .

n ew truths re c ently discove r e d are found to b e the

most anci e nt Th ey are as univ e rs al as the oc ean
.
,

alw ays w aiting to b e us e d T he lat e st philosophi e s

.

an d h et e rod o xi e s a re only fr e sh phr a sings of e arly

id ea s The most advanc e d conc eptions of art e duc a

.
,

tion an d govern m ent are e ss enti ally id entic al with

,

thos e of G r e e c e an d R om e The n e w e st industri e s

.

are appro aching the lost arts of Egypt The m od ern

.

sci enc es ( a s ele ctricity an d chemistry ) are m erely

ingeni ous applic ations of W hat the schoolm ast ers of
the primitiv e r ac e s kn e w b ett e r in som e r e sp ects th an
Edison an d C ooke G e ology has j ust d a wn e d upon us
.

to r e v eal the sub lim e synopsis of e arth s his tory hid

den for ov e r thr ee thous a nd y ears in the rst ch apte r

of the Bib le The last gre at thought of this era
.

Evolution is as Old a s the hills in the Ea st Prof es .

sor C rooke s s wond erful e xp e ri m e nts conn e cte d with

the inst ab ility of c ert ain el e m ents psychic forc e an d

, ,

the fourth dim ension of m att e r ( so f ar in a dv anc e of

pr e s ent sci entic cultur e th at m any physicists d e ride
th e m ) are stumb lin gs upon the outskirts of a do m ain
long famili ar to ori ent al stud ents A fte r m any ce n
.

turie s of t e dious j angling with cr ee ds an d s e cts we are ,

Slowly l earning th at pri m itiv e C hristi anity will m ak e

e arth a p ar a dis e The p e rm an e n t e dic e of the worl d s

.

co m plet e educ ati on s eems to p ati ently await the tim e

wh e n men sh all tire of fa shi oning u s e le ss b uilding
stu ff from th e ir crum b ling the ori e s an d r e ve rt to the
b a s al granit e of which the e v e rl a sting found ations are
l aid caring only to sh ap e the sup erstructure b y the
,

A rchite ct s pl an

.

A lthough com m only r e j ect e d throughout Europe

an d A m eric a r ei nc arn ation is unre s erve dly acc ept e d
,

b y the m aj ority of m ankind at the pr e s ent d ay as i n ,

6

I N TROD UC TI ON .

into a succ e ssion o f high er sph er e s The B ardic tri ads.

of the W els h are r epl e t e with this thought an d a ,

W elsh antiqu ary insists th at an ancient e migration

from W al e s to Indi a convey ed it to the Brahm ans .

A mong the A rab philosoph e rs it was a f avo rit e id ea ,

an d it still m a b notic d in m ny Moh m m d n

y e e a a e a

writ e rs In the O ld civiliz ations of P e ru an d M e xico

.

it pre vail ed unive rs ally Th e pri e stly rit e s of the

.

Egypti an Isis the Ele usini an myst eri e s of G re ec e the

, ,

B acchic proc e ssions of R o m e the D ruid c e re moni e s of

,

Britain an d the C ab alic ritu als of the Heb re ws all

, ,

e xpr e ss e d this gr e a t truth with p e culi ar forc e f o r t h e ir

initi ate d witn e ss e s The J e ws gen er ally adopt e d it

.

aft e r the B ab yloni an c aptivity through the Ph aris e e s ,

Philo of A l ex andri a an d the doctors

,
John th e .

Baptist was to th em a s econd Elij ah J e sus wa s com .

m ouly thought to b e a r e app ear anc e of John the Ba p

t ist or of o n e of the old proph e ts T he Talmud a n d
.

the C ab al a are full of the s am e t e aching So m e of .

the l at e R abb ins ass e rt m any e nt e rt aining things con

c erning the r ep eat e d b irths of the m ost not e d p ersons
of th e ir n ation C hristianity is not an e xc e ption to
.

all the oth e r gr eat r e ligions in promulg ating the s am e

philosophy R einc arn ation pl aye d an i m port ant p art

.

in th e thought of O rige n an d s ev e ral oth e r l ead e rs

am ong the e arly C hurch Fath e rs It was a m ain por
.

tion of the cre e d of the G nostics an d M anich aeans In .

th e Middl e A g e s m any schol astics an d h e r etic al s ects

a dvoc at e d it .It h as croppe d out spontan e ously in m any
w e st ern th eologi ans T he eld er English d ivin e s do
.

not h e sit at e to inculc ate pre xisten ce in th e ir s e rmons .

In the s e vent eenth c entury D r Henry Mor e an d .

oth er C amb ridge Pl atonists gav e it wid e acc e pt anc e .

The R om an C atholic Purg atory s e e ms to b e a m ak e

 I N TROD UC TI ON .

shift improvis e d to take its pl ace Sir Harry Van e is .

s aid b y Burn et to h av e m aintain e d this doctrin e .

M any philosoph ers of m e t aphysic al d epth lik e ,

Scotus K ant Sc he lling L e i b nitz Schop enh au e r an d

, , , , ,

th e younge r Fich t e h av e up h eld r e inc arn ation

, G en .

i uses of nob l e symm e try lik e G i ord an o Bruno He rd e r , , ,

L e ssing an d G o ethe h av e fathe re d it Sci entists

, ,
.

like Fl amm arion Figui er an d Bre wst er h ave ear

, ,

n e s tl a dvoc at e d it T h eologic a l l e a d e rs lik e Julius

y .

M iiller Do rn e r Ern esti Rii cke rt an d Edward

, , , ,

B e ech er h ave m aint ain e d it In e xalt e d intuition al .

n ature s like Bo ehm e an d Swed enb org its h old is ap

p arent Most of the mystics b athe in it O f cours e
. .

the lo ng lin e of Pl at onists from Socrat e s down to

Eme rson h av e no d oub t of it N e arly all the po ets .

pr ofe ss it .

Ev e n amid the pr e domin anc e of m at eri alistic in

uen ce s in C hrist e ndom it has a consid e r ab l e follow
ing Tr ac e s of it are found am ong the ab origin e s of
.

N orth an d South A m eric a an d in m any b arb aric tri b e s ,

.

A t this ti m e it r e igns without an y sign of d e cr epitud e

ove r the Burm an C hin e s e J ap an e s e Tartar Thib e
, , , ,

tan , an d Ea st Indi an n ations including at least ,

of mankind an d n ea rly two thirds of the

rac e Throughout the East it is the great c entral
.

thought It is no m e re sup erstition of the ignorant

.

m ass e s It is the chi ef principl e of Hindu m et aphys

.

ics the b asis of all th e ir inspire d b ooks Such a

, .

h oary p hilosophy h eld b y the ven erab l e authority of

,

ag e s ruling fr o m the b eginning of tim e the b ulk of

,

the world s thought ch e rish e d in so m e form b

, y th e

discipl e s of e very great r eligion is c ert ainly worthy of ,

the profounde st r e sp e ct an d study Th er e must b e .

som e vital reality inspirin g so stupendous an exist

e nc e ,
8 I N TROD UC TI ON .

But the we st ern fo n dn e ss for d e mocracy do es not

hold in th e do ma in of thought The fact th at the
.

m aj o rity of the rac e has agr ee d upon re inc arn ation is

no argu m e nt for it to an occid e nt al thinker The .

conc e it of mod ern progr e ss h as no m or e r e sp ect for

a nci ent id e as th a n for the forgott e n civiliz a tion of old
,

e v e n though in m any e ss enti als th e y anticip at e d or

outstripp e d all th at we b o ast of Th er efore we pro

.

pos e to treat this sub j ect largely from a w estern

st andpoint .
 We c ann ot y et ha v m e an t to l e arn t hrough
e l e arn e d a ll t ha t w e are

th e od yb c
H o w m u h of th e t ea hin g e en of thi s w orl d can th e
. c v
fv
m ost d il ige n t an d m ost a ore d m an h a e e xh au ste d e ore h e is all e d v bf c
to l e a v e it . Is all that re ma in s lost GEO RGE MA C O N ALD D .

Y ou c an n ot say of th e soul , it shall b e , or is a b

out to b e , or is t o b e
h erea ter f . It is a thi ng with out bi thr . B HA G A V AD G ITA .

A s th e in h e rit a n c e o f an il l ustri ous na me an d pe di g ee

r q ui ck ens

th e se ns e of d uty in e v e ry n o bl e n atu re , a b fi p
el i e n
'

re ex iste n c e m ay
e n h an c
th e gl ory of t h e rese n t li e an d in
e p f t i f y th
ens e re v ere n ce with
c
whi h th e d eathl ess rin ipl e is regard e d p c . WILL IA M KN I G H T .

I f wec p t t h b li f f f u t u
ex e e e e o a re re m u n e ration b e y on d this l if e
f uff i g v i tu
or s d
er n t i b uti r f e an re r on or su cc ful c
e ss ri m es , th e re is no

s y t m
s e im pl dso s littl puge , an so e re n an t to our un d ersta n d in g, as th a t
o f m t m p y ch i
e e Th p i s d pl
os s . e a ns a n e asure s of thi s li f e a re b y this
s y t m c
s e id d th
on s c mp ere as e re o e ns e or the pu n ish m en t of our a cti on s

i th I SAA C D I SRA E LI

n an o t t er s a e . .

T he exp eri e n cas gain ed in on e li f e m ay n ot be re m em b ere d in th eir

d e tail s in th e n e xt , b ut th e im p ression s whi h the y c p ro du e c will re

m ain . A gain a n d agai n man p ass es thr ough th e wheel of trans f or ma

tion , ch a n gi n g h is lower e n e rgi es in to hi gh e r on e s, un til ma tt e r a t
c
tra ts him no l on ger, an d he bc e om e s wh at he is d estin e d to b e
a god . HA RT MA NN .

As b ill o ws on m ain th e u n d ulatin g

f
Th at s wellin g all , an d al li n g swell again , f
So on th e ti d e of tim e in essa n t roll c
b
Th e d yin g od y an d th e d eathl ess soul .
 W H AT Is REIN C A RN A T I O N

R EI N C A RN A T I O N is an e xtr em ely Si mple doctrin e

rooted in the a ssur anc e of the soul s ind e structi b ility

.

It expl ains at onc e the d e sc ent an d the d e stiny of the

soul b y so n atural an d forci b l e a m ethod that it has
not only domin at e d the ingenuous minds of all the
primitive rac e s b ut has b ecom e the most wid ely
,

spread an d most p erm an ently inu enti al of all phi

los0 phies .

R eincarn ation t each e s th at the soul ent ers this life

not as a fr e sh creation b ut aft er a long cours e of pre
,

vi ons exist enc e s on this earth an d els e wh ere in which

,

it acquire d its pr e s ent inh ering p e culi ariti e s an d ,

that it is on the way to future transform ations which

the soul is now Sh aping . It claims th at infancy
b rings to earth not a b lank scroll for the b eginnin g
,

of an earthly r ecord nor a m er e coh e sion of atomic

,

forc e s into a b ri ef p erson ality soon to dissolve again

into the elem ents b ut th at it is inscri b ed with an ces
,

tral histori e s som e like the pr e s ent sc en e most of

, ,

th em u nl ike it an d stretching b ack into the r emot est

p ast Th e s e inscriptions are gen erally und eciph erab le
.
,

s av e as re veale d in th eir moulding inu enc e upon th e

n e w c ar ee r ; b ut lik e the in visi b l e photogr aphic im ag e s

made b y the Sun of all it s ees when th ey are prop erly

,
12 WHA T IS RE I NC A RN A TI ON
'
?

d ev elop e d in the l ab oratory of consciousn e ss th ey will

b e distinc tly displ ay e d The curr ent ph a s e of li fe will
.

also b e stor e d a w ay in the s e c re t v a ults of m e m o ry f or ,

its unconscious eff e ct upon the ensuing live s A ll the .

qu alitie s we now poss e ss in b ody m ind a n d soul re

, , ,

sul t from our use of a nci ent O pportuniti e s W e a re .

ind ee d the h e irs of all the age s an d are alon e ,

re sponsi b l e for our inh e rit anc e s For th e s e conditio n s

.

a ccru e fro m dist ant c a us e s e ng e nd e r e d b y our old e r

s elv e s an d the futur e ows b y the divin e la w of

,

c aus e an d effe ct from th e g ath er e d m o m e ntu m of our

p a st i m p e tus e s Th er e is no f avo ritis m in t he uni
.

v ers e b u t all h ave the s am e e verl asting faciliti e s f or

,

growth Thos e who are now el e vate d in worldly sta

.

tion may b e sunk in hum b l e surroundings in the f u

ture O nly the inn er tr aits of the soul are p e rm an ent
.

comp anions T he w ealthy sluggard m ay b e the b e g

.

ar of the n ext lif e ; a n d the industrious work e r of

g
the pr e s ent is sowing the s eeds of fut ur e gre atn e ss .

Su ff ering b r a v ely endure d now will produc e a tr e asur e

of p ati enc e an d fortitud e in anothe r life ; h ardships
will give ris e to stre ngth ; s elf d eni al must d e v el op -

the will ; t ast e s cultiv at e d in this e xist enc e wi ll som e

how b ear fruit in coming on e s ; an d acquire d en ergi e s
will ass e rt them s elv e s wh en ev e r th ey can b y the l am
a rsi mon i ae upon which the principl e s of physics are
p
b as e d Vi ce v ersa the unconscious h ab its the un
.
, ,
.

controllab l e impuls e s th e p eculiar tend enci e s the f a

, ,

v orite pursuit s an d th e soul stirring fri endships of the

,
-

pre s e nt d e sc end from f ar r e aching pr e vious activiti e s

-
.

Sci e nc e e xpl ains th e idiosyncr asi e s of pl ants an d

anim als b t h e e nvironm e nt of pr e vious g en e r a tions
y
an d c alls instinct h e r e dit ary h ab it In the s am e way .

th ere is an e volution of individu ality b y whi ch the ,

14 WHA T IS RE I N C A RN A TI ON ?

c u de
l in the p e ac e of G od b ut th at will not b e pos
,

si b le until th ey h av e gon e through all the rounds of

e xp e ri e nc e an d l earn ed th at only in th a t G o al is s atis

fa ction Th at men e ver dw ell in b odi e s of b e asts we

.
,

d e ny as irration al as such a r e trogre ssion would con

,

tradict the fund am ent al m axims of n ature Th a t .

ph ilosophy is a corruption of R e inc arn atio n in which ,

the m a ss e s h av e co ars ely m ask e d the truth .

G r anting the p e rm an e nc e of the hum an spirit amid

e v e ry ch ang e the doctrin e of r eb irth is the only on e
,

yi elding a m etaphysic al e xpl an ation of the ph e nom en a

of life It is alre ady acc epted in the physic al pl an e
.

a s e volution an d holds a rm e thic al v alu e in apply

,

ing the law of justic e to hum an exp eri e nc e In con .

rm ation of it th e r e st ands the stronge st w e ight of

e vid e nc e ar um e n tary e mpiric al an d historic It
g , , ,
.

unt angl e s the knotty prob le m of life simply an d

grandly It m ee ts the s eve re st re quirem ents of en
.

light en e d re ason an d is in d eep e st h armony with the

,

spirit of C hristi anity .

 Th e h ouse of li f e h ath m an y h am c b ers . ROSSETT I .

Th e s oul is n ot b orn ; i t d oes d ie ; it w as n ot prod u

n ot ced f rom
an y on e ; n or was an y p rod u c e d rom i t E E RSO N
f . M .

For m en t o te ll h ow hum an e egan lif b

I s hard : f or wh o himsel egi nn i n g n ew fb k .

M ILT ON .

Th ere is sure l y a i
p e c e of v
d i i ni ty in us , som ethi n g t hat was b e
f or e t he el e m e n ts a n d ow e s n o h om age un t o th e su n .

What ever h ath no b egi n n in g m ay b e c on d en t of no en d . S IR

TH O MA S BROW N E .

For of th e s oul th e b
m d oth ta e ,
od y f or k
For soul is f orm an d d oth th e od y m a e b k .

SP E N SER .

Se c re t e d an d hi d d e n i n th e h e art of th e w orl d an d th e h ea rt of

m an is th e light whi ch f th f u t d th p t can ill u m i n e a ll li e, e u re a n e as .

THROU GH H E GA E S O G O T T F LD .

Th ul if imm
e so t l xi t d b f
, u b i th or a , e s e e ore o r r .

Wh t i i c u pti bl m u t b u g
a s n orr bl e s e n e n e ra e .

M t m p y ch i i th
e e l y y t m f imm t l ity th t Ph il
s os s s phy
e on s s e o or a a os o

can h k t e ar HUME en o . .

N t i thi g l
a u re th th l d d
s no f
n u cti whi h t p
ess an e a er o re s rr e on c ,
s e

b y t p l d up w d
s e , ea th i c
s i d f m th ar by f t
, or ra er s arr e ro e a ss o e er

na l d th up t th
ea p f lif SCH LE GE L
o e a ex o e . .

L k tu t h ugh
oo ti v luti ll
na re ro

s re o on a ,

All ch g ; d th D y f ll w
an igh t
e d i ght
no ea . a o o s n ,
an n

Th e d y in g d a y ; s tars r ise an d se t , an d se t an d ri se .

Earth t a e s th e k e x am pl e . Al l t o re ou rish f ad e s

AS i n a wh e el : al l S i n k s to re as c en d ;
b
Em l e m s of m a n , wh o p ass es , n ot e x pi re s .

se n ti e n t an d rati on al ord e rs , we m ay b e assu re d , is a m eth od of pro

ce d u re c
whi h , if it b e n ot b a p
sol u t e l y in di s ens a l e t o th e n al p ur b
p oses of th e re ation , su c b v th m se r es e ost im p ort an t e n d s an d c arrie s

c
wi th it onse qu e n e s su c c h wi l l m k
as a i t th e ge n e ral , if n ot th e
e un i

v ersal l aw of al l n it e n a t u re s , in all w orl d s I SAA TA LO R . C Y .

 W EST ERN E V I D EN C ES O F REI N C A RN A T I O N .

TH E old Saxon chronicl er B ed e r ecords that at a

, ,

b anqu et giv e n b y King Edwin of N orthumb ria to his

nob l e s a discussion aros e as to how th ey Should re
,

ceiv e the C hristi an mission ary P aulinus who had just

,

arriv e d from the contin e nt Som e urg e d the suf

"

cien c of th ir own D ruid d N ors r ligions d

y e an e e a n

advis ed th e d e ath of the inv ading h e r etic O th ers .

w ere in favor of h earing his m e ssag e A t l en gt h the .

king a sk e d the O pinion of his O ld e st couns ellor The .

s age aros e an d s aid : O kin g an d lords You all .

d id r e m ark the sw allow which e nt er e d this f e st al h all

to e sc ap e the chilling winds without utt e ri n g n ear ,

the re for a f e w mom ents an d th en v anishing t hrough

the opposit e window Such is the life of man
. .

W h enc e it c am e an d whith er it goe s non e can t ell .

Th e r efor e if this n e w r eligion b rin gs light upon so

gr eat a myst ery it must b e divin e r th an ours an d
,

should b e w elcom e d The old m an s a dvic e was
.

adopte d .

W e are in the position of thos e old anc e stors of

ou rs The r eligion of the church e s c alle d C hristi anity
.
, ,

is to m any e arn e st souls a dry husk The germin ant

.
.

k ern el of truth as it c am e from th e found er of C hris

tian ity wh en it is discov er e d und e r all its b arr e n
,
18 E VI D E N C E S OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON
'
.

wrappings is ind ee d su f ci e nt to fe e d us with the

,

b r ea d of life .It answ e rs all the pr ac tic al n ee ds of

most p e opl e e ven wi th the husks But it l eav e s som e
.

vit al qu e stions un answ e re d which imp e l us to d e sire

:

som ething more th an J e sus ta ught not for m e r e

curi osity b ut as food for l a rge r growth The divin e
,
.

law which prom is e s to ll e v e ry v acuum an d to gr at,

if y at l a st e v e ry aspir a tion has not l eft us without

,

m eans of gra sping a portion of th e s e grand e r tru ths .

The common e st id e a of the soul throughou t C hris

te n d om s ee m s to b e th at it is cr eat e d sp e ci ally for
b irth on this world an d aft e r its lif etim e h er e it go e s
,

to a p erm an ent spiritu al r e alm of innit e continu anc e .

This is a v e ry comfort ab l e b eli ef d eriv e d from the ap

p earanc e s of things an d thos e holding it may v e ry
,

prop e rly say My vi e w agre e s with the ph enom en a

, ,

an d if you think di ff e r e ntly the b urd e n of proof r e sts

upon you . W e acc ept this r e spon sib ility But a .

c ar e ful o b s e rv e r knows th at the tru e e xplan ation of

f acts is as a rul e ve ry di ff e ren t from the app ear anc e .

P tol e my thought he could accou n t for all the h ea venly

motions on his g e oc entric th e ory an d his t eachings
,

w e r e at onc e r ec e iv e d b y his con t empor ari e s But the .

d ee p e r studi e s of C op e rnicu s an d G alil e o h ad to w a it

a c e ntury b e for e th ey w e r e a cc e pt e d a lthough th e y in
,

trodu ce d an a stronomy of imm e a sur ab ly no b l e r sc al e .

Is it not a r elic of th e old cond e nc e in app earanc e s

to consid e r the physic al orb its of hum an souls a s lim
ite d to our little Vi e w of th e m
The th e ologi an s ee ks to e xpl ain life with its in ,

e qu aliti e s its mis e ri e s an d injustic e s b a futur e con

, y,

dition r e w arding an d punishing m en for the d e eds of

earth . H e conc ed e s th at b e n e vol e nc e an d justic e can
not b e prove n in G od b y wh at is s ee n of His earthly
 E VI D E N C E S OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 19

a dministration The n al law of creation is said to

.

b e Love b ut the Sin an d suff ering b e qu eath e d to most

,

of the r ac e through no app ar e nt fault of th e irs annuls

th at dictum in the world s r e al tho ught an d comp els ,

men to regard life as a c eas ele ss struggle for exist e nc e

in which the strongest wi ns an d the w e ake st f ails an d ,

the d evil t ak e s the hi n d e rmost But e v en if the .

future life will straight en out this b y a just j udg

m e nt fairn e ss d em ands th at all shall h av e an e ven
,

ch anc e h er e which only r einc arn ation a s sur e s

,
.

The m at e ri alist t ak e s a mor e pl a usi b l e ground .

O n the b asis of th e soul b eginning with the pre s ent

exis te nc e h e r e g a rds all the d e v elopm e nts of life as
,

re s ul ts of b lind n atur al forc e s He s ays th at the v a .

ri ety of a tomic qu aliti e s a ccounts for all the div e r

en cie s of lif e physic al m e nt al an d mor al But h e

g , , , .

can giv e no r e ason why the s am e p articl e s of m att e r

Should a ccomplish such stup e ndous v a ri e ti e s Mor e .

over Sci e nc e the m at eri alist s gosp el inst ea d of dis

,

,

posing of psychic f acts is st udying an d cl a ssifying ,

th e m as a n ew b ranch of sup ers e nsuous knowl edge l .

Th e s e inv e stig ations will ulti m at e ly initi at e Sci e nc e

into the sur e ty of non physic al things -
A lr e a dy a .

strong a dvanc e in th at dir e ction has b ee n m a de b y

Is aac Taylor s Physic al Th e ory of a Futur e Life

an d St e w art Tait s Uns ee n Univ e rs e T he con

.

ce ti on of an I n n ite Pe rson alit ov e rwh e lms all the

'

p y
n arrow groov e thinking of e ve ry m e ch anic al school
-

an d ris e s supr e m e ly in the strong e st sci e ntic philos

O h
p y of all tim e th a t of H e r b e rt S p e nc e r S tr an .

ge st of all Evolution the corn erston e of Sp e nc e ri an

, ,

philosophy is m e r ely a p araph ra s e of r einc arn ation

,
.

1
b c
Se e th e pu li ati ons of th e So i e ty c of c c
Psy hi al Research of Lon
do n an d B oston an d N ew Yor k .
20 E VI D E N C E S OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

T h ere s e ve n argum ents for R einc arn ation which

are

s ee m conclusiv e .

1 Th at the id e a of i m m or ta li ty d e m ands it
. .

2 Th at a n a l ogy m ak e s it th e most prob ab le

. .

3 T h at s ci en ce conrm s it
. .

4 T h at the n a tu re of the s ou l r e quir e s it

. .

5 Th at it most co m pl e t e ly a n swer s the theologi

.

u esti on s of

ca l origin al sin nd futur punish
q a e

m ent .

6 Th at it exp l ai n s m any my s teri ou s ewp er ien ces

. .

7 Th at it alon e s olv e s the pr ob l e m of inj u stice an d

.

mi sery which b roods ove r our world .

1
. Immort ality d em ands it .

O nly the positivists an d som e alli e d schools of

thought comprising a ve ry sm all proportion of C hris
,

te n dom doub t th e im m ortality of the soul

,
But a .

conscious e xistenc e aft er d e ath has no b ett e r p roof

th an a pre n at al existenc e It is an old d ecl arati on
-
.

th a t wh at b e gins in ti m e must en d in ti m e W e h av e
.

no right to say th at th e soul is e t ern al on on e sid e of

its e art hly p eriod without b eing so on th e oth e r Far .

more r ation al is the vi e w of c ert ain sci e ntists who ,

b eli e vi n g th a t the soul o rigi n at e s with this lif e also ,

d e cl are that it e n d s with this life That is the logic al

.

outc om e of th ei r pre m is e If the soul sp rang into ex

.

i ste n ce sp e ci ally f or this lif e why s h ould it continu e

,

a ft e rw a rd ? It is pr e cis ely as p rob ab le fro m all the

g ro unds of r eason th at d e ath is the conclusi on of th e
soul as th at b irth is the b egi n ning of it A s C udwo rth
.

points out it was this argu me nt w hich had sp eci al

,

w eig ht with the G reek p hilo sop he rs whos e r ea s onings

,

upon immort ality h ave l ed all l at er gen erations Th ey .

22 E VI D E N C E S OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

th e pre s ent lif e W h eth e r it b e a sp ark from G od

.

hims elf or a divin e e m an ation or a cluster of ind e

, ,

p e nd ent e n e rgi e s its e t e rn al d e stiny comp els the in

,

fer enc e th at it is uncreate d an d ind e structib le More .

ove r it is unthink ab l e th at from an innit e history it

,

e nte rs this world for its rst an d only physic al e x e ri

p
e nc e an d th en s h oots off to a n e ndl e ss spi ritu al e xist

e nc e The d e ducti0 is r ath e r th at it a ssum e d m a ny

.
p
forms b e for e i t app e are d as we now see it an d is ,

b ound to p a ss through m any co m ing liv e s b efor e it

will b e round e d into the full orb of p erfection an d
reach its ultim ate go al .

2 A n alogy is strongly in f a vor of r einc arn ation

. .

W e re Bishop Butl er to work out the prob l e m of the

career of the hum an soul in the light of mod e rn
sci enc e we doub t not th at his m ast e rpi ec e would ad
,

voc at e this p agan thought For many c entu ri e s.

the lite r atur e of n ations has disc e rn e d a st and ard

simile of the soul s d e athl e ssn e ss in the transform ation

of the c at erpill ar into the b utt e ry But it is known .

now th at onc e all the c aterpillar s an d b utte ri e s w e re

alik e an d th at b y r ep eat e d inc arn ations th e y h a v e
,

r each e d the b e wild ering di ffe renc e s W h en th ey

.

st art e d O E from the proc e ssion of life on th eir own ro ad

from on e or a f ew simil ar sp e cie s the progeny sc at ,

tere d into vario us circumst anc e s an d the struggl e s an d

,

d e vic e s which they w e nt through for th e ir own pur

pos e s b eing rep eat e d for thous ands of y ears in millions
,

of live s ha s d e velop e d the surprising h et eroge n e ity of

,

fe ath er winge d ins ects A n d as e ach und e rgo e s his

-
.

r apid ch ange s in r eh ears al of his long p e digr e e we ,

m ay trac e the succ e ssion of hi s earli e r live s .

The viol ent e n ergy of the pr e s e nt condition a rgu e s

a pre vio us stage l eading up to it It is contend ed
.
 E VI D E N C E S OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .
23

with gr e at forc e of an alogy th at d eath is b ut anothe r

an d high e r b irth Th is life is a groping e mb ryo pl an e
.

i m plying a more ex al te d on e Myst erious in timMion s

.

reach us from a divin er sph ere ,

Lik e hin ts an d e choe s of the world

To pi
s rits f ol d e d in th e wom b .

But sub tl e indic ations r e ar ward argu e th at b irt h is the

d e ath of an earli e r e xist enc e Even the e mb ryo life .

n ec e ssita t e s a prep aratory on e p rece ding it So com .

p l e te a str uctur e must h av e a found ation S o swift a .

mom entu m must h ave travel e d f ar A s Emerson oh .

s e rve s W e w ake an d nd ours elve s on a stair .

Ther e are oth er stairs b e low us which we s ee m to h a ve

a sc end e d ; th e r e are st airs ab ov e us m a ny a on e which , ,

go upward an d out of sight .

The gr and ord e r of cr eation is e ve rywh ere procl aim

ing as the univers al word ch ang e , N othing is d e .

stroy ed b ut all is p assing from on e e xiste nc e to an

,

oth e r Not an atom b ut is d ancing in liv ely m arch

.

from its pre s ent condition to a di ff ere nt form runnin g ,

a c e a s el e ss cycl e through min e r al v e ge t ab l e an d an i , ,

m al e xist enc e tho ugh n e v e r losing its individu ality

, ,

howe ve r divers e its app arent alt erations Not a crea .

ture b ut is const an tly progr e ssing to som e thing els e .

The t adpol e b e co m e s a sh the sh a f rog an d som e

, ,

of the frogs h av e turn e d to b irds It was the keen .

p e rception of this p rincipl e in n ature which gave the ir

vit al forc e to the G reek mythologie s an d oth er anci ent
storie s e m b odying the id e a of transmut ation of per
son alit through m any gu is e s It w this which i
y as . a n

m at ed the metamorphos e s of O vid whos e philosophy ,

is contain e d in the se lin e s from his po e m on Py tha

go ras
24 E VI D EN C E S OF REI N C A RN A TI ON '
.

D e ath, so c alle d is b ut old m a tte
,
r dr esse d
In som e n e w fo m A d i a v i
r . n n ar e d v est
From ten e m e n t to te n e m en t, th ough tosse d ,
T he soul is still the sam e , th e gur e onl y l ost
A n d, as the sof te n ed wax w seal s re c eiv e s,
ne

T his f c e assum e s
a ,
an d tha t imme ssion l ea v es,

N W c all e d b y o e
O w by a n ,
no n oth e r n a me,
T h e f m is or l y c ha ge d th e
on n , wax is still the sa me .

T he t b b o n is t b e gi t
n, o e r o n o be
Som e othe r thin g we we re n ot fo r m e rly .

Th at f or ms are c ha n
ge d, I gran t that n othin
g can

C on tin ue in the gure it b ega n .

1

Evolution has remoulded the thought of C hrist en

dom e xp anding our conc eption of phy siology a stron
, ,

om an d history T he mor e it is studi e d the mor e

y .

univ ers al is found its applic ation It s e ems to b e .

the s e cr et of G od s lif e N ow th at we know the e vo

.

luti an of the b ody it is tim e th at we le arn e d the e v o

,

luti on of the soul The b iologist shows th at each of

.

us physic ally b efor e b irth runs through all the ph as e s

of anim al life polyp sh r eptil e dog ap e an d , , , ,
R

man a s a b ri e f synopsis of how the age s h av e

p re

p are d our t en em ents The pr epond er anc e of sp eci al .

a nim al tr aits in us is d ue he s ays to the e mph a sis of , ,

thos e p articul ar St ag e s of our physic al growth So in .

infancy do e s the soul mov e through an unconscious

s eri e s of exist enc es r ec apitul ating its long lin e of de
,

sc ent until it is fa st en e d in m aturity A n d why is it

, .

not true th at our soul traits are the r elics of form er

a ctiviti e s ? Evoluti o n prove s th at the physic al p art
of m an is the product of a long s eri e s of ch ange s in ,

which e ach st age is b oth the eff ect of p ast inu enc e s
an d the c aus e of succ e eding issu e s Do e s not the im .

m at eri al p art of man re quire a d e velopm ent e qu ally

Tran sla tion

1 Dry d e n s .
 E VI D E N C E S OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 25

v ast The fact of an int ell ectu al an d mor al e volution

pr oc eeding h and in h and with the physic al can o nl y
b e e xpl ain e d und er the economy of n ature b y a s eri e s
of r e inc arn ation s .

3 Furth e rmor e the id e a th at the soul is sp eci ally

.
,

creat e d for introduction into this world comb ats all

the p rincipl e s of sci enc e All n atur e proc e eds on the
.

strictest e c ono mic m e thods Nothing is e ith e r lost or

.

add e d The r e is no cre ation or d e struction

. W h at .

e v e r app e ars to spring sudd e nly into e xist e nc e is d e

rived fro m som e sufcient c aus e although as n u ~

s een as the v apo r curr ents whic h feed the clouds .

Th er e is a growing cons e nsus of O pinion among spirit

u ali sts an d m at e ri alists alik e th at the qu antity b oth,

of forc e an d of matt e r r em ains constant The la w of .

cons ervation of en e rgy holds in the spiritu al r ealm as

in physics The unifor m stock of en ergy in the uni
.

ve rs e n eith er d eclin e s n or increa s e s b ut inc e ss antly ,

ch ange s The m arv elous d ev elopm ents shown in the

.

prot ean organis m s continu ally e nt ering the proc e ssion

o f life indic at e t h at th e n e w m anif e st atio n s d e sc e nd

fro m som e p atri arch al lin e unc re at e d an d immort al

, ,

coming through the hidd e n regions of pr e vious e xist

e n ce s . Scien ce allows no such mi racl e as the th e o
logic al sp e ci al r esurrection whi ch is contrary to all
,

e xp e ri e nc e But it re cogniz e s the unive rs ality Of re

.

surrection throughout all n atur e which is a m atte r of ,

com mon ob s ervation The id ea of the soul as a ph oe

.

nix ete rn ally continuing through myri ad e m b odiments

, ,

is ad apt e d to the whol e spirit of m od e rn sci enc e .

Esp e ci ally signic ant is the axiom atic law of c aus e

.

an d e ect The r e is no oth e r ad e qu at e e xpl an ation

.

of the ph enom en a of life th an the pu rely sci e ntic

on e th at c aus e s simil ar to t hos e now op e r ating b efor e
,
26 E VI D E N C E S OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

our e y e s h av e produc e d th e r e sults we witn e ss The .

I mp elling ch ar act e ristics of e ach p e rson ality r e quir e

som e e arli e r exp e ri enc e s of physic al life to h ave gen
crat e d them A ll the s ensuous procliviti e s of hum an
.

n ature point to long e arthly e xp eri enc e as th eir only

origin A n d the uns atis e d physic al in cli n ations of
.

the so ul n ece ssit ate a s e ri e s of mat eri al e xist enc e s to

work th ems elve s out The irrepr e ssi b l e eage rn e ss for
.

all the r ang e of e xp e ri e nc e s e e ms to b e a su f ci e nt

r eason for a cours e of inc arn ations which sh all ac

complish th at r e sult .

Physiologists contend th at the wondrous hum an

organism could not h ave grown up out of m er e mat
1
ter b ut impli e s a pre x isten t p e rson al id ea
, which ,

group e d around its elf the organic conditions of phys

ic al e xist enc e an d constrain e d the m at eri al elem e nts
1
W e purp osely use th e term Person a l in p efe en c e t Spi itual
r r o r ,

f or the word should b e c

re s u e d f ro m its c fu sio of m eani g
on n n s

to the ol d cl ssic l o i c
a a n e, n on n e c ti on wit h th e soul . A s He r
m an n Lo tz e b eautifully u f l d n o s, Pe rson al i ty is the key to e x
iste n ce ,

u sin g the word in i ts rst se n se f rom p erson a, a mask ,
pa ra ll e l to th e He bre w an al ogy whi c h c all s m an the image of

J eh ov ah . M ul ford a l so p r e se n ts the th ought gran d ly in The

Rep ublic of God an d The N a tion , d rawin g h is sugge stion rom f
the G e rm an s Stahl an d Frosh amm er I n thi s se n se hu m an .

ity is the sh ad ow of D e ity, the v e il through wh ic h the A b sol ute

tries to re v e al H im sel f, c astin g ab out in th e m ul tip li c ity of n at
u ral f orm s a f te r a n e xp re ssi on through p h y sic al m e an s of His

o wn n atu re I n this su bli m e c on c e p tion G od is the life of the

.

u n iv e rs e , who , in Sc h e ll in g s p h ra se , S ee p s
l in the ston e ,
b re at h e s in th e pl a n t, m o v e s i n th e a n im al , an d wak e s up to con

I t is this th ought whic h m ak e s N ov alis

sciou sn e ss i n m an . so

re v e re n t to a hu m an b ei n
g as a M icrode us , an d e l e v ates the d ig
n it
y of the sou l a b v o e al l e l se . For as th e purp ose of n ature is
to pe rs on i fy the v b
I n i si l e , h u m an soul s are the Pers on s (or
m as k) s b y wh ic h th e l e ad in g p arts are here a c te d with m an
y
c ha n
ge s of S en ery . c
 E VI D E N C ES OF REI N CA RN A TI ON . 27

to follow its plan This dyn amic ag ent or the

.

soul must h av e existe d ind ep e nd ent of the b ody b e

for e the r e c eptacle was pr ep are d Bouiller an d the .

G erm an sci entists M ii ller Hart ma nn an d St ahl h av e

, , ,

e sp e ci ally d e mo n str at e d in physiology this id ea of a

re x i sten t soul m on ad whos pla stic pow e r u con

p e , n

sciou sl co n st ructs its own corpor e al org anism T h e

y .

G ree ks coil e d this id e a into the word xju an d the -

o v a
,

y ounge r Ficht e an d Lotz e h av e d e velop ed it The .

doctrin e of mod ern physiology as pre s ented b y the ,

animists is pr e cis ely t he ground t ak e n b uphold e r s of

, y
r einc arn ati on that as the low er ani m als fashion
,

ingenious n e sts with incre dib le skill so the un witting ,

soul b lindly fram e s the fab ric of its b ody in keeping

with the l aws of its own ad aptation The unconscious .

ag e ncy of the mind or instinct in r e p airing the b ody ,

h ealing its hurts an d guiding its growth is r ecogniz ed ,

b y most sci e ntists Pl ato b ut expr e ss e s the s am e

.

id ea wh en he s ays The soul always w eave s h er gar

,

m ent an e w . This thought is w e ll word e d b y G ior

d ano B runo whe n he s ays Th e soul is not in the ,

b ody l oc ally b u t a s its intrinsic form an d extrinsic

,

m ould a s th at w hich m ak e s th e m em b ers an d sh ap e s

,

the whol e within an d without The b ody th e n is in

.
, ,

the soul the soul in the mind ( spirit )

, The Int ell ect .

( S pirit ) i s G o d .

T his con c epti on giv e s the lie to the m at eri alism

which limits the forc e s of the individu al to the com
plic ations of a m e ch anism A coroll ary of this
.

m oulding pow e r of the ind e p end e nt soul is Pl ato s prop

osit io n that the soul has a n atur a l str e ngth which

will hold out an d b e b orn m any tim e s Sinc e the .

e o is ol d e r th a n the b ody the r e sid e nt who b uilds its

g ,

dwelling according to its t aste s an d m at eri al s an d ,

28 E VI D EN C E S OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

sinc e the purpos e of its corporeal h ab it ation c annot

possib ly b e acco m plish e d in a single b ri ef life tim e it ,

is n ec e ss ary th at it should r e p eat th at exp e ri e nc e al ,

ways framing its re c eptacl e to suit its growing ch ar

act e r lik e the e pochs of a lo b st e r s e nl arg e m e nt until

, ,

it has don e with physic al life The n e w app aritions

.

of m en upon the earth thus h ail from old e r sc en e s .

Evolution m ay f airly b e cl ai m e d as a spiritu al

truth applying to all the m e thods of lif e The gr adu al .

d e velopm e nt of the soul b y the school of e xp eri enc e

, ,

d e m ands a v a st er aren a of action th an on e earthly life

a ord s . If it t ake s age s of ti m e an d thous ands of
live s to form on e kind of an ani m al from anoth e r ,

the exp ansion of hum an souls fro m low e r to high e r

n ature s surely n ee ds m any an d m any a life for th at
growth .

Evolution a ry sci e nc e e xpl ains the instinctive acts

of young anim als as inh erite d te nd enci e s as p a st
,
-

e xp e ri e nc e s tr ansmitt e d into fr e sh forms Psychic

.

sci enc e is le arning th at the e arli e st acts of hum an

b eings are also d e riv e d fro m r e mot e h ab its form e d in
ant e rior activiti e s an d stor ed a w ay in th e unconscious
,

m e mory He rb ert Sp enc er the philosoph er of e v olu

.
,

tion sp eaks of a constant en ergy m anif e sting its elf

,

through all transform ations This is the on e life

.

which runs e t ern ally in prot ean sh ap e s .

The m e a sur e of our acquisition of conc e ptions from

the out er u n i ve rs e r e sid e s in the s e ns e s T h e r e is no
.

e vid e nc e th a t th e s e h a v e a l ways b ee n v e N atur e

.
,

n e v e r t aking a l eap m ust h a v e pl it us t hrough all the

,

lowe r stag e s b e fore she pl ac e d us at our pre s ent posi

tion A n d sinc e n ature cont ains m an y su b st anc e s
.

an d pow e rs which ar e p a rti ally or w h olly b eyond

th e s e s ens e s som e of which powers are known to

,
30 E VI D EN C ES OF REI N C A RN A TI ON .

we b egin life ap art from all e xp e ri enc e of this world

, ,

has o b lig e d m any think ers to r e sort to pre xi sten ce

as the n e c e ss ary e xpl an ation .

A c ar eful e x amin ation of the r ar e r f acts of life ,

notic eab ly thos e found in dreams tranc e s an d an alo , ,

gous ph enom en a d e monstrat e s th at our compl et e life

,

is l argely ind ep end ent of the b ody an d consists in a ,

p erp etu al transfe r of the s ensuous e xp eri e nc e s of

s elf consciousn e ss int o a sup ers ensuous unconscious
-

n e ss But this high er storehous e of ch aract er might

.

mor e truly b e c alle d our r eal consciousn ess although ,

we are not ordin arily cogniz ant of it for it compris e s ,

our h ab its instincts an d t end enci e s This is the es

, , .

se n ti al ch ar a ct e r of the soul an d must p e rsist aft e r

d eath N ow unl e ss all our earthl y possi b iliti es are

.
,

e xh aust e d in on e lif e the s e in her en t m ateri al qu ali

,

ti e s of our spiritu al n ature wi ll nd expr e ssion in a

plurality of earthly exist enc e s A n d if the purpos e
.

of life b e the acquisition of exp eri enc e it would b e ,

unreason ab le to suppos e a n al tr ansfer els ewh er e b e

fore a full knowl edge of earth h as b een gain e d It is .

app ar e nt th at on e life c annot a ccomplish this e v e n in ,

the long e st an d most div ers e c ar eer to say nothin g

,

of the Short av er age an d the curt aile d allo wance

,

give n to the m ajority If on e earth life answ ers for

.

all wh at a tiny e xp e ri e nc e su f c e s for the imm e ns e

,

m ass e s who pr e m atur e ly d ie as childr en " M e n are

willing e nough to b elie v e in an e te rnity of spiritu al
d e velopm ent aft er this world ; b ut is it consist ent
with the th o ught of O mnipot e nc e to consider th at the
D ivin e pl an is achi e ve d in pr ep aring for that b y a f ew
swift y e ars in on e b ody In d e voting e t ernity to our
e duc ation th e innit e Teach er sur e ly will not put us
,

into the high e st gr ad e of all until we h ave w ell mas

tered th e l essons of all the low e r cl ass e s .
 E VI D E N C E S OF RE I N C A RN A T I ON . 31

T he p hilosophy of inn ate id e as is an admission
of earli er live s th an the pre s ent The intuition alists .

e mph atic ally r e gard the c onc e pts of c aus e su b st anc e , ,

tim e an d spac e as existin g in the mind in d epen

,

d ent of e xp eri enc e The s e ns ation alists consid e r

.

th em e ntirely d ue to our s e ns ations The Sp enc eri an .

e v olution ali st s occupy a middl e ground an d c a ll th em

a m ent al h e r edity r e sulting from the e xp e ri e nc e of

the r ac e It has b een well shown as Edgar F awc ett

.
,

s ays b y two i m p arti al critics th at th is c ontrov ersy

, ,

c ann ot b e solve d b y an y agree m ent of W e st ern psychol

o i sts
g B
. uckl e inv e ighs a g a inst t he s e discord a nt sys

mms as h aving thrown the stu dy of the mind into

a confusion only to b e comp ar e d to t hat in which the

"

st udy of r eligion has b een thrown b y the controversi e s

A n d G e org e He nry L e w e s in
1
o f the th e ologi ans .
,

his History of Philosophy d epl ore s this p erpl e x

,

ing condition of m et ap hysics The solution of the .

prob lem co m e s along with r einc arn ation f rom the

, ,

e a st ern stud e nts who a ss e rt t hat a t r u e conc e pti o n of

,

th e soul is discov er e d only b y the cultur e of sup er

s ensuous faculti e s Th e y c onc ed e a portion of truth
.

to b oth extre me schools d e claring th at the p ri m ary

,

acquisition of such id ea s wa s g a in e d b y s e ns ation b u t ,

th at at pre s en t t hey are inn ate in the infant mind .

T h ey are now th e g en e r aliz e d exp eri enc e of form e r

e xist e nc e s risi n g ag ain into consci o us n e ss .

The r e stl e ssn e ss of our spi rits points to anci e nt

h ab its of v ari e d action An d a sti ll m ore forci b le in
.

dication is the div e rsity of ch ar act e r in the s am e per

son T he s e wave ring unc e rt ainti e s an d contrari e s in
.

e ac h on e of us w hic h striv e for th e m a st ery an d a re

,

n ever crus hed e v en b y the st e rn est xity of hab it

'

1 H T Buckle Histo p
. .
y f
o, C i ili a tio rv l i 166v z n, o . . . .
32 E VI D E N C E S OF REI N C A RN A TI ON .

rend ering the b est of us am en ab l e to t em pt ations an d ,

m aking t he stronge st v acill ate m ay w ell re s ult f ro m ,

'

m eand erings in n um erous characters The m ain trend .

of our n ature s is still ofte n distr act e d into old forgo t

te n w ays .

5 R e inc arn ati on provid e s a co m pl e t e answe r to

.

the most p e rpl e xing pro b l e m of t he ol ogy o rigin al ,

sin Prop e rly this point b el o ngs to the p rec e ding sec
.

tion b ut its i mp ortanc e justi e s a s e p arat e m e ntion

,
.

The e ndle ss contr o v e rsi e s c e nt e ring u p on this qu e stion

sho w how C hristi an m et ap hysics h av e v ainly wr e stl e d
with a G ordi an knot whic h c annot possi b ly b e unti e d
from the st andpoint consid e ring t his life th e initi al an d
o nly e arthly o n e a knot which,
r einc arn ati on not
si m ply cuts b u t re ve als how it was m ad e B etwe en the
,
.

e xtr e m e d o g m a s of P e l agius who m aint ain e d th at all

,

m e n are b orn in a st at e of innoc e nc e an d m ay th e r e for e

live without sin an d of A ugustin e who h e ld the total
, ,

d e p ravity of m ankind a rising fro m th eir transg re ssion

,

in Ad am an d the ir ab solute b ond age to the d e vil t he re ,

h as r ag e d a continu al w arf ar e which has divid e d ,

C hrist e ndo m into m any s e cts of thought on this l e ading

d octrin e T he mod ern chu rc h creeds still rang e th e m
.

s elve s in conicting b att ali on s following the discus ,

sions d uring the R e fo rm ation b etween Era s m us who ,

d e ni e d the pow er o f h e re di tary sin ove r fr ee will a n d ,

Luth er who insist e d th at the r ac e is compl et ely in

,

t he d e vil s pow e r b y n atur e

By f ar the l arge st p art
.

of the C h risti an world profe ss edly adher e s to the lat

te r f a ith t hat m en are b o rn enti rely corrupt Eve n
,
.

the A r m ini ans " u ak ers an d li b eral d eno min ations

, ,

wh o a d m it on ly a g e r m o f Si n in h u m anity a re a t a
loss to account it T he o rd in ary the ologic al e xplan a
.

tion which d e rive s our sin from the tr a nsgr e ssion of

 E VI D E N C E S OF RE I N C ARN A TI ON . 33

Ad a m , as pp ar ently t aught b y St P aul although

a .
,

tacitly h eld b y most of th e churche s an d e xpr e ss e d in

the m aj ority of cr ee ds gr at e s so s e v e r ely on the inn e r
,

consciousn e ss an d co mmon s e ns e th at it do e s n ot
answ e r the r e al di f culty Th e r e is a g e n e r al a gr e e
.

m e nt am ong m ankind upon whi ch the cod e s of prac

,

tic al life are b as ed th at A d am s re sponsi b ility for our

,

sin is only a m ake s hift of the the ologi ans f or e ve ry

s ensi b l e m an k n ows t hat no on e b ut the individu al
hi m s elf can b e b lame d for his wrong doing A d am -
.

is a cc e pt e d as a fab l e for our O ld er s e lve s Dis m issing .

all the i nt e r m in ab l e argum ents of t heology which only ,

o b scur e truth in a cl oud of intellectu al wranglings ,

the b ro ad f o und ation of e thics ground e d in our b e st

,

instincts att ach ed sin som ehow th ough in expl ain ab ly

, , ,

to the sinn e r ; a n d the only su f cient e xp lan ation

trac e s its b eginning to e arli e r live s .

T he mor al c h aract e r o f child re n e sp e ci all y the oc

,

curr enc e of e vil in them l ong b e fore it could h ave

b een i m pl an t e d b y t hi s e xist e nc e h as fo rc e d acute

,

o b s e rvers to assu me that the hu m an spi rit has m ad e

c hoic e of e vil i n a pre n at al sph e re si m il ar to this
-
.

Every on e wh o kn o ws c hild re n r e j e cts the P el agi an

th e ory of th eir i m m acul at e inn oc e nc e A s soon as .

t hey have the p owe r to do w rong without an y t e ach ,

ing the wr ong is d on e as a n atural proc e ed ing .

T he ge rm of sin sp rings up fro m s om e O ld sowing .

But the A ug usti n i an d oct rin e is e qu ally unt ru e t o hu

man n atur e . T he m o st inco rrigi b l e t e nd e ncy to e vil
in an u n in ue n ced c hild c ann ot conc e al the good
within it b ut m e rely indic at e s that form e r ill h ab its
,

are wo rking t h e m selv e s out T he d e p ra v e d cri m in al

.

a t l ast s e e s hi s o wn f olly wh en hi s c o u rs e of sin is run

,

an d b e com e s so w ear of it th t t h n xt l s of lif

y a e e e a e e
34 E VI D E N C E S OF RE IN C A RN A TI ON .

must b e on a b ett er pl an So e vil is discov e r e d to b e

.

good in the m aking an d vic e is virtu e in the strength

,

e n in g.

Ev ery p erson at som e st age of growth aw ak ens

to the recognition of sin within him an d is c ert ain ,

th at it is so radic al as to re ach b ack of all his pre s ent

life although it is sur ely foreign to his tru e n ature
, .

W e all f eel ours e lv es to h av e b ounde d into life lik e a

stag c arrying a p anth e r which must b e sh aken off .

T h eology a tt e mpts to account for this b y A d am s sin

ent ailing a h e r edit ary d e pr a vity But our inmost

.

consciousn e ss agree s with the common s ens e of m an

kind in holding us alon e r e sponsi b le for our t end ency
to wrong R e mors e s e iz e s us for the in e xplic ab l e e vil
.

in us The only solution is th at of th e p ar a sit e in the

.

b utt ery The ins e ct allow e d the p e st to e nt e r wh e n

.

it was a worm This b light e d condition c annot b e the

.

origin al st ate of m an It must b e the re sult of the

.

hum an will r e sisting the divin e an d choosing wrong

,

in old exist enc e s b eyond r ecoll ection .

A m ast erly e xpr e ssion of this thought nourish e d the

1
childhood of C hristi an ity in the t each ing of O rigen ,

an d ourish e d with whol e so m e inu enc e until it was

forci b ly crush e d out of pop ul arity b y the C ouncil of

C onst antinopl e to m ak e room for the h arsh d ogm as
,

which h av e sinc e d arken e d the ration al e of C hristi an

ity It n e ve r was int elligently met an d conqu ere d b ut
. ,

was summ arily oust e d as incomp ati b l e wit h the w e ight

of prejudic e The s am e tre at m ent of it app ears in
.

D r Hodg e s Syst e m atic Th e ology ( und e r the se c

.

tion on P r e existenc e ) Th at it is in harm ony with

.

Scriptur e has b een shown b y He nry Mor e Soam e J en ,

ns C h ev ali er R ams ay an d Prof e ssor Bow e n from

y , , ,

1 See p a e s 2 33 cl se
g q .
 E VI D E N C E S OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 35

whom quot ations are given in ch apt er iv an d b y oth er .

,

writers m ention e d at the clos e of this b ook Julius .

M ii ll er Le ssin gf Edward B eech er C ole ridge an d

1
,
3
, ,

K ant also sust ain it from a religio philosophic al

4 -

ground It is the only ration al expl an ation of the

.

theologic al id ea of sin .

The s am e is tru e r egarding the church s dogm a of
future punishm ents an d re wards A r eason ab l e con sid .

e ration fails to und e rst and how th e j ump can b e m ad e

from this condition of things to an et ernity of e ith er

sn erin g or b liss a s ordin ary th e ology d e m ands .

The R om an C atholics r e cogniz ed this di fculty suf

ci en tl
y to provid e Purg a tory an d in th at t e n e t th ey ,

m eet the s ens e of hum anity R einc arn ation Simply .

s ays th at the re are m any purgatori e s an d on e is ,

e arth The mor e r ation al Prot e st ants ge t a round the

.

incongruity b y p ermitting m any grad e s of e xist enc e in

heaven an d h ell which appro ach e s the s am e solution
, .

R e inc arn ation s ays also th ere are innite d e gr ee s of ,

h eave n an d h e ll an d m any of the m slop e down through

,

this life It is inconc eivab l e how e arthly n ature s

.

n d m ost of hu m an souls a re such n nd th e ir

( a ) ca
pen

altie s an d th e ir r e w ards e ls e wh e r e th a n on som e kind of

earth The sch e m e of th e univ ers e pre s ents e v e ry

.

wh e re a simple an d sub lim e h ab it of keeping affinitie s

toge th er an d it c ert ainly s eems as if the s am e economy
,

could apply to soul s a s to atoms This id ea m eets .

b ett er th an an y oth e r th e principl e s th at punishm ent

1
See p
g 66 a e .
2
Se e p age 72 .
8 See p age 67 .

4
b etwee the I t lligi ble c ha act a d th
Kan t s distin tion

c n n e r er n e

Em p i ic l r c qui e d cha ac te whic h is a m taphy ic l f m

a or a r r r, e s a or

of th i c
e ti vie w c c ern i g the e te al I d iv idu lity
re n arn a on on n rn n a

a d the t m p o al Personalit
n e is show b
r P f ess r B w pp
y y o , n ro o e n on .

10 2 cl se
q .
36 E VI D EN C E S OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

for sin c annot continu e longe r th an the sin continu es ,

a n d th at the e v e rl a sting m e rcy of the Supr e m e will pro

vid e som e n al r el eas e for his erring children .

6 R e inc arn ation e xpl ains m any curious e xp eri enc e s

. .

Most of us h ave known the touch e s of f eeling an d

thought th at s ee m to b e r emind ers of forgott en things .

Som etim e s as di m dr eams of old sc e n e s som etim e s as,

vivid lightning ash e s in the d arkn e ss r ec alling dist ant

occurr enc e s som etim e s with unutt erab l e d epth of m ean
,

ing It app ears as if n ature s opi at e which ush er ed us

.

h ere had b e en so dilut ed th at it did not quit e effac e the

old m emori es an d r eason struggl es to d eciphe r the v es
,

tige s of a form er st ate A lmost e very on e has f elt the

.

s ens e of great age Thinking of som e un wan ted sub

.

j ect oft e n an impr e ssion s eiz e s us th at som ewh e r e long ,

ago we h av e had th e s e r e e ctions b efor e

,
Learning.

a fact m eeting a f ac e for the rst tim e we are puzzl e d

, ,

with an ob scur e s ens e th at it is f amili ar Tr a vel .

ing n e wly in str ange pl ac e s we are som etim e s h aunt e d

with a consciousn ess of h aving b ee n th er e alr eady .

Music is sp eci ally apt to guid e us into mystic d epths ,

wh er e we are st artl e d with the ashing r e minisc enc es

of unspeakab l e v e ritie s which we h ave felt or s ee n
ag e s sinc e Eff orts of thought r e v eal the h alf ob liter
.
-

a t e d inscriptions on the t ab l e ts of m e mory p assing b e ,

for e the vision in a w eird proc e ssion Ev e ry on e has

.

som e such exp eri e nc e s Most of th e m are b lurre d an d

.

ob scure But som e are so r em ark ab ly distinct th at

.

thos e who und ergo th e m are convinc ed th at th eir sen

s atian e are actu al r e coll ections of e vents an d pl ac e s in
form er live s It is e ve n possi b l e for c e rt ain p ersons
.

to trac e thus quit e fully an d cle arlv a p art of th eir b y

gon e history prior to this life .

Sir W alt e r Scott was so im pr e ss ed b y th e s e experi

38 E VI D EN C E S OF RE I N C A RN A T I ON .

an d s truggling consciousn e ss of a form e r life A g ain

.
,

in G odolphin ( ch apt e r he writ e s : How
str ang e is it th at at tim e s a f eeling com e s ov e r us as we

gaze upon c ertain plac e s which a ssoci at e s the sc en e

,

e ith er with som e dim r e m em b er e d an d dr eamlik e im

a g e s of th e P ast or with a proph etic an d f earful om e n

,

of the F uture Ev e ry on e has known a simil ar

.

strange an d indistinct feeling at c e rt ain tim e s an d

pl ac es an d with a similar in ab ility to trac e the c aus e
, .

Edgar A Poe writ e s ( in Eur ek a

. W e walk
ab out a mid th e d e stini e s of our world exist e nc e accom
, ,

an ie d b y dim b ut e v e r pr e s ent me mori e s of a D e stiny

p
more v ast v ery dist ant in the b ygon e tim e an d in
nitely awful . W e live out a youth p eculi arly
h aunte d b y such dream s yet n e ve r mist aking th em,

for dreams A S memori es we know th e m D uring

. .

our youth the distinctn e ss is too cl ear to d e c eive us

e v e n for a mom e nt But the d oub t of m anhood dis
.

p els th e s e feelings as illusions .

Explicit occurr e nc es of this cl ass are found in th e

n arrative s of Hawthorn e W illis C ol eri dge D e , , ,

" uinc e y a
,
n d m a ny oth e r writ ers A striking .inst anc e

a p e ars in a littl e m e moir of the l at e W illi am H on e the

p ,

P arodist upon whom the e xp e ri enc e m ad e such a pro

,

found eff e ct th at it rous ed him from thi rty y ears of

m ate ri alistic ath eism to a conviction of the soul s ind e

n de n ce of m att e r B ing c all e d in b usin e ss to a

p e e .

hous e in a p art of London entirely n ew to him he kept ,

noticin g th at he h ad n e v er b een that way b efore .

I was shown he s ays into a roo m to w ai t O n
,

,
.

looking around to my astonishm ent e verything ap

,

eare d p e rf ectly f amili ar to m e I s e e m e d to r eco n i ze

p g
e v e ry o b j e ct .I s aid to mys elf wh at is this ? I was ,

n ev er h ere b efor e an d yet 1 h ave s een all this an d if ,

 E VI D EN C ES OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 39

so there is a v ery p eculi ar knot in the sh utte r

,
He .

op en ed the shutter an d ther e was the knot

,
.

The exp eri e nc e of m any p e rsons s upports this truth .

The s acr e d Hindu b ooks c ont ain m any d e taile d his

tori e s of transmigration K apila is s aid to h ave writ
.

ten out the V e d a s fr o m his r e coll e ction of th e m in a

form e r life The Vishnu Puran a furnish e s som e e n
.

te rtain in g inst anc e s of m e mory r e tain e d through suc

ce ssiv e live s Pyth agor a s is r el at ed to h av e r em e m
.

b er e d his form e r exist e nc e s in the p e rsons of a h er ald

n ame d ZEthalid e s Euphorb us the T roj an H ermo
, ,

timus of C lazom en ee an d oth e rs It is st at e d th at he

,
.

pointe d out in the temple of Juno at A rgos the shi eld , ,

with which as Euphor b us he att ack e d P atroclus in

, ,

the T roj an war .The life of A pollonius of Ty an a

give s som e extraordin ary ex ampl e s of his recogn i
ti ons of p ersons he had known in prec eding live s .

A ll th e s e c as e s are consid e r e d ctions b y most p eopl e ,

b e c aus e th ey tresp ass the li m its of historic al accur acy .

But there are m any facts in our own tim e th at point

in the s am e direction The Drus e s h av e no doub t
.

th at this life foll ows m any othe rs A Drus e b oy ex .

pl ain e d his t error at the disch arge of a gun b y s aying ,

I was b orn murd ered ; that is the s oul of a man ,

who had b e en shot entere d into his b ody A schol arly .

fri e nd of the writ er is s atise d that he onc e live d

am ong the mount ains b e for e his pres ent life for , ,

though b orn in a at country d e stitute of pin e s his ,

rst young entranc e to a wild pin e grown mount ain dis -

tri ct rous e d the d e e p e st s e ns e of f a m ili arity a n d hom e

liken e ss A n d his l ast life he thinks was as a wom an
.
, , ,

b ec aus e of c ert ain comm anding f e m inin e traits which

continu ally a ss ert them s elv e s A n d this in spite of
.

an app ar ently strong m asculin e n atur e which n ever ,

e xcit e s a suspicion of e ff e min acy .

40 E VI D EN C E S OF RE I N C ARN A TI ON
'
.

A noth e r friend of the writ e r s ays th at his only

child a little girl now d ec eas e d often r eferre d to a
, ,

younger siste r of whom he kn e w nothing W h en cor .

re cted with th e a ssur a nc e th at she h ad no siste r She ,

would re ply O h y es I h ave " I h ave a little b ab y

, , ,

sist er in h e av en " The s am e gentlem an t ells this

an e cdot e of a n e igh b or s f amily wh e r e the su b j e ct of

r einc arn ation is n e v e r m ention ed A group of chil .

dre n was playing in the hous e at a counting gam e

while th e ir mothe r w atche d th e m W h en th ey reach e d .

o n e hundr e d th ey st art e d ag ain at on e an d climb e d

up the numb ers onc e mor e The b righte st b oy com .

men te d on the proc ee ding : W e count ten twe nty , ,

thirty an d so on to a hundred T h e n we get thro ugh

,
.

an d b e gin all ov e r M am m a l Th at s the way p e opl e

.

do Th ey go on an d on till th ey com e to the en d

.
,

an d th e n th ey b egin ov e r ag ain

I hop e I 11 h ave you .

for a m amm a again the n ext tim e I b egin Law .

renc e O liph ant give s in Bl ackwo o d s M agazin e for

J anu ary 188 1 a r em arkab l e account of a child who

, ,

re m e mb e r e d exp e ri ence s of pr evious live s .

N ot e s a n d "u e ri e s

A writ e r in s econd s eri e s , ,

vol iv p 15 7 s ays A gentl em a n of high int ell ectu al
. . .
, ,

att ainm e nts now d e c ea s e d onc e told m e th at he had

, ,

dr eam e d of b e ing in a strange city so vividly th at he ,

re m e m b er e d the streets hous e s an d pub lic b uildings , ,

as distinctly a s thos e of an
y pl a c e h e e v e r visit e d A .

f e w w eeks a fte rw ard he was induc ed to visit a p ano

ram a in L e ic e st er Squ are wh e n he was st artl e d b y ,

s eeing the city of which he had dr eam e d The like .

n e ss was p e rfe ct exc ept th at on e addition al church ap

p e are d in the pictu r e H e was so struck b .
y t h e

cum stan ce th at he spok e to th e e xhi b itor a ssuming ,

for his purpos e the air of a trav el e r acqu ainte d with

the pl ac e He was inform e d th at the addition al
.

church was a r ec ent e rection It is dif cult to ao .

count for such a f act b y the hypoth e sis of the doub l e

structure of the b rain or b y cl airvoy anc e ,
.

In Lord Linds ay s d e scription of the v all ey of
Kadisha p 351 ed 1847 ) he s ays . We ,
.

saw the ri v e r Kadish a d e sc ending from L eb anon The .

whole sc en e b or e th at strange an d sh adowy r e s e m

b l anc e to the wondrous l andsc ap e in Kub la Kh an
that on e so ofte n feels in actu al life wh en the whol e ,

sc en e around you app ears to b e r eacting after a long

interval Your fri ends s eate d in the s am e j uxtaposi
.

tion the sub j e cts of convers ation the s am e an d Shift

, ,

ing with the s am e dr eamlike eas e th at you rem emb e r ,

at som e r e mot e an d ind e nit e p eriod of pre e xist e nc e

you always know wh at will co m e n ext an d sit sp ell ,

b ound as it w e r e in a sort of c alm exp ect ancy

, ,
.

Dickens in his Picture s from It aly m entions this
, ,

inst anc e on his rst sight of Fe rrar a :

,
In the fo re
gr ound was a group of silent p eas ant girls l eaning ,

over the p arap et of the little b ridge looking n ow up ,

at th e sky now down into the w at er ; in the dis

,

t anc e a d eep d ell ; the sh adow of an appro aching

night on e v erything If I had b ee n murd ere d th e re
.

in so m e form e r life I could not h ave s eem e d to re

m e m b e r the pl ac e mor e thoroughly or with more em ,

ph atic chilling of the b lood ; an d the r e al re m e m

b ranc e of it acquire d in th at minut e is so str e ngth en e d
b y the im agin ary r ec ollection th at I h ardly think I

could forge t it .

A p ass age in the story of

The W ool g ath er er -

Sh ows th at J a m e s Hogg the a ut h or Sh ar e d the s am e, ,

fee ling a n d attrib ut e d it to an e arli e r life on earth .

N P W illis wrot e a story of hims elf as the rein car

. .
42 E VI D EN C E S OF RE IN C ARN A TI ON .

n ation of an A ustri an artist n arrating how he discow ,

er e d his pr e vious p erson ality in D ash e s at Life , ,

und er the title A R e vel ation of a Previous Exist

e nc e . D G R oss e.tti do e
. s th e sam e in his sto ry

St A gn e s of Int erc e ssion
. .

The w ell known l e ctur e r Euge n e A shton r ec ently

-

, ,
'

contrib ut e d to a C incinn ati p ap er th es e two an ec

dote s

A t a dinn e r p arty in N e w Y ork r e c ently a l ady , , ,

who is on e of New Y ork s most gift e d singers s aid to

,

on e of th e gue sts : In so m e r e inc arn ation I hop e to
p erfe ct my voic e which I feel is now only p artially
,

d e v elop e d So long as I do not att ain the high e st

.

of which my soul is c ap ab l e I sh all b e r eturn ed to the

e sh to work out wh at n ature int end e d m e to do .

But m d m if you e xp e ct inc arn ations h av e you

a a
, , ,

O f th at I c annot

an y e vid e nc e of p a st on e s ?

sp eak positiv ely I can rec all dimly things which

.

s ee m to h ave h app en e d to m e wh en I was in the e sh

b e for e O fte n I go to pl ac e s which are n ew to the
.

pr e s ent p erson ality b u t they are not n e w to my soul

,

I am sur e th at I h ave b een th ere b efor e .

A Southe rn lit e r ary wom an who now liv e s in Brook ,

lyn sp eaking of her form e r inc arn ations s ays :

,
I ,

a m sur e th at I h av e liv e d in som e p ast ti m e ; for in

stanc e wh en I was at Heid el b erg G er m any att ending

, , ,

a conv ention of Mystics in co m p any with som e fri e nds

,

I p aid my rst visit to the ruin e d He id elb erg C astl e .

A s I appro ach e d it I wa s i m pr e ss e d with the e xist e nc e

of a p eculi ar room in an in acc e ssib l e portion of the
b uilding A p ap e r an d p encil w er e provid ed me an d
.
,

I dre w a di agram of the room e v en to its p eculi ar

oor My di agra m an d d e scription w er e p e rfect
.
,

wh en we aft erw ards v isit e d the room In som e way .

 E VI D EN C ES OF RE I N C ARN A TI ON . 43

not yet cl ear to me I h av e b ee n conn ecte d with th at

ap artm ent Still anoth er im pr e ssion c am e to me
.

with r egard to a b ook which I was m ad e to fe el was

,

in the old lib rary of the He id elb erg Unive rsity I .

not only kn e w wh at the b ook was b ut ev en felt th at ,

a c e rt ain n a m e of an old G e rm an prof e ssor would b e

found written in it C ommunic ating this feeling to

.

on e of th e Mystics at the conv ention a s earch was ,

m ad e for the volum e b ut it was not found Still the

, .

i m pre ssion clung to m e an d anoth er e ort was m ade

,

to nd the b ook this tim e we w ere r e ward ed for our

p ains Sure enough th ere on the m argin of on e of
.
,

the l eav e s was the ve ry n am e I had b ee n giv e n in

such a strange m ann er O th er things at the s am e.

tim e w e nt to convinc e m e th at I was in poss e ssion of

the soul of a p erson who h ad known He id el b erg two

or three c enturi e s ago .

The writ er knows a g entl em an who has r ep eat edly

felt a vivid s ens e of som e on e striking his skull with
an ax e although n othing in his own e xp e ri e nc e or in
,

that of hi s f am ily e xpl ains it A n extraordin ary per

.

son to wh o m he had n e v e r hint e d the m att er onc e sur

pris ed him b y s aying th at his previous life was clos e d
b y murd e r in th at v ery way A noth e r acqu aint anc e
.

is sure th at som e tim e ago he was a Hindu an d re col ,

lects s eve r al rem ark ab le incid ents of th at life .

O b j e ctors ascri b e th e s e e nigm a s to a jum b l e of as

soci ations producing a b lurr ed vision like the drunk ,

ard s e xp e ri e nc e of s ee ing dou b l e a discord ant r e m e m
,

b r anc e sn atch e s of forgott en dr eam s or to the

, ,

doub le structur e of the b r ain In on e of the lob e s .

,

th ey say the thought ash e s a mom ent in a dvanc e of

,

the oth e r an d the s e cond h alf of the th inking m a c h in e

,

regards the rst impression as a m emory of som ething

44 E VI D E N C E S OF RE I N CA RN A TI ON .

1
long distant But this e xplan ation is uns atisfactory
.
,

as it f a ils to a ccount for the wond e rful vividn e ss of som e

of the s e impre ssions in w ell b al anc e d minds or the -

long tr ains of thought which com e ind e p end e nt of an y

comp anions or the proph etic glimps e s which anticip at e
,

actu al occurr e nc e s Far mor e cr e di b l e is it th at e ach

.

soul is a p alimps e st inscrib ed again an d again with

on e story upon anoth e r an d wh en e v e r the all wis e Au ,
-

thor 1s r eady to writ e a gr and er p age on us He w a sh e s

off the old ink a n d p e ns his l at e st word But som e of .

us can tr ac e h ere an d th e r e lett e rs of the form er man

uscript not y et e ace d .

A contri b u tor to the P enn Monthly of Sept e m ,

b er 187 5 r e fe rs to the hypoth e sis of dou b le m e nt al

, ,

vision as suppos e d to a ccount for most of th e s e

inst anc es an d th e n conclud e s : Such would b e my
,

infe re nce as r egards ordin ary c as e s of this sort of rem

in iscen ce e sp eci ally wh e n th ey a re ob s e rve d to ac
,

comp any an y im p aire d h ealth of the organs of m ent al

a ction But th e r e are mor e e xtraordin ary insta nc e s
.

of this m ent al ph enom enon of which I can give no ex ,

pl an ation Thre e of th e s e h av e falle n within my own

.

r ange of ob s ervation A fri e nd s child of ab out four

.

y ears old was ob s e rved b y her old er sister to b e talk

ing to h ers elf ab out m att ers of which she could not b e
suppos e d to kno w anything W hy W ex .
,

cl aim e d the old e r sist er wh at do you kno w ab out ,

th at ? A ll th at h app en e d b efor e you w er e b orn "

I would h v you know L th at I gr ew old in
a e , , '

h eav en b efore I was b orn I do not quote this as if .

1
physiol ogic al e xpl ati f the se in sta c e s D r W igan
As a an on o n ,
.

p ublishe d n 1844 a c u i u s b k title d The D uality f the

I

r o oo en ,
o

M i d (L d o ) whic h exc ite d a im ated d isc ussi s a d c alle d

n on n ,
n on n

f rth a umb e f c i c um sta c es whic h the double struc ture of

o n r o r n

the b rain c oul d n ot e xplain .

46 E VI D E N C E S OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

nothing from an y oth er sourc e b ut all was tru e to ,

the lif e an d en ab l ed m e to x on I n di a as the sc en e

,

which he r e c all ed .

7 The strong e st support of r e inc arn ation is its h appy

.

solution of the prob le m of moral in e qu ality an d in

justic e an d e vil wh ich oth erwis e overwh elms us as we
survey the world The s ee ming ch aos l s m arv elously
.

se t in ord e r b y th e id e a of s o ul w a nd e ring M any a -

.

sub lim e int ell ect has b een so oppr e ss e d with the topsy
turv in e ss of things h e r e as to cry out Th e re is no ,

G od . A ll is b lind ch anc e A n e xclusive vi e w of
.

the mis eri e s of m ankind the prosp e rity of wick edn e ss

, ,

the struggl e s of the d e s e rving the oppr e ssion of th e ,

m ass e s or on the oth e r h and the talents an d suc

, , ,

c e ss e s an d h appin e ss of the fortun at e f ew comp els on e ,

to c all the world a sh am without an y moral law But .

that consid er ation yi elds to a m aj e stic s atisfaction

wh en on e is assured th at the pr e s ent life is only on e
of a grand s eri e s in which e ve ry individu al is gradu
ally going the round of innit e e xp e ri enc e for a glori

ous outcom e th at the he dging ills of to d ay are a -

cons e qu enc e of wh at we did ye sterd ay an d a st ep

tow ard th e great things of to morrow Thus the -
.

t angl e d sn arls of e arthly ph enom en a are straighten e d

out as a v ast an d b eautiful sch em e an d the tot al ex ,

rien ce of hum anity forms a m agnic e nt t ap e stry of

p e

p erfe ct po etic j ustic e .

The cru ci al t e st of an y hypoth e sis is wh eth e r it

m eets all the facts b e tt e r th an an y oth er th e ory No .

oth e r vi e w so ad mi rab ly accounts for the diversity of

conditions on e arth an d r efute s the ch arge of f a
,

v o rit ism on the p art of Provid e nc e Hierocle s s aid .

,

an d m any a philosoph e r b e for e an d sinc e h a s a gr e e d

with him W ithout the doctrin e of m et empsychosi s

,
 E VI D EN C E S OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 47

it is not possib l e to j ustify the w ays of G od Som e .

of the th e ologi ans h ave found the id e a of p re exist enc e

n e c ess ary to a r eason ab le expl an ation of the w orld ,

although it is consid e r e d for e ign to the Bi b l e O ver .

thir ty years ago D r Edward B ee cher pub lish e d

, .

The C on ict of A ge s in which the m ain argum ent

,

is this thought He d emonstrat e s th at the f acts of

.

sin an d d epravity comp el the acc ept anc e of this doc

trin e to e xon erat e G od fro m the ch arge of m alicious
n e ss His b ook c aus ed a lively controversy an d was
.
,

soon foll ow e d b y The C oncord of A ge s in which ,

he answe rs the o b j e ctions an d str engt hens his posi

tion The s am e truth is t augh t b y Dr Julius M ii ll er
. .
,

a G e rm an th e ologi an of p rodi g i ous inu e nc e among

the cl ergy A noth e r promin ent l ead er of th eologic al
.

thought Dr Dorn er sustains it

,
.
,
.

W e conclud e th erefore th at reinc arn ation is n e

, ,

cessitate d b y immort ality th at an alogy t each es it

, ,

th at sci enc e upholds it th at the n atur e of the soul,

n ee ds it th at m any strange s ens ations support it

, ,

an d th at it alon e grandly solv e s th e pro b l e m of life .

The fulln e ss of its m eaning is m aj e stic b eyond ap

preci ation for it sh ows th at e v ery soul from the
, ,

lowe st anim al to the high est arch angel b elongs to ,

the innit e f amily of G od an d is e t ern al in its con

scious e ss enc e p erishing only in its t emporary dis
,

guis e s ; th at e v ery act of e v ery creatur e is follow e d

b y infalli b l e r eactions which cons ti tut e a p erf e ct law
of r etrib ution an d th at th e s e souls are int ric at ely in
terlace d with mutu al r el ationships The b e wild e ring .

m az e thus b ecom e s a divin e h armony No indivi d u al .

stands alon e b ut t rails with him the unnish ed se

,

qu els of an anc estral c areer an d is so b ound up with ,

his rac e th at each is r e sponsib l e for all an d all f or

48 E VI D EN C E S OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

ea ch No on e can b e wholly s av ed until all are re

.

d eem ed Every suff ering we e ndure app ar ently for

.

faults not our own a ssum e s a holy light an d a su b lim e

dignity This thought remov e s th e littl en ess of p etty
.

s elsh a airs an d conrms in us the vast est hop e s for

m ankind .
 Man h as an Etern al Fath er wh o s en t h im t o re si de an d gain ex

i n th e a n im al ri n c ip l PA RA C E LS U S
peri e n ce p es . .

k
God , wh o ta es m ill i on s of y e ars t o orm a soul t h at sh al l u n d er f
st an d Him , a n d b e b
l e sse d ; wh o n e e r n e e d s t o b e an d n e e r is , in v v
h ast e c
wh o we l om e s th e sim pl e s t th ou gh t of t ruth or ea uty a s th e b
r e turn f or se e d h e h a s s ow n u p on t h e ol d all ows of e te rn ity f .

GE O R GE MA C D O N A LD .

I t m a y b e d oub t e d wh e th er th e stran ge n e ss b bility f an d im pro a o

c v
th i s hyp oth e sis (p re exist e n e ) am on g ou rs e l es
i ft l l f m ar se s a er a ro

gr o u n ds on w h i ch ou r
p h p
il c g t l t it lf I t
os o h y h as r e as on t o on ra u a e se .

m y ba
q ti ed w h th ues i f w m ion e l v c di dl y w
e er , e ex a ne ou rse es an , e

sh ll a t di c v
no t h t th f li g f t v g c with which it
s o er a e ee n o e x ra a an e

aff c te h it
s us c t c i m t i li tic
as s se re m i m t i li tic sour e n a er a s or se -
a er a s

p j di
re u c PRO E S OR WI LLIA M A RC H ER BU LE R S L tu
es . F S T

ec res on

P la tonic Philosop hy .

Might n ot th e h um an m em ory b e c om p are d to a el d of se pul tu re ,

thi ckl y s to ck e d with th e re m ai n s of m an y ge n eration s But of th e se

th ous an d s wh os e d u st h e a v es th e f c
su r a e , a f e w on l y are sa v ed f ro m
imm e diate o blivi on , u p on b
t a l e ts an d u rn s ; wh i l e t h e m a n y are , at

p rese n t , u tt erl y l ost t o k n owl e d ge . v

N e erth el ess e a h of th e d e ad c
f
h as l e t i n th at s oul an im perish a l e b germ ; an d a ll , wi th out distin o
tion , sh all an oth er d ay start up , an d cl ai m th eir d ues .
I SAA C
TA YLOR .

Th e a b se n e c o f m e m ory of an y a cti ons d on e in a p vire ous sta te

c a n n ot be a c cl u iv
on s e a rgu m en t a gai ns t our v v
h a i n g li e d through it .

Forge t f ul n e ss of th e p ast m ay b e on e of th e c on di tion s of a n e n tra n e c

up on a ne w stage of e x is t e n e c . Th e b od y c
wh i h i s th e organ of

s ense -
p c e r e ption m ay b e q u it e as mu h c a hin d ran c e as a h el pt o re

m e m b ran ce . I n th at c as e c a su al
g l e a m s o f m e m o r y g
,
i i n
g u s s u d v
d en a b ru p t an d m om e n ta ry re v e l a ti on s o f th e a st , are p
re is el y t h e p c
ph e n om e n a we wou l d e xpe ct t m o eet w it h . I f th e s ou l h as pre xi ste d ,
what we woul d a p riori antic ip t a e a re on l y s om e f a in t tra e s of r ec
c ll cti
o e u v v on s r i i n g in the c yp t r s of m em ory . PROF E SSOR WIL
LI AM KNI GHT .
 O BJEC T I O N S T O REI N C ARN AT I O N .

TH ERE are four l eading ob j ections to the idea of re

b irths
1 Th at we
. h av e no m e mory of p ast live s .

2 Th at it is unjust for us to r e c e ive now

. the re

sults of forgott en d e eds e n act e d long a o

g .

3 Th at h er edity co nf ut e s it
. .

4 Th at it is an unconge ni al doctrin e
. .

1 . W hy do not rem emb er som ething of our pre

we
v ious liv e s if we h a v e r eally b e e n through th e m ?
,

The reason why th er e is no univ ers al conviction

from this ground s eems to b e th at b irth is so violent
as to sc att e r all th e d e t ails an d l eav e only the n e t

spiritu al re sult A s Plotinus s ai d Body is the tru e

.
,

rive r of L eth e ; for souls plunge d into it forge t all .

The r e al soul lif e is so disti n ct from the m at eri al

pl an e th at we h av e di fculty in r et aining m any expe
rien ces of this lif e W ho rec alls all his childhood ?
.

An d has an y on e a m emory of th at most wond erful

ep och infanc y
Nature som eti me s shows us wh at may b e the ini
ti al condition of a m an s n ext life in d epriving him of
'

his life s exp eri enc e an d r eturning him to a s econd

childhood W ith only the ch aract er acquire d during

,
52 OBJ E C TI ON S TO REI N C A RN A TI ON .

life for his ins ep ar ab l e fortun e The great an d good .

pr el at e Fre d e rick C hristi an von O etingen of W iirtem

b e rg ( 17 0217 8 2 ) b ec am e in his old age a d e vout
a n d innoc e nt child aft er a long life of us efuln e ss
, .

G r adu ally sp e e ch di e d a w ay until for thre e years he

,

was du mb . L eaving his study wh ere he had writt e n ,

m an y e difying b ooks an d his li b rary whos e volum e s

, ,

w e r e now s eal e d to h i m h e would go to the streets

,

a n d j oin the childr e n in th e ir pl ays a n d sp e nd all his ,

tim e sh aring th e ir d elights T he profound schol ar .

was stripp e d of his int ell e ct an d b e c a m e a v e n e r ab l e

b oy l ov a b le an d kind a s in all his b usy lif e
,
H e h ad .

b ath ed in the rive r of L e th e b efor e his ti m e Si m il ar .

c as e s might b e produc e d wh e re the spirits of strong

,

m e n h a v e b e e n div e st e d of a lif e ti m e s m e mory in

ag e d inf ancy s ee m i ng to b e a for e t a st e of the n e xt

,

e xist en ce Th ey show th at the loss of a life s d e t ails

.

do e s not app ear str ang e to n atur e an d th at the me ,

n th ic w at e rs of Styx which th e a nci ents r e r e s e nt e d

p e , p
a s i mb i b e d b souls a b out to r e ent e r e arthly lif e to
y
disp el r e coll e ction of form er e xp eri enc e s are not ,

wh olly f ab ulous .

M e m o ry of the d et ails of the p ast is ab solut ely

impossi b l e T he powe r O f the cons erv ativ e faculty
.

th ough rel atively great is e xtrem ely li m it ed W e .

forget the l arge r porti on of exp eri e nc e soon aft e r we

h a ve p ass e d through it an d we should b e ab l e to re
,

c all the p articul ars O f our p ast y ears lling all the ,

m issing links o f cons ciousn e ss Sinc e we ent e r e d on the

pre s ent life b e fo re we w e re in a position to r em e m
,

b e r our ant e n atal e xp eri e nc e

-
Birth must n e c e ss arily
.

b e pr e c e d e d b y crossing th e rive r of o b livion whil e ,

the c ap acity for fr e sh acquisi tion su rviv e s an d the ,

54 OBJ E C TI ON S T o RE I N CARN A TI ON .

forgotten until som e V i vI d touch b rings th em forth

in accurate ord er 1
The high e r r e coll ection an d the
.

lower som etim e s conduct us through a doub l e life .

Dr eams th at v anish during the d ay are r esum ed at

n ight in an un b rok e n cours e T her e is an int er e st .

ing class of c as e s on r ecord in which the m emory

which links our succ essive du al st at es of consciousn e ss
into a unit ed whol e is so compl e t ely w anting th at in
ob s e rving only the di ffe renc e b etween the two ph as es

of the s am e pe rson we d e scrib e it as alte rn ating con

sciousn ess T h e s e go f ar toward an e mpiric al proof
.

th at on e individu al can b ecom e two distinct p ersons

in succ e ssion m aking a practic al d emonstration of
,

r einc arn ation B aron Du Prel s Philosophi e d er

.

Mysti k cit e s a num b er of such authentic instanc e s ,

of which the following is on e given b y D r Mitch ell

, .

in A rchiv fur thierischen M agn e tismus I V , .

1 Leib n it z rst d ir e c te d a tte n tion to th ese sin

g ul ar phe no

men a . Sir W illiam Ham ilton ha s c olle c te d a n um be r of in

stan c es of su ch won d e rful re vi v al of m e m ory . C arp en te r

s

M en tal Physiology , pp . 430 e t se q .

, an d Brod ie
s Psychologica l I n
quiries, Se c on d Se ri es, p 5 5 , m e n tion se v eral c ases . . C ol e rid ge
c ite d from the G erm an a re m ark a l e illu stration , b an d co m

m e n te d p on it i his B iograp hia Lit a ria c hap t vi

u n er , er

This fac t (an d it woul d ot b e diffi c ult to add uc e se v e al f n r o

the sam e k i d ) c on tri b ute s to m ak e it e v en p ob ab le tha t l l

n r a

though ts a e i them sel v e s imp e ri sh b le

r n a d th at if th i a n ,
e n

te llig t f ac ul ty shoul d b e re de e d m ore c omp h e siv e it

en n r re n ,

w ul d e qui e o ly a d i e e t a d app ortio e d

o r r n ga iz ati
r no the n n or n n,

b ody celesti l in stead of the body terrestrial to b in g b e f e e v ery

a ,
r or

hum a s ul th e c ol le c tiv e e xp eri e c e of its whol e p ast e xi ste c e

n o n n .

A d thi s
n this p e c ha c e is the d e ad Book of J udgm e t in
,
r n ,
r n ,

whose m y sterious hie rogl yp hic s e v e y idl e word is re c o d e d r r

Yea i th e v ery n atu e of a li v i g sp irit it may b e m re p ossible

,
n r n ,
o

that heav en an d e arth should p ass away tha th t a si gle act a n a n ,

si gl e though t shoul d b e l osen e d o

n ,
l ost f om that liv i g c ha in
o r r n

of c ause s to al l wh ose l in ks c on sc ious or u c onsc ious the free

,
n ,

will our only ab solute Self is co e xten sive an d co present
, ,
- -
.
 OBJ E C TI ON S To RE I N C ARN A TI ON . 55

Miss R enjoy e d n atur ally pe rfe ct h ealth an d ,

reach ed wom anhood without an y s erious illn e ss She .

was t al e nt ed an d gift ed with a r em ark ab ly good

,

me mory a
,
n d l e a rn e d with gr e at e a s e W ithout
. an
y
pre vious warning she f e ll on e d ay into a d eep Sleep
which l aste d m any hours an d on a wak ening she had
,

forgotten eve ry b it of her forme r knowledge an d he r ,

m emory had b ecom e a compl ete ta bula r asa She .

g
a a in l e arn e d to sp e ll r,
e ad writ,
e a n
,
d r e ckon an d ,

m ad e rapid progre ss Som e f e w months afterw ard

.

She ag ai n fe ll into a simil arly prolong e d slum b e r from ,

which She awake to her form er consciousn e ss i e in , . .

,

the s am e st ate as b efor e her rst long sl eep b ut ,

wi thout the f aint e st r ecoll e ction of the e xistenc e or

e v ents of the int e rv ening p eriod . This doub l e ex
isten ce n ow continu ed so th at in a singl e sub j ect
,

th ere occurred a regul ar alt ern ation of two p erfectly

distinct p erson aliti e s each b eing unconscious of the
,

other an d poss e ssing only the m e mori e s an d knowledge

,

acquir e d in pr e vious corr e sponding sta te s .

More singul ar still are c as e s in which on e individu al

b e com e s two inte rch anging p e rsons of whom on e is ,

wholly unconn ecte d with the known history of th at in

dividu al like th at n arrate d in Mr St e venson s story
, .

of The A dventure s of Dr J ekyl an d Mr Hyd e an d
. .
,

Juli an Hawthorn e s story of A rchi b al d M alm aison

.

T he n ewsp ap ers r ec ently pub lish e d an account of a

Boston cl ergym an who strangely dis app eare d from
,

his city l eaving no trac e of his d e stin ation Just b e

, .

fore going away he dr ew som e mon ey from the b ank ,

an d for w e e ks his f amily an d fri ends h eard nothing of

h im though he had pre viously b een most faithful

, .

Soon aft e r his d ep artur e a strange r turn e d up in a

Pennsylvani a town an d b ought out a c ertain sto re ,
56 OBJ E C TI ON S T O RE I N CARN A TI ON .

which he conducte d v e ry industriously for som e tim e .

A t l ength a d elirious illn e ss s eiz e d him O n e day he

.

a wok e from it an d a sk e d his nurs e W h ere am I

,

Y ou are in She s aid How did I ge t

h ere ? I b elong in Boston You h av e live d h e re
.

for thr ee months an d own Mr .s stor e

repli e d ,

his att end ant . Y ou are mist ak en m ad am ; I am the

,

Rev . p astor of t he church in Boston

.

Thr ee months w er e an ab solut e b l ank H e had no

.

m e mory of anything sinc e drawing the mon ey at his

b ank R eturning ho m e he there re sum e d the b rok en
.
,

lin e of his minist eri al life an d continu ed in th at char

act e r without furth er int erruption .

N um erous simil ar c a s e s are r ecord e d in the ann als

of psychologic al m edicin e an d justify us in assuming
, ,

according to the law of corr e spond e nc e s th at som e

,

such alt e rn ation of consciousn e ss occurs afte r the

gr eat ch ange known as d eath The atte mpt to ex.

plain th e m as m ental ab errations is wholly unsucc e ss

ful R e inc arn ation shows the m to b e exc eptions prov
.

ing the rul e the r ec all of form e r activiti e s suppos e d

to b e forgott en In th e s e example s of doub le identity
.

the f ac ts of e ach st at e dis app e ar wh en the oth er set

com e forw ard an d are r e sum e d again in th eir turn .

W h ere did th ey re sid e m eanwhile ? Th ey must h av e

b e e n pr e s e rve d in a su b tl e r organ th an the b r ain ,

which is only the m e dium of transl ation from th at u m

conscious m emory to the world of s ens e p erc eption -
.

This must b e in the sup e r s e nsuous p art of the soul

-
.

This provid e s th at as a slow an d p ainful tr aining l e ads

,

to unconscious h ab its of skill so the e xp eri enc e of

,

life is stor e d up in the highe r m emory an d b ecom e s , ,

wh en assimil ated the r e e x acts of the follo wing life

, ,

thos e op erations which we c all instinctive an d here d

 OBJ E C TI ON S TO REI N C A RN A TI ON . 57

2 . qu e stion is rais e d is it just th at a man

T he ,

should s n er f or wh at he is not conscious of h aving

don e ?
A s j ust as th at he shoul d enj oy th e r e sults of wh at
he do e s not r em e m b e r c ausing It is s aid th at justic e
.

r equir e s t hat the O ff end e r b e conscio us of the fault

f or which he is punish e d But the ideas of justic e
.

b e tw ee n m an an d m an c ann ot b e appli e d to the all

wis e op erations of the In n ite In hu m an attempts at
.

justic e that m e thod is imp erative b ec aus e of our lia

b il ity to mist a k e G od s justic e is vindic at e d b y the

.

undisturb ed sw ay of the law of c aus ation If I su ffe r .

it must b e for wh at I h ave d on e The f aith in Provi .

d enc e d em ands this an d it is b ec aus e of un b eli ef in

,

r einc arn ation that the s ee m ing n egligenc e on the p art

of Provid e nc e has o b lit er at e d the ide a of a P e rson al
G od fro m m any m inds N atur e is the are n a of in
.

f alli b l e c aus e a n d effe ct an d there is no such ab surd

,

ity in the univ ers e as an effe ct without a r e sponsi b l e

c aus e A man may su ff e r from a dis eas e in ignoranc e
.

of the conditions und e r which its germ s we re sown in

his b ody b ut the right s e qu enc e of c aus e an d e ect is
,

not im p erile d b y his ignoranc e To doub t th at the .

e xp e ri e nc e s we now e njoy an d e ndur e prop e rly b elong

to us b y our own choic e is to ab andon the id ea of

G od .How an d why t hey h av e co m e is e xplain e d
only b y re inc arn ation Th e univ e rs al O ve r Soul
.
-

m ak e s no m ist ak e s By ve iling ou r m e mo ri e s the

.

Moth er He art of all m e rcifully s av e s u s the horror

,

an d b u rd e n of knowing all the myri a d st e ps b which

y
we h av e b eco m e w ha t we are W e would b e stag
.

g e re d b
y th e sight of all our w a yw a rdn e ss a n d w h a,
t
we h av e don e w e ll is poss e ss ed mor e richly in the
gr and total th an would b e possi b l e in the innite de
58 OBJ E C TI ON S TO RE I N C ARN A TI ON .

tails W e are in the h ands of a gen erous omnisci ent

.

b ank e r who s ays :

,
I will s av e yo u all the troub l e of
t he accounts W h e n e ve r you are r eady to st art a n ew
.

folio I will strike the b al anc e an d turn ov e r your n et

,

proc eeds with all accru e d int er e sts The it emiz ed re c

.

ords of your d eposits an d sp endings are b eyond your

c alcul ation .

3 It m ay b e cl aim e d th at the f acts of h e re dity b e ar

.

ag ainst r e inc arn ation A s the physic al m ent al an d

.
, ,

mor al p eculi ariti e s of childr en com e fro m the p are nts ,

how can it b e possi b le th at a man is wh at he m ak e s

hims elf th e offspring of his own pre vious live s ?
Sci enc e is c e rt ain of the t e nd e ncy of e very org an ism
to tr ansmit its o wn qu aliti e s to its d e sc end ants an d ,

the intric at e web of anc e str al inu enc e s is a ssum e d to

account for all th e ab e rr a tions of i n dividu al life But .

th e forc e s producing this r e sult are b eyond the ken of

sci enc e The m ech anic al th eory of germ c ells m ulti
.

plying th eir kind is in ad e qu at e : for the g e rm s b e

com e more compl e x an d e n e rge tic with growth an d ex ,

ce ed th e li m it a tions of mol e cul ar physics The f acts.

of h er e dity d em and the exist enc e in n ature of sup er

s ensuous forc e s e sc aping our o b s erv ation an d cogn iz
ab l e only through th e ir e e ct s on the pl an e of s en

suou s consciousn e ss Th e s e forc e s r e siding in the

.

in acc e ssi b le r egions of th e soul moul d all individu al

aptitud e s an d fa culti e s a n d ch ar a ct e r R einc arn ation
.

includ e s the facts of h eredity b y showing th at the

,

t end ency of e v ery organism to r eproduc e its own like

n e ss groups toge th e r si mil ar c ause s producing si m ilar
e ffe cts in the s am e lin e s of ph sic al r el ation Inst e ad
, y .

of b eing cont ent wit h the st at em ent th at h er edity

c aus es the r e s em b l anc e s of child to p ar ent reinc arn a ,

tion t each e s th at a similarity of ant e n atal d ev elop~ -

 OBJ E C TI ON S T o RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 59

m ent has b r ought ab out the si mil arity of em b odi e d

c haracte ristics The individu al soul s eeking anoth e r
.

b irth nds the p ath of l e a st r e sist a nc e in th e ch ann els

b e st ad apt e d to its qu aliti e s . The Ego s el e cts its
m at eri al b ody b y a choic e more wis e th an an y v olun
t ary s el ection b y the inhe rent t end enci e s of its n atu re
, ,

in tn e ss for its n eed not only in the p articul ar phy

,

sique b e st suite d for its purpos e b ut in the l arge r phys

,

ic al c as em ents of family an d n ati on ality The r ela .

tion of child an d p arent is re quire d b y the similarity

o f o rg anisms This vi e w accounts also for th e dif
.

f e ren ce s invari ab ly accom p anying the r e s em b l anc e s .

Id e ntity of ch ar acte r is impossi b l e an d the conditi ons

,

which m ad e it easy for an in d ividu al to b e b orn in a

c ertain family b ec aus e of the ad aptation of circu m
,

stanc es th e re to the expression of portions of his n a

ture would not pr ev ent a strong con trast b etw een him
,

an d his r el ativ e s in som e r e sp e cts The f acts o b s e rv e d

.

in the life history of twins show th at t wo individu als

b orn und e r pr e cis e ly id entic al conditions an d h aving ,

ex actly th e s am e h e r e dity so m e ti m e s d i ff e r compl e t e ly

,

in p hysique in int elle ct an d in charact er The b irth

, , .

of genius e s in hu m b l e an d co mm onpl ac e circumst ance s

fu rnishe s ab und ant evid enc e t hat the individu al soul
outstrips all the tram m els of physic al b irth ; an d the
unr e m ark ab l e c hildr e n of gr eat p ar e nts exhi b it the i n

e fcien c of m r ly h r dit ary inu e nc e s T h s

y e e e e . e e can

S icu ou s viol ations of the laws of h e r e dity conrm

p
r einc arn ation .

4 A t the rst impr e ssion the id ea of re b irths is

. -

unw elcom e b ec aus e

,

a
. It is int erl ac ed with the th eory of tr ansmigration
through anim als
b It d e str oys the hop e of r ecognizing fri ends in the
.

comi ng existenc e
60 OBJ E C TI ON S TO RE I N OA RN A TI ON .

0. It s eems a cold irr eligious notion

, .

a A s will b e fully shown in ch apt e r x 11

. the con .
,

ccit of a transmigration of hum an souls throug h anim al

b odi e s although it has b een an d is ch e rish e d b y most
,

of the b eli e vers in r e inc arn ati on is only a gross m et a

,

phor of the g ermin al truth an d n e v er was r e c eiv ed b y

,

the enlight en e d a dvoc at e s of plural e xist enc e s .

b The most thoughtful a dh e re nts of a futur e life

.

agr ee th at th e r e must b e th e r e som e sub tl e r mod e of

r e cognition b e twe en friends th an physic al app earanc e s ,

for th e s e outer Signs c annot endure in the world of

spirit The conviction th at wh eth e r th e re b e prophe
.

ci e s they sh all fail wh eth e r th e r e b e tongu e s th ey s hall

,

c ea s e wh eth e r th ere b e kn o wl e dg e it sh all v anish

,

aw ay b ut
,
lov e n ev e r failet h an d only ch aract e r
,

sh all rem ain as the m eans of id e n tic ation is pre cis ely ,

the v i e w e nt e rt ain e d b y b eli e v e rs in r e inc arn ation .

T he most intim at e ti e s of this lif e c annot b e e xpl ain e d

oth e rwis e th an as r en e wa ls of old intim aci e s dra wn to ,

ge th e r b y the spiritu al gravit ation of love an d e njoy ,

ing often the s e ns e of a pre vious si m ilar e xp eri enc e .

A furth r r f e r e nc e to this point will b e found l at e r

( e e .

See p age
c The stronge st r eligious n atur e s h av e b e en nour
.

ishe d from ti m e imm em ori al with th e f ee ling that life

is a pilgrim age through which we tr ea d our d ark en e d
Way b ack to G od The Scriptures are full of it an d
. ,

the spiritu al m anhood of e v e ry age has found it a

sourc e of invigor ation Fro m A b ra ham who r e ckon e d
.
,

his life tim e as the d ays o f th e y e ars of his pilgrim

all th e p h a s e s o f C hr isti a n though t to

a e
g ,
through
th e mighti e st b ook of mod e rn C hrist e nd o m The ,

Pilgrim s Progr e ss this id e a has b e e n unive rs ally

,

ch erish ed A typic al e xpre ssion of it m ay b e s een in

.
 I thin k I mu t s on c e hav b e e en m as culi n e, bc e aus e m y lo v e is al l

f or girls . LO UI SA M . AL C O TT .

The greatest guil t of m an is that he was b orn . CALD ERON .

I se e m o ft c l
en earl y to re m e b
in my soul a re sen tim e n t whi h I
m er p c
ha v e n ot see n with m y p rese n t , b u t wi th som e o ther e e J E V O N
y . . .

S C H UB E R T .

I p rod u e d c th e gol d e n k e y of p ree x st e ni c e on l y at a d e ad l i t , wh en f

n o oth e r m e th od c oul f y m t chi g th w y
d satis e ou n e a s of God , th a t b y
thi s h y p oth esis I m ight k p m y h t f m i ki g
ee e ar ro s n n . H E N RY M O RE .

Th e e sse n c es of ou r soul s ca n n e v er c e as e to b e bc e au se th ey ne v er

b e gan to b e , an d n oth i n g ca n li v e e t e rn all y b ut th a t whi h h ath l i v cd c

fro m e t e rn i t y . Th e e ss e n c es of our s oul s we re a b re a t h i n G od bf e o re

th e y bc e am e v
l i i n g soul s th e y l i e d i n G od e v bf ore th ey li v ed in t he
c re a t e d sou l s , a n d th e re ore t h e so ul i s a arta f p k er of th e e t ern ity of

God . WI LLIAM LA W .

If th ere b e n o re ason s to p
s up ose th at w e h a v e e xi st e d bfe ore th at
p e ri od at wh i h c our e xi ste n c pp
e a are n tl y c o mm e n c e s, th e n t h e r e are

no
g roun d s f or sup p osin g th at we sh al l c on ti nu e to e xist a ft e r our e x

iste n ce h as a pp aren tl y c e as e d . SH E LLE Y .

Th e an ci en t c
d o tri n e of t ran smi gration
l an d se e m s th e m ost ra t ion a

c
m ost on siste n t with God s wis d om an d good n ess ; a s b y it all th e u n

p
e q u al di s e nsati on s of t hi n gs so n e ess a ry i n o n e l i e m a y b e se t righ t c f
c
i n an oth e r , an d al l re at u res se r e th e hi gh e st a n d l ow est , th e m os t v
eligi bl e an d m ost b urd e n s om e o f c e s of li f e by an e q u i ta bl e rota ti o n ;
c
b y whi h m e a n s th e ir re w ard s an d un ishm e n ts m ay n ot on l y b e p ro p
p ortion e d t o th e ir b
e h a ior , b u t a l so v
arry on th e u s in e ss of t h e u ni c b
v e rse , a n d t hu s a t t h e s am e t i m e a n s we r th e ur os e s oth of usti e p p b j c
an d u tilit v . SO AM E J E N YN S .
 W E ST ERN PRO SE W RI T ERS ON REI N C A RN AT I ON .

T H ERE is a l arger endors em ent of r einc arn ation

am ong w e st ern think ers th an the world knows In .

m any o f t hem it springs up spont an e ously w hil e oth ,

e rs e m b r a c e it a s a lu m inous ray fro m the Ea st which

is conrm e d b y all the c andid t e sts of philosophy .

W h en C hristi anity rst swe pt over Europ e the inn er

thought of its l ead ers was d ee ply tincture d with this
truth The C hu rch tri ed in e e cj tually to er adic at e it
.
,

an d in v arious s e cts it k e pt sprouting f o rth b eyond the

tim e of Erig en a an d Bon av entura its m edi aeval adv o ,

c at e s Eve ry g reat intuition al soul as P ar ac elsus

.
, ,

Bo eh m e an d Swe d enb org ha s adh e re d to it The It al

, , .

i an lu m in ari e s G iord ano Bruno an d C am p an ell a e m

, ,

b ra c ed it Th e b e st of G e r m a n philosophy is en rich e d
.

b y it . In Schop en hau er L e ssing H egel L ei b ni tz

, , , ,

He rd e r an d Ficht e the younger it is e arn e stly ad v o

, ,

c at e d .The anthrop ol ogic al syste ms of K an t an d

Sch elling furnish p oints of cont act with it T he .

y o unge r He l m o nt in D e Re v ol utio n e A n imarum

, ad ,

d ce s in two hundr e d p ro b l e m s all the a rgu ments which

p
m ay b e urg e d in fav o r of t he r e tu rn of souls into
hu m an b odi e s a cco rd ing to J e wish id e a s
, O f English .

t hink ers the C am b ridge Pl atonists d efe nd e d it with

much l e arning an d acut en e ss m o st conspicuously Henry
,

More ; an d in C udworth an d Hum e it r anks a s the

66 PROS E WRI TE RS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

most r ation al th eory of immor tality G lan vil s Lux .

O ri ent alis d evot e s a curious treatis e to it It c apti .

v ated the minds of Fouri e r an d L ero ux A n dre Pez .

z ani s b ook on The Plur ality of the Soul s Live s

works out the syste m on the R om an C atholic id e a of

e xpi ation Mod ern astronomy has furnish e d m at eri al
.

for the el ab or at e sp ecul ations of a r e inc arn ation ex

t ending through m any worlds as pub lish e d in Fon te ,

n ell e s volu m e The Pl urality of W orlds Huygens s

C osm otheoros Br e wst e r s Mor e W orlds th an O n e

th e Philos oph e r s F aith an d the C hristi an s H op e

,

J ean Reyn aud s Earth an d Heav e n Fl amm arion s

,

Stori e s of Innity an d The Plurality of Inh ab ite d

W orlds an d Figui e r s The To morrow of D eath
,

-
.

W ith v arious d egree s of fancy an d prob ab ility th e s e

write rs trac e the soul s progr e ss among the h eavenly

b odi e s The astronom e r Bod e wrot e th at we st art

.

from the cold e st pl an et of our s ol ar syst em an d ad

vanc e from pl an et to pl an et n eare r the sun wh er e the , ,

most p erfe ct b eings he thinks will live ,

Emm anu el ,
.

K ant in his G en e ral History of N atur e s ays th at

, ,

soul s st art imp erf e ct from the sun an d tr ave l b y pl an et ,

st age s f artheg an d f arth e r a w ay to a p aradis e in the

,

cold e st an d r e mot e st st ar of our syst e m Be tween .

th es e opposit e s m any s av an ts h av e for m ulat e d othe r

th e ori e s In th e ology r e inc arn ation has re t ain e d a
.

r m in uenc e from the d ays of O rige n an d Porph yry ,

through the schol astics to the pr e s ent day In Soam e,

.

J en yn s s works which long thriv ed as the b est pub lish e d

,

argum ent for C hristi anity it is notic e ab l e C h ev ali e r

,
.

R ams ay an d W illi am Law h av e also writte n in its de

f en se Jul ius M iiller w armly upholds it in his pro
.

found work ou The C hristi an Doctrin e of Sin as ,

well as Dr D orn er A noth er m eans of its diss emin a

. .
 PROSE WRI TERS ON RE I N C ARN A TI ON . 67

tion through a good portion of the ministry is D r Ed .

w ard Be ech er s e spous al of it in the form of pre exist ,

e nc e in The C onict of A g e s an d The C oncord of

,

A ge s English an d Iris h b ishops h av e not h e sit ate d
.
1
.

to promulg at e it Henry W ard B eeche r an d Phillips

.

Brooks h ave d ar e d to pr each it J am e s Fr eem an .

C l ark e sp eaks strongly in its f avor Profe ssor W illi am .

Knight the Scotch m et aphysici an of St A ndre ws an d

,
.
,

Profe ssor Francis Bowe n of Harvard University clearly ,

Show the logic al prob ab iliti e s in which r e inc arn ation

2
comp are s f avor ab ly with an y oth er philosophy .

The following extr acts from the most int er e sting of

the s e an d oth er W e st ern authors who r efer to the m at
ter may r epr e s e nt the unsusp e ct e d pr e val e nc e of this
thought in our own midst .

1 Schop e nh au e r s pow erful phil osophy incl ud e s re

.

inc arn ation as on e of its m ain principl e s as th e s e e x ,

tracts show fro m his chapte r on D eath in The
,

World as W ill an d Ide a 3

W h at sl eep is for the individu al d e ath is for the ,

will " ch aract er " It would not endure to continu e the

.

s am e actions an d sn erin gs throughout an et ernity ,

without tru e gain if m e m ory an d individu ality re ,

m ain e d to it It in gs them off an d this is leth e ;

.
,

an d through this sl e e p of d e ath it r e app e a rs r e fr e sh e d

an d tt e d out with anoth e r int ell e ct as a n e w b eing ,

a n e w d ay t e mpts to n e w Shor e s .

1 A ble p ss g f om e of the g atest f these may b e

no a a e r on re o

f u d i Sc tt s C h istia Life chap t iii se c ti i Se al s

o n n o

r n ,
er . on . e o

He y M I mmorta lity of the S oul B k I I c h p te

Dr . nr or e s ,
oo . a r

K l m D igby s e m a k s o Si Th omas B w e s

a d Si

x i
v .
, n r ene r r n r ro n

Religio M ed ici .

2
full list f the p i cipal we stern w
A o r n riters on this su b j e c t is
gi v e i t he App
n di x
n en .

1 Hal d a a d Ke m p s Tran sl atio pp 2 9 9

ne nv l n
,
o . iii . . 306 .
68 P ROS E WRI TE RS ON REI N C A RN A TI ON .

Thes e const ant n ew b irths th en constitute the , ,

succ e ssion of the life dream s of a will which in its elf

-

is ind e structi b l e until instruct e d an d imp rove d b y so

, ,

much an d such v arious s ucc e ssiv e knowl e dge in a con

s tan tl n e w for m it ab olish e s or a b r o g at e s its e lf
y ,

" b e co m e s in p e rfe ct h a r m ony with the Innit e

" .

It must not b e n egle ct e d th at e ve n em piric al

grounds supp ort a p alinge n e sis of this kind A s a .

m att e r of fa ct th e r e do e s e xist a conn e ction b etwe en

,

the b i rth o f the n e wly app earing b eings an d th e d e ath

of t hos e t h at are worn out It shows its elf in the
.

gr e at fruitfuln e ss of the hu man r ac e which app ears as

a cons e qu e nc e of d e v a st ating dis e a s e s W h en in the .

fo urt eent h c entury the Bl ack D e ath had for the most
p art d e popul at e d the old world a quit e ab norm al fruit ,

f uln e ss app e ar e d am ong the hum an rac e an d twin ,

b i rths w e r e v e ry fr e qu e nt Th e circumst anc e was

.

also r e m ark a b l e th at non e of th e childr e n b o rn at this

ti m e ob t ain ed th ei r full nu m b e r of t e e th ; thus n atur e ,

e x e rting its e lf to the utmost wa s nigg ardly in d e t ails

,
.

This is r e l at e d b y F Schnurr e r . C hronik d er Seu ,

ch en 182 5 C a sp e r also U eb er d ie W ah rschein

,

.
,

lic he L eb ensd au e r d e s M ensch en 1835 conrms the ,

principl e th at the num b er of b irths in a give n popula

tion has the m ost d e ci d e d inu e nc e upon the l ength of
life a nd m ort ality in it a s this al w ays k eeps p ac e with
,

the mort ality so th at alw ays an d e verywh er e the

d eaths an d the b i rths incre as e an d d e cr eas e in lik e pro
portion w hich h e pl ac e s b eyond doub t b y an accumu
l atio n of e vi d enc e coll e ct ed from m any l ands an d th eir
v arious provinc e s A n d y et it is impossi b le th at th ere
.

can b e a h i ca l c au s al conn e ction b e tw ee n my e arly

p y s

d eath a n d the fruitfuln e ss of a m arri age with which I

h av e nothing to do or conv e rs ely Thus h er e the
, .
70 PROS E WRI TE RS ON REI N C A RN A TI ON .

now wh ethe r th es e are of a fri endly or a hostil e de

,

scription R ecognition is c e rt ainly here limit e d to an

.

ob scure intim ation a r e minisc e nc e whi ch c annot b e

,
-

b rought to distinct consciousn e ss an d r e fe rs to an in ,

nit ely distant tim e ; with the e xc e ption ho we ve r of , ,

Buddh a hims elf who has the pr erogative of distinctly

,

knowing his own e arli e r b irths an d thos e of oth e rs ,

as this is d e scri b e d in the J taka But in fact if at.

,

a f a vor ab l e mom e nt on e cont empl at e s in a pur ely ob ,

e ctiv e m ann e r the a ction of m e n in r e ality the intui

j , ,

tiv e conviction is forc e d upo n on e th at it not only is

an d r e m ains const a ntly th e s am e according to the ,

" Pl atonic " Id e a b u ,t also th at th e pr e s e nt g e n e r ation ,

in its tru e inn e r n ature is pr ecis ely an d sub st anti ally

,

id entic al with e very gen eration th at has b een b efor e

it The qu e stion simply is in wh at this tru e b eing
.
,

consists The answe r which my doctrin e give s to this

.

qu e stion is w ell known The intuitive conviction re .

fe rr ed to may b e co n c eive d as arising from the f act

th at the multiplying gl ass e s tim e an d sp ac e los e for a
-

, ,

mom ent th e ir effect W ith refer enc e to the univ er

.

sa lit
y of t he b e li e f in m e t e mpsychosis
\
O b ry s ays ,

rightly in his e xc ell e nt b ook Du Nirvan a Indi en p , .

13 C e tte vi ell e croy anc e a f a it le tour du mond e e t

, ,

t ellem ent r p andu e d ans la h aut e antiquit qu un
docte A nglic an l avait j ug e s ans pere s ans m ere et

, ,

s ans g n alogi e T aught alr eady in the V e d as as

.

in all the s acre d b ooks of Indi a m et empsychosis is ,

w e ll known to b e the k ern el of Brahm anism an d Bud

dhism It accordingly pre vails at the pr e s ent day in
.

the wh ol e of non Mo h amm e d an A si a thus am ong mor e

-

th an h alf the whol e hu man rac e as the rmest con v ic ,

tion an d wit h an incredi b ly strong practic al inu enc e

,
.

It was also the b eli ef of the Egypti ans from who m it ,

 PROSE WRI TERS ON REI N C A RN A TI ON . 71

was rec e ive d with enthusi asm b y O rph e us Pyth agor as , ,

an d Pl ato The Pyth agor e ans h owe ve r sp e cially re

.
, ,

tain ed it . Th at it was also t aug ht in the myst e ri e s of

the G r ee ks und e ni ab ly follows from the ninth b ook of

Plato s L aws The Edd a also e sp e ci ally in the

.

,

Volusp a teach e s m e t empsychosis N ot l e ss was it

.
,

th e found ation of the r e ligion of the Druids Eve n a .

Moh amm ed an s ect in Hin d ustan the Bohrahs of , ,

which C oleb rook e give s a full a ccount in the A si atic

Re s earche s b eli e v e s in m et empsychosis an d accord
,

,

in gly r e fr ains from all an im al food A lso among .

A m e ric a n Indi ans an d n e gro tri b e s n ay e v e n among , ,

the n ative s of A ustr ali a tr ac e s of this b e li e f are foun d

, .

A ccording to all this the b eli e f in mete mpsy

chosis pr e s e nts its elf as the n atur al conviction of m an

when ev er he r e ects at all in an unprejudic ed m ann e r .

It would r eally s ee m to b e th at which K ant fal s ely

a ss e rts of his thr e e pr e t e nd e d id e a s of th e r e ason a ,

philosoph em e n atural to hum an re ason which proc ee ds ,

from its form s ; an d wh en it is not found it must

h av e b een displ ac e d b y positive religious doctrin e s com
ing from a diff ere nt sourc e I h av e also r em ark e d th at
.

it is at onc e o b vious to e very on e who h ears of it for

the rst ti m e Let an y on e only ob s erve how earn e stly
.

L e ssing d ef en d s it in the l ast s e v e n p aragraphs of his

Erzi e hung d es M ensch enge schl e ch ts 1

Lichten b erg
a lso s ays in his Selb stcharacteristik I c annot get
rid of the thought th at I di e d b efor e I wa s b orn .

Ev en the exc e ssiv e ly em piric al Hum e s ays in his sk e p

tic al e ss ay on im m ortality The m etem psychosis is ,

th er efore the only syst e m of this kind th at philos

o h
p y ca n h e ark e n to W h a t r.e

sists this b el i e f is
Jud aism together with the two r eligions which h ave
,

se c ti 2 f thi s cha p te
1 T a slate d i r n n on o r.
72 PROSE WRI T ERS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

S prung from it b ec aus e th ey te ach the creation of

,

m an o ut of nothing an d th ey h av e the h ar d t a sk of
,

linking on to this b eli ef an e ndl e ss e xiste nc e a p arte

p o st T h.e y c e rt ainly h av e succ e e d e d with re an d ,

sword in driving out of Europ e an d p art of A si a th at

,

consoling primitive b e li ef of m ankind ; it is still doub t

ful for ho w long Yet how difcult this was is shown .

by the old e st church histori e s Most of the h e re tics .

w e re attach e d to this b eli ef ; for e x ampl e Simonists , ,

B asilidi ans Valentini ans M arcionists G nostics an d

, , , ,

M anicheans The Je ws th e ms elve s h a ve in p art fal le n

.

into it as Te rtulli an an d J u stin us inform us In the

, .

Talmud it is r e lat e d th at A b el s soul p ass e d into the

b ody of Se th an d the n into th at of Mos e s

, Eve n the .

p a ssage of the Bi b le M att xvi 13 15 only o b tains a , .

,
-

r ation al m eaning if we unde rst and it as spok en und er

the a ssumption of the dogm a of m e t empsychosis
In C hristi an ity howev e r the doctrin e of origin al sin
, , ,

i e the doctrin e of puni shm e nt for the sins of an

. .
,

oth e r individu al has t ak e n th e pl ac e of the tran sm i

,

gratian of souls an d the expi atio n in this way of al l

,

th e sins com m itt e d in an earli e r lif e Both id entify .

the e xisting m an with on e who has e xist e d b e for e : the

transmigration of souls do e s so directly origi n al sin ,

indirectly .

2 In the r em ark ab l e littl e tr eatis e on

. The Divin e
Educ ati on of the Hum an R ac e b y L e ssing the G er

, ,

m an philosoph er a b ook so sub lim ely simpl e in its

,

profound insight th at it h as had e normous inu enc e

a n d was transl at e d into English a s a l ab or of lov e b y

th e Rev Fr e d e rick W R o b e rtson the author outlin e s

. .
,

the gr adu al instructi on of m ankind an d shows how the

e nlight enm e nt is still progr e ssing through m any im

portant l e s sons His thought mo unts to a clim ax in

.
 PROS E WRI TE RS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 73

sugge sting the stup e ndous p rogr a mm e b y which G od

is d ev eloping the individu al just as he has b een edu
c ating the r ac e :
T he v e ry s am e way b y w hich th e r ac e r eac he s its
p erf e cti on m ust e ve ry individu al m an on e s oon e r ,

a n o th e r l at e r hav e tr av e l e d ov e r H ave t rav e l e d

.

o v e r in on e a n d th e s ame lif e ? C an he hav e b e en in

o n e an d the s e lf sam e life a s ensu al J e w a n d a Spi rit

u al C hristi a n ? C an he in the s elfs a m e lif e h av e ove r

t ak e n b oth
Sur e ly not th at : b ut why sh ould not e ve ry indi
vidual m an h ave existe d mor e th an onc e upon this
wo rld
Is t his hypoth e sis so l aughab le m erely b ec aus e it
is the old e st ? B ec aus e the hu m an und erstanding b e ,

fore the sop histrie s of the schools had dissip at ed an d

deb ilit at ed it light ed upon it at onc e ?
,

W hy m ay not e ven I h av e alre ady p e rform e d

thos e steps of my p erfe cting which b ring to m en only
t em por al punish m ents an d r e w ards ? A n d onc e m ore ,

why not anoth er ti m e all tho s e s teps to p e rfo rm which ,

the vi e ws of e t ern al r e w ard s so pow e rfully a ssist us ?

W hy sh ould I n ot c om e b ack a s of ten as I am ca
p ahl e of a cqui ring fre s h kn owl edge fre sh exp ertn e ss ?
,

Do I b ring away so m uc h f ro m onc e that th ere is noth

ing to rep ay the trou bl e of coming b ack ?
Is this a r e ason against it O r b ec aus e I forge t
,

th at I h av e b e en h ere al re ad y ? Happy is it for m e

that I do f orget T he re c ollection of my form e r con
.

dition would p ermit m e to m ak e only a b ad use O f the

p re s ent A n d that which e ve n I m ust forget n ow is
.
,

that n ec e ss arily forgotte n fo re ver ?

1
O r is it a re as on ag ainst the hypoth e sis th at so
much ti me wo ul d h ave b e e n lost to me ? Lost ? A n d
74 PROS E WRI TERS ON REI N C A RN A TI ON .

how much the n should I miss ? Is not a whol e et er

nity min e ?
3.

The D e stiny of M an b y J G F ichte W hos e
,
. .
,

great thoughts still h e ave the h eart of G erm any an d

gran dly mould the world cont ains th e s e p aragraphs
,

Th e s e two syst e ms the purely spiritu al an d the
,

s e nsuous ,
which l ast may consist of an immeasur
ab l e s e ri e s o f p articul a r liv e s e xist in m e from the
,

mom ent wh en my activ e r e ason is d ev elop ed an d ,

pursu e th eir p arall el cours e The form e r alon e gives

.

to the latter m eaning an d purpos e an d v alue I am .

immort al imp erish ab l e e tern al so soon as I form the

, , ,

r e solution to o b ey the law of reason A ft er an e xist .

e nc e of myri ad liv e s the sup e r s ensuous world can

-

not b e mor e pr e s ent th an at this mom ent O ther con .

d ition s of my s e nsuous exist e nc e are to com e b ut ,

th e s e are no mor e the tru e lif e th an the pres ent con

dition is .

M an is not a product of the world of s ense ; an d

the en d of 1118 e xi ste nc e can n ev e r b e attain ed in th at
world His d estin ation li e s b eyond tim e an d sp ac e
.

an d all th at p ert ains to s ens e .

Min e ey e discerns this etern al life an d motion in

all the v e ins of s ensi b l e an d spiritual n atur e through ,

wh at s eems to oth ers a d ea d m ass An d it s ees this .

life fore ve r a sc end an d grow an d tran sgure its elf into

a mor e spiritu al e xpr e ssion of its own n atur e The .

sun ris e s an d s ets the st ars v anish an d return again

, ,

an d all the sph e r e s hol d th e ir cycl e d anc e But they .

n ever re turn pr e cis ely such as th ey dis app eared ; an d

in the shining fountains of life th ere is also life an d
progr ess .

All d e ath in n atur e is b irth ; an d pr e cis ely in

dying the sub lim ation of lif e app ears most con spicu
,
 PROSE WRI TERS ON REI N C ARN A T I ON . 75

ous Ther e is no d e ath b ringing pri nciple in n atur e

.
-

for n atur e is o n ly lif e throughout N ot d eath kills

, .
,

b ut the mor e living life which is hidd e n b ehind the

,

old b egins an d unfolds its elf D eath an d b irth are

,
.

only the struggle s of lif e wi th its elf to m anife st its elf

.

in e ver m ore tran sgured form more like its elf ,

.

Eve n b ec aus e N atur e puts m e to d e ath She must

quicken me an e w It can only b e my higher life un
.
,

folding itself in her b efore which my pres ent life dis

,

app ears ; an d th at which mo rt als c all d e ath is the

visib le app earing of a noth er v i vi cation .

4 A mong the w e alth of G erm an genius e s th er e is

.
,

non e more lofty an d b ro ad th an He rd e r whom J e an ,

Paul admiringly pronounc ed a Po e m m ad e b y som e ,

pure st D eity comb ining the b old e st fr eedom of

,

philosophy conc erning n ature an d G od with a most

pious faith O n e of the most sugge stiv e of this
.

m aster s works is a s erie s of Di alogue s on M etem p

s chosis in which two fri nds discuss th t h m e to
y , e e e

geth er A s th e outc ome of th eir collo quy is a st anch

.

vindic ation of th at hypoth e sis it is not unfair to ,

group togeth er a f e w of the p aragr aphs on on e side of

the conv e rs ation
D o you not know gr eat an d r ar e men who c annot
h ave b ecom e w hat th ey are at onc e in a singl e hu ,

man e xist enc e ? who must h av e oft e n exist e d b efor e

in ord e r to h ave att aine d th at purity of f e eling th at ,

instinctive i mpuls e f or all th at is tru e b eautiful an d , ,

good in short th at el ev ation an d n atural suprem acy

, ,

ove r all around th e m ?

Do not the s e gr eat ch aract ers app ear for the most ,

p art all at onc e ? Like a cloud of c el e sti al spirits

, ,

d e sc ende d from on high ; like m en ris en from the d ead

b orn again who b rought b ack the old tim e
,
76 PROS E WRI TE RS ON REI N C ARN A TI ON .

Hav e you n e ve r had r e m e m b ranc e s of form er a

s tat e whic h you could nd no pl ac e for in this life ?

,

In th at b eautiful p eriod wh en the soul is y et a h alf

clos e d b ud h ave you not s een p ersons b een in pl ac e s
, , ,

of which you w er e r eady to sw ear th at you had s een

thos e p e rsons or had b een in thos e pl ac e s b efor e ?
,

A n d y e t it could not h av e b e e n in this life ? The

most b l e ss e d mom e nts the grand e st thoughts are , ,

from th at sou rc e In our more ordin ary s easons we

.
,

look b ack with a stonishm ent on ours elve s we do not ,

compreh end ours elve s A n d such are we ; we who

.
,

from a hundr e d c aus e s h av e sunk so d eep an d are ,

so w edd e d to m atter th at b ut f ew r eminisc enc e s of so

,

pure a ch aracte r re m ain to us The nob l e r cl a ss of .

m e n who s ep arat e d from win e an d m eat liv e d in pe r

, ,

f e ct simplicity according to the ord e r of n atur e c arri e d ,

it furth e r no dou b t th an o th e rs as we l e arn from the

, , ,

ex ampl e of Py th agor a s of I archas of A pollonius an d

, , ,

oth e rs who r em emb ered distinctly wh at an d how

,

m any tim e s th ey had b een in the world b efore If we .

a re b lind or can see b ut two st eps b eyond our

,

nos e s ought we th e re f ore to d eny th at oth er s m ay see

,

a hundr e d or a thous and d e gr e e s f arth e r e v e n to the ,

b otto m O f tim e into the d e e p cool w ell of the for e

, ,

world an d th er e disc e rn e v ery thing pl ain an d b right

,

an d cl ea r ?

To t his l ast str ain the list e n e r r e sponds : I will

fr eely confe ss to you th at thos e sw e et dre am s of mem
ory are known to m e al so among the e xp eri e nc e s of ,

my childhood an d youth I h ave b een in pl ac es an d .

circu m st anc e s of which I could h ave sworn th at I had

b e e n in th e m b efor e I h av e s een p ersons with whom
.

I s e e m e d to h av e live d b efore with whom I was as it ,

w er e on the footing of an old acqu aintanc e

,
He .

78 PROS E WRI TE RS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

ows to life an d e ve r r ening imp elle d through all

, ,

the v eins of cr eation w ells up into a pur e r h igh e r lif e

, , .

A n d ye t Pyth agor as too spok e of a Tart arus an d

, ,

an Elysium W h e n you st and b efor e the st atue of

.

a high h e art e d A pollo do you not f ee l wh at you l ack

-

of b eing th at form ? C an you e ver a ttain to it he re

b elow though you should r eturn ten tim e s ? A n d y e t
,

th at was only the id e a of an artist a dr eam which

our n arrow b reast also inclos ed Has the almighty .

F ath e r no no b l er forms for us th an thos e in which

our h eart now h eave s an d gro ans ? The soul li e s cap
tive in its dunge on b ound as with a s e ve nfold ch ain
, ,

an d only through a strong gr ating an d only through a ,

p air of light an d air hol e s can it b reath e an d see an d

-

, ,

alw ays it s ee s the world on on e sid e only whil e th e r e ,

are a million oth e r sid e s b e for e us a n d in us had we ,

b ut mor e an d oth er s ens e s an d could we b ut exch ange,

this n arrow b ut of our b ody for a free r prosp ect .

Th at r e stl e ss discont ent sh all som e ti m e n ally r e le as e

us from our r ep eat e d sojourns on earth through ,

which the F ather is training us for a compl ete divorc e

from s ens e life W hen e v en at the sw eet e st fount ains
-
.

of fri e ndship an d love we so oft e n pin e thirsty an d

, ,

Sick ,
s eeking union an d nding it not wh at no b l e ,

soul do e s not lift its elf up an d d e spis e t ab ern acle s an d

w and erings in the circl e of earthly d e s erts .

Puric ation of the h eart the e nno b ling of the ,

soul with all its pr op ensiti e s an d cr avings this it

, , ,

s eems to m e is t he tru e p alingen e sis of this life aft er

, ,

which I dou b t not a h appy more e xal t ed b ut y et un

, , , ,

known m et empsychosis a waits us .

5 Dr Henry Mor e the l earn e d an d lov ab l e Pl ato

. .
,

nist of the s e vent e enth c entury wrot e a ch arming tr ea ,

tis e on the Immortal ity of the Soul in which ,
 PROS E WRI TE RS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 79

( ch a pt e r xii ) h e. a rgu e s for pr ee xist e nc e as fol

lows

If it b e good for th e souls of m en to b e at all ,

the soon e r th ey are the b ett er , But we are most cer .

tain th at the wisdo m an d goodn e ss of G od will do

th at which is the b est ; an d ther efore if they can en
joy th ems elve s b efore th ey com e to th e s e t err e stri al
b odi e s they must b e b efor e th ey com e into th es e
,

b odi e s. For nothi ng hind ers b ut that th ey m ay live

b e for e th ey com e into the b ody as well as th ey m ay ,

aft er going out of it W herefor e the pre x isten ce of

.

so uls is a n ec ess ary result of the wisdom an d good

n e ss of G od .

A g ain the fac e of Provid enc e in the work s e ems

,

v ery much to suit with thi s opinion there b eing not ,

an y so n atur al an d e asy account to b e giv e n of thos e

things th at s eem the most h arsh in the aff airs of men ,

as from this hypoth e sis : th at th es e souls did onc e

sub sist in som e oth er st at e ; wh er e in s e veral m an ,

n ers an d d egr ees th ey forfeite d the favor of their

,

C re ato r an d so according to th at just N em e sis th at

, ,

He has inte rwov e n in the constitution of the unive rs e

an d of th e ir own n atur e s t h ey und e rgo s e v er al c al am
,

itie s an d a sp eritie s of fortun e an d sad dru dge rie s of

fat e as a punish m ent inicted or a disease contr acte d
, ,

from the s e ver al ob liquiti e s of th eir ap osta sy W hich .

key is not only ab l e to unlock th at r econdit e myst ery

of som e p articul ar m en s almost f atal avers en ess from
all r eligion an d virtu e their stupidity an d dulln ess
,

an d e v e n invinci b l e slown e ss to th e s e things f rom

th eir v ery childhood an d th eir incorrigib l e prop ension

,

to all m ann er of vic e b ut also of th at squ alid forlorn

n e ss an d b rutish b arb arity th at whol e n ations for m any
a g e s h av e l ain und e r an d m any do still lie und e r at
,
80 PROS E WRI TE RS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

this v ery day : which sad sc e n e of things m ust n eeds

e xc ee dingly cloud an d O b scur e th e w ays of Divin e
Provid enc e an d m ak e th em utte rly u nint elligi b l e ;
,

unl e ss som e light b e let in from the pres ent hypoth

e sis.

A n d a s this hypoth e sis is r ation al in its e lf so has ,

it also gain e d the su ffrage of all philosop he rs of all

ag e s of an y not e th at h a v e h e ld the soul of m an in
, ,

corpor e al an d immort al I sh all add for the b e tte r .

,

count e n anc e of the b usin e ss som e f e w instanc e s h e re in , ,

a s a pl e dg e of the truth of my g e n e r al conclusion .

Let us c ast our eye t he r efore into wh at corn e r of , ,

the world we will th at h as b een f am ous for wisdom

,

an d lit e r atur e an d the wis e st of thos e n ations you

,

sh all nd the ass ert ers of this opinion .

In Egypt th at ancie nt nurs e of all hidd en sci en c e s

, ,

th at this O pinion was in vogue amongst the wis e st

m en th ere the fragm e nts of Trism e gist do suffi ci e ntly
,

witn e ss : of which opinion not only the G ym n oso ,

h i t n d oth e r wis e m e n of Egypt w e r e b ut l so

p s s a,
a , ,

the Brachman s of Indi a an d the M agi of B a b ylon ,

an d P e rsi a To th e s e you m ay ad d the ab strus e phi

.

loso phy of the J e ws which th e y c all th e ir C ab b al a, ,

of which the soul s preexist enc e m ak e s a consi d e rab le

p art as all the learn e d of t he J e ws do confe ss

,
.

A n d if I should p articul ariz e in p e rsons of this

opinion truly th ey are such of so great fam e for
,

d epth of und erst anding an d ab strus e st sci enc e th at , ,

th eir t e sti mony al on e migh t s eem su fci ent to b e ar

down an y ordin ary mod e st m an into an a ss ent to th e ir
doctrin e An d in the rst pla c e if we b e li e v e the
.
, ,

C ab b al a of the J e ws we must a ssign it to Mos e s th e

, ,

gr eate st philosoph e r c ertainly th at e v e r wa s in the

world to whom you m ay ad d Z o ro a ster Pyth agoras , ,
 PROSE WRI TE RS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 81

Epicharm us, C e b e s , Eu ripid e s , Pl ato , Eucli d , Philo ,

V i rgil , M arcus C ic e ro , Plotinus , I am blich us, Proclus ,
B oe thius , Pf ellu s, an d s e veral oth ers , which it would
b e too long to r e cit e A n d if it w e r e t to ad d
.

f athers to philosoph ers we might ent e r into the s ame

,

list Syn e siu s an d O rigen ; the l atte r of whom was

su rely the great e st light an d b ulwark that anci ent
C hristi anity had But I h ave not y et e nd e d my c at a
.

logu e ; that admirab l e physici an J ohann e s F e rn elius

is also of this p ersu asion an d is n ot to b e so hi ms e lf
,

only b ut disc overs tho s e two grand m ast e rs of m e di

,
-

cin e Hippocrat e s an d G ale n to b e so t oo C ard an

, , , .
,

also,
t hat f amous philosophe r of hi s age e xpre ssly ,

conclud e s th at the rati on al so ul is b oth a distinct b e

ing fro m the soul of the world an d th at it d oe s pre ,

e xist b efor e it com e s into th e b o dy ; an d l a stly Pom ,

on atiu s no f ri e nd to th e s o ul s i m mort ality

p , y e t can ,

not b ut conf e ss th at the s af e st way to hold it is also

ther e with to acknowl e dge her pr eexist e nc e .

A n d we sh all e vinc e th at A ristotle th at h as th e ,

luck to b e b eli e ve d m or e th an most auth o rs wa s of the ,

s ame opini on in his treatis e D e A ni m a whe re he
, ,

s ays for e very art must u se its prop e r instru m e nts
, ,

an d e v e ry soul it s b ody He sp eaks som e t hing mo re

.

pl ainly in his D e G en eration e A n im ee Th e re a re .

ge n erat e d s aith he in the e arth an d in the m oistu re

,

, ,

there of pl ants an d li ving cre ature s an d in the wh ole

, ,

univ ers e an a ni m al h eat ; insomuch that in a mann e r

all pl a c e s are full of souls W e will ad d a thi rd .

plac e still m o re cl ear out of the s am e tr eatis e wh ere

, ,

h e starts tha t v ery qu e stion o f the pre xiste n cy of

'

souls of the s e nsitive an d ration al e sp e ci ally an d he

, ,

conclud e s thus It r e m ains th at the r ation al or int e l

lectu al soul o nl y e nt er s fro m with out a s b e in g only of ,
82 PROS E WRI TE RS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

a n atur e purely divin e ; with whos e actions the actions

C onc ern

of this gross b ody h a ve no communic ation .

ing which point h e conclud e s like an orthodox schol ar

of his exc ell e nt m a st e r Pl ato ; to whos e footst eps the

clos e r he kee ps the l e ss he e v e r w and e rs fro m the

,

truth For in this ve ry pl ac e he do e s pl ainly profe ss

.

wh at m any would not h ave him so ap ertly guilty of ,

th at the soul of m an is immort al an d can p erform her ,

prop e r functions without the help of this t erre strial

b ody f

6. Sir T hom as Brown e e xpl ains an d d efends his

own h er e si e s b y ,
sugge sting the add e d he re sy of re
inc arn ation

For ind e ed h er e si e s p e rish not with the ir au
, ,

thors : b ut like the river A r e thus a though th ey los e ,

th eir curr ents in on e pl ac e th ey ris e up again in an ,

oth er O n e gen er al council is not ab l e to e xtirp at e

.

on e singl e h e r e sy : it m ay b e c anc e l e d for t he pr e s e nt

b ut r e volution of tim e an d the lik e a sp e cts from

h eaven will r e stor e it wh e n it will ourish till it b e
,

cond em ne d again For as though the re w e re a me

.
,

te m psychosis an d the so ul of on e m an p ass e d into an

,

oth er O pinions do nd aft e r c ert ain r e volutions men

, , ,

an d m inds lik e thos e th a t rst b e gat th e m T o se e .

ours elv e s a gain we n ee d not look for Plat o s y ear ;
,

e v e ry m an is not only hims e lf ther e h av e b ee n m any

D iogen ese s an d as m any Ti m ons though b ut f e w of
, ,

th at n am e ; m en are live d ov er again ; the world is

now as it was in age s p ast ; th ere was non e th en b ut ,

the re h a th b e en som e on e sin c e th at p ar all els him , ,

an d is a s it w e r e his r e v iv e d s e lf
1
.
, ,

7 O n e of th e r a r e volum e s of the early eight eenth

.

1 Reli io M d i i
g cet ic i
,
P fse F on c i s B w
v . i ro e s sor ra n o en n

clin es to thi s same v ie w See p g 10 8 et q. a e se .

 PROSE WRI TE RS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 83

c entury is C hev alier Ram say s r em ark ab l e work en

'

title d The Philosophic al Principle s of Natural an d

R ev eale d R eligion in which he elab or at e s the id ea
,

th at the s acre d mysteri e s of our holy faith are not
n ew ctions unh e ard of b y the philosoph e rs of all

n ations b ut th at on the contr ary C hristi anity is as
,

old as the creation In t his History of the hum an

mind in all age s n ations an d religions conc erning the

, , ,

most d iv me truths he sh o ws th at r e inc arn ation is
,

the c o mmon poss e ssion of C hristi anity an d of all the

other gr e at syste m s of s acred thought
The holy or acl e s alw ays r e pr e s e nt Par adis e as our
n ative country an d our pre s ent life as an exil e How
,
.

can we b e s aid to h a v e b e e n b a nis h e d from a pl ac e in

which we n e ve r w e re ? This argum ent alon e wo uld

sufc e to convinc e us of pre xiste n ce if the pr ejudic e ,

of inf ancy inspi re d b y the schoolm en had not accus

tom ed us to look upon th e s e expr e ssions as m e taphori
cal an d to b eli e ve contr ary to Scriptur e an d to rea
, ,

son th at we w ere exil ed from a h appy st at e only for

, ,

th e f aul t of our rst p ar e nts A trocious m axim th at.

sulli e s all the conduct of Provid enc e an d that shocks ,

the und e rst andings of the most int ellig ent childr e n of
all n ations The answ ers ordin arily m ad e to th e m
.

throw in to the ir t end er minds the s e eds of a l asting in

credulity .

In Scripture the wis e man s ays sp eaking of the

, ,

e t ern al Logos an d his re xi sten t hum anity :

T h
p, e

Lord posse sse d m e from the b eginning Of his w ays

'

b efor e his works of old I was set up from ev erlast

ing from the b egi nn i ng or e ver the earth was " A ll
,

this can b e s aid only of the et ern al Logos But wh at .

follows m ay b e appli e d to the preexistent hum anity of

'

the M e ssi ah W h en he prep ar ed the h eavens I was

84 P ROS E WRI TERS ON REI N C A RN A TI ON .

th er e wh en he e ncircl e d the forc e of the d eep wh e n

, ,

he e st ab lish e d the clouds ab ov e wh e n he appoint e d ,

the found ations of the e arth th e n I wa s b y h im a s , ,

o n e b rought up with him an d I was d aily his d e li ht

, g ,

r ej oicing always b efor e him r ejoicing in the h ab it ,

ab l e p arts of the e arth an d my d elights w e r e with the

,

sons of men .

It is visi b l e th at Solomon sp eaks h e re
of a tim e soon afte r the creatio n of the world of a ,

time wh en the earth was inh ab it ed only b y a pure ,

innoc ent r ac e C an this b e s aid afte r the fall wh e n

.
,

th e e arth wa s curs e d ? It is only a profound ign o

r anc e of the anci ent pri m itive tradition of pr eexist
,

en c e th at can m ak e m en mist ak e th e tru e s ens e of

this su b lim e t ext .

O ur Saviour s e em s to approve the doctrin e of pre

e xist enc e i n his a ns we r to his discipl e s wh e n th e y in

t errogate him thus ab out the ma n b orn b lind M a st er ,

who did sin this m an or his p ar ents th at he wa s b orn

, ,

b lin d ?
l
It is clear th at t his qu e stion would h av e
b e e n ridiculous an d imp e rtin ent if the discipl e s h ad ,

not b eli ev e d th at the m an b o rn b lind had sinn e d b e

fo re his corpor eal b irth an d cons equ ently th at he had
, , ,

p re x i st e d in anoth e r st at e O ur Sa viour s answ e r is

.

r e m arkab l e : N eith e r h ath this m an sinn ed nor his ,

p ar e nts ; b ut th at the wo rks of G od should b e m ad e

m anife st in him '
J e sus C h rist could not m ean th at
n eith e r this m an nor his p ar ents had e v e r sinn e d f or ,

this can b e s aid of no mort al b ut the m eaning is th at ,

it was n eith er for the si n s committ e d b y this m an in

a st at e of pr e e xist enc e n or for t h os e of his p a r e nts
, ,

th at he was b orn b lin d b ut in ord e r to m anife st on e

,

d ay the pow e r o f G od O ur Lo rd th e r efor e f ar

.
, ,

from b l aming an d red re ssing this e rror in his disci

1
G OSpel of J oh n ix 2 . .
86 PROS E WRI TE RS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

la w, b y the fals e love of n atur al knowl edge an d sen

sib le plea sur e St P aul
. s ee ms to conrm this wh en
.

he s ays For the childr e n b eing not yet b orn h aving ,

n e ith e r don e good nor e vil it was s aid unto R eb e cc a

, ,

J aco b h ave I loved b ut Es a u h av e I h ate d

, G od s .

love an d h atre d d ep end upon the moral dispositions

of the cr eature Sinc e G od s ay s th at he loved J aco b
.

an d h at e d Es a u ere th e y w e r e b orn an d b e for e th ey

,

had don e good or e vil in this m ort al life it follows ,

cl early th at th ey must h av e pre xisted in anoth er stat e .

This would h av e app ear ed to b e the n atur al s ens e of

the t ext if pr ej udic e s im b i b e d from our infancy mor e
, ,

or l e ss had not b lind e d the mind of C hristi an doctors

,

to the s am e d egree as J udaical prej udic e s d arken e d

thos e of the anci en t Ph aris e e s

If it b e s aid th a t th e s e texts are ob scur e ; th at
re x iste n ce is only dr awn from th e m b induction
p y ,

an d th at this opinion is not r e v e al e d in Scriptur e b y

expr e ss words I answe r th at the doctrin e s of the

, ,

immort ality of the soul are nowh e r e r ev eal e d ex

pr e ssly in the s acr ed or acle s of the O ld or N e w Te s
t am ent b ut b e c aus e all th e ir morals an d doctrin e s
,

are found e d upon th e s e gr e at truths W e m ay say .

the s am e of pr eexist e nc e The doctrin e is nowh e re

.

e xpr e ssly r ev eal e d b ut it is e vid e ntly suppos e d as

, ,

witho ut it origin al sin b e com e s not only in e xplic ab l e ,

b ut ab surd r epugn ant an d impossi b l e

, ,
.

T h e r e is nothing in th e fa th ers nor co uncils th a t

contradicts this doctrin e y ea whil e the fth gen e ral,

council an d all the fath e rs aft er the sixth c entury con

de m n a fals e id e a of pre xisten ce in which the an
ci ent tr adition was adulte rate d b y the O rigenists an d
Priscilli anists the tru e doctrin e of pre exist enc e was
,

not cond emn e d b y the church T his suppos e s th at .

 PROS E WRI TE RS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 87

all the individu als of the hum an sp eci e s compos e d of

soul an d b ody w ere cr e ate d in Paradis e th at th ey all ,

coO erated in A d am s diso b e di e nc e p artook of his

p ,

cri m e an d so w er e ju stly punished This was the

,
.

const ant tradition of the J ewish church an d con rm ed ,

b y the Scriptur e s This O pinion of pr eexist enc e was

.

a lso ve ry anci ent in the C hristi an church ere the ,

O rige nists s poil e d it with the Pyth agor e an an d Pla

tonic ctions .

It is ag ainst the impious d e gr ad ation of trans
migration " through anim al b odi e s "th at the f ath ers
d ecl ai m an d not the tru e Scripture doctrin e of d e
,

grad e d " hu m an "int elligenc e s Th is the schoolm e n .

confound with the fals e disguis e s mixture s of the

p agans This gr e at principle is the tru e key b y
.

which we can und erstand the m eaning of s ev eral pas

s age s of Sc ripture an d the s ens e of m any sub lim e ar
,

ticle s of f aith Thus only can we sh elt e r C hristi anity

.

from the raill eri e s of the incr edulous .

8 Among Soa m e J e n yn s s
. Disquisitions on Sev

e r al Su b j e cts is a Disquisition on a Preeex isten t

St at e fro m wh ich we qu ot e the follo wing
,

T h at m a nkind h ad exist e d in som e st at e pr evious

to the pr e s ent was the opinion of the wis e st s age s of
the most r e mot e antiquity It was h eld b y the .

G ymnosoph ists of Egypt th e Brachman s of I n di a the , ,

M agi of P ersi a an d the greatest philosoph ers of

,

G r e e c e an d R o me ; it wa s like wis e ad opt e d b y the f a

th ere of the C hristi an C hurch an d fr e qu ently enforc ed ,

b y h er primitiv e writers W hy it has b een so little no

.

tic e d so much ove rlo ok e d rath er than rej ect ed b y the

, ,

divin e s an d m etaphysici ans of l at er age s I a m a t a ,

loss to account for as it is undoub t edly conrm ed b y

,

r eason b y all the app e aranc e s o f n ature an d the doc

, ,

trin e s of r evelation .
88 PROS E WRI TERS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

In the rst pl ac e the n it is conrm e d b y reason ,

, ,

which t each e s us th at it is impossi b l e th at the con

junction of a m al e an d fe m ale can cr eat e or b ring into ,

b ei ng an immortal soul they m ay pr ep are a m at e ri al

,

hab it ation f or it b ut th e r e must b e an imm ate ri al

,

p re existe nt inh ab it ant r eady to t ak e poss e ssion Rea

'

son assur e s us th at an immort al soul which will ete r ,

n ally e xist aft er the dissolution of the b ody must h ave ,

e t e rn ally e xist e d b e for e th e form ation of it for wh at

e v e r h as no e n d can n e v e r h av e had an y b eginning ,

b ut must e xist in som e m ann e r which b e ars no r el a

tion to tim e to us totally incompr eh ensi b l e ; if th er e
, ,

fore the soul will continu e to e xist in a futur e life it

, ,

must h av e exist e d in a form er R ea son lik e wis e tells .

us th at an omnipot ent an d b en e vol ent C r eator would

n ev e r h av e form e d such a w orld as this an d lle d it ,

with inh ab itants if the pr e s ent was the only or eve n

, ,

the rst st at e of th e ir e xistenc e a st at e whic h if n u

, , ,

conn e ct e d with the p ast an d the future s eems calcu ,

lat e d for no on e purpos e int elligi b l e to our und erst and

ings n e ith er of good or e vil of h appin e ss or mis ery, ,

of virtu e or vic e of r e w ard or punis hm ent b ut a con

, ,

fus e d jumb l e of th e m all toge th e r proc ee ding from n o ,

visi b l e c aus e an d t ending to no en d But as we are .

,

c ert ain th at innit e pow e r c annot b e employ e d without

c e ct nor innit e wisdom without d e sign we m ay ra
, ,

tion ally conclud e th at this world co ul d b e d e sign e d a s

nothing m or e th an a prison in which we are awhil e ,

conn e d to r e c e iv e punishm ent for the o en se s com

mitted in a form e r an d an opportunity of pr ep aring
,

ours elve s for the e njoym ent of h appin e ss in a future ,

life .

Secondly th e s e conclusions of r eason are suf

,

cien tl co n rm e d b t he forc e of n atur e an d the a

y y p
90 PROS E WRI TE RS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

a nc e of thi n gs ; for altho ugh p erh aps it is nowh ere in , ,

the N e w Te st am e nt e xplicitly e nforc e d y et through ,

o ut th e whol e t enor of thos e writings it is e very

wh e re i mpli e d In th em m ankind are const antly rep
.

r e s ent ed as co m ing into the world und er a lo ad of

guilt ,
a s cond e m n e d crimin als the childr en of wr ath , ,

a n d o b j e cts of divin e indign ation pl ac e d in it for a ,

tim e b y th e m erci e s of G od to give th em an oppor ,

tun ity of ex pi atin g th e ir guilt b y suHerin gs an d r eg ain ,

ing b y a pious an d virtuous conduct th eir lost e st ate

of h appin e ss an d innoc enc e ; this is style d working out
th eir s alv ation not pre venting th e ir cond emn ation for
, ,

th at is alr eady p ast an d th e ir only hop e now is re

,

d em pti on th at is b eing r e scu e d from a state of captiv

, ,

ity an d sin in which th ey are unive rs ally involved

, .

This is the v e ry e ss e nc e of the C hristi an disp ens ation ,

an d th e g ran d principl e in which it d i ers from the

religion of n atu re ; in e ve ry oth er r e sp ect th ey are

n early si m il ar Th ey b oth enjoin the s am e moral d u
.

ti e s an d prohi b it the s am e vic es ; b ut C hristi an ity

u i n ts us th at we are admitt ed into this lif e oppr e ss e d
q a

b y guilt an d d e pr a vity which we must aton e for b y

,

su ff e ring its usu al c al amiti e s an d work O R b y acts of ,

positiv e vi rtu e b efore we can hop e for h appin e ss in

,

a noth e r N ow if b y all this a pr e exist ent sta t e is

'

.
,

not constantly suppos ed in which this guilt was in ,

curre d an d t his d epr avity contr act ed th e r e can b e no ,

m eaning at all or such a m eaning as contradicts e v ery

,

principl e of common s e ns e th at guilt can b e con ,

t ract ed without acting or th at we can act without ex

,

i sti n g . So und e ni ab l e is th is infe r e nc e th at it r end e rs

an y positiv e a ss e rtion o f a pre x isten t st at e tot ally
us el e ss ; as if a m an at the mom ent of his e ntran c e
,

into a n e w country wa s d ecl ared a crimin al it would ,

 PROS E WRI TE RS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 91

surely b e un n ec e ss ary to ass ert th at he had live d in

so me other b efor e he c am e th er e .

In all our r e s earch e s into ab strus e sub j ects th er e
is a c e rt ain clu e wit hout which the furth e r we proc eed
, ,

the mor e we are b e wild er ed b ut which b eing f ort u ,

n at el
y d iscov e r e d l e ads us at onc e through the whol e
,

l ab yrinth puts an en d to our difcultie s an d op ens a

, ,

syst e m p erfe ctly cl ear consist ent an d int elligi b l e

, , .

T he doctrin e of pr e exist enc e or the a cknowl e dgm ent

o f so m e p a st st at e of diso b e di enc e I t ak e to b e this v e ry ,

clu e w hich if we consta ntly c arry along with us we

, ,

shall p roc eed un em b arrass e d through all the intric at e

myst e ri e s b oth of n ature an d r e vel ation an d at l ast ,

arriv e at so cl ear a prosp e ct of the wis e an d j ust dis

e n sation s of our C r e ator as c annot f ail to afford com

p ,

l e te s atisf action to th e most inquisitiv e sk e ptic

p .

Thus is a pre x isten t st at e I think cl early de , ,

m on strated b y the principl e s of r e aso n the app e ar ,

anc e of thi n gs an d the s e ns e of r e v e l ation ; all w h ich

,

agr ee th at t his world is int e nd ed f or a pl ac e of punish

m e nt as w ell as prob ation an d must th er efore re fe r

, ,

to so m e form er p e ri od For as prob ation impli e s a f u

.

tur e life for which it is prep aratory so punishm ent

, ,

must i mply a f orm e r st ate in which offens e s w ere com ,

m itte d f or which it is due an d ind e e d th er e is not a

singl e argu ment d rawn from the justic e of G od an d ,

th e s ee mingly und e s e rv e d sn e rin gs of m any in the

pr e s ent st at e which can b e urge d in proof of a futur e
,

life which prove s not with sup erior force the exist en c e
,

of anoth er which is already p ast .

9 O n e of th e ch apt ers in Jos eph G lan v il s Lux

.

O ri entalis a tr eatis e att empting to d e monstrat e the
,

t ruth of Pl atonic pr eexist enc e an d strength en ed b y ,

the el ab or at e an n ot ations of Dr Henry Mor e is an .

,

e xt ension of the following

92 P ROS E WRI T ERS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

Se v e n Pill ars on which the Hypoth e sis of Preexist

enc e st ands .

1 A ll the divin e d e signs an d acti ons are c arri ed

.

on b pur e n d innit e goodn e ss

y a .

2 Th er e is an ex act ge om e tric al justic e th at runs

.

through the univ ers e an d is int erwove n in the con

,

t exture of things .

3 Things are c arri e d to th eir prop er pl ac e an d
.

st ate b y the congruity of th eir n atur e s ; wh er e this

fails we m ay suppos e som e arb itrary m an age m ent .

4 The souls of m en are c ap ab l e of living in oth e r

.

b odi e s b e sid e s t err e stri al ; an d n e v er act b ut in som e

b ody or oth e r .

5 The soul in e v ery st at e h ath such a b ody as is

.

tt e st to thos e f aculti e s an d op erations th at it is m ost

inclin ed to ex ercis e .

6 The powe rs a n d f aculti e s of th e soul are e ith er

.

spiritu al or intell e ctu al or s en sitiv e or pl astic, .

7 By the s am e d e gr ee s th at the high e r powe rs are

.

invigorat ed the lower are ab at ed as to th e ir prop e r

, ,

e x e rcis e .

10 In Dowd e n s
. Lif e of Sh ell ey ( vol i p

. . .

the following an e cdot e of t he po et is quot e d from his

fri e nd Hogg : O n e morning we h ad b een r eading
Pl ato togeth e r so diligently th at the usu al hour of
e x e rcis e p a ss e d a w ay unp e rc e iv e d W e s alli e d forth .

h a stily to t ak e the ai r for h alf an hour b efor e dinn e r .

In the middle of M agd al en Bridge we m et a wom an

with a child in her ar m s Sh e ll e y was mor e attentiv e .

at th at inst ant to our conduct in a lif e th at was p a st or

to com e th an to a d e corous r e gul ation of his b eh avior

according to the e st ab lish e d us a g e s of soci e ty W ith .

a b rupt d ext e rity h e c aught h old of th e child T he .

moth er who w ell m ight fe ar th at it was ab out to b e

,
94 PROSE WR I TERS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

11 Hum e s sk eptic al

. e ss ay on The Immort ality

of the Soul rgu e s thus a

R ea soning from the common cours e of n ature an d ,

without supposing an y n e w int erposition of the su

pr em e c aus e which ought always to b e e xclud e d f ro m
,

p hilosophy wh at is incorrupti b le must also b e unge n

,

e ra bl e .T he soul th er e fo re if immort al e xist e d b e

, , ,

for e our b irth an d if the form er exist enc e noways

,

conc erns us n e ith e r will the l att er

,
.

The m e t e mpsychosis is th e r efor e the only syst e m
, ,

of this kind th at philosophy can h eark en to .

12 South ey s ays in his pub lish e d
. L ett ers I
h ave a strong an d liv ely faith in a st at e of continu e d
consciousn e ss from this st age of e xiste nc e an d th at we ,

sh all r ecove r the consciousn e ss of some lowe r st age s

through which we may pr eviously h av e p ass e d s eems
to m e not impossi b l e .

The syst e m of progre ssive e xist enc e s eems of all ,

oth ers the m ost b en e vol ent ; an d all th at we do und e r

,

st and is so wis e an d so good an d all we do or do not , ,

so p erfectly an d ov e rwh elmingly wond erful th at the ,

most b en evol ent syste m is the most prob ab l e .

13 From a l e tt e r writt e n b y th at curious ge nius

.

W illi a m Bl ak e ( the artist ) to his fri end John Fl ax

1
m an ( the sculptor )
In my b rain are studi e s an d ch amb e rs ll ed with
b ooks an d pictur e s of old which I wrot e an d p a int e d
in age s of e t e rnity b efo re my mort al life ; an d thes e
works are the d elight an d study of arch angels .

Yo u O d ear Flax m an are a su b li me arch ange l
, , ,

my f ri e nd an d comp anion from et ernity I look b ack .

into the regions of r eminisc e nc e an d b ehold our an

ci e nt d ays b e for e this earth app e are d an d its v eg eta

es s E sh Lette s p 361

1
See Sc gli oon n r ,
. .
 P R OSE WR I TERS ON REIN C A R N A TI ON .
95

tive mort ality to my mortal v eget ate d ey e s I see our .

hous e s of et ernity whic h can n e ver b e s ep ar ate d ,

though our mort al v ehicl e s s ho ul d st and at the re

m ote st corn e rs of h ea ve n fro m each oth er .

14 In the
. Fortnightly R e vi e w for Sept emb er ,

187 8 Profe ssor W illi am Knight writ e s :

,

It s eem s
surprising th at in the discussions of c ont empor ary phi
losophy on the o rigin a n d d e stiny of the soul th e r e
ha s b e e n no e xplicit r e viv al of the doctrin e s of Pre
e xiste nc e an d M etem psychosis W h at ev e r m ay b e
.

their intrinsic worth or e vid e nti al v alue th eir titl e to

,

rank on the roll of philos ophic al hyp oth e s e s is un

doub te d Th ey offer quit e as r em ark ab le a solution
.

of the myst ery which all admit as the rival th eori e s

of C r eation Traduction an d Extinction
, ,
.

If we r ej ect the doc trin e of P re exist enc e we must ,

eith e r b eli e v e in n on e xist enc e or f a ll b ack in on e or

-

oth er of the two opposing th e orie s of C reation an d

Traducti on ; an d as we r ej e ct Extinction we m ay nd ,

Pr eexist enc e has fe wer dif cultie s to fac e th an the

rival hyp othes e s C reati o n is the th e ory th at e very
.

mom e nt of ti m e m ultitu d e s of s ouls are si mult an eously

b orn not s e nt d own f rom a c el e sti al sou rc e b ut
, ,

fre s hly m ad e out of n othing an d pl ac e d in b odie s pre

p are d for th e m b y n atu ral growth To the Pl atonist
.

the th e ory of T r a ducti o n s e e me d e v e n wors e as it im ,

pli e d the d e riv ati on of the soul f rom at l east two

sourc e s ,
from b oth p arents ,an d a su b st anc e thus

d erive d was a pp are ntly co mposi te an d qu asi m at eri al -

.

Stripp e d of all e xt ra v ag anc e an d e xpr ess e d in the

m od e st t e r m s of p rob ab ility the th e o ry has imm ens e
,

sp ecul ative intere st an d gre at ethic al v alu e It is .

much to ha ve the puzzl e of the origin of e vil thrown

b ack for an ind enite num b e r of cycl es of liv e s ; to
96 P ROS E WR I TER S ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

h av e wo rk ab le expl an ati on of N em es is an d o f wh at
a ,

we are accust o m e d to c all t he m ora l tr a g e di e s an d the

u n to ward b irth of a m ultitud e of m e n an d w o m e n .

It is m uch als o to h a ve the doctrin e o f i m m ort ality

light e n ed of its difculti e s ; to h av e our i mm e di ate out ~

look r eli ev e d b y the doctrin e th at in the s oul s e te rnity

its pre exist enc e an d its futu re e xist e nc e are on e The .

r e trosp e ct m ay a ssure dly h elp the p rosp ect .

W h eth e r we m ak e use of it or n ot we ought to ,

r ealiz e its alt e rn ati v e s Th ey are th e s e Eith e r all

. .

life is extinguish e d an d r e solv e d through an ab sorp

tion an d r e assu mpti on of the vit al principl e e ve ry
wh er e or a p erp etual miracl e go e s on in the in ce s
,

s ant an d rapid incr e as e in the a mount of spiritu al e x

iste n ce within the univ e rs e an d w hil e hu m an life sur
vive s th e int ellig enc e an d the a ff ection of the lowe r
,

a nim als p e rish e v e rl a stingly .

15 Profe ssor W A Butl e r s c e l eb r at e d l e ctur e s

.

. . .

upon Th e H istory of A nci ent Philosophy l e an

strongly tow ard an e ndors em e nt of Pl ato s philosophy

of r e inc arn ation

It must b e allowe d that th e re is much in the hy
oth e si s of pr e exist e nc e
p ( a t l e a st ) which mig h t at

tr act a sp e cul ator b usi e d with the end ea vor to r e duc e

the mor al syst e m o f the wo rld u nd e r int elligi b l e l a w s .

The solution which it at onc e furnish e s of the st a t e

an d fortun e s o f each individu al a s ar ising in som e u n
,

known b ut di rect proc e ss f ro m his own volunt ary acts ,

th ough it th rows of cours e n o light on the ulti m at e

, ,

qu e stion of the e xist e nc e of m oral e vil ( whic h it only

r e move s a singl e step ) d oe s y e t c ont ri b u te t o s atisfy
,

the mind a s to the e qu ity of th at i mm e di at e m anif e st a

tion of it a n d of its physic al att e nd ants which we u n
, ,

h appily witn e ss Th e re is int ern ally no gr eate r im

.
~
98 P ROS E WR I TERS ON RE I N C A RN A T I ON .

fr ee will is all pow e rful the inviol ab l e l a w of advanc e

- -

m e nt an d p rog re ss a mong m en If p ast live s we re

.

r e m e mb ered the soul would know the signic anc e an d

,

import of the tri als which are re s e rve d for it h er e b e

low indol e nt an d c arel e ss it would h ard en its elf ,

ag ainst th e pu rpos e s of Provid e nc e an d b e com e ,

p aralyz e d b y the h op el e ssn e ss of m aste ri ng th e m or ,

e v e n if of a b e tt e r qu ality an d mor e m a nly it w o uld

, ,

a cc e pt an d wo rk t h e m out with out f ail W e ll n e ith e r .

,

of th e s e suppositions is n ec ess ary ; the struggl e must

b e fr ee volunt ary s af e from the inu enc e s of the p a st
, ,

th e eld of com b at must s e e m n e w so th at the athl et e ,

m ay e xhi b it an d pr actic e his v irtu e s upon it Th e e x .

erie n ce he h as alr eady acquir e d th e forc e s he has

p ,

l earn e d how to conqu er s erve him in the n e w strife

,

b ut in such a m ann e r th at he do e s not susp ect it for ,

the imp erf e ct soul und e rgo e s r e inc arn ati o ns in ord e r
to d e velop the qu aliti e s th at it has alr e ady m anife st ed ,

to fr ee its elf from the vic e s an d f aults which are in

opposition to the asc ension al law W h at would h ap .

i f l l m e n r e m e m b e r e d th e ir for m e r liv e s ? T h e
p en a

ord e r of the earth would b e ove rthrown ; at lea st it is ,

not now e stab lish e d on SU C h conditions L eth e as .

,

w ell as free will is a law of the actu al world
-
,
.

18 O n e of Em rson s
. e e a rli e st

e ss a ys T h e

M ethod of Natur e cont ains this p ar agraph We

c annot d e scri b e the n atural history of the soul b ut ,

we know th a t it is divin e I c annot . t e ll if th e s e

wond e rful qu aliti e s which hous e to day in this mort al

'

fra m e sh all e ve r r ea ss e mb l e in e qu al activity in a

simil ar fram e or wh e th e r th ey h av e b efor e had a n at
,

ur al history lik e th at of this b ody you see b efor e you

b u t this on e thin g I know th at th e s e qu aliti e s did not
,

now b egin to e xist c annot b e sick with my sick

,
 PROSE WRI TERS ON REI N C A RN A TI ON . 99

ne ss nor b urie d in m y gr ave ; b ut th at th ey circu

l at e through the unive rs e : b efor e the world was th ey ,

w er e Nothing can b ar th e m out or shut th e m in

.
, ,

b ut th ey p en e tr at e the oc ea n an d l and sp ac e an d ,

ti m e form an d e ss enc e an d hold the key to univers al

, ,

n ature .

A g ain in on e of his l at e st works ( on Immort al
,

ity he s ays : The fab l e of the W a nd ering J e w is

a gr e e ab l e to m e n b e c aus e t hey w ant mor e ti m e an d
,

l and in which to ex ec ute their t houghts But a highe r .

po e tic use m ust b e m ade of the l ege nd Take us as .

we are with our e xp e ri e nc e an d tr ansf e r us to a n e w

, ,

plan e t an d le t us dige st f or its inh ab it ants what we

,

can of the wisdo m of this A fte r we h av e found .

our d epth th ere an d assimil ate d wh at we can of the

,

n ew e xp e ri e nc e tr ansf e r us to a n e w sc e n e
, In each .

transfer we s hall hav e acquired b y s ee ing the m at a ,

distanc e a n ew m ast ery of the old thoughts in which

, ,
1
we w e re too much i mm e rs e d .

19 J am e s Fre e m an C l ark e writ e s ( in

. Te n G r eat

R eligions u 19 0) , . That m an has co m e up to his
pre s ent st ate of de ve lop m e nt b y p assing through l owe r
for ms is the popul ar doct rin e of sci e nc e to d ay W hat -
.

is c alle d e volution t eac he s th at we have r each e d our

pre s ent state b y a ve ry l ong an d gradu al asc ent fro m
the lowe st ani m al org aniz ations It is tru e th at the .

D arwini an th eo ry tak e s no notic e of the e volution of

the soul b ut only of the b ody
, But it app e ars to me .

th at a com b in ation of the two vi e ws would r e move

m any di fculti e s which still att ach to the th eory of
n atural s ele cti on an d the surviv al of the tt e st If .

We are to b eli e ve in e volution let us h av e the a ssist ,

1 Oth r u t ti
q e f m Em r on a
o a on s ro
p g 2
. 3 2 77 3 12 3 2 4
e s re on a es , , , .
10 0 PROSE WR I TERS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

a nc e of the sou l its elf in this d ev e lopm e nt of n e w

sp e ci e s Thus sci enc e an d philosophy will co op erate
.
,

nor will po etry h e sitat e to l end her aid .

2 0 Th e no b l e st work of mod e rn tim e s an d pro b

.
,

ab ly of all tim e upon i m mort ality is a l arg e volu m e

, ,

b y th e Rev W illi a m R A lg e r e ntitl e d

. .

A C ritic al
,

H istory of the Doctrin e of a Futur e Life

It was .

pub lish e d in 18 60 an d still r e m ains the st and ard au

,

thority upon that topic throughout C hrist endom T his .

littl e b ook is su b st anti ally ind eb t e d to it The author .

is a Unitari an minist er who d e vote d h alf his lifeti m e

,

to the work und e rmining his h ealth th er eb y In the

, .

rst e di tion ( 1860) the writ er ch ar acte riz es rein car

n ation a s a pl ausi b le delusion unworthy of cre d enc e
, .

For fte e n y ears more he continu e d studying the sub

j e ct an d the l a st e dition
, ( 18 7 8) giv e s the n al r e sul t

of his rip e st inv e stigations in h eartily endorsing an d

a dvoc ating re inc arn ation N o mor e striking argu
.

m ent for the do ctrin e could b e adv anc ed th an this

fact Th at a C hristi an cl ergym an m aking the pro b
.
,

lem of the soul s d e stin y his lif e s study should b e

,

co m e so ov e rpow e r e d b y the forc e of this p aga n id e a

a s to a dopt it for the cli m ax of his sc h ola r ship

e xtr e m e ly signic ant A n d the r e sult is r e ach e d b y

.

such a sinc er e cours e of r ea soning th at the s em in ari e s

in all d enomin ations are comp ell e d to acc ept his b o ok
a s th e m a st e rpi e c e Fro m on e of the suppl em ental
.

ch apt ers we qu ot e the follo wing b y his p ermission

B e sid e s the various distinctive argum ents of its
o wn ,e v e ry r e a son for th e r e surr e ction holds with at

l e ast e qu al forc e f or transmigration The argum e nt .

from an alogy is e sp eci ally strong It is n atu ral to .

a rgu e from th e univ e rs al sp e ct acl e of inc arn at e d life

th at this is the e te rn al sch em e e verywh er e the v arie ty ,

102 PROSE WR I TERS ON REI N C A RN A TI ON .

not conn e th e ir att ention to the r ep ell ant or the ln

dicrou s asp e cts of m et empsychosis b ut do justic e to
,

its cl aim an d its ch arm .

A ft er r e vi e wing an d strength ening the e vid enc e s in

f avor of plur al b irths Mr Al ge r continu e s : The
,
.

ab ov e tr ansl ation of the e ccl e si a stic al doctrin e of the

r e surr e c tion into a form sci e ntic ally cr e di b l e an d re c

,
.

on cile d with the imm e mori al t en e t of tr ansmigr ation ,

m ay s e e m to som e a f ancif ul Sp e cul ati on a m er e in ,

tellectual toy . P e rh aps it is so It is not propound ed

.

with the slight e st dogm atic animus It is advanc e d .

sol ely as an illustration of wh at may possi b ly b e tru e ,

as sugg e st e d b t h g e n e r al e v id e nc e of the ph e nom

y e

e n a of history an d the facts of e xp erienc e The .

thoughts e m b odi e d in it are so wond e rful the m ethod ,

of it so ration al the r egion of cont e mpl ation into

,

which it lifts the mind is so grand the prosp ects it ,

op ens are of such unive rs al r each an d import th at ,

the study of it b rings us into f ul l symp athy with the

su b lim e scop e of the id ea of immor tal ity an d of a ,

cosmopolit an vindication of Provid enc e uncove re d to

e v e ry e e It t ak e s us out of th e littl e n e ss of p etty
y .

th e me s an d s elsh affairs an d m akes it e asi er for us

,

to b eli e ve in the v a st e st hop e s m ankin d h ave e v er

known It c aus e s the most m agnic ent conc eptions
.

o f hum an d e stiny to s ee m simply proportion al to th e

n ativ e m agnitud e an d b eau ty of the pow ers of the

mind which can conc e ive such things A fter tra versing
.

the gro unds h e r e se t forth we feel th at if the vi e w

,

b as e d on th e m b e not the truth it m ust b e b ec aus e

,

G od h as i n r e s er v e for us a s e qu el gr eate r an d love

lie r not m e an e r th an our b righte st dream hithe rto
, ,
.

2 1 In the Princ e ton R e vi e w for M ay 18 8 1 Pro

.
, ,

f essor F rancis Bow e n ( of Harvard Univ ersity) pub

 PROS E WR I TER S ON REI N C ARN A TI ON . 10 3

lish es a v ery int er esting articl e on C hristi an M ete mp

s ch osis in w h ic h h e urg e s the C hristian acc ept an c e
y ,

of r einc arn ation By his cons e nt we quot e a l arge

.

portion of it b ec ause it is so ab le an app eal for the

,

a doption of t hi s truth from b o th a m e taphysic al an d

,

a C hristi an st andpoint

O ur lif e upon earth is rightly h eld to b e a disci

plin e an d a prep aration for a high er an d ete rn al life
h e reafter But if limite d to the duration of a single
.

mortal b ody it is so b rief as to s eem h ardly s ufcie nt

,

for so grand a purpos e Thr ee score years an d ten .

must surely b e an in ade qu ate prep aration for et ernity .

But wh at a ssuranc e h ave we th at the pro b ation of the

soul is conn e d within so n arrow limits W hy may
it not b e continu ed or r ep eat ed through a long s eri e s
, ,

of succ e ssiv e g e n e r ations the s am e p erson ality an imat

,

in g on e aft er anoth e r an ind e nit e num b er of ten e

m ents of e sh an d c arrying forward into each the
,

training it has r ec eived the ch aracter it has form ed

, ,

the t e mp er an d dispositions it has indulge d in the ,

st age of existenc e i mm e di at ely pr ec e ding ? It n ee d

not r em em b er its p ast history e ve n whil e b earing the ,

fruits an d the cons e qu enc e s of th at history d eeply in

g r ain e d into its p re s ent n atur e H ow m any long
pas .

s age s of an y on e life are now compl et ely lost to mem

ory though th ey m ay h ave contrib ute d largely to b uild
,

up the h eart an d th e int ell ect which distinguish on e m an

from anoth e r " O ur responsib ility surely is not les
s en e d b y such forge tfuln e ss W e are still accountab l e.

for the misus e of tim e though we h ave forgotte n how

,

or on wh at we w a sted it W e are e ven now reaping .

the b itte r fru its through enfeeb l e d h e alt h an d viti at e d

,

d e sires an d c ap aciti e s of m any forgotten acts of s elf

,

indulgenc e willfuln ess an d sin

,
forgotten j us t b e
,
104 PROSE WR I TERS ON REI N OA RN A TI ON .

c aus e th ey w e re so num e rous Th e n a futur e life .

e v e n in anoth er fr ail b ody upon this e arth m a w e ll b e

y
a st at e of just an d f e arf ul r e tri b ution .

W hy should it b e thought incredi b le th at the

s am e soul should inh ab it in succ e ssion an ind enit e
n um b er of mort al b odi es an d thus prolong its ex peri
,

e nc e an d its pro b ation till it h as b e com e in e v e ry s ens e

r i p e for h e aven or the n al judgm ent ? Even dur

ing this on e lif e our b odi e s are p erp etu ally ch anging ,

though b y a proc e ss of d ecay an d r e storation which is

so gr a du al th at it e sc ap e s our notic e Every hum an .

b eing thus dw ells succ e ssiv ely in m any b odi e s e v e n ,

during on e short life This physiologic al fact s eems

.

to hav e b een known b y Pl ato as in a well known pas ,

-

s age of the Ph aedo a cle ar st at em ent of i t is put into

,

the mouth of C e b e s who argu e s howe v e r th at this

, , ,

f act aff ords no sufcient proof of the immort ality of

th e soul You m ay say with r e ason C eb e s is m ad e
.
,

to argu e th at the soul is l asting an d the b ody w eak

, ,

an d short liv e d in comp arison

-
A n d ev ery soul m ay
.

b e s aid to w e ar out m any b odi e s e sp eci ally in the ,

cours e of a lo n g life For if while the m an is alive

.
, ,

the b o dy d e liqu e sc e s an d d ec ays an d y et the soul al ,

.

w ays w e av e s her garm e nt an ew an d r ep airs the wast e ,

t he n of cours e wh e n the soul p erish es she must h ave

, ,

on h er l a st garm ent an d this only will survive her ;

,

b ut th e n again wh e n the soul is d ead the b ody will

, , ,

at l a st show its n ativ e w e akn e ss an d soon p ass into d e

ca
y. A n d ag ain Su ppos e w e a dmit a lso th at a ft e r ,

d eath the souls of som e are existing still an d will

, ,

e xist an d wi ll b e b orn an d d i e ag ai n an d ag ain an d

, ,

th at th er e is a n atur al strength in the soul which will

hold out an d b e b orn m any tim e s for all this we , ,

m ay still b e inclin e d to think th at she will b e w eary

106 P ROSE WR I TERS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

If m et empsychosis is includ ed in the sch em e of

the divin e gov e rnm e nt of the world this di fc ul ty dis ,

app ears altog e th e r C onsid e r e d from this point of

.

vi e w e v e ry on e i s b orn into the st at e which he has

,

f airly earn e d b y his own pr e vious history He c arri es .

with him from on e st age of exist enc e to anoth e r the

h ab its or t e nde nci e s which he has form ed the disposi ,

tions which he has indulg e d the p assions which he has ,

not ch astis ed b ut has volunt arily allowe d to l ead him

,

into Vic e an d crim e N 0 active interfe renc e of re trib

.

utive justic e is n eed ed e xc ept in s el ecting for the pl ac e

,

of his n ew b irth a hom e with appropri ate surround

i ngs p e rh aps such a hom e as through his e vil pas
sions he has m ad e for oth ers The doctrin e of inh er .

ited sin an d its cons equ enc e s is a h ard l esson to b e

l earn e d W e su b mit with enforc ed r e sign ation to the
.

st e rn d ecr e e corrob or a te d a s it is b y e v e ry d ay s ob
,

s erv ation of the ordin ary cours e of this world s a airs

,

th at the iniquity of the fath ers sh al l b e visite d upon

the childr en e v e n to the third an d fourth g en er ation .

But no on e can compl ain of the dispositions an d eu

d owm ents which he h as inh erite d so to sp eak fro m , ,

hims elf ; th at is from his form er s elf in a pr evious

,

st age of e xist enc e If for inst anc e he has n eglect e d

.
, ,

his opportuniti e s an d fostered his lower app etit e s in

his childhood if he was th en w ayw ard an d s elf in dul
,
-

gent indol e nt d e ceitful an d vicious it is right an d

, , , ,

j u st that in his m anhood an d old age he should expe

, ,

rien ce the b itt e r cons e qu e nc e s of his youthful folli e s .

If he has volunt arily m ad e hims elf a b rute a b rute he ,

must r e m ain T he child is fathe r of the man who

.
,

ofte n inh erits f ro m him a sad p atrimony Th ere i s .

an a wful m e aning if we will b ut t ak e it to h e art in

, ,

the sol emn announc e m ent of the ang el in the apoc a r

 P ROS E WR I TERS ON REI N C A RN A TI ON . 107

lyptic visi on : He th at is unjust let him b e unjust ,

still ; an d he which is lthy let him b e lthy still ; ,

an d he th at is right eous le t him b e right e ous still ;

,

an d he th at is h oly l e t him b e holy still "

, A n d it
m att ers not so f ar as the justic e of the s e nt enc e is
,

conc e rn ed wh ether the form e r s elf from whom we

, ,

r e c eive this herit age was the child who not m any
, ,

y e ars ago b ore the s am e n am e with our pr e s ent s elf

, ,

or on e who b ore a di ffe rent n am e who was b orn in ,

anoth e r age an d p er h aps anoth e r h e m isph e r e an d of ,

whos e sad history we h ave not now the f aint est re

me mb ran ce . W e know th at our p erson al id entity
actu ally e xt ends f a rth e r b ack an d links tog e th e r m or e ,

p ass ag e s of our life than wh at is n o w pre s ent to con

,

scio usn ess though it is tru e th at we h av e no direct e v i

d enc e of this continuity an d s am en ess of b eing b eyond
wh at is att e sted b y m emory But we m ay h av e indirect .

e vid enc e of it from the t e stimony of oth ers in the c as e of

our own infancy or from r e vel ation or through r eason

, ,

ing fro m an alogy an d from the sim ilarity of c as e s an d

ch aract ers The soul s aid the Hindoos is in the b ody
.
, ,

lik e a b ird in a c age or lik e a pilot who st eers a ship

, ,

an d s eeks a n ew v e ss el wh e n the old on e is worn out .

N othing pr e v ents us how ev er from b eli e ving th at

, ,

the prob ation of an y on e soul ext ends continuously

through a lon g s eri e s of succ e ssive existenc e s upon
earth , e ach succ e ssiv e act in the whol e lif e history -

b eing r etri b utive for what w e nt b efor e For this is .

th e univ ers al law of b eing w heth e r of m att er or mind ;

,

e v e ryt hing ch ang e s nothing di e s in the s e ns e of b e ing

,

a nnihil at e d . W h at we c all d e ath is only the r e solu

tion of a compl ex b ody into its constitu ent p arts noth ,

ing th at is truly on e an d indivisi b l e b e ing lost or d e

stroy e d in the process In comb ustion or an y other
.
108 PROS E WR I TER S ON REI N CA RN A TI ON .

r apid ch e mic al ch ange according to the admission of

,

the m at e ri alists th e ms e lve s not an atom of m atte r is

,

e v e r g e n e r at e d or e v e r c e a s e s to b e ; it only e sc ap e s

from on e com b in ation to ent er upon an oth er The n .

the hum an soul which a s we kno w from conscious

, ,

n e ss is ab solut ely on e an d indivisi b l e only p ass e s on

, ,

a ft e r the dissolution of wh at wa s onc e its ho m e to an i

m at e anoth er b ody In this s ens e we can easily acc e pt

.

the doctrin e of the r e surr e ction of the b ody O ur .

future life is not at an y rat e not whil e th e pr e s ent

,

administr a tion of this world s a airs continu e s to b e

som e inconc eivab l e form of m erely Spiritu al b eing It .

will b e cloth e d again with a b ody which m ay or m ay ,

not b e in p art the s am e with the o n e which it has just

l e ft L e i b nitz h eld th at the soul is n e ver entir e ly di
.

v orce d from m att e r b ut c arri e s on som e portion of

,

wh at was its ear thly cove ring into a su b s equ ent st age
of existe nc e . W e can ea sily i m agin e an d b eli e ve
th at e very p erson now living is a r epr e s e nt ation of som e
on e who li v e d p erh aps c e ntu ri e s a o und e r anothe r
g
n am e in anoth e r country it may b e not with th e s am e
, ,

lin e of anc e stry a n d y et on e an d the s am e with him

,

in his in most b eing an d e ss enti al ch ar acte r Hi s sur .

roundings are ch ange d ; the old hous e of e sh has

b ee n torn down an d r e b uilt b ut the t e n ant is still th e
s am e He h as co m e do wn from som e form er gen e ra
.

tion b ringing with him wh at may b e e ith e r a h elp or

,

a hindr anc e ; n am e l y the ch ar act e r an d t end e nci e s

,

which he th er e form e d an d nurtur e d A n d h er e in is .

r etri b ution he h as ent er e d upon a n ew st age of pro

b atio n an d in it h e h as now t o l earn wh at the ch ar a c
'

ter which he the r e for m e d n atur ally l eads to whe n t ri e d

upon a n ew an d p e rh aps b ro ad er th eatre If thi s b e .

n o t so t e ll me wh m en a re b orn with c h ar acte rs so

, y
110 PROS E WR I TE RS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

inu enc e s must h av e had a primitive b asis to work

upon an d can only modify the op er ation of the n ativ e
,

ge rms not ch ange th e ir n ature an d th ey will modify

,

th e s e more or l e ss profoundly according as th ey are

more or l e ss am e n ab le to outsid e inu e nc e s an d m ani
fe st more or l e ss d ecid e dly a b i as in on e dir ection or
anoth e r W h at th e future pl ant will b e d ep ends
.

much mor e on the sp ecic n ature of the s eed which is

sown th an on the fe rtility or b arr enn e ss of the soil into
which it is c ast The l att er only d etermin e wh eth er
.

it sh all b e a v igorous pl ant or a w eak on e wh eth e r in ,

fact it sh all grow at all or only rot in the ground ; b ut

th ey do not d et ermin e the sp e cic dir ection of its de
v elo m en t wh eth e r it sh all b e an oak a willow or an
p , , ,

ivy b ush The Empiric al or a cquir ed C h ar acte r as it

-
.
,

is op e n to ob s e rv ation is a ph enom enon ; it is wh at

,

the m an app ear s to b e or wh at h e h as b e com e und e r

,

the sh aping inu enc e of the circumst anc e s to whi ch he

h as b ee n expos ed But the Int elligi b l e C h aracter the
.
,

inmost kern el of his r eal b eing is a noum enon an d es , ,

c ap e s ex te rn al ob s erv ation ; we can j udge of its n ature

only indirectly from its effects ; th at is to say from ,

th e conduct which it h as coiiperate d to produc e A .

ch ange t aking pl ac e in an y sub st anc e must b e the joint

r e sult of two factors n am ely its prop er c aus e op erat ,

ing upon it from wit hout an d the thing s own n ature ,

or int ern al constituti on T hus the s am e d egree of

.

h eat acts v ery d i eren tly upon di e ren t sub st anc e s ,

sa
y
, on w ax iron w
,
at e r cl ay
,
or powd er,
In lik e ,
.

m an n e r a given motive say the d e sire of w e alth

, , , ,

wh e n acting on di ffer ent p ersons though with the s am e ,

strength or intensity m ay l e ad to ve ry dissimil ar re

,

sul t s ; it m ak e s on e m an a thi e f an d a nothe r a mis e r ,

renders on e e nvious an d anoth er e n ergetic an d indus

 PROSE WR I TERS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 111

trious . If fr e qu ently indulged it forms a x e d h ab it , ,

an d thus b e com e s an el e m ent in the acquir e d or em pir

ic al ch ar act er .

Now K ant with the b i a s of a n ec e ssit ari an pl ac e s

, ,

our fr eedom an d our r e sponsi b ility in the r eal m of

noum en a attri b uting th em e xclusively to our I n telli
,

i b l e C h a ra ct e r A s to the acquir e d ch ar act e r wh e n

g .

onc e for med he s ays we mus t act in accord anc e with

,

it an d th er efore we are not account ab le for the p arti e

,

ul ar act to which it led sinc e th at we could not h elp, .

A ft er I h av e onc e form ed a h ab it of lying or st ealing ,

should an opp ortunity an d te mptation r e cur I mu s t ,

re p ea t t he o ff e ns e But our in b orn ch arac te r which

.
,

e xpr e ss e s wh at we r eally are as a noum e non li e s out , ,

sid e of tim e sp ac e an d c aus ality an d th er efor e can

, , ,

not b e led astray b y t empt ation or ext ern al circum

sta nc es b ut is entirely fr ee Her ein sol ely consists
,
.

our m e rit or our guilt Henc e K ant would m ak e us.

r e sponsi b l e not for th e p articul ar crim e which we ,

coul d not h elp committing b ut for b eing such a p erson ,

as to b e c ap ab l e of th at crim e W e are accountab l e .

not f or wh at we do b ut for wh at we are W e are to

, .

b e punish ed not for st ealing this hors e b ut for b e ing ,

a rogu e or thi e f in gr ain for b eing n atur ally inclin e d

, ,

to ste aling .

I know not how it may s eem to othe rs b ut to m e ,

there is so m ething in expressib ly consol atory an d in

spiring in the thought th at the great an d good of oth e r
d ays h ave not n ally accomplish e d the ir earthly c areer ,

h ave not l eft us de sol ate b ut th at they are still with u s

, ,

in the e sh though we know th em not an d though

, ,

in on e s ens e they do not r eally know th em selve s b e ,

c aus e th ey h ave no r em em b r anc e of a fo rm er life in

which th ey were train e d for the wo rk which th ey are
112 P ROS E WR I TERS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

now doing But th ey are e ss enti all y the s am e b eings

.
,

for th ey h ave th e s am e intell e ct an d ch ar act er as b e

fore an d s am en e ss in th e s e two r e sp ects is all that
,

constitut e s our notion of p erson al ide ntity W e are .

unwilling to b eli e ve th at th eir b en e cen t activity was

limit e d to on e short life on e arth at the clos e of which
,

th er e op e n ed t o th em an eternity without ch ange ,

without f arth e r t ri al or action an d s ee mingly h aving

,

no oth e r purpos e th an unli m it e d e nj oym ent Such a .

conc eption of immort ality is expos e d to Schop enh au er s

s arc asm th at if eff ort an d progr e ss are possi b l e only

,

in the pre s ent life an d no w ant or su ffering can b e

,

e ndur e d e xc e pt as the p e n alti e s of s1n th e r e r e m ains ,

for h eave n only the wearin e ss of nothing to do A n .

e t ernity e ith e r of r e w ard or punishm e nt would s ee m

to b e in ad e qu at e ly earn e d b y on e b ri ef p e riod of pro

b ation .It is f ar mor e r eason ab l e to b eli e ve that the
futur e life which we are t aught to exp e ct will b e simi
lar to the pr e s e nt on e an d wi ll b e sp ent in this world
, ,

though we sh all c arry forw ard to it the b urd en or the

b l e ssing e nt ail e d upon us b y our p ast c ar e e r B e sid e s .

the Spiritu al m e aning of the doctrin e of r ege n e r ation ,

b e sid e s the n ew b irth which is of w at er an d of the

Spirit th er e m ay b e a lit er al m e aning in the sol e mn

words of the Sa viour Exc ept a man b e b orn again

, ,

he c ann ot see the kingdom of G od

.

I should b e sorry to b eli e ve that th at r e m arkab l e

group of exc ell e nt schol ars think ers an d divin e s the
, , ,

Port R oy alists who uph eld the c aus e of J an sen ism

-

for th re e qu art er s of a c entury h av e n ally p a ss e d

,

aw ay from e arth O n th e contr ary if anywh e r e in

.
,

th e s e l at e r ti m e s the mod el of a C hristi an sch ol ar an d

histori an could b e found we might w ell say th at th e
,

spirit of Tillem on t live s again in him If we could .

114 PROS E WR I TER S ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

Early in the pub lic m inistry of John the B aptist we ,

r ead th at the b eli ef pr ev aile d among his h ear ers th at

this prophe cy was fulll ed in him But wh en directly .

a sk e d , Art thou Eli a s he r epli e d I am not A rt , .

thou th at pr oph e t ? A n d he answered No He had , .

no m e m ory of his form er life und e r that n am e ; an d

though he must h av e b een aw ar e of the popul ar b elief
upon the su b j e ct an d of the m any points of similarity
,

b e tw ee n his own c a r e e r an d th at of the gr eat r e stor er

of the wors hip of the tru e G od at an earli e r p eriod ,

he was too hon e st to cl a im an authority which h e did

not positive ly know to b elong to him .

Yet we l ea rn th at our Lord sub s e qu ently t wic e

d e cl ar e d in v e ry distinct l angu age th at Elij ah an d
, ,

John the B aptist w er e really on e an d the s am e p erson .

O nc e whil e John was still alive b ut in prison J e sus

, ,

told the multitud e who thronge d around him A mong ,

th em th at are b orn of wom e n ther e h ath not ris en a

gr eat er than John the B aptist ; an d he dire ctly
go e s on to a ss ert If ye will r ec eive it thi s i s E li a s
, , ,

which was for to com e ( M att xi A n d again

. . .
,

aft e r John was b e h ea d e d J e sus s aid to his discipl e s

, ,
Eli a s is com e alr e ady an d th ey kn ew him not b ut
,

T hen

h ave don e unto him wh atsoe ver th ey listed .

the discipl e s und e rstood th at he sp ak e unto th em of

John the B aptist ( M att xvii 12 Still agai n

. . .
, ,

in the sc en e on the m ount of Trans guration B ehold .

th ere t alk e d with hi m two m en which w e re Mos e s ,

an d Eli a s an d it is s aid of th e thr ee discipl e s who

w ere th e n in comp any with J e sus th at W he n th ey

,

w ere aw ak e th ey saw his glory an d the two men th at

,

stood with him Luk ix 3 0 Th at th e com

.
( e .
,

men tators h av e not b ee n willing to r e c eiv e in th eir ,

ob vious an d lit er al m eaning a ss ertions so direct an d

,
 PROSE WR I TERS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 115

so f r equ ently r ep eat ed th es e b ut h ave att empt ed

as ,

to expl ain the m aw ay in a non n atural an d metaphori -

cal s e nse is a f act which prov e s nothing b ut the e xist

,

e nc e of an invinci b l e pr ej udic e ag ainst the doctrin e

of the transmigration of souls .

A ssumi n g the doctrin e to b e w e ll found ed it is ,

for e very p erson to d et ermi n e with wh at ch aract er he

will l eav e the world at the clos e of on e stage of his
earthl y b e ing b eli e ving th at with this s am e ch aract e r
,

thu s train ed for we al or woe he is in evitab ly at onc e

to b egin a n ew li fe an d thus either to ris e or f all
,

farth e r th an e ver It s eems to m e th at the dogm a of

.

a futur e lif e so prolong e d through a countl e ss succ e s

,

sion of oth er live s on e arth until it b eco m e s an i m

mort ality i s thus b rought hom e to on e with a forc e a
, ,

vividn e ss an d c ert ainty of which in no oth er for m it

,

is susc epti b l e It has b een s aid that no prud ent m an

.
,

if the el ection were o ffere d to him would choos e to ,

live his pr e s ent live over again an d as he W hom the

world c all s p ru d en t do es not usu ally ch erish an y lofty

a spir ations the s aying is pr ob ab ly tru e

, W e are all .

so conscious of the m any errors an d sins th at we h av e

committe d th at the r etrosp ect is a s add ening on e ;
an d worldly wisdom would pro b ab ly whisp e r It is ,
'

b est to stop h e r e an d not try such a c ar ee r ov e r

,

again . But e very on e would ard ently d e sire a r en ew al
of his earthly exp e ri enc e if assured th at he could e nt er
up on it und e r b ett e r auspic es if he b eli eve d th at wh at
,

we c all d eat h is not the e n d of all things e v en h e r e

b elo w b ut t hat the soul is th e n st anding upon the
,

thre shold of a n ew stage of earthly exist enc e which ,

is to b e b right er or d arke r th an the on e it is just

quitting according as th ere is c arried forward into it
,

a high e r or low e r pur os e

p .
116 PROSE WR I TERS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

T his doctrin e also suggests as it s eems to me a , ,

cl ear e r an d m or e s atisfacto ry expl an ation th an would

oth e rwis e b e possi b l e of the fall of m an through dis
o b edi enc e an d its cons e qu enc e s as n arr at e d in G en e sis ,

an d int e rpr e t e d b y St P a ul C e rt ainly th e prim e v al

. .

m an th e A d am of e ac h on e of us wh e n he rst
, ,

thr ough the inspir ation of D eity b ec am e a living
so ul was b orn into a p aradis e an Ed e n of e nti re
,

, ,

purity an d in n oc e nc e an d in th at st at e he t alke d
,

dir e ctly with G od T her e wa s also given to him

.

through his consci enc e the re vel ation of a divin e law ,

a n a b s o lut e com m and to pre s e rv e th is b l e ss e d st at e

,

through r e straining his app e tit e s an d lowe r i mpuls e s

to a ction an d m aking the lov e of holin e ss sup erior
,

e v e n to th e lov e of knowl e dg e But m an was t em pt e d .

b y his app e tit e s to t ransg re ss this la w ; h e a spir e d

a ft e r a knowl e dg e of good a n d e vil which can b e at ,

tai n e d only thr ough e xp eri e nc e of e vil an d he th er eb y ,

fe ll from innoc enc e into a st at e of sin w hi ch n ece s ,

s aril
y corrupt e d his whol e futu re b e in
g T h e h ab it .

o f diso b e di e nc e onc e form e d sin in t he s am e p e rson ,

h as a s e lf continuing an d s e lf mul tiplying pow e r

- -
.

The st ain c arri e d down fro m a f or m e r lif e b ecom e s

d ark er a n d m ore inveterat e in the life th at follows .

W e h ave no r e ason to c om pl ain of the corruption of

hu m an n atur e f or the wo rld is wh at we h av e m ad e
,

it to b e b y our o wn act The b urd en has not b e e n

.

trans m itte d to us b y othe rs b u t ha s b e en inh erite d ,

fro m ours elv e s ; th at is fr o m our for m er s elve s Re

,
.

d em ption fro m it b y m an s own e ffort thus b ec am e

impossi b l e T his is d e at h moral d eath the only d eath

.
, ,

of whic h a hu ma n s oul is c ap a b l e

.

T hus f ar we h a ve consid e re d m e t e m psychosi s a s
a m e ans of r e tri b ution ; th at is of aw arding to each ,
118 P ROS E WR I TERS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

individu als an d b y communiti e s are attri b ut ab l e di

re ctly to th e ir own misconduct to th eir willful dis ,

r egard of the monitions of consci enc e " The b ody

which is now l anguid from in action through sloth ,

an d enf e eb l e d or r ack e d b y dis e a s e might h a v e b e e n ,

activ e vigorous an d sound prompt to s econd e v ery

, , ,

wish of its own e r an d minist e ring to his enjoym ent

,

through e very s e ns e an d li mb A n d could we know .

all could we e xt e nd our vision ov e r the whol e history

of our form
,

e r s e lf how would our e stim at e of this

,

purely re tri b utiv e ch ar act e r of our pr e s e nt su ff e ring

b e e nl arg e d an d con rm e d " It would th e n b e e vid e nt
th at no por tion of it is gr atuit ous or purpos el e ss An d .

the community which is now t o rn with civil diss en

sion d e sol at e d b y war or prostrat e d in an un e qu al
, ,

strife with its rivals might h av e b een p eac eful af u

, ,

e n t an d ourishing
,
if rul ers an d rul e d h ad h ee d e d
,

the st e rn c alls of duty inst e ad of b lindly following ,

th eir own tumultuous p assions A n d as n ations too .

, ,

h av e a continuous lif e like th at of a riv er through a

, ,

const ant ch ange of th e ir constitu ent p arts m any of ,

th e ir wo e s are cl e arly a ttri b ut ab l e to the misd eeds of ,

th eir form e r s elve s O nc e ad m it the gre at truth th at

.

virtu e not h appin e ss is m an s high e st int ere st an d

, ,

,

most of the p ains of this life indic ate the go odn e ss

an d justic e of G od quit e a s much a s its pl e a sur e s .

But according to the th e ory which we are now con

sid e rin g a still l arg e r d e duc tion must b e m ad e from the
,

amount of app are nt e vil at an on e ti m e visi b l e in

y
the world A ll the in e qu aliti e s in th e l ot of m ankind
.
,

which h ave prom pt e d wh at a re p e rh aps the b itt ere st

of all compl aints an d h ave s e rve d sk e ptics like Hum e
,

an d J S Mill as a r e as on for the d ark e st i m putations

. .

upo n divin e j ustic e in the gove rnm ent of the world ,

 PROSE WR I TERS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 119

dis app ear from the picture altogeth e r Exc epting .

only wh at we h av e just consid ered the r etrib utive ,

cons e qu enc es of more or l e ss sin ther e are no in ,

e qu aliti e s : All st art fro m the s am e point an d journ ey ,

through the s am e vicissitud e s of e xist enc e exhausting ,

soon er or l ater all vari eti e s of condition Prince an d .

p easant b ond an d free b arb ari an an d cultur ed all

, , ,

sh ar e alike wh ate v er w e al or woe th ere is in the world ,

b e c aus e all must at so m e futur e tim e ch ang e pl ac e s

with each oth e r But aft er th e s e two l arge d educ
.

tions fro m the amount co mpl ain e d of wh at r em ains ? ,

Very little c ertainly which we c annot e ven n ow see

, ,

through th at is which we c annot a ssign an ad equ at e

,

r eason for ; an d to the eye of faith nothing rem ains .

The world b e co m e s a mirror w hich r e e cts without

b lot or sh adow the innit e goodn e ss of its C r eator an d
G ov ernor . D eath r em ains ; b ut th at is no e vil for ,

wh at we c all d eath is only the introduction to anoth er

life on earth an d if this b e not a high er an d b ett e r
,

life th an th e on e just end ed it is our own fault O ur

, .

life is r e ally continuous an d the f act th at the sub se

,

qu ent st age s of it lie b eyond our pre s ent r ange of im

m edi at e vision is of no more im portanc e an d no more ,

an e vil , th an the corr e sponding fact th at we do not

now r em em b er our previous exist enc e in ant ec e d ent
ag e s
. D e ath alon e or in its elf consid ere d ap art from
, ,

the ant ec ed ent dr e a d of it which is irr ation al an d ,

ap art from th e injury to the f ee lings of the survi

vors which is a n ec e ss ary cons e qu enc e of th at att ach

,

m ent to each other from which so much of our hap

p i n e ss springs is not
, e v e n a n app ar e nt e vil ; it is

m ere ch ange an d d evelopm ent like the p a ss age from ,

the e m b ryonic to the adult condi tion from the b los ,

som to the fruit .
12 0 PROS E WR I TERS ON REI NOA RN A TI ON .

22 In W ays of the Spirit an d oth er Ess ays b y

.
, ,

P rofessor Fr e d e rick Hen ry He dg e the tw elfth ch apte r , ,

upon The H um an Soul strongly advoc ate s r e in ,

c arn ation By the pub lish e rs cons e nt we r eprint the

.

p ag e s r eferring to it
W e reach b ack with our re coll ection an d nd no
b eginning of exist e nc e W ho of us knows anything .

exc e pt b y r e port of the rst two y e ars of earthly lif e ?

No on e r em e mb e rs the tim e wh e n he rst s aid I

,

or thought I W e b egan to e xist f or oth e rs b e fore

.

we b e gan to exist for ours e lv e s O ur e xp eri enc e is .

not co exte nsive with our b e ing an d m e mory do e s not

-

compre h end it W e b e ar not the root b ut the r oot us

.
, .

W h at is the root ? W e c all it soul Our soul .

,

we c all it ; prop e rly sp eaking i t is not ours b ut we , ,

are its It is not a p art of us b ut we are a p art of

.
,

it It is not on e articl e in an inv entory of articl e s

.

which togeth er m ak e up our individu ality b ut the ,

root of th at individu ality It is l arge r than we are .

,

an d oth e r th an we are th at is th an our conscious ,

s elf The conscious s el f do e s not b e gin until som e

.

tim e aft er the b irth of the individu al It is not ab orig .

in al b ut a product as it w er e the b lossoming of

, , ,

an i ndividu ality W e may suppos e countl e ss souls

.

which n e v e r b ear this product which n e ver b loss om ,

into s elf A n d the soul which do e s so b lossom exists

.

b efore th at b lossom unfolds .

How long b efor e it is imp o ssi b l e to say wh ethe r

,

the b irth for e x ampl e of a hum an individu al is the

, ,

soul s b e ginning to b e ; wh ethe r a n e w soul is fur

n ishe d to ea ch n e w b ody or the b ody giv e n to a pre ,

e xisting soul It is a qu e stion on which th e ology

.

throws no light an d w hich psychology b ut faintly

,

ill us trate s But so f ar as th at faint illustration reache s

.
12 2 PROS E WR I TERS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

an d the n ew . An d
this according to the supposition
, ,

is pr ecis ely wh at h as h app en e d to the soul at b irth .

The b irth into the pr e s e nt was the d eath of th e old ,

a sl e ep an d a forg etti n g Th e soul w ent to sl e ep

.

in one b ody it woke in a n ew The sleep is a gulf of

, .

ob livion b etween the t wo .

A n d a h appy thing if the soul pr ee xisted it is
, ,

for us th at we r e m emb er nothing of its form e r life .

The m emory of a p a st e xist enc e would b e a dr ag on

the pr e s ent engrossing our attention much to the pre
,

judic e of thi s life s int er e sts an d cl aims The b ack

.

w ard looking soul would dwell in the p ast instead of

-

the pr e s ent an d m iss the b e st us e s of life

, .

But though on the supposition of a form e r exist

e nc e the soul would not b e lik ely to pr e s e rv e the

r ecord of th at exist enc e it would n everth el e ss ret ain

,

the e ff e ct It would not on assuming its pres ent

.
,

conditions b e a s though it had n e ve r b efor e b een Its

,
.

p ast e xp eri enc e would e ss enti ally modify it it would

t ake a ch aract er from its form er stat e If a moral .

an d int e ll e ctu al b eing it would b r i ng 1nto the world

,

of its pr e s ent d e stin ation c ert ain t end enci e s an d dis

positions the growth of a pr evious life A n d thus
,
.

the mor al law an d the mor al n atur e of the soul wo uld

a ss e rt th e ms e lv e s with r e tri b utions tr ansc ending th e

limits of a single existenc e an d r eaching on from life ,

to life of the pilgrim soul .

It is commonly conc ed ed th at th ere are n ative

d i ff e r enc e s of ch ar act e r in men diffe rent prop ensi ,

tie s t emp ers not wholly e xpl ain e d b y di eren ce of

, ,

circumst anc e s or e duc ation They show th e ms elve s .

wh er e circumstanc e s an d educ ation ha ve b een the

s am e ; th ey s ee m to b e inn at e T h e s e are som etim e s .

a scri b e d to organiz ation But organiz ation is n ot

.
 P ROSE WR I TERS ON RE I N C ARN A TI ON . 12 3

n al That again r e quire s to b e expl ain e d A ccord

.
, , .

ing to my thinking it is the so ul th at m ake s organiza

,

tion not organiz ation t he soul The supposition of a

, .

pre vious existenc e woul d b e st e xpl ain th e s e d i e re n ces

a s som ething c arri e d o ve r from lif e to lif e th e ,

h arve st of s ee d th at was so wn in ot h e r st ate s an d ,

whos e fruit re m ains although the sowing is r em em

,

b er e d no mor e .

This was the th e ory of the most l e arn e d an d acut e

of the C hristi an Fath e rs ( O rig en ) an d though n e ve r ,

a dopt e d an d s ancti on e d b

th c h u r ch h as b e e n oc
y e ,

casion ally r e viv e d in l a t er tim e O f all the the ori e s re .

sp ecting the origin of the soul it s eems to m e the most

pl ausib l e an d therefo re the on e most likely to throw
,

light on the qu e stion of a life to com e .

23 Sir Humphry D avy in his

. C onsol ations in ,

Tr a v e l ( Di alogu e IV T h e Prot e us or I mm ortality )
.
, ,

arguing for the n e c e ssity of th e continu anc e of s o m e

kind of a b ody for the hum an spi rit aft er death s ays ,

The ext ern al world is to us noth ing b ut a cluste r

of s ens ations an d in looking b ack to the m emory of
,

our b eing we nd on e p rinciple which may b e c alled

the mon a d or s e lf const antly pr e s e nt intim at e ly a sso
, ,

ciated with a p articul a r cl ass of s ens ations which we ,

c all our b ody or organs The s e organs are conn ect ed

, .

with oth er s ens ations an d move as it w er e with th em

, , ,

in circl e s of existenc e quitting for a tim e som e tr ains

,

of s ens ation to r eturn to oth ers b ut the mon ad is al ,

w ays pre s ent W e can x no b eginni n g to its op era

.

tions we can pl ac e no limit to th em W e som etim e s

, .

in sleep lose the b eginning an d en d of a dr eam an d ,

r ecoll e ct the middle of it an d on e dr e am has no con ,

n ection with anoth er an d et we are conscious of an

y ,

innite v ari ety of dreams an d th ere is a strong an al ,

s
124 P ROS E WRI TERS ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

ogy for b eli e ving in an innity of p ast existenc e s

which must h av e b ee n conn ect ed ; an d hum an life
may b e r egarde d a s a typ e of innit e an d immortal
life an d its succ e ssion of sl eep an d dreams a s a typ e
, _

of the ch ange s of d eath an d b irth to which from its

n ature it is li ab l e T he whol e int e lle ct is a history
.

of ch ange according to a c erta in law an d we ret ai n the

, ,

m emory only of thos e ch ange s which may b e us e ful to

us The chi ld forgets wh at h app en e d to it in the
.

wom b The r ecoll ections of the infant like wis e b e

.
,

fore two y ears are soon lost y et m any of the h ab its

,

acquir e d in th at a e are r e t ain e d for lif e

g T h e s e nti .

e n t princip le g ains thoughts b m at eri a l instrum e nts

y ,

an d its s ens a tions ch ang e a s thos e instrum e nts ch ang e ;

an d in old a e the mind a s it w e r e f alls asl e ep to

g , , ,

a wak e in a n e w e xiste nc e W ith its pre s ent organ

.

ization the int ell e ct of m an is n atur ally limit e d an d

imp erfect b ut this d ep ends upon its m at eri al m achin
,

e ry an d in a high e r orga niz e d form it m ay b e im

,

a in e d to poss e ss innit e ly high e r pow e rs It do es

g .

not how e ve r app ear improb ab l e to m e th at so m e of

, ,

the mor e r en e d m achin ery of thought m ay a dh e r e ,

e v e n in a noth e r stat e to the s e nti e nt principl e for

, ,

thou gh the organs of gross s ens ation the n erve s an d ,

b r ain are d e stroy e d b y d eath y et som ething of the

, ,

mor e e th er eal valu e m ay b e l e ss d e structi b le an d I ,

som etim e s im agin e th at m any of thos e powers which

h av e b e en c alle d instinctive b elong to the mor e re
n e d clothing of th e spirit C onsci enc e ind eed s eems
.
, ,

to ha v e som e in de n ed sourc e an d may b ear r elations

,

to a form er st ate of b eing .
 Poets , th e rst i nstru tors c of m an kin d . HORA CE .

Poets are th e tru est di i n ers v of n a t u r e . B ULW E R LYT T ON -

.

Poe ts utte r great an d wis e thin gs wh i h th e y d o c n ot th em sel v es n u

d erstan d . PLA T O .

Poe ts sh oul d b e la wgi v ers ; th at is , th e b ol d est l yri c in spiration

sh oul d n ot chid e an d i ns ul t , b ut sh oul d a n n oun c e an d l ead . EMER
SO N .

We c all th ose p oe ts wh o are rst to ma r k

Through e arth s

d ul l m is t th e c om in g of t h e da wn ,
Wh o see in twili ght s gl oom th e rst p ale sp ark

While others only n ote th at d ay i s gon e .

HO LM ES .

O b vra e p oets , k p b ck
ee a n othin g,

Nor m ix fal seh ood with t h e wh ol e .

Look up Godward "Sp eak th e truth in

Worth y son g from e arnest soul "
Hol d , i n hi gh p oe t i c d uty
T ruest Tru th , the f i tb
a res e auty
Ma s BROW N IN G
. .

The S pi it
r of th e Poe t s c am e at m orn
T o Sinai , mm on e d b y th e Lord s om man d ,
su

c
Sin gers an d Se ers b
th ose orn an d th ose un orn b
Th e c h ose n soul s of m en , a sol em n an d b .

Th e no bl e arm y ran ged , in vi wl migh t

e ess

A rou n d th at m oun tain p k which pi c

ea er es h ea v en ;
Greater an d l e sse r t each ers , s ons of light ,
b
Their n um er was t e n th ousa n d sc ore an d se ve n.

Th en Allah t ook a c ove n a n t with his own ,

Sayi n g, My wi sd om a n d m y word re ceive .

Sp e ak of m e un t o m e n , kn own or u n kn own ,
Hea rd or un h e ard : b i d s uch as wi ll e lie ve b .

B e ar wi tn ess th en , Spa k e Al l ah , s oul s m ost d ear,

I a m y our Lord , an d ye h eral d s of m in e .

cf
Th en e orward th rou gh al l l an ds h is Poe ts e ar b
T h e m essage of th e m yste ry di in e v .

ED W I N ARN OLD .
 T H E PO ETRY O F REI N C A RN A TI O N IN WESTERN
LI T ERA T U RE .

TH E po ets are the s e ers of the r ac e Their b est .

work c om e s from the intuition al h eig hts whe re th ey

dwell conveying truths b eyond r e a son not und e rstood
, ,

e v e n b y th e m s e lv e s b ut m e rely tr ans m itt e d thr ough

,

th em They are the f e w t all pin e s towe ring ab ove the

.

co mm on fo re st to an extraordin ary e x altation wh ere ,

the y c atch the e arli e st an d l at e st sun b eam s which pro

long th e ir day f ar b eyond the limits b elow an d p en e ,

tratin g into the r ar e upp e r curr e nts w hos e whisp e rings

s eldom d esc end to the crowd .

Howe v er div e rs e the form s of th eir e xpr ession the ,

h eart of it is thoroughl y h arm oni ous Th ey are al ways

.

'
i
ro he ts voicing a divin e m e ss ag e r e c e iv e d in th e
p p
m ount a n d in th e s e mod er n d ays th ey are almost the
,

only p rop hets we h av e T h er e for e it is not a m e re

.

pl eas antry to colle ct th eir t esti mony upon an unusu al

th em e W he n it is found th at though working ind e
.
,

p end ently the y are in d eep accord upon r einc arn a

,

tion the in evit ab l e con clu sion is th at th eir common in

, x

spi ration m e ans so m ething n am ely th at th eir gosp el

,

is worth r ec e iving .

It may b e ob j ected that th e s e po e m s are m e rely

dreamy eff usions along the s am e lin e of lun acy with ,
128 TH E P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

no r e al att achm e nt to the solid found ations upon which

all whol e som e po e try is b as e d ; th at th ey are kinks in

th e int ell e cts of g e nius displ aying the w eakn e ss of

m en oth erwis e strong But so univers al a f e eling can
.

not b e dispos e d of in th at way e sp eci al ly wh e n it is ,

found to contri b ute to the sol ution of life s myste ry

.

A ll the po ets b eli e ve in immort ality though un aid e d ,

r ea son an d ob s ervation c annot d e monstrat e it So m e .

in exp eri enc e d p e ople d erid e the fact th at n e arly all

po etry c entre s upon the th e m e of Love th e most il
logic al an d airy of s entim e nts But the d e e p e st s ens e .

of the world is nourish e d b y the c ertainty of th e s e

v agu e truths So the pre s enc e of r einc arn a tion in

.

the cr ee d of the po ets may giv e us courag e to cond e

in our own i mpre ssions for all m en are po ets at
,

h e art
.

W h at th ey h av e d are d pu b lish we m ay ven
tur e to b eli e v e an d will nd a sourc e of strength .

It is w ell known th at the id ea of r e inc arn ation

ab oun d s in ori e nt al po e try But as our purpos e is to
.

d e monstrat e the pre val enc e of the s am e thought a m ong

our own po ets m o st of whom are wholly ind ep end ent
,

of e a st e rn inu enc e we sh all h ere conn e our att e n

,

tion to the spont an e ous utter anc e s of A m e ric an an d

Europ e an po e ts W e sh all n d th at the gr eat m ajor
.

ity of the high e st occid ent al po ets l ean tow ard this
thought an d m any of th e m unh e sitatingly avow it
,
.

F or conv e ni enc e we divid e our st udy into fo ur p arts ,

co m prising forty two authors -

.

P art I . A m eric anPo ets ( thirte en ) ,

.

II B ritish P o ets ( s e vente en )

.
, .

III C onti n e nt al Po ets ( six )

.
,
.

I V Pl atonic Po e ts ( s e ve n )
.
, .
130 THE P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

T h oughts whic h p erc han c e m ust trav el b ack

A c ross th e wi ld be wild e rin g tra ck
Of c oun tl ess aeon s m e mories f ar
High reac hin g as y on p allid star ,

Un k n own scar c e se e n whose ickerin g grace

, ,

F aints on the outmost rin gs of sp ace .

A M YSTERY .

BY J G
. . W H I T T I ER .

T H E river he m m ed with le av in g trees

W oun d through m e ad ows gre en ,
th e
A low b lue lin e of m oun tai n sh owe d

The o p en p in es b et w
e en .

On e sh arp tall p eak ab ove them all

C lear in t o sun light sp ra n g ,

I saw the ri v er of my d re am s ,

T he m ountain th at I san g .

N o c lue of m em ory led m e on ,

B ut w ell the way s I kn ew ,

A f e elin g of fam iliar thin gs

With ev ery f ootstep grew .

Yet n e er b efore that rive r s rim

W as presse d b y f e et of m in e ,

N ev er b efore m in e e y e s ha d c rossed
That b roken m oun tain lin e .

A p resen c e stran ge at on ce an d kn own

W alked wi th m e as my guid e ,
The skirts of som e f orgotte n life
T railed noiseless at my sid e .
 TH E P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 131

W as it a dim -
rem emb ere d dre am
Or glimp se thro ugh aeon s old ?

Th e c t whic h the m ountains kep t

se re

T he river n ev er told .

THE METEM PSYC H O SI S O F T HE PIN E .

BY B A YA RD TA Y LO R .

AS when the ha ze of so m e wan m oon light makes

F amiliar elds a lan d of mystery ,

W here chill an d stran ge a ghostly p resence wakes

, ,

In ower or b u sh or tre e ,

A n other li f e , th e life ms,

of d ay o erwhel

Th e p ast from p resen t con sc iousn ess takes hue

A s we rememb er v a st a n d c loudy realm s
Our f eet hav e wan d e re d through

So, oft , som e moonl ight of the min d m ake s dumb

T he tir of outer thought wid e op e n seem s
s

T he gate where through stran ge sym p athies hav e me

co

Th e se cret of our d re am s :

Th e uc
so r e of n e im p ression s, shootin g d ee p
Below the fallin g plummet of th e sen se
W hic h strike b eyon d all T im e an d b ackward sweep
Thr ough all in telligen c e .

W e tou ch the lower li fe of b east an d clod

A n d the lon g p rogress o f th e age s see

From b lin d old C haos, e re th e b rea h t of God

M oved it to harm on y .

Al l tward v ision yields to that within

ou

W hereof n or creed n or can on hold s the key

132 TH E P OE TR Y OF REI N C ARN A TI ON .

W e on ly f eel that we h av e e v er b een

An d verm ore
e sh all be .

A n d thus I kn ow , b y m em ories un f urle d

In rare r m oods, an d m an y n am ele ss sign
a

T hat on ce in T im e an d som ewh e re in the world

I was a towerin g p in e .

Som e b lin d harmon i c i n stin c t p ierced the rind

Of that slow life whic h m ade me straight an d high,
A n d I b ecame a harp f or ev ery wind ,
A v 0 1ce f or e very sk
y .

A n d thus f or ce nturies my rhythmic ch an t

Rolled down th e g or
ge or surge d ab o ut the hill ,

G en tl e t
or s e rn or sad or j ub ilan t ,

At e very se as on s

will .

N o lon ge r m em orywhisp ers when ce arose

The d oom that tore m e f ro m m y p l a c e of p ride ,

W hether b y storm s that loa d th e p eak with sn ows ,

O r han ds of m en I d ie d .

Ye t till that life awaken s b rings agai n

s ,

I ts airy an th e m s reson an t an d lon g

, ,

T ill e arth an d sky tra n s gure d ll m y b rain

W i th rhy thm ic s we ep s of son g .

Th e n c e amI mad e a p oet ; then c e are sp run g

T h ose sha dowy m otion s of the soul that re ach
B eyon d all gras p of art f or whi c h the soul ,

I s ign oran t of sp ee ch .

A n d if wild full gathered harm on y

som e -

Rolls its un b roke n m usic through my line ,

There li v es a n d m urm urs f ain tly though it b e, ,

T he sp ir it of th e p in e .
134 THE P OE TRY OF RE I N C ARN A TI ON .

TH E M ETEM PSYC HOSI S .

BY T . B . A LD RI C H .

I K N OW my own c reation was divin e .

Stre wn on the b re e z y c on tin e n ts I se e

T he v ein ed sh ell s an d b urn ish e d scales which once
En closed my b ein g husks th at had their use
,

I b rood on all th e shap es I must attain

B e f ore I rea c h th e Perf e c t whi c h is G od , ,

A n d dre am my dr eam, an d l et th e rab b le go ;

F or I am of the moun tai n s an d the se a,
Th e d e serts, an d c averns in the earth
th e ,

T he catac om b s an d f ragmen ts of old w orlds .

I was a sp irit on the m oun tain top s -

A p erfum e in the v alleys a simoom ,

On arid d es erts a n omadi c win d

,

Roaming th e un iv erse a tireless V oic e ,

.

I was ere Romulus an d Remus were ;

I was ere N in ev eh an d B ab ylon
I was an d am an d everm ore sh all b e
, , ,

Progressin g n e v er re ach in g t o th e e n d
,
.

A hun dre d years I tre mb l e d in th e grass ,

T e e
h d l icat e t r e f oil th a t m uf e d w ar m
A slop e on I d a ; f or a hun dr ed y e ars
M ove d in th e p urple gyre of those d ark owers
T he G re cian wom en strew up on th e d e ad .

U n der the earth in fragran t gl oom s I dwelt ;

, ,

T hen in the vein s an d sin ew s of a p in e

O n a lone isle wh e re from th e C y clad e s
, , ,

A m ighty win d like a l evi ath an

, ,

t
Plough e d hrough th e b rin e an d f ro m th o s e s o
,
l itu d es

t l
Sen Si en ce rig e f h t n e d T o an d f r o I.
s w ay e d ,
,

i
D raw g tn h e su n s h in e f ro m th e sto o p i n
g c l ou d s .

S un s c a m e a n d w e n t a n d m an y
,
a m y st i c m oo n ,
 THE P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 135

Orb in g an d wan in g, an d erc e m ete ors,

Leavin g their lurid ghosts to haun t the night .

I h ea rd loud voi c es by the soun di n g shore ,

Th e stormy sea g od s an d f rom ute d c on c hs

,

Wild m usic an d stra n ge sha dows oate d b y

, ,

Som e m oan i g a n d som e sin gin g

n So th e ye ars .

C lustere d a b out m e till th e hand of G od

,

Le t d own the lightn in g f rom a sul try sky ,

Splin tere d the p in e an d split the iron roc k

A n d fr om my od orous p rison house a b ird -

I in its b osom d arte d : so we ew

, ,

Turnin g the b rittle e dge of on e h igh wave ,

I slan d an d tree an d sea gods left b ehin d "

-

Free as the air from zon e to z on e I ew ,

Far from the tum ult to the quie t gate s

O f d ayb reak ; an d b e n eath m e I b eh eld
V in eyard s a n d riv ers that like silv er thre ad s
,

Ran through the green an d gold of p asture lan ds -

A n d he re an d th ere a hamlet a white rose , ,

A n d here an d th ere a city whose slim s p ires

,

An d p alac e roo fs an d swolle n d omes up rose

-

Like sc in till ant s tal agmite s in the sun ;

I saw huge n avies b attlin g with a storm
By ragge d ree f s alon g th e d e solate c oasts ,

An d lazy m erchan tme n that c rawled like ie s

, , ,

Over th e b lu e en am el of the se a
T o In dia or th e icy Lab rad ors .

A cen tury was as a sin gl e d ay .

Wh at is a d ay to an i m m o ta
r l soul ?

A b re ath n o m ore
,
A n d y e t I h old on e hour
.

B eyon d all p ric e that hour whe n from the sky

,

I c ircle d n ear an d n eare r to the earth ,

N eare r an d n e arer t ill I b rushed my win gs

,

A gain st th e p oin ted c he stn uts where a stream , ,

That foam e d an d c hattere d over p eb b ly shoals ,

Fle d through th e b rion y an d with a shout

,
136 THE P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

Leap t he adlon g down a p re c ip ic e an d there ,

G athe ring wild o we rs in the c ool ravin e

-

W an dered a wom an m ore d iv in ely shap ed

"

T han an y of th e cre ature s of the air ,

Or riv er godde sses or re stle ss shad es

-

Of n ob le m atrons marv ellous in their tim e

F or b e a uty an d great su erin g an d I sun g ,

I c harm e d he r thou g h t I g av e h e r d re am s an d then

, ,

D ow n f rom th e d ewy atm osp h ere I st ole

A n d n estle d in h er b osom T h ere I slep t .

From m oon to m oon while in h er ey es a thought ,

G re w sw eet an d swe eter d eep ening like the d awn ,

A my stic al f orewarn in g W hen the stre am ,

Breakin g through l e a e ss b ramb l es an d d e ad le aves ,

Pip ed shriller treb le an d f rom ch estn ut b oughs

,
-

T he f ruit d ropt n oise le ss through th e autum n n ight ,

I gave a quick low cry as in fants d o

, ,

W e w ee p wh en we are b orn n ot wh e n we d ie " ,

So was it d estin e d an d thus c am e I h ere ,

T o walk the earth an d we ar the f orm of M an ,

T o suff er b ravely as b e c om e s m y state ,

On e step one grade on e cy cl e n ear er God

, ,
.

I D ENTI TY .

BY T B . . A LD RI C H .

SOM E W H ERE in d e solate win d -

wept space
s

t wilight lan d in n oman s lan d

In -

, ,

T wo hurry in g sha pe s met f ace to face

A n d b ad e each other stand .

A n d who yare ou ? cri e d on e agape,

Shudd eri n g in th e gloam in g light .

I kn ow n ot, said the other shap e,

I on l y di ed last night .
13 8 TH E P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

But we p art to m eet again

the endl ess ow

In .

T hou an d I in Sy rian plain s

Fiv e hun dre d y e ars ago
F elt th e wild re in our veins
To a f ever gl ow .

All thin gs die, b ut love lives on

N ow as lon g ago .

Thou I in shadow land

an d

F our hundre d y e ars ago

Saw strange owers b loom on the strand ,

H eard stran ge b reez es b low .

In the id eal love is real

, ,

T his al on e I kno w .

T hou an d Italy
I in
T hre e h un d red y ears ago
Lived in faith an d died f or God,
F elt th e fagots glow ,

Ever n ew an d ever tru e ,

T hree hun dred y ears ago .

Thou an dI on Southern seas

T wo hun dre d years ago
F elt the p erfum ed even b reeze -

Sp oke in Sp ani sh b y the trees ,

Had n o car e or woe .

Lif e went dre amily in s ong ,

T wo hun dre d years ago .

Thou I m id N orthern snows

an d

O n e hun dre d years ago

Led an iron silen t li fe
An d were gl ad to ow
THE P OE TRY OF REI N C A RN A TI ON . 139

Onward in to c han ging d eath,

On e hun dr ed y e ars ago .

Thou an d I b ut ye sterday
M et in f ashion s show

.

Love di d y ou rememb er me
, ,

Love of lon g ago

Yes we kept th e fon d oath sworn
O n e thousan d ye ars ago .

T HE F I N AL T HO UGHT .

BY MA URI C E THO M PS ON .

W HA T is the grand est thought

T owa rd whi ch the soul has wr ought ?
Has it the p irit form
S ,

A n d the po wer of a storm

C om es i t of p rop he c y
( Th at b orrows li ht of u n c reat ed res
g )
O r of transmitted strain s of m e m ory
Sent d own through c oun tle ss sires ?

W hi c h way are my fee t set ?

Through in n ite c hanges y et
Sh all I go on ,
N earer an d nearer drawn
T o thee ,
G od t
of e e rn i ty ?
H ow sh all the Human grow,
By chan ges n e an d slow,
T o thy p erf e ction f rom the li fe dawn -
s ought ?
Wh at is the highe st thought ?

Ah "th ese dim m emorie s,

Of wh en thy voic e sp ake lovingly to me,
Un der th e Eden trees ,
140 TH E P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

Sayin g, Lord of all creation thou shalt b e ,

How they haun t m e an d elud e

How th ey hover how th ey b rood,

On th e hori z on fadin g y et dying n ot

,

W hat is the n al thought ?

W hat I on c e d id d well
if
I n th e lowe st du st germ cell -

A f ain t f ore hi n t of li f e call e d f orth of G od

-

W axing an d strugglin g on ,

T hrough the lon g i c ke rin g d awn ,

T he a wf ul whil e His f e et e arth s b osom trod ?

Wh at if H e shap ed m e so ,

A n d cause d my l if e to b low
Into the full s oul ower in Eden air ?
- -

Lo "n ow I am n ot good ,

A n d I stan d in solitud e ,

C alli ng to Him (an d y et H e answ ers not)

W hat is the nal thought ?

What myriad s of years up f rom the germ

W hat coun tl ess ages b ac k f rom m an to worm "
A n d y et from m an to G od, oh , h el p m e n ow

A c old d esp air is b e ad in g on my b row "

I m ay see Him , an d se ein g kn ow Him n ot "
W hat is the h ighest thought ?

So co mes, at last ,

T he an s we r from th e V as t .

N ot so, t he re is a ru sh of win gs
Earth f eels p rese n c e of invisib le thin gs
th e ,

C loser an d c los e r d rawn

I n rosy mists of d a wn "
On e di e s to c on quer D e ath
A n d to b urst the a wf ul tomb
LO with his dyin g b reath
,

H e b l ows love in to b loom

142 THE P OE TRY OF REI N C A RN A T I ON .

T hrough the list en i n g night

W ith my sterious ight
Pass winge d in tim ation s ;
Like stars shot from heav en their still voices , call to me
F ar an d d ep artin g they sign al an d c all to me ,

Strangely b ese echin g me ,

C hidin g y et te aching me
Pati ence .

FROM RAIN I N SUMMER .

BY H . W . L O N G FELLOW .

T H U S the s eer with vision clear

, ,

See s form s app ear an d d is app ear

I n the p erpetual roun d of strange
My steri ous c han ge
From b irth to d eath from d e ath to b irth
, ,

F rom e arth to heaven from he av en to earth , ,

Till glim p se s m ore sublim e

Of thi n gs uns een b e f ore
Unto his wondering eyes reveal
Th e univ erse as an im m easurab l e wheel
,

T urnin g f or everm ore

In the rap id rushing river of time .

FROM THE TW ILI G HT .

BY JA MES RUSSELL L OW ELL .

SOM ET IM ES a b re ath oats b y me,

An d r from Dreaml an d sent
od o ,

W hi ch make s th e ghost seem nigh me

Of a s om ethin g that c am e an d went ,

Of a li fe live d somewhere I kn ow n ot ,

In what diviner sp here :

 THE P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 14 3

Of mem me s that c om e n ot an d go n ot
Like mu sic on c e heard b y an ear
That can not forget or re c laim it ;
A somethin g so shy , it w ould shame it
T o make it a sh ow.

A so m ethin g too v ague , c oul d I name it ,

For others to kn ow
As though I had lived it an d dreamed it ,

A s though I had acted an d schemed it

Long ago .

An d y et, c oul d I live it over,

T his Lif e whi c h stirs in my b rain
C ould I b e b oth m aid en an d lov er ,
M oon an d tide
c lover
, b ee an d ,

A s I se em to hav e b e en on c e again , ,

C oul d I b ut spe ak an d show it ,

T his p le asure more sharp than p ain ,

Whi ch b af es an d lures m e so ,

The world would n ot lack a poet ,

Such as it had
In th e age s glad ,

Lon g ago .

FROM FACIN G W EST FROM C ALIFORN I A S

SH O RES .

BY WA LT WH IT MA N .

FA C IN G west from C aliforn i a 8 shores ,

In quirin g tireless seekin g what is y et unfound

, , ,

I a c hild ve ry old over waves towards the house of ma

, , , ,

tern ity the lan d of migrations look afar

, , ,

Look off the shores of my W estern sea the c ircle alm ost ,

circled

For startin g westward from Hindustan from the vales of ,

Kashmere ,
144 THE P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

From Asia, from the north from, the G od, the sage , an d

th e h ero,
F rom th e sou th from
, the owery p enin sulas an d the s p ice
islan d s,
Long having wan d er d

nce
si , round the ea rth havin g wan
d er d ,

N ow I f ac e home again very ple as d an d j oyous

,

.

(B u t w h ere i s what I starte d f or so l on

g g
a o

A n d why is it y et un found

FROM
LEAV ES O F GRASS .

BY WA LT W H IT MAN .

I KN OW I am d eathless .

I know that this orb it of min e cannot b e swep t b y a car

r s com p ass

pe n te

An d wh ether I com e to my own tod ay or in te n thou ,

san d or te n milli on y e ars ,

I can cheerfully take it n ow or with e qual cheerfulness I

ca n w ai t .

A s to y ou, Lif e , I reckon y ou are the leavin gs of man y

d e aths .

N o d oub t I have died my self te n thousan d tim es b e fore .

Believin g I sh all com e a ai

g n up on the ea rth after ve
thousan d years .

Births hav e b rought richn ess an d variety an d other

us ,

births hav e b rought us ri chne ss an d variety .

146 THE P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

PA RT I I . BRI TI SH PO ET RY .

FRO M I N TI M AT I O N S O F I MM O RT ALI TY .

BY WI LL I A M W O RD SW ORT H .

OUR b irth is b ut forgetting ;

a sl ee p an d a

The s oul that rises with us our li f e s star

, ,

Hath had elsewhere its settin g ,

A n d c ometh from a f ar .

N ot in en tire f orgetf uln ess

A n d n ot in utte r n ake dn ess
But trailin g c loud s of glory d o we come
F rom G od who is our hom e .

He aven li es ab out us in our in fan cy

Shade s of the p rison hous e b egin to close
Up on th e growin g b oy
But he b eh old s the light an d when c e it ows
,

He se e s it in his j o
y .

T he y outh who daily farther from the East

M ust travel still is n ature s p riest
,

A n d by th e v ision spl en did

I s on his way atten d e d .

A t le n gth th e m a n p erc e i v es it d ie away

A n d f ad e in to th e light of c ommon day .

Edmund W G oss e treats the id ea of W ordsworth s

.

Intim ations in a way directly opposit e to the old er

po e t a cknowl e dging the pr e vious life b ut r ej oicing in
, ,

the s pe e dy forge tting of it in th e s e v ers e s

,
THE P OE TRY OF REI N C A RN A TI ON . 14 7

TO M Y D AUG HT ER .

B Y ED M U N D W . G OSSE .

T H O U hast the c olors of th e Sp rin g ,

The gold of kin g c up s t ium p hin g r ,

T he b lue of wo od b ell s wild

-

B ut wi n te r though ts thy sp irit ll ,

A n d thou art wan d e rin g from us still ,

T oo y oun g to b e our c hild .

Ye t hav e thy e etin g sm ile s c on f e ssed ,

T hou d ear an d m uc h d esire d gu est,
T hat hom e is n ear at han d .

Lon g lost in high mysterious lan ds ,

C lose by our d oor thy sp irit stan d s ,

I n j ourn ey welln i gh p a st .

Oh , t b ewildere d soul I wat ch

swe e ,

Th e fo un t ain s of thin e ey e s to c atc h ,

N e w f an c ie s b ub b lin g th er e
T o f e el on e c omm on light an d l oss ,

The ood of stran ge ethere al hue s

T 0 0 d ire f or us to sh are

F ade c old imm ortal lights an d m ake

, ,

This c reature hum an f or my sake ,

Sin c e I am n ough t b ut c lay ;

A n an gel is too n e a thin g
T o sit b ehin d my c hair an d sin g
A n d c he er my p as sin g d ay .

I sm ile , whoc ould n ot sm ile un less ,

The a ir of rap t un con sc iousn e ss

Passe d with the f ad in g h ours
I j y in eve ry c hild ish sign
o

T hat p ro v e s th e st ra n ge r le ss div in e
A n d mu c h more m e e k ly ours .
148 THE P OE TRY OF REIN C A RN A TI ON .

A REM EM BRANC E .

B Y D EA N A L F O RD .

M ET H I N K S I when a shade
can r e m e m b er
A ll soft a d owe ry w as my c ou ch an d I
n ,

A littl e n ake d c hild with f air white e sh

,

A n d win gs all gold b e drop t an d o e r m y h e ad

Bright f ruits were h an gin g a n d tall b almy shrin e s

Shed od orous
gum s aroun d m e, an d I lay
Slee p in g an that won drous air
d wa k in g in
W hi c h se em e d in f used with glory an d eac h b re e z e ,

Bore as it wan d e re d b y swe et m elod ie s ,

B ut wh e n c e I k n e w n ot
, On e d elight was the re
.
,

W h ether of f e elin g or of sight or touc h

I kn ow n ot n ow whic h is n ot i this earth n ,

Som ethin g all glorious a n d all b e autiful

- -

O f whic h o ur la gu age sp e ak e th n ot a n d whic h

n ,

Flies from the e a ge graspin g of m y thought

r

A s d oth th e sh ad e of a f o rgotte d re am n .

A ll kn owle d ge h ad I b ut I c are d n ot the n

,

T o se arc h i to m y soul a n d dra w it the n c e

n .

T h e b le sse d c re a tures th at aroun d m e p l aye d

I kn e w them all an d wh er e th e ir re stin g was
, ,

A n d all the i r hid de n sym m e try I k n e w ,

A n d h o w th e f orm is lin ke d in to the so ul ,

I kn e w it all b ut thought n ot on it th en
, ,

I was so happy .

An d tim e on c e up on a

I saw an arm y of b right b e amin g shap e s

F air fac e d an d rosy cin c tur ed a n d gold win ged
- - -

A pp roa ch up on th e air T h ey cam e to m e

.

A n d f om a c ry stal c h ali c e silv er b rim m e d

r

Put sp arklin g p otion to m y lip s an d stood

150 THE P OE TRY OF REI N C A RN A T I ON .

The rst d re am is b ea m in g an d b right,

Th e ne xt
d re am is m ellowe d in light,
T he third d re am is d im to sight,
An d it t tc h e s
s re aw a
y i n to
gl o om y ni
ght .

p assed up on m e an d that
T he n d i m n e ss , son
g
W as soun din g o e r m e whe n I woke

T o b e a p ilgri m on th e n e the r e arth .

RET URN I N G D REAM S .

BY R . M . M I LN ES (LO RD HO U GH TON ) .

AS in that world of D re am whose mysti c shad es

A re c ast b y still m ore my stic s ub sta n c es ,

W e ofttim e s ha v e an un ree ctin g sen se ,

A sile n t c on sc iousn e ss o f som e thin gs p ast ,

So c lear that w e can wholly c om p reh e n d

O th e rs of whic h they are a p a rt an d e ven ,

C on tin u e t he m in a c tion though n o stress

,

O f a fte r m em ory can re c ogn i z e

T hat we ha v e h a d ex p e ri en c e of those thin gs
O r sle e p in g or awake
Thus in th e d re am ,
Our v
un i e rsal D re am , of M ortal Life ,

T h e in c id e n ts t
o f a n a n e rior d re am ,
O r it m ay b e , Existen c e ,
n oisel essl y in trude
In to the d aily ow of e ar thly thin s,
g
I n stin c ts f good
o im m e diat e
sym p athies ,

Pla c es c han c e th at c laim at on c e

c om e a t b y ,

A n old a c qua in tan c e sin gl e ran d om looks

T hat b are a stra ger s b osom to o ur ey es

n

W e kn ow th e se thin gs are s we ask n ot why o, ,

But a ct an d f oll ow a s th e D re am goe s on .

 TH E P O E T RY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 15 1

F RO M
D E PRO F UN D I S .

BI RT H .

BY A LFRED T EN N Y SO N .

O UT of th e d e e p , my c hild , o ut of the d ee p ,
W h e re all that wa s to b e , in a ll that was,

t irle d f or a m ill ion ae on s thro

th e v ast
I Va ste d awn

o f m ultitud in ous e d d y in g l ight
Out p m y c hild out of the d e e p
of the d e e , , ,

T h o all th is c h an gi n g w o rld o f c han gele ss law

r ,

A d e v ery p ha se o f e v e r h e ighte i g lif e

n n n ,

A n d n in e lon g m on ths of a n te n atal gloom -

T hou c om est .

Te nnyson a lso write s in The Two V oice s f

F or how sh oul d I f or c ertain h old

B e c a us e m y m e m ory ,
i s so c old
T hat I rs t was in h um an m ould ?

I t m ay b e tha t n o lif e is f oun d

WVhich on ly to o n e e n gi n e b oun d
F alls off , b ut c y cle s alway s roun d .

from n ob le r plac e
i n t, if I la p se d ,

S m e le ge n d f a f alle n ra c e
o o

Al on e might hi t o f m y disg a c e n r .

Or, if through lowe r liv es I c am e

Tho xp e ri en c e p ast b e c am e

all e

C on solid ate in m in d a n d f ram e

I m ight f orge t my weak er lot

For is n ot our r st ye ar f orgot ?
The haun ts of me m ory e c ho n ot .
15 2 THE P OE TRY OF RE I N OA RN A TI ON .

Som e d raughts Le the d oth awa it

of ,

A s old myth ologi es r e late ,

T he sl ipp i g through from state to state

n .

M or e o v e r ,thin g is or seem s
som e ,

Tha t touc h e s m e with mystic gle am s

Lik e glim p ses of forgotten d re am s
Of so m e thin g felt ,
like som e th in g he r e
Of so m e thin g d on e , I kn ow n ot wh ere
Su c h as n o lan guage m ay d e c lare .

Mor e inter e sting still fro m Te nnyson is an e arly

, ,

sonn e t whic h has b ee n o m itt e d fro m the lat e r e ditions

of his coll ecte d po etry
A s whe n with d own c ast y es we m use an d b rood
e

A n d e b b in to a f orm e r lif e or se e m ,

T o la p se f ar b a c k i n a c o f use d d e am
n r

T o state s of my stic al sim ilitud e ,

I f on e b ut sp e ak s or h e m s or stirs a c hai r
Ev er th e won d er wax e th m ore a n d m ore ,

So that we say all this h ath b e e b e fore

,
n ,

A ll this h a th b e en I kn ow n ot whe n or whe re ;

,

So frien d wh e n rst I l oo k e d up on your f a c e

, ,

O ur th oughts gav e an sw e r e a c h to e a c h so true , ,

Opp ose d m i rors e a c h r e e c ti n g e a c h

r

A lthou gh I kn e w n ot i n w hat tim e or p la c e ,

M e thought that I h ad often m et wi th y ou ,

An d each had liv e d in other s min d a n d sp ee ch

.
154 TH E P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

In p atriarc h al p c
er o t like
i d s, om e -

Ran ges p er c han c e all sp he res succ e ssi v e an d in

, , , e ach

W ith n ob le r p owers e n dowe d an d sen ses n e w

Se t season b ide th .

F RO M
A REC O RD .

BY WI LL I A M SHAR P .

N ON E se es the up ward swee p

slow a n d
By which th e soul f rom lif e d e p ths d e ep -

A sc e n d s un less m ayh ap wh e n free

, , , ,

W ith ea c h n e w d eath we b ack ward se e

Th e lon g p ersp e cti v e of our ra c e
O ur m ultitudin ous p ast liv e s tra c e .

The following occurs in Tupp e r

s Proverb ial
P hilosophy
O F M EM O RY .

BE y m e
y j u d ge s im a gi n ativ e m in ds
,
f ull edged to soar ,
-

in to the sun ,

W hose grosse r n atural thoughts the c hem istry of Wi sd om

hath sub lim e d ,

Have y e n ot c on f esse d to a f eelin g a c on sc iou sn ess stran ge ,

an d v a ue
g ,

T hat y e hav e gon e this way b e f ore an d wal k aga in y our ,

d aily lif e ,

T rac kin g an old routin e an d on so m e f ore ign stran d

, ,

W here b odily y e ha v e n e v er stood n d in g y our own f oot ,

ste p s

Hath n ot at tim es som e re c e n t frien d looked out a n old

fam iliar ,

Some n ewe st c irc um sta n c e o r pla c e te e m ed a s with an c ie n t

m em orie s
A t tlin g sud de n sh lighte th
s ar a up all f or an in sta n t ,
A n d the n it is que c he d a s in n , d arkn e ss, an d leaveth the

cold spirit tremb lin g .

 TH E P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 155

Throughout Browning the truth of r e inca rn ati on

nds frequ e nt utterance though not alw ays so distinct
,

ly as in th e s e thr e e e xtr acts .

F RO M PA RA C ELSUS .

A T tim e s I al m ost d ream

I too ha ve sp en t a life the sa ges way

A n d tre ad on c e m ore f a m il iar p aths Perc han c e .

I p erish ed in an arrogan t self relia c e '

n

A n age ago a n d in that a ct a p ray e r ,

For o e m ore c han c e we n t up so e arn e st so

n ,

I n stin c t with b etter light let in b y D e ath ,

That life was b lotte d o ut ot so c om p l e te ly n

B ut sc atte e d wre ck s e n ough of it re m ain

r ,

D im m e m orie s ; a s n ow whe n see m s n c e more, o

T he goal in sight again .

F RO M
ONE W O RD M O RE .

I SH AL v er in th e y ears rem ain in g

L ne , ,

Pain t y ou p ic tures n o n or c arv e y ou statues

, ,
.

Thi s of v erse alon e on e lif e allow s m e

Other heights in oth e r live s G od willin g ,
.

F RO M C HRIST I N A .

T H ERE are ashe s struck f om r m id n ights , there are re

am es n oon d ays k i dle n ,

W h e re b y p ile d up hon ors p erish

-

, wh e reb y sw olle n a m b ition s

d win dle ;
W h ile j ust this or that p oor imp ulse whi c h f or on ce ha d
p l ay un stie d ,

Se e m s the sole work o f a lifetim e that away the re s t ha v e

trie d .

F ROM EV ELYN HO PE .

D e laye d it may b e f or m ore liv es y e t

T hrough world s I m ust trav erse , n ot a f ew
M u c h is to le arn an d m uc h to forget
Ere the tim e be c om e f er taki n g y ou .
15 6 TH E P OE TRY OF RE I N C ARN A TI ON .

Do ub t y ou if in som e , su ch m om e n t , as sh e x ed me , she

f elt c learly,
A ges p ast th e soul existed h ere an age t is r estin g m erely
,

An d he n c e e e ts again f or age s ; while th e true en d sol e ,

and sin gle ,

It stop s h e re f or i s, th is lon e wa ,
y with so me o ther soul to
m in gle .

In Dr L eyd en s b eau tiful O de to Scottish Music

.

is this st anz a

Ah, ure
s , as H in d oo legen d s tel"
,

W hen m usic s ton e s

th e b oso m swell
The c form e r life return
s e n es of ,

Ere sun k b en eath th e m orn in g star ,

W e le ft our p a e n t c lim es af ar
r ,

Immured in m ortal forms to mourn .

C ole ridge
confe ss e s his fondn e ss for the s am e id e a
in the sonn e t which he c ompos e d O n a h om ew ard
journ ey upon h earing of the b irth of a son

Of t in my b rain d oes that stra n

g e f an c y roll

Wh ic h m ake s th e p re se n t (wh ile the ash doe s la st)

'

Se em a m ere sem b la n c e of so m e un k n o w p ast n ,

M ix e d with suc h f e eli gs a s p erp le x the soul

n

Se lf que sti on e d in h er sle e p an d som e h a v e said

-

W e liv e d e re y e t this rob e of esh we wore

,
.

O my swe et b ab y I wh e n I re a c h m y d o or
I f hea vy lo oks should tell m e th o u art d e a d
A s som e tim e s throu h e x c e ss of h o p e I f e ar)
( g ,

I thin k that I should st ruggle to b elie v e

Thou wert a sp irit to thi s n e th e r sp h e re
,

Sen te n c e d f r so m e m ore v e n ial c rim e to gri eve

o

c p m H v ic k iev e

D id st s r e a m ,
th e n s rin
g t o ee t e a e n s
qu re
pr ,

W hil e we we p t idly o er thy little b ie r

15 8 TH E P OE TRY OF REI N C ARN A TI ON .

THE D REAM O F PYTHAG O RAS .

B Y EM M A T A TH A M .

Th e soul was n ot h
t en i mpri son ed in g m t l b dy it i w it w
a r os s or a o , as s no as

i d t l mi
un te o a u n ous , h e av e n ly , e th l b d y wh i h
erea d it
o h i l t y
, c se rv e as a v e c e o

throug h th i e a r, r sei t o th e stars , an d w d v ll th g i f imm ity

an e r o er a e re ons o ens .

P H R i T l f Cy YT A G O AS, n rave s o r us .

PYT H A G O RAS , t C roton a s grove s

a m id s

,

On e summ e r e v e sat ; whilst the sa c re d f e w

,

A n d f av our d at his f eet reclin d e n tran c d

, ,

Li st n in g to his gre at t e ac hin gs O e r the ir heads

.

A lofty oak sp re a d o ut his hun dre d h an d s

Um b rage ous an d a thousan d slan t sun b e am s
,

Play d o e r the m b ut b e n eath all was o b sc ure

An d sole mn s av e that as the sun we n t d own

, , ,

On e p ale an d tremulous sun b eam st ealin g in ,

T hrough the un c on sciou s lea v e s h er sile n t way ,

F ell on the f orehead of Pythagoras

Like sp iritual radian c e ; all else wra pt
I n gl oom d eli c iou s while the m urm u in g win d r ,

O f t m ov in g through the f orest as in d rea m s ,

M a d e m elan c h oly m usic T he n th e sage .

T h us sp oke : My c hild ren list en ; let th e soul ,

Hear h e r myst erious origin an d tra c e ,

H e r b a ck ward p ath to h e av e n T was b ut a d ream

.

A n d y e t f rom shad ows m ay we learn th e shap e

A n d sub stan c e of un dyi n g truth M ethought .

I n v ision I b e held the rst b egin n in g

A n d afte r c han ge s of m y soul
-
O j oy " .

She is of n o m ean origin b ut sp ran g ,

From loftie r sourc e than stars or sun b eams know .

Y e a like a sm all a n d fe eb le rill tha t b ursts

,

From e v erla stin g m oun tain s c oron et

A n d win d in g through a th ousan d lab yrin th

,

Of d arkn ess d e se rts an d d re ar solitud e s

, , ,

Ye t n ever dies b ut gain in g d epth and power

, , ,
 THE POE TRY OF REI N OA RN A TI ON 159

.

Leap s f orth at last wi th un c on trollab le m ight

In to im m ortal sun shin e an d the b reast
O f b o un d l e ss o c e a
n, so is this m
y soul .

I f elt myself sp rin g lik e a sun b e am o ut

From the Etern al an d my rst ab ode
,

W as a p ure p artic le of light wh erein , ,

Shrin e d li k e a b e am in c ry stal I did rid e ,

G lorio usly through the rm am en t on w in g

O f oati g owe rs ethereal gem s an d wre aths
n , ,

Of v er al rain b ows
n I did p ain t a rose
.

W ith b lush of d ay d awn an d a lily b ell

-

,
-

W ith m in e own e ssen c e ; e v ery morn I d ip t

M y rob e i n the full sun the n all d ay lo g ,
n

Shook out its d ew on e a rth an d was c on te n t ,

T o b e un m ark d un wo shipp d an d un k n own

,
r , ,

A n d on ly lov d of h eav e n T hus did m y soul

.

Liv e sp otless like her Sourc e T was m in e to illume .

T h e p ala c e s of n a ture an d e xp lore ,

Her hidd en c ab in e ts an d raptur d read

, , ,

He r j oyous se c rets O return thou life

.
,

Of p urity I e w from m oun tai top n~

T o moun ta in b uild i g rain b ow b rid ges up

,
n -

From hill to hill an d ov e r b ou dle ss se as

,
n

Ec stasy w as suc h lif e an d on th e v erge ,

Of rip e p erf e c tion B ut ala s "I saw

.
,

A n d en v ie d the b old lightn in g who c ould b lin d ,

A d startle n ation s an d I lon g d to b e

n ,

A c on que ror a d d e stroyer like to him

n ,
.

M e th ought it was a glorious j oy in d e ed , ,

T o shut an d o p en h e a v e n as he d id ,

A n d hav e th e thun d e rs f or my reti n ue ,

A n d te ar th e c loud s an d b la ck e n p ala c e s
, ,

A n d in a m om e n t white n sky a n d se a , ,

A n d e arth : ther e f ore I m u mur d at m y lot

r ,

B eautif ul as it was a d that on e mu m ur

, n r

D e spoil d m e of my glory I b e c am e

.

A d ark a n d tyr a t c loud d iv e by th e st orm

n r n ,
160 TH E P OE T RY OF REI N C A RN A TI ON .

T oo e ar thly to b e b right too hard of heart ,

T o drop i n m erc y on the thirsty lan d ;

A n d so n o c r eatur e lov d m e I was f elt
.

A b lot wh ere er I c am e F air Sum m e r scorn d

.

A n d spurn d m e from h e r b luen e ss f o sh e said

,
r,
,

I w oul d n ot we ar h e r gold e n frin ge a d so ,

n

She c ould n ot ran k m e in h er sp a rk lin g train .

Soft Sp ring re f use d m e f or she could n ot p ain t ,

H er rain b ows on a n ature c ol d a s m in e ,

I n c ap ab le of tears A utumn d esp ise d .

On e who c oul d d o n o good D ark W in ter f rown d

.
,

A n d n umb e r d m e am on g his ra i an host

O f rac e rs T he n un c e asin gly I e d

.

De sp airi g through th e m urky rm amen t

n ,

Lik e a lon e wre ck athwart a m idn ight sea ,

C h ase d by the h owlin g sp irits of th e st orm ,

A d without re st
n A t last on e d ay I saw .
,

I n m y c on tin ual i ght a d e sert b lan k ,

A n d b road b e n e a th m e wh e re n o w ater wa s ,

A n d the e I m ark d a weary an telo p e

r ,

D yin g f or thirst all stretch ed out on the san d, ,

W ith h e r p oor tremb li n g lip s in agon y

Pre ss d to a scorch d up sp rin g ; th en th en at la st

-

, ,

My h ard heart b rok e an d I could w e e p A t on c e , .

M y t rrib le ra c e wa s stopp d an d I did m elt

e

In to the d esert s he art a n d with m y t ears

I que ch d the thirst of the p oor an telop e

n

.

So h av i g pour d my self in to th e dry

n

A n d d e solate waste I sp ran g up a wild ower ,

I n s olitary b e auty Th ere I gr e w .

A lon e a n d f e v erish f or the hot sun b uru d

A n d parch d m y ten d er le a v es an d n ot a sigh

C am e from th e wi n d s I se em d to b re at he an air .

.

O f re a d h ad re sign d myself to d e a th
,
n

,

When 10 l a solitary d e wdrop f e ll

I n to m y b urn in g b osom the f o j oy n, r ,

My sp irit ru sh d in to my lov ely gue st

,
162 TH E P OE TR Y OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

W ith thun d er sob b in g ; a n d b lue p ala c es

W here m oon b e am s h an d in , h an d , d id d an c e with m e
T o the so ft m usi c of the s ur in
g g shells,

W here all e l se was at res t . C alm , c alm , an d h ush d ,

A n d stormle ss, were those hid d en d eep s an d c le ar ,

A n d p ure as c ry stal T h e re I wa n d e r d lon g

.

I n sp e e c hl ess d re am in gs an d w elln igh f orgot

,

M y c orp oral n ature f or it se em d ,

M eltin g in to th e sile n t in n ite

A rou d m e an d I p eac e fully b e gan
n ,

T o f e e l the m ighty un iv e rse c om m un e

A n d c on v erse with m e a n d my soul b e c am e
On e n ote in n ature s h arm on y So swe et

.

A n d soothin g was that d re am lik e e c stasy -

I c oul d have sl ept in to a wav e an d roll d ,

A way thr ough th e b lue mysteries f ore v e r ,

D re am in g m y soul to n othin g ; I c ould well

Have d rown d my sp ark of imm o tality

r

I n d run ke n n e ss of p e a c e ; I kn e w n ot y e t
T he warrior lif e of virtue a n d th e high ,

A n d hon ourab l e strif e an d storm th at c l e an se

A n d ex erc ise h er p inion s I was n ow .

T o le arn th e rapture of th e struggle m ad e

For im m ortality an d truth ; th e re fore
T he oc ean toss d me to his m oun t ain c hain s

,

Bid d in g m e front the t em p e st re s of h e a v e n

W e re d an c in g o er his c atara c ts an d sc are d

,

His soun din g b illows glorious thun d e rs roll d

B e n e ath ab ove aroun d th e stron g win d s f ought

, , ,

Liftin g up pyramid s of tortur d waves

,

T hen d ashin g th em to f o am I saw great ship s .

A s f eathers on th e o p e n i g se p ul c h es n r

A n d startin g m on um en ts ,

A n d th e gaun t wa v es le ap d u p lik e f oun tain s e rc e

A n d sn atch d d own f righte n d c lou d s th e n sh outin g f ell

, ,

An d rose again I whirlin g on the ir top s

.
, ,

D izzy e w ov er m asts of staggeri n g ship s ,

 THE P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 163

Th en plun ged in to b lack n ight M y soul grew mad .

Rav ish d with the in ten se m agni c en c e

Of the harm on ious c h aos f or I h eard ,

M usic ami d st the thun de rs an d I saw ,

M easure in all th e m adn ess of the wa v e s

A n d W hi rlp ools ; y ea I li f te d up my v oic e ,

I n p raise of the Ete rn al f or I f elt ,

Rock d in His han d as in a c radlin g c ouc h

,

Re j oic i g in His str en gth y ea I fou d re st

n ,
n

I n th e u b oun d e d roar an d f e arless sa g

n ,
n

G la d e c h o to the thun d er a n d ash d b a c k

The b righ t look of the lightn in g an d d id y ,

O n the d ark p in ion s of the hurri c an e sp irit

I n rap turous re p ose till sudd e n ly
My soul exp an d e d an d I Sp ran g aloft ,

In to the lightn in g am e le apin g f or j oy ,

From c loud to c loud T he n rst I f elt my win gs .

,

W ave in to imm ortality an d e w ,

A c ross the oc ea n with a sh outin g h ost

Of thun d e rs at m y he els an d lit u p heave n , ,

A n d earth an d sea with on e qui c k la m p a n d crown d

, ,

T he m oun tain s with a m om en tary gold ,

T he n cov er d th e m w ith b la ck n ess Th en I glan c e d

.

Up on the m ighty c ity in h er sl ee p ,

Pierc e d all h er mysteries with on e swif t look ,

Then b ad e m y thun d ers shout T he c ity tre mb le d .

An d ch arm d with th e sub lim e outcry I paus d

,

An d li ste n d Ye t had I to ri se an d learn

.

A loftie r lesson I was lifte d high

.

I n to the h ea v en s a n d th ere b e cam e a star

, ,

An d my n ew f orm d orb two a n gel s sat

on -
.

T he on e thus pirit youn g an d p ure "

p oke
s O s ,

Say wilt thou b e my shrin e ? I am of old

, ,

T he rst of all thin gs a d of all th e greatest ; ,

n

I am the Sov ereign M aj e sty to whom ,

T he un iverse is given though f or a while ,

I war with reb els stron g my name is T ruth .

164 THE P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

I a m th e Sp irit of wi sd om , lov e , an d p ow e r ,

An d c om e to c laim th e e an d if th ou ob ey

M y guidin g, I will gi v e the e thy d e sire ,

Even t
He then

e ern al lif e . ceas d, an d

T he se c on d p oke
an gel s A sk n ot O soul " ,

M y n am e I b id th e e fre e thy self an d k ow ,

n

Thou ha st th e f oun t of lif e in thy own b re ast ,

A n d n e e d st n o guid in g : b e a c hild n o l on ge r ;

Thr ow off thy f e tt ers an d with m e e n j oy ,

Thy n ative in d e p e n d e n c e a n d a s sert ,

T hy inn ate m aj e sty ; T ruth b in d s n ot m e ,

A n d y et I am im m ortal ; b e th ou too , ,

A god un to thysel f

.

But I ha d le arn d

M y own d eep in suf c ien c y an d gaz e d ,

I n dign an t on th un holy an gel s f a c e

,

A n d p i erc ed its f alse ref ulge n c e kn owin g well ,

Ob e dien c e on ly is tru e li b erty

F or sp irits f orm d to ob ey ; so b est th e y reign

.

Straight the b as e reb el e d an d rule d by T ruth , , ,

I roll d un errin g on my shi n in g road

A r oun d a glorious c en tre ; fr ee though b ound , ,

B e c au se lov e b oun d m e an d my law b e c am e ,

M y lif e an d n ature an d my lustrous orb

P ur e spirits visit e d : I wore a light
T h at sh on e a c ross in n itud e an d serv d

T o guid e return in g wan d e rers I san g .

W ith all my starry sisters an d we d an c ed ,

A roun d the thr on e of T im e an d wash d th e b ase

O f high Etern ity like gold en san ds .

T here st m y soul d ran k musi c an d was taught

r
,

T h at m elod y is p art of he av en an d lives ,

I n e v ery h ea v en b orn sp irit lik e h er b reath

-

T h e re d id I le arn that m usi c Wi thout e n d

,

Bre a the s murm urs swells e c h oe s an d oats an d p e als

, , , , , ,

A n d th un d e rs through c reation an d in truth ,

I s the cele stial lan gu age an d th e v oic e ,

166 TH E P OE TRY OF RE IN C A RN A TI ON .

On m e, I sp read out my e v ery arm

an d

T em b ra c e th e m f an n in g th em wi th all my p l umes

, .

B en e ath my shad e the dyin g p ilgrim f ell

Prayi n g f or wate r I c ool d ewdr op s caught
A n d shook th em on hi s lip ; I gav e my f ruit
T o stre n gth e n th e f aint stran ger an d I san g ,

Soft e c hoes to the win d s livin g in n ought

,

For se lf b ut in all thin gs f or others goo d

.

T he storm arose a n d p atien tly I b ore

,

A n d yie ld e d to his tyran n y I b ow d

My t en derest f oliage to his an gry b last ,

A n d su er d him to t ear it without sigh

A n d scatte r on the wast e m y all of we alth .

Th e b illowin g san d s o e rwh e lm d m e y et I stood

,

Sile n t b en eath them so they roll d away

A n d re n d in g up my roots le ft m e a wre c k
,

Up on the wild ern ess .

T was thus my s ons , ,

I d ream d m y sp irit wan d er d till at len gth

, ,

A s d esolate I m ourn d m y h elp le ss woe

M y gu ardian an gel took m e to his he art ,

An d thus h e said : Sp irit w e ll trie d an d true "

,

C on qu eror I h ave m ad e th e e an d prepar d

F or hum an lif e ; b eh old "I wav e the p alm

Of imm ortality b ef ore thin e ey es
T i s thi n e ; it sh all b e thin e if thou aright

,

A c quit the e of the p art whic h y et rem ain s ,

A n d te ach what thou hast le arn d

T his said , he
A n d gen tly laid me in m y m other s arm s

.

Thus f ar th e v ision b rought m e then it e d ,

An d all was silen c e t was b ut d re am

. Ah a ;
This soul in vain stru ggl es f or p urity ;
This sel f torm e n ti n g e sse n c e m ay exist
-

For ev e r ; b ut wh a t j oy can b e in g give

W ith out p e rf e c tion vain ly d o I see k
T hat b liss f or whi c h I lan guish Surely y et .
 THE P OE TR Y OF RE I N C ARN A TI ON . 167

Th e D ay sp rin g o f our n ature i s to com e

-

M ourn f ul we wait that d a wn in g ; un til then

We g ro v el in the d ust i n m idn ight grop e ,
For ever seekin g , ne ver sa tis ed

.

Thus p
s ake the sole m n se er, then p ausin g , sigh

d,
For all was d arkn e ss .

A D ROP OF DEW .

B Y AN D RE W M AR E V LL .

See how the orie n t d e w,

Shed from the b osom of the morn
In to the b lowin g roses ,

Ye t c areless of its man sion n ew

F or the c lear re gi on whe re t was b orn

Roun d in itself en c loses

A n d in its little glob e s exten t

Frame s as it can its n ativ e elem en t

,
.

How it th e sp le n did owe r d oe s slight ,

Sc arc ely touc h i g whe re it lies

n

B ut ga z in g b a ck up on the skies ,

Shi n es with a m our f ul light n ,

Like its own tear ,

Be cause so lon g d iv id e d f rom its sp he re .

Re stless it rolls an d in se c ure ,

T rem blin g le st it grow imp ure ,

T ill the warm sun p itie s its p ain

A n d to the skie s e xh ale s it b ac k again .

So the soul that d rop that ray

, ,

O f the c le ar foun tain of eter al d ay n

,

C ould it within the h um an o we b e seen r

,

Lame tin g still its form e he ight

n r ,

Shu s th e swe et owers an d the a dian t reen

n r
g ,

A d re c olle c ti n g its own light

n

D oe s in its p ure an d c irc lin g thou hts exp ress

g
The greater heaven in th e he aven less .
168 TH E P OE T RY OF RE I N C A RN A T I ON .

D r Donn e in a long po e m c all e d T he Progre ss

.
,

of the Soul tr ac e s the Pyth agor ean cours e of an
,

immort al b e ing th rough an appl e ( b y which Ev e was

t empt e d ) a plant a sp arrow a sh a mous e ( which
, , , ,

cli mb e d an el eph ant s pro b oscis to the b r ain

th e soul s b e d c h am b er,

A n d gn awed the lif e c ord s th e re like a wh ole town-

T ill, un d e rm in e d , the slain b e as t tumb l e d d own ;

W ith him the murd erer d ies, whom en vy se n t to kill .

Th e n the soul e nt ers

wolf an ape an d at l ast a a , ,

wom an Themech the sist er an d wife of C ain , .

Mortim er C ollins s po e m
The Inn of Strang e

,

M e e tings is an inter e sting expr e ssion of r e inc arn a
,

tion b ut it is too long to r ep rint h e re Si m il ar

, .

gli mps e s of this thought occur in Byron Pop e , ,

South e y Swin b urn e a nd oth e rs b ut it is difcult to

, , ,

s el e ct from th em a distinct an d continuous wording

of it .

PA RT I I I .
f
C ON T IN EN T A L POET RY .

EV ER ti m e of Virgil whos e sixth ZEn eid

sinc e the ,

( v e rs e s 7 24 cont a ins a su b lim e v e rsion of re in ca r

n ati on an d of O vid whos e M et amorp hos e s b eauti

, ,

fully p re s ent the old G r eek m ythologi e s of m etem p

s chosis
y this, th e m e h a s attr act e d m a ny E urop e an

po ets b e sid e thos e of Engl and W hile the L atin po e ts .

o b t ain e d th ei r inspiration fr om the East th rough ,

Pyth agor a s an d Plato the N orth e rn singe rs s e em to ,

e xpr e ss it ind ep end e ntly unl e ss it c am e to th e m with ,

the Te utonic m igr at ion fr om th e A ry an cr a dl e of the

r ac e , an d shifted its form with all their p eople s wan
17 0 TH E P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

TRAN SM I G RATI O N

BY H JA L MA R H J O RT H B O YE SEN .

MY sp iritwre stles in anguish

W ith fan c ie s that will n ot d ep art ;
A ghost who b orrowed my sem b lan c e
Has hid l n the d e p th of my heart .

A d im , re s si tless
p ossession
Imp els me forever to d o
T he p han tom d e e d s of this p hantom
That live d age s ago .

Th e thoughts that I thin k se e m hoary

A n d la d e n with d ust an d gloom
My voic e soun d s str a n
g e, as if e c h oe d

From t
cen uries lon g in the tomb .

M ethi n ks that
e en through my laughter
Of ttremb les a strain of dre ad
A shi v e ri n g ghost of laughter
T hat is loth to rise from th e d e ad .

My tear has its f oun t in d ead ages ,

A n d c hoke d with th e ir d ust is m y sigh ;

I wee p f or th e p al e d ead sorrows
,

Of the wr aith that on ce was I .

Ah , Earth thou art old an d we ary ,

W ith we ight of c en turies b en t

T hy p ristin e c reati v e gla d n ess
I n youth f ul aeon s wa s sp e n t .

Pe rc han c e, in th e d ista n t a
g e s,

My ul from N irv an a frost

so , s ,
 THE P OE T RY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON '
. 17 1

W ill g th er
a sc its a tt e re d li f e -

g m s er

A n d qui ck en the lif e I lost .

An d then , lik e a son

g f o r
g tt en
o

T hat h aun ts, y e t elud e s th e e ar,

Or cry that c hi ll s the d ark n ess
W ith a vague swift b re ath
, of fear ,

A fain t re m em b ran c e sh al l v isit

T h at sun of e arth a n d sky
I n wh om th e am e sh all rekin dle

Of the soul whi c h on ce was I .

From V i ctor Hugo s poem

O

A c ell e
C

u est
, q i

voil e
.

T O T HE I N V I SI BLE O N E
.

I A M th e d rift of a th ousan d tid e s,

T he c ap tiv e of d e stin y
Th e we ight o f all d ark n ess u on p me ab id e s,

B ut it c an n ot b ury m e .

My s pirit en dures like a rocky isle

A m id the o c e an of f ate ,

The thun d e rstorm is my d omicile ,

T h e hurri c an e is my mate .

I a m the f ugitive who f ar

F rom tak en ight ;
hom e has
Alon g with the owl an d eve n in g star
I m an the son g of n ight
o .

A rt thou n ot, to o, like un to me

torc h to light e arth s gloom
A

A soul th e refore a my st e y
,
r ,

A wan de rer b ou d to roam n

17 2 TH E P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

Se e k f or m e in the b i rd hom e,

se a s

D e sc en d to m y rele ase "

My d e p ths of c a v e rn o us shadows dumb
Illum e , an
gel of p e ac e

As ight b rin gs f orth the rosy m orn,

n

Pe rhap s tis he a v e n s law

T h at from thy mystic smi le is b orn

ory I n e er saw

A gl .

I n this d ark world where n ow I stay

I c c
s ar e can see my self

Thy ra d ian t so ul shin e s on my way

A s my f air gu idi n
g elf .

W ith lov in g t on es an d b e ckon ing han d

Thou y st
Bey on d th e ight

sa ,
n

I c atc h gl im p
a se up on th e stra n d

O f thy m an sion gle am in g b right .

Be foreI c a me up on this earth

I kn ow I li v e d in gladn ess
For age s as an an gel Birth .

H as c ause d my p resen t sadn ess .

My ul was on c e a heaven ly d ove

so .

D o thou in heav en s d omain s

, ,

Let f all a p ini on from ab ove

Up on this b ird s rem ain s "

Ye s, ti s my dire m isf ortun e

n ow

T o h an g b etwe en two tie s,

T o hol d within my f urrowe d b row
Th e e arth s c lay , a n d th e ski es

.

A las the p ain of b ein g m a n ,

Of dre amin g o

er my fall ,
 17 4 TH E P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A T I ON .

My p in ion s g re w whilst still I e w i n fre e d om on th e

wi n d .

Ah "I sus p e cted littl e , soul, thus m uc h that I sh o uld n d "

M ed or my ,
na me, I won d rous tac t
ne xt b e c ame a d og of ,

T he gu ard i an o f a p oor b lin d man his sole supp ort in f a c t ; ,

The tri c k of h old in g in my m outh a wooden b o wl I kn e w

I led my master through the streets an d b egged hi s livin g ,

too .

D ev oted to the p oor to pl ease the

, we althy was my care ,
Glean in g, as su ste n an ce f or on e , what oth ers well c ould
p a re s

Thu s good I did sin c e to good d ee d s so m an y I in c lin e d

, .

A h "I susp e c te d little soul thus mu c h that I should n d "

, ,

N ext, to b reathe lif e in to he r c harms , in a youn g girl I

d welt ;
T h ere , in ft prison sn ugly house d what happ in e ss I felt
so , ,

Till to my hid in g p la c e a swarm of C up id s e n tran c e gain ed

-

A n d a fte r p illagin g it well in garrison re m ain e d ,

.

Like old c amp aign ers there the rogue s all sorts of mischie f
,

d id :

An d ight a n d d ay , whilst still I lay in little c orn er hi d

n

H ow of t I saw the h ouse on re I sc arc e can c all to m in d .

Ah I susp e c ted , little soul, thus much that I sho uld n d .

Som e light on thy p rop en sities may u p on thee b reak ;

n ow

B ut p rithee hark on e m ore re m ark I still say s sh e, ,

would m ake .

T is thi s tha t hav in g d are d on e day with He av en to m ake

free
too ,

G od f or my p un ishmen t resolve d to shut m e up in th ee

An d what with sittin gs up at n ight with work an d wom an

,
s

art,

T e ars an d d e sp air
forb ear som e se c rets to im p art
f or I
A p oe t is a v ery hell f or soul th ereto c on sign e d
Ah "I susp e c te d littl e soul thus much that I should n d
, ,
.
THE P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 17 5

T HE SO N G O F T HE EA RT H SPI RITS .

IN G oE r H E s

FA U ST .

THE soul of m an
I s like the wat er
From h eav en it c om eth ,

T o h e aven it m oun te th ,
A n d the n c e at o nc e
I t m u st b a c k to e ar th ,

Forever c hangin g .

THE SEC RET O F REM IN I SC EN C E .

F RO M S C H I LLER .

W H A T un v eils to m e the y earn in g glow

Fix d for e v er to thy p s to grow
l i ?

W hat the lon gin g wish thy b re ath to d rin k

I n thy B e in g b lest, in d eath to sin k
W hen thy look ste als o er

me ?

A s whe n Slave s w ithout t ce

re sis a n
y i el d

T o the V i c t or in th e
b attle eld -

So my Sen se s in th e m om e n t y
O e r th e b ridge of Life tumultuou sly

W he n thou stan d st b e fore

me

Sp e ak "W hy should th ey f rom their M aster roam

D o my Se n se s yon d e r se ek the ir hom e
O r d o sev er d b rethren m eet again

C astin g o the B ody s he avy c ha in

,

W here thy foot h ath lighted

W e re our B e in gs on c e together twin d ?

W as it the re fore th at our b osom s p in d ?

17 6 TH E P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

W ere w e in th e li ght of sun s n ow d e ad ,

In the d ays of rap ture lon g sin ce e d ,
In to On e un i te d

Ay e , we were so thou wert link d with me

I n JEon e th at ha s ce as d to b e

O n the m ourn ful p age of v an ish d tim e

By m y M use we re re ad th e se word s sub lim e

N ought thy lo v e can se ver "

A n d in B ein g cl osely twin d fair

an d ,

I too won d erin g saw it wr itten the re ,

W e we re the a Lif e a D eity

n , ,

A n d the world seem d ord e r d th e n to lie

N eath our sw ay f orever

.

A n d, to m eet t foun tain s still

us, n ec ar -

Pour d

forever f orth the ir b lissful rill
F orc ib ly we b roke th e seal of Thin gs ,

A n d to T ruth s b right sun n y hi lls our wings

Joy ously w ere soarin g .

Laura we e p " this D eity hath own

, ,

Thou arid I hi s rui n s are al on e

By a thirst un qu e n c h able we re driv en

O ur lost B e in g to e mb ra ce tow rd He av en

T urn s our ga z e im p lorin g .

Laura is this yearn in g glow

T here f ore , ,

Fix d forever to thy lip s to gro w

A n d th e lon gin g wish thy b re ath to d rin k ,

In thy Bein g b le st in d e ath to sin k

,

W hen thy look ste als o er

me "

An d as Sla v e s with out r e sista n c e yield

T o t he Vic tor in the b attle e ld , -
17 8 THE P OE TRY OF REI N C ARN A TI ON .

PA RT IV . PLAT ON I C POET S .

T H E l arg e st inspir ation of all w e st e rn thought is

nourish e d b y the Ac ad em e N ot only id ealism b ut .
,

the provinc e s of philosophy an d lit e r at ur e hostil e to

Pl ato are r eally ind eb t e d to him The no b l e loftin e ss .
,

the e th ere al sub tl ety the po etic b eauty of th at t e ach

,

m g has c aptivat e d most of the n e int ell ects of m e

d iaeval an d mod ern tim es an d it is impossi b l e to tr ac e
,

the invisi b l e cours e of e x alt e d thought which h as

radi at e d from this great e st G re ek the king of a ,

n ation of philosoph ers .

A dopting Em e rson s words O ut of Pl ato com e all

,

things th at are still writt e n an d d eb at ed among m en

of thought G reat h avoc m ake s he among our origi
.

n alitie s W e h av e r each ed the mount ain from which

.

all th e s e drift b ould e rs w e r e d e t ach e d The Bi b l e of .

the l earn e d for twenty two c e nturi e s e v ery b risk

-
,

young m an who s ays n e things to each r eluctant gen

cration is som e r ead er of Pl ato translating into the
,

v ern acul ar his good things How m any gr e at

.

men n ature is inc e ss antly s ending up out of the night

to b e his m en Pl atonists the A l e x andri ans a con ,

st ell ation of geni us ; th e Eliz ab ethans not le ss ; Sir ,

Thom as Mor e He nry Mor e John Hal e s John Smith

, , , ,

Lord B acon J e rem y Taylor R alph C udworth Syd e n

, , ,

ham T hom as Taylor

, C alvinism is in his Phaed ro
. .

C hristi anity is in it M aho me ta n ism dra ws all its

.

philosophy in its h andb ook of morals the A kb l ak y

, ,
-

Jalaly from him

,
Mysticism nds in Pl ato all its
.
 THE P OE TRY OF REI N C A RN A TI ON . 17 9

te xts . W e know not how much of the world s l at er

po etry is due to the sugge stion an d nurtur e of the

po et philosoph er But in closing our studi e s of the
-
.

po etry of r einc arn ation it may b e of int er est to group

togeth er the avo we d Pl atonic po ets .

Most ill ustrious of all the English discipl e s of this

m ast er in the b rilli ant coteri e of C am b ri dge Pla
,

ton ists ,was Dr Henry Mor e whom Dr Jo hnson

.
, .

e st ee m e d on e of our gr eat e st divin e s a n d philos

ophe rs an d no m ean po et Hob b e s s aid of him th at

.

if his own philosophy was not true he kn e w non e th at

h e should soon e r adopt th an He nry Mor e s of C am

b ridge ; an d Ho adl ey styl e s him o n e of th e rst

m en of thi s or an y oth e r country C ol eridge wrote

.

th at his philosophical works c ont ain mor e e nl arge d

an d el e va t e d vi e w s of th e C hristi an disp ens ation th a n

I h ave m et with in an y oth er singl e volum e ; for

More had b oth the philosophic al an d po etic genius
support ed b y imm ens e erudition He was a d evout
.

stud ent of Pl ato In the h eat of r eb ellion he was

.

sp ared b y the f an atics They p ardon e d his r efus al to

.

take their coven ant an d left him to continu e the phil

oso hic occup ations which h ad r end e r e d him f amous
p
as a lov ab l e an d ab sorb ed schol ar He wove to .

gether in m any po ems a qu aint te xture of G othic

fancy an d G reek thought His Psychozoia or
.

Life of the Soul from which the following v ers e s

,

are t ak en is a long Pl atonic po em tr acing the cours e

,

of the soul through anci ent existenc es down into the

e arthl y r ealm . C amp b ell s aid of this work th at it is
like a curious grotto whos e l ab yrinths we might ex
,

l re for its strange an d mystic a ssoci ations Dr

p o . .

More was an in tim at e fri end of Addison an d long a

correspond ent of D e sc arte s .
180 T HE P OE TRY OF REI N C A RN A TI ON

Henry

From Mor e s P hilosophic al P o ems
Psychozoia

I would sin g th e pre ex isten cy

Of human uls an d live on c e o er again
so

By re c ollec tion an d quic k m em ory

Al l that is p asse d sin c e rst we all b egan .

But all too sh allow b e m y wits to sc an

So d e ep a p oin t an d m in d too d ull to clim b
So d ark a m atter B ut th ou m ore th an m an
.

A re ad thou sa cre d soul of Plotin d ear

, ,

T ell m e what mortals are T ell what of old they w er e

. .

A sp ark or ra
y of d ivin ity
C loud e d with thly f ogs an d clad in c lay
ea r , ,

A p re c ious d rop sun k f rom e t ern ity

Sp ilt on the groun d or rat her sl un k away
, .

For th en we f ell wh e n we gan rst t e ssay

By st e alth of our o wn se l ve s som ethin g to b e en

Un cen te rin g oursel v e s f rom our on e gre at stay ,

W hi c h rup ture we n ew lib erty did we en ,

An d f rom that p ran k right j olly wits ourselv es did d e em .

Show tly how th e p re existin g soul

En a c ts an d en t ers b odie s h ere b elow
A n d th en en tire un h urt can le av e this m oul,
I n whi c h b y se n se an d m otion th ey m ay know
B ett er than we wh at thin gs tran sacte d b e
Up on the e arth, an d whe n they b est m ay show
T hem selv es to their ph an tasmy
frie n d or f oe ,
M ouldin g their airy arc to gross c on sist en cy .

M ilton im b i b e d from his colle ge fri end Henry More

an e arly fondn e ss for th e st udy of Pl ato W hos e phi ,

losophy nourish e d most of the n e spirits of th at d ay ,

an d h e e xpr e ss e s th e G r e e k s ag e s opinion of th e soul

in his C omus
 THE P OE TRY OF REI N C A RN A TI ON .

Hot with p ursuit an d re ekin g with the b lood

,

O f guilty cherub s s meared in sulp hurous d ust ,

Pa use at the kn own comm an d of soun din g gold .

A t rst th ey close the w ide T artarean gat e s ,

T h im p en etrab le f old s on b razen hin ge

Roll creakin g horrib le th e din b en eath

O e rcom es the war of am es an d d eaf en s hell

, .

T h en through th e solid gloom with ni mb le win g

T hey cut the ir shin in g tra ces up to light ;
Return e d up on the e dge of he av enly d ay ,

W he re thin n e st b eam s p lay round the vast ob scure

A n d with et ern al gleam d riv e s b ac k the n ight .

They n d the troop s less stub b orn le ss in volved

,

I n c rim e an d ruin b arr d the re alm s of p eace

, ,

Ye t un con d emn e d to b al e f ul b e ats of woe ,

D oub tful an d su pp lian t all th e plum e s of light

M oult from their shudd erin g win gs an d si c kly f ear
,

Shades every face with h orror ; cons cious guilt

Rolls in the livid ey eb all an d each b reas t
,

Shakes with the dre ad of f uture doom un kn own .

T is here th e wid e c ir c um f e ren ce of heaven

Op en s in t wo vast gates that in ward turn

,

V olum in ous on j asp e r c olum n s hung

,

By geom etry divine : they ev er glow

W ith liv in g sculptures th ey arise b y turn s
T o imb oss the shin in g le av es b y turns th ey set
,

T o gi v e su cc e e din g argum e n t their p lace

I n holy hie rogly phi c s on they m ove ,

T he gaze of j ourn eyin g angels as they p ass

,

Of t lookin g b a ck an d held in d e e p s urp ris e

,
.

Here stood the troop s distin c t the c herub guard

Un b arred the splen did gates an d in they roll
,

Harmon ious f or a v oc al Sp irit sits

W ithin e ach hin ge an d as they on ward drive
, ,

In j ust division s b reak s the n umerous j ars

W ith sym p hon y m elodious suc h as sph ere s
,

In volved in ten fold wreaths are said to sound .

 THE P OE TRY OF REIN C A RN A TI ON . 18 3

ows a b la z e
Out of l
g yor high
f or on

T owerin g advan c e d th e mov in g thron e of G od .

A b ove the thron e , th id eas h eave n ly b right

Of p ast of p resen t an d of c om in g tim e

, , ,

Fix ed th eir imm oved ab ode an d there p resent ,

A n en d le ss lan d scap e of c reated thin gs

T o sight cele stial where an gelic eyes
,

A re lost in p rosp ect f or the shin y ran ge

B un dle ss an d vari ous in its b osom b e ars
o

M illion s of full p rop ortion ed world s b eheld ,

W ith stead fast eyes till m ore arise to vie w

, ,

A n d f urther in ward sc e n es start up unknown .

A vocal thun der rolled the voice of God .

Servan ts of G od "an d virtues gre at in arm s ,

W e app rove your faithf ul works an d y ou return ,

Blesse d from the dire pursuits of reb el f oes

Re solved ob duran t they have trie d the forc e
, ,

O f this right han d an d kn own almighty p ower ;

,

T ran sx ed with lightn in g d own they sun k an d f ell

,

In to the ery gul f an d d ee p they plun ge

,

B elow th e b urnin g waves to hid e their head s ,

.

F or y ou, y e guilty thron g th at lately j oin ed

I n this se d iti on , sin c e se d uc e d from good,
An d c aught in trains p t malign
of
guil e , by s ri es

Sup erior in their order y ou a ccep t ,

T remb lin g my h e ave n ly c lem en cy an d grace

, .

W h en the lon g era on c e has lled its orb ,

You shall eme rge to light an d humbly h ere

A gain shall b ow b e f ore his f avorin g throne ,

I f your own virtue secon d my d e c re e

But all must h ave their ra c es rst b elow .

Se e where b elow in c haos wond rou s d e e p

,

A sp e ck of light d awn s f orth a n d th e c e throughout ,

n

T he shad e s in many a wre ath my f orm in g p owe r

, ,
 T H E P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

There swi ftly turn s the b urn in g e d dy round ,

A b sorb in g all c rud e m atter n e ar its b ri n k ;

W hi ch n ext with sub tle m otion s takes the form
, ,

I please to stam p the se ed of emb ryo w orld s

,

A ll n ow in e mb ry o b ut ere l on g shall rise

,

V ariou sly sc attere d in this v ast exp an se ,

I n volved in win din g orb s un til the b rim s ,

Of outward cir cle s b rush th e he av e n ly gates .

Th e m iddl e p oin t a glob e of curlin g r e

Sh all hold whic h r o un d it sh e d s its genial he at ;
,

W here er I ki n dle lif e the motion grows

,

I n all the e n dl ess orb s from this m achi n e

,

A n d inn ite vic issitud es that roll

A b out the restle ss cen tre f or I rear
I n those m e an ders turn e d a dusty b all , ,

D e f orm e d all o er with wood s whose sh aggy top s

,

In c lose e tern al mists an d d eadly clam p s

,

Hover with in their b oughs to c loak the light ; ,

Imp erv ious scen e s of horror till reform ed ,

T o eld s an d grassy dells an d ow ery m eads

By your con tinual p ain s He re Silen ce s its
.

I n f old s of wreathy man tli n g sun k ob sc ure ,

A n d in d ark fume s b endin g his d rowsy h ead

A n urn h e hold s from whe n ce a lake p rocee d s
,

W id e owing gen tly sm ooth an d Lethe n am e d ;

, ,

Hither com p elle d each s oul mu st drin k lon g d raughts

,

Of thos e forgetf ul streams till f orm s within ,

A n d all the great id e as fa de an d d ie

For if v a st thou ght sh ould p lay ab out a mi n d
I n c lose d in e sh an d d raggin g cumb rou s life
, ,

Flutterin g an d b eati n g in th e m ourn ful cage ,

I t soon would b reak its gate s an d win g away

T is th ere fore m y de c ree the soul return

N aked from off thi s b e ac h an d p erf e c t b lank ,

T o vi s it the n e w world ; an d wait to f e el

Itself in crude con sisten c e closely shut ,

Th e d read ful m onum en t o f j ust re v e ge n

186 THE P OE TRY OF REI N C A RN A TI ON .

In c ities f ull an d f re quen t take th eir

t sea ,

W here h on or s c rush e d an d grati tud e opp ressed

,

W ith swellin g hop e s of gain that raise within ,

A t em p e st an d driv en on ward by su cc ess

, ,

C an n d n o b oun ds F or c reatures of a d ay
.

Stret c h their wid e c are s to ages f ull in c re ase

Starv es their p e n uri ous soul while em p ty s ound ,

Fills th e am b itious th a t shall ev er shrin k ,

Pin in g with e n d less c ares while this shall swell ,

T o ty m p an y e n orm ous Bright in arm s .

Here shin es the hero out h e erc ely le ads ,

A m artial thron g his in strume n ts of rage

, ,

T o ll the w orld with d e ath an d thin m ankind , .

T h ere savage n a ure t in on e comm on lies

An d f e els its share of hun ge r c are an d p ain , , ,

C he ate d b y yin g p rey an d n o w they te ar

T heir p an tin g e sh ; an d d e e p ly d arkl y quaff ,

Of hu m an woe ev en wh en th ey rud ely sip

,

The owi n g stre am or d raw th e savory p ulp

,

Of n ature s f re she st vian d s fr agran t f r uits

En j oy ed with tre mb lin g an d in d an ger s ought , .

B ut where th e app oin te d limits of a law

F e n c e s th e gen eral saf ety of the world ,

N o gre ate r quiet re ign s the b lend ed loa ds

Of p un ishm en t an d c rim e de f orm th e world ,

A n d giv e n o rest to man with p an gs an d throes

He enters on th e stage p rophetic te ars
A n d in f an t c ries p relu de his future woes
A n d all is on e con tin ual sc en e of gul f
T ill the sad sab le curtain f alls in d eath .

Then the gay glories of the livin g world

Sh all c ast th e ir e mp ty v arn ish an d retire
Out of his f eeb le v i e ws th e sh ap el e ss root
O f wild im a gin ation d an c e an d pl ay
B efore his y es
e b sc ure
o ; till al l in d e ath
 T HE P O E TRY OF RE I N C ARN A TI ON . 18 7

Shall van ish , an d the p rison er e nl ar

g ed,

Re gain s amin g b ord e s of th e

th e sk
r
y .

He e n d e d .Pe al s of thun de r re n d the heaven s ,

A n d c haos from the b ottom turn e d resoun d s

, ,
.

The m ighty c lan gor all the h e av en ly h ost

A pp rov e the high d e c re e an d loud they si n g

,

Etern al j usti c e ; whil e the guilty troop s ,

Sad wi th their d oom b ut sad without d esp air

, ,

Fall utterin g down to Lethe s lake an d there

F or p en an c e an d th e d e stin e d b ody wait

.
,

Sh ell ey s Pl atonic l eanings are w ell known

1
. The
f avorite G reek conc eit of pr e existenc e in m any rli e r ea

liv e s m ay frequ ently b e found in his po ems The titl e .

over on e of his songs of unre st The W orld s W an ,

der er evi d ently allud e s to hims elf as do the lin es
, ,

in it
Like the world s rej ecte d guest

.

The song of the spirits in Prom eth e us Un b ound

pictures vividly the hum an soul s d e sc en t into the

gloom of the m at eri al world

T o the d ee p to the d e e p
, ,

D ow n d own 3 ,

Through the shad e of sle ep ,

T hrough th e c loudy strif e

Of D eath an d of Lif e ,

T hrough the v eil an d the b ar

O f thin gs whic h se em an d are ,

Even to the st ep s of the remote st throne ,

D own d own " ,

While the s oun d whirls aro n d ,u

D own , d own "
A s the fawn d raws the houn d ,

1
Se e Dowd e n s Lif e Of S helley ,

f rom whi h c a su
gge sti v e in ci
d en t is quote d ab ov e , o n p age 92 .
188 TH E P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

A s the lightning the vap or,

A s a weak m oth, the tap er ;
D e ath, d e sp air ; lov e , sorrow ;
T im e b oth to d ay , t o m orrow
- -

As t
s e el ob e y p t
s th e s iri of th e stone ,

D own , d own "

I n the d ep th of p
th e d ee ,

D own , d own "

Like v eile d lightn in g asleep
the ,

Like the sp ark n urse d in em b e rs ,

Th e last look Love rem em b ers ,

Like a d iam on d whic h shi n es

On the d ark wealth of m in e s ,

A sp ell is tre asure d b ut f or thee alon e ,

D own , d own

The l ast stanz a of The C loud is Sh ell ey s Pl atonic

sym b ol of hum an lif e

I am the d aughter of earth an d wate r

A n d the nurslin g of the sky ,

I p ass thr ough the p ore s of the oc ean an d shores ,

I c han ge b ut I c an n ot die
, .

For a fter th e rain wh en with n ev e r a stain

T h e p avilion of he av en is b are ,

A n d the wi n d s an d su b e am s with their con vex gl eam s

n

Build up th e b l ue d ome of air ,

I silen tly laugh at my own c en otaph ,

A n d out of th e c a v ern s of ra in ,

Like a c hild from the womb lik e a ghost from the tomb
, ,

I arise an d un b uild it again .

A noth e r po e m e ntitl e d
, A Fragm ent c ert ainly ,

refers to pre xisten ce

Y e gen tle visitan ts of c alm thought ,

M ood s like the m em ories of h app ie r earth

W hich c om e arraye d i n thoughts of little worth

Like stars in clouds b y weak win ds e n wr ought .

19 0 TH E P OE TRY O F RE I N C ARN A TI ON .

In Em erson the Pl ato of the nin e teenth c entury

, ,

the whol e f e e ling of the G r e e k s e em s r e e c te d in its

most glorious d e velopm ent M any of his po ems cl early .

sugge st the inu enc e of his G reek t each er as his ,

Threnody upon the d eath of his y oung son an d ,

The Sphinx in which th e s e two stanz as ap

p ear
T o vi sion p rofoun d er
M an s sp irit must dive ;

His ay e -
roll ni g orb
At no oal will arri v e
g
T he he av e n sthat n ow draw
W ith s weetne ss un told ,

O n ce foun d f or n ew heavens
H e spurn eth th e old .

Et ern e tion
al era t
N ow f oll ows n ow ies , ,

A n d un d er p ain p le asure ,

U n de r p lea sure p ain lies ,

.

Love w orks a t th e c en tre ,

He art heavi n g alway

-

F orth sp e ed the strong p ulses

T o the b ord ers of d ay .

Mrs Eliz ab eth R owe the fri end of Bishop Ken

.
,

an d of Dr Is aac W att s h as l eft this a llusion to pre

.
,

e xist enc e in

A HYM N ON HEAV EN .

Ye starry m an sion s, hail my n ativ e skies "

Her e in my happ y , p re existent state
(p otless m in d ) I le d the life of G od s
A s ,

But p a ssin g I sal ute y ou an d a d v an c e

, ,

T o yon der b right er realm s all owe d a cc ess ,

.

H ail sp le n did c ity of the alm ighty kin g

, ,

C elesti al sale m situat e ab ove e tc

, ,
.
 THE P OE TRY OF RE I N C A RN A T I ON . 19 1

Som e of the common church hymns glow with the

e nthusi asm of Pl atonic pr e e xist enc e an d are fondly ,

sung b y C hristi ans without an y thought that while ,

their idea is of Bi b lic al origin it has b e e n nourish e d

,

an d p e rp etu at e d b y th e G r ee k s ag e an d dir ectly im

,

plie s r einc arn ation For inst anc e

.

I m b ut

a s ra n
gt h e re , he a v e n is m
e r,
y h om e .

H e av e n is m y fatherlan d, heave n is m y h om e .

My Ai n C ountri e .

T his world whe re grie f an d sin ab id e th ,

I s n ot the C hristian s

nativ e c lim e .

Th e home lan d, b le sse d hom e lan d

- -
.

J erusal em ,
my happy home .
 Th e an ci en t th eol ogi sts an d pi t t
r es s esti fy th at th e s oul is c j on oin ed

t o th e b ody thr ough a c e rt a i n p u i hm n s e n t , an d th at it i s bu i r ed in thi s

b od y as in p ul ch
a se PH IL O LAU S ( Py th g
re ).
, a a orean .

Se ar ch th u th p th f th ul wh c h c m
o e a wh t w y
o e so ,
en e s e a e , or a a ,

a ft vi g th b d y b y j i i g w k wi th c d p d th u h l t
e r se r n e o ,
o n n or sa re s ee ,
o s a

rais e h er ag i t th a nm t t wh
o c h f ll Z ORO A S ER
e sa e s a e en e s e e . T .

D e ath h as 110 p owe r th im m ortal

soul to sl a y ,

T hat , wh en i ts rese n t ody turn s t o l ay ,p b c

k f
Se e s a re sh h om e, an d with u n l esse n e d m igh t
I n spires an oth er f ra m e wi th li f e an d l ight .

So I m y sel (well I th e f p ast re all c ) ,

When th e er e Gre e s c k b egirt Troy

s h ol y w all ,
Was ra e Eu hor us
b v p b an d in c ic t d
on re a r

Pou re d f orth my bl b
oo d e n e ath A tri d e s

sp e a r .

Th e shi el d this ar m d id b e ar I l at el y saw

I n Jun o s shrin e , a t ph y of t h at w a r

ro .

P Y THA GORA S ,
i n Da En s

O vid .

Pl at o"
He " sp ok e of Him

l
The on e , e t e rn a l O n e ,
w h o d w e ll s a o e , bv
An d of th e soul s un tra e a l e d es en t

c b c
From th at hi g h ou n t of s iri t , f
t h ro u gh a ll th e gprad e s

c
Of in tell e t u al ein g, ti ll it m ix b
v
W ith atom s ague , orrupti l e an d d ar c b k .

N or e t ev n th
y

u s t h o u g h s un in e a
,
rt hl y d r oss , k
C orru pt e d all , n or it s e th e re al c
t ou h

" u it e l ost , b u t tastin g of th e f oun ta i n stil l

A s s om e b righ t ri v er , whi h h as c r ol l e d a l on g

Throu gh m ea d s of owery l igh t an d mi n e s of gol d

When p ou re d a t l en gth i n to th e d us y d e ep k
Disdain s t o ta k e at on e its c b
ri n y tai n t ,

But k e ep s u n ch an ge d awhil e th e l u strous t in ge

Or b al m y f resh n e s s of th e c
s e n es it l e t f .

MOO RE .
 REI N C A RN AT I O N A M O N G T H E A N C I ENT S .

TH E origin of the philosophy of r einc arn ation is

prehistoric It ant ed at e s the r e motest antiquity all
.

ove r the world an d app ears to b e cogn ate with man

,

kind springing up spont an e ously a s a n ec e ss ary corol

,

lary of the immortality of the soul ; for its un dimin

ished s way has b e e n w ellnigh unive rs al outsid e of
C hristendom . In the e arli e st d awn of Moth e r Indi a
it was rmly e st ab lish e d The infancy of Egypt
.

found it dom in ant on the Nile It wa s at hom e in

.

G r ee c e long b e for e Pyth agora s T he m ost anci e nt

.

b eginnings of M exico a n d P e ru kn e w it a s the f aith

of the ir fath ers .

I In sketching the cours e of this t hought among

.

the m en of old the rst att ention b elongs to Indi a

,
.

Brahm anism the most primitive form of this faith

, ,

has gon e through v ast ch ange s during the four thou

sand y ears of hist ory The initi al for m of it d ating
.
,

b ack into the r emot e st mists of antiquity an d d e sc end

ing to the rst chapte rs of auth entic chronology was ,

an id eally simpl e n atur e worship-

The R ig Ve d a an d
.
-

the old e st s a c re d hymns displ ay the b eauty of this ad o

ration for e ve ry p has e of n ature c ent ering with e sp e
,

cial f ondn e ss upon light as th e supr m e pow e r an d upon

e ,

the cow as the favorite anim al P rof e ss or W ilso n s

.
19 6 RE IN C ARN A TI ON A M ON G TH E A N C I E N TS .

an d. M ax M ull er s tr ansl ations h av e op en e d to

th e
English r ace the ch arming thought of this p rimordi al
p e opl e whos e great child s ouls found o b j e cts of r ev e r
,
-

e nc e in all things Th e r e w e r e no distinct gods b ut

.
,

e v e rything was divin e an d t hrough a ll th e y saw th e

,

ow of e ve r ch anging life G r adu ally an e ccl e si asti

-
.

cal syst e m clim b e d u around this r eligion clothing

p , ,

stiing an d at l a st b urying the vit al organism until

, ,

Sakya M i mi s r eaction st art e d Buddhism into vigorous

growth as the b eautiful prot e st against the di sgured

an d d e c ay e d form A b out Buddhism too th e r e h as
.
, ,

aris en a h eavy w e ight of lif e l e ss ritu al b ut e v ery b r eath

,

of life with which the sl u mb e ring m oth er an d d aught er

contin ue th eir exi st e n c e is p erfum e d with the ros e
att a r of r einc arn ation How th ey h av e sinc e contin
.

u e d to diss emin at e the id ea of r e inc arn ation is sug

ge st e d in ch apt e r I X for the East of tod ay is e ss en

,

tially a sculptur e d pictur e of wh at has b e en monoto

n o usl e ndu rin g for tw e n ty c e nturi e s
y .

O f the anci ent Indi ans we l e arn through Pliny ,

Str ab o M egasthen e s Plut arch an d He rodotus who

, , , ,

d e scrib e the G ymnosophists an d Brach m an s as a sc etic

philosoph ers who m ad e a study of spiritu al things liv ,

ing singly or in c eli b ate communiti e s much like the

l at e r Pyth agoreans Porphyry s ays of th em : Th ey
.

liv e without e ith er cloth e s rich e s or wive s Th ey are

,
.

h eld in so gre at v e n e ration b y the r e st of th eir coun

t ry me n th at the king hi m s elf oft en visit s th e m to ask
th eir a dvic e Such are th e ir v i ews of d eath th at with
.

r eluct anc e th ey endur e life as a pi e c e of n ec e ss ary

b ond ag e to n atur e an d h ast e to se t the soul at li b e rty
,

fro m the b o dy Nay oft en wh en in good h ealt h an d

.
, , ,

no e vil to d istu rb the m the y d e p art life advertising ,

it b efor eh and . N o m an hind ers th em b ut all r eckon ,

198 RE I N CA RN A TI ON A M ON G TH E A N C I E N TS .

for th e s e d emons to inh ab it as a m eans of e xpi ating ,

th eir sin an d th e s e fall en spirits are the pr e s ent m e n

,

an d wom e n whos e earthly life is a cour s e of puri ca

,

ti on A ll the Egyp ti an p re c epts an d reli gi ous cod e s

.

are to this e n d The judg m ent aft e r d eath d e cid e s

.

wh eth er the soul h as attain ed purity or not If not .

,

the soul must r eturn to earth in r en e wal of its expi a

tion eith er in the b ody of a m an or ani m al or pl ant , .

A s the spirit was b eli e ve d to m aint ain its conn e ction

wi th the m ate ri al for m a s long as t his r e m ain ed the ,

pr actic e of e mb alming was d e sign e d t o a rre st the pas

s age of the soul into other forms The custom of e m .

b alming is also conn e ct e d with th e ir opinion th at afte r

three thous and y ears a w ay from the b ody the so ul
would return to its form er b ody p rovid e d it b e pre
l
s erve d from d e struction If it is not pre s erved the .
,

soul would e nt e r the most conveni e n t h ab it ation ,

which might b e a wre tch e d c reature Th ey m aintain ed .

,

too th at the gods frequ ently inh ab ite d th e b odi es of

,

anim als an d th e r e for e th ey worship e d anim als as in

,

c arn ations of sp eci al diviniti e s The s acr ed b odi e s of .

th es e godly visit ants we re also e mb alm ed as a m ark of

re sp ect to th eir p articul a r cl ass of d eiti e s For th ey .

pl ac e d c ertain gods in c ert ain ani mals the Egypti an ,

A pollo choosing the h awk M e rcury the i b is M ars th e , ,

sh Di an a the cat B acchus th e go at Hercul e s the

, , ,

colt Vulc an the ox etc T his conc ei t was b ut a spe

, , .

cialization of th e ir g e n e r al t en e t of p anth e ism insisting

,

th at all life is di vin e th at e ve ry li v ing thing must b e

,

ven erat e d an d th at the high est cr eature s should b e

,

most d e voutly worship e d .

1 Egyp tol ogists d isa gre e as to th e real in te n t of em b almi g

n .

We sel e c t the ex pl a n a tion s be st ad a p te d to the the olo i c

g al d oc
trin e s of th e Egyptian s .
 REI N C ARN A TI ON A M ON G TH E AN C I E N TS . 19 9

T he Egypti an c onc eption of r e inc arn ation as sh ap ed

b y the p ri e st hood is displ ay e d in the ir cl assic R itu al ,

of the D ead which is on e of th e ir chi ef s acre d b ooks

,

an d d e scri b e s the cou rs e of th e soul aft e r d e at h A .

copy of it was d eposit ed in each m u mmy c as e It .

op ens with a sub li m e di alogu e b etw ee n the soul an d

the G od of Had e s O siris to whos e r e alm he a sks a d
, ,

mission Fin ally O si ris s ays Fear nothing b ut cross

.
, ,

the thre shold A s the soul ent er s he is d azzl e d with
.

the glory of light H e sings a hymn to the su n an d

.

go e s on t aking the food of knowledge Afte r fright .

ful d an gers are p ass ed re st an d re fre shm ent com e

,
.

C ontinuing his journ ey he reach e s a t l ast h eav en s

gate wh ere he is instruct ed in p rofound myst eri e s

,
.

W ithin the gate he is transform e d into di ffe rent an i

m als an d plants A fte r this the soul is r e uni ted to
.

th e b ody for which c ar eful e m b al m ing was so impor

tant A critic al e xamin ation t ests his right to cross
.

the su b terr an ean riv e r to Elysium H e is conducte d .

b y Anu b is through a l ab yrinth t o the j udg me nt h all

of O siris wh ere forty two j udge s qu e stion him upon
,
-

his whol e p ast life If the d e cisive ju d gm ent app rove s

.

him h e e n te rs h ea ven If not h e is s ent e nc e d to p a ss

.
,

through l o wer for m s of exist enc e according to his sins ,

or if a reprob ate is given ov e r to the p ow e rs of d ark

, ,

n e ss for purgation A fte r th ree thous and y ears of

.

this he is again c onsign e d to a hum an p rob ati on .

III O f the old P e rsi an faith it is d ii cult to oh

.
,

t ain a trustworthy st atem ent exc ept w h at is d erive d ,

from its pres ent f orm am ong the P ars e e s The M agi .
,

Zoro ast er s f ollow e rs beli ev e d t hat the immortal s oul
,

d e sc end e d from on high f or a short p e ri od of live s in

a mort al b od y to g ain e xp e ri e nc e a n d to t he n r e turn ,

ag ain . W h en the soul is ab ove it has s e ve ral ab ode s ,

2 00 REIN C A RN A TI ON AM ON G THE AN C I E N T S .

on e luminous another d ark an d som e ll e d with a

, ,

mixture of light an d d arkn e ss Som e tim e s it sinks .

into the b ody from the luminous ab od e an d afte r a

virtuous li fe r e turns ab ove ; b ut if coming from the
d ark r e gion it p ass e s an e vil life an d ente rs a wors e
,

pl ac e in proportion to her conduct until puried The .

du alism of th e s e re worship e rs gave r e incarn ation -

a b ri ef e r p e riod of op e ration th an the oth er ori ent al

r eligions .

IV Pyth agoras is m ention ed b y a G r eek tradition

.

a s on e of th e G r eeks who visit e d Indi a b e for e th e age

of A l ex and e r It is al most c e rt ain th at he w e nt to

.

Egypt an d r e c e iv e d th er e the doctrin e of tr ansmigr a

tion which he t aught in the G ree k citie s of low e r It aly
( B C
. . J amb lichus s ays : H e sp e nt tw e lv e y e ars

at B ab ylon fr eely conv ersing with the M agi was i n

, ,

struct e d in e ve rything v en erab l e among th em an d ,

l earn e d the most p e rfe ct worship of the gods

He is .

s aid to h av e r epre s ent e d the hum an soul as an e m an a

tion of the world soul p artaking of the divin e n ature ,
.

A t d e ath it l eav e s on e b ody to t ak e anoth e r an d so

goe s through the circl e of appointe d forms O vid s .

M e t amorphos e s conta ins a long d e scription of the

Pyth agorean id e a from which th e s e vers e s are t ak e n
, ,

a s tr ansl at e d b Dryd e n
y
S ul s c
o ot die
an nTh e y l eav e a f m e h ome
. or r ,

A d i
n w b d ie s d wel l a d f om th e m oam
n ne o ,
n r r .

N thi g ca p e ish l l thi gs c ha ge b el ow

o n n r ,
a n n ,

F or sp i its th ou h al l f m s m ay c om e a d g n o
r
g r or .

G d b
oo t shall i e t h um a f rm s an d m e
e as s r s o n o ,
n,

I f b d hall b ack wa d tu
a , s to b easts a gai r rn n.

T hu th ugh a th u s d shap es th e soul shal l g

s, ro o an ,
o

A d thu s f ulll its d est i y b el ow

n n .

But it is v ery di fcult to d e t e rmin e e x actly wh at

the vi ews of Pyth agor a s w e r e A ristotl e P l ato an d .
, ,
2 02 RE I N C A RN A TI ON A M ON G TH E A N C I E N TS .

v alidity of truth in opposition to the sk epticism of

,

contemporary sophists who cl aim e d th at truth is m ere ,

sub j ective opinion wh at e ach man troweth .

T he Ph aedrus myth is e vid ently sugg e st e d by the

Spl e ndid r e ligious proc e ssion which clos e d the A the ni an

f e stival W ith gorge ous c ere mony n e arly the wh ole

.

city s popul ation p articip at e d in this crowning glo ry

of their most s acr e d holid ay The proc e ssion wound .

through the n e st str eets of the city an d th e n up the ,

st eep a sc ent of the A cropolis whos e pr ecipitous in ,

clin e k ept the hors e s struggling f or a foothold Th at .

el e v at e d sit e comm and e d a vi e w of the b usy city ,

the pl ains b eyond an d the dist ant mount ains an d sea

,

und e r the d eep b lu e c anopy of the G r eek sky pre ,

s enting to the worship ers Sight a p anoram a of the

ch anging asp ects of hum an life an d a typ e of h eav e n s
r e pos e F rom this pictur e the po et philosoph e r con
.
-

j ur e s up a su b lim e r proc e ssion m arsh all e d b y the

king of gods an d men moving through the h ea ve nly ,

orb its of the soul s progre ss until they asc end the

,

c ele sti al dom e its elf wh enc e the soul may gaz e upon
,

the unsp eak ab l e glori e s of spiritu al Truth 1

.

The Socr at e s of the di alogu e rst likens the soul to

a wing e d t eam an d th e ir ch ariot e er In the case of .

the gods b oth hors e s an d ch ariot eer are all good an d

of good b ree d ; thos e of the r e st are mix ed A n d .

rst of all our ch ariot eer d riv e s a p air ; in the n e xt

,

pl ac e the on e is good a n d nob le in its elf an d b y

,

b r ee d whil e the oth e r is the opposit e in b oth r egards

,
.

A n d so the m an ag e m en t of th e ch a riot must n ee ds b e

difcult an d h ara ssing Just how the living b ei n g .

which is i m m ortal is distinguish e d from th at which is

1
S ee th e a t ic le o
Pre exi te c
r i the P en M o thly
n - s n e, n n n ,

S p te m be 18 7 7
e r, .
 REI N C A RN A TI ON A M ON G TH E A N C I E N TS . 203

mort al I must end eavor to t ell you A ll th at is soul

, .

has the ch arge of th at which is soull e ss an d tr av e rs e s ,

th e whol e h e av en app earing now in on e for m now in , ,

a noth e r W h en p erfect an d poss e ss e d of wings she

.
,

move s in m id air an d controls the whol e world

( ko s m os ) But if sh
. e los e h e r f e ath e rs she is b orn e ,

hith e r an d thith e r until she lays hold of so m ething

th at is x e d an d solid an d th ere m aking her ho m e , ,

an d taking to h e rs elf an earthly b ody which s e ems to ,

b e s elf mov e d b y r eason of the forc e she furnish e s

-

soul an d b ody are f ast en ed toge the r an d com e to b e

c alle d mortal But let us t ak e up the r e ason of
.

that stripping off the fe ath ers b y which the soul is

b rought to its fall It is as follows : T he powe r of
.

the wing is d e sign e d to b ear up t h at wh ich is h eavy

through mid air wh er e the rac e of the gods dwells , ,

an d of all th at is corpor e al this has most in common

with th e divin e ; f or the divin e is the beautiful the ,

wis e the good an d e v erything of the sort an d b y

, , ,

th e s e the wing of the soul is nou rish e d an d grow eth

e sp e ci ally But b y wh at is b as e an d e vil an d wh at
.
,

e v e r e ls e is th e opposit e of divin e i t w ast e s aw ay an d ,

is d e stroy e d .

Now Z eus the great L ead er in h eave n l eads the

, ,

v an dri vi ng a winge d c h ariot th e m arsh al an d gu a r

, ,

di an of all A n d he is follow ed b y the host of the

.

gods an d d emons m arsh all e d in el e v en b ands for ,

He sti a alon e re m ain eth in the hous e of the gods an d ,

thos e of the re st who b elong to the numb er of The

Twe lv e " G r eat G ods "l ead on as c aptains of th e ir
om an ie s e ach in th e ord e r to which h e h as b ee n
p p ,

a ssign ed N ow th er e are within h e av e n m any an d

.

b le ss ed vi e ws an d w ays of p ass ag e in which the r ac e

of the h appy gods p ass to a n d fro each of th em doing ,
204 REI N C A RN A TI ON A M ON G THE AN C I E N TS .

his own work an d who ev er can an d will follows for

, ,

e nvy st ands a loof from the choir of the gods .

But wh en e v er th ey go to b anqu et an d to feast ,

th en th ey proc ee d all tog e th e r up tow ards the lofty

v ault of h eav en N ow the ch ariots of the gods b eing
.
,

w ell b alanc e d an d o b edi ent to the rein proc ee d e asily , ,

b ut the r e st with di f cul ty For the hors e th at par

.

t ake s of e vil slips downw ard sin king an d gravit ating ,

toward s the earth if he has not b een prop e rly b roken

,

in b y the ch ariot eer Th e n it is th at toil an d ex

.

trem est conict pr e ss h ard upon the soul But thos e .

souls which are c alle d immort al wh en th ey r each ,

the summit go forth an d st and upon the b ack "

, the
conv e x "of the h eav en an d as th ey st and the re v ol u
,

tion " of the sph ere"c arri e s th em around with it an d ,

th ey b ehold the things which are outsid e of the

h e a ve n .

Now the pl ac e which is ab ov e the h eav e n no

e arthly po e t h as e v e r pr ais e d as it d e s e rv e s nor e v e r ,

will : b ut it is thus For I must d ar e to t ell the

.

truth e sp e cially wh en I a m t alking ab out Truth T he

, .

colorl e ss formle ss an d int angi b l e B e ing wh ich i s Be

, ,

ing is visib l e only to the R eason ( n ou s) which is the

, ,

gov e rnor of the soul R ound ab out this "

. pure B e ing"
is loc at e d the true sort of knowl edge Sinc e th e n the .

intellige nc e of G od like th at of e v e ry soul in so f ar

a s it is to r e c e iv e wh at b e st b e ts it is nourish e d on
Re ason an d pur e Knowl e dge in b eholding at l ast the ,

B e ing it love s it an d in cont empl ating the Truth is

,

nourish ed an d gl add e n e d until the r e volution " ,

of the
sph ere"b rings it round again to its starting plac e -
.

An d in this circuit it b eholds R ighte ousn e ss its e lf b e ,

holds Te mp er anc e its elf b eholds Kn owle dge , not

th at which has origin nor th at which di ers in the
,
2 06 RE I N C A RN A TI ON A M ON G THE A N C I E N TS .

an d r eal is unh arm e d until the n e xt p eriod an d if

, ,

sh e is a lw ays ab l e to do this is alw ays unhurt , But .

should it h app en th at She c annot follow on to know ,

an d b
y an
y misch a nc e grows h e a vy through b e ing

ll e d with forgetfuln e ss an d f aultin e ss an d through ,

that h eavin e ss los e s her feath ers an d f alls to the earth ,

th e n the law is th at this so ul sh all not t ake upon her

the n atur e of an y b e a st in the rst g e n er ation " or
b irth "b ut the soul th at h as s ee n most sh all com e to
,

the b irth of a m an who is to b e a philosoph e r or an ,

artist or of som e musici an an d lov e r

, an d the s e cond ,

"to th e b irth "of a l a wful king or w a rrior a n d rul e r

,

the third of a st at e s m an or of som e n anci e r or man

, , ,

of aff airs ; the fourth of a toil loving gymn ast or of

,
-

som e on e who is to b e a physici an the fth the life ,

of a sooths ay er or so m e hi e roph antic function ; to

,

the sixth the lif e of a po et or of som e oth e r sort of

, ,

mi m ic will b e suit ab l e ; to the s e v e nth th at of an

, ,

artis an or a hus b andm an ; to the eighth th at of a ,

sophist or a d em agogu e ; to the ninth th at of a tyrant , .

A n d who ev e r in an y of th e s e p o sitions conducts him

s elf rightly r ec e iv e s a b ett er lot ; b ut who ev e r b e
h ave s oth erwis e a wors e,
.

No soul arrive s at th at pl ac e from wh enc e it c am e

for ten thous and y ears e xc ept it b e t hat on e who is
,

h on e stly a philosophe r or a love r who has a sh are of

,

philosophy The s e in the third p e riod of a t hous and

.

y e ars if thric e succ e ssively th ey h av e chos e n this

,

m ann er of life an d h a ve thus r ec e ive d the i r wings

, ,

d e p art thith er in the thr ee thous andth y ear But the .

r e st wh en th ey h av e nis he d th e rst life a ssign ed

,

th e m und ergo a judgm e nt A n d aft e r the j udgm ent

, .
,

som e of t he m proce e d to the pris on hous e und e r the -

e arth an d r ec e iv e punishm e nt an d the othe rs h aving ,

 RE I N C A RN A TI ON A M ON G THE AN C I E N TS . 2 07

b ee n r ais ed b y the j udgm ent to a pl ac e in the h eaven ,

p ass the ir ti m e in a m ann er wort hy of the life th ey

live d in hum an form .

A n d w hen in the thous andth y ear the y co m e to

, ,

a c a sting of lots an d a c h oic e of t he i r s e cond lif e ,

each ch o os e s which e ve r sh e wis h e s A n d th e r e upon

.

a hum an soul com e s to the lif e of a b e a st ; an d on e

th at has b een a man b e co m e s fro m a b east a m an

ag ain .

But th at soul which has n e ver b eh eld the Truth
will n eve r com e into this " hu m an "form ; the und e r
st anding of gen eral truth coll ecte d from m any p erc e p
tions into unity b y r ation al thought is an e ss enti al of
hum anity A n d this is the r ecoll e ction of thos e things
.

which our soul has onc e s ee n whe n acco m p anying G od ,

an d disd aining thos e things which we n o w sp e ak of

a s b e ing an d lifting up our h ea ds to b ehold tru e Be

,

ing W h e refore it is just th at the int ellige nc e of the

.

philosopher alon e rec eive s wings ; for h e is ev e r with

all his might b usi e d with the r e coll ections of t he s e

things occup atio n with which m ak e s G od wh at he is

, .

A n d only th e m an who m ak e s right u se of such re col

lecti ons an d thus continu ally attains initi ation into
,

pe rfect m ysteri e s b eco m e s truly p e rfe ct ; an d for giv

,

ing up hum a n pursuits an d b e co m i n g enwr apt in the

divin e he is e steem e d b y the m any as b e sid e hims elf
, ,

for th ey fail to see th at he is G od poss e ss ed -

.

A s has b ee n s aid e v e ry hum an soul is b y

,

n ature a b ehold e r of Being els e she would not h av e

,

ent e r e d into this form of life But it is not e asy

.

for e ve ry soul to aw ak en thos e r ecollections w hich she

b rought fro m th enc e or the y m ay th e n h a v e had b ut
,

sc ant vision of what wa s th e r e or sinc e th ey h a v e

,

fall en thenc e th ey may h ave had the m isch anc e to b e

2 0 8 REI N C A RN A T I ON A M ON G TH E A N C I E N TS .

div ert ed b y b ad a ssoci ations to that which is unjust ,

an d to f all into forg e tfuln e ss of th e holy things which

th ey th en b e h eld A f ew a re l eft who r e tain enough

.
,

of the r ecoll e ction ; b ut wh en e v e r they b ehold an y

re s e mb l anc e of wh at is th er e th ey are struck with,

a stonishm ent an d a re no l ong e r m ast e rs

,
of th e m
s elve s ; b ut th ey know not why th ey are thus af
f ecte d b e c aus e th ey h a v e no ad e qu at e p erc eption
, .

But th ere is 110 b rilli ancy I n thos e e arthly like

n e ss e s of justic e an d t emp e r anc e an d wh at e ver els e
,

is precious to the soul ; for through o b scur e in stru

m e nts it is give n with difculty an d to b u t f ew to
,

dra w n e ar to thos e i mage s an d b ehold wh at m ann er

of thing it is th at th ey r epr e s ent But th en it was .

p ermitte d to b eh old B eauty in all its splendor wh e n ,

along with the b l e ss e d chorus we " p hilosoph ers "fol

,

lowing Z eus oth ers som e oth er of the gods we sh ared

, ,

in the b eatic vision an d cont em pl ation an d w ere in ,

itiated into myst eri e s which it is just to c all the most

p erfect of all an d whos e r apturous f east we k ept in
,

innoc enc e an d whil e still in exp ert of thos e e vils which

,

we re aw aiting us in a tim e still future A n d we b e .

h eld visions innoc e nt an d simpl e an d p eac eful an d

h appy a s if Sp e ct ators at the myst e ri e s in pure array
, , ,

ours elve s pur e an d without a sign upon us of this

,

which we now c arry ab out with us an d c all a b ody ,

an d are b ound th e r eto lik e a n oyst e r to his sh ell Let .

us indulge in th e s e m em ori e s wh e r eb y we are led to

,

sp e ak the longe r from d e sire of the things which we

1
th en saw .

W e p en etr at e into the in m ost s e cre t of Pl ato s

thought in the sup e r c ele sti al pl ain the dwelling pl ac e

-

,
-

of su b st anti al id e as the e ss e nti al Truth the ab solut e

, ,

1
F om J we tt s t a sl ation

r o r n .
2 10 RE I N C A RN A TI ON A M ON G TH E AN C I E N TS .

is full of gods an d the hum an soul is as it w er e the

, , ,

god or d emon of the hu m an b ody .

VI The J e ws had the b e st p ar all el O f Pl ato s

.

Ph aedrus in the third ch apt er of G en e sis d e scri b ing ,

the f all O f A d am a n d Ev e The th e olo gic al comm ents

.

upon th at popul ar summ ary O f the origin O f sin h av e

always grop e d after r e inc arn ation b y m aking all ,

A d a m s d e sc end ants r e sponsi b l e in him for th a t a ct

.

M any J e wish schol ars und ertook to fus e G reek phi

losophy with th eir n ation al r eligion The Se ptu agint
.

translation m ad e in the third c ent ury b e fore C hrist

, ,

gi ve s evid enc e of such a purpos e in suppre ssing the

strong anthropo m orphic t e rms b y which the O l d
Te st a m ent m ention e d G o d A risto b ulus a J e wish
.
,

G re e k p oet of the s e cond c entury writ e s of Heb r e w

,

id e a s in Pl atonic phra s e s Simil ar p ass age s are found

.

in A rist e as an d in the s econd b ook of the M accab ee s .

Pyth agor eanism was b l end e d with Jud aism in the

b eli e fs a n d pr actic e s of the J e wish Th e r a p eut ae of
Egy pt an d th eir b r e thr e n the Ess en e s of P al e stin e
, .

O f the Ess en e s Jos e phus writ e s :

, The O pinion oh
t ains among th e m that b odi e s ind e e d are corrupt e d ,

an d the m a tt e r O f th e m not p er m an e nt b ut th at souls ,

c o ntinu e e x e m pt from d e ath for e ver ; an d th at em a

n ating from the most sub tl e e th e r th ey a re unfold ed in
b odi e s as prisons to which th ey are dr awn b y so m e
n atur al sp ell But wh e n loos e d from the b onds of
.

e sh as if r el eas e d from a long c aptivity th ey r ejoic e

, ,

an d are b orn e upw ard .

T he m ost pro m in e nt J e wish writ er upon this sub

j e ct is Philo of A l e x a ndri a who liv e d in the tim e of
,

C hrist an d ad apt e d a popul ar v e rsion of P l atonic

,

id e as to the r eligion of his own p e opl e He turn ed .

the Heb r e w st ori e s in to r em ark ab ly d e ft Pl atonic al

 REI N C A RN A TI ON A M ON G THE A N C I EN T S . 2 11

legorie s . His t heory of pr e e xist e nc e reb irt hs is

an d
p ractic ally t hat of his m ast e r Pl at o as is s hown in
,

this e xtract : The co m p any O f dis e mb odie d s ouls is
distri b ute d in various orders The law of so m e of
.

t hem is to e nt e r m ort al b odi e s an d aft e r c e rt ain pre

scri b e d p erio d s b e again set free But thos e poss e ss e d
.

of a divin e r structur e a re ab s olv e d f r o m all loc al

b onds o f e a rth . So m e o f t he s e souls ch oos e con n e

m e nt in m or tal b od i e s b e c aus e they are earthly an d
corporeally inclin e d O the rs d e p art b e ing r eleas e d
.
,

a g a in acco rd ing to sup e rn atur ally d e t e rm in e d ti me s

a n d s ea sons . T here fore all such a s are wis e like

, ,

Mos e s are living ab ro ad fro m ho m e Fo r the souls

, .

of such form e rly chos e this exp atri ation fro m h eav en ,

an d through curiosity an d the d e sir e of acquiring

knowle dge th ey c am e to dwell ab ro ad in e arthly n a

ture an d whil e they dw ell in the b ody th ey look
,

d own on things visi b l e an d mort al around th e m an d ,

urge the ir way thit he rward again whe nc e they c am e

o rigin all y : an d c all that h e avenly r egion in whic h
th ey live t he ir citiz ensh ip fath e rl an d b u t this earthly
, ,

i n which the y live fore ign ,
. In choosing b e twee n
the M o s aic an d the Pl atonic a cc o unt of the Fall as ,

to which b e st exp re ss e d the e sse nti al trut h although ,

a J e w he d e cid e d for Pl ato

,
He consid e rs men as
.

falle n spirits attr acte d b y m ateri al d e sir e s an d thus

b rought into the b ody s pri son yet of kin to G od an d

the id e al world The p hilosophic life is th e m e ans of

.

e sc ap e with the a id of the divi n e Logos or Spi rit to

, , ,

the b l e ss e d f e ll o ws hi p f rom which th e y h av e f all e n .

R e ge n eration is a pu ric ation from m att er Philo re .

n o un ce d the cr ee d of h i s f ath e rs in ord e r to r e for m it ,

an d h i s inu e nc e wa s p rofo undly fe lt for c e nturi e s .

The origin of the J e wish C ab al a is involv e d in e n d

212 REI N C A RN A TI ON A M ON G T HE A N C I EN TS .

le ss disput e J e wish schol ars cl aim th at it is prehis

.

toric A lthough a portion of it is h eld to h ave b een

.

compos e d in the Middl e A ge s it is c e rt ain t hat its ,

t eachings had b ee n h and e d down b y tradition from

v e ry e arly tim e s an d that som e p arts com e from the
,

J e wish philosoph e rs of A l ex andri a an d oth ers from

the l at e r N e o Pl atonists an d G nostics Pr e exist e nc e '

-
.

a n d r e inc arn ation app e ar h e r e not in Philo s sp e cul a

,

tive for m of it b ut in a much simple r an d mor e m at

,

ter of fact c h ar a ct e r
- -
a f rm in
g , th a t-

hum a n spi rits

are ag ain an d a g a in b o rn into the world aft e r l ong in ,

te rv als an d in e ntir e forge tfuln e ss of th e ir p re vious

,

e xp e ri e nc e s This is not a curs e a s in Pl a to s re

.
,

ligion s b ut a b l e ssing b eing the proc e ss O f puri ca

, ,

tion b y r ep eate d pro b ations All the souls . s ays ,

the Zoh ar or Book of Ligh t
, a re su b j e ct to the ,

trials of transmigration an d m en do not know which

are the w ays of th e Most H igh in th e ir r e g ard T h ey .

do not know how m any transform ations an d my steri

ous tri als th ey must und e rgo ; how m any so uls an d
spirits co m e to this world without r eturning to the
p alac e of the divin e ki n g The souls m u st re ent er the
'

ab solut e su b st anc e wh e nc e th e y h a v e e m e rg e d But .

to accom plish this en d th ey must d e v elop all the pe r

f ection s the g e rm of which is pl ant e d in th e m ; an d
,

if th ey h a ve n ot ful l le d this conditi on during on e

life th ey must co m m e nc e an oth e r a third an d so
, , ,

forth until th ey h ave acquir ed the condition which

,

ts th e m for r eunion with G od .

 Out f mro the he art of n ature roll e d

Th e bu d r e n s of th e Bi l e b Ol d .

E M ERSON .

Th e m ore dili gen tly th e stud en t wor s this min e (th e Bi le ), th e k b

c b
ri h e r an d m ore a u n d a n t h e n d s th e ore ; n e w ligh t on t in u all y c
b e am s f ro m th is c
sour e of h ea v e nl y kn owl e dge t o dire t c an d il lustrat e
the wor k Of Go d a n d t h e way s Of m en .
SI R WA LT E R SC O T T .

v c
Th e di in e ora l e s ar e n ot so sil en t in thi s m atte r as is im agi n e d .

v
Bu t truly I h a e so t en d er a sen s e Of th e sa re d a uth ority of th at h ol y c
vol u m e th a t I d a re n ot b e so ol d wi th it as t o b
or e it t o s e a wh at f c p k
I thi n k it i n te n d s n ot . W h eref ore I woul d n ot wil lin gl y urge Scri p
t u re as a p roo f of a n yt hin g, b u t what I am s ure b y th e whol e te n or
Of i t is th ere in c t on ain e d . Woul d I ta k e th e li b e rty to f tc h i v
e n e e ry

t h i n g f or a Sc ip t u
r re e vi d c en e th at wi th a littl e in d ustry m an m ight a

ma k e s erv i c bl t
ea e o his d esign , I d ou b t n ot b u t I sh oul d b e a l e t o l l b
c
m y m arge n t with qu ota tion s wh i h sh oul d b e as m u h t o p urp os e c as

v b c c
h a e e e n ite d in gen e ral C ate h isms an d C onf e ss i on s of Fa ith .

A n d y et I m u st n e e d s sa y that th e re is e ry a ir ro a il i ty f or Pre v f p b b
c
e x i st e n e i n t h e wri tt e n w ord O f G od , as th e r e is i n th a t whi h is e n c
gra v ed u p on our r ati on al n ature s . GLAN V I L, in Lux Orienta lis .
 REI N C A RN A TI O N IN THE BI B LE .

TH E vitality of the doctrin e of R e inc arn ation do e s

n o t in the l e a st d e p e nd upon a scriptur al e ndors e m ent

of it b ut the fact th at it is surprisingly conspicuous

,

h e re is c e rt ainly int ere sting an d conrm atory Eve ry .

c andid C hristi an stud ent must acknowl edge th at the

r e vel ation of truth is no more conn e d to the c e ntral
b ook of C hrist endom th an sunshin e is limit e d to the
O ri ent T h er e must b e gr eat principl e s of philosophy
.
,

like th at of e volution outsid e of the Bib l e ; an d ye t

,

the most sk eptic al think e r h as to conc ed e th at this

volu m e is the rich est trea sury of wisdom the b e st ,

o f which is stil l unl earn e d .

A lthough most C hristi ans are un aw ar e of it r e in ,

c arn ation is strongly pre s ent in the Bib l e chi ey in ,

the fo rm O f pr eexiste nc e . It is n ot inculc at e d as a

doctrin e e ss enti al to r ed emption N eith e r is im mor
.

t ality But it is t ake n for grant ed cropping out h ere

.
,

an d th e re a s a fund am e nt al rock Som e schol ars

.

consid e r it an uni m port ant ori ental sp ecul ation which

is accid e ntally e nt angled into the t ext ure But the .

uniform strength an d b eauty O f its hold s eem to rank

it wi th the oth er e ss enti al thre ad s of the warp upon
which is woven the nob lest fab ric of r eligious thought .
2 16 RE I N C A RN A TI ON I N TH E B I B LE .

A sufci e nt e vid e nc e of the Bi b lic al support of pre

exist e nc e a n d of the c ons e qu e nt wid e spr ea d b e li e f in
,
-

it among the J e ws is fo und in Solom on s long r efe r

,

e nc e to it a mong his P r ov e r b s The wis e king wrot e .

of hi m s e lf : T he Lord poss e ss e d m e in the b eginning

of his way b e fore the wo rks O f old I was set up .

fro m e verl a sting from the b eginning or e v er the

, ,

e arth wa s Wh e n th er e w e re no de pths I was b rought

.
,

f orth ; wh e n th e re wer e no found ations ab ounding

with w a ter B efore the mount ains w e r e s e ttl e d b efore
.
,

the hills was I b rought forth : whil e as y e t he had not

m ad e the e arth nor the elds nor the high e st p art of
, ,

the dust of the world W h en he prep ar e d the h ea v e ns

.

I wa s th ere : wh e n he set a co m p ass upon the fac e of

th e d epth : wh e n he e st ab lish e d th e clouds ab ov e
whe n he stre ngth en e d the found ations of the d ee p
wh e n he gave to the sea his d e cree th at the wat ers ,

should not p ass his co mm and ment : wh en he appoint e d

the found ations of the earth : th e n I wa s b y him as ,

on e b rought up with him : a n d I was d aily his d e

light rejoicing always b e fore him ; r ej o i ci ng I n the

,

h ab it ab le p art of the e arth ; an d my d elights w er e

with th e sons of m en 1
T his p ass ag e dispos e s of
.

the th e o ry O f D elitzsch th at pr eexis te nc e in the Bi b l e

m eans si m ply an existe nc e in the for e knowl edge O f
the cr e ator Such a m e r e f or e knowl e dge would not
.

pl ac e him pre vious to the p arts of cr eati on which pre

c e d e d his earthly app earanc e A n d the l a st t wo.

cla us e s cl early e xpre ss a prior physic al life The .

proph ets too are a ssure d of th e ir pre n at al antiquity

, ,
-
.

J e re mi ah h e ars J e hova h t e ll him B efore I form e d ,

th ee I n the b elly I kn e w th e e ; an d b efor e thou c am e st

forth out Of the wo mb I s an cti e d th ee 2
.

1 Prov erb s v i
i i 22 3 1 .
2 J e e mi a
, h1 5 r
2 18 RE I N C A RN A TI ON I N T H E B I B LE .

J e sus , Tho u w a st altog eth e r b orn in sins The .
1

pre val e nc e of this fe eling in the j udgm ents of d aily

life is s e e n in the qu e stion put to J e sus b y his disci
pl e s W hich did sin this m an or his p ar ents t hat he
, , ,
2
wa s b orn b lind ? r e ferri ng to the two contending
popul ar the ori e s th at of Mos e s who taught th at the
, ,

sins of the f ath e rs would d e sc end on the children to

the third an d fourth g en er ation an d th at of r einc arn a ,

ti on sub s e qu e ntly a d opt ed b y which a m an s d iscom

, ,

forts r e sult e d from his form er misconduct J e sus .

r eply N e ith e r is no d eni al of the truth O f rein car
, ,

n ation for in oth er p ass age s he d enit ely afrms it of

,

hi m s elf b ut m e rely an indic ation th at he thought this

,

truth h ad b etter n ot b e giv en thos e list en e rs th en ,

just a s he withh eld oth e r ve riti e s until the rip e tim e

for utt eranc e This v e ry e xpr e ssion of pr e exist enc e
.

u s e d b y th e discipl e s h e employs tow ard the m an

whom he h e al e d at B e th e sd a s pool after thirty eight

-

y e ars of p ar alys i s Sin no mor e l e st a wors e thing ,

com e unto th ee 3
R ep e at e dly h e conrms th e pop
.

ul ar impr e ssion th at John the B aptist was a rein car

n ation of Elij ah To the throng around him he s aid
.

Among th e m th a t a re b orn O f wom en th e r e h ath

not ris e n a gre at e r th an John the B aptist If y e .

4
will r e c eiv e it this is Eli a s which was for to com e
, ,
.

Th at J ohn the B aptist d e ni e d his form e r p e rson ality

a s Elij ah is not str a ng e for no on e r e m e m b e rs dis ,

tin ctly his e arli e r lif e O fte n J e sus r ef ers to his .

d e sc e nt from h ea v en as wh e n he s ays I c am e down , ,

from h eav en not to do min e own will b ut the will of

, ,

him th at s ent m e ; an d wh at he m eans b y h e av en

5

3 J h v 14
1 J h
o ix 34
n . J h ix 2
.
2
o n . . o n . .

M att xi 14 ; al s M att xv ii 12 13 See P f sso Bowen s

4
o, . . ro e r
. . .
, .

rem a k s up
r the se te xts p g
on ,
a e

5
John v i 38
. .
 RE I N C A RN A TI ON I N TH E BI BLE . 2 19

is shown b y his words to Nicod em us N o m an h a th ,

asc e nd e d up to h e av e n b ut he th at c a m e down fr o m

heav en e ve n the Son of m an which i s in heaven
,
1
.

The infer e nc e is th at the h ea v e n in w hich he f or

m e rly live d was si mil ar to the h eave n of that mo
m ent n am e ly earth A g a in J e sus aske d his discipl e s
,
.
, ,

W ho m say m en th at I am ? An d his discipl e s state

the pop ul a r th o ugh t in a nsw e ring Som e say Elij ah ,

others J ere m i ah an d othe rs on e of the O ld proph ets

, .

But whom say y e that I a m ? Pet er the spoke s ,

m an repli e s
,
Thou a rt the C h rist the Son of G od
, , ,

a n d so e xpr e ss e s a noth e r ph as e of the s a m e p re v ailing

id ea f or the C hrist was also an Old Te st am e nt pe r

,

son a e A n d J e sus approv e s th is r spons A ft r

g . e e e .

Hero d had d ec apit ate d John the B aptist the app e ar ,

anc e of J e sus also pr e aching an d b aptizing rous e d in

, ,

hi m the appr e h ension th at the proph et he kill e d had

co m e again in a s econd life .

Pre xiste n ce the pre mis e n ec e ss arily l eading to

,

r ei n carn ation is the keynot e of the most spiritu al of

,

the G o sp e ls The initi al s e nt e nc e sounds it th e b ody

.
,

of the b ook ofte n r ep eats it an d the n al clim ax is ,

st rengthe n e d b y it From the pro e m . In the b e ,

ginning was the word an d the word was with G od , ,

a ll t hrough the s tory occur fr e qu e nt allusi o ns to it

The word was m ad e e sh John i 14 I

( ) a m the .

living b read which c am e down from Heav en ( vi

.

Ye sh all see the Son of m an asc end up wh e re

he was b efor e ( vi

B efo re A b raham was I
.
,

am
( viii . an d n ally G lorify thou me with ,

the glory which I had with th e e b efor e the world was

( xvii .
For thou love dst me b efore the f oun da
tio n O f the world ( xvii It is always phrased
.

1
John iii . 13 .
2 20 RE I N C A RN A TI ON I N THE B I B LE .

in such a form a s might b e a ss e rte d b y an y on e though ,

the sp e ake r s ays it only of hims e lf .

W h at the fourth G osp el dw ells upon so fondly an d ,

wh at is e cho ed in othe r N e w Te st a ent b ooks

m as ,

in Philippi ans 11 7 He took on him the form of a

.
,

s e rvant in 2 C or viii 9 Though he was rich yet
, . .
, ,

for your s ak e s he b e c am e poor a n d in 1 John i 2 , .
,

Th at e t ern al Life which was with the Fath e r an d _

,

was m anif e st e d unto us is a thought not limite d to
,

the C hrist .Pre cis ely the s am e occurs in the m e ntion

O f the proph et b aptiz e r John :
-
T h e r e wa s a m an s e nt

from G od ( John 1 The o b vio us s e ns e of this
.

v e rs e to the C hristi ans n ear e st its pub lic ation a pp ears

in the comm ents upon it b y O rige n who s ays th at it ,

impli e s the e xistenc e of John the B aptist s sou l pre

v i ou s to his te rr e stri al b ody a n d hints at the univ e rs al

,

b eli e f in pre exist enc e b y adding A n d if the C a tholi c

,

O i n ion hold good conc e rning the soul as not

p p p
ro a ,

ga t ed with the b ody b ut e xisting pr e viously an d for

,

v a rious r easons cloth e d in e sh an d b lood this ex ,

pr e ssion s ent from G od will no longer s eem ex

, ,

traordin ary as appli e d to John N 0 words could .

m ore ex actly suit the aspirations of an ori e nt al b eli e ver

in r einc arn ation th an th e s e in the Apoc alyps e : Him

that overcom eth will I m ake a pillar in the t empl e of

my G od a n d he sha ll go n o m ore ou t ( Re v iii
, . .

More import ant th an an y s ep ar at e quot ations is the

gen eral ton e of the Scripture s which points di re ctly ,

tow ard r einc arn ation Th ey r epre s ent the e arthly

.

lif e as a pilgrim age to th e h eavenl y country of spirit

u al union with G od It is our conc e it an d ignor anc e
.

alon e which d e e ms a singl e earthly lif e su fci ent to ac

com plish th at purpo s e T h ey teach the sinful n ature

.
 Our soul v
ha in g l ost its h e a v en l y m ansion c a m e d own in to the
earthl y b od y as a stran ge pla c e PH I LO .

The soul v
l e a i n g th e od y b b c m th t p w which it h m t
e o es a o er as os

de vlpd
e o e . Let us y , t h e n , f m h b l w d i t th i t l
ro e re e o , an r se o e n e

le c tu l w
a th at w e m a y n o
orld , t f ll i t ap ly ibl l if
n o by l
a u re se ns e e, a

v
l owin g ou rsel es to oll ow se n s f ib l i m g ;e i t v g t ti lif
a es or n o a e e a ve e,

b
b y a an d on in g oursel e s t o e v th pl u f ph y ic l l v
e as d gl t
re s O s a o e an u

ton y : l et u s ris e , I sa y , to th i t ll c t l w ld t i t llig c t

e n e e ua or , o n e en e, o

God hi ms el f . PLO T I N US .

Th e or d e r of th in gs is re gul a t e d p v id ti l g v m t f
b y th e ro en a o e rn en o

th e wh ol e world ; som e p owe rs f l li g d w f m l fti p iti

a n o n ro a o er os on ,

oth ers grad ua ll y sin ki ng to th

e ar m f ll i g v l u t il y
so e th a n o n ar ,
o e rs

b i g c t d w g i t th
e n as o n a a ns e r i will m u d t ki g f th i
: so e w n er a n o e r o n

acc d th
or ic f t tchi
e se r v e O s re n
g ut th h
o d t th wh f l l
e an th o ose o a ,
o ers

b i g c mp ll d t p v
e n o e e o e rse e re for a l g t im i th d uty which th y
on e n e e

h v u d t k
a e n J ERO M
er a en . E .

A ll th at e sh d oth o e r cv
Soul s b y s our e su l im e c b
A re b u t sla es so o e r v ld v
T o th e m ast er Tim e ,
k
TO wor ou t th e ir rans o m
For th e a n ien t c c ri me .
 226 I N E ARL Y C H RI S TE N D OM .

dire cted agains t it b ut this G osp e l according to John

attack e d it only by a dvoc ating a b ro ad e r r e nd e ring of

th e s am e f aith W e h av e s ee n th at O rig en r ef ers to

.

pre e xist enc e as the gen e ral opinion C l em ens A lex

.

an drin us ( O rig e n s m a st e r ) t aught it as a divin e tr a di

tion authoriz e d b y St P aul hims elf in R om ans v 12

. .
,

14 19
, Ruf n us in his l e tt er to A n astasius s ays th at
.

This opinion wa s common among the primiti ve f a

th e rs . L ate r J erom e r el ate s th at the doc trin e of
,

transmigr ation was taught as an e sote ri c on e comm u

n icate d to only a s e l e ct f e w But Ne mesius emphati
.

c ally d ecl are d th at all the G r eeks who b eli eved in im

mortality b eli e ve d also in m et empsychosis D elitzsch .

s ays It had its advoc at es as w e ll in the synagogu e s
,

as in th e church .

The G nostics an d M anich ae ans r e c e iv e d it with ,

much els e from Zoro astri an pr ed ec e ssors The Neo

,
.

Pl atonists d erive d it chi ey fro m a b le nding of Pl ato

a n d the O ri e nt The C hurch F ath ers dr ew it not only
.

from the s e sourc e s b ut fro m the Je ws an d the pion ee rs

,

of C h risti anity Se v e ral of th em cond emn the Pe rsi an

.

a n d Pl atonic philosophi e s an d et hold to r e inca rn a

y
ti on in oth e r g uis e s A sid e fro m all authority the
.
,

d octrin e s eem s to h av e b e e n roote d among the in augu

rators of our e ra in its a d aptation to th e ir m e nt al

n ee ds as the b e st e xpl an ation O f the w ays of G od an d

,

the n atur e of men .

.I The G nostics we r e a school of ecl ectics which b e

c am e conspicuo us a mid the ch aotic vortex of all r eli
gions in A l ex andri a during the r st c entury Th ey
, .

sought to furnish the young C hristi an church with a

philosophic creed an d ra nk e d th ems el ve s as the only
,

initi at e s into a mystic al sy s t e m of C hristi an truth

whi ch was too ex alte d for the m ass e s Th eir thought .
 IN E A RL Y C H RI S TE N D OIW . 227

was l r t str ucture of G re ek id ea s b uilt up on

an e ab o a e

P a rs e e Du alis m m aint aining th at the wo rld wa s cre

,

a te d b so m e f all e n spi rit or principl e an d th at the

y ,

spirits of m en w er e entic e d fro m a pre exi stent highe r

stage b y the C reator into the sl avery of m ateri al b odi e s .

The evils an d sins of life b elong only to the d egr ad e d

prison hous e Of the spirit The world is only an ob
-
.

ect O f cont em pt Virtu e consists in s e v e r e st a sc e ti

j .

ci sm. To co m b at th e ir th eory th at J e sus wa s on e

of a v ast n umb er of b eings b etwee n m an an d G od ,

the fo urth G osp e l was writt en They spr ea d wid e ly

.

through the rst an d s e cond c enturi e s in m any

b ranc he s of b e li e f But most of th eir str ength was
.

a b sorb e d into M anich aeism which was a m o re logic al

,

union of Pe rsi an with C hristi an an d G re ek id eas In .

t his si m pl e faith the w orld is a cr eation not of a fall en

spirit b ut of the prim ary evil principle whil e the
, ,

spirit of m an is the creation O f G od an d the conict ,

b e tween e sh an d spirit is th at b e tw een the powe rs of

light an d d arkn e ss The G n o stic an d M anich aean
.

n otions of pre e xiste nc e p e rp etu at e d th em s elve s in

m any of the m e di e v al s e cts e sp e ci ally the B og om il e s
, ,

Paulici ans an d Priscilli ans Se ve n a dhe r ents of the

, .

Priscilli an he re sy were put to d e ath in Sp ain A D 3 85 . .

,

a s the r st instanc e of th e d eath p e n alty visit e d b a

y
C hrist i an m agistrat e for e rro n e ous b eli e f The It a l .

ian C ath ar i w e r e anoth e r s ect holding this fo rm of re

inc arn ation against whom the A l b ige nsi an C rus ad e of
,

the e ld e r D e Montfort wa s s e nt an d the inquisiti o n ,

d e vis e d b y St Do m inic Still th ey th rive d in s ec ret

. .

an d poss e ss e d a disguis e d hi e r arc hy which l ong sur

v iv e d th eir vi ol ent p ers e cution Simil ar s ects d e

.

sc end e d from the m still exist among the R ussi an dis

se nte rs .
 228 IN E A RL Y C H RI S T E N D OM .

II C ont emporary with the A le x andri an G nostics

.

aros e the philosophic al school of the N eo Pl atonists -

which g athe r e d into on e the doctrin e s O f Pyth agoras ,

Pl to an d Buddhis m an d construct e d a the ology which

a ,
1
,

might m ake head way against C hristi anity b y s atisfying

in a ration al way the longings which th e n ew r eligion
a ddr e ss e d .Th ey to o disclos e d the r e ality an d n ear
n e ss of a spiritu al world a r e concili ation with G od
, ,

an d th e p a thw ay f or r e tu rning to Hi m T he distin .

uish in principl of N e o Pl atonism is em a n a ti on

g g e -

which took the pl ac e O f cre ation Fro m the e t ern al .

Int elligenc e proc ee ds the multiplicity of s ouls which

comp ris e th e int e lligi b l e wo rld an d of w hich the wo rld ,

soul is the high e st an d all em b racing sou rc e Th e y -

.

insist e d upon the d istinct indi v idu ality of each s oul ,

an d earn e stly com b at e d the c harge of Pantheism .

Souls who h av e d e sc e nd e d into the d e lusion Of m att e r

did so fro m prid e an d a d e sire of fals e ind ep end enc e .

They now forg e t th eir f o r m er e st at e an d th e Fath e r

whom th ey hav e d e s erte d The mission of m en in .
,

the dying words of Plotinus is to b ring th e divin e ,

within them into h ar m ony with th at which is divin e

in the unive rs e The N e O Pl atonists f ought G n osti
.
-

cism a s e rc ely a s C hristi anity Plotinus b y f ar the .

,

b e st of th e i r writ e rs as w ell as the oldest whos e works

,

a re pr e s e r v e d d e v o t e s a whol e b ook of his Enn eads

,

to the refut ation o f the doct rin e s of Val e ntin us the ,

b right e st of the G nostics C ontr ary to the l att e r s

.

t h ought th at m en are fall en into the miry pit of m at

,

te r which is w h olly b a d Pl o tinus cl a ims th at the

,

world of m att er alt hough th e l east d ivin e p art of the

,

unive rs e b e c aus e r e mot est fro m the O n e is still good ,

an d the b e st pl ac e for m an s d e v el o p m e nt Fro m its

.

for m e r life he insists the soul has n ot fall en an d can

1 Th
e c l e p ll lism b tw n B ud dhi m a d Pl ato ism
os a ra e e ee s n n

p e cul i ly f c ilitat d this

ar a e .
2 30 IN E A RL Y C H RI S TE N D OM .

ab od e s Henc e too b y such conduct the wings of the

.
, ,

soul are s aid to su ffer a d euxion an d she b ecom e s

fe tt ere d with the b onds of b ody aft er d es erting the ,

s afe an d in noxious h ab it O f gov erning a b e tt er n ature

which ourish e s with univ ers al soul The soul th ere .
,

for e f alling from on high su ff ers c aptivity is lo ad e d

, , ,

with f ett ers an d employs the en ergi es of s ens e ; b e

,

c aus e in this c as e her intell ectu al longing is imp eded

from the r st She is r eport e d also to b e b urie d an d
.

to b e conc eal e d in a c ave ; b ut wh en she conver ts her

s elf to intellig enc e she th e n b r eaks her fetters an d as
cen d s on high r e c e iving rst of all from r e minisc e nc e
,

the ab ility of conte mpl ating r eal b eings at the s am e

ti m e poss e ssing som ething supe r e min ent an d e ver

ab iding in the int e lligi b l e world S o uls th er e fore are
.

n ec e ss arily O f an a mphi b ious n at ure an d altern ately ,

e xp e ri e nc e a sup e rior an d inf e rior condition of b eing ; .

such as are ab le to e nj oy a more intim at e conve rs e

with Int elle ct ab idin g for a longer p eriod in the hi gh e r
world an d such to whom the contrary h app ens eith er
, ,

through n ature or fortun e continuing longe r conn ecte d

,

with t he s e inferior conc e rns .

Thus th e soul th o ugh O f divin e origin an d pro
, , ,

cee d in from th r gions on high b com s m rg d in

g e e e e e e ,

the d ark r ec e p ta cl e O f the b ody an d b e ing n atur ally ,

a post e rior god it d e sc ends hith er through a c ert ain

,

volunt ary inclin ation for the s ak e of pow er an d of

,

a dorning inf e rior conc e rns By this m eans it re c eiv e s

.

a knowl e dg e of its l at e nt pow e rs an d e xhi b its a v ari ,

e ty of O p e r ations p e culi a r to its n atur e which b

y p er ,

t u all b iding in incorpor l h b it d n v r

p e y a a n e a a an e e ,

proc eeding into e n e rgy would h av e b ee n b e s towe d in

,

vain Be sid e s the soul would h av e b een ignor ant of

.

wh at she poss e ss ed her po wers always r em aining d or

,
c
 IN EA RLY C HRI S TE N D OM . 2 31

m ant an d conc eale d : sinc e en ergy e ve rywh er e exhi b its

c ap acity which wo uld otherwis e b e entirely occult an d
,

O b scur e an d without exis te nc e

,
b ec aus e not e ndu e d
,

with on e sub stanti al an d true But now in d ee d ev ery

.

on e a d m ir e s the int ell ectu al pow e rs of th e soul through ,

the v ari ety of her e xt ern al eff e cts

T hrough an ab und anc e of d e sir e t he soul b ecom e s
profoundly m erge d into m att er an d no longer to t ally ,

ab id e s with th e univ ers al soul Yet our souls are .

ab l e alt e rn a tely to ris e from h e nc e c arry ing b ack with

them an exp eri enc e of wh at th ey h ave known an d suf

f ered in th e ir f all en st ate ; from wh enc e they will
le arn how b l ess ed it is to ab id e in the int ell igi b l e
world an d b y a comp arison as it w ere of contr ari e s
, , , ,

will more pl ainly p e rc e ive the exc ell enc e O f a sup erior
stat e For the exp erienc e of e vil produc es a cl eare r
.

knowledge of good This is accomplish ed in our souls

.

according to the circul ations of tim e in which a con ,

version t ak es pl ac e from sub ordin ate to mor e ex alte d

n ature s .

Ind eed if it w er e prop er to sp eak cl early wh at

,

app ears to me to b e the truth contr ary to the opin ,

ions O f oth ers the whole O f our soul also do e s not e n

,

ter into the b ody b ut som ethi ng b elonging to it al

,

w ays ab id es in the intelligi b le an d so m ething differ ent

,

from this in the s ensib le world : an d th at which ab id e s

in the s ensi b l e world if it conqu ers or r ath er if it is
, ,

vanquished an d disturb ed do es not p ermit us to per

,

ce iv e th at whiO h th e supr em e p art of th e soul conte m

pl ates ; for th at which is und erstood th e n arriv e s at
our n ature wh en it de sc ends within the limits of sen
si b le insp ection For every soul poss e ss e s som ething
.

which inclin e s downwards to b ody an d som ething ,

which t ends upwards toward intell ect ; an d the soul ,

232 IN EA RLY C HRI S TEN D OM .

indeed which is unive rs al an d of the unive rs e b y its

, ,

p art which is inclin e d to wards b ody gove rns the

,
,

whol e without l ab or an d fatigu e transc e nding th at,

which it gov ern

But soul s which are p articul ar an d of a p art are
too much occupi e d b y s ens e an d b y a p e rc eption O f
,

m any things h app ening contrary to n ature are sur

roun d e d b y a m ultitud e of f ore ign conc erns It is .

like wis e sub j ect to a v ari e ty of affe ctions a n d is e u ,

sn ar e d b y the all ure m e nts of pl easur e But the sup e .

rior p art of th e soul is n e ve r inu enc e d b y fraudulent

d elights a n d liv e s a life al ways unifor m an d divin e
,
.

III M any of the orthodox C hurch Fath ers wel

.

co m e d re inc arn ation a s a r e ady e xpl an ation of the fall

O f m an an d the myst e ry of lif e a n d distinctly pr e ach e d
,

it as th e only m eans of r econciling the exist enc e O f

su e rin with m rciful G od It w n e ss enti al
g a e as a
.

p art O f the church p hil osophy for m any c enturi e s in

the r ank a n d le o f C hristi an thought b e ing st amp e d ,

with the authcrity of the l e ading thinke rs of C hrist en

dom an d th e n gradu ally was frown e d upon as the
,

W e ste rn inu e nc e s predo m in at ed until it b ec am e ,

h ere sy an d at l e ngth survive d only in a f ew sc atte re d

s ects .

Justin M artyr e xpre ssly sp eaks of the soul inh ab it

ing more th an onc e the hum an b ody a n d d eni e s that ,

on t aking a s econd tim e the e m b odi e d fo rm it can re

m e m b e r pr e vious e xp e ri enc e s A ft e rw ards he s ays
.
, ,

so ul s which h av e b e com e unwo rthy to see G od in hu

m an g uis e ar e j oin e d to the b odi e s o f wild b e a sts

, .

T hus h e op e nly d e fends th e gross er p ha s e O f m ete m p

s
y ch os s i .

C l e m e ns Al ex andrinus
is d e clare d b y a cont emporary
to h a ve wr it ten wond e rful stori e s ab out metemp
s ch o sis an d m any worlds b e for e A d am
y .
2 34 I N EARLY C H RI S TE N D OM .

individu al li b erty For G od j ustly disposing of his

.

cr eature s according to th eir d e s ert unit e d th e diver

siti e s of minds in on e congr uo us world th at he m i ght , ,

as it w e r e a dorn his m a nsion in which ought to

, ( b e

not only v as e s of gold an d silve r b ut of wood also an d ,

cl ay an d som e to honor an d som e to dishonor) with

,

th e s e di ve rs e va s e s minds or souls To the s e c aus e s

, , .

the world ow e s its div e rsity whil e D ivin e Provid enc e

,

dispos e s e ach according to his t end e ncy mind an d dis , ,

position .

If from unknown reasons the soul b e already not

e x actly worthy of b e ing b orn in an ir ration al b ody ,

nor y et e x actly in on e pur ely r ation al it is furnish e d ,

with a monstrous b ody so th at r ea son c annot b e,

fully de velop e d b y on e t hus b orn the n ature O f the ,

b ody b e ing f ashion e d e ith e r of a high e r or low e r b ody

accor ding to the scop e O f th e r eason .

I think this is a qu e stion ho w it h app ens th at the

hum an mind is inu e nc e d now b y the good n ow b y
the e vil . The c aus e s of this I susp ect to b e mor e an

ci ent th an this corporeal b irth .

If our cours e b e not m ark ed out accordin g to our

works b e fore this life how is it t ru e th at it is not un
,

just in G od th at the eld e r should s e rve th e younge r

an d b e h at e d b e for e h e h ad don e things d e s erving of
,

s e rvitud e an d of h atr e d .

By the fall an d b y the cooling from a life of the

Spi rit c am e th at which is n ow the soul which is also ,

c ap ab l e of a r eturn to he r o rigin al c ondition of which ,

I think th e proph e t sp eaks in this : R eturn unto thy

r e st O my soul
, So th at the whol e is this
.
how
th e mind b e co m e s a soul an d how the soul r e cti e d

b eco m e s a m ind .

C onc erning pr e e xist enc e in the Bi b l e O rige n writ es , ,

 I N EA RLY C HRI S TE N D OM . 2 35

in his D e Prin cipn s The Holy Scriptur e s h a v e

c all e d the creation of the world b y a n e w an d p e culi ar
n am e t erming it m h j which has b een v ery im
, Ka o ,

prop erly tr anslat e d in to L ati n b y con stitutio for in

de icere i e
j

G ree k
A
xa r a signi eos r ath e r to c a st , . .
,

downwards a word which has b ee n improp e rly tr a ns

,

l ate d in to L atin b y the phra s e con stitutio mundi as ,

whe re the Saviour s ays A n d th er e will b e trib ulation ,

in thos e d ays such as was n ot sinc e the b eginning of

,

/ W
1 in wh ich p ss g
the world ;

a a e K 3 is r e nd e r e d a ra 0

b y b eginning ( con stitutio) The A postle also has e m .

ploy e d the l angu age s aying W ho h ath chos e n us b e

, ,

2
fore the found ation of the world an d this f oun d a

ti on he c alls K B A j to b e unde rstood in the s am e

aT a O T,

s ens e as b e for e It s eems worth while th e n to in

.
, ,

quire what is m eant b y this n e w t erm ; an d I am in ,

d eed of the opinion th at as the en d an d consumm ation

,

O f the s aints will b e in thos e g s which re not

( a e ) a

s een an d are e t ern al we must conclud e th at r ation al

, ,

creature s had also a simil ar b eginning A n d if th ey .

had a b e ginning such as the en d for which th ey hop e ,

th ey e xist e d undoub tedly from the v ery b eginning in

thos e ( age s ) which are not s een an d are e t ern al ,
.

A n d if this is so th e n th e r e has b ee n a d e sc ent from

,

a high e r to a low e r condition on the p art not only of ,

thos e souls who h av e d e s erve d the ch ange b y the vari

et of th e ir m ove m e nts b ut also on th at O f t h os e who
y , ,

in ord e r to s erve th e whole world w er e b rought down ,

from th os e high er an d invisib le sph ere s to the s e l owe r

an d visib l e on e s although against th e ir will
, From .

this it follows th at b y the u se of the wo rd K m B A a a o ,

d e sc ent from a highe r to a lower conditi on sh ar e d b y ,

all in common would s e e m to b e point e d out

, The .

1
M att xxi v 2 1
. . Ep hesi
. i 4 9
an s . .
236 I N EA RL Y C HRI S TE N D OM .

hope of freedom is entertain ed b y the whole of crea

tion of b eing li b erat e d from the corruption of sl av e

e ry wh e n the sons of G od who e ith e r fe ll aw ay or ,

w e r e sc att ere d ab ro ad sh all b e gath e re d into on e an d

, ,

wh en th ey sh all h av e f ull l e d th eir duti e s in thi s

world .

M any cont e mpor an eous an d su b s e qu ent writ ers

c ensure d O rige n for this opinion b ut his doctrin e was ,

m aint ain e d b y a l arge num b er of strong followe rs an d

in dep end ent thinke rs .

Ev e n in J ero m e an d A ugustin e c ert ain p ass age s in

d icate th at the y h e ld this th e ory in p art In his Epis .

tle to A v itus J e rom e agre e s with O rig e n a s to the in

,

t erpreta tion of the p ass age ab ov e m e ntion e d b y O rige n ,

W ho h ath chos e n us b efore the fo und ation of the

w o rld.

He s ays
a divin e h ab i ta tion a n d a tru e ,

r e st ab ove I think is to b e und erstood wh er e ration al

, , ,

cr eatur e s dwelt an d wh ere b efor e th e ir d e sc ent to a

, ,

lowe r position an d r emov al from invisi b l e to visib l e

,

worlds n d f all to e arth an d n e e d of gross b odi e s

( ) a , , ,

th ey enjoy e d a form e r b l ess e d n e ss W henc e G od the .

C reator m ad e for th e m b odi e s suit ab l e to t he ir humb l e

position an d creat e d this visib l e world an d s ent into
,

the world minist e rs for th e ir s al v ation .

The L a tin Fath ers Ne me siu s Syn esiu s an d Hil a , ,

rius b oldly d e fend pre xiste n ce though t aking excep ,

tion to O rigen s form of it O f Syn e sius most famil

.
,

iar to English r ea d ers as the conv e nt p atri arch in

Hyp ati a it is known th at wh en the citiz ens of
,

Ptole m ais invi ted him to th e ir b ishop ric he d eclin e d ,

th at dignity for the r eason th at h e ch erish e d c e rta in

opinions which th ey might not approv e as afte r ma ,

ture r e ection t hey had struck d e e p roots in his mind .

F or emost among th e s e he m ention e d the doctrin e of

 A m an m ay travel from on e e n d Of the ki n gdom to th e oth er
with out mon ey , fe e ding an d lod gin g as well as th e p eople .

A MI SSI O N A R I N BURMA H Y .

Buddhism h as n ot de c iv
e ed , an d it h as n ot p e rse c ut ed . I n t h is
re s p ct it
e ca n c
t ea h C hri st ian s a l e sson . The c un on ditio n e d c mm an d ,
o

T h ou sh alt n ot kil l ,
w hi h c appli es to l l livi
a n
gc re a t ur es , has h a d

gre at in u c e i n
en so ft e ni n g the m an n e rs Of th e Mon gul s . T h is co m
m an d is c on n e ct ed wi th th e d o tri n e c of t ran sm igration of s o ul s , whi h c
is on e of th e e ssen ti al c
d o trin e s of this sy ste m as w ell as o f B rah m a n
ism . Buddhism al so in cul c t p itiv a es a os e h um an i ty c on sis t in g of good
a ctions . JA M E S FREE MA N C LA RK E .

He li ve d m usin g th e w oes of m an ,
f
Th e way s O f a te , th e d o tri n e s c Ofb kth e oo s,

c
Th e se re ts O f th e sil en e wh e n c c ll c m
e a o e,

Th c
e s e re ts of th e gl oom wh eret o a l l go,
Th l ife e b
th at l ies e tw e e n li e th at ar h k c g un

F m cl
ro ou d c
t o l ou d c
a ros s th e sk y , wh ich h th a

Mists f or its mas onry an d vp

a ory pi ers .

TH E LI GH T or
2 42 RE I N C A RN A T I ON I N TH E E A S T T OD A Y .

liv e d b y th e ir followe rs th an C hristi anity is with us ;

it must b e admitted th at a spiritu al s elshn e ss which ,

is so thoroughly pr actic ed a s to b e ar all the fruits of

gen erous lov e is pre fe rab l e to a nob l e s acric e which
, ,

is so l argely pr e c ept as to app ear to the n ake d eye

a civiliz e d b ar b aris m an d it is worth consid e ring
wh eth e r C hrist e ndom m ay not g ain as much b y l earn
ing the s e cr e t of East e rn supe riority to m at eri alism ,

as th e O ri e nt is g a ini n g b y th e infusion of W e ste rn

activity . T r av el e rs agr e e th at in m any p a rts of inn e r

C hin a Thi b et C e ntr al Indi a an d C eylon the d a ily life
, , ,

of Buddhis m is so lik e the r ealiz ation O f C hristi anity ,

as to giv e strong support to the th e ory of the Indi a n

origin of our r e ligion Th ere is a practic al d emonstra

.

tion of wh at r einc arn ation will do for a r ac e an d a ,

hint of the grand e r re sul t which would a ccru e from

grafting th at principl e into the real life of the stronge r
Saxon Te utonic an d C e ltic stock
, ,
Knowing the ind e .

str uctib ilit of t h e soul the e va n e sc e nc e of the b ody

y , ,

an d th e p e rm an e nc e of spiritu al tr a its a s form e d b

y
thought word an d d eed the whol e e n ergy of life is
, , ,

focus e d upon purity of s elf an d ch arity to oth e rs To .

lov e on e s e n e mi e s to ab st ain from e ve n d efe nsive

w arfar e to gov ern the soul to o b ey on e s sup eriors to

, ,

,

v en erat e age to provide food an d sh elt e r to tole rate

, ,

all di ffe r e nc e s of opini o n an d r eligion a re guiding ,

m axims of actu al life Th ey are as vit ally an d gen e r

.

all y t ransl at e d into e sh a n d b lood a s in primitiv e

C hristi anity or in C ount T olstoi s ock H on e sty

.
,

mod e sty an d si m plicity prevail in th e s e s ection s

, .

W om en are h eld in the s am e e stee m as in the anci ent

Sanskrit e poch an d c hildr en are treate d m or e b ea uti
,

fully th an in m any C hristi an hom e s A l ady travel er .

,

known to the write r who wit ne ss e d this s aid that if

, ,
 RE I N C ARN A TI ON IN T HE EA S T T ODA Y . 243

lot we re tha t of a fri endl e ss wom an she kn e w no

he r ,

pl ac e on e arth wh ere she would l ab o r an d dwell more

happily th an in C eylon A s th e p e as antry r e c e ive re
.

inc arn ation in the simpl e st an d extrem e st form of hu

m an re b irths in an im al b odi e s e ve ry living cr eatur e
-

is r egard e d b y the m as a possib le r e la tive G entle .

n ess to the a ni m al cr eation ab oun d s as nowh er e els e

in the world It is a sin to kill an y b e ast It is a
. .

virtu e to offer on e s life for a dist re ss e d ani m al as

,

the popul a r t radition holds t hat Bu d dh a did in on e

life b y throwi n g hi m s elf to a fam ishe d tig re ss D eath .

is no ob j e ct of dr e ad b ut a w elco me b en efactor trans

, ,

ferring the m fo rward in the i r progr e ss to the go al of

.

re st To die for an y good purpos e as und e r the sa

.
,

cre d Brahm an car of Jugge rn aut or in so m e on e s b e ,

h alf is the common aspiration so m uch so th at it is

,

difcult for the mission ari e s to gai n an y feeling for

th e d eath on the cross as th ey think an y on e would
,

e a sily su ff e r th at .

The B rahm ans h av e for ag e s studi e d the prob l ems

of ontology an d the soul s futu re b y s ev er e st intro

,

s e ctio n an d a cute st thought to b uild th ir syst m

p e , e ,

which is a va st elab oration of r eligious m et aphysics ,

upon a th eistic b asis R einc arn ation is the co rn e r

.

~ston e O f this stru ctur e M any O f the high er Brahm ans

.

are b e li e v e d to h a v e p e n e tr at e d the v e ils conc e aling

p ast e xist enc e s It is r el at ed for instanc e th at wh e n

.
, ,

A pollonius of Ty an a visit e d Indi a the B rahm a n ,

I archus told him th at the truth conc e rning th e soul

is as Pyth agoras taught you an d as we t aught the
Egypti ans an d m ention e d th at he ( A pollonius ) in a

,

pr evious inc arn ation was an Egypti an ste ers man an d ,

had r efus e d the induc em ents O ff er e d him b y pi rat e s

to guid e his ve ss el into th eir h ands The common .
2 44 RE IN C A RN A TI ON I N T HE E A S T T O D A Y -
.

p e ople of Indi a are sur e th at c e rt ain of the Brahm ans

an d Buddhists are still ab l e to v e rify b y th e ir n e r

s e ns e s the r eality of r e inc arn ation A n d m any e du .

cated n a tiv e s an d r e si de nt f o r e ign e rs in Indi a h av e

witn e ss e d evid enc e s O f this ke e n pow e r of insight as

'

sociate d with oth e r e xtr a ordin ary qu aliti e s which com

ell e d th e m to b e li e v e in it
p .

Brahm anism an d Buddhism a re practic all y agr ee d

upon the philosophy of r einc arn ation as the gr eat ,

Buddhist re volt against pri e stcr aft only e mph asiz ed

this doctrin e Eve ry b ranch of th e s e syst ems aims
.

at the m eans O f winning e sc ap e from th e n e c e ssity of

rep e at e d b irths Th e ard ent an d n al d e sir e of all

.

is expr e ss e d b y the words of the s age Bh arat a

nA d m y th p u p l e s l f xi t t g d (Si va)
a e r e -
e s en o ,

Wh vit l e e gy p e vad s all sp c e

ose a n r r e a ,

F m f utu e t n sm ig ati
ro r v m y s ul
ra r on s sa e o .

Th e r e are how e ve r gre at di eren ces in th e s e two

, ,

faiths as to the m e ans an d the r e sult B oth cont end .

th at all for m s are the p en anc e of n ature Th ey r egard .

p erson al exist e nc e a s an e mpty d elusion an d the ex

e mpti o n from it a s tru e s alv ation The Brahm an .

s eeks N irvan a which is ab sorption in Brahm as the

, ,

re ality at the h e art of thin gs ; the Buddhist con

side rs this also unr eal an d nds no r eality b u t in
,

the sil e nc e an d p eace attain e d b eyond N irv an a In .

the Br ah man s p ar a dis e on e is so fr ee fr o m d e sir e

,

th at n o n e e d r em ains for p erp etu ating his individu al

e xist e nc e
. But afte r th at com e s Pan Nirvan a which -

is utt er in action an d dis app e ar anc e a condition so ,

di fcult f or a W e stern m ind to compr eh end th at it

p e rsists in fals ely c alling it an d Nirvan a alik e an

n ihil ation The Budd hist s on e duty O f life an d the

.

m ean s of attaining his go al is morti cation the ex ,

2 46 RE I N C ARN A TI ON I N TH E EA S T T OD A Y .

more gen e ral doctrin e is b as ed on the a ssumption of

thr e e C osmic qu aliti e s goodn ess p assion an d d ark , ,

n e ss in the hum an soul O n this ground M anu an d .

oth e r wri te rs b uilt an intric ate the ory providing th at ,

souls of the rst qu ality b ecom e d eiti e s thos e of the ,

s e cond men an d thos e of the third b easts

, , , .

T he Hindu conc e ption of r e inc arn ation e mb r ac e s

all e xist e nc e gods m e n anim als pl ants min erals
, , , , .

It is b eli e ved th at e verythin g migrat es from Buddh a ,

d own to in e rt m att e r Hardy tells us th at Buddh a

.

hims elf was b orn an asc etic eighty three tim es a mon -

arch f t eight tim e s as the soul of a tr e e forty

y
-

thr ee tim e s an d m any oth er tim e s as ape d eer lion

, , , ,

snip e chick en e agle s erp ent; pig frog e tc amount

, , , , , .
,

ing to four hundre d tim e s in all A C hine s e author .

ity r epre s ents Buddh a as s aying The num b er of my ,

b irths an d d eaths can only b e comp ar e d to thos e of

all the pl ants in the univ e rs e Birth is the g at e .

which op ens in to e very st ate an d m erit d et ermin e s ,

into which it sh all op en Earth an d hum an lif e are .

an int e rm e di ary st age r e sulting from m any pr e vious

,

pl ac e s an d forms an d introducing m any more Th er e .

are multitud e s of inh ab it ed worlds upon which th e

s am e p erson is succ e ssively b orn according to his at

t ractions To the e arthly lif e he m ay r e turn ag ain
.

an d ag ain dropping the m e mory of p a st e xp e ri e nc e s

, ,

an d c arrying lik e an e m b ryonic g e rm the concis e st

, ,

summ ary of form er lives into each coming on e Eve ry .

a ct b e a rs upon the r e sult ant which sh al l st e e r th e soul

into its n ext h ab it ation not only on earth b ut in the

, ,

mor e exalt ed or d eb as ed r egions of He ave n an d

Hell
. T hus th e ch ain of the l aw b inds all e x
iste n ces an d the onl y e sc ap e is b y the n al ab sorptio n
,

into Brahm .
 RE I N C ARN A TI ON I N TH E E AS T T O D A Y -
. 247

W hile the Hindus gen erally hold th at the s am e

soul app ears at d iffe rent b irths the h er etic al South ern
,

Buddhists teach th at the succ e ssion of existenc es is a

succ e ssion of souls b r e d fro m on e another like the
, ,

sprouting of n e w ge nerations fro m pl ants an d anim als

an d lik e th e n e w lig ht kindl e d from an old l a mp the ,

r e sult b ut not the id e ntity of the form er A noth e r

,
.

curious a sp ect of the s e Indi an sp e cul ations is the

vi e w of c ertain North e rn Buddhists who divid e e t er ,

n it
y into gig antic cycl e s which sh all at l e ngth b ring

ar o und a g ain a pr e cis e r ep e tition of e arli e r e v e nts .

This is si mil ar to the gr and p e riodic y ear of the Stoics

an d of the Epicur ean A to m ists an d to the continu al
,

m e te mpsychosis of Pyth agor as which provid e d th at

,

the id entic al Pl ato would ag ain an d ag ain a t c e rta in ,

trem endous int ervals st aggering an y on e b ut a G reek

or Hindu m et aphysici an app ear at the s am e A c ade my

an d d e liv e r th e s am e l e ctur e s etc

,
.

Zoro ast ri ans an d Su M oh ame dan s with th eir ,

usu al antip athy to Indi an thought li m it th e ir con cep,

tions of r einc arn ati on to a f e w r ep e ate d live s on e arth

which so m
,

e of the P e r si an an d A r ab i an mystics st re tch

out to a l arge r nu m b er b ut soon dis app earing e ithe r

,

b ack into the origin al sourc e or into d ark e r sc en e s .

Here sh al t th ou pluck fm th e m ost an ien t
ro c sh ells

Th e whi t est p e arl s of wi s d om s treasur y

.

ED W IN ARN O LD .

Youn g a n d e n t e rp ri sin g is th e West ,

Ol d an d m e d ita ti v e is th e East .

T urn , 0 y outh "with in t ell e tu al c ze st

Where th e sage in ites th e e t o hi s

v f e ast .

Eastward rol l th e or b s of h ea v en ,

We stward t en d th e th o ugh ts of men .

Le t th e p oe t , n atu re -
d ri v en ,

Wan d er eastward no w an d the n .

MI LN ES .
 EA ST ERN PO ET S UP O N REI N C A RN A T I O N .

A LL East e rn po etry nds a f avorit e th em e in me

te mpsy chosis an d the lit er atur e of Indi a is thoroughly
,

s atu rat e d with it The f erv ent p assion the sub tle
.
,

thought the luxuri ant i m agery which p erm eat e A si atic

,

life are c entred upon this common philosophy But .

the b e st portion of this enormous w e alth of f ant asy

is withh eld from us simply b ec aus e of its r e v elry in
,

this very thought which is gen er ally un attractive to

the W e st W h at ori ent al po etry e nt ers our l angu age
.

is chi ey erotic or epic an d the mos t ch aract eristic

,

of all is l eft for the f ew e duc at e d n ative s to enjoy .

W e can th er efor e only s el ect a f ew r epre s ent ative

gems from this unworke d min e illust rating th e M us e s
,

of Indi a P ersi a an d A r ab i a A mong the anci ent

, ,
.

Sansk rit epics are discover e d b eautiful r e nd erings of

the t hought of m any b irths The d elic acy an d te n
.

d e rn e ss of P ersian po etry furnish ch arming expre s

sions of the Zoro astri an a spi rations f or r el e as e from
e arthly b ond a g e s t o r e asc e nd ho m e w ard T he A ra .

b i an m ysticis m of the Su s dir e cts t he ir int ens e sub

ecti vit
j y into e cst atic phr asings of the s am e id ea .

In the wond e rful anci ent Sanskrit dram a Sa
koon tal a b y Kalid sa transl ate d b y Moni e r W illi ams
, ,

occur th e s e p ass ages

2 52 E A S TE RN P OE TS UP ON RE I N C ARN A TI ON .

This pe erle ss maid is like a fragran t ower

W h ose p erf um e d b reath has n e v er b een diff used .

A gem of p ri cele ss w ater j us t relea sed

,

Pure an d un b l em ish e d f rom its glitterin g b ed .

Or rather is she like the m ellowe d fruit

Of virtuous action s in som e f ormer b irth
N ow b rought to f ull p erf e c ti on .

T hat ng has l led m e with a most p eculiar sweetness

so .

I seem to yearn after som e lon g forgotten love .

N ot seld om in our happy hour s of ease

Wh en thought is still th e sight of s om e f air form
,

Or m ourn ful f all of musi c b reathi n g low

W ill stir stran ge fan cies thrillin g all the s oul
W ith a mysterious sadn e ss an d a sense
O f vague y e t e arn est lon gin g C an it b e
.

T hat th e dim m em ory of e v en ts lon g p assed ,

Or frien d shi p s form ed in oth e r states of b e in g

Flits like a p assin g shadow o er the spirit

The Sanskrit K ath a Up anish ad in Ed win Ar ,

n old s r end ering a s The Se cr et of D eath cont ains

a full expl an ation of the East ern doctrin e .

For his nob l e s acric e Yam a ( D eath ) gr ants to

N achiketas the privil eg e of asking thr ee b oons Af .

'
ter n aming an d r ec e iving the rst two N achike tas
s ays
T hou d ost give p e ace is that p eac e n othin gn ess
Som e say th at afte r d e ath the s oul still liv es ,

Person al con scious ; som e say n ay it en ds

, , ,

Fain would I kn ow whi c h of these twain b e true ,

By the en lighte n e d B e my third b oon this
. .

T hen Yam a a n swe re d,

T his w as aske d of Old ,

Ev e n b y the god s " T his is a sub tle thin g ,

N ot to b e tol d hard to b e u n d e rstood

,

Ask me so me o ther b oon : I m ay n ot ra

g nt .
254 EA S T ERN P OE TS UP ON RE I N C A RN A T I ON .

Ex c elle n t y outh "the knowledge thou didst c rav e

C ome s n ot with sp eech w ord s are th e f alse w orld s sign s

By in sight surely c om e s it if on e hears .

LO "thou h ast lo v e d the T ruth a n d striven for it , .

I would that others N a chiketas strove , ,

On ly the wise who p atie n tly d o sev er

T he ir thought f rom sho ws an d x it up on truths ,

Se e HI M th e Pe rf e ct an d U n s p e akab le
, ,

Hard t o be se en re tre atin g eve r hid

, ,

D e e p er a n d d ee p e r in the utterm ost

W hose h ouse was n e v e r e n t ered wh o ab ides ,

N o w an d b e f ore an d al way s an d so s e ein g

A re f re e d f rom gri e f s an d pl e asures

.

M ake it kn own to me he sa ith , ,

W ho is HE ? what ? whom th ou h ast kn owl ed ge of .

T he n Ya m a sp ake
Th e an swer whereun to all v e d as l e a d
T h e an swer wh ere un to as p en a n c e stri v e s ;
T he an swer wh ere un to those strive th at li ve
r f
A s se eke s a te G r od h e ar this from m e .

W ho kn ow eth th e w ord Om (whi c h m ean eth G od)

W ith all its p urp orts w hat his he art w ould hav e
His he art p ossesseth This of sp oke n sp e e c h
.

I s wisest d ee p e st b e st s up re m e st
, ,
He ,
.

That sp eaketh it a n d wott eth wh at he sp eaks

,

I s worship e d in th e p l a c e of Brah m with Brahm " ,

Al so the soul whi c h kn oweth thus itself

,

I t is n ot b o rn I t d oth n ot d ie
. It sp ran g .

F rom n on e an d it b egetteth non e Un m ade

,
.
,

I mm ortal c han gel e ss p rim al

, I can b reak
,
.

T he b ody b ut th at soul I c an n ot harm
,
.

If h e th at sl ay eth thin ks I slay if he

W hom h e d oth slay thin k s I am sl ain then both ,

Kn ow n ot arigh t T hat whi c h wa s lif e in e a c h

.

C an n ot b e sla i n or slay
n T h e un tou c he d soul
.
,

G re ater than all the world s (b e c ause the worlds

By it sub sist) smaller than sub tleti es
EAS TERN P OE TS U P ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON . 255

Of thin gs m in ute st last of ultim ates,

Sits in the hollow heart o f a ll tha t li v es
W hoso hath laid fear
asi d e d esire an d ,

H is sen ses m astere d an d his sp irit still ,

Sees in th e quiet light of v erity

Ete rn al saf e m aj e sti c al his soul
, ,

Restin g it ran ge s every whe e aslee p r

I t ro am s the world un sle e p i g who s ave I

,
n : , ,

Kn ow that d iv i n e st sp irit as it is ,

Glad b ey on d j oy existi g outside lif e

,
n

Be hold in g i t in b odie s b odil e ss,

A m id imp erm an en c y p e rm a n en t ,

Emb ra c in g all thi n gs, y e t in the m id st of all

T he min d e n lighte n e d c asts its grie f a way
I t is n ot to b e kn own b y k n owle d ge : m an
W otteth it n ot b y wi sd om : le arn in g vast
Halts short of it on l y by soul itse lf
Is soul p erc eiv e d whe n th e Soul wills it so
T he r e shi n e s n o light sav e its own light to show
I tse lf un to itsel f : n on e c om p asse th
I ts j oy who is n ot wh olly c e ase d from sin ,

W ho d wells n ot self c on trolle d self c en tre d c alm

-

,
-

, ,

Lord of him self I t is n ot gotten else

. .

Brahm h ath it n ot to give .

The m an un wi se un m in d ful e v il live d

, ,
-

C om e s n ot to that xe d p lac e of p e a c e ; he falls

Ba ck to the region O f se n se lif e again .

T he wi se a n d m i d ful on e h e a rt p uri e d
n , ,

A ttain e th to th e c h an gele ss Pla c e where from ,

N e v er again shall b irths re n e w f or him .

T hen h ath he fre e dom ove r all w orl d s

A n d if it wills the re gi on of the Past
, ,

T he fathe rs an d th e m oth ers of the Past

C om e to re c ei v e it ; an d that soul is glad
A n d if it wills the i
reon s of th e H om e s,
g
T he Brothers an d th e Siste rs of t he Hom e s
25 6 EA S TE RN P OE TS UP ON REI N C A RN A TI ON .

C om e to receive it an d that soul is glad ,

A n d if it will s the region of the F rien d s,

T he well b elove d com e to welcom e it
-

W ith loveying an d that soul is glad

un d .

A n d if it wills a world of gra c e an d p e a c e

W here garlan ds are an d p erfum es an d d elights
O f d elicate m eats an d d rin ks mu sic an d song , ,

Lo "fragran c e s an d b lossom s an d d eli ghts

Of d ain ty b an quets an d the stream s of song
C ome to it ; an d that soul is glad .

W hoso on ce p erc eiv eth H I M that is

W ithout a n am e U n seen I mp alp ab le , , ,

Bodiless T im e le ss su c h an on e is save d
, , ,

D eath hath n ot p ower up on him .

A lthough po em in the ordin ary

n ot an A si atic
s ens e we do not h e sitate to pl ac e in this clust er Edwin
,

A rnold s Light of A si a A fte r the f e stival sc e n e

.

in which the princ e distri b ut e d prize s to the m aid e n

victors in the sports an d his love had c e ntr e d upon ,

YasOdhara the l ast of the con te st ants follow th e s e

, ,

lin e s
Long after wh en enlighten m en t was f ull
, ,

Lord B uddha b ein g prayed why thus his heart

,

T ook re at rst glan c e of the Sakya girl ,

A ns w ere d : W e were n ot stran gers as to us

An d all i t seem e d in age s lon g gon e b y
A hun ter s son p layin g with f orest girls

By Yamun s sp rin gs where N an d ad ev i stan d s

,

Sate um p ire while they rac ed b en e ath the rs

Lik e h ares at ev e that run their p lay ful rin gs ;
O n e with owe r li ke stars c rown e d he on e with l on g plumes
-

, ,

Pluc ke d f om the p he asant an d th e j un gle cock

r
,

On e with r appl es ; b ut who ran the last

C am e rst f or him an d un to her the b oy ,
258 E A S TERN P OE TS UP ON RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

Roun d the F ath er s thron e forever stan din g

in hi s c oun

ten an ce ,
Sun n in g you, y ou see th e v
se e n c irc lin g heaven s aroun d y ou

dan ce .

M e he h a s c ast out to e xile in a dista n t lan d to le arn

How I sh oul d l ove Him th e F ather ,
how f or that true c oun
try y earn .

I lie here , a s ar oft heav en ,

fallen upon this gloomy p lac e ,

Sc arc e remem b erin g what b right courses I was on c e allowe d

to trace .

Still in d r e am s it c omes up on m e , that I on c e on win gs d id

soa r ;
But

or e e r my ight com m e n c es this my dream mu st all b e

W hen th e la rk is c limbin g up ward in th e sun b eam , th en I f eel

Even as though my s p irit al so hidd e n p in ion s c ould re v e al .

I a rose b ud this lowe r soil of earth am fastly b oun d

to ,

An d with heaven ly d e w b e sp rin kle d s till am rooted to the

roun d
g .

Ye t the life is s r t ugglin g up ward stirrin g still ,

with all their
m ight,
Ye arnin g b ud s that cr
y t o o p en to th e warmth an d heav en ly

From its t k
s al rele ase d , my ower soars n ot
y et a b ut
t er y ,
B ut m ean whil e my fragran t incense everm ore I b reathe on

By my G ard e n e r to his gard en I sh all o n c e tran splan te d b e,

T h ere whe re I have b ee n already writte n f rom e te rn ity .
 EA S TE RN P OE TS UP ON REI N C A RN ATI ON . 259

Oh, m y b roth ers bloomin g y on der un to Him the an cient ,

p ray
T hat the hour of my tran sp lan tin g He will n ot f or long
delay .

Haz , the princ e of Pe rsi an po ets , gur es the soul

as the phoenix alighting on Tu b a, the T r ee of Life

My phtBn ix lon g ago se cure d

His n est in the sky vault s cop e ;

-

I n the b ody s c age im mure d

He was weary of lif e s hop e

.

Roun d an d ro n d u thi s heap of ash es

N ow i es the b ird am ain ,

But in that od oro us ni c he of heaven

N estle s the bird a
gain .

Once ies he up ward he will p erch

On T ub a s golden b ough

His hom e is on that fruited arch

W hi ch c ools th e b l est b elo w .

I f over this sad world of o rs u

Hi s win gs my phce n ix sp read ,

How grac ious falls on lan d an d sea

T he soul re f reshin shad e "

g
-

Either world in hab its he,

Sees of t b elow h imp lanets roll ;
His b ody is all of air comp act ,

Of A llah s lov e his soul

.
,

Thefollowing Su po em will ill ustr at e the p assion

ate ph as e of r e inc arn ation which app e ars in the spirit

ual ab sorpti on of the Moh amm e d an m ystics It is .

260 E AS TE RN P OE TS UP ON RE I N C A RN A T I ON .

not surprising that the int ensity of th eir rapturous pi

ety h as dr awn among th e ir r a nks of m e dit ativ e d e vo

t ee s the most distinguish ed r eligionists philosoph ers , ,

an d po ets of the whol e P e rsi an an d A r ab i an O ri ent

T HE SU C C ESSFUL SEARC H .

I was ere an am e had b een n am ed u p on earth ,

Ere on e trace y et exi ste d of aught th at has b irth ,

W hen the l ocks O f the Love d On e stream ed forth f or a sign ,

A n d b ein g was n on e s av e th e Pre sen c e D iv in e

Ere the v eil of th e e sh f or M essiah was wrought
T o the G odhea d I b owe d in p rostration of thought .

I m e asure d in ten sely I p on dered with he e d

,

ah "f ruitl e ss m or) th e C ross an d its cre ed

(B u t y l ab .

T o the Pagod I ru she d an d th e M agian s shrine

, ,

But m y ey e c aught n o glim p se of a gl ory d ivin e

T he re in s of research to the C aab a I b en t ,

W hither hop e fully thron gin g th e O ld an d youn g went

C an d asai an d H erat se ar ch e d I wistf ully through ,

N or ab ov e n or b en e ath c am e the Lov e d O n e to vi e w "

I toiled to the summit wild p athl ess an d lon e
, , ,

Of th e glob e girdin g Kai b ut the Phoen ix had own

-

,
.

T h e sev en th e arth I traverse d the sev en th he av en e xplored

, ,

B ut in n eithe r d isce rn e d I th e C ourt of th e Lord .

I que stion e d the Pen an d the T ab let of F ate ,

But th ey whisp ered n ot wh ere He p av ilion s his state .

M y vision I strain e d b ut m y G od sc an n in g ey e
,
-

N O tra c e that to G odh ead b elon gs c oul d d e sc ry .

But wh en I my glan c e turn e d w ithi m y own b reast n ,

Lo "th e v ain ly sought Lov e d On e th e G odhead c on fess ed

,
.

I n the whirl of its tran sp ort m y sp irit wa s tosse d

T ill eac h atom O f sep arate b e in g I l ost
A n d th e b right sun O f T a n n i z a m ad d e r than m e
Or a wild er hath n eve r y e t se en n or shall se e
, ,
.
 Lif e
thi rst quen hes itsel
s c f
With draughts whi ch dou l e b thirst , b ut wh o is wise
Tears from kis soul thi s T rishna , f e e ds his sense

NO l onger on fals e sh ows, l es his min d

TO see k t iv
n ot , s r e n ot , wron g n ot ; b e arin g m ee k
c f f
All ill s whi h o w rom ore gon e wron g ul n ess , f
c
An d so onstrain in g p ass ions tha t they di e .

Thus grows h e sin l ess : e ith er n e er m ore v

b
N e eding to n d a od y an d a la e , p c
f
Or so inf orming wha t reer ra m e it ta es f k
c
In n ew e xiste n e tha t th e n ew toils ro e p v
Lighter an d lighter n ot t o b e at all ,
Thus nishing th e p ath

free from e arth s cheats ;

Rel ease d from all th e skan dhas of th e esh

Broken from ti es from Upadan saved
From whi rlin g on th e wh ee l arous ed an d san e
As is a m an wa ke n e d from h at eful dre am s .

Till achin g c raze t o live e n ds , a n d lif e glides

Lif el ess t o nam el ess qui et , na m el ess j oy ,
Bl esse d NI RVAN A sinl e ss , stirl e ss re st

c
That hange whi h c ne v cher anges .

T HE LI HT G or ASIA .
 ESO T ERI C O RI EN T A L REI N C A RNA T I O N .

TH RO U GH O UT th e Ea st to d ay as in all p ast time

, ,

the highe r pri e sthood controls a spiritu al sci e nc e which

has b e e n accumul at ed b y long ag e s of s e v e r e st study ,

an d is conc eal e d from the vulg ar world This is no

.

m ere elab orati on of fanciful philosophy as is much of ,

e ast e rn m et aphysics p ati ently spun from s eclud ed

,

sp eculation like the m ediae val scholasticism O f Europ e .

It is a pur ely ration al d evelopm ent of psychology b y

the aid of sci e ntic inquiry Through protr act ed
.

investigation an d cruci al te sts rep eat edly appli ed to

actu al e xp e ri enc e an d through r e trosp ectiv e an d pro

h ti insight th ey h av e pro b ed m any of the s e cr ets of

p e c

the soul . The falsity of m ateri alism an d the all com -

m anding pow er of spirit are proven b eyond a c avil .

Ho w the soul is ind ep endent of the physic al b ody ,

som etime s leaving an d returning to it an d moulding

,

it to suit its n eeds how all n ature is b ut a vast family

e mb odi e d in physic al clothing an d in extric ab ly int er

lac ed in li ving b roth erhood from low est atom to sub

,

limest arch ang el ; how the gradu al e volution of all

rac es proc eeds through r e volving cycl e s in a constantly
a sc ending ord e r of things ; th e s e an d m any oth e r

stupe ndous Spiritu al facts are to th em famili arly

kno wn The se m aste rs of hum an myste ry hold them
.

s elves apart from the popul ac e an d se ldom app ear to

264 E S O TE RI C ORI E N TA L RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

an
y b ut th eir sp e ci al discipl e s b ut t h ey are unive rs ally
,

b e li e v e d in b y the n ativ e s of Indi a a s the mir ac ul ous ,

e vid e nc e s of th eir p en etration m to n atur e s h e art

h av e b e en s e en of m any More ov er ocul ar d emonstr a

.
,

tion of the exist enc e an d ph enom en al c ap aciti e s of

th e s e M ah atm as has frequ en tly b een given to we ll
known o fci als an d reput ab l e foreign ers whos e t es ti ,

mony is on re cord .

A lth ough th e s e high e st ad epts k e e p m ost of th e ir

discoveri es s ecr et prefe rring to e nl ighte n m ankind in
,

dir ectly an d b y a whol e som e gra du al uplifti ng occ a ,

siou al expre ssions h av e b een given of the occul t phi

l osophy d e riv e d from th e ir funds of sci e nc e an d from ,

th e s e we ab ridge wh at th ey are s aid to t e ach conc e rn

ing r e inc arn ation Even in the b ooks cont aining th eir
.

doctrin e as Man ,

Esote ric Buddhism
,

Light ,
1
on the Path an d Through the G ate s O f G old
,
we ,

surmis e th at portions r elating to sp ecic d e tails are

more or l e ss arb itrary an d exot eric Th er efore we .

conn e our att ention to a synopsis of th eir c entral

principl e s of the su b j ect .

Th e s e m ast e rs t ell us th at m an is compos e d of s e v e n

principle s intric at ely int erwov en so as to consti tut e a
unit an d y et c ap ab l e of p arti al s ep aration T his sep .

ten ary division is only a n e r an alysis of the common

tripl e distinctions b ody soul an d spirit an d runs
, , , ,

through the e ntire univ e rs e The d e v elopm e nt of .

m an is in the ord e r of th e s e divisions from b ody to ,

spirit an d from spirit to b ody in a continu al round of ,

inc arn ations T he progre s s may b e b e st illustrate d

.

b y a s e v e n coil e d spi ral w hich swee ps wi th a wi d e r

-

curve at e very a sc ent The spir al is not a st eady up

.

w ard i n clin e b ut at on e sid e s ags down into m at erial

,

e side these re c e t E gli h b ks th e App en dix gives man y

1 B
n n s oo

ol d er on e s.
266 E S O T ERI C ORI EN TA L REI N C A RN A TI ON .

W e are th e r efore roughly sp eaking ab out h alf devel

, ,

op ed physic ally During th e pr evious s eri es of earthly

, .

inh ab itations we w ere exc eedingly different from our

pre s ent form an d during the l at er on e s we sh all enter
,

upon still mor e m arve lous sta ge s W ith each grand

.

s eri e s ( or round) a dim e nsion is add e d to m an s con

ception of sp ac e .The fourth dim ension will b e a

common fact of consciousn e ss b efor e we compl e te the
pr e s ent set of earthly li ve s B efore re aching the per
.

f e ction att ain ab l e h er e at e ach round e v ery soul must

p ass through m any minor circuits W e are s aid to be
.

in the middle of the fth circuit ( or rac e) of our

fourth round an d the e volution of this fth rac e b e gan
,

ab out a million y ears a o

g E ach r ac e is sub divid e d
.
,

an d e ach of th e s e di v isions ag ain diss e ct ed m aking ,

the tot al num b e r of liv e s allott e d to each round v e ry

l arge N o hu m an b e ing can e scap e the earth s at
.

traction until th e s e are accompli sh e d with only r are ,

e xc eptions a mong thos e who b y sp eci al m e rit h av e out

stripp ed the oth ers for although all b egan alike the ,

contraste d us es of the univ ers al opportuniti e s h ave

produc ed all the v ari ations now existing in the hum an
r ac e T he geom etric al progre ssion of char acte ristics
.

s el e ct ed b y each soul has r e sulte d in vast divergenc e s .

Long b efore the twilight of our b irth into the pr e s

e n t life we p ass e d through an era of imm e ns e dur ation

on this pl an e t as spiritu al b eings gradu ally d e sc ending

,

into m att er to ent e r the b odi e s which w ere d e velop e d

up fi om the high e st anim al typ e for our rec eption
'
.

O ur e volution th er efor e is a dou b l e on e on the Spir

itual sid e from e th e r eal r a c e s of inni te p e digr ee an d ,

on th e physic al sid e from the low er anim als .

In the rst e arthly circuit of the la st great s e ri e s

( or ro u nd ) we p as s e d through s e v e n eth e r e al sub r a c-
e s .
 E S O TE RI C ORI EN TA L REI N C A RN A TI ON . 267

Each of the s e d evelop ed on e astr al s ens e until the sev ,

en t h sub r ac e had s e v en s e ns es
-
W h at the sixth an d .

s e v enth w ere we c annot im agin e b ut in tim e we sh all ,

know as we are at pr e s ent tracing over again that

,

p ath mor e p erfectly an d h av e r eache d o n ly the fth O f

,

the s e ve n stag es on this circuit The rst of th e s e .

s even sub rac e s slowly acquir ed the s ens e of physic al

-

sight All the othe r p arts of the s ensuous n ature

.

w ere in sh adowy l at ency They had no notion of dis.

tanc e solidity sound or sm ell Even colors were hid

, , , .

den from the earli e st m en all b e ing whit e at rst , .

Each inc arn ation in this r ac e d e v elop e d more of the

prism atic hu e s in th eir rain b ow ord er b eginning with ,

red . But the on e s ens e of sight was so spiritu al th at

it amounte d to cl airvoy ancy T he s econd sub r ac e in.
-

herited sight an d d ev elop e d n ewly touch Through

'

the r ep eat e d liv e s in this r ank the s ens e of f eeling b e

c ame wond erfully d e licat e an d acut e poss e ssing the ,

psychom etric qu ality an d revealing the inn er as w ell

as the out e r n atur e of the things to which it was a
p
pli ed The third sub rac e att ain e d h earing an d its
.
-

spiritu al d evelopm ent of this s ens e was so keen that

the most sub tl e sounds as the b udding l eaf an d th e
,

motion of the h e av enly b odi es was clearly p erc eive d , .

The fourth sub r ac e add e d sm ell to the oth er thr ee

-

s ens e s an d the fth ente red into t aste The sixth an d

, .

s eventh unfold ed the r em aining s ens e s which are b e ,

yond our pr es ent ken .

In the s econd circuit (or r ac e) the soul b egan onc e

mor e with a singl e s ens e an d p ass ed through anoth e r
cours e of sub r ac e s rehearsing the sc al e Of the s ens e s
-

with a larger control of th em though le ss Spiritu al ,

.

But even in the third circuit the r ep eate d unfoldm ents

of the s ens e s toward their physical d e stiny had still
268 E S O T ERI C ORI E N TAL REI N C A RN A TI ON .

r etain e d a l arge d egr ee of spiritu al qu ality as the men ,

th ems elve s were still ethereal .

O ur rst t err e stri al app ear anc e in the pr es ent cir

cuit ( the fth rac e) was in spiritu al form h aving only ,

a str al b odi e s This primitiv e eth e real r ac e occupi e d

.

th e earth long b efor e it was g e ologic ally pr ep ar e d for

the his toric al hum an r ac e s The d e v elopm ent of the
.

physic al s ens e s in th eir pre s ent form m arks the stage s

of our r einc arn ation in the pres ent rac e which is c all ed ,

the d e sc ent into m att er Each t urn in this circuit

.

h as c arri e d forward the evolution O f the s ens e s in a

xe d ord er until now we h ave a rm er hold th an
,

e ve r b e for e upon thos e v e which indic at e the e xt e nt

of our progre ss in the pr es ent st age O ur r ep eat ed .

re b irths h av e o b scur e d the long vist a of the ag e s

-

through which we h ave travel e d to this point run ,

ning through the s ev e n ton e d gamut ov er an d ove r

-

ag ain rst in b ro a d rough outlin e th e n nishing th e

, ,

d etails more c arefully at e ach iteration Their e arly .

spiritu al forms h av e gradu ally given way to the mod

e rn physic al forms b ut som e p ersons still r et ain a por
,

tion of thos e old guis e s th at onc e wer e univ ers al in ,

c ert ain p eculi arly d elic at e s ens e s known as s econd

sight psychom etry clairauden ce t asting through the
, , ,

nge rs an d sm elling like a hound In our pre s ent

, .

e ra the s e ns e of t ast e has b ecom e the l a st an d most

fully d e v elope d an d the ch aracteristic s ens e A t rst .

t he b ody did not r e quire food th en b e c oming gross e r

it inh al e d it with the air an d as the condition ap
,

roache d which now pr e v ails m an b ec am e an e ating

p ,

anim al an d is grown to an epicur e W h en we sh all .

h ave compl ete d the full nu mb er of rounds on this

e a rth we sh all h av e not only the oth e r two s e ns e s b ut ,

sh all govern all s e ven in a tripl e form as ph y sic al ,

astr al an d spiritu al
,
.
27 0 E S O TE RI C ORI EN TA L RE I N C A RN A TI ON .

un b roken through all the countl e ss forms ; an d as

the soul e nt e rs into its high e st d e v elopm ent it gr adu
a lly compr e h e nds the whol e cours e of forgotte n p aths

which h av e led to the s ummit .

The tim e sp e nt b y e ach soul in physic al life is only

a sm all fr action of the whol e p eriod e lapsing b e fo re

the n e xt inc arn ation. The l arg e r p art of the tim e is

p as s e d in the spiritu al e xist enc e following d e ath in
,

which the physic al d esires an d spiri tu al qualiti e s d e

rived from the earthly life d et ermin e the condition
of b eing until the i m p e tus of unconscious ch aracter
,

b rings the individu al into anoth er earthl y life .

 Al l thin gs are b ut al t ered , n othin g di es,
An d h ere an d th ere th un b odie d spirit i es

By tim e a n d forc e or si ckn e ss dispossesse d

An d l odges wh e re it l ights in m an or b eas t .

P Y T HA GORA S , in DR YDE N S
O vid .

What is the opin ion of Py th agoras c c on e rnin g wil d -

f owl

Th at th e s oul of ou r gran d am m igh t h a l y i nh a i t p b a bi r d .

What thi n k est th ou of hi s O p i n ion

I thin k no b ly of th e soul ,
an d n o w ay a pp v ro e of hi s O pi ni on .

SHA K E SP E ARE .

Wh oev e r l eave s O ff b ein g vi rt uous c eas es t o b e h um an a n d sin c e he

c an n ot attai n to a v
d i in e n atu r e h e is turn e d i n t o a b east .
B O E T H IU S .

Be n ot un d er a n y b
m et em sy h os is whil e th ou li e st an d
ru tal p c v
k b c
wal est a ou t e re tl y u n d e r th e orm of m an f
Le a e it n ot dispu te d . v
a t l ast h ow th ou h ast re d omi nan tly p
asse d thy da y s SIR TH O AS p . M
BRO W N E .

Th at whi h h as c sa v ed I n dia an d Egyp t th rough so m an y m is

f ortu n es an d p reser v ed th e ir f e rt il ity is ne ith er th e Nile n or th e

G an ge s ; it is th e re s p ct e f or an i mal life b y th e mil d an d ge n tl e

h ea rt of m an . M I C H E LE T .

Oh " th e b f
e au ti ul t im e wh en th e east l o in g
will , m ust c om e b -
v
c
Brahm in sh al l d w ell in th e ol d n orth an d m a e it warm , wh e n ma n k
w h o n o w h on ors h u m a n i t y sh al l al s o egi n t o s are a n d n all
y t o b p
p c c
rot e t th e a n im at e d as en din g an d d esce n ding s al e of l
i i ng rea c v c
t ures . RI C H T E R .

As m an y h airs as grow on th e b e ast, so m an y simi l ar d e aths sh all

the m an wh o sl ay s that e ast f or his b o wn sa tis a f c ti on in th is worl d
pass through i n th e n ext rom irth to f b bi th
r . LA W S OF MA N U .
27 4 TRA N SM I G RA TI ON TH RO UG H A N I M A LS .

a rat ; if a y ellow mixe d met al a gand er ; if w at er a

-

, ,

pl av a or diver ; if hon ey a gr eat stinging gn at ; if

,

milk a crow ; if expr e ss e d j uic e a dog ; if claried

, ,

b utt er an ichn e umon w eas e l

, .

A Br ahm an kill er e nt ers the b ody of a dog a ,

hear an ass a tige r or a s erp ent
, , , .

Not only do e s this conc eption p erm eat e the do

m ains of Br ahm anism an d Buddhi sm ; it prevailed in
P ersi a b efor e the tim e of Zoro ast er as sinc e Py thag .

ora s is s aid to h ave Ob t ain e d it in B ab ylon from the

M agi an d through him it sc atter ed wid ely through
,

G r ee c e an d It aly More clos ely th an with an y oth er

.

t each e r this f als e doctrin e is associ at e d with the s age

,

of C roton a who is s aid to h ave re cogn iz e d the voic e

,

of a d e c e as e d fri end in the howling of a b eat en dog .

P l ato s ee ms to endors e it also Plotinus s ays : Thos e .

who h ave exercis ed hum an facultie s are b orn again

men . T hos e who h av e us e d onl y the ir s e ns e s go into
the b odi e s of b rut e s an d e sp eci ally into thos e of f ero
,

cions b easts if th ey h av e yi eld e d to b ursts of anger ;

,

so th at e v en in this c as e the d i eren ce b etween the

,

b odi e s th at th ey anim at e conforms to the di eren ce Of

th eir prop ensiti e s Thos e who h ave sought on ly to
.

gratify th e ir lust an d app etite p ass into the b odi e s of

l ascivious an d gluttonous anim als Fin ally thos e who .
,

h ave d egr ad e d th eir s ens e s b y disus e are comp elle d to

v eget at e in the pl ants Thos e who h av e lov e d mu m
.

to exc e ss an d yet h ave lived pur e live s go into the ,

b odi e s of m elodious b irds T hos e who h av e rul ed

.

tyr annic all y b ecom e e agle s Thos e who h av e spoke n.

lightly of h eav enly things k eeping th eir eye s always

,

tur n e d toward h eave n are ch ange d into b irds which

,

alw ays y tow ard the upp e r air He who has acquir e d .

civic virtu e s b ecom es a man ; if h e has not th e s e v ir

 TRA N SM I G RA TI ON T HRO UGH A N I M A LS . 2 75

tu e s he is transform e d in to a dom e stic anim al like , the

b ee .

Som e church fath e rs als o b eli e ve d it Pro

of the .

clus an d Sy rian us argu e d that the b rut e kept its own

soul b ut th at the hum an soul which p ass e d into the
,

b rut e b ody was b ound within the ani m al soul N e arly .

all mythology cont ains t his vi e w of tr ansmigr ati on in

som e form In the old N ors e an d G e rm an religions

.

the soul is po e tic ally re pr e s e nt e d as ent e ring c ert ain

lowe r form s as a ros e a pige on e tc for a short p e riod
, , , .
,

b e fore assu m ing the divin e ab od e The Druids of old .

G aul also t aught it The W elsh b ards t ell u s th at the

.

so ul s of m en transmigrate into the b odi e s of thos e an i

m als whos e hab its an d charact e rs th ey most r e s em b le ,

till afte r a circuit of such p eni t ential mis eri e s th ey

, ,

are puri e d for the c el e sti al pr e s e nc e T h ey m e ntion .

three circle s of exist enc e : the circl e of the all in clos -

ing circle which holds n othing alive or d e ad b ut G od

the s e cond circl e th at of f elicity in which m en tr av el
, ,

afte r th e y ha v e m e rito riously p ass e d t h rough th e ir te r

re strial ch an ge s ; the circl e of e vil in which hum an ,

n atur e p ass e s through the varying stage s of e xist enc e

which it must und e rgo b efore it is qu alie d to inh ab it
the ci rcl e of f e licity an d this includ e s the thr ee in ,

feliciti e s of n e c e ssity o b livion an d d eath with frequ ent

, , ,

tri als of the lowe r anim al live s 1

Sir Paul Ryca n t .

give s us an account of s e veral well dispos e d Moham -

medan s th at purch ase the freedom of an y littl e b ird

they see conn e d to a c age an d think th ey m erit as ,

1
T his c orr es p on d s to the Hin d u trip l e e x iste n ce me n tion e d in
the Laws of M an u Soul s e n d ue dwith good n e ss attain al way s

the state d e itie s ; those

of passion s, the
l le d with am itious b
Con d ition o f m e n ; an d th ose imm e rse d i n d ark n e ss, th e n atu re

o f be asts T his is the thre e fold o rd e r o f tran sm igration

. .
27 6 TRA N S M I GRA TI ON THRO UGH A N I M A LS .

much by it as we should do h e re b y r ansom ing an y of

our countrym en from thei r c aptivity at A lgi e rs The .

reason is b e c aus e t hey con sid e r e ve ry anim al as a

b roth er or sist e r i n disg uis e an d th e r e for e think th em
,

s e l ve s ob lige d to e xt e nd their ch ar ity to th em though ,

und e r such m ean circu m stanc e s Th ey t ell you th at .

th e soul of a m an wh e n he di e s im m e di at e ly p ass e s
, ,

into the b ody of anothe r m an or som e b rut e which he ,

r e s emb l e d in his hu m or or his fortun e wh e n he was

, ,

1
on e of u s Pyth agor ean tr ansmigr ation is app ar
.

e n t also in the n ativ e s of M e xico who think th at th e ,

souls of p ersons of rank aft e r d e ath inh ab it the b odi e s

of b e autiful sweet singing b irds an d the no b l e r
,

qu adrup e ds whil e the souls of inferior p ersons p ass into

,

w eas els b eetl es an d othe r low cr e ature s A mong the

, ,
.

n egro e s the Sand wich Isl and ers the Ta sm ani ans in
, , ,

short among n early all the World outsid e of C hris

,

ten dom this f aith rul e s unqu e stion e d

,
.

T he lowe st forms of t his b eli e f a re found a mong the

tri b e s of A fric a an d A m e ric a which think that the ,

soul im m e di ate ly afte r d eath must s e ek out a n e w te n e

m ent an d if n e e d b e e nt e r the b o dy of an ani m al
, , , .

So m e of the A fric ans as su m e that the soul will c hoos e

the b ody of a p e rson of si m il ar r ank to its for m e r o n e ,

an d th e r e for e b u ry th e d ead n ea r th e h ous e s of t h e i r

r el ativ e s en ab ling the un b o di e d souls to occupy

,

th e ir n e wb orn childre n Som e ti me s hol e s a re dug in

.

the gr av e to f acilit at e the soul s e gr e s s an d t he hous e

doors are l e ft op e n for its ad mis sion The Drus e s .

hold r mly to the th e o ry o f trans m igration The .

folk lor e O f all n ati ons has v arious w ays of t e ll ing how
-

the soul of a m an ca n in hab it an ani m al s b o d y in

stori e s of w e hr w ol v e s swan m aid e ns m erm aids etc

-

,
-

, ,
.

1
F ro m A d d ison

s Specta tor .
27 8 TRA N S M I GRA TI ON THRO UGH A N I M A LS .

a conc eption of th e ir consciousn e ss we may go to our

own dream s In a dream we h a ve the instinctive ob e
.

die n ce the s am e torpidity of the high e st pow e r the

, ,

s am e unsurpris e d a ss ent to the monstro us as th e s e ,

m e t amorphos e d m en e xhi b it O ur thoughts in a .

st ab l e or in a m e n ageri e on the oth e r h and m ay w ell

, ,

r emind us of our dr eams W h at comp arison do th e s e

.

imp risoning form s aw aken Y ou may c atch the

gl anc e of a dog som e tim e s which l ays a kind of cl aim
to symp athy an d b roth erhood W h at "som ewh at of .

m e down th e r e ? Do e s he know it ? C an he too as , ,

I go out of hims elf see hi m s elf p erc e ive r el ations ?

, , ,

W e f ear l e st the poor b rut e should gain on e dre adful

gli m ps e of his condition It was in this gl anc e th at
.

O vid got the hint of his m e t amorphos e s ; C alidasa of ,

his transmigr ation of souls For th e s e fab le s are our

.

own thoughts c arri e d out W h at k eeps th e s e wild

.

t al e s in circulation for thous ands of y ears ? W h at

b u t the wild fact to which th ey sugge st so m e approx i
m ation of th e ory ? N or is the f act quit e solit ary for ,

in v ari eti e s of our own sp e ci e s wh e re organiz ation

s ee m s to pr e domin at e ove r the ge nius of man in Kal ,

muck or M alay or Fl ath ead Indi an we are som etim e s ,

p ain e d b y the s am e fe eling ; an d som eti m e s too the , ,

sh arp witt e d p rosp e rous w hite m an aw ak ens it In a

-
.

m ix e d ass e m b ly we h av e ch anc e d to se e not only a

gl anc e of A b di el so gr and an d k een b ut als o in o th e r
, ,

f ac e s the featur e s of the mink of the b ull of the rat , , ,

an d th e b arn door fowl -

You think could the m an
.
,

ov e rlook his own condition he could not b e r e strain ed

,

from suicid e .

The r em ark ab l e m e nt al cl e v e rn e ss of the high e st

ani m als the cunning of the f ox t he tig e r s e rce n ess

, , ,

th e s erp ent s m e ann e ss th e d o g s d elity s ee m to b e

, ,
 TRA N S M I GRA TI ON TH RO UGH A N I M A LS . 27 9

hum an traits in other forms an d th e an imal qual ities

,

are striking e nough in m any m e n for th e m to b e tl

y
d escrib e d as a f ox a hog a sn ak e etc The ch arac
, , , .

teristics O f anim als a re a ccur at ely t e r m e d in e xpr e s

sions rst appli e d to m ankind an d the co mmunity of ,

dispositi on b e tween the e re ct an d the d eb as e d anim al

creation has furnis he d w ord s f or hu man qu aliti e s fr om
the lo we r ord e rs of life a s l e o nin e c anin e vulpin e
, , , ,

e tc. B ri ey the r are hu m anity o f s o m e a nim als an d

,

the noto rious a ni m ality o f so m e m en rst sugge ste d

the id e a of int erch anging th e ir souls a m ong the p ri m i
tive p eopl e s an d has nou ris hed it e v er sinc e a m ong the
,

old est portion of the r ac e as a vulgar illust ration of a

vi tal reality .

A s the fruits of this id ea are b en e ci al it was ,

rmly h e ld b y the p rie sts an d philosoph e rs as a m oral

fa b l e through which th ey popul arly t aught not only
,

r e inc arn ation b ut re sp e ct f or v i rtu e an d for life It

, .

w rought a po etic love of n ature in the m asse s such as

has n e ve r b een s ee n und e r an y oth e r inu enc e an d

which C hristi anity has strange ly f ail e d to e stab lish .

L ecky c andidly s ays in his urope an Mor al s J In

the inculc ation of hu m anity to anim als on a wid e sc al e
the Moham m ed ans an d the Brah m ins h av e consid e ra
bl y surp ass e d the C hristi ans .

To the e a ste rn mind lif e is a str e am owing through

e ndl e ss tr ansfor m ations a n d e v e rything cont aining it
,

is d ivin e from the c om mon e st oni on to the c rown e d

,

king ; an d a s all living things are the possib l e c a s e

m ents of hum a n s ouls it is the h e ight of impi ety to
,

a b us e anything The kindn e ss of the O ri e nt toward

.

the b rut e cr eation is a b eautiful comm ent u pon the

genuin en ess of this faith The m e rcy due fro m man

.

to his fri ends the lower an im als is a nob l e b e qu e st

2 80 TRA N SM I G RA TI ON TH RO UGH A N I M A LS .

which ha s th e r e b ee n treasu re d for the wo rld A s .

the whol e so m e l e sson of tr ansmigr ation A si a has thor ,

oughly l earn e d th at

He py ra e thb e t wh
s o l ov e th b e st

A ll thin s b th g
o re at an d sm all,
g
For th e d e ar Lord who l ov e th us

He m a d e an d l o v e th all .

But the intelligent le ad e rs of ori ental thought we re

f ar from b e li e ving tr a nsmigr ation lit e r ally The oc .

cult th e ory of the pri e sts of Isis like th at of the Brah ,

m ans Buddhists an d C h ald e ans n e ve r really h eld th a t

, , ,

hum an souls inh ab it anim als or th at ani mal soul s oc ,

cup
y m e n alth o ugh m any ori e nt alists h a v e not p e n e
,

trate d b eyond this oute r cou rt of e a st e rn doctrin e It .

was simply an all e goric al gosp e l for the m a ss e s with

a dou b l e purpos e to picture the inn e r truth which
,

a cut e thinke rs would r e ach an d which the crowds n e e d

not know an d to instill r e sp ect for all life The

,
.

Egypti an pri e sthood adopte d thr ee style s o f t ea ching

a ll doctrin e The vulgar r elig io n of the p opul ac e wa s
.

a crud e sh aping of th e pri e stly thought The pri e sts .

of the oute r t em pl e rec e iv e d the h alf ve il e d t en e ts -

o f initi at e s But only the hi eroph ants of the inn er

.

t e m pl e afte r n al initi ation w ere allow e d to kn ow

, ,

th e pu re trut h Th e s am e tripl e Shapi n g o f the ce n

.

t ral th ought ad apt ed to the audi enc e wa s followe d

, ,

b y Pyth agora s Pl ato an d all th e gr e at m a st e rs

, ,
Al .

th ough the n am e of Pyth agor a s is synony m ous with

the i d ea of soul w and e ring th rough anim als a c ar e ful
-

p erus al of the fragm ents of his writings an d of his ,

discipl e s b ooks shows th at he trem end ously r eal iz e d

,

the f a ct th at souls must always b y all the forc e s of ,

the univ ers e , nd an ad e qu at e expr e ssio n of th e i r

2 82 TRA N S M I GRA TI ON THRO UG H A N I M A LS .

1
v ic e though it c annot b e e ith e r the on e or the oth e r
,
.

The e a rly Ne o Pl a tonists of A l e x andri a li m ite d th e

-

r ange of hum an m e tempsychosis to hum an b odi e s an d

d eni e d that the souls of m en e ve r p ass e d downwards
into b rut al stat e s Eve n the app arent e n d ors em ent of
.

th at conc e it b y Plotinus quote d ab ove was m e rely a

, ,

si m il e Porphyry J am b lichus an d Hierocle s forci b ly

.
, ,

e mph as iz e d t h is distinction W ilkinson shows th at the

.

initi at e d pri e sts t aught th a t dissolution is only the
c aus e of r eproduction N othing p erishe s which has
.

onc e e xist e d Things which app ear to b e d e stroy e d

.

only ch ang e th eir n ature s an d p a ss into anoth e r form .

But Eb ers d emonstrat e s th at the inn er circle of the

te mple h eld this truth in a form wholly ab ov e the sys
t em of e m b al m ing anim al worship a n d tr ansmigr ation
, ,

ingeniously d e vis ed b y th e m for the p e opl e Like the .

ruling pri e stcraft in all tim e s an d countri es th ey con ,

sid e re d it n e c e ss ary to disg uis e th e ir s acr e d s e cr e ts for

the crowd .The sy mb ols of r e inc arn ation which e ve ry

wh e re h av e typie d the s am e doctrin e in Egypti an ,

a rc hit e ctur e b th ying glo b in C hin s p god s

y e e e e a
, a

a n d Indi an t e mpl e s b th in tric t unfoldm nts of

y e a e e
ge r

min ant d e signs asc ending through succ e ssive stori e s to

culm in ate in a gild e d b all in the G r eci an fri ez e s of reli
,

g i ou s proc e ssions in t he D r uidic al croml e chs an d c a ir n s

,

of W al e s an d the circul ar ston e h eaps of Britain all ,

-

e xpr e ss e d a thr e e fold signic anc e t e lling the m a ss e s

,

of th eir transition through all living conditions re ,

minding the common pri e sthood of an ex alt e d s erie s

of tr ansform ations an d picturing for the initiate s the
,

hidd en principl e s of immorta l progre ss For all alik e .

1
F rom D acie r
Lif e of Pythagoras, with his S ymbols a n d G old en

s

Verses, together with the Lif e of H ierocles , a n d his Commen ta ries u on

p
the Verses, p 335
.
Lon don, 17 2 1 .
 TRA N S M I G RA TI ON TH RO UG H A N I M ALS . 283

th e s e em b l e ms r eite r at ed the sol e mn a n d vit al reality

of unive rsal b roth erhood throughout Nature b ut the
k ee n e st stud ents who guid e d the b ulk of r eligious
,

thought read in the m si m ply the e tern al law of c aus e

,

an d e ff e ct divin e ly r uling the soul t hrough inc e ss ant

ch ange s It would b e as unjust to constru e lit e rally

.

the po e tic st a te m e nts of the h u m a n soul w a nd e ring

through ani mals etc b y which m e taphor the nob le st
,
.
,

lead e rs of we st e rn thought conv ey th e id ea of spirit

u al e voluti on (see ch apt e r as to c all t his low e st

phas e of the philosophy the r eal b eli ef of thos e who

sh ap e d it
A n d y et th e r e is a s ens e in w hich the m ost in te lli
gent ori ent als adh ere to t his an d in which w e ste rn ,

scienc e endors e s it n am ely in the axiom atic truth

,

th at hu m an atoms an d em an ati ons trav ers e the entire

round of lower n atur e s W h en the L aws of M anu .

sp eak of the trans migration of m en through all anim al

stage s th e s e ea st ern a uthoriti e s say th at th ey m ean
,

not s ouls b ut m en s physic al s elv e s W h en th e L aws

,

.

a ss e rt th at a B rah m an kill e r e nt ers the b ody of a
d og b ea r a ss
, , , they do not m ean that the m ur .

d e re r of a pri e st b e co m e s a d og b ear ass etc The , , ,

.

inn e r m eaning of the Law is that he who kills an d

eit tin uishe s the B ra hm an or divin e n atu re cond e m ns
g .

his soul to l ow e r hu m an circumst anc e s an d the d own ,

w ard af nity of his p assio n s c arri e s e ve ry p articl e of

his b ody b y m a gn etic r el ations into mo re d egrade d
r anks of e xist enc e The B rah m ans h ave distort ed the
.

inward pu rpos e of this Law in th eir own int e re st b y

insisting upon its outward m eaning So the v arious .

accounts of the d e sc e nt of hum an into ani m al or v e e

g ~

tativ e n atur e wh eth e r given b Hindu Pytha gorean

, y , ,

Pl atonist Egypti an N o rs e or Barb ari an are actual

, , , ,
2 84 TRA N SM I GRA TI ON THR O UGH A N I M A LS .

f acts as f ar migration of the c om posing atoms

as th e
an d e ma n a tions of the out e r individu al are conc e rn e d .

For the s e at oms ob ey the dire cting impuls e s of d egrad

ing p assion or asc ending principl e The impond er ab l e .

f orc e of th e s e atom ic ch ange s is prove n b y the psyc ho

m etric e vid e nc e of s e nsitiv e s who p erc e ive the v arious
,

un expre ss e d m o ods of a p erson b y the kinds of lam

b ent p articl e s flowing from him an d tr ac e th e p erm a ,

n e nt c o urs e of t h e s e p articl e s aft e r th ey h av e l o dge d

on ob j e c ts wid e ly s e p ar at e d from him The t ell t al e .

-

c haracte ristics of th e s e sc atter e d ato m s re m ain a long

while as stamp e d b y th e ir sourc e an d guid e th e m to ,

wh at is m ost congeni al This scie ntic f act con rm ed

.
,

b y m any e xp e ri m e nts b ut g e n e r ally ignor e d sh ap e d

1
, ,

the old atomic hypoth e s e s in w hich Pyth agor a s Epi ,

curns Z eno an d all the old philosop hers down to Plato

, ,

found d elight an d Pl ato hims elf si m ply spiritu aliz e d

,

it into a more enduring form .

The attitud e of the domin ant disciple s of rein car

n ation upon this point m ay b e gath er ed from the fol

lowing st at e m e nt of a Brah m an to the writ er : The
whol e qu e stion of re b irths r e sts upon the right und e r
-

st anding of wh at it is t hat is b orn again O b viously .

not the b ody nor is it the ego which is the s am e

,
.
,

wh ethe r in a m an or in a worm The ego is colo rl e ss .

of all attri b ut e s of which we h av e an y knowl edge in

practic e The only thing th at can b e s aid to b e re
.

b orn is the ch a racte r of a b eing through spiritu al ,

b lindn e ss confound e d with the ego in the s am e way ,

a s light is com m only confound e d with the o b j e cts il

l a min at e d an d s aid to b e red b lu e or an y oth er colo r , ,

.

T he e ss e nti al ch aract eristic of hu m anity c annot po s

1
S e th p sy c h m t i c in v estigati n
e e o e r c rde d in P ofe ssor o s re o r

Den ton s book The Soul of Thin gs ,

 Whe n we di e , we shall fin d tha t we ha v e n ot lost our dre ams ; b ut
th at we h a v e onl y l ost ou r sl e e p . RI CH T E R .

f i ki d
Li e s a n of sl ee p . Ol d m e n sl ee pl on ge st . The y ne v b
er egi n

to w k b ut wh
a e en th ey are t o di e . DE LA B RU YERE .

Th ere is n o d e ath wh at se e ms so is transition .

f
T hi s li e of m orta l reath b
I s b ut a su b u b f th l if
r o e e Ely sian ,
Wh os e p t l w c ll D
or a e a eath .

LO N G F EL O W . L
We can h ard l y d o oth erwise th an assum e th at th e utu re ein g m ust f b
be so in v v ol e d i n our rese n t p c
onstit uti on as to b e th e re in di s e rn i l e c b .

I SA A C TA Y LO R .

Wh en I l ea v e th is ra bbl e r out a n d d el em en t of th e worl d , I l ea v e

it as a n in n , a n d n ot as a pl c a e of a b od e . For n a ture h a s gi v en us

ou r b od ie s as a n ilm , a n d n ot t o d w e ll i n . CA T O .

He th at sow e th t o th e e sh sh a ll of th e es h re a p c u p ti orr on b ut
h e th at so we th t o th e s pi r it sh all of th e spi rit re a p lif v l e e e r as ti n g .

ST PA U . L .

Bu t all l os t thi n gs are in th e a n ge l s

k pi g L v ee n , o e .

No p as t i s d e a d f or us , b ut on ly sl e e pi g L v n ,
o e .

v
T h e y e ars of h e a e n w ill a ll e arth s
littl p i m k e a n a e good .

T oge th e r th e re we ca n egin again b i b by h d

n a oo .

H E LEN HU N T .

D e ath i s a n o th e r li f e . We b ow our h ea ds
A t goin g ou t , we th in , k an d e n t e r straigh t

c
A n oth er h am er of th e b ki ng s ,

Large r tha n thi s we l e a v e an d lo v e li e r .

BA I L EY .

Th e d e e p c victi f th
on on o e in d estru ti l e n e ss c b of o ur n at ure th rough
d e ath , whi ch v y e c ier on e arr e s a t th e b
his h e art , d e e n ds al t o
ott om of p
ge th e r up th c
on i u e onsc o sn e ss of th e o ri gi nal an d e t e rn al n at ure of o ur

be in g . SC H O P EN HA U E R .
2 90 WHA T OF D EA TH, HE A VE N , A N D HE LL ?

lif n ergy actively an d the l att er in dorm ant form

e e
-
.

B e c aus e the sci e ntist is un ab l e to aw ak en into activ

ity the l at ent life of inorganic m att e r he insists b y , ,

t he law of b iog e n e sis th at lif e can only co m e from

,

life But t hat only m arks the limit of his knowl

.

e dg e The world s d e velopm e nt has b ridg e d all the

.

g aps now y awning b e tween the diff ere nt kingdoms

of n ature though nothing r em ains now to show how
,

it was don e an d sci enc e has to confe ss its ignoranc e

, .

T h e r e is n othing to contr adict an d much to e nforc e

the occult axiom t hat the s am e lif e anim at e s ma n ,

pl ant an d rock si m ply in diff e r ent st at e s of the on e

,

ind e structi b l e forc e the Univ e rs al So ul,

-
m aking ,

all n atur e wh a t G o e th e t e rms the living visi b l e gar

m ent of G od .

It is i m possib l e for a p erson to c eas e to e xist W h e n .

th e t en ant of the b ody mov e s out the forc e s b inding ,

toget he r the d w elling sc att e r to t he n e ar e st us e s

a w a iting th e m The positivists would h av e it th at
.

the individu al so ul also dissolv e s into an imp e rson al

fund of b eing a sort of i mm edi at e c hilling N irvan a ,

out fre ezing an y e ast e rn conc eption of r emot e st de s

-

tiny T his m el ancholy re sult of w e ste rn m at eri alism

.

is b oldly confront e d b y reinc arn ation with a prove n

hypothe sis which illu m in ate s the myste ry of d eath
,

a n d the f ut ur e an d sho ws the uni m p e a ch ab l e r eality

,

of i mm ort ality R e inc arn ation d e monstrat e s th at the

.

p er son al ego which p e r m an ently m aint ains its id entity

,

a m id th e const ant ch a ng e s of th e b odily c as e m e nt a n d

th e m ent al consciousn e ss must continu e its individu ,

ality In a ddition to th e e vid enc e s already adduc e d

.

for the genuin en e ss of this truth th e re st ands the hon ,

e st r eli ab l e t e stimony o f spi ritu alis m ( a sm all cor e of

v e ritab le fact around which is gath er e d an e normous

 WHA T OF D E A TH , H E A VE N , A N D H E LL 291

concretion of d ec eptions mischi evously int ention al or

,

p ath etic ally unconscious ) an d the actu al e xp e ri enc e

,

of som e ori en tal s whos e inte ns e d e votion to pure in

visib le r ealiti e s has pushed th e m into the p erc eption of
ultra mortal things
-
.

It is the strong att achm ent to physic al existenc e

which m ake s d eath the king of terrors Thos e who .

h av e l earn ed the l e sson of life nd him the b le ss ed an

el who us h ers th em through the gold e n g at e s T h r
g e e .

shall at le ngth com e to e v ery a sc ending soul the ex pe

rie n ce o f thos e whos e d e p artur e from t his life c annot b e

c alled d e ath as J e sus Elij ah or Enoch who w alke d

, , , ,

with G od an d he was not for G od took him ,

T h ey .

b e c am e so b uoy e d with spiritu al forc e s t hat a slight

touch shift ed the e quipoise an d transl at e d th em into
the invi si b l e The cl arie d spirit gr e ets d eath with
.

a w elcom e an d sings his pr ais e as did P aul Hamilton

,

Hayn e in his dying song

Sad m o tal c ul ds t th ou b ut k ow
r o n

W hat truly it m e a n s to d ie ,
The win gs of thy soul woul d gl ow,
A n d the h ope s of thy he art eat high b
T hou woul d st turn f rom the Py rrh on ist s chools ,

A n d laugh the ir j argon to sc orn ,

b bb
As the a lin g of m id n ight f ool s
Ere the m orn in g of T ruth b e born
But I , e arth s mad n ess ab ov e ,

I n a kin gd om of storm le ss b reath,

I ga z e on the gl ory o f l ov e
I n th e u n v e ile d fac e of D e ath .

I tell thee his face is fair

As th e m oon how s am b e r rin gs,

-

A n d the gl e am in h is un b oun d hair

Like the ash o f a thou san d sp ri n gs
His sm ile is the f atho m le ss be am

O f the star shin e

-

c
s sa re d light,
 WHA T OF D EA T H, H EA VEN , A N D H ELL

W h en the su m m e rs of Southl a n d dr e am
I n th e lap of th e h ol y N igh t
b
For I , e arth s lin d n ess a ov e ,

b
I n a kin gd om of h al c y on re a th , b
I ga z e on the m ar v e l of lov e
I n the un v e ile d f a c e of D e ath .

W h e n d eath s e v ers the so ul fro m its mortal sh ell ,

the r uling t e nd e nci e s of th e s o ul c ar ry it to its s tr ong

e st af n itie s If t he s e still dw ell on e arth th e soul
. ,

hovers affection at ely am o n g the old sc e n e s an d ins en

s ib l mingl e s with its h e ar t fri e nds minist e ring a n d
y
-
,

b e ing minist e re d to with no e ss e nti al di ff e r e nc e f ro m

,

the for m e r condition 1

M any veritab l e exp e ri e nc e s
. ,

ap art from al l possi b ility of d e lusion conrm t his , ,

a lth ough the d a rkn e ss of m att e r b linds m ost of us t o

the psychic lif e A t l ength as s h ifting tim e unti e s

.
,

th e b onds of e a rth the soul m ov e s on with its strong e st

,

alli e s to the r e al m s of its ch o ic e T h e r e th e soul liv e s .

out an e ra of its true life an e xpre ssion of its d e e p e st

,

n atur e as m uch mor e full an d mor e r eal th an the l ate

,

physic al life as the w aking st ate e xc ee ds the dre am

,

ing For the e sc ap e fro m m at eri al conn e m e nt al

.

lows the fr ee st activity in which the domin ant d e sire s

, ,

unconsciously nourish ed in the spirit h ave the m as ,

te ry . T his li b erty rous e s the spi rit from the earthly

l eth argy into i ts p e rm an e nt individu ality The st art .

l ing b ound of the Spi rit into its own Sph e re must t rans
f er the s elf consciousn e ss from its t erre stri al for m to a
f ar high e r vividn e ss ; b ut a s the w ak e fuln e ss o f d ay ,

include s the som n a m b ule n ce of night an d knows itse lf

sup erior to th at du mb life so the b u rst of u n con ,

strain e d spi ritu al exist enc e do e s not annul b ut tran ,

t

sc ends the m at eri al p has e .

S 1 T h G at B tw
ee e b y Eliza b th Stu t Ph lp
es e een , e ar e s.
2 94 WH A T OF D EA TH, HE A VE N , A N D HE LL ?

h ell . C atholic e cstatics alw ays add purgato ry .

Sw e d e n b org found th e g ard ens of h e av e n l aid out in

th e Dutch f a shion of his ti m e English cl airvoyants
.

a n d m e diums are prop e rly o rt h od o x an d e v ang e lic al .

A m eric a n spirits t alk b ro a d the ology with ridiculous

d e t ails The d iv erge nc e in all th e s e allege d liftings
.

of the v eil b etrays their su b j e ctiv en e ss .

It is i m possib l e in the n atur e of things th at on e

should p erm an ently l eav e the physic al condition until
the b usin e ss of th at e xist e nc e is acco m plish e d in trans
ferring the a e ction s from m ate ri al to spiritu al things .

W hil e the ruling att raction to a soul r em ains in this

wo rld all th e forc e s of the unive rs e conspir e to con
,

tin u e th e a ssoci ation of the two in r ep eat e d liv e s On .

the oth e r h and a p erson do m in at e d b y spiritu al pro

,

cli v itie s nds in n it e m agn e tisms d ra wing him a w ay

fro m t empor al surroundings to the i n scrut ab l e glori e s

of th e e t ern al In Sw ed e n b org s phra s e
. a m an s ,

love s m ake his ho m e T he r e sidu al i m puls e s co m ing

.

fro m the mom entu m s of p a st live s d et ermin e wh at

an d wh e n sh all b e th e n e xt e m b odim e nt Th e tim e
.

an d m ann e r of r einc arn ation v ary with e ach indi

vidu al according to the i m p etus e ngend e r e d b y his
liv e s B etween th e s e live s the spiritu al effect of the
.

ea rth lif e is ab sorb e d from th e p erson al soul m ani

-

f este d on e arth into the im m ort al an d un m anif e st e d

e o
g . T his proc e ss m ay r e quir e d ays y e ars c e ntu ri e s
, , ,

or millen ni u m s d ep ending upon the int e nsity of the

,

mu n d an e a spirations which d ra w the spirit to earth

an d hind e r its li b e r ation into pur e spiritu al life But .

a s in dr e ams a whol e life s histo ry is som etim e s

cond ens e d into a f e w s econ d s ti m e h as n o existenc e to

,

the dis e mb odi e d spi rit W heth e r the int e rv al b e long

.

or short the e ntir e spiritu al eff e ct of the l ast life m ust

,
 WHA T OF DE A TH , H E A VE N , A N D H ELL ? 2 95

be assimil ate d an d sh ap e d into a form th at will sp ring

up in co ming live s The instanc e s of a lte rn at e con
.

scio usn ess indic a te t ha t so m e suc h m ark e d di ff e r e nc e

from the p revious inc arn ation app ears in each e arthly
life losing all r em em b ranc e of the previ ous ch apter
, ,

a n d w orking out the t e nd e nci e s w hich e m b odi e d th at

p artic ul ar life in a c ar eer th at will achi eve red emption

or cond em n ation .

A t the r st thought r e inc arn ation c arri e s the n u

w elcom e inf erenc e th at d eath an d re b irths s ep arate -

us from the d ear e st pre s ent ti e s an d introduc e us as

strang ers int o n ew ph as e s of activity wh ere e very
f
-
thing f ri ends knowl ed ge an d occup ations m ust
,

,

b e f o und a fre sh This is a m ist ak e

. The unnotic e d
.

h ab its of thought an d acti on d e riv e d from the alli anc e

of cheris he d com rad e s strengthe n into ungov ern ab le
ste e ds whos e cou rs e dire cts the s oul on e very journ ey
tow ard tho s e favorit e com p anions Am ong the thou
.

s ands of acqu aintanc e s m ad e in a lifetim e the rare ,

fri ends whos e inti m acy st rike s down int o the in m ost
d epths of the soul m ust continu e as irr e sisti b l e attrae
ti ons in the n ext life O rpheus could n ot fail to dis
.

c ove r Eurydic e in the spirit real m In this earthly .

e xist e nc e which is the Hea v e n or Purg a to ry or H e ll

, , ,

of the l ast on e we go str aying a mong unfam ili ar

,

f orm s fre qu ently mist aking the m for tru e fri ends n u
, ,

til sudd enly we m ee t a soul with which th ere com e s so

intens e an d p erm an ent an affection th at e ve ry othe r
p erson is forgott e n Such a fusi on of spi rits m ust
.

h ail fro m the shore s of long dist ant love s an d its n e w ,

unre c ogniz e d m ast ery d e velops a m ighti e r uni o n than -

w ould b e possi b l e in on e uninte rrupt e d ow The .

po e ts lik e to sy m b oliz e this as th e b l ending of two

h e misp here s long sinc e s ep arat ed into their origin al
2 96 WH A T OF D E A T H, H E A VE N , A N D H E LL ?

p e rfe ct whol e The most p ro b ab l e explan ation of such

.

intim a ci e s r e sts in th e id e a t ha t th ey a re r ep e titions of

pr e vious attachm e nts A s ens e of anci e nt famili arity
.

grows upon th e s e clos e st ti e s notwithst anding the ah

,

s enc e of m emory s con rm ation The powerful attrae
.

tions r e siding in fam ili e s an d ki n ships m ay w ell b e the

r esul t of anc e stral afniti e s which h av e b ound togethe r
in m any earli e r com b in ations lik e a turning kal eid o
,
~

scop e the s am e individu als

, .
 We are our own child re n . PYT HA GO RA S .

Nothing can work m e da m age b ut m yself . BERN ARD .

Our acts ou r a n ge l s a re , or good or ill

O ur f a ta l shad o ws that wal k with u till s s .

B EA UM O N T FLET CHE R .

The ki n gd om of hea v en is within y ou . JE SUS .

We ma k e our f ort un e s an d we c al l t h em f at e . B D I S RAE LI

.

M e n m ust p th thi g
rea e n s th ey sow .

For c f m f c mu t v
e ro or e s e er ow .

SH E LLE Y .

The sou l c on t ai ns i n itse l f th e v e en t th at sh al l p re s e n t ly bf e al l it , or

th e e v en t is on l y th e a ct ua l iz i g f n o its th ough ts . E ME RSO N .

Se l d om we n t such g rote sq u e n e ss wi th su ch p ai n ;
I ne v e r sa w a b t Ih td
ru e a e so .

He m ust b e wi ck d t d ve o e ser e s u ch p ai n .

B RO W N IN G .

f b
Not rom irth d oes o n e e ome a sl a e n ot bc v f m bi
ro rth d oes on e

bc
e om e a s ai n t ; b u t b y on d u t a l on e GA U T A c c . MA .

We sl e e p , b u t th e l oom of li f e ne v e r sto p s ; an d th e p att e rn whi h c

v
w as w e a in g wh e n th e sun we n t d own is w e a i n g wh e n it v c om e s up

to m orr ow
-
. B EE CH ER .

Th en s pka e he of th at ans we r a l l m ust gi v e

For al l thi n gs d on e a m i ss or wro n g f ull y ,

A l on e , ea ch f or h ims el f ,
re ck on in g wi th th at
T he x e d arith m e ti c o f th e uni v e rs e ,

Which m e teth goo d f or good , ill f or ill ,

M e as ure f or m easure u n to d e e ds , w ords , th oughts ,
Ma kin g all futu res f ui t
r s of al l th e p asts .

TH E LI GHT or A SI A .
K A RM A , T H E C O M PA N I O N T RUT H O F REIN C A RN A T I O N .

K ARM A is the e astern word for wh at the W est

kn o ws as the Law of C aus ation appli e d to p e rson al
,

e xpe ri e nc e In C hristendom the full r e cognition of

.

this great pri ncipl e like that of its m at e reinc arn a

, ,

tion li e s dorm ant b ut it is m erely an ext ension into

,

the spiritu al dom ain of the fund am e nt al pr e mis e of all

scienc e the su b stratum of co mm o n s ens e the c ardin al
, ,

axiom of e v e ry p h ilosophy that each e ect has an

,

ad e qu at e c aus e an d e ac h c aus e works innit e cous e

,

u Bri e y th e d oct rin e o f k arm a is th at we

q e n ces .
,

h ave m ad e ou rs elve s wh at we are b y form e r a ctions ,

an d are b uilding our futu re e t e rnity b pr e s ent ac

y
tions The re is n o d e stiny b ut what we o urs e lve s
.

d e te r min e The r e is n o s alvation o r cond emn atio n

.

e xc e pt wh at we ours elv e s b ring ab out G od pla c e s

.

all t h e pow e rs of the univ e rs e a t o ur dispos al an d the ,

h andle b y which we use th e m to construct our fat e has

b ee n an d is an d always s hall b e our own individu al
will A ction ( karm a ) of the spirit wh eth e r in the
.
,

inn er consciousn e ss alon e or b y voc al expre ssion o r

, ,

in outw ard act is the s ecr et forc e w hich dir ects our
,

jou rn eys through innity driving us down into the

,

gloo my r e gions of evil of m at te r an d o f s elshn e ss or

, , ,

up toward the luminous elds of good of spirit an d of , ,

love.
30 0 KA RM A .

The most ad am antin e of f acts is th at of an innit e

all compr e h ending po we r of which n atur e is the puls
-

ing b ody an ete rn al r eality sh aping the sh ado wy ap

,

p e a r an c e s of ti m e a n d v ariously n am e d Forc e F at e
, ,

Justic e R ight e ousn e ss Lov e Mind The O ver Soul

, , , ,
-

G od . T he most e ss e nti al attri b ut e of this unfatho m

ab l e Be ing is th at of A lmighty Equity C onfronting .

this fact is the puzzling fact of our spiritu al p erson al

ity e nvelop e d in m att e r The thought alw ays a sso
.

ciate d with this n e v e r practic ally fors ake n though

, ,

som etim e s th e or etic ally d e ni ed is individu al r e sponsi

,

b ility Two things ll m e with wond e r s aid K ant , ,

the st arry h eav e ns an d the s e ns e of mor a l r e sponsi

b ility in m an .

W h en D ani e l W eb st er was aske d
wh at was the greate st thought th at e ve r stirr e d his
soul he r epli e d The thought of my p erson al account
, ,

ab ility to G od . Ev e ry b al anc e d mind agr e e s with

th e s e int ell ectu al gi ants on this point The in e vitab l e .

outcom e of grouping th e s e two actu aliti e s ( G od an d

re sponsib ility ) is the conc eption th at the Unive rs al
Sust ain e r is giving e very cr eatur e the b e st thing f or it ,

an d th a t e ach sou l is in so m e way account ab l e for its

condition Singl e o b s e rvations s eem to contradict this

.

id e a b ut the l ong trend of life s exp eri e nc e v eri e s it

,

.

B e c aus e it o ffers n o sh elt er for culp ab le actions an d

n e c e ssit at e s a st e rling m anlin e ss it is l e ss w e lcom e to
,

w eak n atur e s th an the e a sy religio us t en ets of v ic ari

ous aton em e nt interc e ssion forgiven e ss an d d e ath b e d
, , ,
-

conv ersions But it ri ngs through the inn e r soul world

.
-

a s th e fund am e nt al h armonic ton e s e tting the key for ,

all whol e som e po e try philosop hy r eligion an d art a n d

, , , ,

inspiring the m agnic ent sw e ep of progre ss which is

r ation aliz ing mod ern C hrist endom For it is id e ntic al .

with the e ss enc e of Bi b l e truth as th es e r epre s e nta ,

~

tiv e s enten c es will suggest

302 KA RM A .

th an h angab l e horrors O ur favorit e inclin ations

.

show wh at we h ave b een doing in ancie nt age s .

W ithin the ger m of to d ay s cond uct are coile d int er

-

min ab le cons equ enc e s of good an d e vil .

The r el entle ss h and which m e te s out our fortun e s

with the st ern j ustic e most vividl y portr aye d b y the
G r eek dram atists in the ir Nem e sis Fate s an d F uri e s , , ,

t ake s from our own s avings the gifts b estowed on us .

Al as "we sow wh at we r eap ; the h and th at smit e s us

is our own .In the dom ain of e te rn al justic e the ,

o ff ens e an d the punishm ent are ins ep arab ly conn ecte d

a s t he s am e e v ent b e c aus e th e r e is no r eal distinction
,

b e twe en the action an d its outcom e He who injure s .

anoth e r in fact only wrongs hi m s elf To a dopt .

Schop enh au e r s gur e he is a wild b east who fast ens

his fangs in his own e sh But linke d with the a wful .

fact of our undivid e d r e sponsi b ility for wh at we now

are go e s the inspiring a ssur anc e th at we h av e in our
,

control the r em e dy of e vil an d the increa s e of good

'
.

W e can an d we alon e can e xtric ate ou rs elve s from

, ,

the e xisting limit ati ons b y the all curing po we rs of

,
-

purity love spiritu ality In east ern phr as e ology the

, , .
,

purpos e of life is to work out our b ad k arm a ( action )

an d to sto w a w ay good k ar m a A s sur ely a s the har .

v e st of to day grows from the s e ed tim e of y e st erd ay

- -

so sh all e ve ry ke rn el of thought an d feeling sp e ech ,

an d p erform anc e b ring its crop of r e w ard or r eb uk e

,
.

The inh e r ent r e sult of e v e ry quive r of the hum an will

continu ally tolls the D ay of Judgm ent an d affords ,

immeasurab l e opportuniti e s for am e lioration .

The worthy soul str ait en e d with misfortun e is

shifting off the ch ains of old wrong doing The -
.

vicious soul e njoying co m forts is r eaping the b en ets

of old vi rtu es So intric ate ly are all situ ations con
.
 KA RMA . 3 03

n e cte d with untr ac eab le lin eage s th at only the O mni

sci ent can penetrate b elow app earanc e s in the real
n ature s of men The world is like a ga rd en in which
.

is n e wly pl ant ed a huge a ssortm ent of unknown pl ants .

To the common ob s erv e r the fr e sh sprouts are only

d ec eptive for the most promising stalk may prove to
,

b e a w e ak fragil e thing an d the uninviting l ea ets

, ,

m ay introduc e a sturdy growth But the all wis e .

-

G ard e n e r kn ows each s eed an d th at it will u lti m at ely

,

show its anc estry The stup endous issu e s of conduct

.

e ndur e through all ch ang e s A ft e r on e has clim b e d to

.

high sum m its of ch ar act e r the surprising r eapp earanc e

of some fo rgotten sin m ay st ay his p rogre ss an d re
quire all his forc e s to conqu e r the vipe r whos e egg he
long ago n e ste d in his b os om The man plunge d into .

the ab yss of d egr ad ation m ay b e a s aint much farthe r

adv anc e d th an thos e e x alt ed p e rsons who d e spis e him .

It is k arm a or our old acts th at draws us b ack into

, ,

earthly lif e The spirit s ab od e ch ange s according to

.

its karm a an d this k ar ma forb ids an y long continu

,

anc e in on e condition b ec aus e i t is al ways ch anging

, .

So long as action is gov ern e d b y m at eri al an d s elsh

m otiv e s just so lon g must th e e ffect of th at action b e
,

m anife ste d in physic al re b irths O nly the p erf ectly

-
.

s el e ss m an can e lud e the gravit ation of m ate ri al life .

Fe w h av e attain ed this ; b ut it is the go al of m ankin d .

So me h av e r e ach e d it an d h ave volunt arily re turn e d as

s aviors of the rac e .

A n illustrious expl an ation of k arm a app ears at the

close of The Light of A si a
KA RM A all th at total of a soul

W hic h is the thin gs it d id the thoughts it had , ,

self it wov e with woof of vie wle ss tim e

T he
C rosse d on the warp in v isib le of acts .
304 KA RM A .

Wh at hath b een b rin geth what shall b e an d is , ,

W orse b etter last f or rst an d rst f or last ;

The an
g el s in th e heav e n s of
gla d n e ss rea p
F ruits of a holy p ast .

T he d evils in th e un d e rw orld s wear out

D e e d s th at we re wi c ke d in by

an a e on e
g g .

N othin g e n d ur es f air virtues waste with time,

F oul sin s ro w p ur e d th e reb y
g g .

W ho toile d a sl a v e m ay c om e an ew a p rin ce
For ge n tle worth in ess a n d m erit won ;
W ho rule d a k in g m ay wan der earth in ra
gs
For thin gs d on e an d un d on e .

Be f or e b egin n in g, an d without an e n d ,
A s sp ac e etern al an d as surety sure ,
I s xe d a Pow er d iv in e whic h m ov es to g oo d ,

On ly its laws en dure .

It will n ot b e c on tem n e d of an y on e
W ho th warts it loses an d wh o serves it gains,

T h e hid d e good it p ay s with p ea c e an d b liss

n
,

T he hid d en ill with p ain s .

It se et h e v ery where an d marketh all

D o righ t it recom pen se th l d o on e wron g
T he e qual retrib ution m ust b e m ad e ,
T hough D H A RM A 1
tarry lon g .

It k n ows n ot wrath n or p ardon utter true -

I ts m e asu res m ete its f aultle ss b al an c e we ighs ;

,

T im e s are as n aught to m orrow it will j udge

,
-

O r after m an y d ay s .

By this th e sla yer s kn ife d id stab himself ;

T he un ust j j udge hath lost his own d e fen d er ;

1 Pe f e c t Justi
r ce .
3 06 KA RM A .

I f he sh a ll
d ay b y d ay d we ll m e rc if ul,
H oly an d j ust an d kin d a n d tru e an d re n d
D esire f rom wh er e it c lin gs with b l e e din g roots,
T ill lov e of lif e h av e e n d

He dyin g le aveth as the sum of him

A lif e t c lose d whose ills are d e ad an d quit
-
coun , ,

W h ose good is quic k an d m ighty f ar an d n e ar , ,

So th at f ruits f ollow it .

N0 n ee d hath su ch
y to li ve as e n am e lif e
T hat whi c h b e gan in him whe n he b e gan
I s n ish e d h e h ath wrought the p urp ose through
Of what did m ake him m an .

N e ve r sh all yearn in gs torture him n or sin s ,

Stain him n or a c h e of e art hl y j oys a n d woe s

,

I n vad e his safe ete rn al p e ac e n or deaths

A n d liv e s re cur H e goe s .

U n to N IRVAN A H e is on e with Life

.

Y et liv e s n ot H e is b lest, c e asin g to b e

. .

O M , M A N I P A DM E, O M "the d e wd rop slip s

In to th e shin in g se a "

T his is th e d o c trin e of th e KAR M A . Learn

O n ly wh e n all th e d ross of sin is quit,

O n ly wh e n l if e d ies lik e a white am e Sp en t ,

D eath d ie s al on
g w ith it .
 The gl ori es of th e Possi l e b are ours . BA YARD TA YLOR .

Th e m a j e sty a n d b eau t y of th e w orl d are l at en t in an y i ota of the

worl d . WA LT W H I T MA N .

Th ere is no li f e of a m an , b ut i s a h eroi cp oe m of its s ort , rh ym e d

or un rh y m ed . W oul d
st th ou pl an t f or e t ern it y : then pl an t in to t he
d ee pi n n i te f culti
a es of m an . C A RL Y LE .

Li f e is a m ission . E v e ry oth e r d e n i t i on of lif e is f al se , a n d l e ad s

a ll wh o a cc pt it t
e a s r ay . Religion Sc ien c e , ,
Phil osoph y , th ough still

at v ari an c up m
e on an y
p oin ts , al l agree in th is , th at e v ery e x is t e n c e is
an aim . MA Z Z I N I .

A c
sa re d bu rd e n is this li f e ye b ear .

Loo k on f
i t , l i t it , b ear it s ol e mn l y
Stan d up an d wa lk b en e ath it st e ad f astl y

Fail n ot f or sorro w f ,
al ter n ot f or sin ;
But on wa rd , u pw ard , till th e goal y e win .

FRA N CE S A . KEMB LE .

Kn ow that this w orl d is on e stage o f e te rn it y . For th ose wh o are

j o urn e y n i g i n th e righ t wa y , it is th e r oa d of religi on . It is a m ar k et

o p e n e d i n th e wil d e rn e ss wh e re t h o se wh o a re t ra v e llin g o n th e ir wa y
to God m ay c oll e ct an d p re p are p vi
ro si on s f or th e ir j o u rn e y .

A L GA Z Z A LI .

Li f e is b u t a m ean s u n t o an e n d th at en d ,

B egi n n in g, m e a n , an d e n d of al l th i n gs God .

We li v e in d e e ds, n ot y e ars ; i n th ou ghts , n ot b reat hs

In f e el i n gs , n ot in gur e s on a d ial .

We sh oul d c ou n tti m e b y h eart th ro b s . He m ost lives

I Vh o thin ks
f
m ost, e el s th e n o l est , b a ct s th e b e st .

BA ILE Y .

He av e n is n ot r e a ch e d a t a sin gl e bu d o n ,

Bu t w e b ui l d th e l ad d er b y wh ic h w i e r se

From th e l owl y e art h to th v lt d ki

e au e s es ,

An d we m ou nt t o i ts su m mit roun d by rou n d .

J . G HO. LLA N D .
3 10 C ON C L US I ON .

of straying ab out in t e mporal realms an d has de ,

v el o e d a lov e of a dv e ntur e in which th e occid e nt al

p
world nds profoun d e r d elight th an in the ori ent al
yearning for in activity an d which sh all h ave ab un
,

d ant ex ercis e b efore it dis app e ars The only p ath to .

th at p e rfe ct s atisfaction which is found in compl e te

on en e ss with the Supr em e winds through the a sc e nd
ing pl an e s of m at eri al e m b odim ent .

Still m u st Iclim b if I w uld t o re s

T h b ird s a s up ward t h is
e o r st o ne

Th y ou g l e a f n the t e top high

e n o re -

C adles itsel f within the sky

r .

I c ann ot i n th e v alley stay

T he gre at h oriz on s stre tc h away

The v e ry c l iff s that wall m e roun d
Are lad d e rs in to high e r gr o un d .

A n d h ea v e n draws n e ar as I c
as e n d

T he b z e in v ites the stars

ree , b ef ie
r nd.

All thi n s e b e ck o i t o the Best

g ar
g n n

I c lim b to Thee , m y G od , f or re st
1

In which on e of its v arious guis e s we sh all rec ei ve

r einc arn ation d ep ends upon the individu al W h e th e r .

it sh all b e in the crud e form of tr ans migration through

a ni m als a s r e c e iv e d b most of th world or in th
y e ; e

Persi an an d Su faith as the unjust b anishm ent from

o ur prop e r hom e b th pow rs of vil or foll o wing
y e e e ; ,

Egypt Pyth agor as Pl ato O rigen an d the Druids as

, , , , ,

a purg atori al punish m ent for re n at al sins ; or in the

p
-

form of so m e C hristi an t e aching as a prob ation ary ,

stage te sting our right to high e r exist enc e an d ush er

ing us into a p erm an ent spi ritu al condition ; or a s

m aint ain e d alike b y the a cut e st Eastern philosophy

1 F om Lu c Lar c m o
y
r .
 C ON C L USI ON . 3 11

an d thesound est W e ste rn thought as a whol e som e ,

-

d ev elopm ent of ge rmin al s oul forc e s through all-

the s e phra sings the s am e c entr al truth ab id e s fu rnis h ,

ing what Henry More c all e d the gold e n key for

the pro b l e m of life an d e xpl aining the plot of this

,

dram a w hos e pr ologu e an d c at astroph e are b oth

alik e w anting But the b road e st int ellige nc e leads
.

us dire ctly into the evolution ary asp ect of r e incarn a

tion an d nds the oth ers in ad e qu ate to the full m ea s
,

u re of hum a n n atur e In this vi e w the pre s e nt life

.

is on e grad e of a stup endous school in which we are ,

b eing e duc at ed for a d e stiny so f ar b eyond our com

prehension th at som e c all it a kind of d e ity The ex .

rie n ces through w hich we h a ve com e w e r e n e e dful

p e

f or our str e n gt he ning Ev e n though we h ave de

.

sc end ed b elo w for mer altitud e s the only p ath to the ,

ab solut e li e s through the s ensuous e art hly v al e Sin .

its elf after we h av e e sc ap ed it will l ead to a m ightier

, ,

r e sult than would b e possib le with out i t or it would ,

not b e p ermitted The rich e st tre e s of all the fore st

.

world spring from the uncl ean mi asmic fens The .

s e ve re st pre s ent disciplin e s co ming fro m our earli e r

,

e rr o rs are tr a ining us for a l o fti e r g ro wt h th an we

,

e v e r kn e w O ur physic al sch ooling t hrough all the

.
,

grad es n ec e ss ary to our b e st unfold m e nt will b uild a ,

ch aracte r as much su b lim er t han our p ri mitive condi

tion as virtu e overtowers innoc enc e an d wh e n the rac e ,

n ally e m e rge s from the j angling tu rm oil of s elf will -

into compl ete h armony with the P erfect O n e as it ,

must at l ast the multitud e s of o ur liv e s will not s ee m

,

too e normous a cours e of exp eri enc e f or the e stab lish

m ent of th at consumm ati on The vict orious m arch .

of Evoluti on through all the provinc e s of t hought will

at l e ngth b e follow e d b t h triumph l proc e ssion of
y e a

R einc arn ation .

3 12 C ON C L US I ON .

Th e re is a s pi rit in all th in gs that li ve

W hi c h hi n ts of p atien t c h
kin d t ki an
ge f ro m o n d
A n d ye t no wo d s its m y sti c se se ca giv
r n n e,

Stran e a s a dre am of a d ian c e t o the b li d r n

g .

An d as in tim e un s e a p k ably m te re o

V ague f re n z ie s i i f ri r b ra i s se t f ee
n n e o n r

Presage d a p o we r n o l gu g c ul d d n te
an a e o e o ,

So d rea m s the m ortal of the G od to b e .

1

The F ather s purpos e with us s ee ms to b e to e du

c ate us a s His c h ildren so th at we sh all b e in co m pl ete

sy mp athy with th e d1v1n e mind T he only m e thod .

of a ccomplishing this glorious r e sult is for us to e nter

with Him into all the ph as e s of His b eing O ur long .

s erie s of physic al live s will n ally giv e u s a thorough

knowledge of the gross e r n ature with which He clo aks
H i m s elf . W e p en etrat e the anim al exist enc e in hu
m an form mor e succ e ssfully th an would b e possib l e if
we tr ansmigr at e d into all th e sp e ci e s of zotilogy ; for
h ere we c arry sufci e nt int elligenc e along with the ,

m at eri al conditi on to compr eh e nd th e s e cr eatur e s

,

a round us which c annot und e rst and th ems e lv e s We .

c annot exp ect to p erm an e ntly le ave this d ep art m ent

of G od s hous e until we h ave e ss en t i ally grasp e d the

s ecre t of all e arthly life The highe st individu als o f .

m ankind the s aviors of the rac e the tru e p rophets

, ,

an d po e ts att ain this inti m at e co m mu n ion with n atur e

, ,

this m a st ery o v e r the low e r cre ation w hich d em on ,

strat e s th e ir tn ess f or introducti on to a high er st age .

It is difcult to account f or the gr eat genius e s ex

c ept b y the consid er ation that th ey are the r e sult of
m any nob l e liv e s Eme rson arriv e s at this conclusi on
.

in his e ss ay on Sw e d e n b o rg In common p arl anc e . ,

wh at on e m an is s aid to l e arn b y exp eri e nc e a m an ,

F m A E La c ste
1 . ro . . n a r.
314 C ON C L USI ON .

ch arms v a st audi enc es with his exquisite rend ering of

most difcult conc ertos an d p articul arly with his
,

m arv elous improvis ations upon th e me s sugge s te d at a

mom e nt s notic e H e pre s e nts the unc anny phen ome

.

non of a chil d of ten who has littl e mor e to l earn in

the most d if cult of arts The n atural expl an ation
.

occurring to an y c andid mind is thus sugge ste d b y

th e B os ton H er a ld in its r e port of a H ofm ann con
c ert It almost s eems as if the spirit of som e gr eat
compos er had b een put into this b oy b y n ature wait ,

ing to b e d ev elop ed in accorda nc e with our mod e rn

art to shin e forth ag a in in all its glory in his work .

W h at if he actu ally w e re the r e app earanc e of Moz art

h ast e ning to ll out the lif e th at was cut sadly short ?
T h e r e m ay b e m e ans of v e rifying such a pr esumption
by the ch ar acte r of his l at e r compositions wh en he ,

g ets the fu ll expre ss ion of his n atural b ent An art .

so in d ep end ent of tim e an d plac e as music might , ,

fairly b e trac e d through two historic individu als ,

wh en lit eratur e an d p ainting would not p ermit it A t .

an r at e it is sign ic ant th at the young prodigi e s in

y
an y p articul ar kind of skill do not com e until th a t

skill has b een well e st ab lish ed on the e arth G uido .

followed gen e rations of great p aint ers Pa s cal was .

prec ed e d b y a long cours e of m ath em atici ans Pope .

lisp e d in numb ers afte r a v ast proc ession of po ets .

A n d Moz art w ait e d until the n e w era of music al har

mony ha d b ee n w ell in augur at ed The coloss al ch ar
.

acters who st and out from the r a c e with no re d e ce sl

p ,

s ors e qu al to th e m like Hom e r Pl ato J e sus R aph ael

, , , , ,

Sh ak e sp ear e B e ethov en all r each th eir m aturity lat e r

, ,

th an oth e r prodigi e s aft er infancy an d youth h ave

,

fasten e d the L ethe an g at e s upon the prehistoric

sc e n e s from which th ey s eem to hail But the un .
 C ON C L US I ON . 3 15

fathom ab l e vagarie s of the soul as it works b ut suc ,

cessi v el its do m in nt i m puls e s e a sil y disguis th

y a e
, e

individu al in di ff erent p erson aliti e s so long as the ,

physic al realm is m o st attractive to it Yet it is no .

ticeab le th at the g re at m in d s of history com e t oge the r

in gal axi e s wh e n the fulln e ss of ti me for th ei r c ap a
,

citi e s draws th em toget her W itn e ss the Sanskrit

.

s age s the G ree k po ets an d p hilosophers the August an

, ,

writers an d gen er als the It ali an artists of the R e n ais

,

s anc e th e G e rm an m asters of music the Eliz ab eth an

, ,

auth ors the nin e t ee nth c e ntury sci e ntists

,
-
The t raits .

of the com m on est child how e ver as much a s the

, ,

mir acle s of a g enius h av e no s atisfactory expl an ation

,

outside of the philosophy of re b i rths -

.

Evolution of the p hysic al n atur e an d of m at eri al

str ength attach es our future to b ody an d m atte r But .

the att achm ent h a st e ns toward a r el e a s e b y at l ength

proving the s e to b e low st eps in the asc ent of life A s .

in the ge ologic al program m e of ani mal d e velopm ent

each era c arri e d its typ e to gig a ntic di m ensions an d

th en was surmount e d b y a high er ord e r of cre ature s ,

which in turn gr e w monstrous as ty rants of th eir age

a n d th e n succu m b e d to a still high e r r ank : so the

soul s p rogr e ss f rom the earthly do m ain li e s through

th e m ast e ry of physic al things to m e nt al th e nc e to ,

psychic an d at l ast to spiritu al A n d the p assi on f or

,
.

m ateri al achi e vem ent ani m ating our sid e of the pl an e t

s hould not b e und ere stim ated sinc e it governs an im
,

portant e poch in the wo rld s growth But the d ange r

.

li e s in e steem ing it a n ality It is ch ie y v alu ab l e

.

a s the found ation up on w hich we may b uild sky

w ard in an e volution of ch aracte r W h en the struc
, .

ture is m ad e high e nough the b u oy ancy of the upp e r

,

s tories will conqu er the w eight of the b as e an d o at

3 16 C ON C L USI ON .

a way our ab od e to eth er eal cli me s O nly the educ a .

tion of the spiritu al in us of s acric e nob ility an d

, , ,

divinity can divorc e us from th e s e un e asy e arthly af

,

n itie s to the p e rm an e nt r e st of union wi th G od .

W hile we mu st not ab andon the glori e s of physic al

b e auty pow e r an d pl e a sur e we m ust not forge t th at
, ,

the tru e b usin e ss of lif e is to w ean our aff e ctions f ro m

the visi b l e to the invisi b l e to tr ansfe r the pr e pon d e r
,

anc e of our m agn e tis m s from sh a dows to su b st anc e s .

F or we b ridg e the two kingdoms of m atte r an d spirit ,

an d we h av e the choic e be tw ee n th e m mor e fr eely

th an we know .

The m e ch anic al tr ansmigra tion which was fancifull y

told in G r eci an mythology gath er ed an d b eautifully
,

r end er e d b y O vid which was t aught in the Egypti an

,

an d Pyth agor e an dogm a s an d still o ats b roadc ast

throughout the vast re alms of Brah manism B uddhism , ,

an d b arb arism which fascin ate s the thought of our

,

po e ts an d which is d aily en act e d b y a myri ad ob j e ct

,

l essons in n ature is m e rely the o b j e ctiv e expre ssion of

,

a su b j e ctiv e truth disc e r n e d b y all the mystics s ee rs

, , ,

an d philosoph e rs an d most e l ab or at ely st at e d b y Swe

,

d en b org .It m eans th at the innit e progre ss of the

soul conveys it through countl e ss epochs moving in pe r ,

f e et succ ession b y the dyn amic l aws of its own b eing .

During this d ev elopm ent the unive rs e arr an ge s its elf

,

p eculi arly to each individu al according to his thought

an d ch ar act e r W e sh ap e the out e r world b y our
.

inn e r n ature an d we say just how long our st ay sh all

,

b e a mon g dust an d mort ality .

The tru e an d whol e som e a sp e ct of the e a rthly life ,

und e r the r eligi ous philosophy of r einc arn ation tr ans ,

forms the sp e ct acle f ro m a trivi al s how or a gloomy ,

ar en a of d e sp air to a m aj e stic stag e in t he a sc e nd

,
3 18 C ON C L US I ON .

h eaping our sins upon him b ut b y re cognizin g the

,

F ath erhood of the Supr e m e e nt ering the n ew b irth

,

into spiritu al lif e an d w atchfully growing G odward

, .

I t re volts ag ainst the thought of e v e rl asting punish

m ent for b ri ef e rrors b ut provid e s innit e opportu
,

n ities for r e stor a tion an d adv anc e m e nt whil e em

,

p h asizin
g most vigorously t h e un e sc a p a b l e r e s ults of

all action It is th e refor e a corre ctive of mod e rn
.

C hristi anity holding f ast to the stren gth an d b eauty

of wh at the N az ar en e t aught an d live d b ut including ,

thos e very principl e s which b r ee d religious skepticism

in the e xtre m e advoc ate s of sci enc e an d e volution .

It e nl arge s C hristi anity to a gr and er c ap acity than it

has hith e rto known an d so furnishe s at onc e an in
,

p
s 1r1n
g r e ligion for th e lofti e st spiritu a l a spir ation a ,

most s atisfactory philosophy for the int elle ct an d the ,

stronge st b asis for pr actic al no b ility of conduct .

T h e r e is no r e ason why r einc arn ation an d C hristi an

ity should not gr a sp h ands an d m agnic en tly a dvance
toge th e r each k e eping th e oth e r st eadfastly tru e
,
.

O nly in this union can C hristi anity e sc ap e its pre s ent

downw ard sag . Sinc e w e st e rn r eligion f ails to
spiritu ally sust ain us an d h as l argely gon e ove r to the
n
e e my
,
m at eri alism it is tim e for anoth er ori ent al
,

tid e to sw eep ov er the W e st Having alr e ady a par

.

ti al poss e ssion h e r e r e inc arn ation promis e s to ow in

,

freely to r e vit aliz e C hristi anity to spi ritu aliz e sci enc e
,
.

A s C hristi anity has d e g e n e r at e d in the W e st so has ,

r e inc arn ation in the Ea st an d the hop e of the r ac e

,

li e s in an e x alt e d m arri age of th e m T h ey n ee d each

.

oth er as husb and an d wife alli e d in pur e st d e votion

, , ,

suppl e m enting the d efe cts an d strengths of e ach oth e r ,

an d r eg en e r ating th e ir lowe r un a ssoci at e d t e nd e nci e s .

The r eligion of J e sus t en d s to sink into an irr ation al

 C ON C L US I ON .
3 19

s entim entality which is commonly rel egat e d to wom en

a n d e ff e min a t e m e n T h e spi
. r itu al philosophy of
In di a d eclin e s into p assionless fatalis m or an ungen
erous s e lf ab sorption Sup e rstition d arkens b oth
.

a lik e .
But r e inc a rn ation k e e ps C hristi anity t h or
oughly r ation al an d C hristi anity will sustain re in car
,

n ation in vigorous un sel shn ess This alli anc e of the .

be st truths of b oth h e misp h e r e s will t e a c h a r eve re n

ti al sub mission to the di v in e will without its s equ el of

st agnation a h eroic s elf r eli anc e without its d anger of
,
-

ath e ism a r e g en e r ativ e communion with the High e st

,

without the s acrilegious folly of s elsh praye r .

R eincarn ation unit e s all the family of m an into a uni

vers al b roth erhood m ore effectively th an the p re v ailing
hum anity It promot e s the solid arity of m ankind b y
.

d estroying the b arri ers th at conc eit an d circu m st anc e s

h ave rais ed b etween individu als groups n ations , , ,

an d r ac e s Al l are alike f avor e d with p e rfe ct po et ic

.

justic e The children of G od are not ord ain e d som e

.

to honor an d oth ers to ab as e m ent There are no .

sp eci al gifts Physic al b l e ssings m ent al t al ents an d

.
, ,

moral succ e ss es are the l ab orious r e sult of long m erit .

Sorrows d efe cts an d failure s proc ee d from n e gligenc e

, , .

The upw ard ro ad to the glori e s of spiritu al p erfe ction

is alw ays at our fe et with p erp e tu al invit ations an d
,

aids to tr av e l high e r The downw a rd way into se n

.

su al wre ckage is b ut the oth er dire ction of the s am e

way . W e c annot d e spis e thos e who are t endi n g
down for who knows b ut we h av e journ eyed th at way
,

ours elve s ? It is impossi b le for us to scramb l e up

al o n e f o r o ur d e stiny is includ e d in th at of hu m anity
, ,

an d only b h e lping ot he r s along can we a sc e nd o ur

y
s elve s The de spondent s adn e ss of the w orld which
.

di ms the lustre of e v ery j oy c hanting the min or key ,

320 C ON OL US I ON .

of n ature h aunting us in un accounta b le w ays cropping

, ,

out in all liter ature an d art m aking the grandest of

,

po etry tragic an d the su b lim e st m usic somb r e is the ,

unconscious voic e of m ankind humm m g its keynote,

of life W hile we continu e to d well in the m urky

.

re al m of s e ns e t hat must pr e v ail But the b right rifts

,
.

illumin ating the a dvanc e gu ard he rald the appro ach

of d ay an d a ssu re us th at the tr e nd of re stl e ss hum an
,

gyrations is aw ay from th at condition .

C ontrary to the co m m o n opinion of east ern thought ,

r einc arn ation is optimistic The la w of c aus ation is

.

not a b lind m e ting of ey e for ey e an d tooth for tooth .

It op ens out into a sc he m e of b en e cen t progre ss .

Sci e nc e re cogniz e s this in the ui s m ed ica tr iw r emedi a

r

n a tu res , th e h e aling pow e r of n atur e W h at was .

onc e d eni ed in the cr ee d of the alch e mists conc e rning

the a sc endin g i m puls e of all things is now pr each e d
b y sci e nc e which d e cl are s in Tynd all s words th at

m att er cont ains within it the p romis e an d pot ency of

all life . A ll min e r als h av e the rudim e nt ary pos
si bility of pl ants a n d ani m al s C ryst als striv e af te r
.

a high e r lif e b y a ssuming a rb or e sc e n t an d mossy

sh ap e s Pl ants display the e m b ryonic qu aliti e s of low

.

a ni m als . N o n atur alist can m ark infalli b ly the b oun

d arie s of the thr e e kingd o m s so clos e ly are th e y i n t e r
,

link e d A zotilogist d oe s n ot d ou b t the possib ility o f

.

m in e r al s b e coming pl an ts an d th e s e m ounting into

ani m als . T he m o v e m e nt of vit al e n ergy is m anw ard ,

an d th e cry of m ankind is e xc e lsi o r t o w ar d s G o d
, .

P o etry ch erish es the s am e convicti on

th at som eh o w ood
g
Shall b e the n al goal of ill ,
For p an gs of n ature , sin s o f wi ll ,
De fe c ts of d oub t a nd tain ts of bl ood
82 2 C ON C L USI ON .

pos e is accomplish ed an d the only ch anc e of improve

,

m ent consists in fo rge tting thos e things which are
b e hind a n d r e a ching fo rth u n to thos e things which are -

b efor e It would b e int ell e ctu ally i mpossi b le for the
.

m emory to gra sp anything n ew if it clung to all it ,

h ad known O n e of the gr and e st discours e s of th at

.

gr eat e st English pr each e r of the l ast gen eration Fre d ,

~

e rick W R ob ertson is upon the them e of C hris

.
,

ti an Progr e ss b y O b livion of the P ast The experi.

e nc e of th e r ac e aff ords n o sufci ent e ndors em e nt of

the contin uation of our mort al m e m o ri e s It is im .

possi b l e to e sc ap e the lib eral sci entic t eaching th at

the mind is only an instrum ent of the soul an d wh e n ,

it d ec ays with the b ody the soul r etains of its e arthly

,

poss e ssions only wh at has sunk down into the ch ar

a ct e r T he logici an of the Scriptur e s e xpr e ss e s this
.

in s aying W h eth er th ere b e knowledge it sh all vanish

,

a w ay But the e verl a stingn ess of ch ar act er insu re s
.

the p erm an e nc e of our id entity an d of our d e ar e st

ti e s A n d as the scal e of b eing on earth shows a
.

gradu al d e velopm ent of m emory fro m the low e st pro

tozob n to m an so in m an the unconscious m emory

sh all b e com e mor e an d more conspicuous until it re ,

v eals the cours e of o ur co m pl e te c ar e e r .

The glorious unfoldm ent of our dorm ant pow ers in

r ep eat e d live s pre s e nts a sp e ct acl e m agnic ent b eyo n d
a ppr e ci ation a n d a ppro a ch e s mor e gr a ndly th an an
, y
ot he r conc eption to the su b li m ity of hu m an d e ve lop
m e nt A ddison w rot e
. T h e r e is not in my opinion , ,

a mor e pl e a sing consid e r ation th an th at of th e

per

e tu al progr e ss which th e soul m ak e s tow a rds th e

p p er

f e ct ion of its n atu re without e v e r arriving at a p eriod

,

in it To look upon th e soul a s going on fro m stre ngth

.

to strength to consid er th at she is to shin e forever with

,
 C ON C L US I ON . 32 3

n ew a cc essions of glory an d b righte n to all et ernity ;

th at she will b e still adding vi rtu e to virtu e an d knowl
edg e to knowl e dge c arri e s in it so m ething wond er
,

fully agreeab le to that am b ition which is n atural to

the mind of man Nay it must b e a pr o sp e ct pl eas
.
,

ing to G od hims elf to see his creatur e s fore ver b eau

,

tif y in g in his ey e s an d dr awing n e ar e r to Him b y

,

great er d egrees of re s e m b l anc e R einc arn ation shows
.

the progr a mme b y which this stup endo us sch e m e is

b eing work ed out st ep b y st ep in th e gr adu al m e thod
, ,

of all G od s doings an d glori es the pr e s ent cycle as

a sp ecim e n of e t e rnity which sh all e v e r grow b right e r

until the fu ll b rilli ancy of the High e st sh all radi at e

from ev e ry life .

The practic al applic ation of this truth not only dis

pels the h aunting enigm a s of life b ut incite s us to ,

the strong e st h ab its of virtuous conduct in ours elv e s ,

an d of g e n e rous h elpfuln e ss tow ard oth e rs It in .

spire s u s to nurtur e all the m ean s of d eveloping nob le

traits sinc e the pro m is e of all good an d the only
, ,

highw ay out of the b ogs of physic al life into the moun

t ain h eights of spiritu ality is charact er It r eminds
,
.

us most forci b ly that

Ev e ry thought of p urity ,
Ev ery de e d of right,
C on quers sin s ob sc urity ,

Sp e ed s the reign of light

Mov e s wi th m ight sup e rn al
T oward rest an d hom e ,
Le ad s to l ife e te rn al ,
Pray s, Thy k in gd om c om e .

It is not strange th er efor e th at on e of the l e ading

, ,

writers of G reat Brit ain s ays of r einc arn ation : The

ethic al l ev e r ag e of the d octrin e is imm e ns e Its mo .
3 24 C ON C L US I ON .

tiv e power is gr e at It r e veals a s m agnic ent a b ack

.

ground to the pr es ent life with its contradictions an d ,

dis ast e rs as the prosp ect of im m ortali ty op ens up an

,

illimit ab l e foreground l e ngth ening out the horizon

,

of h op e It b inds toge th er the p a st an d the p re s ent

.

an d th e futur e in o n e e thic al s e ri e s of c a us e s a n d e f

fe ets the inn e r thr ead of which is b oth p ers on al to

,

the individu a l an d imp e rson al conn e cting him with ,

two e te rniti e s on e b ehind an d the oth e r b e fore W ith

, .

p eculi ar e m ph asis it procl aims the surviv al of m oral

individu ality an d p erson al id e ntity along with the
n al adj ustm ent of e xt ern al conditions to the int e rn al
1
st at e of the agent .

A longsid e of the Scotch profe ssor s words we pl ac e

th e s e s ent enc e s fro m an e ast e rn t each er th at the ,

wisdom of the antipod e s m ay g rasp h ands in on e com

mon b rotherhood for the i n st ruction of the world
Th er e is in e a c h inc arn ation b ut on e b irth on e ,

lif e on e d e at h It is folly to duplic at e th e s e b y pe r

,
.

sist ent r e gr e ts for the p ast b y p re s ent cowardic e or , ,

fe ar of the futur e Th e re is n o Ti m e It is Et e r
. .

s now th at m an mist ak e s for p a st pr e s e nt an d

n it
y , ,

futu re .

T he forg i ng of earthly ch ains is the occup ation
of the i n di ffere nt ; the awful d uty of unloosing th e m
through th e sorrows of the h eart is als o th ei r occup a
ti o n .

Lib er ate thys elf from e vil actions b y good ao

2
tions .

Em erson who unit e s in on e p erson ality th e sub

,

lim est intuiti o ns of the O ri e nt with the b roa d e st ob

se rv ation s of th e W e st m ay w e ll r ep re s e nt a no b l e
,

1
P f W illi m K ightro e ss o r a n .

2
An ad pt f I d i e o n a.
 Where a b k oo raises y our s pi i t
r ,
an d p
in s ires y ou wi th no bl e an d

c ourage ou s f li g
ee n s , se e kf or n o oth er j
rul e t o ud ge th e e v en t by : it
i s good an d m ad e b y a good w or m a nk . DE LA Y
BRU ERE .

You d e spis e b k oo s y ou wh ose wh ol e l i v es are a b b sor ed in th e v an i

t ie s of am biti on , the pu uit f pl u

rs o eas r e , or i n in d ol e n c e ; b ut re

m em b er th a t all th e k w w l d c p ti
no n or ,
ex e n
g on ly s a v age n ations , is
go v ern e d by b k
oo s . V O LT A IRE .

Withi n th eir sil e n t ch am b ers tre asures li e

Pre ser v ed f ro m a ge to age m ore p ci
re ous f ar
cc
Th an th at a um ul ate d store of gol d
A n d ori e n t ge ms , whi h f or a d ay of c n ee d
T h e Sul tan hi d e s d ee p in an c e stral t om b s

T h ese h oard s of t ruth y ou can un l o ck at wil l .

WoRD sW ORT H .

I n ot on l y c mm o en d th e st u d y of this li te rat ur e (th e eas te rn ), b ut

wish ou r so u cr f es o su ppl y an dc om p aris on v as tly e n l a rge d . A m eri
can stu d e n ts m ay well d er iv f e ro m al l f or m e r l an ds al l th e ol d er

li te ratu res an d al l th e n e w e r on es -
b e ari n g o urs el v es al way s c our

t e ous , al wa y s de f e re n t a i l , in d e t e d b by e on d m e a su re t o th e m oth er
w orl d , to all its na tion s d e ad , as al l its n a t onsi v
li i n g .

WA LT WH I T MA N .

In b k lioo s es th e s ou l of th e wh ol e Past Tim e th e c

arti ul ate ,

a u d i b l v icef o e o th e Past , wh e n th e b od y a n d m at eri al su b stan c e of

it h as al t ogeth er v an ish e d lik

N o m agi Rune is stran ge r
e a d re am . c
th an a b k oo . ki
A ll th a t m an n d h as d on e th ough t , gai n e d or ee n , is b
l y in g in m a gi cp v
r e ser a ti o n i n th e p age s of oo s Do n ot oo s still b k . b k
ac omc pli h s mira cles as Runes w ere f bla ed to do ? Th e y p u ers ade

m en . C A RL YLE .
3 30 A PPEN D I X .

W ern sdorf , G ottlie b . Dispu tatio d e M e tem psy chosi V e te rum

n on gu rate se d p p ro rie in te llige n da . V ite m b ergse, 17 4 1 .

V an gerow, W G v on D issertatio historico ph i l.oso hica M e

p . .

t e m psy chosin v e te ru m sist e n s Halle , 17 65 . .

Se de rm ark, Pe t D e M e te m psy chosi V e te rum Pars I I I I

. . .

Up salas , 180 7 .

W e n de l Joh ,
. An d . D e M etempsychosi nu
pe r D en uo d e fen sa .

C ob u rgi , 18 2 8 .

Sai an Sin sin siv e Lib e r M e t e m p sy c h osis v eterum ZEgyp

tiorum E d uab us Papyris f un e b rib u s hie raticis Sign is e xaratis
.

n un c primum e didit Latin e v ertit N otas adj ecit Hen ri cus

Brugsc h . Be rolin i , 18 5 1 .

Haupt, Eb e rh . D av . D e M ete mpsy chosi si ve Py thagorae a

An im arum T ran sm igration e b e vis D isquisiti
r on . Ulm ae 17 2 4 ,
.

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. . b
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g . .
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17 81 .

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 A PPE N D I X .
331

( T h e D i al ogu e T ran sm igration is tran slate d b y F H H e d ge

on . .

his Pros e W ri te rs of G e rm a n y Phil ad e lp hi a ,

in .

c
Bru h J Fr D ,
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'

. 2 v . .

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"
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IV EN GLI SH
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C udworth, Ralp h The True I n telle c tual Sy ste m . of the Un i

v erse Lon don , 167 8 ( A storehouse of learn in g
.

. on the an

ci ent o pi n ion s of the n ature, ori

gin,
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D eath .
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. as it is
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I n quiry i n to the O p in ion s of the Eastern sage s c on c e rn in g the

Pres -
e xi st e n c e of S ul s Bei g o . n a ke y to un lo ck the G ran d M y s
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Park er, Sam uel ( Bi sh op

) . A F re e an d I mp artial C en sure of
 APPE N D I X . 335

the Platon ick Philosop hie ; with an a cc oun t of the O rige n ian
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Ev id e n c e (An ) f or I mm ortal i ty , a n d f or Tran sm igra tion To .

whic h is a d d e d a Treatise c on c e rn in g th ose who sle e p in th e

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. . .

I II u ph old s the re a son a bl e d oc trin e of

p re e xi ste n
-
c e as

a

ke y f or s om e ofth e m ain m y ste ries of Prov ide n c e, whi c h no

o t he r can so

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W arre n , Ed ward . N o Pre Existe n c e -
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( H e c si d e s th t m
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g l s a d th a t th
a e en r o a an e ,
n

b rute c ati l b s u d e a sev e e st k e of divi e j u tic

re on a or n r r r ro n s e

tha th e h um a
n ac e b c u se it w s ui lnti th r m k i d i e a a an n n
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m on s p st ) a .

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,
. . a ,
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P e e xi te c e f S ul s a d U ive s l Re storati
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M i u te a d C o esp n de c e f th Bu am S c ie ty T u to
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17 98 .

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bu gh
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ck b
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(Main tain s p reexiste n c e ) .

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(De fe n d s pre exi sten c e )

'

Bul strod e Whi te locke , . An Essay on T ransmigration , in

De fen c e of Pythagoras . Lon don , 1692 .
 336 A PPEN D I X .

W heeler J ,
. T . History of I n dia . Lon don , 18 7 4 .
(For

Hin du Tran smigration , se e pp . 72

G arre tt, J . C lassic al D ic t ion ary of I n dia . 18 7 1 .
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T ran sm igration , on pp . 63 7
Tulloc h , John ,
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gh an d Lon
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.
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n e rs an d C ustom s of the A n ie n t Egy tian s,c p in c l ud in g the ir Re
ligion , e tc 3 v ols . . Lon d on , 18 78 (V ol II . . . ch p a . xv i .
,
pp .

440 45 1, rel ate to tran sm igration

-
.
)
B un sen , C hristian C arl J Egy p t Pl a c e in Un i ve rsal His

. s

tory 5 v ol s
. Lon d on , 184 8 18 60 .
-
.
(V ol . IV . pp . 63865 3 ,
treat of an im al worship an d m e te m p sy ch osis ) .

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Lon d on , 18 7 5 .
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,
.

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,
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( See p .

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Lon d on , 18 80 .
( Se e t he c hapte rs o n Pre -
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43 an d

B utl e r, Wm . A rc h e r . Le c tures on the History of c

A n ie n t
Phi l osophy , e dite d b y W illia m Hep worth T hom p son Lon d on , .

S e e V ol II , Le c ture IV , pp 240 2 64 , Psy c hol ogy o f

18 5 6 ( . . . . .

Plato ) .

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. . . . .

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q, . . . . . .

I n dian C on v ersion , ve ck c al

se re l
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.

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9 5 106 , i s d e v ote d t o f
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'

J enn in gs ,
H . The Rose crucians . Th e ir Rites an d M y ste ries .
33 8 A P PE N D I X .

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Through . .

th e G a tes of G old A F ragme n t of T h ough t B ost on , 18 8 7

. . .

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H e d ge , F re d erick He n ry W ay s of . the S irit p an d othe r Es

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g e

T y l e r, E B . . Prim itiv e C ul ture . N e w York, 18 7 6 .

M y e rs F W H , . . . M od e rn Essay s . p ge
( Se e a

Poe , Edga r A llan . Eure k a . In his C om p le te W ks or . N ew

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Sm e dle y The O cc ul t Sc ie n c es
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M e die v al Lon d on an d N e w York 18 64 an d 188 7

.
,

M cC lin tock an d Stron g s C y clO pmdia of Bib lic al , The ologi c al

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G n ostic s, M e te m p sy c hosis, Pre -

e x i ste n e , c O rige n , e tc .
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Bl av atsky , H . P . I sis Un v eile d A M aster Ke y to th e
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York , 18 7 7 .
( See re f e re n c e s in in d e x to M e te m p sy c h osis Re in ,

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F rith, J . Lif e of G i ord an o Brun o, the N olan . Lon d on an d

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M e y er I saac ,
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Phi la d elp hia, 188 8 .

V . EN GL I SH .
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M an u ,
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Rig V e da . V ishn u Pa ran a . Tra n slate d by Prof H H . . . W il

son . Lon don , 1840 .
 A PPE N D I X . 3 39

Sac red Book s of the Ea st T ran sl ate d or e di te d b y M ax .

M iI ll er O xf ord Se e e sp e c ially Up an ishads, V ol I ; Sac re d

. . . .

La ws of the Aryas, V ol I I Bh aga v ad gi ta, V ol V I I I . . . .

Pic art, Be rn ard C e re m on ie s an d Re ligious C ustom s o f all .

the Pe op l e of the W orl d 6 v ol s Lon d on , 17 3 3 3 7 V ol I V . .

-
. . .

Part I I pp 15 918 7 , d e sc ri b e Hin du Tran smi ration Se e

. .
g .

also V ol I Part I I p 2 3 se q ; V ol I I Part I p 15 7 se q

. . . . . . . . . .

Le i nitz , G ottfried W ilhel m

b M on ad ol ogy Tran s b y F H . . . . .

He dge I n the J ourn al of Sp e culativ e Philosop hy , V ol I pp

. . . .

12 9 N e w York , 18 67
. .

Ha z Pe rsian Ly ric s
. . Lon d on , 18 00 .

b
Bi liotheque Orie n tal e . Lon d on , 169 2 .
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Tra n sm igrati on .
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Le ssin g, G otthold Ep hraim . T he Ed uc ation of the Rac e .

T ran s b y Rev F W Ro e rtson

. Lon d on , 18 5 5 . . . b . .

c
F i hte, J G T h e D estin y of M an I n D r He dge s
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. . . Prose
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, .

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A ge s of th e W hole W orld al so the Hyp oth e sis of th e Pre -
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M D Lon d on 169 4
. .
,
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. on T ran sm igration . T ran sl ate d
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T h e D e sc e n t of

th e Sou l . Tran sl ate d b y Thom as Tay l or Lon d on , 17 9 4 . .

V irgil . En e id T ran sla te d b y W ill iam M orris

. Boston , .

18 7 6 . Tran s . by C . P . C ra n c h . Boston , 18 7 2 .
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p art of th e sixth En e id .
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late d b y D ry d e n Lon d on an d N e w York . .

Plato Phaed ro Tra n sla te d b y B J owe tt

. N e w York , . . .

C l assic al Lib rary

Al so in Bohn

18 7 1 . s .

Plutarc h Essay on the D e lay of He av e n ly J ustic e

. In his .

M isc ellan eous Essay s Lon d on an d N e w York . .

O rige n , T he W ritin gs of T ran sl ate d b y Rev F re d erick . .

C rom b ie 2 v ols Edin b urgh, 18 69 I n C lark s A n te N ic e n e

-
. . .

C hri stian Lib rary .

340 A PPE N D I X .

Ric hter J e an Paul ,

. Le v an a . Lon d on , 1848 .
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b y Hugh D ou ghe rty Lon d on , 18 5 1 For F ourie r s id e a s on
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imm ortal ity see I n trod c t

, pp
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Herod otu s B ook II cap 12 3 . . . .

Tim ae us, the Loc rian (A Py th agore an ) . .

Sc hop e n h au er, Arthu r T he W orld a s W ill an d I d ea Tran s .

.

late d b y R B Hal d an e a n d I Ke m p
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3 v ols
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86 Se e V ol 111 p
.
( Essay on D e ath a n d Im m ortality
. . .
.

T ra n sla te d b y C L Be rn ay s in th e . . J ourn al of Sp e c ul ativ e Phi

los ophy , V ol I 18 67 . . .

Tal mu d , Th e . J B a rc l a y
. . 18 7 8 . S el e c tion s f ro m the T al
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of D e ath . T ransl ate d b y S .

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. Lon d on , 17 9 7 Hie rocl e s, up on the . .

Gol d e n V e rse s of th e Py th agore an s T ran s b y J M oor G l as . . . .

ow, 17 5 6 Li f e o f P th a or a s, w ith his S m b ol s an d G ol d e n

g y .
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V e rse s, togeth e r with th e Life of Hie rocl e s a n d his C omm e n taries
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. b . b .

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( 2 85 N e w or , 18 63 . .

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( H ib b ert Le c ture s, T ra n s b y R e v P H W i ck s te ed . . . . .

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,

tion , b y G e orge Fre d e ric Parson s N e w York, 188 9 .

 342 A PP E N D I X .

F e chn e r, Gusta v T . Dr . Mise s . Le ipz ig .

(These stori es of b
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g
or less the im p e rson ation of the high e r an d l o wer self in sep arate
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. .
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C hristian M e tem p sy chosis .
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ton Re v ie w, N e w Se rie s, V II 3 15 (M ay , . .

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ic an Re v ie w, LXX X 5 8 (J a n uar ,
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Gl an v il, J ose ph , wrote a l on g le tte r fu ll of cu riou s l e a r n i n g to

Ric hard Baxt e r ,
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p reexi ste n c e, whi h is c
among the Baxte r M SS in the Re d C ross Stre et Lib rary, .
-

C rippl e gate .

Sen tim en t of Pre e xiste n c e C ham b er s J ourn al

( May 17 , -
. .

an d O ct 11, .

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. . .

Pre e xi sten c e of Souls

-
A me ric an Pre sby te rian Re vie w, I I . .

5 46 M rc h
.
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Kn igh t Prof W illiam D octrin e of M e tem p sy ch osis F ort

,
. . .

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. .

terly Re vi e w XXV III 62 5 ,

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F rom Ke il

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,
.
, .

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,
. 65 5 . Sep t ,
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Jan , 188 1 . . . .
 A PPE N D I X . 3 43

Pythagoras . Un iv ersity M aga z in e . Sep t , 18 7 9 .

Pre existe n c e N ote s an d "ue ri e s Se c on d Se rie s, V ol II

'

. . . .

453 , 5 17 ; II I . 13 2 ; I V . 15 7 , 2 34 , 2 9 8 V . 30 3 ; V I I .

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'

. . .

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The Th e osop hist Ed b y H P Blav atsky A dy ar, I n dia . . . . . .

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C hil d 33 40 7 7
. .
,
.
,

ren , 72
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. .
, ,
r s an e e s c os s ro
my t i
,
B w ) 103
. . .
, ,
o en El mi
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C h i ti i ty t hi g i ti
.
,

r s an 72 ea c n re n carn a on , Eme rson , R W , 7 , 16, 23 , 98 , 126, 17 8, . .

22 5 2 27 190 , 2 14 , 2 29 , 2 7 7 , 2 98 , 3 12 , 3 24
C h i t i i ty m i d t i ti pd l
. .
,
r s an arr e o re n carn a on Em e oc e s , 5
gl h
.

3 17 En i s d 1v 1n es , 6, 67
C h i ti (R b t B w i g) 155 g li h b k p i
. .

r s na o er ro n n En s oo s u on re n carn at on , 334 i
C h h f th 6 86 87 2 26 23 2 27 5
.
,

urc a e rs, 33 8
h
.

Ci
.
, , , ,

81
ce ro, En oc , 2 69 , 291
Cl k J m F m Ch
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a es ree an x, Erck man n att an , 333 , 3 41 -
i
ig
.
,

337 Er e n a , 65
C l m A l d i 2 2 6 2 32
. .

e en s e xa n r n us , Ern e st 1, 7
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. .
,

o er e, Esote r c O r en ta re n carn at on , 2 63 27 0 i -
.

C lli M b l 338
. .
.
, , , ,

o n s, a e E sse n e s, 2 10
C lli M ti m 168 lid
. .
,

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C d f Ag (D B h ) 47 67 ipid
. .

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.

C d f A g (D B h ) 47 67 id
.
, ,

on cor o es r. e ec er Ev en ce s of re n carn at on , 15 48 , 88 , i i
C i t f A g (D B h ) 47 67
on c O es r. e ec er
,
10 3
C t i t l p t 168 177 igi
.
, ,
on n en a oe s , -
Ev 1l , or n of , 32 , 85 , 116
m C P 33 1 l i
. .

Con z s, Ev o ut on , 4 , 19 , 24
C k R T 341 p i q g i i
. . . .
,

oo e, o se .
, . Ex e r en ces re ui rin re n carn at on , 36
Cox , E W 336 46
C k P f 4
. . . .
,
roo es , ro
C dw t h R lp h 20 65 334 ,
FAC IN G We stward (W W hitman )
. .

u or a 143
F awcett Edgar 3 1
.
,

R Li f f Py th g
. .
, , , ,

D A C IE

S 282 340 e o a oras,
F e chn er G T 2 1 33 2 342
. .
, , ,
D am asci us , 2 29
J
, .
,

D
,
. .
.
,

avi e s , E , 3 37 F ern eh us , 81
D ph
. . .

av y , Sir H um ry 123 F 1cht e , I H 4

, 65 , 7 , 331
h J
. . . .
,
D e Prof un d l s (T e n n y son ), 15 1 Fi c te , G , 33 , 33
1 9
D h F i ld i g
. . .

eat , 28 9 2 96 e n , H , 341

D h L i
. . .

eat i i i
i n Esote r c O r en tal sm , 269 Fiqui er , ou s , 7 , 340
D h P f B h gh M Th mp )
. .

eat , ro owe n o n , 116 Fin al T ou t , T h e ( o son

D h h p h
. . .
,
eat , Sc o e n aue r on , 67 13 9
D k Fl i
.

Th e Se cre t of ( San s r t oem ) i p amm ar on , C , 7 , 66, 341

t
ea ,
Fl
. .

z eury , 33 8
D li z h F lk l
.

e t sc , 216, 2 26 , 332 o ore , 27 6

-

D l h g ll
. .

e to
n n

s Sou of T i n s , 284 Fon t en e e , 66
D l Pl i F q
. .

escen t of th e S ou ( ot n us ), 229 ou u e, 342

D i Fi i
. .

e st n y of M an ( ch t e ), 7 4 our er , 66, 340

Di li B hb k p i
. .

s rae , e n j ami n , 29 8 ren c ti 333

oo s u on re n carn a on ,
F i th J 33 8
.

D I srae li , I saa c, 10 , 3 3 7

r
d
.
. .
, .

D i ogue s on Me t e m p sy ch os Is (He r e r), h mm

p
F rosc J 26 33 2
a er,
p i h m t 35
. .
, ,
F t u ure un s en s,
D i k C h l 41
.

c en s, ar es ,
Di g G N 81
.

L
o en e s ti 340 ae r us , ALE
D i q i iti
.

G tt J 336 , .

s u s P i t on on a raeex s e n t St at e arre
G l 5
, .

(J y ) 87en ns au s,
D lli g 3 J I
.

G t B tw (E S P h l p )
.

o n er , a es Th e e en , e e s ,
D
. .
,
. . .

D
on n e , 168 r , .

D pp t J 329
.

o er G t m 29 8
au a a,
D G t i 342
, . .

D
orn e r, 7 47 66 r au er ,
D wd Li f f Sh ll y 92
, ,
.
, . .

o en s e o e e G azza l i 308
pl i d b y i ti
. .
, ,
D d L 3 34
rav ar G i
er u s e x 59 a ne re n carna on ,
D m f Pyt h g (E T th
.
, , ,
.

rea o a oras a am ), 156 3i 4

D i d 5 6 7 1 27 5 33 7 b k p ti
. . .

r u s, G m i 330 s u
g2
e an oo on re n carn a on ,
D u 39 27 6
, , , , .

r se s ,
D h Th 341
.

Gi b g D 336
, .

uc e ss , e, ns ur r
D g t C 333 G l wl J ph 66 9 1 2 14 334 342
.
. .
, .

u ue an ose
D u t J h 334 G ti 6 7 2 226 227
.
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n on o n n os cs ,
D p td N m G th 7 17 5
, ,
.
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u on 97 e e o urs , oe e,
G ld f Py t h g
. .
,
D u Prel , B aron , 54 o en v e rses o 2 81 a oras ,
G dwi J 335
. .

oo n,
N p t y 251 260 G Ed m d W 146
.
, .

EA STER oe r -
osse , un
i ti
,

G k phil ph 20 200 201 22 6

. .
.
,

Easte rn 7
re n carn a on , re e oso ers ,
b G g 28 2 G imm 341
.
, , , ,
E e rs, e or e , . r , .
 I N DEX . 347

G rosse , C 331 Jen n n i g s, H , 336 .

Gy m p hi
. .
.
,
n oso sts, 5 , 80 , 87 , 196 Je n y n s, Soame , 34 64 , 66, 87 , 335
J
. , .

e ro me , 224 , 225 , 236

J
.

HA EGG BOTH , N ic , 329 6, 18 , 84 , 112 , 2 18

e sus ,
J ih
. . .

H a n er G , 329 ew s pre emste n ce , 2 10 ,

z J
.
, .

H a , 25 9 , 33 9 e w s , 6, 7 2
g b h K J h Bpi
. .

H a e n ac , A , 340 o n th e a t st , 6, 114, 2 18
J l
. . .

H ald re d , 33 7 oh n son , Samu e , 33 7

l J
. .

H a e , E E , 342 on e s , Sir W , 338

d J ph
. . . . .

Har y , R S , 246, ose us , 2 10 , 2 17

J dg
. . .

Hart m an n , F , 10 , 33 7 u me n t d ay , 302
p J i M
. . .

H au t , E D , 330 ust n arty r, 23 2

h J li
. . . .

H awt orn e , u an , 55 , 341

P l K AA S C b l
.

H ayn e , au H , 129 , 29 1 AB L ee a a a.
l
. . .

H eav e n an d He l 2 8 8 K li d
a 25 1 2 8 sa, 7
dg K t Em 7 35 65 66 109 300
, .
, .

He e , F H , x , 120 , 33 1, 338 , 339 an

gl K m 299
. . .
, .
, , , , , , .

He e , 65 ar a,
l
.

K t S 332
.

He mon t , F M , 65 , 329 , 334 , 33 9 . ars e n ,

K th Up i h d 252
. .
,
. .

H e n , L , 340 a a an s a
ii
.

K l C A G 32 9 342
. .
,

Hen r c , H , 329 ei
d J K mbl F
. . . .
,
.
, , .

Her er, G , 7 , 65 , 7 5 , 330 , 339 e A 308 e, ran ce s

i K 332
. . . . .
,

He red ty , 5 8 e rn ,
i d ig i i
.

f th O i t t w d
.

He ret cs a v ocat n re n carn at on , 7 2 Ki im l

27g
n n ess o e r en o ar an a s,

d t 197 340
H e ro o u s, Ki g C W 338
n

Ki g D W i ll i m 27 7
, .
, . .
, .

H e usse , M , 3 2 9 n r. a
l G
. .

Kl wit z A W 33 1
, , .

H e w ett , H ( Son n e t), vi . . e

K i gh t W i ll i m X 10 50 52
.
, .
, .

H ie rocl e s, 46, 22 9 , 28 1 n a
il i
.
, .
, , , ,
H ar us , 236 3 23 34 2
i d i i
.

K pp C F 330
, .

H n u re n carn at on , 7 , 39 , 246 . Se e oe en
K g
. .
, .
,
B rahman ism an d B ud d his m ru W T , 33 1
i
.
, . . .

H ppocrate s , 8 1 Kue n en , A , 340

dg
. . .

H o e , D r , 34
d L C R A E 3 12
. .

H o son , B H , 338 AN A ST E
L d L E 133
. .
.
,

f J
. . .
,

H o mann , osef , 3 13 an on ,
L m L y 3 10 ,
. . .

gg J
.

Ho , am e s , 4 1, 92 , 341 arco uc
Lt b i
.
, ,

l
.

Ho m es , 0 W , 12 6 a er ti 329 330
ook s on re n carn a on ,
il L w W i l li m 64 66
. . .
, .

Hon e , W li am , 38 a a
L w f C ti
. , , , .

H orace , 126 a o 29 9 a usa on ,

gh L d L w f M 245 27 2 27 3 27 5 338
.
.

Hou t on , or , 150 a s o an n ,

d L f G (W W hi tm ) 144
, , , ,
. .

H u son , 0 F , 336 e av e s o ras s an

g Vi p M l 27 9
. . .
. .
,

H u o, ct or, 17 1 L ky E
ec

s uro e an ora s ,
D id L ib i tz 7 54 65 108
. .

H um e , av , 16, 65 , 7 1, 94 , 33 6 e n
L l d C G 137
. , , , , ,

H un t , E B , 341 e an
L
, . .

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. . .
,

H un t , He e n , 288 P 66 333
e roux ,
L i g 7 35 7 2 65 7 1
.
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.
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,

H uy e n s , C , 66, 329 e ss n 339

L w G g H y 31
. .
, , , , , , .

Hy mn s, 190 , 19 1 e es , e or e en r
L y d D 156 ,
. .

e en , r
Li ht b g 7 1
.
, .

h umu 76 s, c en er ,

d i B dih
. .

I e n t ty (T Al r c ), 13C Lid d H P 336

on ,
Li ght f A i 126 240 256 262 298
.
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M Li m J R 333 ,

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I rh ov e , W m , 3 29 M i h R 341
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M i l 343
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M gi 5 80 87
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J u mmcn us, 81, 229 , 282 , 329 . a a as , .

348 I N DEX .

Man : Fragmen ts of F org otten History , Or ph e u s an d Eury ce , 295 di

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22 6, 2 27 Ov 5 2 3 , 168 , 19 49 200 , 339 .

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2 7 2 , 27 3 , 27 5 , 338
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M J P di 83 22 1 ,
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M ll d P k S 334
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arv e , An re w, 167 ar er,

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M zz i i P l J 7 5 2 7 2 288
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Md P l i 227
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M P l i 17
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M pp P l gi i 3 2
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em ory , O n (T u e r ), 154 e a an s n
M p h P i di y 82 247
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e te m sy c osi s See Re i n ca rn a ti on er o c e ar,
M p h i Di l g d
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P i p m 25 7
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134 Pezzan i , A , 66, 97 , 333

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n e s , R M , 150 , 250 r ma e os o y , 60 , 61
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M hi J Pl i
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M ll
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Re n carn at on A me r can , i
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t h e soul re u re s re q i in carn a P i J W , 342
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rose wr t e rs u on re ncarn at on , 65 i
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350 I N D EX .

h J
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W e ste r, D 300
pp W ed e kin G 33 1
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W l h T i d 6 169 27 5
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W hi tt i J G ii 130
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V h Wi lli N P 41 141 341
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