By Dr. Jonathan Isibor.
Last week, the first part of this article was published. Presented below is the second part: The responsibility for a situation, therefore, rests, above all, on man himself. It is he who establishes his ‘destiny’ and the steps which this will take.
The main issue here is the idea of personal responsibility in the circumstances that one meets in life and the need to understand the lesson which is necessary to gain from it.
In each moment of conscious life Karmic justice is ready to prevail instantly or at a later date in one’s life, but commensurate with the desired lessons to be learnt.
Let us ask ourselves this question. Is it possible for humans to attain the much desired refinement and spiritual growth in just one lifetime opportunity, that is, within a single incarnation? Certainly, the answer is ‘NO’!
As I write this article, I know that my mental capability now is not solely the result of my exposure to the kindergarten, primary or college education I had several years ago, neither is it dependent solely on knowledge acquired in my first year undergraduate studies in the university.
It is equally true that my academic ability as a holder of a doctorate degree in Medical Microbiology cannot be credited exclusively to my university education.
My overall education in my present life is as a result of the cumulative experience so far acquired. Further still is the fact that my academic status not withstanding, many things still remain to be learnt in life, as life itself is an evolving learning process.
Without doubts, I believe this analogy holds true for others. How then does the doctrine of reincarnation come into play in all this? What is reincarnation?
Reincarnation is the doctrine that the soul enters this life not a fresh creation, but after a long course of previous existences, and will have to pass through many more before it reaches its final destination.
Let it be known that the doctrine of reincarnation does not excuse anyone from the personal responsibilities one has to shoulder in any earthly incarnation!
No being can take an undue advantage of it, as it is never an escapist route from the vicissitudes of living in a mundane world.
I fondly regard the doctrine of reincarnation and its twin law of karma as natural cautionary signposts along the path of life that remind us of our responsibilities, as we journey through the rough terrain of life on earth towards our final destination- Perfection.
Let us analyze this from another perspective. “The soul of man, a divine essence, has an attribute a memory or consciousness which constitutes the personality of the individual ego.
This personality is immortal, as the Soul Essence is immortal. The Soul Essence is unseperated from the universal cosmic or divine essence, only a part of which resides in each being during an earthly incarnation.
The personality is, however, distinct and unique with each being. This personality manifests in the human body during its earthly life as the ego or character of the person, and at transition (death) moves on and into the cosmic plane along with the Soul Essence.
There it remains until the right time for another incarnation with the Soul Essence in another physical body, for more and different earthly experiences, which are added to the personality memory and remain intact there as the accumulating knowledge and wisdom of the inner self.
Life after life through varied experiences the personality unfolds as we become more and more conscious of the cosmic intelligence within us.
The mystical doctrine underlying the necessity of reincarnation is the absorption of the soul personality into the Universal Mind, the process of perfecting the soul personality.
The central theme here is that the soul of man, with its consciousness of self, or personality, is pre – existent, immortal, and eternal.
It has always existed, but passes through the universal process of change. It is this consciousness of self, this mind and memory which we characterize as personality which grows and is molded into greater comprehension and power through the various cycles of evolution.
In the “Mansions of the soul”, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis wrote that: the soul with its personality enters into the physical body with its perfect memory of all past experiences and its acquired penalties and rewards earned through the law of Karuna or Law of retributive justice.
As earlier pointed out in the foregoing article, Karma is not revengeful. It can only be re – creative and constructive.
It demands only justice – justice to all, the sinner and the one sinned against. Karma leaves nothing to the judgment of man, for he had his choice and decided.
My reader must have by now discovered in reincarnation and Karma the only rational and acceptable explanation and cause for the seeming injustice of the inequalities of life.
According to Swami Sivananda, “the doctrine of reincarnation assists most when we look at the inequality and injustice and evil in the world and seek the solution.
Why is one man born rich and the other poor? Why is one man born in Central Africa among the cannibals and the other in a peaceful part of India?
Why is Queen Victoria born to rule over the territories on which the sun never sets and why is a laborer in Burma to work as a slave, in an Englishman’s tea – garden.
What is the cause of this apparent injustice? Even those who have belief in the personal Creator of the universe must believe in this doctrine of reincarnation in order to exonerate
God from the charge of maliciousness.
Reincarnation is the only doctrine that gives a complete solution to the much disputed question of original sun.
Whoever conceived this idea among our early Christian fathers had their reasons for this.
Nevertheless, my thoughts are in tune with those of Swami Sivananda who believes that there cannot be greater injustice in the world than the idea that one is now suffering for the transgression of his ancestors!
It is however important to note that the inequalities in life are actually karmic, and, in accordance with the law of karma, are adjustable.
Thus man’s fate is ever in the molding, and man alone bears the responsibility.
In the concluding part of this article, I shall consider some established views of some religions on the subject of reincarnation, and reported or proven evidences or cases in support of this time-tested and age-old doctrine.
Dr. Jonathan Isibor is an Associate Professor of Microbiology at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State of Nigeria. He can be reached at: joe_isibor@yahoo.com
