Back to the roots - XXIII
Journey of the Soul - IV
This explanation by Vedanta answers a few corollary questions which have been intriguing me.
When does the cause and effect principle take hold on the deeds of a person? Is there no payback for the deeds of a person? We have learnt from our ancestors and religious instructions that "As you sow, so will you reap? When does it happen? In general we have been taught that this happens after the Soul goes to heaven or hell. I believed that this happens in this very life. I believed that what you achieve in this life is your heaven of hell. The Vedanta explains that not only this happens in this life for some causes, it carries over to afterlife as determined by your duration of heavenly pleasures and also to the next birth, the qualifications of which are determined by the Soul by its tendencies of the previous birth and the corrective experiences that is needs to gain in the new birth.
The second question is if man is to live only one life, why does he strive for perfection? Why does he find satisfaction in taking up challenges and surmounting them? Why does he take the tedious path of toil and learning to become abundant? Why does he not loot, murder and resort to all kinds of shortcuts to gain abundance? Why does he set a set up a system of punishing those who resort to such shortcuts? The answer is because the desire to be perfect, to be one with perfection lies within us. The Soul, which is ever evolving, drives us on a path to perfection to attain perfection and divinity after numerous births, each of which is a learning session. We accumulate the lessons from each birth and take one step forward to all knowing perfection.
The third question is whether the Soul retains its individuality during each birth? or does the Soul during each birth take on a new "identity", which has no relevance to its "identity" in the previous birth? This question can be re-framed as "does the Soul have a memory of its past incarnations"? Vedanta explains that Souls retains its individuality. It has a cumulative memory of all its incarnations. The next question that immediately comes to mind is when the Soul has memories of all its incarnations, why the physical form of the Soul does not have memories of its past lives? The answer is that it is not needed. Imagine a situation if I in this birth remember what I did in previous births, how I am going to live this life fruitfully. Rather I will be in a highly confused state which will fray my energies and cause in-numerous diversions to do what I had needed to do in this life.
There are certain methods in Yoga which develop the power of concentration to such an extent that the past lives can be remembered. One such Yoga form is called Raja Yoga.
The next question is what is heaven after all? Is it a place where one can wine and dine at will? Is it a place where all pleasurable desires are fulfilled? is it a place of relaxation? Where is it located - on some planet or high up in the sky?Whenever we pray to God why do we look up towards the sky? Why do we say God is up above? Is there a glass partition between heaven and hell through which the residents of heaven see the suffering of the people in hell to recognise the pleasures of staying in heaven? Some religious opinions answer these questions affirmatively. I understood that Heaven itself is transient. It is not the same place for all Souls. The experience of heaven that each Soul realises, is different. It depends on the level of evolution of the Soul. It is located in another dimension, beyond the three dimensions that we perceive with our physical senses. It may be very close to us. We do not know. It is a dimension that we, in our physical form, can not enter. Exceptions are the highly evolved Yogis who can transcendent. This is called a state of Samadhi when the Soul leaves the physical form temporarily, experiences the other dimension and returns to the physical form. As per Vedanta "Even the highest heaven is temporary and non-eternal. The realms that exist between the earth and highest heaven mark only the phenomenal growth and progress of the individual souls. Those who go there are also subject to rebirth. They will come back again. But those who have attained perfection transcend all heaven, understand eternal life and remain perfect for ever and ever".
In the next post I will discuss the issues of those extra ordinary persons who were way above the norms of mental development at very young age - The Prodigies. This has been one area to which I could get the best answer from Vedanta's concept of immortal existence of soul.
See you again
Prabir
The second question is if man is to live only one life, why does he strive for perfection? Why does he find satisfaction in taking up challenges and surmounting them? Why does he take the tedious path of toil and learning to become abundant? Why does he not loot, murder and resort to all kinds of shortcuts to gain abundance? Why does he set a set up a system of punishing those who resort to such shortcuts? The answer is because the desire to be perfect, to be one with perfection lies within us. The Soul, which is ever evolving, drives us on a path to perfection to attain perfection and divinity after numerous births, each of which is a learning session. We accumulate the lessons from each birth and take one step forward to all knowing perfection.
The third question is whether the Soul retains its individuality during each birth? or does the Soul during each birth take on a new "identity", which has no relevance to its "identity" in the previous birth? This question can be re-framed as "does the Soul have a memory of its past incarnations"? Vedanta explains that Souls retains its individuality. It has a cumulative memory of all its incarnations. The next question that immediately comes to mind is when the Soul has memories of all its incarnations, why the physical form of the Soul does not have memories of its past lives? The answer is that it is not needed. Imagine a situation if I in this birth remember what I did in previous births, how I am going to live this life fruitfully. Rather I will be in a highly confused state which will fray my energies and cause in-numerous diversions to do what I had needed to do in this life.
There are certain methods in Yoga which develop the power of concentration to such an extent that the past lives can be remembered. One such Yoga form is called Raja Yoga.
The next question is what is heaven after all? Is it a place where one can wine and dine at will? Is it a place where all pleasurable desires are fulfilled? is it a place of relaxation? Where is it located - on some planet or high up in the sky?Whenever we pray to God why do we look up towards the sky? Why do we say God is up above? Is there a glass partition between heaven and hell through which the residents of heaven see the suffering of the people in hell to recognise the pleasures of staying in heaven? Some religious opinions answer these questions affirmatively. I understood that Heaven itself is transient. It is not the same place for all Souls. The experience of heaven that each Soul realises, is different. It depends on the level of evolution of the Soul. It is located in another dimension, beyond the three dimensions that we perceive with our physical senses. It may be very close to us. We do not know. It is a dimension that we, in our physical form, can not enter. Exceptions are the highly evolved Yogis who can transcendent. This is called a state of Samadhi when the Soul leaves the physical form temporarily, experiences the other dimension and returns to the physical form. As per Vedanta "Even the highest heaven is temporary and non-eternal. The realms that exist between the earth and highest heaven mark only the phenomenal growth and progress of the individual souls. Those who go there are also subject to rebirth. They will come back again. But those who have attained perfection transcend all heaven, understand eternal life and remain perfect for ever and ever".
In the next post I will discuss the issues of those extra ordinary persons who were way above the norms of mental development at very young age - The Prodigies. This has been one area to which I could get the best answer from Vedanta's concept of immortal existence of soul.
See you again
Prabir
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