The Law of Rebirth

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Summary: A collection of statements by the Tibetan


"All souls incarnate and reincarnate under the Law of Rebirth. Hence each life is not only a recapitulation of life experience, but an assuming of ancient obligations, a recovery of old relations, an opportunity for the paying of old indebtedness, a chance to make restitution and progress, an awakening of deep-seated qualities, the recognition of old friends and enemies, the solution of revolting injustices, and the explanation of that which conditions the man and makes him what he is. Such is the law which is crying now for universal recognition, and which, when understood by thinking people, will do much to solve the problems of sex and marriage.
     Why will this be so? Because when this law is admitted as a governing intellectual principle, all men will tread more carefully the path of life, and will proceed with greater caution to fulfil their family and group obligations. They will know full well that 'whatsoever a man soweth, that will he also reap', and that he will reap it here and now, not in some mystical and mythical heaven or hell; he will have to make his adjustments in the life of everyday upon earth, which provides an adequate heaven and a more than adequate hell. The spreading of this doctrine of rebirth, its scientific recognition and proving, is fast going forward." (Esoteric Psychology, Vol. l, p. 300/1 )

"Advanced souls, and those whose intellectual capacity is rapidly developing, come back with great rapidity, owing to their sensitive response to the pull of obligations, interests, and responsibilities already established upon the physical plane. . . .
     Man reincarnates under no time urge. He incarnates under the demands of karmic liability, under the pull of that which he, as a soul, has initiated, and because of a sensed need to fulfil instituted obligations; he incarnates also from a sense of responsibility and to meet requirements which an earlier breaking of the laws governing right human relations have imposed upon him. When these requirements, soul necessities, experiences and responsibilities have all been met, he enters permanently 'into the clear cold light of love and life' and no longer needs (as far as he himself is concerned) the nursery stage of soul experience on earth. He is free from karmic impositions in the three worlds, but is still under the impulse of karmic necessity, which exacts from him the last possible ounce of service that he is in a position to render to those still under the Law of Karmic Liability." (Esoteric Healing, p. 403/5 )

"An incarnation is a definitely determined period (from the angle of the soul) wherein Experiment, Experience and Expression are the keynotes in each incarnation. Each successive incarnation continues the experiment, deepens the experience and relates the expression more closely to the latent unfolding divinity." (The Rays and the Initiations, p. 337)

Factors Governing Incarnations for Service

"The factors governing the appearance in incarnation of a disciple, are as follows:

     First, his desire to work off karma rapidly and so liberate himself for service. The Ego impresses this desire upon the disciple during incarnation, and thus obviates any counter desire on his part for the bliss of devachan, or even for work on the astral plane. The whole objective, therefore, of the disciple after death is to get rid of his subtler bodies, and acquire new ones. There is no desire for a period of rest, and as desire is the governing factor in this system of desire, and particularly in this planetary scheme, if it exists not, there is no incentive to fulfilment. The man, therefore, absents himself from the physical plane for a very brief time, and is driven by his Ego into a physical body with great rapidity.
     Second, to work out some piece of service under direction of his Master. This will involve some adjustments and occasionally the temporary arresting of his karma. These adjustments are made by the Master with the concurrence of the disciple, and are only possible in the case of an accepted disciple of some standing. It does not mean that karma is set aside, but only that certain forces are kept in abeyance until a designated group work has been accomplished.
     Third, a disciple will return into incarnation occasionally so as to fit into the plan of a greater than himself. When a messenger of the Great Lodge needs a vehicle through which to express Himself, and cannot use a physical body Himself, owing to the rarity of its substance, He will utilise the body of a disciple. We have an instance of this in the manner the Christ used the body of the initiate Jesus, taking possession of it at the time of the Baptism. Again, when a message has to be given out to the world during some recurring cycle, a disciple of high position in a Master's group will appear in physical incarnation, and be 'overshadowed' or 'inspired' (in the technically occult sense) by some teacher greater than he.
     Fourth, a disciple may, through lack of rounded development, be very far advanced along certain lines, but lack what is called the full intensification of a particular principle. He may, therefore, decide (with the full concurrence of his Ego and his Master) to take a series of rapidly recurring incarnations with the intention of working specifically at bringing a certain quality, or series of qualities, to a point of higher vibratory content, thus completing the rounding of his sphere of manifestation. This accounts for the peculiar, yet powerful, people who are met at times; they are so one-pointed and apparently so unbalanced that their sole attention is given to one line of development only, so much so that the other lines are hardly apparent. Yet their influence seems great, and out of all proportion to their superficial worth. A realisation of these factors will deter the wise students from hasty judgements, and from rapid conclusions concerning his fellow men.
      Occasionally a variation of this reason for rapid and immediate incarnation is seen when an initiate (who has nearly completed his cycle) appears in incarnation to express almost entirely one perfected principle. This he does for the good of a particular group which -- though engaged in work for humanity -- is failing somewhat in its objective through the lack of a particular quality, or stream of force. When this becomes apparent on the inner side, some advanced disciple puts the energy of that particular quality at the disposal of the Hierarchy, and is sent forth to balance that group, and frequently to do so for a period of rapidly succeeding lives.
     These are a few of the causes governing the periodic manifestation of those who are grouped in the hierarchical records as 'the aligned points of fire'. They are distinguished by the energy flowing through them, by the magnetic quality of their work, by their powerful group effects, and by their physical plane realisation of the Plan." (A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, p. 1149/51)

"Much help can also come to you if you will remember that there are certain lives in which the development of the equipment is the major goal. Then come later lives in which the prepared equipment is used." (Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. l, p. 148 )