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Reincarnation
 

Reincarnation

Incarnate means, in the flesh (see carnal / carne). To reincarnate
means to be in the flesh again.
Though many cultures have their lore about the travels of the soul
from one body to the other, (such as into certain animals which by
virtue of the ancestral soul become sacred) it is from the Hindu
doctrines that we get the rules, the why's and wherefore's about
reincarnation. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion and as such
has been added to and deleted from over countless centuries.
The Hinduism of today is of course not the Hinduism proposed
by it's founding fathers.
There are countless books and articles one can look up online
to verify the information here. I'm not going to directly quote any
particular works. To do so would only serve to point out certain
translations, to the exclusion of others. 

Since Sanscrit does not led itself to being translated into English,
translations rely on comparisons. Comparisons are not always 
understood the way the writer intended them to be. This increases
the likelihood of misunderstanding. It is better to "not understand,"
and therefore take no action, than to misunderstand and engage
in a wrong action, and thinking is action. This is almost a Hindu
way of thinking. 
This brings up another point. Hindu logic vs. Western logic. They are
not the same. The logical conclusions drawn by the Western mind
are as far from the logical conclusions drawn by the Hindu mind, as
East is from West. 

The core of the Hindu religion is based on the proposition, that the
source of all things is infinite. The soul on the other hand is not.
The soul is caught up in Samsara as a direct result of Karma and
is therefore born again after death, and that it carries a record
of all preceding existence (DNA), which makes up it's current lot,
in life.
Samsara is translated as illusion, or the world of illusion, yet Samsara
is as real as it gets as far as humans are concerned. Karma is translated
as action, any action. Liberation from Samsara means that you are
free from the birth death rebirth cycle. Living your live's according
to the proper devotion, virtue (and these virtues are clearly defined
by the sacred texts) and spiritual discipline, is thought to release one
from Karma and the Wheel of Samsara. Thus the soul becomes one with
the infinite, losing it's individuality, never to return to the flesh. 
The various Yoga (Yokes) are life long practices which are intended
to lead one to liberation. Nirvana, Liberation, enlightenment, whatever
term you use, can not be conceived. It is outside and beyond the wheel
of Samsara so it is beyond all known things.

There is no good or bad karma in Hinduism. 

Good and bad karma are a western misunderstanding. Karma is karma
and since it keeps one from liberation, it's all bad. Living in a manner
that will lead to liberation, would be considered good. All else is bad. 
In the Western mind, having plenty and being healthy and happy is a good
life. Being a diseased beggar would be a bad life. In the Eastern mind,
both are equal because they both lead to death and rebirth. The Eastern
mind does not seek to do good to earn a better life (this is a Western idea), 
because there is no better life. There is life, and your current condition
is a result of accumulated Karma from your former lives. There is no
judgement involved. It would however infuriate a rich westerner if you
pointed to a homeless drunk on the street and told him, there is your
equal. 
From my personal involvement in Eastern religions, I would have to say,
blessed are the wretched, for they are most inclined to seek liberation.
Woe onto them that love their life as the are cursed to be born again and 
not know the source of all things. 
Some methods of stopping karma, entails stopping karma. That is, doing
nothing, engaging in no action. Prolonged seated meditation while fasting,
sometimes to the point of physical atrophy. This would be a Holy man.

Of course this is not "my" practice because I do not believe that the 
extinction of the soul is the be all end all miracle of life. I am simply
offering this information for those who may be confused by eclectic 
philosophies that borrow from Hinduism and twist it into something it is
not. 

One might be inclined to think, if Yoga and following Hindu doctrine led
to liberation there would be fewer and fewer Hindus, until there wouldn't
be any. But some of the Hindu writing's I've read point to it taking, I 
don't know, something like 10,000 life times and if you flub up along the
way, I guess you have to start over or something. My memory is not that 
clear on this point, save to say, it's a far more involved investment than
I am willing to pursue while being dubious about the outcome. 

Certain mystics have concocted "short paths" to enlightenment. 
The problem becomes one of  "if you find any path to the extinction of the
soul, you won't be around to tell anybody about it."  Hence, the concept of
Ascended Masters. Those who have returned to guide others. Since there is 
no returning from extinction, these would have to be considered aspects of
Samsara, equivalent to "False Prophets."
In Buddhist doctrines, there is the concept of the Bodhisattva, one who 
puts off his enlightenment until all things down to the last blade of grass
are enlightened. This seems on the surface to be an aspect of the Hero epic,
the concept of a savior so no one gets left behind. This idea too, is very
human and very Samsara and most likely should be regarded as another trick
to thwart enlightenment.

Addendum:

It has been two days since I wrote the above. In that time it has come to me,
if we remove "I" (ego) from the equation, we arrive at:

"The soul is covered in a sheath that contains the record of it's past Karma." 

Our body is a sheath, our DNA contains the record of our entire existence,
therefore our soul resides within our flesh. We are bound in many ways by 
the source, of our flesh.
Our Ancestors live within us and can be seen in our face.

The Hindu "Prana" equals both life and spirit and physically manifest as the
air we breath.

The Western insistence in the belief that the soul is separate from the body
and only dwells within it, till it is released at death, causes confusion.

The proposition, that the soul and the body are so integrated, that one cannot
exist without the other, is frightening to the human ego. For if this is truth,
Heaven and Hell disappear, and the best you can hope for is right here and right
now. You are everything you ever were and to some extent, ever will be. As luck
would have it, there is more to you than you imagine.

On the comical side, this means, if you are not of Egyptian decent, then you 
in fact, were not Cleopatra (or the Scorpion King) in a previous incarnation.

On the glorious side, all of the gifts of the spirit and the capacity for miracles
reside in your combined body and soul. 

All of your ancestors are within you. Though it might not be wise to seek their
advice. The best all of them have managed to come up with so far is you :-)

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