Reincarnation & Karma: Welcome Back To Earth!!!

Gee, it’s Friday today. I don’t really feel like thanking God right now because Fridays for me are boring. Everyone is having fun outside while I’m inside my room experimenting with air, chanting mantras, reading stuff written by famous dead guys, and staring at empty space. Come to think of it, everyday is boring because nothing new ever happens. But hey, that’s just the way I like it. I guess that’s my karma; I’m supposed to bore myself to death. Speaking of death, do dead people really come back to take another physical form as what the doctrine of reincarnation implies? Hmm…

I’ve already written something about reincarnation and karma when I talked about foreknowledge of death, life after death, yoga, cause and effect, and suffering, but have not published a dedicated article. For this reason, I thought it would be nice to create one just to fill the gap. Now let me explain what reincarnation and karma means before I begin my rant. Huh? Rant?

Yes! I’m just ranting. Nothing special about this post, really. Anyhoo…


Karma, Karma, Karma Chameleon

In Indian thought, karma is the force whereby thoughts, desires, and actions produce positive or negative consequences in this or a future life. This occurs not randomly, but by law because everything happens by law. Take note that science and religion both agree that the universe is governed by laws. Nonetheless, whether you are scientifically minded or totally religious, Karma is a fundamental law which doesn’t really care about your opinion.

Now, all of our thoughts, desires, emotions and actions produce their corresponding result and this result is recorded naturally and automatically in our soul’s ledger. Basically, this means that every time you think of something, want something, feel something, or do something, it creates an impression on your soul. The more you allow these things to happen, which could either be good or bad, the deeper the impressions you create. It’s like carving names on a tree trunk, something that a fan of Boy George would do in his lifetime. The deeper you carve, the longer it will last.


Transmigration of the Fool

Reincarnation or the transmigration of the soul is the belief in the incarnation or embodiment of a soul in a new body after it has left the old one at physical death. Our life is like a flowing current in which two processes work at the same time. The first process involves the fructification of karma we have made in the past, either in this life or the previous one. The second process involves the generation of new karma which will bear fruit in the future.

The wise men of ancient times tell us that those who achieve a pre-enlightenment condition – typically reached by meditation, ascetic discipline, or the attainment of wisdom – can act so as to live without collecting karmic consequences. This decreases the chances of acquiring another body after death. You just need to do what needs to be done.

Of course, the Fool, which Mr. T pities so much, doesn’t know what needs to be done. That's because he cannot see how time destroys everything in its path. He cannot see how any kind of achievement in this world is devoid of permanence. He doesn’t realize that everyone he loves and everything he owns are deliberately transient in nature and will eventually say goodbye to this hellhole we call physical reality. And worst of all, he doesn’t remember what he did in the past because any indication that he had lived a previous life is hidden from him. Do these fools also deserve our pity or are we all fools?


As Courtesy To The Next User

I’d be a hypocrite if I say that everything I do is in complete accord with all the things that I write about on my blog (that’s honesty right there, folks). There are still many instances when I find myself deviating from my so-called vows. Of course, my life is a work in progress, and I think exhausting my karma and doing my best to acquire nothing more is just one of the many reasons that I’m here on Earth. On second thought, I’m still not sure why I’m here. All I have are just small hints. I’m not asking for your pity though.

In the last company I worked for, they had this note posted on cubicle walls in the men’s room that said, “Please flush the toilet as courtesy to the next user.” I like that sign, you know. It explains reincarnation and karma in just one sentence. Think about it. When you reincarnate, it’s not actually you who is reincarnating. Although it’s the same soul, a different body will be created, a different personality will be developed, and a new set of experiences will unfold. With regard to Karma, well, it's just like crap. It's something that you need to flush down the toilet. When you clean up after you unleash your mess, it’s like doing your next incarnation a favor. So, flush the toilet as courtesy to the next YOU. Only fools don’t flush.