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Reincarnation On Trial

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Dr. Carl Wickland, Gateway Of Understanding, informs us:

In Illuminated Brahminism, a communication [transmitted from the afterlife by] Ranga Hilyod, the ancient Indian teacher called the Great Brahma, an explanation is given of the original Brahminical doctrines and "the perversion of a great truth into a malign superstition... which has become a source of the most pestilent spiritual mischief."

Hilyod: "There is one effect of the doctrine of reincarnation of the souls of the dead that is felt with direful power in the spiritual world of India. Myriads who have left the physical life hover over the mortals of that country seeking for opportunities to become re-embodied, in order that they may realize the promised relief from their imperfect development in the former earth life. They are earth-bound to a degree that infects the mental atmosphere of its people with almost hopeless despair, for however intense may be their desire, they are never able to obtain the fancied reincarnation."

"Could India emancipate herself from the tyranny of the idea of reincarnation, she would rise in the scale of spiritual enlightenment far higher than she rose in the age of the Vedas or when Capilya or Gautama led her hosts toward the heavenly paradise. She must do this or she must remain the prey to vile superstitions, and her moral nature be degraded by the mental influx of myriad hosts who strive in vain to realize the truth of the dogma."

"I taught that one God alone was Supreme, and the true object of adoration and praise. I taught that from this Being proceeded all that had life and existence in the world of spirit or mortal being. I taught that to this Being all who passed from physical life would return, but I never taught that returning to the presence spiritual of the great Om would result in the annihilation of the individual or his inability to return to Earth as a spirit."

"I did teach that all spirits could return to Earth to manifest, and influence mortals, and I also taught that such a return would be determined by the mental bias of the individual."

"There were those who could not understand how a spirit could come to Earth without being re-embodied in physical life... To suppose that in the statements which I left on record as to the nature of the soul there is or ever was any basis for the present theory of transmigration, is to pervert a great truth until it has become a most grievous error. I taught that the pathway of the race was upward, not downward, and that the world of spirit held in itself the power to emancipate all souls from the thralldom of spiritual slavery."

Editor's note: He is saying that "the world of spirit" -- not a series of mortal lives -- offers "the power to emancipate souls..."

"Whenever any great soul arises upon Earth, manifesting the attributes of wisdom and love, such a soul does not lose its power of expression upon Earth, for there will ever be correlative spirits born there through which the higher developed mind in spirit can give expression to its own existence... As individuals they can only return through the power of the spiritual transfer of thought, which enables them to register upon the mentality of mortals the wisdom that pertains to the world of developed mind."

Editor's note: The speaker Hilyod explains the origin of reincarnation, how he was misunderstood or, in many cases, how his words were twisted by a priest caste. His original message was that a “great soul,” a wise person, after death, could continue his or her “power of expression upon the Earth,” but not by a new mortal incarnation. Instead, spirit-persons can “return” via a “spiritual transfer of thought,” allowing them to “register upon the mentality of mortals.” We call this inspiration. And this was the original message, not 100,000 mortal lives to come.

"The law of spiritual unfoldment is this, that, the better the conditions, the wiser and purer the life; and while it may be necessary for the spiritual entity to lay its foundation in planetary life, the sooner it can escape from bad conditions there the more likely it will be to have a beautiful development.

the better the conditions, the wiser and purer the life

Editor’s note: A radical idea which directly contradicts views of popularly-conceived reincarnation: "the better the conditions, the wiser and purer the life." Notice the implications. We did not come to this world to gain ultimate wisdom, love, and fullness of life. We came here merely to open our spirits, "to lay the foundation," that we might gain enough awareness, consciousness, to start the real process of soul evolvement.

In other words, suffering does not bring out the best in us, but it is very good for one thing. This world's program of duality, the light and the dark, the hot and cold, the joy and the pain, etc., is to be experienced here, in "planetary life"; however, this is mere "foundation" and introduction, an orientation, to the real classroom of the "wiser" and "purer life" yet to come. Traditional reincarnation says that we must suffer, in multiple lifetimes - the more, the better - suffer our way into great wisdom and exalted being; but, it's an upside down view concerning natural law.

“It may have to stay in the mortal environment for a season to perfect the form powers, but when that is once accomplished no necessity exists for further imprisonment upon earth, for all that earth can teach is what pertains to the physical senses rather than to the spiritual life, and to condemn a spirit to return to it after once having had its nature developed in that direction would be to degrade rather than exalt the soul, nor could anything be gained by it".

“… let the priesthood of Benares, as well as all through the borders of India, change the current of thought relative to the subject of the reincarnation of the spirit. It will not return again to re-enter the sphere of embodied life, although it may cling to earth with the tenacity of a perverted imagination for centuries. It cannot progress toward the grade of an intelligent understanding of creative power as long as it seeks to re-enter the sphere of earth embodiment, and its purification can only be attained by rising above the conceptions of perverted thought…”

"By the law of spiritual evolution, the spirit once having had its formative stages in earthly or planetary life has no more necessity for returning to that condition than the developed bird has to reenter the shell of the embryonic period.

"The law does not call for the return to the environment of earth after its escape from the atmosphere of earthly thoughts, nor does it ever need to express itself again in the realm of earthly embodiment. Its pathway to Nirvana is away from earth, and happy the soul who is freed from the idea of ever having to tread the path through mortal life again.”

Ranga Hilyod reports that he received his information from Siddartha Sakyamuni.

Editor's note: Siddartha Sakyamuni is the one history calls the Great Buddha.

from https://www.learnreligions.com/shakyamuni-buddha-449787

Although we often speak of "the Buddha," there are many Buddhas in Buddhism. On top of that, the many Buddhas come with many names and forms and play multiple roles. The word "Buddha" means "one who woke up," and in Buddhist doctrine, any such enlightened individual is technically a Buddha... 

Shakyamuni [Sanskrit word for "Sage of the Shakya," a famous clan in ancient India] Buddha is a name given to the historical Buddha... So it's nearly always the case that when someone is talking about Shakyamuni, he or she is speaking of the historical figure who was born Siddhartha Gautama but then became known as Shakyamuni only after he became the Buddha. This person, after his enlightenment, is also sometimes called Gautama Buddha.

Siddartha Sakyamuni or the Great Buddha presents the following views concerning reincarnation. He seeks to address a great error attached to this doctrine:

"When the error went forth from what was considered competent authority, through the Brahmin priesthood, that metempsychosis...

Editor's note: metempsychosis [or reincarnation]: "passing of the soul at death into another body, human or animal," from Late Latin metempsychosis, from Greek metempsychosis, from meta, here indicating "change" (see meta-) + empsykhoun "to put a soul into," from en "in" + psyche "soul". A Pythagorean word for transmigration of souls at death.

"... was the destiny of the spirit, the mentality of India was so poisoned by it that for centuries there was no improvement or desire for relief except in annihilation...

"The myriad victims (of this error) have been seeking the relief from consequences that result from the notations of the natural law of spirit unfoldment and have crowded back to the earth, seeking in vain to become reincarnated over and over again, hoping against hope for generations... By inductive transfer of thought these spirits have infected the mental world of the mortals of India with a hopeless despair... and the nation has sunk under the burden of this weight of ignorance."

Editor’s note: Let us recognize that reincarnation is not a choice! Untold numbers, “myriad victims,” desire and attempt to “become reincarnated”, but cannot, and achieve only a state of earth-bound insanity. Above, we spoke of the wise spirits who might inspire or “transfer thought” to an earth-dweller; but notice that, if an insane one attempts this “transfer of thought”, then “these spirits have infected the mental world of the mortals … with a hopeless despair” and a “burden of … ignorance.” This poisoned "transfer of thought" is also the basis of "past lives." As we've asked, "Whose memories are they?"

the only reincarnation, if it could be called such, is to a higher spiritual evolvement of the soul, in higher and better worlds

"The only incarnation that will give relief is the embodiment of spiritual light upon a basis of scientific demonstration, and the only metempsychosis that will avail its people is the lifting of the soul from the belief or desire of any further experience in the world of physical life to the infinite unfoldment that awaits the spirit in the worlds immortal. It is there that the true metempsychosis is to be experienced."

"Developed spirits who have attained the states of freedom from desire and the disposition of benevolence do not wish to ever return to the atmosphere of earth, but on the part of those who are ignorant devotees of transmigration there is a great tendency to cling to earth... The hope of reincarnation is entirely vain and serves no good purpose, but retards the spirit from going forward in the spheres of unfolding thought. When the spirit is freed from its earthly form it should be able to go onward in the spheres of eternal unfoldment."

Dr. Wickland: We must realize that this mundane existence is but a primary school for the unfoldment of consciousness and other innate mental faculties and that at "death" the spirit, freed from physical cares and hindrances, enters the next school where greater opportunities are available for progressive attainment and understanding of God's Plan.

If mankind will set aside prejudice and, in place of the dogmatic cults and isms which, aside from any moral precepts they may contain, are in so many instances only opiates to the soul, open-mindedly co-operate with the Intelligences from the next school of life, who are ever eager to convey the assurance that they are not "dead," it will revolutionize the world's conception of the Creator and the creation of which we are a part and afford an intelligent understanding of the meaning of life, the lack of which is keeping the world in doubt and despair.

When this inter-communication is fully established, then, and then only, will humanity begin to discern the fundamental wrongs of the prevailing system of economics which hitherto not been fully comprehended.

It will reveal that the enlightenment of the soul, as it passes through this mundane sphere, is the primary objective and that experiences pertaining to the physical life are only a means to that end.

Part II