Our reactive momenta take us from one lifetime to the next, determining the wavelength of our earthly body (and thus its characteristics, through the genes) as well as the family, environment, and social structure into which we are born. Like water poured into different cups, consciousness takes the shape of you or me. When the cups are emptied, the water merges, and all is One.
It is not necessary to believe in reincarnation in order to meditate and to lead a spiritual life. An abundance of evidence points to its validity; however, defining the philosophical structure on which it is based is another book and cannot be my intention here. Do your own research, setting aside acquired prejudices in a sincere effort to know the truth. There is no need to commit yourself to a firm belief. Your meditation will eventually reveal to you the truth of all existence.
Your spiritual life does not depend on belief but on practice. Whether you believe in one life or ten billion, your practice of meditation will still have wonderful results — some you will experience almost immediately, and some will gradually unfold over time.
Recommended Reading:
The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra
Einstein’s Space and Van Gogh’s Sky: Physical Reality and Beyond by Lawrence LeShan and Henry Margeneau
Reincarnation: a New Horizon in Science, Religion, and Society by Sylvia Cranston and Carey Williams Up from Eden by Ken Wilbur
Chapter Two The Circle of Love
We all come from God, and unto God do we return, like a stream flowing back to the ocean, like a ray of light returning to the sun.
— Quaker hymn
There is a consciousness in the grass and trees, a consciousness that animates the tiny amoeba, that manifests in the amazing animal kingdom and in the wondrous richness of human life. This consciousness permeates all creation, from the deepest recesses of our earth to the farthest unknown galaxy. It controls the movement of the stars and it blossoms in the tiniest flower. It creates, it maintains, and it destroys, and yet it is beyond even these. We can call it Brahma, the Supreme. In the ancient science of Tantra, the creation of the universe is a cycle, called Brahmachakra— the “circle of the Supreme.”
There are two parts of the cycle of creation: the “extroversal” phase of expansion, when pure consciousness manifests into matter and mind, and the “introversal” phase, when that consciousness slowly returns to its pure state. Along the way there are temporary reversals, but the essential evolution is from infinite consciousness into static matter and back to consciousness again.
When you begin to understand this cycle, you can begin to perceive the roots of all scientific and religious thought. Researchers, physicists, philosophers, and religious teachers through the ages have discovered pieces of the puzzle of creation and have labeled them in many ways, making it look as if there are many distinctly different theories of creation. But if you study carefully, you will begin to see that the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Many creation stories are simply the attempts of early teachers to translate subtle ideas into symbols that people of their day could understand.
Modern thinkers are beginning to piece together more of the creation and evolution theories, and what is emerging looks very much like yoga philosophy. Ken Wilbur, author of such groundbreaking books as The Spectrum of Consciousness and Up from Eden, maintains that the force of evolution is the drive toward spirit. “The creation did not take place all at once at some time in the distant past,” he says. “Creation is occurring now as evolution — ceaselessly novel, ceaselessly driving toward higher and higher unities in search of the absolute Unity, or spirit itself. And that, I believe, is the only way to bring science and religion together.” According to Tantra this ultimate unity is Brahma, and every being, every atom in the universe is moving toward realization of that supreme state.
Try to picture the infinite cycle of creation in your imagination. Go way back, before the beginning, before matter, before mind … oops! You’ve hit a snag already. How can you, with the mind, perceive that which is beyond the mind? The point between manifest and unmanifest consciousness is the “beginning” of the creation of the universe— a point not in time but beyond it. Only through deep meditation can you perceive this initial point, and when you do, you merge in it and you are unable to communicate that state in words. A knotty problem!
Speaking of knotty problems, I want to share with you a dilemma I encountered while writing this chapter. Tantric cosmology is fascinating and complex. It combines quantum physics, intuitive insight, and religious metaphor. Much of it is not yet understood in scientific terms. I have tried to get it into simple language and to eliminate as many Sanskrit words as possible, but, quite frankly, it’s still rough going. I considered placing it at the end of the book, but these concepts are the foundation upon which the practices of yoga and meditation are built. Understanding the cycle of creation is, in my view, very helpful — though not essential — in motivating you to do meditation and yoga practices every day. It provides a context for the conduct of everyday life.
So, it’s up to you: You can either read on from here, or skip over this chapter and read the rest of the book, referring back to this one when you need the information.
WHAT IS SUPREME CONSCIOUSNESS MADE OF?
Brahma is composed of cosmic consciousness, called Shiva, and cosmic energy, called Shakti, and it exists in two states. Like flowers and their fragrance or fire and its burning, Shiva and Shakti are inseparable. Understanding this oneness is essential. Religion often divorces Shiva from Shakti, saying that God and creation are different and separate. But both Tantric science and modern physics contend that consciousness is one, whether manifest or unmanifest.
In the very beginning Brahma is so pure that it has no sense of existence. It is beyond anything we can imagine. Shakti, the latent creative force, is composed of three tendencies or forces. The sentient tendency imparts the sense of existence and also the feelings of happiness and relief. It awakens the desire to seek liberation from bondage. It is the force of life, of luster and beauty. The mutative tendency is the sense of action, of growth; it activates the “I.” The static tendency is that which gives the results of action, which binds action to reaction. It is the force of stagnation and death.
These transforming qualities are apparent in every object of the created universe. One of these is always dominant, as the play of forces moves from one to the other. The life force of the mutative tendency is what dominates as a flower blossoms in the spring. As long as the mutative tendency prevails, the sentient tendency glows from within. But when the force of the mutative tendency is spent, the static tendency predominates, and the luster of the sentient tendency fades; the flower wilts and dies.
Imagine Shiva, or pure consciousness, to be like the ocean, and Shakti, or creative energy, like the climate. When the climate is stable, or congruent with the ocean, the water flows freely,