Reincarnation and the Law of Karma

The doctrine of reincarnation—also known as metempsychosis the Greek term for the soul's transition into a new body or rebirth—has always been held as truth by a large portion of the human race. Following the unchangeable law of cyclic changes—the "swing of the pendulum" in human thought—it has occasionally seemed to die out in some parts of the world. However, it is always followed by a new birth of interest among the descendants of those same people. It is a light that is impossible to extinguish. Although its flickering flame may seem to die out for a moment, the shifting winds of the mind allow it to rekindle from a hidden spark, and suddenly it bursts into new life and vigor. The revived interest in this subject in the Western world, which all keen observers have noticed, is simply another example of the "Cyclic Law" The idea that history and thought move in repeating cycles. in action. It begins to look as if the occultists original: "occultists"; those who study hidden or spiritual "sciences" are right when they predict that before the start of another century, the Western world will have once more embraced the doctrines of rebirth. This old, discarded truth, once so dear to the human race, will again be settled in popular favor. It will move toward the position of "orthodox" officially accepted teaching, perhaps only to become rigid because of its very popularity and fade away again as the pendulum of thought swings back to the other extreme.

But the teaching of reincarnation has never passed away from the human race entirely. In some parts of the world, the lamp has been kept burning brightly. More than that, at no time in human history has there been a period in which the majority of the race has not accepted the doctrine of rebirth in one of its various forms. This was true one thousand years ago—and two thousand, and five thousand—and it remains true today. In this twentieth century, nearly (if not quite) two-thirds of the human race hold firmly to the teaching. Vast numbers of Hindus and other Eastern peoples cling to it tenaciously. Even outside of these groups, traces of the doctrine are found among other races in both the East and the West. Therefore, reincarnation is not a "forgotten truth" or a "discarded doctrine." Instead, it is fully alive and vigorous, and it is destined to play a very important part in the history of Western thought during the twentieth century.

It is interesting to trace the history of this doctrine among ancient peoples, reaching back into the distant reaches of the past. It is difficult to attribute its origin to any specific time or any particular race. Despite the strong opinions and differing theories of various writers—some of whom claim Egypt, India, or the lost city of Atlantis as the birthplace of the doctrine—we