Author: By Sacha Tarkovsky
Have we lived before? Will we live again? Despite endless debates based around the validity of reincarnation as it is expounded in various religions, there is one crucial point that must be remembered. Reincarnation is not a religious concept. It is not the property of any one group to either own or disown. Reincarnation is par excellence a natural Law. When we grasp this, many doors open for deeper understanding. "The Meadow" addresses this concept subtly as it describes the challenges of the main characters from life to life. Logically, if you study the nature of the world in which we live, learn and grow, almost everything has a cycle - why would man be different from the environment in which he was meant to evolve? -- Elfreda Pretorius and Mike O'Hare
Reincarnation-Are we Born Again? By Sacha Tarkovsky What does reincarnation mean? This is an age old question often discussed, and often considered by the world's greatest minds, and most of the world's religions. The meaning of Reincarnation Simply put, reincarnation means the rebirth of the soul in another (new) body. Reincarnation (from the Latin meaning the taking on of flesh again) is the occupation by the immortal soul of a new body after the death of the former body. Reincarnation & Hinduism Hinduism has reincarnation as a basic tenet of their belief, and espouse that the human spirit returns to this life again and again as it strives for perfection. The idea that the soul reincarnates is intricately linked to the principle of karma (see below).Hinduism teaches that individual souls, known as jivaatmas pass from one plane of existence to another, and carry with them samskaras (impressions) from former states of being. These karmic memories (like data on a hard disc) on the soul are taken to the next life and result in a causally-determined state of being. In Hinduism and other religions, liberation from samsara, or the cycle of death and rebirth, is considered the ultimate goal of our earthly existence. This liberation is known as Moksha, and once reached, the soul ceases to reincarnate. Karma Activity that has become destiny is Karma. This means Karma can be considered the total effect of a person's actions and conduct during the successive phases of that person's existence, regarded as determining the person's destiny. Actually, there are three types of karma: Sanchita karma, or the sum total of past karmas yet to be resolved; then prarabdha karma, that portion of sanchita karma that is to be experienced in this life; and kriyamana karma, the karma that humans are currently creating and will bear fruit in the future. Other Religions & Reincarnation The principle of reincarnation is found in almost all religions of the world. It was a prominent feature of Christianity until about the 6th century. An early Church father, Origen was an adherent of reincarnation. Origen taught the pre-existence of the soul -- the concept that the human soul existed already before birth. "The soul has neither beginning nor end... [They] come into this world strengthened by the victories or weakened by the defeats of their previous lives" (De Principiis). The Bible also still has many direct references to reincarnation (Mt 11:14 and 17:12f and John 9,1 ff, ie.) . Jesus identifies John the Baptist as the returning prophet Elijah in Matthews 11:14. In the Old Testament, , David writes in Psalms 51:5 (NIV) ‘Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.' The universal acceptance of reincarnation Reincarnation is prominent in Judaism and the Kabala (gilgul, Ibbur). In fact, in all oriental religions such as Buddhism. Jainism, and Zoroastrianism, reincarnation forms a basic building block of their sacred texts. In ancient times, Classical Greek Philosophy (especially with Pythagoras) and as part of the Elysian Mysteries, reincarnation was a central theme akin to the Hindu thought. In fact, reincarnation, when viewed in broad terms, appears a universally accepted fact of our lives. But if we lived before, why can't we remember it? In literature as well as religious thought, the major objection to the principle of reincarnation is that people cannot recall having lived before. A simple answer to that (taken from Swami Vivekananda) is that we do not recall our infancy; yet it existed. Also, there are many books and therapists today that can assist one in remembering a past life. Taken simply, there is a universal belief that we are all rays out of the divine, and having ourselves the divine quality of free will, we have experienced life in its many forms. When we contravened the natural rules, we created karma, and until those contraventions are corrected, and realized, we are obliged to incarnate again and again.
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THE MEADOW -- A SPIRITUAL ROMANCE "The Meadow" is an epic love story unlike anything told before. The storyline threads an earthly path through four life times, from ancient Mexica to contemporary Pakistan, and affords the reader glimpses of a place known as "The Meadow" - an inter-life waterhole where souls rest between lives. This is a story about life and all its complexities. It is about the eternal love of two characters that seem destined to be together but who repeatedly fail to bond due to a nemesis that tracks them from life to life, tearing them apart. The stage of "The Meadow" includes hate and retribution, international espionage and political deceit, interspersed with the brilliance of an autistic savant, offspring of the female protagonist, who tries to solve the secret and mystery of the eagle in order to save his mother. The frustrated lovers thus have only one option - to unite in the Meadow - a place they forget all about each time they incarnate into a new life. This site is dedicated to "The Meadow", a book of more than 600 pages and has yet to be published, but it is also devoted to sharing information about life beyond the trapdoor of death, inviting the reader to question everything, from dogmatic beliefs to the establishment. There are many related articles here and we hope that there will be something for everyone. We hope to encourage communication and discussion between likeminded individuals willing to share their experiences to further our common goals of advancement into the future whilst learning from each other. | 
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