The Rudolf Steiner Archive

5. Reincarnation as the Key to the Mystery of Humanity

[ 1 ] Ladies and gentlemen! Among the concepts that the Theosophical Movement has recently been striving to bring to people’s attention, the two words “reincarnation” and “karma” are summarized in the title of today’s lecture as the solution to the mystery of humanity. These two terms are interpreted very differently by our contemporaries. Some are quick to dismiss theosophy as fanciful and nonsensical; they ask: How can anyone possibly know such a thing? For others, this insight comes as a deliverance; it is the key to the mystery that solves the mystery they had encountered; the nightmare under which they were languishing has been lifted from them. The mystery of why some people are mired in the deepest misery while others seem to walk through life in the highest bliss is resolved for us when we consider that the foundation was laid in past ages—both for the dispositions with which a person is born into the world and for the destiny that befalls them in this earthly life.

[ 2 ] Those others, however, to whom the idea seems so fantastical, do not consider that the environment in which they live is not the only one on Earth. There are many people who hold fast to the belief in repeated earthly lives; just as many as those for whom this idea has faded from view. For the Asian peoples, reincarnation is not a vague theory, but a truth of life from which they draw vitality. In earlier times, up until the advent of Christianity, this view was widespread in Europe as well—even in the early days of Christianity. It was by no means merely a belief held by dreamers; the finest of the leaders professed this view. Plato and Giordano Bruno—who met his death for defending Copernicus—stood up for it. Their teaching is inseparable from the belief in repeated earthly lives. Lessing professes this belief in his *The Education of the Human Race*. Goethe, Jean Paul—not merely the fanciful minds of some subordinate religious systems—advocate for it. No, it is the great minds, because this is the only way they can explain life to themselves. People behave in a striking manner toward the great intellectual heroes such as Plato, Lessing, and so on—whose names they mention with more or less feigned reverence (there is even an association named after Giordano Bruno)—yet when their deepest conviction regarding repeated earthly lives is brought up, they shrug and say: “That is just one of this great man’s weaknesses.” — Is there any greater immodesty than to judge in this way? To anyone who speaks this way, I ask: From whom did you learn the best of what you know? Surely from those whose names are intertwined with this teaching. Yet he sets himself up as their judge! He takes from them what suits him and discards what does not.

[ 3 ] The Theosophical Movement seeks, in a modern way, to reintroduce the concept of repeated earthly lives to humanity. The sciences are still reluctant to acknowledge this teaching. If they would only accept it as a hypothesis for now, the time will soon come when they will see that without this teaching they cannot solve the mystery of humanity. — Every human being carries within themselves an imperishable core of being. What is born and dies with it is merely the shell of this core essence. It existed before birth and will exist after death. This core essence has already lived on Earth many times and is reborn again and again in the womb. The present life is only one among many.

[ 4 ] Outwardly, this is not immediately clear. At first glance, the teaching may seem implausible to us. The naturalistic way of thinking in the West renders us incapable of understanding the matter correctly. There is a certain higher spiritual instruction, as it was cultivated in the East. For many Westerners who have received this instruction, it has become entirely natural that, when they are alone or in the company of others who have gone through the same training and know of this inner core of being, they consciously separate it in their thoughts from their outward appearance. They think or say: It is not my true core of being that walks through the room, but my body. My body is hungry, my brain thinks, and so on.

[ 5 ] There is spiritual teaching that instructs us that the physical body is merely the instrument of the spiritual core of our being, and that all the sense organs serve only to enable it to act upon Earth. The average person means their body when they say “I”; the spiritually trained person has a sense of duality, of a spiritual “I” that has nothing to do with the external; more and more, they distinguish the imperishable core of their being from the physical body. What was there before birth has nothing to do with the physical body, but much to do with physical needs.

[ 6 ] The idea that Müller or Maier will return is a misconception. Only those who can free themselves from the notion that they are their bodies can recognize what it is that reincarnates from Fritz Schulze or Johann Maier. Only when they are able to do this can they begin to grasp what it is that is being reincarnated.

[ 7 ] Now we must briefly reflect once more on what remains and returns to earthly existence, and what passes away. First, the physical body decays at death because it consists of physical matter—it passes away.

[ 8 ] Second, the etheric body, the life body: It enables the physical organs to perform their functions; it is the moving, animating force within the body. A clock also moves; it consists of a mechanism of gears. If I remove a gear, it stops running; if I set the clock down and place the wheel next to it, they can lie there for a long time without changing. But if I cut off a hand from the human body, it does not remain as it was; it withers away because it was vitally and organically connected to the body from which I separated it. This etheric body also disintegrates. It passes into the general ether.

[ 9 ] The third body can be recognized when we consider what lives within a human being—not merely the connection between skin and bone—but what he carries within himself in terms of suffering and pleasure, desires and passions; these are things that live within him just as much as his blood and heart; they are just as alive. This is the astral body.

[ 10 ] Fourth, the “I”—that which distinguishes human beings from the creatures of the other kingdoms. Human beings share the physical body with minerals, the etheric body with plants, and the astral body with animals.

[ 11 ] The “I” works on the astral body. We must remind ourselves of this again and again. The often-cited example can help us understand this. What Darwin experienced with a “savage” who devours his own kind: This “savage” also consists of the four fundamental parts of the human being mentioned above; but his astral body still differs little from that of an animal. He still blindly follows his instincts. Darwin tried to explain to the “savage” how wrong it was for him to eat his brother. The “savage” replied that Darwin could not possibly know whether it was good or bad until he had eaten him. — From this we see that this “savage” had no concept of right and wrong at all; he could not yet distinguish between good and evil. Whatever pleases him, whatever tastes good to him, is good to him; whatever tastes bad or displeases him is bad to him. His ego has not yet worked on his astral body; he has not yet refined it. Culture refines the instincts and makes them subservient to duty. The ideal of duty teaches people to distinguish between what entices them and what they should avoid. In this way, they recognize what is right and wrong. Once a person has progressed to the point where they can distinguish between what they may follow and what they must not follow, they have learned to control their astral body through the “I.”

[ 12 ] When we consider modern human beings, we find that they have developed one part of their astral body but not the other. We must make a strict distinction between these two parts of the astral body. One part is still like that of an animal, which blindly follows its inclinations and instincts. The other part is the aspect of the astral body that the human being has transformed from the purely natural into something nobler. There is a sharp, important boundary between these two parts. The part that human beings have not yet worked on is lost shortly after death. The part of the astral body that we have not made our own is returned to nature. What we have purified and transformed from astral matter remains our imperishable property. The instinct that remains unrefined must fall away; what has been refined remains and is incorporated into the “I.” In this way, the human being works toward the immortalization, the making imperishable, of his astral body. It is obvious that this work cannot be completed in a single lifetime. Viewed in this light, the doctrine of repeated earthly lives appears logically structured.

[ 13 ] For anyone who knows the inner life of human beings through direct insight, reincarnation is a fact that is just as certain to them as the fact that there are so many people sitting here in this hall. They know this fact through higher insight; they have not arrived at it through logical speculation.

[ 14 ] But tonight let’s try to understand the logic of the matter. — Let’s compare the “savage,” who has done very little work, with—say—Francis of Assisi, who had almost nothing left within himself that he had not refined. He had reduced the earthly remnants to their very smallest part. To reach this level, he must surely have had at his disposal entirely different aptitudes and powers than that “savage.” Wouldn’t it be just as absurd to assume that these aptitudes arose out of nothing as it would be to assume that a lower animal could arise from the mud, or that a lion did not descend from a lion? If one were to make such a claim, one would surely consider it folly in the physical realm. We are reluctant to accept miracles in the physical realm, yet we do not hesitate to accept such a much greater miracle in a higher realm! What is inherited in animals—so that only lions descend from a lion, only tigers from a tiger, and so on—are species characteristics. But when it comes to individual human beings, one cannot speak of a species. Every human being has individual characteristics; only those who turn a blind eye to this can overlook it. For human beings, the individual is as important as the species is for animals. The animal repeats the species; the human being repeats the individual. The individual human being not only reflects the characteristics of his or her parents but is also something in his or her own right.

[ 15 ] This needs to be explained. In addition to what we have inherited from our parents, there is something spiritual and soulful living within us; that is to say, within each of us lives something spiritual and soulful that can be traced back to a previous existence. Just as the physical human being has acquired physical characteristics through heredity, so too has the spiritual human being acquired spiritual qualities. Specifically, he acquired them in earlier earthly lives by learning to master his astral body. And he has brought this ability with him into this life. It is always only the core of the being that reappears on Earth.

[ 16 ] Some might object: “Well, if that’s the case, then shouldn’t people remember their past lives?” — That’s the wrong way to frame the question. Imagine you have a four-year-old child in front of you; and then someone asks: Why can’t people do arithmetic? — Of course, a four-year-old child cannot do arithmetic; let him grow to be ten years old, and then he will be able to do arithmetic. — For every person, the time will come when he will realize: The more and more he ascends, the more he will come to know his past earthly lives as well. For the majority, this is still entirely impossible. One must first understand what incarnates before one can recognize what happens to it. People long to remember; but what they wish to remember has slipped away from them—that which holds meaning for them. Only those who can comprehend themselves as spirits can speak of recollection.

[ 17 ] Whoever needs external impressions in order to feel will never become aware of the immortal; such a person can know nothing of it. It shines forth only in those who have mastered the spiritual core. Here and there, certain phenomena occur in which memory becomes clairvoyant; for example, in the face of mortal danger, one’s entire life sometimes flashes before one’s eyes.

[ 18 ] We must realize this. If human beings, as they are now, are to remember, they must call upon the etheric body for help. Memory resides in the etheric body. The instincts are in the astral body. We could not have memories without the etheric body, yet they are clouded and imperfect because they are hindered by the physical body and drowned out by the surging emotions of the astral body. At the moment of death, the astral and etheric bodies separate; during sleep, the etheric body remains connected to the body and gives rise to dreams. Shortly after death, the astral and etheric bodies separate from the physical body; then the magnetic bond that bound them to the body snaps. In that brief moment, between the emergence of the finer bodies and their separation from the physical body, the entire life flashes before the soul as in a great painting. It is inscribed in the etheric body; memories surface from long, long ago; a stillness as deep as the wind reigns over the soul; it is blind and deaf to its surroundings; deep within, it comes alive with a sublime content.

[ 19 ] Thomas à Kempis has much to say about this language of the soul in his *Imitation of Christ*. His book is to be regarded as almost on a par with the New Testament.

[ 20 ] When this spiritual force arises deep within us, it gradually allows us to recognize the core of our spiritual being. This is a very specific experience: the inner realization of the self-generating thought. We can gain some understanding of this process when we immerse ourselves completely in a work of art, to the point that we forget ourselves entirely. For anyone who wishes to recognize their true self—their innermost self—there must also be perfect stillness. Nothing, absolutely nothing of the personal “I” must interfere. This requires a degree of life within the object that unfolds in the chaste etheric element. Once a person has learned to allow the divine thought to live within them in this way, and is able to trace their life back to their birth, an image emerges before their soul. It is the image they saw at the hour of death in their previous life—an overview of their previous earthly existence. They cannot recall their entire earthly life; that comes only later.

[ 21 ] At first, this memory will repeat itself until it becomes a certainty, before the memory goes back even further and further. Whoever knows what happens to human beings will understand the connection. Whoever believes that human beings receive everything from nature will find it strange. But to those who believe in the work that a person must do, it will be clear. Whatever character a person possesses, they have created for themselves: What you think today, you will be tomorrow. — Beautiful, pure thoughts, cherished often—very often indeed—and duties faithfully fulfilled will become part of one’s character. Thought shapes character.

[ 22 ] On the other hand, it is obvious—and easy to observe—that a person’s social interactions, environment, and occupation have a major influence on his character. Upon closer examination, we will find that the opportunities presented to a person in life are related to his inclinations, wishes, and desires. Let us compare a North American bank clerk with a botanist. The botanist is drawn to quite different things than the bank clerk. This is entirely self-evident and natural. These are the consequences of innate dispositions that each person acquired in a previous life. Actions are the response to one’s environment. An example: A carpenter has been working all day. The half-finished table he finds in the morning prompts him to continue working on it. He does not work out of thin air. “The half-finished table determines my fate for tomorrow,” the carpenter might say. Thus, the previous day is the karma for the next.

[ 23 ] Those animals that crawled into a dark cave and could not find their way out gradually lost their eyesight because they had no use for it in the darkness. Their descendants lacked eyesight entirely; in the darkness, they needed other senses. These animals brought their fate upon themselves. Their entry into the dark cave was their karma. In the past, they brought this upon themselves for the future. What I do changes the external world. If I break off a branch, I have altered the course of the world. The tree no longer grows as was its nature. With every action, we change the course; it would have unfolded differently if I had not performed that action.

[ 24 ] The same is true in spiritual life. Through our feelings and thoughts, we change the world. Because all my actions have an impact on the world, my karma consists of the changes I have brought about in the world through my actions. Thoughts shape character; actions bring about reactions. These reactions return to the actor in the next life.

[ 25 ] Example: I have insulted someone. By doing so, I have brought about a change; now I am obligated to restore the world to the state from which I disrupted it. I have made the world imperfect; it demands that I make it perfect again. I remain bound by this obligation until I have restored the disturbed harmony. If harmony is not restored in this lifetime, the debt remains until the next earthly life; it must be balanced.

[ 26 ] This is how repeated earthly lives are interconnected. If I was born into hardship and misery in this life, it was the consequence of my having previously brought disharmony into the world. This is how divine justice prevails. — A person is accountable for his deeds; there is no forgiveness for them other than the counter-deed performed as atonement. This is the unforgivable sin against the Spirit. What he does in the lower world must be balanced out by him in the lower world. Natural life is brought about by nature within him; if he errs in this, he will be forgiven. Man is accountable for what he himself has accomplished. If he consciously does evil that runs counter to the world order, that is the sin against the Self, against the Spirit. The “I” has been violated by the conscious act. Theosophy is not a dogma; it does not form a sect. It is life—full life. Mere theory is of no use. Even if I knew everything in the greatest detail and did not want to apply it in life—it would be of no use to me. One must convince oneself of the truth in practice.

[ 27 ] How should we respond to this? We must proceed thoroughly and get to the bottom of everything. When we understand the reason and the cause behind how bad things come into the world, it can seem depressing at first. Then I must tell myself: I have brought my own fate and my own character upon myself. But on the other hand, this realization is also uplifting. We are the masters of the future. What I do now lays the foundation for the future. If I work today to refine my character, I know that this work is not in vain. This offers a blissful comfort to those who are inwardly convinced of this truth. The deepest peace of mind springs from this teaching. Life becomes different, even in our relationships with those around us. We are all too easily inclined to judge when we see things in others that we do not like. Once we have gained an understanding of karma, how different things become. Then we say: “True, you are bad now; you lie and cheat; but perhaps this is not the first time we have met, and who knows—perhaps I myself am to blame for the fact that you are so bad today.”

[ 28 ] If this seems ridiculous to someone, it is a sign that they have not yet delved deeply into the law of karma. Once a person has come to realize their higher self, they will no longer pass by their fellow human beings with indifference or criticize them; they will learn to understand the connection between one person and another. At every street corner, they encounter people; they think, “Can I help you? Perhaps I can make you a better person if I made a mistake in a past life.” This idea—which is possible today—when applied to life, makes life clearer and more transparent. Through it, we learn to understand people better and to help them more effectively.

[ 29 ] It is nonsense to say: “I shouldn’t help him; he brought this bad karma upon himself.” — The moment you stand before him, his karma is that you help him. If you do not help him, he will be helped in some other way. But you will have failed in your duty. If you help him, you can tell yourself: If I help him, his future life will turn out better. The doctrine of karma seeks to train me to help others. Through my own practical life, the teaching becomes ever clearer to me; for those who live by it, it will prove true—and indeed, only in this life. Through recurring experiences, it will be proven to you throughout your entire life, throughout the whole of human existence.

[ 30 ] Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity, summarized this teaching in a creed. He spoke of the entire world as the body of his Father, just as every human body is a dwelling place of the Father. Human beings are unaware of the Father; they need a guide to the Father. Only through the Son do we come to the Father; he wants to be our guide. After every earthly life, the soul returns to the Father’s body. In every earthly life, the soul passes through a dwelling taken from the divine Father’s body. Jesus Christ says: “In my Father’s house are many dwellings.”