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Essential Philosophy of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism
flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life ever lasting.
Even the words of Jesus confirm the doctrine. In St. Mathew Ch. XI he says: Verily I say unto you among them that are born of women there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John, and if ye will receive it this is Elias, which was far to come." Does not Jesus mean that John was re-incarnated Elias.
It is useless to multiply instances taken from the Bible. For every candid Christian student must acknowledge that the truth of the doctrine of Re-incarnation does not depend on a scriptural mention.
But some people may say - If this doctrine is true, how is it that we do not remember our past incarnations. I will ask such people In what way do we exercise the faculty of memory? Certainly, so far as we are living in a body, we exercise it through the brain. In passing from one incarnation to the other, the soul does not carry its former brain in the new body. Even during the course of one life, do we always remember our past doings? Can any one remember that wonderful epoch the infancy?
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This doctrine of re-incarnation is common to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
Out of these ideas, all of them have constructed high codes of morality pretty nearly similar to one another.
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