Theos-Talk Archives (March 1997 Message tl00080)

Bart:
>The point was to show that
>there are other species that are capable of holding monads slightly less
>evolved than humans (elephants also come to mind), and that I could find
>nothing in the primary literature that states that such trans-species
>reincarnation, at least from a lower species to a higher species, does
>not take place.

I don't believe that monads evolve at all, but rather their expressions do.
And, every single dust mote and grain of sand is the expression of
a monad.  Elephants (and cats) are only "slightly less evolved" in the
area of technical intelligence.  Man excells in technology, but has little
else over the animals except perhaps self-awareness, which in some
ways is more of a curse than a blessing.

The primary literature (SD) says that monads expressing themselves
as animals could move up to mankind only until the midpoint of the
4th Round, our current Round and some millions of years ago, at
which time the door shut for them for the rest of this manvantara.
Now, I am not so sure that I can accept this per se, but perhaps it
is only true for averages?

The SD also says that reincarnation never goes backwards, only
forwards evolutionary-speaking.  This idea is heartening to the
human mind, which likes to see itself as the epitomy of
evolutionary development, but flies in the face of Tibetan
Buddhism, which is supposed to be one of the Sources of
the SD.  Tibetan Buddhism says that we can come back as
an animal.  The Dali Lama once said that he hoped to return as
a fly.  But, as Eldon has said many times, Theosophy is not
Buddhism...

Jerry S.
Member, TI