In the East most people believe that if you are selfish and greedy in this life you are likely to some back as a pig in the next. Conversely, if you've been generous in this life you may be rewarded with wealth in the next. It's Eastern version of rewards and punishments and it is as primitive and superstitious as the Western concept of heaven and hell.

The Eastern belief, known as Karma, is more limiting because it leads people to observe another's suffering, shrug one's shoulders and blame it all on Karma. India is no place to collapse in the street. You may lie there for a long time.

Karma, like re-incarnation, can only exist in lineal time. Quantum physicists understand that time is "open-ended". Einstein says, "Conclusions arrived at by purely logical means are completely empty of reality." Minkowski, De Broglie and Carpa speak of the illusion of space time. They either hypothesise, or know, that "physical matter can move forwards and backwards in time".

Let me give you an idea of what mystics call the eternal now. It's as if we had a big television set and we are focused on Channel 20. Twenty for the 20th century. At the same time Channel three for the 3rd century and Channel Twenty nine for that century are being transmitted, but our set can only focus on one at a time. The transmitter is the "Soul" or the totality of all those channels or personalities, and it is all happening simultaneously. We are collectively focused within our own channel, but when we get a psychic "bleeding through" we tend to interpret that as a "past" life. You exist in multi-dimensional areas before and after your physical birth. This is not the only reality, this physical world or this particular day in this particular century. It's all happening NOW.

So how can Karma... as it is understood at this time.... exist? If it's all happening now, one life does not precede another.

Karma is challenge. The Buddha speaks of volitional Karma, that is, a challenge we have deliberately chosen ourselves in order to gain through direct, personal experience that which we feel we need to know for our eternal growth and development.

Unhappily, the Buddhists today have reverted to the old, superstitious belief. Like Christians going back to the old Testament.

Intellectual knowledge is not enough. It has to be emotional. So if you are prejudiced and bigoted in this experience you will explore being on the receiving side of that in another.

It sounds like Karma, but it's your choice. Travel wisely.