Read Book - Avatar Meher Baba Trust

84 THE PATH OF LOVE
gross world according to past experiences of the gross. A child
born with consciousness of a certain plane is not all at once conscious
of the plane. The plane unfolds very gradually as the child
gradually grows. Later in life, this child, grown up as a man, gets
established in the life of his respective plane consciousness, as a
man of the gross world gets established in his worldly life. Thus,
a person of the gross world dies to reincarnate as of the gross
world; so also a person of a particular plane of consciousness
reincarnates as of that respective plane of consciousness and,
then gradually gets established in the plane of consciousness of
his previous life. He may or may not make further progress in
the planes of higher consciousness. Progress will depend on the
help of a spiritual guide of a higher plane, on the grace of a
Perfect Master, or on his own efforts in the life of that particular
plane of consciousness.
The Inexorable “Must”
Everything and everyone in the universe is constrained to move
along a path which is prescribed by its past. There is an inexorable
“must” that reigns over all things large or small. Whether
one is male or female, rich or poor, strong or weak, beautiful or
ugly, intelligent or dull – one cannot escape from being such
because one must necessarily be so due to the impressions of the
past.
The freedom which man seems to enjoy is itself subject
to inner compulsions; and the environmental pressure, which
limits the scope of reactions or molds the reacting self, is itself
subject to the inexorable “must,” which is operative in the past,
present and future.