Is there any way by which I can know what sort of life will I have in my next incarnation?
—Jehangir Nariman, India
Dear Jehangir,
Each incarnation brings us the experiences we require to balance past karma and fulfill desires. What we do in this current life strongly influences our future life.
So take a look at what is important to you now, how you spend your time, your life goals, the positive energy you have given to others, the struggles you have and how you handle them. When we accept what God gives us and work with it from the highest possible consciousness — being a channel for God’s loving energy into the situation, acting from a place of dharma — we may not need to work with that lesson again in a future life.
If we approach what is given to us with strong emotional reactivity such as anger, fear, rejection, or just passivity, which is lack of energy entirely, we probably have not learned the lesson and we will face it again. Watch your desires, for what is not fulfilled now will need to be fulfilled in another life. Desires reflect attachment. Attachment is of the ego. All desires except for the desire for God keep us tied to the wheel of karma.
For every ego-directed action there is an equal and opposite reaction. To be free of karma is to return the balance scales to zero. So tune into God’s will for you throughout the day, and ask God how best to work with what is before you. Pray, “not my will but Thy will be done. Bring me what is needed for spiritual growth.”
Then act in attunement with God’s will as best you can understand His will for you right now. Pray for guidance continuously.
The sum of how you are living your life now is the best predictor of what sort of life you will have in your next incarnation. Strive to live from the highest consciousness you can imagine for yourself and leave the rest in God’s hands.
Many blessings,
Nayaswami Mukti
