I have a few questions about desires.
First, how are desires are fulfilled in the astral world? Some people say in the astral world a person can create physical objects with thought and some say it’s not possible.
Every person has some physical desires before he/she dies but when this person reincarnates, they are not the same person anymore so the said desire can never be fulfilled, which means they are stuck forever in the lower realms. Is this true?
—A, India
Dear Friend,
Physical desires must be fulfilled in a physical body. All desires, even trivial ones, which are not yet fulfilled, are lodged (stored) in the astral body as little “seeds” in and around the energy centers (chakras) according to their level of relative heaviness (physical) or lightness (astral or causal). Let’s say a desire and love for ice cream, would be stored in the region of the lower chakras.
When the physical body dies, the astral body remains and thus the seeds of karma (called “vrittis”) stay with the astral body. You cannot have ice cream in “heaven.” You must return to earth or some other planet where ice cream can be experienced.
When we reincarnate it is true that in terms of our personality and experiences it is perhaps difficult to see the same person as in the prior lifetime. But a saint or psychic or someone very in tune with that soul can recognize the basic traits. In any case there are many personality attributes which DO survive the rest in the astral world and which DO manifest in the next lifetime.
Paramhansa Yogananda said that for the first six years of a child’s life one can tell many things about that soul’s immediately prior lifetime. There would be, for example, a strong likelihood that if that soul in its next incarnation came upon ice cream, he or she would like it instantly. It is not necessary to remember these things; they simply appear when conditions are ripe for maturing specific past vrittis (karmas).
So one’s desire and liking for ice cream will have to be postponed until such incarnation where ice cream exists. Thus the billions of such desires lodged in the astral spine can take a very, very, very long time to become fulfilled. It is far better, and an important shortcut, to dislodge these seeds through meditation, especially advanced techniques such as kriya yoga, with the grace and blessing of a true guru. We can also balance materialistic desires by a life of self-giving, self-control and selfless service. This is important but can be greatly accelerated by deep meditation and guru’s grace.
I hope you find this helpful.
Blessings,
Nayaswami Hriman
