A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

36 HINDUISM AS A RELIGION.desirable, but neither of these is necessary here. We can -not deny that bodies inherit certain tendencies, but thosetendencies only mean the physical configuration throughwhich a peculiar mind alone can act in a peculiar way.The peculiar tendencies of any soul are caused by its pastactions. A soul with a certain tendency will take birth ina body which is the fittest instrument for the display ofthat tendency, by the laws of affinity.And this is in perfect accord with science, for science wants to explain everything by habit, and habit is the result of repetitions. Sothese repetitions are also necessary to explain the naturalhabits of ft new-born soul. They were not got in thispresent life, therefore they must have come down frompast lives.Rut there is another suggestion, which takes all thesefor granted. How is it that I do not remember anythingof my past life ? This can be easily explained. I am nowspeaking English.It is not my mother- tongue, in fact, nota word of my mother- tongue is present in my conscious-: but let me try to bring such words up, they rushinto my consciousness. That shows that consciousness ist.hf name only of the surface of the mental ocean,within its depths are stored up all our experiences. Tryand struggle, and they will come up, and you will beconscious even of the experiences of a past life.RECALLING THE PAST.This is direct and demonstrative evidence. Verification is the perfect proof of a theory, and here is thechallenge thrown to the world by our Rishis. We havediscovered the secrets by which the very depths of theocean of memory can be stirred up follow them and youwill get a complete reminiscence of your past life.