In the previous two chapters The Astral World and The Mental World the life of the soul on the astral plane and on the lower mental plane has been described. In this chapter the life of the soul on the causal plane will be briefly described.
In the lower mental plane matter is dominant, and consciousness shines with difficulty through the forms. In the higher planes life is the most prominent thing, and forms are there only for its purposes. The difficulty in the lower planes is to give the life expression to the forms while the reverse holds good for the higher planes. On the causal plane matter is subordinated to life, altering at every moment. An entity changes form with every change of thought. Matter is only an instrument of the soul’s life. Causal consciousness thus deals with the essence of a thing, whilst the lower mind studies its details. With the mind, one talks about a subject or makes an attempt to explain it, while with the causal consciousness, one takes up the essence of the idea of the subject, and moves it as a whole. It is akin to moving a piece while playing chess. The causal plane is a world of realities; one no longer deals with emotions or conceptions, but with the thing in itself.
Life on the causal plane plays a very small part in the life of ordinary individuals because in such cases the ego is not sufficiently developed to be awake on the causal plane. Individuals with very little spiritual development and awareness, in fact, never consciously attain the heaven-world at all, while a still larger number obtain only a comparatively slight touch of some of the lower sub-planes. However in the case of one who is spiritually developed, life on the causal plane is glorious and fully satisfying. Nevertheless, consciously or unconsciously, every human being must touch the higher levels of the mental plane before reincarnation can take place. As further evolution proceeds, this touch becomes more definite and real. As one progresses, not only is one more conscious on the causal plane but the period one passes there becomes longer.
As evolution proceeds, the princip1e governing the life after death on the lower levels, both of the astral and the mental planes gradually shortens, while the higher life becomes steadily longer and fuller. Eventually the time arrives when the consciousness is unified, i.e., when the higher and the lower selves are united and realizes the possibilities of one’s life on the causal plane.
The time spent on the causal plane varies according to the stage of development. This ranges from 2-3 days of unconsciousness for an undeveloped person to a long period of years of conscious and glorious life in the case of advanced individual.
It is only when consciousness has withdrawn from the lower bodies and is once more centred in the ego, that the final result of the incarnation just concluded is known. Then one is able to observe the new qualities one has acquired in that particular cycle of one’s evolution. At that time also, a glimpse of the life as a whole is obtained, the ego has for a moment a flash of clearer consciousness. This results in one seeing the results of the life just completed and a glimpse of what is to follow in its next birth. Initially one makes little use of it as one is very dimly conscious and cannot comprehend facts and their interrelationships. Gradually the power to comprehend what one sees increases. Later comes the ability to remember such flashes at the end of previous lives and to estimate the progress one is making. In addition to this activity, one will devote some time to one’s plans for the life which is to come. One’s consciousness gradually increases, until one has an appreciable life on the higher levels of the mental plane, each time one touches them.
The article is taken from the book Life Beyond Death by Anil Sharma