DEGREES OF ATTAINMENT
Having now grasped the main outlines of the steady progress of the life-streams, rising at the average rate of one kingdom in each chain-period, we may now introduce the important modifying factor, which was mentioned in Chapter VIII.
Again we may employ the analogy of a batch of students at a university. It is a practically universal experience that, in every group of students, there will be a small minority who shoot ahead of the others, either because they have exceptional ability or because they apply themselves more whole-heartedly to their studies. This is the class that obtains ”honours” degrees.
After them comes the main body of the students, who succeed in passing their examinations and who obtain an ordinary ”degree.” After them again comes another minority-the ”tail” of the class. These students” either on account of their lesser abilities or through their lack of industry and application, fail to pass out” and therefore will have to return to the university for another term, or portion of a term, in order to secure their
degrees.
Precisely the same thing happens with each of the life streams in each kingdom. There is always a small minority who run far in advance of the remainder and attain the ”goal” before the appointed time. Next comes the great majority of the entities” who fulfil the task set” and attain the level required at the time appointed. After them again comes the ”tail" another minority, though larger than the former minority, who fall behind, having failed to attain the level required.
Diagram XVII illustrates the process. Three kingdoms, A, B and C, are shown, and two periods, I and II. Of kingdom B, in period I, a tiny minority shoots ahead of the rest, reaches the goal set, and passes into kingdom A in the same period. The bulk of kingdom B passes into kingdom A in period II, in the normal routine manner.
The remainder of kingdom B, a minority larger than the former minority, fails to qualify for kingdom A and so continues in kingdom B in period II.
But, having already had some experience in kingdom B, whereas the remainder of kingdom B in period II,
having only just come from kingdom C in period I, will be only I commencing its evolution in kingdom B, this laggard minority is able to take the lead in. period II. It is therefore shown in the diagram as entering
kingdom B in period II at the head of that kingdom.
We may now reconstruct our diagram of the progress of the kingdoms, so as to show these complications in detail. Diagram XVIII is such a reconstruction. It may be explained as follows: Let us take, for example, the vegetable kingdom in chain I. The backward portion of this kingdom enters chain II, and there leads the evolution of the vegetable kingdom. The bulk of the vegetable kingdom from chain I passes into the animal kingdom in chain II. A tiny minority of the vegetable kingdom in chain I succeeds in attaining to the level of animals in chain I, and therefore joins the animal kingdom in chain I.
Following the progress of the main body of the animal kingdom of chain II, the process repeats itself. The laggard animals join the animal kingdom in chain III and lead that kingdom. The bulk becomes human in chain III; the small vanguard joins the human kingdom in chain II.
In chain III the laggard humans resume their human evolution in chain IV, where they lead the humanity of that chain. The bulk of the human entities attain their goal in chain III, and pass on to further fields of evolution and service, along one or other of the seven lines, as shown in the diagram by the ascending, diverging lines at the head of the kingdom.
Again a small minority succeeds in advance of the rest, and is shown in the diagram by the small spire rising from the centre of the kingdom. This group, of course, also has seven choices before it, as indicated by the seven radiating lines emerging from its head.
We may mention here an important principle, affecting the progress of the various streams of life and their innumerable sub-divisions, of which we shall find many particular examples in the later portions of our study. It is the general rule that those who have attained the highest possible in any chain, round, globe or race, are not born again into the beginning of the next chain, round, globe or race, respectively.
The earlier stages are always for the backward entities, the youngest” and only when they have already passed through a good deal of evolution” and are beginning to approach the level of those who had done better, do those others descend into incarnation and join them once more.
That is to say, almost the earlier half of any period of evolution, whether it be a race, a globe, a round or a chain, seems to be devoted to bringing the backward people up to nearly the level of those who have got on better. Then these latter-who in the meantime have been resting in the mental world, in devachan-descend into incarnation along with the others, and they all then proceed together along their path of progress.
Thus, for example, as we shall see in detail later on, the most developed from the third or Moon Chain do not enter the first round of the fourth or Earth Chain, but come in only in the middle of the fourth round. Also the egos who incarnate in the first Root-Race of a planet are those who have not progressed beyond the middle of the evolution of the preceding planet.
Using once more our analogy of students at a university, we may imagine that the more backward students return to their colleges, after their vacation, sooner than the more advanced students. They then have an opportunity of catching up approximately to the level of the more advanced students, who remain still on vacation. When they have done this, the more advanced students then return to their colleges, and all of them then resume their studies side by side.
The student should bear in mind this important principle because, as just said, he will presently find many examples of its workings, the rationale of which becomes perfectly clear when once the main principle is clearly grasped.
Further study of the degrees of attainment of the various kingdoms leads us to a consideration of a most interesting and important part of the general plan of evolution, viz., that of the ”Days of Judgement.” With this we shall deal in a separate chapter, but, as it involves references to the races of mankind, we will first explain the division of the human kingdom into these races and sub-races.
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