Hubbard believes, literally, that a person is separate from his body, while “living” in that body. When the body dies, the person survives quite intact. Hubbard identifies a person with this concept of THETAN and considers the THETAN to be immortal. The idea of THETAN is similar to the idea of SOUL in Christianity, except that, after the death of the body, the THETAN “goes to the nearest hospital” and picks up a new body. Thus, the person is reincarnated or reborn almost instantly (in a matter of days or, sometimes, months).
But Hubbard’s idea of THETAN is also different from the concept of ATMAN in the VEDAS and Hinduism. A THETAN is the specific individuality of the person, whereas, ATMAN is pure energy without identity or individuality. Upon death, the individuality of the person disintegrates the same way as body does. The atoms and molecules of a disintegrated body combine with similar particles from other disintegrated bodies to form a new baby body. Similarly, the disintegrated individuality as ATMAN combines with similar ATMANs from other disintegrated individualities to form a new baby individuality.
Thus, reincarnation in Vedic religions mean something very different from what Hubbard assumes. According to the VEDAS, there is no such thing as an immortal THETAN (individuality).
Hubbard assumes that a person, as a THETAN, is separate from the BODY it associates with. Thus, he may literally EXTERIORIZE from his living body. Permanent exteriorization occurs only at death. But then he goes and attaches himself immediately to a new baby body (re-interiorizes).
Basically, according to Hubbard, a person, as an individual, as a THETAN, is not part of the physical universe. Here again we find a literal separation of the physical universe from a spiritual (THETA) universe, which was first thought up by the Greeks. According to Hubbard, “A thetan is a static that can consider, and can produce space, energy and objects.”
Recently, in NEW ERA SCIENTOLOGY, the “reincarnation of LRH” made the following “discovery”:
“THE QUALITY AND CHARACTER OF A THETAN CONSISTS OF A THETAN’S WHOLE TRACK EXPERIENCE.”
All this adds up to the following:
In reality, THETAN simply refers to a person’s VIEWPOINT. The VIEWPOINT depends on the person’s past experience. It is different from person to person. This VIEWPOINT can improve or decline by moving up and down on the KNOW-TO-MYSTERY scale. When the VIEWPOINT rises up to KNOW on this scale, it becomes universally broad in nature. This may be referred to as the UNIVERSAL VIEWPOINT. Hubbard’s idea of STATIC is actually this UNIVERSAL VIEWPOINT. Attainment of this UNIVERSAL VIEWPOINT is the NIRVANA of Buddhism.
You may obtain an understanding of the Know-to-Mystery scale from Scientology Processes (Part 3).
The above explanation cuts through all the mystery that somehow has gotten associated with Scientology. It aligns well with revised SCIENTOLOGY FACTORS.
.
