Category: Reincarnation

Buddhism appeared 2500 years ago in the southeastern India. Over time, it has become influential countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Tibet, China. It is assumed that there are approximately more than 300 Buddhists in the world. Siddhartha Gautama who was the founder of Buddhism lived in Kapilavatsu, India. Additionally, the word “buddha’’ means that illuminated or aroused. Historical sources indicates that, Buddha has always used the oral style while teaching the people the basic beliefs of Buddhism. There is not God and spirit concept in Buddhism, so it emphasizes the development of human morality. Thus, some people say that Buddhism is a religion, other people have said that it is religious order, and philosophical trend. Therefore, taking into account all the views and all the aspects of Buddhism, we can say that it is a pagan doctrine and it rejects the existence of afterlife, hell, paradise and angels. According to Buddhism, “after death human’s soul is either reborn into another body or reach the nirvana” (Buddhism on the Afterlife). This paper will mainly focus on the death and afterlife in Buddhism which is based on a belief in Karma, Reincarnation and Nirvana.

First of all, Buddhism is the only universal religion that has never fought to make itself accepted in the world and the salvation of human beings belong to them, not to their God. Because in Buddhism karma doctrine is considered the basis of faith. Consequently, if humans belong to their actions it will lead to salvation or happy ending. The goal of Buddhism is to know and develop itself. The main aim is not to have an afterlife, but to reach Nirvana and a constant happiness. As a result, Buddhism teaches the malignancy of existence that arises from unawareness and intense desires. Thus, the existence of God is not argued by Buddha and he did not reject the God, but the Gods that the Brahmans qualified in his time. In fact, Buddhists claimed that the world is not the world of God. The world has arisen from desires and ambitions of people, so they reject earthy things. The understanding of karma and reincarnation are the two mechanisms that regulate people’s lives in Buddhism. In the Sanskrit language the word Karma means action and is stated as a “law of cause and effect’’. According to Karma, what a person had done in the past it will surely come to him in the future. In Karma human should act without waiting for reward means that person’s behavior comes from his/her own will not from the caste system in which he or she lives. As a result, in my opinion, all human beings specify their own rules with their actions. Notwithstanding, Karma is existed before the Buddhism, it is enlarged by the Buddha and Sangha community. One of the bad consequences of Karma is that people’s weaknesses, poverty are shown as a consequence of their moral mistakes. In other words, if a person is poor or disabled, because he or she made some mistakes in his or her previous life and consequently deserve to live in this life and in this manner. From the point of my view, every action, every thought, generates reactions in our mind. In general we should not forget that every thought, every action that we do is nothing more than the amount of our past. When we think , say or act our previous actions, thoughts made us think and act like this. Putting simply, we can summarize the karma doctrine when we say “what goes around comes around”

Furthermore, the main belief of karma is the reincarnation which is the idea that people are re-born with different bodies with the same soul. Reincarnation refers to Samsara that soul pass from one body to another and human comes to the life again. Only one way to get rid of reincarnation is to reach nirvana. Hence, the idea of moving soul from one body to another is important for Buddhists. According to Buddhism, if person has acted in a good manner, that person’s soul lives happily in the next life and the person who has acted in a bad manner his or her soul will encounter with sadness in the next life. In the reincarnation the person who commits a sin does not go to hell and he or she is not punished. In my opinion, though there is no logic in the reincarnation, the important reason why reincarnation has so many advocates around the world is that many people who do not believe in religion and deny the existence of God and just because they try to overcome the fear of death with this way.

Moreover, the salvation from karma and reincarnation is to reach nirvana. Retrieving the nirvana means that person gets rid of the all distress and reach a comfortable life. Nirvana is the annihilation of individualistic desire and the deflation of pain which is the part of separation, also it has always been accepted as a way to the happiness. The understanding of nirvana appeared by Siddhartha Gautama 25 centuries ago. According to Buddhism, people can reach nirvana while they are still in this world and regardless of social class, every person can attain salvation. As mentioned above, soul of the person does not die and pass another body, so the migration of soul emphasizes continuous pain. More clearly, this pain can be ended up with the enlightenment. Therefore, when person’s enlightened soul pass to nirvana, the soul of the person is allayed from suffering, also soul migration ends. There is an understanding in the Buddhism that the human beings born for the death and die for the birth. The rebirth and death continue till reaching the nirvana. Although, for Buddhists Nirvana means getting rid of internal pain and passion, person who reaches the Nirvana also get suffer. For example, we are aware of that even Buddha got a serious illness and suffered. As a result, we can say that reaching Nirvana is more about the frame of mind that can be actualized while living.

Finally, there is not acceptance of God in Buddhism, so many researchers acknowledged Buddhism as an atheist religion. Another issue that Buddha had claimed in his time is that everyone should accept the doctrine of Karma and rebirth, also try to somehow get out of birth and death circle. Therefore, being educated and enlightened is the basic aim of success. Based on Karma doctrine, reincarnation is the belief that soul is separate from body. According to this belief the person’s soul is born as high or low with in its degree. In regard to what people act they reborn in the form of animal, plants, people or God. This birth takes place in a cause and effect relationship and every human being is responsible for their actions. Karma and Reincarnation is the necessary beliefs in order to reach nirvana. In the sense of karma and reincarnation every Buddhist’s actions have a provision which is the Nirvana. Nirvana has a different concept of death and afterlife, so it is a position that can be reached while in this world rather than afterlife. It is believed that one day all the creatures will reach Nirvana. As long as people place their lives in a correct way and get rid of their tension desires.

The topic I chose to discuss for this research paper is the Jewish concept of the afterlife. I find this topic to be particularly interesting as I have learned a lot about it while taking this class. For example, something that I did not know before taking this class was that Jewish people do not believe in the existence of Hell. While on the topic of Hell, I believe it is crucial to start with how the ancient Jews in the Biblical era viewed the afterlife. Their view at this time was that all Jews and gentiles go to a netherworld called She’ol which was basically a dark place where gloomy spirits resided. Basically, this afterlife consisted of darkness and ghost like spirts.

The Greeks and the Babylonians both believed in this theory of the afterlife. However, this changed as a new form of eschatology took center stage. This new eschatology took over during the struggle between Jews and the Greek world in the second century. There was a Jewish historian named Flavius Josephus who stated that the Pharisees who were the founders of Rabbinic Judaism believed in reincarnation. This first century Jewish historian writes that the Pharisees believed the souls of evil men are punished after death and that the souls of good men are “removed into other bodies” and they will “have power to revive and live again.” Many times throughout Jewish history, there had been an insistent belief that their prophets were reborn. The belief in Reincarnation was part of the Jewish dogmas and was taught under the name “resurrection.” However, the Sadducees did not accept or believe in reincarnation.

The Sadducees believed that once you are dead that is the end of everything. Basically, everything ended with death. However, Josephus tells us that the Essenes of the Dead Sea Scrolls believed and in reincarnation and that it was actually taught to them by Greek philosopher Pythagoras. Pythagoras was a philosopher who taught reincarnation. The Essenes lived the same kind of life as the followers of Pythagoras and they believed that the soul is both immortal and preexistent which is necessary for tenets for belief in reincarnation. Orthodox Jews have believed in the existence of reincarnation for thousands of years. For example, in the Zohar which is a book of great authority amidst Kabbalistic Jews. You can find a statement that says “All souls are subject to revolutions. Men do not know the way they have been judged in all time.” This basically means that in their “revolutions” they no longer have all memory of the actions which led to them being judged. Also, another great quote I found that I feel gives a deeper insight to how Jewish people thought about the afterlife is by Rabbi Manasseh be Israel. He states that “The belief of or doctrine of the transmigration of souls is a firm and infallible dogma accepted by the whole assemblage of our church with one accord, so that there is none to be found who would dare deny it…Indeed, there is a great number of sages in Israel who hold firm to this doctrine so that they made it a dogma, a fundamental point of our religion. We are therefore in duty bound to obey and to accept this dogma with acclamation…as the truth of it has been incontestably demonstrated by the Zohar, and all books of the Kabbalists.” This quote is very clear in how serious this matter should be taken by anyone who is Jewish. Something that is very clear in his quote is that the belief in the matters of the afterlife and reincarnation are vital principles in Judaism and he even goes on to cite books that have demonstrated how seriously they take their views on the afterlife.

However, during 1194-1270 the Jewish scholar Nachmanides was influenced by both the rationalist and the mystical streams. He granted the idea of reincarnation, however, the concept had been rejected by Saadia Goaon and other rabbis. Nachmanides believed that all residents in the Garden of Eden will reunite with their bodies and move to the World to Come. This “World to Come” will have two tiers which include the lower souls will require some form of sustenance, while the more developed will exist like angels with wings. So as you can see even though a lot of Jewish people believe in reincarnation there are certain details that may be found in how they view reincarnation depending on each person and what they have read or learned.

Today, there are many different beliefs in the afterlife and some Jewish people have abandon the belief the in the afterlife altogether. However, in modern Judaism the traditional view of resurrection is acknowledge by the orthodox, however, not by the non-orthodox. If you are not an Orthodox Jew, then it is likely that you as well as other ordinary believers accept the idea of an immortal soul. Before, taking this course I had heard of reincarnation before, however, I did not realize what a huge role in played in the Jewish religion. After doing more research on the topic of Jewish thoughts on the afterlife I have realized though they may differ in details a common thread I found was the belief in reincarnation. Also, being Catholic I’ve only ever acknowledge one thought on the matter of the afterlife.

Of course, that the thought is that when we die we either go to Heaven or Hell or even Purgatory which is believed to be a part of heaven in which the person’s souls needs to be further purified in order to enjoy eternal glory with God. This is actually very similar to how Jewish people think of reincarnation. For example, when Nachmanides states that the lower souls will need some kind of sustenance, however, the more developed souls will exist with angel wings. The lower souls resemble how the Catholics think of the souls in Purgatory in how they are not necessarily going to be suffering for all eternity, however, they will not be immediately rewarded with angel wings either.

Karma in Hinduism is defined as the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences. A person goes through life collecting karma by the actions they perform. There are two types of karma. Good karma and negative karma. Good actions create good karma and bad actions create negative karma. Dying with any karma attached to the person’s spirit will lead to their spirit being reborn into a new life. It is believed by Hindus that dying with good karma will reward a person’s spirit by reincarnating them into a better life that may be in a higher place in the caste system.

Hindus believe that life does not end when a person dies. The person’s body dies but their soul does not die. The soul is reborn into a new body through a process called reincarnation. The soul lives on in what is called the astral body. The astral body, which contains the soul, enters a new physical life. This cycle of reincarnation is repeated until the soul has reached a state of perfection or maturity.

The cycle of reincarnation is called Samsara. The individual soul, or jiva, is subject to reincarnation. The jiva is what is rewarded or punished by good or negative karma. The atman, or a person’s deeper soul that is similar to Brahman, is not affected by karma. The atman travels with the jiva during reincarnation. Although a person’s current life is already determined by the actions they performed in previous lives, the person must be responsible for their own actions.

Hindus view the process of reincarnation as a hardship. Each reincarnation means the person has failed to obtain moksha. Moksha is defined as the liberation from rebirth and Samsara. Moksha gives an individual’s atman entry into the highest reality, Brahman. Hindus do not want to be endlessly reincarnated. The goal for Hindus is for an individual to merge their atman with Brahman. In order to be liberated from Samsara, a person must have no karma at all. Any karma, good or negative, causes reincarnation.

Because Moksha requires a person to have no karma, it is very difficult to achieve. Many Hindus believe that Moksha is too hard to accomplish. Instead, Hindus collect good karma and are happy to be reincarnated into a better life. In order to achieve moksha, Hindus must deliberately not want to achieve moksha. Their salvation will come after an individual abandons all their desires and pursuits and that they accept that their individual soul is the same as Brahman.

There are three paths that Hindus can take in order to achieve moksha. They are called Karma Marga (action), Jnana Marga (knowledge), and Bhakti Marga (devotion).

Karma Marga is also called “the path of the works” and is for people who prefer to perform daily tasks, like raising a family or volunteer work, in order to seek liberation from Samsara. This path is about living unselfishly and living in harmony with dharma, which is the foundational concept of Hinduism. People who choose this path use the saying “Do the right thing only because it is right.” The saying means that a person should do a good deed because it is the right thing to do and that they should not expect to be rewarded for doing the good deed.

The next path is Jnana Marga, or the path of knowledge. People who choose this path devote a large amount of time to meditation and learning. People who belong to the Brahmin caste, the highest level in the Hindu caste system, are who usually take this path. This path requires followers to study the three schools of Hindu philosophy (Vedanta, Sankhya, and Yoga) in order to obtain knowledge of the true nature of reality.

Introduction to Reincarnation

Reincarnation is often associated with the idea that the soul could go to the body of an animal, of a plant, or even of an inanimate object, like stone, in death, and is not necessarily associated with transmigration. In comparison with the Western Christian concept of a single body, which is united in the resurrection (the union between soul and spiritual body) and life with God in Heaven, the concept of reincarnation that the soul goes through a sequence of incarnations. The faith in reincarnation was linked in ancient religions to moral classifications, particularly the Eastern karma concept which regarded contemporary life as a result of past experiences. The implications of this current existence will also determine the future incarnation. One must remove oneself through spiritual activities from the domain of effects or stay indefinitely in the infinite round of Reincarnation. The faith in a reincarnation form is essential to Hinduism as well as Buddhism and was popular in the ancient Mediterranean basin. In contemporary times, through attempts of French Spiritism and Theosophy reincarnation has spread to the West.

Reincarnation in Hinduism: Karma and Samsara

According to Hinduism, ‘Karma’ is a good or bad action, and the universal process leading to the cycle of death and rebirth is called ‘Samsara.’ He decides his later birth, based on the kind of karma he does. For instance, if you have accomplished a lot of services and are willing to serve more when you go to death, your soul selects a family that supports your desire, to regenerate. Even Devas can die and be born again, according to Hinduism. But here it is not strictly relevant to the word ‘reincarnation.’ Lord Vishnu’s is popular for his 10 reincarnations. People do not advance through their own life or life cycles alone, but with a group of friends or soul groups that they often reincarnate to provide assistance and learn certain predetermined lessons for spiritual development. In both India and the West, as well as in other countries, there are many distinct models of the Renaissance. The concept of rebirth is old and widely distributed through a multitude of Hindu traditions, including Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.

Jainism: Eternal Soul and Matter

In Jainism, the soul and matter are regarded as eternal and uncreated. The two are constantly interplayed, leading to amazing cosmic manifestations on the material, mental and psychic levels around us. This resulted in transmigration and renaissance theories. The fundamental postulate of Jain philosophy is changing but not a total annihilation of spirit and matter. Four gati, that is, categories of birth and existence within which the soul transmits, are postulated in the Jain texts. The four gatis are: Deva, manusya (human), nāraki, and tyyañca, (livestock, plants, and micro-organisms). The four gati in the Vertically Tiered Jain Universe have four respective domains or living levels: Half gods are located in the sky, human beings, crops, and animals in the mids; and the lower hell is occupied by the hellish beings. In the context of this cosmology of destinies, a soul transmigrates and reincarnates, depending on its karma. The four primary fate categories and even lower subcategories are further split. In all, Jain texts talk about the cycle of 8,4 million destinies of birth, in which souls are constantly cycling in samsara.

Buddhism: Anatta and the Five Aggregates

Thai Buddhism is distinct, and although it can not be supposed that Buddhists in other Theravada nations, such as Sri Lanka, will have the same thoughts but they are not assumed as different. Unlike Hindus, Buddhists do not think in an often described transmigrating entity as a soul. The Buddhist Cardinal Anatta (Pali) doctrine corresponding to anatman in Sanskrit indicated this difference. Since the underlying aspect is not to be found, there can not be a surviving self or soul in the human form. If everyone is subject to dukkha (transience and related grievance), then there are no exceptions to human appearance. Each human being is constituted by five aggregates (khandhas) which flow together and offer a sense of identity and spatial persistence. After death, these five personality elements are reconstituted in accordance with the karma continuity of result. Our interpretation of the expanded spirit depends on the Buddhist perspective because it broadens the scale of human life and adds a moral aspect centered on four noble truths. But common Buddhism, particularly in Thailand, often differs significantly, and the effects of science have affected the extent to which contemporary Buddhists believe cardinal teachings like a renaissance. Whereas the Buddhists dismiss the concept of a transmigrant entity frequently referred to as a soul, many Hindus since the early Common Age have thought that a transempirical substratum, called linga-sarıra, survives physical death. The accumulating karma of a single karmic chain determine the features of the next life within this substratum. It is sometimes also known as the suksma-sarıra or subtle body and is essentially a method by which accumulated karma is stored and transferred from one life to the next. In pursuit of a suitable body to live in a soul, the notion of linga-sarıra makes it possible to enable the time lapse between death and rebirth. (It also enables for offerings that will enhance the soul’s opportunities before reembodying.).

Sikhism: Journey towards Union with God

Sikhism recognizes the reincarnation concept. The last stage before God’s realization is life as a human being. It depends on the decisions of the individual in this life whether or not you achieve union with God. Essentially according to Sikh philosophy, humans should be free by leaving self-centered and embracing God from the cycle of reincarnation (born and died God is metaphorically referred to as Truth in Sikhism. In this context, a person who embraces the centrality of God lives a life that is dedicated to the fulfillment of Truth. Sikhs believe in reincarnation very strongly. All animals, including people, have the soul and our soul undergoes various types of existence until we cleanse it from being one with God. Just as one changes clothes, soul changes the forms of life. God through Sikh Gurus narrated this very reality.

Christianity and Islam: Contrasting Beliefs

The reincarnation notion is rejected by most of the Christian denominations, but many Christians personally profess faith. In a 2009 Pew Forum study, 24% of American Christians have been confident in reincarnation. 31 percent of them voiced their faith in reincarnation in another study in 1981, which was carried out in Europe on regular Catholic churchmen. The doctrine of reincarnation responds that each one creates a destiny by themselves and exposes the vices of his past lives through difficult and painful lives, whereas one gains the fruits of the past moral attempts and prepares oneself for eternal life through existence, full of goodness and inclination for good. In reincarnation people find some basic ideas which are in accord with the teachings of Jesus, for example, we are created by God for a great purpose, for the sake and the attainment of Divine bliss after death, and the intrinsic and inevitable consequence of our previous moral choices are our fate after death.

In addition, from an Islamic perspective, the Quran informs us that there is only death and resurrection once. After that, we die and after death, we are restored to life. Everyone has one single life to live on in this globe. Then we remain for eternity in the Garden and in the Fires, whether we worship Allah without associating with Him, depending on what we have accomplished in this globe. In other words, we live in this globe only once and then have a life that continues indefinitely. Yet death only happens once, and after death, nobody comes back to Earth. This is a reality that Allah reveals in the Quran. This is another significant reality; death is not the end. Death is more the end of the short and transient lives of people in this world and their endless lives in the hereafter. Every person spends his eternal existence in heaven or hell according to his or her conduct in this globe. The Quranic proof shows that life on earth is our only opportunity for deliverance. We should direct our objectives and priorities and seek the permission of God through justice and excellent deeds. Unlike Hinduism believes, we won’t have another opportunity.

Arguments and Perspectives on Reincarnation

Three fundamental arguments for renaissance are briefly present. The first argument is morally-theological. The latter is empirical. The third is soteriological-pragmatic. No argument is entirely airtight by itself. Each can be dismissed by rational individuals or at least challenged. However, they show cumulatively that, for other similarly acceptable people, the concept of rebirth does not go far beyond plausibility. The moral and theological argument for rebirth is that a benevolent and eventually just cosmic order defines the wider context of human life. The hypothesis is shared between many religions. As the existence of both theistic and non-theistic Dharma traditions shows, this order or the dharma can function with or without the presence of Divine guarantors of that order.

The Catholic perspective mitigates the heavenly model problems with the idea of the Purgatory, which continues to develop in an intermediate way, from the time of the death of the body and the attainment of the beatific vision in its fullness, even when the yet-perfected souls, which are nevertheless in a state of grace, and thus ultimately destined to salvation. The empirical arguments for rebirth lie in past life studies, which Late Ian Stevenson was well-known for and continues to follow in the psychiatry department in the University of Virginia by Jim Tucker, his successor. The possible objections that previous life studies in the West have no relevance to the models of reincarnation, like the Vedantic model and that previous memory of life is a fairly latest occurrence.

The concept of the memory of previous lives actually underlies a whole kind of early Buddhist literature, the Jataka stories which pretend to portray the Buddha’s previous life. The third reasoning for rebirth is that of a practical-soteriologic one that, at least in the context of deconstructive religious practices such as Advaita Vedanta, can be based on the impacts of believing in a renaissance on the one’s lives: especially the relationship with others and with our experiences. The notion of renaissance extends one’s feeling of self so that, paradoxically, one realizes one’s deep links to all creatures in humility. In view of the vastness of cosmic time and the renaissance that takes place inside, the Buddha famously exhorted his disciples to bear in mind that everyone they met was probably a beloved, mom, dad, sister, brother, or dear friend somewhere. This insight is based on a significant spiritual Buddhist practice. This understanding, rooted in an assumption of the truth that is re-born, is counter-prejudice that enables you to perceive other than differences such as gender, race, religion, nationality or even species, provided that you are conscious that the soul is not specifically human, but a pure consciousness that could well reside in many forms of life across the cosmos. Briefly, belief in the rebirth has soteriological advantages, at least in the Dharma traditions. Again, these three arguments are not an irrefutable or unquestionable case for the renaissance. However, jointly they indicate that reincarnation is neither irrational nor totally unattractive and that approval for this doctrine is defensible intellectually.

Where do our souls go after we die? Do we come back in another body? Where do our fears and talents come from? Is there any truth to reincarnation?

Reincarnation in a Nutshell by Else Byskov and Maria McMahon explores this phenomenon. Their book is based on spiritual insights that were revealed by Martinus, a Danish visionary and mystic. The book explains the fascinating process that happens in the spiritual realm when a child is conceived. The development of phobias and natural talents are explained. Anecdotes from children and people who remember their past lives while under hypnosis are also included. Holistically, the book provides a greater awareness of the Law of Attraction and the evolution of human beings on a spiritual level.

This book provided a detailed outlook on the subject of reincarnation without delving entirely into religion. I would gladly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn why reincarnation is real. It will also appeal to energy healers and those who are intrigued by mysticism. People who believe that they are ‘old souls’ will also enjoy this book. I wouldn’t recommend it to readers who have a closed-mind about past lives. Readers who do not have a basic knowledge of science may also want to skip this one since the book contains a few biological concepts.

What I liked most about this book was the evidence in support of reincarnation. For instance, where did gifted youngsters get their natural talents? The book claims that in past lives they acquired these talents. Past musical geniuses were also linked with present child prodigies whose gifts are nearly identical. Through past life regression therapy, people have also revealed events from their past lives. Birthmarks can also indicate where and how a person died in their previous lives. In some cases, phobias also stem from unhealed trauma in previous lifetimes. The book provided real accounts of these things and I found that these were truly remarkable.

I also appreciated the modern slant that the authors took when explaining how reincarnation works. In addition to explaining how souls decide to experience life again, they also supplied readers with an enthralling discussion about cloning, identical twins, and artificial insemination. I was really surprised to learn how reincarnation affected these events.

The photos and symbolic representations were an excellent addition to the book because it helped me to understand certain concepts better. However, the text could have been formatted in a more reader-friendly way. There were no line breaks between paragraphs and the line spacing was tiny. This made it a chore to read even though the book’s content was interesting. I also spotted a few typographical errors. Moreover, I think that some of the hyperlinks (such as the advertisements to read chapters of the authors’ other books) should have been placed at the end of this book as references instead of frequently being mentioned in the chapters. I did not like this because they disrupted the narrative.

I deducted a star for the book’s poor formatting. As a result, I rate Reincarnation in a Nutshell 3 out of 4 stars for its fascinating and detailed outlook on reincarnation plus its modern perspectives on this phenomenon.

Throughout the history of mankind, people have always been interested in questions of life and death. What happens to a person after death? How do the soul and the body? In different eras, people gave different answers to these questions. The main thing was and remains the question of whether the soul will continue its path and whether it will be revived again in the guise of a person. One of the answers is given by the idea of reincarnation, transmigration of the soul. Many people are convinced that human life is not limited to earthly existence and continues after the death of the body. The soul incarnates again and again among the people. Some hold the opinion that the soul can move not only to a person, but also to an animal. The idea of reincarnation is also an attempt to find an explanation of why a person cannot live as well as he would like. In each new life, he raises his spiritual level, accumulates experience and can achieve more in his future life. The word “reincarnation” came to us from the Latin language. There was a similar concept among the ancient Greeks, only it was called metempsychosis – “transmigration of souls”. The essence of this phenomenon is that after physical death, the soul continues its path in a new incarnation, while retaining some of the memory of what happened to the creature in the past life. Not in all beliefs it is considered that “the soul remembers everything” – some of them claim that the road to the previously accumulated knowledge is open only to the elect.

Now it is difficult to say who and when he first began to use ideas about this phenomenon in his beliefs. Most often, the term “reincarnation” is associated with Hinduism and Buddhism. But according to some sources, the “path of incarnations” appeared even earlier in African tribes, among North American Indians and among the Eskimos. The highest manifestation of reincarnation in totemism was the event when, after the physical death of a shaman or a great warrior (or hunter), an animal appeared next to the settlement, which was the totem of the tribe. This indicated that the soul of the deceased had found its true, divine incarnation, and the animal itself had come to protect the settlement and its inhabitants from all evils.

Depending on the basic dogmas of a particular belief, it is believed that only the soul of a person, or a part of the essence of people and animals, or everything in general, including insects and plants, can reincarnate.

With the key postulates of various teachings and religions, the very path of incarnations is connected. So, for example, in Hinduism and Buddhism there is the concept of “samsara” – the cycle of birth and death, during which the human soul can infuse both into the body of a newborn baby and the bodies of animals and insects, and in higher manifestation into gods.

Thoughts of reincarnation suggest reflections on colors. After all, they, like all living things, have their own cycles. Their lives are fleeting, but filled with bright colors and fragrances, but in the end, death always comes. The flower loses its former beauty, becomes nondescript, does not please the eye with its aroma and beauty. But does this mean the end of his existence? Far from it. Flower wilting is just a sign of the beginning of a new life. Time will pass and the hour of flowering will come. And so in a circle. Flowers have always had sacred significance for people. First of all, the flowers saw a symbol of the awakening of nature, a symbol of life, prosperity, spiritual and physical health. Therefore, flowers have always been actively depicted in art. Countless images of lotus on the walls of Egyptian temples and pyramids can be considered as one of the most ancient examples of the images of flowers in a painting. The lotus was considered a sacred flower: the Egyptians believed that the lotus contained divine power, and it was enough for man to inhale the scent of this flower, as this divine energy filled him. Ancient Egyptian images often have scents of inhalation of the scent of lotus; this action, apparently, the Egyptians gave the character of religious ritual. In medieval paintings, there was an ambiguous attitude towards flowers. On the one hand, the words of the prophet Isaiah, the texts of the psalms and the New Testament compared a man and everything perishable on earth to grass and flowers, whose life is transient. Often, but not always, the flowers in these paintings were depicted as fading. A skull could be crowned with a floral wreath – a central element of such a still life.

On the other hand, the words of the same Isaiah mention the ‘tree of Jesse’, a sprout from it and a flower that grows on this sprout. Theologians interpreted this as a prophecy about Christ. From here, flowers and nature were justified, and their images accepted positive symbolism. The beauty of flowers testified that the world was created by God. symbol of youth and love.

In the heritage from medieval culture, the still-life of the 17th century was inherited by the tradition of depicting not just a thing, but a thing-symbol. Referring to the still life ‘Mémento mori’ Dutch artist Jan de Hem. At the first glance at this picture, attention to itself immediately attracts a beautiful bouquet of garden flowers. He occupies almost the entire space of the picture and is its main “actor”. But looking closer, we notice some oddities in the selection and image of objects located near the bouquet: it is very unusual that the artist placed a skull, a shell, crumpled and torn paper with a clear inscription ‘Memento mori’ (‘Remember about death’) next to it. In addition to this direct call, the skull also reminds of death, since it is a symbol of the fragility and frailty of our life. About the death, about its inevitability, speak all the numerous details of this picture. Note that Jan de Hem depicted a fading bouquet: the petals of tulips faded and faded, the poppy completely wilted, touched by wilting and other flowers. Withering bouquet in itself means the fragility of our lives. In addition, the artist carefully wrote a lot of worms and insects that eat the petals, stems and leaves. And worms are symbols of decay and destruction; flies symbolize spoilage; butterflies – transience, the brevity of our stay on earth. Almost all the considered elements of the composition of this still life indicate that the believing artist insistently inspires to us the idea that a person with all his earthly aspirations and concerns, which are symbolically marked with a set of different colors, is only a temporary guest on earth. But the shell, a symbol of pilgrimage, an attribute of St. Roch and James the Elder, directs the viewer’s thought to the high, imperishable and eternal. But forever only the spiritual, our soul is immortal. Now it becomes clear the ideological content of the picture: do not forget, man, that you are mortal, and save your soul in life in order to avoid the torments of hell in the next world.

Painting by John Everett Millet ‘Ophelia’ is known for its detailed image of river vegetation and river banks. When the artist painted the doomed Shakespeare Ophelia, he painted all the flowers in a magnificent death scene in accordance with the original text and botanical precision. A certain meaning is coded in each plant: buttercups mean ingratitude, weeping willow bending over a girl is a sign of rejected love, nettle means pain, flowers of daisies around the right hand symbolize innocence. Roses traditionally speak of love and beauty, moreover, one of the heroes of the tragedy calls Ophelia the “rose of May”; a necklace of violets marks modesty and loyalty, as well as forget-me-noses growing on the shore; the scarlet and poppy-like adonis floating near the right hand symbolizes grief.

From this, it follows that the theme of life and death has always been on the canvases of artists. The question arises how the idea of reincarnation was expressed in art.

In this case, it is worth mentioning Bhavacakra. It is a picture in the form of a circle, divided into several rings, and those, in turn, are divided into sections and depict certain scenes. It shows the wheel of samsara as the cycle of constant rebirths in different worlds, inevitably associated with suffering. In other words, this is an image of Buddhist ideas about the world, a doctrine of cause-and-effect relationships that Shakyamuni grasped while meditating under a bodhi tree.

Painting by Paul Gauguin “Where are we from? Who are we? Where are we going? ”Reflects the deep philosophical reflections and experiences of the artist regarding the meaning of human existence, the purpose of man, the cyclical nature of life and the frequency of death and birth. At the direction of Gauguin himself, the picture should be read from right to left – the three main groups of figures illustrate the questions posed in the title. On the surface of the canvas, the artist unfolded the history of human life from birth to death, placing it around an idol, whose raised hands reach for ripe fruit. On the right, three women with a child represent the beginning of life; the middle group symbolizes the daily existence of maturity; in the final group, according to the artist, ‘an old woman approaching death seems reconciled and indulged in her thoughts’.

Not only on the canvases you can come across images of life and death, reincarnation and the boomerang of life. The sculpture ‘Karma’ is a pyramid of bodies sitting on each other’s neck. According to the author, this explains that our fate depends not only on our decisions in the current life, but also on the actions done in all past reincarnations.

Talking about art it is worth noting the world of literature, which was full of poets and writers enthusiastic about the idea of the rebirth of the soul. An example would be Leo Tolstoy – the great Russian writer. Almost everyone knows about his life and his works. However, few people know that Tolstoy was engaged in the study of Vedic philosophy. Bhagavad Gita (a classic of Vedic literature) was his reference book. Those who carefully read Leo Tolstoy’s novel War and Peace may notice the tendencies of Vedic philosophy in it. In this novel, the author addresses such issues related to Vedic knowledge, such as the illusory nature of happiness in the material world, reincarnation, signs of civilized society, reducing the significance of religion. They also address the issues of the difference between the soul and body; what is the meaning of life; what is love and the Absolute Truth and more.

The words of his heroes prove that Leo Tolstoy believed in the existence of reincarnation: ‘… Our souls were animals and again go to animals …’, ‘After all, the soul is immortal … so if I live forever, so I and before she lived, she lived for ages …’ and others.

One of the modern theories about human consciousness is that there are three worlds defined by the speed of movement of their constituent elements. thus, the concepts of past, present, and future mix and disappear, all events occur simultaneously in the Field of Events. With death, our ‘superluminal’ consciousness reaches another level of more developed energy: time-space of tachyons. Perhaps we live at the same time thousands of lives in thousands of different eras of the past and the future. What we take to be regressions is actually just an awareness of these parallel lives. The biggest fear in a person’s life is the fear of death. For those who believe in reincarnation, death is only a transition to the next life. Reincarnation suggests that after death the human soul receives a new body and returns to live another life. Human life is like a flower life. Today is the day of flowering, and tomorrow may come the day of withering, but this does not mean that it is worth to be afraid of that day.

Rebirth is the philosophical or religious idea that the non-physical pith of a living being begins another life in an alternate physical structure or body after natural passing. It is likewise called resurrection or transmigration, and is a piece of the world tenet of cyclic presence. This was written in our holy books since ages, but this has now been proved by the scientist as well. Confidence in rebirth is a focal teaching inside most of Indian religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. The whole concept of reincarnation is based entirely on the religious beliefs of our ancient ancestors, certainly as far back as between 1,000 and 600 BCE in Northern India. As far as I’m aware the first reference to reincarnation appears in the Upanishads, the sacred scriptures of Hinduism, written around 2,600 years ago, but based on much earlier beliefs of a supposed soul migrating from body to body. In the West, some New Age developments, alongside devotees of Spirits, additionally hold fast to rebirth. For the Christian, in any case, there can be no uncertainty: rebirth is dishonest and must be dismissed as false. On the off chance that rebirth is valid, at that point there is no Day of Judgment, no requirement for the cross, and no compelling reason to trust in Christ.

To the world it sounded like some kind of pun or fantasy, but some scientists do believe that it is a feasible concept. But we all know how the world giggled or mocked at numerous concepts or facts of our country and then later they agreed upon it.

The issue with reincarnation as that clarification, in any case, is twofold: 1) we have, starting at yet, no real way to confirm it tentatively in a goal way, 2) we have no system to clarify how reincarnation may happen. Despite the fact that reincarnation is for sure a focal precept of all organizations of Buddhism, no order of Buddhism sets the presence of a non-human ‘spirit’— an everlasting, constant form of ourselves that is equipped for living freely of a mind and a body. Or maybe, in Buddhism, oneself is seen as something that has no ‘total’ presence, as something that changes continually from minute to minute, just as something that is equipped for existing just inside the limits of a physical mind.

Around 35 percent of youngsters who guarantee to recollect past lives have skin defects as well as birthmarks that they ascribe to wounds on an individual whose life the child remembers. The instances of 210 such youngsters have been researched.

Some people claim that if ‘reincarnation memories’ are real they are just memories which have been inherited somehow from the person’s ancestors. But some of the best-attested memories seem to relate to children who died before puberty and therefore could not have had descendants to whom genes could be passed.

Numerous individuals with mental issues – particularly fears – that are serious by ordinary psychotherapy have been relieved by Dr. Brian Weiss of the Sinai Medical Research Center, USA. He follows, through entrancingly instigated previous existence relapse that these fears start in a horrible past life passing brought about by the very item toward which one has fear in this life. For instance, he found that few patients having hydrophobia had kicked the bucket due to suffocating in a past life. At the point when the patients comprehend the reason for the fear, at that point their fear vanishes or possibly diminishes significantly. The individuals who don’t consider reincarnation genuine have no clarification for the genuine mending that has occurred.