Understanding Reincarnation and Beyond – The Myths and Facts.

The concept of “reincarnation,” which literally means “to take on the flesh again,” has baffled the human intellect since the dawn of time. Beliefs became discriminated against and disseminated as civilizations progressed, resulting in numerous faiths. The two major divisions were “East” and “West.” Reincarnation is acknowledged in eastern faiths, which are more philosophical and less analytical. 

Different eastern religions, such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, have differing views on rebirth. Furthermore, both Islam and the world’s most popular religion, Christianity, which originated in the west, have largely rejected the concept of reincarnation. Despite this, several sub-sectors are still interested in it. Many mystics and esoteric schools, like the Theosophical Society, have their own take on rebirth.

Birth and Death

Birth and death are two topics that have piqued people’s interest for centuries, with differing interpretations in different religions. Many people believe that our deeds in this life influence our future birth. However, there are still many difficulties surrounding birth and death that are enigmatic and beyond our knowledge. Of all the faiths, Hinduism contains the most extensive and detailed discussion on the subject.

Many of us have frequently pondered how, if the soul is eternal and immortal, the human population continues to rise. There are several possible explanations. Although the number of souls may remain constant, some argue that the rising population is due to biotic resource depletion as well as genetic variety If humans observe crass animal tendencies and raw nature, the rationalisation could be found in the dwindling population of other creatures.

The History Of The Concept Of Reincarnation

Although reincarnation is a common theme in many Eastern faiths, it was also taught in ancient Greece and Rome. Reincarnation ceremonies and beliefs were practiced by mystery religions, which sometimes evolved into secularised social groups or fraternities. Some of these early Greco-Roman faiths impacted notable intellectuals like Plato’s philosophy.

Beginning in the sixth or seventh century B.C., Orphism was a popular mystery religion. Its adherents examined Orpheus’ alleged compositions, a mythological musical figure. They believed in a soul that might reincarnate in human or animal form after death. The soul, according to the Orphics, was divine and was imprisoned by the body. 

A soul could go to Elysium, a paradise after death, by living a good life and abstaining from meat, alcohol, and sex; an evil soul would endure penalties in hell. However, neither afterlife was forever, and the soul would be reborn into a new body after a period of time. A soul could only break the cycle of reincarnation after three virtuous Orphic lives.

The Pythagorean brotherhood, another mystery group headquartered in southern Italy, was motivated by the Orphic interest in death and the afterlife. Pythagoras, a philosopher, and mathematician linked with the brotherhood, believed that the soul might manifest itself in a human body, or the body of an animal As a result of this conviction, he became a vegetarian. According to the brotherhood, the soul was born among the stars but fell to earth and merged with the human body. Pythagoreans integrated religious theory with astronomy, music, and, of course, geometry in their teachings.

Plato, for example, believed that the soul has reincarnated many times. Plato believed the Earth was surrounded by seven planetary spheres and the eighth sphere of fixed stars. Beyond the eighth sphere, the divine sparked the creation of the universe. Souls descended from the stars, united with bodies on Earth, and then attempted to liberate themselves and return to the stars.

Understanding Reincarnation 

Reincarnation is a Latin term that directly translates to “to take on the flesh again,” or “to take on the fleshy (physical) body.” From the 6th century BC, discussions of the issue arise in Indian and Greek intellectual traditions. What is reincarnation, exactly? Simply put, it implies we leave one existence and enter another for the sole purpose of soul development and spiritual progress. 

Depending on the moral content of the previous life’s activities, the soul may assume the shape of a human, animal, or plant. The Indian and Greek religions both hold this notion as a major principle. Reincarnation, on the other hand, suggests that the person remains essentially the same while inhabiting a different body Other titles for reincarnation include “rebirth,” “metempsychosis” (a Greek word), “transmigration” (the English counterpart of metempsychosis), “disambiguation,” “palingenesis,” and so on.

The Biology

Individual cells in our bodies have a limited life period, according to a scientist or doctor, ranging from days to weeks to a few years. Dr. Frisen and his team of stem cell researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, discovered that the average age of cells in an adult body is between 7 and 10 years using precise Carbon-14 dating methods. Given this sober evidence, we can deduce that our biological cells are replaced on a regular basis as we age.

As a result, we have a body that is continually changing. However, our awareness of who we are does not change. Our sense of self-identification, or “I Consciousness,” is constant and unchanging. Even if our likes and dislikes and methods of thinking vary over time, we always know who we are in terms of personal continuity or personal “beingness.” Similarly, “I” – our consciousness is eternal or unchanging, and it travels through many different bodies over time. Reincarnation can be explained rationally in this way. Now we’ll look into what other religions have to say about it.

The Cosmic Path

The immensity of the cosmos suggests that there is plenty for everyone and that those with advanced consciousness must venture beyond the mundane to explore the uncharted terrains of their consciousness and cosmic multiverses. The faster we spiritually progress, the better for all of us.

When we are all spiritually connected to the same Supreme Consciousness, we don’t have to see ourselves as separate from other living beings, including humans. The distinction between men and ‘them’ is what causes instability and conflict in our daily lives. We can’t be pleased if a million other people aren’t. We can all progress together if we work together and live in harmony, and more quickly for the sake of the human race’s and our universe’s evolution.

Reincarnation and Religion

As a result, we have a body that is continually changing. However, our awareness of who we are does not change. Our sense of self-identification, or “I Consciousness,” is constant and unchanging. Even if our likes and dislikes and methods of thinking vary over time, we always know who we are in terms of personal continuity or personal “beingness.” Similarly, “I” – our consciousness is eternal or unchanging, and it travels through many different bodies over time. Reincarnation can be explained rationally in this way. Now we’ll look into what different religions have to say about it.

Hinduism:

Reincarnation is the religious or philosophical concept that following biological death, the soul or spirit begins a new life in a new body, which could be human, animal, or spiritual, depending on the moral quality of the previous life’s activities. “Samsara” refers to the entire universal process that leads to the cycle of death and rebirth, which is guided by karma. “Karma” refers to a person’s actions, which can be positive or negative. His subsequent birth is determined by the type of karma he generates. For example, if a person has performed a lot of divine services and wishes to continue doing so after death, his soul picks a family that is supportive of his desire for rebirth.

Rebirth is a recurring motif in Hinduism, as it is in many other religions, throughout all of its writings and sects. The fact that rebirth is a fact has long been established via objectively recorded research and empirical studies, which are available in the public domain in the form of books, documentaries, and films. Stories and proofs from around the world abound on YouTube and in the cyber world, attesting to the rebirth phenomena.

As a result, every live and inanimate object that enters this universe must go through a constant cycle of creation and destruction, changing its form in the ongoing Divine Drama known as Maya. In most cases, organic entities are destroyed faster than inorganic objects. So, why are we desperately chasing after the ostensible ideals that we make ourselves? Despite the fact that we are conscious of the transient nature of our lives, we continue to be dragged into the acquisitive rat-race beyond our requirements, allowing us to miss out on an opportunity to invest wisely in our spiritual progress.

“We should no longer work for the material acquisitions,” says Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Beginning. We should now be working to improve the human race. It is past time for us as a species to begin working on enhancing our capacities, consciousness, and spirits, for it is these that we carry with us, into the next incarnation. Our behavioral habits, evolved mentality, and learning are enshrined in our eternal awareness (also known as the “Akashik Records”), and all travel to the next incarnation. 

Gods and Reincarnation

Even Devas (Gods) can die and reincarnate, according to Hinduism. The term “reincarnation” isn’t strictly relevant in this case. Lord Vishnu is recognised for his ten incarnations, which are referred to as “Dasavataras.” Numerous references to rebirths may be found in Hinduism’s holy book Rigveda, the earliest extant Indo-Aryan scripture. According to one verse:

“Agni, don’t burn him up or completely consume him; don’t let his body or skin be scattered.” When thou hast developed him, O Jatavedas, send him on his road to the Fathers… Allow thy ferocious flame, thy gleaming splendour, to consume him. Carry this man to the holy land with thy auspicious forms, O Jatavedase. Send him to the Fathers once more, O Agni, “Never was there a time when I, you, or any of these rulers did not exist; nor will any of us cease to exist in the future,” the Bhagavad Gita says. 

The embodied spirit transfers into another body at death, just as it passes through this body from childhood to youth to old age. Such a shift does not perplex a sober individual;” and “The body sheds worn-out garments; the inhabitant within the body sheds worn-out bodies.” The inhabitant puts on new bodies as if they were clothes.”

Adi Sancracharya’s Views

The universe, as we know it, is like a dream, according to Hindu philosopher Adi Shankaracharya: fleeting and illusory. To be enslaved by samsara (the cycle of birth and death) is the outcome of a lack of understanding about the fundamental nature of our existence. Ignorance of one’s actual self (avidya) leads to ego-consciousness, which grounds one in desire and a never-ending cycle of reincarnation. 

The concept is intertwined with action (karma), which was first recorded in the Upanishads. Every action has a corresponding reaction, and the force determines one’s subsequent incarnation. One gets reborn as a result of one’s desire: A person wants to be born in order to enjoy a body that can never provide deep, enduring happiness or calm (Nanda). Every human becomes dissatisfied after a number of births and seeks higher types of bliss through spiritual experience.

All aspirations for worldly pleasures will fade when a person discovers that the true “self” is the immortal soul rather than the body or the ego after spiritual practise (sadhana), because they will seem insignificant in comparison to spiritual Nanda. A person will not be born again once all desire has evaporated. A person is said to have gained liberation when the cycle of rebirth comes to an end (moksha). 

Scientific Defination

Though the specific definition varies, all schools agree that this signifies the end of worldly aspirations and escape from the cycle of birth and death. Advaita Vedanta adherents think that they will spend forever immersed in the complete peace and happiness of realisation, All of existence is one Brahman, and the soul is a part of it. Dvaita schools do worship with the intention of spending eternity in a spiritual world or paradise (Loka) with the Supreme Being. 

However, the various rebirth stories as told by the reborn humans refute the concept of ‘Heaven and Hell’ as we know it. The concept of ‘Heaven and Hell’ has been employed by all religions to intimidate and frighten lesser people into obedience and subjection.

Many souls are known to have been born soon after death or to have remembered being in their ‘causal’ or ‘astral’ bodies for a period of time before deciding to be reborn, regardless of their Karmas. Humans are mostly born as humans, as none of the rebirth stories mentions an intervening animal birth, however, it is possible, like in the Bodhisattva accounts. These folks have not mentioned any divine assistance in their rebirth, despite mythologies to the contrary.

Actually, the concept of heaven and hell appears to be more closely linked to the level of spiritual progress that causes pain or pleasure to a being, whether in this or the next life or in the between. An individual’s rebirth preference appears to be linked to his or her spiritual development. Individuals are meant to choose their rebirth destination based on their level of spiritual progress. Unfulfilled aspirations (Vasanas) and evolved predilections predispose or draw the soul to a certain family in order to learn the teachings, It wishes to study in order to advance its consciousness.

The dominating cerebral and psychic patterns can be traced back to a specific soul’s prior experiences. The difference in the behavioural and cognitive mellowness of children born of the same parents in similar circumstances explains this. Nonetheless, some children have unique qualities and characteristics that set them apart from their siblings.

The inherent sensations of likes and dislikes, as well as the déjà vu experience we have for specific things or people, are all thought to be a carryover from previous lifetimes. Many of his patients have been treated and cured by Dr Brian Weiss, a past-life regression therapist, Patients’ current diseases are linked to one of their prior births.

Many mystics and academics have noted that many advanced souls have the power to interact telepathically or transport to faraway regions in an instant. Our minds are believed to be extremely strong, but we have yet to fully utilise even a small portion of them.

We will soon be able to access the higher domains of human and cosmic evolution as we become capable of investigating and harnessing its unfathomable potential through constant meditation and control (remember the movie Matrix?).

Hatred, sadness, anguish, joy, envy, greed, compassion, and other such deportment and demeanour of an unsatisfied desire At whatever point in time, an individual determines whether they will have a paradise or hell-like experience. So, at the end of the day, it is the individual who decides whether she wants to live in paradise or hell.

Garuda Puran Recomends

As recounted in the Hindu classic Garuda Purana, ‘Heaven’ and ‘Hell’ are ultimately experienced in our minds by dint of our own karma. According to the “Gita”, we should perform our given tasks objectively and without attachment to the results. Only then will we be able to raise our souls to the point where we can join with the Almighty.

Despite being on the wrong side of the Divine Drama, the Kauravas made it to heaven, whereas the Pandavas, with the exception of Yudhisthira, ended up in hell, being that the Pandavas suffered in purgatory because of their numerous personal flaws, while the former died while performing their job. We must recognise our position in the Divine Drama and perform it diligently and honestly for the sole aim of spiritual advancement.

We continue to act like ordinary creatures, still fighting for survival, because of our passion and devotion to the everyday features of human life. By utilising the countless birth opportunities, we should be seeking to add more and more uplifting aspects to our everlasting consciousness.

BUDDHISM

Buddhism incorporated the Hindu idea in rebirth when it was founded 2,500 years ago. Despite the fact that Buddhism has two major sects and innumerable regional differences in practice, the majority of Buddhists believe in samsara or the cycle of reincarnation. The law of karma governs Samsara: good deeds produce good karma, while bad deeds produce awful karma. Buddhists believe that the soul’s karma travels between bodies and manifests itself in the womb as a “germ of consciousness” [source: Encyclopaedia Britannica]. Afterlife periods, often known as “the betwixt,” occur after death and before rebirth, punctuating samsara [source: NPR].

Buddhists, like Hindus, consider unenlightened samsara to be a condition of misery. We suffer as a result of our yearning for the fleeting. We can only transcend samsara and obtain nirvana, or salvation when we achieve total passiveness and are free of all desires. Many Buddhists think that by following the Eightfold Path, or middle path, one can break the cycle of rebirth. Perfect perspective, correct intention, correct speech, correct action, correct livelihood, correct effort, correct awareness, and correct concentration are the directives of an enlightened being.

Gautama Buddha on Reincarnation

After obtaining enlightenment, the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama preached the Eightfold Path in his first discourse, Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in 563 B.C. near what is now Nepal, had a lavish and fortunate childhood. He began to question his spiritual status as a young man in the midst of such wealth and retreated to the life of an extreme ascetic. Siddhartha resolved to follow the middle road, a condition of living that is somewhere between excess and self-deprivation when his hermit life failed to bring him any closer to enlightenment. Siddhartha attained enlightenment not long after.

There is no immortal “soul,” “spirit,” or “self” in the Buddhist notion of reincarnation, only a “stream of consciousness’ ‘ that connects life to life. Punarbhava (Sanskrit) or punabbhava (Pali), meaning “becoming again,” or bhava, “becoming,” refers to the actual process of transitioning from one life to the next. Techniques for recalling former births are discussed in early Buddhist writings, and they are based on the cultivation of high levels of meditative focus. According to legend, Buddha advised that this experience can be deceiving and should be interpreted with caution. He preached a separate concept of reincarnation confined by anatt, that there is no such thing as rebirth, in contrast to Hinduism, where everything is interrelated and, in a sense, “everything is everything,” there is no irreducible atman or “self” connecting these lives together.

In Buddhism, the belief in rebirth differs. “Anatman,” which means “no soul” or “no self,” is a major concept in Buddhism. This might also suggest that no part of a person survives death, implying that reincarnation is impossible. Many other followers of the religion, on the other hand, believe in individual reincarnation. After death (or “the disintegration of the aggregates”), the evolving awareness (Pali: samvattanika-viana) or stream of consciousness (Pali: viana-sotam) becomes one of the contributing causes for the emergence of a new aggregation, according to Buddhist theology. 

When one personality dies, a new one emerges, similar to how the flame of a dying candle night light the flame of another. The new person’s consciousness is neither identical nor dissimilar to that of the departed, but the two create a causal continuity or stream. Karma (Pali: kamma) or volitional conduct causes transmigration. The fundamental reason is consciousness’s living in ignorance (Pali: Avijja, Rebirth stops when ignorance is removed (Sanskrit: Avidya).

Vipasana Meditation

Vipassana meditation focuses on mind-states with “bare attention” rather than meddling, owning, or judging them. Observation shows each moment as an experience of an individual mind-state that develops, exists, and fades away, such as a thought, a memory, a mood, or a sense. This reduces the strength of desire, which is the cause of suffering (dukkha) according to Buddhism’s second noble truth, and leads to Nirvana (nibbana, disappearing [of the self-idea]), in which self-oriented models are transcended and “the world ceases.” As a result, awareness is constant birth and death of mind-states, with rebirth being the continuation of this cycle.

JUDAISM:

Traditional Judaism does not believe in reincarnation. Although the storey of the Ten Martyrs in the Yom Kippur liturgy, who were killed by Romans to atone for the souls of Joseph’s ten brothers, is read in Ashkenazi Orthodox Jewish communities, it is not mentioned in the Tanakh (“Hebrew Bible”), the classical rabbinical works (Mishnah and Talmud), or Maimonides’ 13 principles of Faith. 

The problem was debated by mediaeval Jewish Rationalist philosophers, who were often dismissive of it. From its classic Medieval canon forward, Jewish mystical literature (the Kabbalah) teach a belief in Gilgul Neshamot (Hebrew for metempsychosis of souls: The term “soul cycle” literally means “soul cycle.” While other non-Hasidic Orthodox Jewish communities do not place a high value on reincarnation, they do recognise it as valid teaching. For the first time, Isaac Luria (the Ari) in the 16th century brought the problem to the forefront of his new spiritual articulation, advocating the identification of reincarnations of historic Jewish figures as recorded by Haim Vital in his Shaar HaGilgulim.

CHRISTIANITY

The concept of reincarnation is rejected by the majority of Christian churches. When a person dies, Christians believe that their soul will sleep in the grave with their body. This soul sleep lasts until a moment in the future known as the “last day” or also known as the “end of the world.”, as if it were the “last word.” However, there is evidence in the Bible that Jesus taught reincarnation. In early Christian history, however, there was a rift about how to understand Jesus himself. Was he a man who went on to become God? Was he God who took in the form of a man? The conflict was between Paul’s Rome-based Church and the Jerusalem Church’s remnants who fled to Egypt after Rome invaded Israel in 70 AD. 

The Roman faction denied pre-existence and reincarnation, believing that Jesus was God who had taken on human form. The Jerusalem side recognised Jesus as a man who attained human-divine atonement, which is everyone’s objective in escaping the reincarnation cycle of birth and death and attaining eternal life. However, The political conflict was won by Rome, and the traditional definition of resurrection was reduced to a “Night of the Living Dead” at the end of time.

The Beliefs of Bogomils and Cathars

The Christian sects such as the Bogomils and Cathars, who believed in reincarnation and other esoteric ideas, were labelled “Manichean,” and researchers today refer to them as “Neo-Manichean.” According to recent surveys, several Westerners, including contemporary Christians, modern Neopagans, Spiritists, Theosophists, and students of esoteric doctrines such as Kabbalah, believe in reincarnation. 

The Baltic countries have an especially strong belief in reincarnation, Lithuania has the greatest percentage of people in Europe, at 44 per cent. In a 2009 Pew Forum poll, 24 per cent of American Christians said they believe in reincarnation. In his book, Reincarnation in Christianity: A New Vision of the Role of Rebirth in Christian Thought, Geddes MacGregor, an Episcopalian priest who is Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a recipient of the California Literature Award (Gold Medal, non-fiction category), and the first holder of the Rufus Jones Chair in Philosophy and Religion at Bryn Mawr, demonstrates that Christ is not an exclusive belief system.

ISLAM:

All of the world’s major monotheistic religions deny reincarnation. The reason for this is because it goes against their basic doctrines of the human being having a finite life for which he or she is judged and rewarded. Which life is the human to be evaluated on if he or she lives several lives? What was the first life like? Is this the final life? In light of this, the Quran rejects the concept of reincarnation while affirming the reality of the soul. Islam’s central premise is that there is only one birth on this planet. After death, Doomsday will be judged to determine whether one must spend eternity in hell or be reunited with God.

However, a few Muslim groups, particularly the Shia sect (Ghulat), as well as other Muslim sects such as the Druzes, accept the concept of reincarnation. The Ghulat Shia Muslim sect considers its founders to be heavenly incarnations in some way (hulul). South Asian Isma’ilis have traditionally performed chants on a yearly basis, one of which is for sins committed in previous lifetimes. Furthermore, Sinan ibn Salman ibn Muhammad, better known as Rashid al-Din Sinan (r. 1162-92), believed in soul transmigration as a doctrine of the Alawi, who was influenced by Isma’ilism. Bawa Muhaiyadeen is a contemporary Sufi who believes in reincarnation.

JAINISM:

Jainism has a long history with the sramana tradition, which is where the first allusions of rebirth can be found. The soul and substance are considered everlasting, uncreated, and eternal in Jainism. The two are constantly in flux, resulting in perplexing cosmic manifestations in the material, psychic, and emotional realms. Transmigration and rebirth theories arose as a result of this. The essential assumption of Jain philosophy is that spirit and matter undergo changes but not absolute annihilation. After death, life as we know it transitions to a new form based on the qualities and demerits it collected throughout its current incarnation. It is necessary to practise nonviolence and honesty on the route to becoming a superior soul.

Karma is a vital and fundamental idea in Jain religion, and it is inextricably linked to other philosophical concepts such as transmigration, reincarnation, liberation, nonviolence (ahims), and non-attachment, among others. Actions are understood to have ramifications, some of which are immediate, while others are postponed, even into future incarnations. As a result, the idea of karma is considered not just in terms of one lifetime, but also in terms of future incarnations and prior lives. “Karma is the source of all life and death.” In the circle of existence, beings bound by karma revolve round and round.” Whatever hardship or joy a soul is experiencing in this incarnation is due to choices made in the past. Jainism places a premium on clean thinking and moral behaviour as a result of this belief.

Transmigration of Soul

The soul transmigrates through four gatis, or states of existence or birth types, according to Jain literature. Deva (demi-gods), manussya (humans), nraki (hell creatures), and tiryaca are the four gatis (animals, plants, and micro-organisms). In the vertically tiered Jain world, the four gatis correspond to four kingdoms or habitation levels: The highest levels, where the heavens are located, are occupied by demi-gods; the middle levels are occupied by humans, plants, and animals; and the lower levels, where the seven hells are located, are occupied by hellish entities.

A soul’s transmigration and reincarnation within the scope of this cosmology of fates based on its karma. Sub-categories and even smaller sub-categories are separated into the four primary destinies. Overall, Jain writings speak of an 8.4 million birth destiny cycle in which souls reincarnate as they cycle through samsara.

God plays no part in an individual’s fate in Jainism; one’s own destiny is not considered as a result of any reward or punishment system. Rather, it is the outcome of its own specific karma. Violent acts, such as killing five-sensed creatures, eating fish, and so on, result in rebirth in hell. In the animal and vegetable worlds, deception, fraud, and lying lead to reincarnation. Human birth is the outcome of kindness, compassion, and modest character, whereas rebirth in heaven is the result of austerities and the making and keeping of vows. As a result, each soul is accountable for its own situation as well as redemption.

SIKHISM:

To gain redemption, Sikhism advocates the way of “Bhakti.” The soul, according to Sikhs, is passed from one body to the next till freedom. If we do good deeds and remember the creator, we will be incarnated in “higher” life forms, however, if we do evil deeds and sinful deeds, we will be incarnated in “lower” life forms. God may forgive our sins and set us free. Reincarnation, on the other hand, is based on the law of cause and effect and does not create caste or social divisions. 

Science and Reincarnation

Although the more than 1.25 billion followers of Hinduism and Buddhism believe in reincarnation, it is not frequently acknowledged by those outside the Eastern religion. The concentration of monotheistic religions on a single life, a single soul, and an active God who does not rely on karmic law is linked to Western scepticism of reincarnation. With infrequent believers claiming to be Cleopatra or Elvis, it’s no surprise that many people are suspicious of the soul’s ability to return multiple times.

Despite this widespread pessimism, scholars have continued to investigate the possibility of reincarnation. Academic psychiatrist Dr Ian Stevenson until his death in 2007, was the driving force behind the research of reincarnation in the United States. Stevenson established the Division of Personality Studies under the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia. Children who remember previous incarnations, near-death experiences, apparitions and after-death communications, out-of-body experiences, and deathbed visions are the focus of the lab, which eventually became known as the Division of Perceptual Studies.

Stevenson, who frequently referred to reincarnation as the “survival of personality beyond death,” considered past lifetimes as a possible explanation for human variations [source: New York Times]. He had faith in his previous experiences, gender dysphoria, phobias, and other inexplicable personality traits that could all be explained by genetics and the environment.

Stevenson’s reincarnation research centred on young children, usually between the ages of 2 and 5, who had unexplained phobias or vivid memories of a prior life. Stevenson would use the details of a deceased person’s life to try to substantiate the facts the youngster stated. He had an uncanny ability to make unexpected links between memories and lives. Stevenson discovered that one Lebanese youngster knew not just where a deceased stranger chained his dog, but also that the guy had been quarantined in his room, which his family attributed to his disease.

Satwant Pasricha, a professor of psychology in India, is the world’s leading expert on reincarnation research. Her research methods are similar to Ian Stevenson’s, as she worked as an assistant to him. She keeps a record of the child’s statements. She then locates the deceased person the child recalls and confirms the facts of the deceased person’s life that correspond to the child’s memory. By checking his medical records, she has even linked the child’s birthmarks to the physical damage or deformity present in the deceased person of the prior life the boy has remembered. She’s also offered examples of “Xenoglossy” (the ability to speak another language without having learned it). 

What Osho Says

One thing I’d want to point out to you is that the concept of reincarnation is a myth. It is true that when a person dies, his or her soul merges with the rest of the universe. It doesn’t matter if he was a sinner or a saint; what matters is that he had a mind, a memory. Previously, there was insufficient information to explain memory as a collection of thoughts and thought waves, but this is no longer the case.”

And it is here that I find Gautam Buddha to be far ahead of his time in many ways. He’s the only individual who could have understood what I was saying. He’s dropped suggestions, but he couldn’t back them up with evidence; there was nothing else to say. When a person dies, his memory – not the personality – is said to transfer into a new womb. And we now know that when you die, you will leave a trail of memories all over the place. And if you’ve been unhappy, all of your woes will find a home; they’ll be stored in a different memory system. Either they’ll all fit into a single womb — that’s how people remember their past. It was not your mind that you inherited; it was someone else’s.

Most individuals don’t recall since they don’t have access to the entirety of a single person’s memory system. They may have gotten bits and pieces from many places, and those bits and pieces make up your miserable system. All of the people who have died on this planet have done so in pain. Only a few people have died joyfully. Few people have died as a result of their realisation of no-mind. They don’t leave any evidence. They don’t bother others with their memories. It simply scatter across the cosmos. They are devoid of both a mind and a memory system. In their meditations, they have already dissolved it. As a result, the enlightened individual is never born.

Unenlightened people, on the other hand, continue to throw forth all kinds of misery patterns with each death. Sorrow attracts more misery, just as wealth attracts more wealth. They may have gotten bits and pieces from many places, and those bits and pieces have come together to become your miserable system. All individuals who have passed away on our planet have done so in pain. Few people have died with joy in their hearts. Few people have perished as a result of realising that there is no such thing as no-mind. They vanish without leaving a trace. It does not impose their memory on anyone else. They just evaporate into space. They lack a brain and a memory system. In their thoughts, they’ve already dissolved it. That is why no one is born enlightened.

However, with each death, the unenlightened continue to spew out a variety of suffering patterns. Sorrow attracts more misery in the same way that riches attract more money. The sky is still black. Blissfulness is imperceptible to the naked eye. That is why the buddhas do not leave you any inheritance; they simply vanish. And all types of stupid and retarded people continue to reincarnate in their memories, which grows thicker and thicker every day.

Today, it may have reached the point where it can be understood and dissipated; alternatively, it is too thick to allow you to survive, let alone laugh. There are no wounds in your own mind. Your own consciousness is blissfully unaware of suffering. Your own consciousness is pleasant and innocent.

Sadhguru’s Point of View

Sadguru’s point of view is that he doesn’t want us to believe or disbelieve in the theory of reincarnation because it’s just “entertainment” as long as you’re experiencing your current life.

He claims to have lived three lives and provides substantial proof of his reincarnation in order to finish his unfinished task as a coworker of his Guru, but he eventually stops there, urging people not to believe this “nonsense.”

Actually, if you can read between the lines, he says a lot about reincarnation when he discusses his past lives. He claims that if you begin to believe in reincarnation, you will become fascinated, and this will cause you to ruin your life. Fantasising about past lives will not help you conduct your current life in any way other than to cause absolute chaos and disturbances, possibly ruining your entire life process.”

According to Sadhguru, “This individual is no more,” we say when someone dies. That isn’t correct. The individual is no longer who you remember them to be, but they still exist. The physical body will disintegrate, but the mental and pranic bodies will continue to function, depending on how strong the karma is. To locate another womb, this karmic structure’s intensity must be reduced, and it must become passive. If the karmic structure has become weak due to its completion, it will readily find a new body. When a person has completed his karma for this life, he will die without disease, accident, or injury. Within hours, that person could find another body.

If one lives to the fullest and dies gently, there is no need to wait; life continues instantly. However, if the karmic structure is very severe and incomplete, it must be completed. He’ll need a lot more time now to find another body. This is what you’re talking about when you say “ghosts.” Because they have more intense karmic frameworks, they are more open to your experience. Whether you realise it or not, there are many such beings all around you, but you won’t feel most of them because their karma has been dissipated. They’re merely waiting for more energy to dissipate before looking for another body.

CONCLUSION :

If reincarnation is to be studied objectively from a scientific standpoint, it must first be possible to overcome unscientific impediments such as religious bias. There is no solid objective evidence or precise scientific approaches for unravelling the enigma of reincarnation. However, humans’ current minds and abilities are far too limited to observe such paranormal phenomena to know everything.

Disclaimer: The author’s views are his or her own. The facts and opinions in the article have been taken from various articles and commentaries available in the online media and Eastside Writers does do not take any responsibility or obligation for them.

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