Is Re-incarnation a reality?
Ratan's post on this:
Several Hindu schools propound faith in rei. So do Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Gnostic Xians too. So did schools of the Ancient Greek and Roman religions. Plato, for one.
Depending on your belief system there can be several types of reincarnation - increasing sentience only, no changes in sentience, immutable soul or non-immutable soul. Different Hindus hold to different faiths, but the most popular one is an immutable (indestructable) soul with sentience that can increase or decrease.
Reincarnation is one logical natural consequence of believing in life after death, which is why many religions Eastern and non-Eastern traditions subscribe to it -
Q: Is there a soul?
A1: No (some Nastik Hindus). Therefore there is no such thing as reincarnation either.
A2: Yes.
Q: Does the soul expire with the body?
A1: Yes (other Nastik Hindus). Again, no reincarnation.
A2: No. It survives the body.
Q: Can a soul reside in another body (as opposed to a USED bit that gets flipped)?
A1: No. Again, no rei.
A2: Yes. It could.
Q: Does a soul routinely go from body to body?
A1: No, there is a finite rei.
A2: Yes, it does.
Q: Can a soul be unbound to a body?
A1 (99% of Hindus): Yes.
A2: No.
Q: In what situations can a soul be unbound to a body?
A1: "When" in transition (though "when" is not necessarily in the normal human sense of time).
A2: When it merges with God (Bg. Gita).
A3: When it "ceases" to be. Becomes Zero. (The Buddhist idea, but remember that in Buddhism Zero or Vaccum is *not* the same as Nothingness, or put another way Nothing is also Something).
My reply to the same question when asked by a Chrsitian (so the you there may be referring to christians in some contexts)
Theoritical: Re-incarnation & the Law of Karma are the logical conclusion one will come to while trying to understand the myteries of human life.
Let us first take the case of a small child who dies immediately after the death. Then what will happen to him. Will he go to hell or heaven. According to catholics, as he carries the original sin, and not baptised, he will go to hell. This not just not fair. Why should the child go to hell for no fault of him. The proptestians mostly believe that he will go to heaven, as he did not do any wrong. But is it that he did not do anything wrong, or is it that he did not get any chance to do anything wrong? This way this child went to heaven, without any test, where as others has to go thru a test. So, this makes God partial, which cannot be. So this is also not correct. But Re-incarnation on the other hand explains this without any difficulty, that he will be given one more chance.
The logic is simple, if a test is cancelled, the student can neither be passed, nor be failed, but should be given another chance.
Lets take another case of a person who is born in say India a 1000 years back. There is no way this person is going to know about the son of the God, his saviour. He follows just a life his surroundings teach him. So, eventually he may land up in hell.
But is it his mistake, that he is born there in India or was born 1000 back. It is not his, then whose it is. It is of the person who controls where and how each and every person is born. SO, then why should he be held responsible for the later events which just follow the initial events, and be sent to hell?
The third case is of two person one rich and another poor. One does not have any need to steal as he has plenty and so lives a rightful life. The other is poor and perhaps forced to do wrong things. Then is it the fault of the poor guy that the [b]testing surroundings[/b] are different.
The possible answer to this is whether rich or poor, the god will save us from damnation if asked for mercy. But is the god like a boss in our office who is going to reward us not on the basis of what I do, but how I praise him. Will he only accept my application if I address it as Christ, and reject it if I address it as Rama? God has to be, and IS just. So, we have to be judged on the basis of what we do: as we sow, so we reap. This is the Law of Karma.
Practical: You may find some case studies here:
Could a Little Boy Be Proof of Reincarnation?
Children Who Remember Previous Lives by Ian Stevenson
There are many more, but for the time-being I cud only find these. Ahyhow I guess even a single case is enough to prove the possibility.
Biblical:
John 3,3, "No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again";
John 9,2, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?";
Matthew 11,14 and 17,12-13, concerning the identity of John the Baptist;
This concerns the identity of John the Baptist, supposed to be the reincarnation of the prophet Elijah. In Matthew 11,14 Jesus says: "And if you are willing to accept it, he (John the Baptist) is the Elijah who was to come." In the same Gospel, while answering the apostles about the coming of Elijah, Jesus told them: "But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." The commentary adds: "Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist." (Matthew 17,12-13; see also Mark 9,12-13)
Some more abt the Karma theory:
Galatians 6,7, "A man reaps what he sows".
Matthew 26,52, ”all who draw the sword will die by the sword”.
Revelation 13,10, ”If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed.”
You can find more such refences from Bible on this subject here.
Several Hindu schools propound faith in rei. So do Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Gnostic Xians too. So did schools of the Ancient Greek and Roman religions. Plato, for one.
Depending on your belief system there can be several types of reincarnation - increasing sentience only, no changes in sentience, immutable soul or non-immutable soul. Different Hindus hold to different faiths, but the most popular one is an immutable (indestructable) soul with sentience that can increase or decrease.
Reincarnation is one logical natural consequence of believing in life after death, which is why many religions Eastern and non-Eastern traditions subscribe to it -
Q: Is there a soul?
A1: No (some Nastik Hindus). Therefore there is no such thing as reincarnation either.
A2: Yes.
Q: Does the soul expire with the body?
A1: Yes (other Nastik Hindus). Again, no reincarnation.
A2: No. It survives the body.
Q: Can a soul reside in another body (as opposed to a USED bit that gets flipped)?
A1: No. Again, no rei.
A2: Yes. It could.
Q: Does a soul routinely go from body to body?
A1: No, there is a finite rei.
A2: Yes, it does.
Q: Can a soul be unbound to a body?
A1 (99% of Hindus): Yes.
A2: No.
Q: In what situations can a soul be unbound to a body?
A1: "When" in transition (though "when" is not necessarily in the normal human sense of time).
A2: When it merges with God (Bg. Gita).
A3: When it "ceases" to be. Becomes Zero. (The Buddhist idea, but remember that in Buddhism Zero or Vaccum is *not* the same as Nothingness, or put another way Nothing is also Something).
My reply to the same question when asked by a Chrsitian (so the you there may be referring to christians in some contexts)
Theoritical: Re-incarnation & the Law of Karma are the logical conclusion one will come to while trying to understand the myteries of human life.
Let us first take the case of a small child who dies immediately after the death. Then what will happen to him. Will he go to hell or heaven. According to catholics, as he carries the original sin, and not baptised, he will go to hell. This not just not fair. Why should the child go to hell for no fault of him. The proptestians mostly believe that he will go to heaven, as he did not do any wrong. But is it that he did not do anything wrong, or is it that he did not get any chance to do anything wrong? This way this child went to heaven, without any test, where as others has to go thru a test. So, this makes God partial, which cannot be. So this is also not correct. But Re-incarnation on the other hand explains this without any difficulty, that he will be given one more chance.
The logic is simple, if a test is cancelled, the student can neither be passed, nor be failed, but should be given another chance.
Lets take another case of a person who is born in say India a 1000 years back. There is no way this person is going to know about the son of the God, his saviour. He follows just a life his surroundings teach him. So, eventually he may land up in hell.
But is it his mistake, that he is born there in India or was born 1000 back. It is not his, then whose it is. It is of the person who controls where and how each and every person is born. SO, then why should he be held responsible for the later events which just follow the initial events, and be sent to hell?
The third case is of two person one rich and another poor. One does not have any need to steal as he has plenty and so lives a rightful life. The other is poor and perhaps forced to do wrong things. Then is it the fault of the poor guy that the [b]testing surroundings[/b] are different.
The possible answer to this is whether rich or poor, the god will save us from damnation if asked for mercy. But is the god like a boss in our office who is going to reward us not on the basis of what I do, but how I praise him. Will he only accept my application if I address it as Christ, and reject it if I address it as Rama? God has to be, and IS just. So, we have to be judged on the basis of what we do: as we sow, so we reap. This is the Law of Karma.
Practical: You may find some case studies here:
Could a Little Boy Be Proof of Reincarnation?
Children Who Remember Previous Lives by Ian Stevenson
There are many more, but for the time-being I cud only find these. Ahyhow I guess even a single case is enough to prove the possibility.
Biblical:
John 3,3, "No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again";
John 9,2, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?";
Matthew 11,14 and 17,12-13, concerning the identity of John the Baptist;
This concerns the identity of John the Baptist, supposed to be the reincarnation of the prophet Elijah. In Matthew 11,14 Jesus says: "And if you are willing to accept it, he (John the Baptist) is the Elijah who was to come." In the same Gospel, while answering the apostles about the coming of Elijah, Jesus told them: "But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." The commentary adds: "Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist." (Matthew 17,12-13; see also Mark 9,12-13)
Some more abt the Karma theory:
Galatians 6,7, "A man reaps what he sows".
Matthew 26,52, ”all who draw the sword will die by the sword”.
Revelation 13,10, ”If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed.”
You can find more such refences from Bible on this subject here.
posted by S at 10:34 AM
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