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| A 12th-century
Japanese painting showing one of the six
Buddhist realms of reincarnation (rokudō, 六道). |
Reincarnation
Reincarnation is the name of the idea that people are
born again in another body after they die and this cycle
continues over many lifetimes. Rebirth or
"transmigration" is the preferred term for those
believers who do not believe in eternal souls. Many
Hindus, Jainists, Celtic pagans, Buddhists, and people
who follow some African religions believe in
reincarnation or rebirth/ transmigration. Carnate means
“of flesh”, and reincarnate means to “reenter the
flesh". |
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Belief in reincarnation or
rebirth/transmigration
The belief is held in many religions except Islam and
Christianity, although 20 to 30 percent of Christians in
western countries also believe in reincarnation.
Ethnologists have documented the belief among nearly all
the traditional religions of ethnic groups in Africa,
North and South America, and Australia/Oceania. The
tribes of north-west North America continue to believe
in reincarnation despite negative attitudes towards it
on the part of Christian missionaries and churches. |
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Reincarnation in Hinduism
Hindus believe in reincarnation, the process where the
soul repeatedly takes on a physical body through being
born on Earth. Ancient scriptures of Hinduism starting
around 700 BC teach that the soul, or immortal “self”,
takes birth time and time again. The soul survives and
continues its long journey until it is one with God.
Hindus believe that the soul never dies, but inhabits
one body after another during its evolutionary journey
guided by karma. Karma (literally: action) is the sum of
one's actions, and the force that determines one's next
reincarnation.
The soul evolves from immaturity to spiritual
illumination. Therefore, each reincarnating soul chooses
a home and a family which can best fulfill its next step
of learning and maturation. Each life on Earth is
similar to a class in school. Maturation of the soul on
Earth means fulfilling its worldly desires, which can
only be experienced through a body.
At death the soul leaves the physical body. But the soul
does not die. It lives on in a subtle body called the
astral body. The astral body exists in a nonphysical
dimension called the astral plane. Here the soul
continues to have experiences until it is born again in
another physical body as a baby.
After many lifetimes of following dharma (right way of
living), the soul is fully matured in love, wisdom and
knowledge of God. There is no longer a need for physical
birth, for all lessons have been learned, all karmas
fulfilled. When all desire has vanished, the person will
not be born again anymore. |
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Reincarnation research
Ian Stevenson found that the best research evidence
supporting the belief in reincarnation comes from the
cases of young children who, typically between the ages
of 2 and 5, make statements about a previous life they
claim to have had before being born. Some 35 per cent of
the children also have birthmarks or birth defects which
often correspond to injuries or illness experienced by
the deceased person who the subject remembers. Medical
documents have confirmed this correspondence in more
than forty cases. |
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|
 Kiddle: Reincarnation
Wikipedia: Reincarnation |
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