All religions of the world claim that the soul is immortal! And since the mortality rate in this world is 100%. This means that there is a process of rebirth, which is called in the east "reincarnation".
It's nice to know that you are immortal. Therefore, usually no one objects to the idea of the immortality of the soul. But as soon as it comes to a series of reincarnations, inevitable for each of us, one immediately hears: "It can't be!"
We find it difficult to accept the possibility of being born in a completely unpresentable body of a dog or a pig. However, we ourselves order our future birth …
The idea of reincarnation, or reincarnation of the soul, most often causes controversy and surprise in society. Still would! The soul is immortal and from life to life it simply changes bodies. And it turns out, as in V. Vysotsky's song: "Perhaps that shabby cat was a scoundrel before, and this nice man was a good dog before!" However, the poet was wrong when he said that the idea was "invented by the Hindus."
REINCARNATION OF THE SOUL IN THE WORLD RELIGIONS
The doctrine of the reincarnation of the soul was recognized by the ancient mystical schools of Egypt, Greece, and the Middle East. Reincarnation is one of the foundational concepts of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, African cosmology, and American Indian beliefs.
The ideas of reincarnation are also close to Christianity, for example, the ideas of reincarnation of the soul were defended by the Christian philosopher Origen (185-254), whom the Encyclopedia Britannica ranks among the church fathers in second place after St. Augustine. He wrote: “Some souls inclined to do evil, having lived a period meted out to man, move into the bodies of animals, and then descend to a vegetable existence. Following the opposite path, they ascend and regain the Kingdom of Heaven."
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In early Christianity, the idea of reincarnation was not denied. It was recognized by many of the founders of the Christian church, such as Clement of Alexandria (150-220 AD), Justinian Martyr (100-165), Saint Gregory of Nyssa (257-332), Saint Jerome (340-420 yy).
But the most detailed and convincing description of reincarnation is in the Vedas. In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna states:
"The one who was born will surely die and after death he will be born again."
Today, scientists, using the regression method, that is, immersing a person in a hypnotic sleep, help him remember his previous incarnations, which are then verified using the preserved archived data.
Thus, the idea of reincarnation finds scientific confirmation. And finally, how, if not by experience from a past life, explains the presence of innate abilities and talents in a person (for languages, music, drawing, etc.).
SECRETS OF REINCARNATION
The question creeps in: is it possible to somehow influence this process in order to avoid the fate of becoming a tree or someone's kind dog in the future life? In the Bhagavad-gita the secret of reincarnation is revealed.
The secret of reincarnation is based on the fact that at the moment of death a picture of his whole life sweeps through the mind of a person, and that to which he was most attached remains the dominant that determines his future incarnation. If the greatest affection was, for example, sex, then the future body will be selected taking into account that it would be most comfortable to indulge in sexual pleasures in it. As we know, the human body is not the most perfect in this regard. Animals, for example, dogs or monkeys, have much more opportunities in this regard.
Generally speaking, whatever material body a living entity receives, he will experience suffering caused by birth, disease, old age and death. However, the human form of life provides the soul with the opportunity to escape from the cycle of birth and death and be reborn in an eternal life full of knowledge and bliss.
A hint on how to achieve this is in the same Bhagavad-gita, where Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, says: “Only one who works for Me makes Me the supreme goal of his life and who is friendly to every living being, without fail will return to Me”(ch. 11, text 55).
Reincarnation and modern scientists
The exit of consciousness (soul) from the body is a reality investigated and recognized by many scientists of the world who have studied the phenomenon of clinical death. This is confirmed by such scientists as:
- Professor R. Moody (book "Life After Life"),
- M. S. Norbekov, psychologist Karl Jung (book "Memories, Dreams and Reflections"),
- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, MD, Kenneth Ring, C. Tart (University of California),
- R. Morris, Director of the Brain Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician N. P. Bekhtereva
- and many others.
And here are the conclusions of the representatives of the American Psychiatric Association, formulated at one of the meetings in San Francisco:
- When leaving the body, there is not just a feeling of separation of consciousness from the body. Consciousness is separated in its entirety, so that what is happening is best defined as a feeling of complete separation of the personality.
- The personality in its entirety, including the observing and perceiving functions, goes into a different spatial position, while the material body looks immobilized and “unconscious”.
The ancient Greek scientist Pythagoras spoke of the transmigration of souls as a common occurrence. And for you it will become commonplace if you study this topic in more detail. The most authoritative description of reincarnation and other laws of the universe is written in great detail in the books of A. Ch. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.