It is enough to watch a few Bollywood films to understand that the concept of reincarnation is one of the foundations of Hinduism. However, India is not the only country that believes in the transmigration of souls. And not only because Hinduism is professed by people in different parts of the world, but also because the very concept of reincarnation is characteristic of many religions. It is especially common in the beliefs of various traditional tribes around the globe.
What is this thing, reincarnation? The very term "reincarnation" originated from the Latin language and literally means "reincarnation". In Hinduism, this process is known as Punarjanma. You can learn more about the Hindu vision of reincarnation by reading various myths about how the god Vishnu reincarnated into various creatures to help people. In simple terms, reincarnation is the transmigration of the soul. People who believe in reincarnation position a person not as a body with a soul, but as a soul with a body. After the death of the body, the soul can change it, just as we change clothes when they wear out. However, the soul cannot choose absolutely any body that "likes" it, because each next reincarnation depends on how a person lived his previous life - on his karma. So, if a person behaved unworthily,he can be reborn as a bird, animal, or any other form of life.
How do people who believe in it see all this? Here are seven of the most interesting facts about reincarnation that you will find useful.
Unfinished business and unfulfilled desires
If the deceased has some unfinished business or unfulfilled desires, the soul cannot be reborn into a new body. She will continue to wander between the two worlds until her desires are fulfilled and her affairs are completed.
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Beating a dead man
This is how the custom looks from the outside, which is necessary in order to erase all the soul's memories of the life of its deceased body. The fact is that, according to Hindu beliefs, the soul must be freed from the memories of its past life. That is why, in the course of one of the posthumous rituals, the Hindus strongly beat the deceased on the head: it is necessary for the soul to forget its life. Memories of a soul's previous life can negatively affect its next life.
Memory is retained
Despite all efforts, memories cannot be completely erased: they are preserved, but remain in the subconscious of the new being. In general, Hindus believe that our subconscious mind stores information about all the events that happened to our soul during all its earthly lives. But, since our soul is not pure enough, we cannot connect with Brahma (the Hindu name of the main God) and remember all our lives. Few people who practice meditation and sadhana can remember their previous lives.
Not only cats have multiple lives
According to Hinduism, every living creature has 7 lives. All these seven lifetimes the soul will be reborn again and again, depending on its karma. After the expiration of the seventh life, the soul gains freedom (in Hinduism this is called Moksha).
Samsara wheel
Birth, death and rebirth are natural stages of the soul's existence. As soon as she takes the form of a new body, she takes on a new ego. If the soul misuses the good that came with the new body, it loses its purity. Thus, when the body dies, the immortal soul is left alone with committed sins, which means that it will need to be cleansed in the next life (this usually happens through suffering). This is why Hindus believe that all the benefits (or failures) of this life are the result of their past lives.
Reincarnation is not instantaneous
The soul does not immediately find a new body. It may take a year or even tens of years before she can start a new life in a new body, because it must suit the soul in terms of karmic parameters.
Third Eye
Hindu texts and illustrations show that we all have a third eye: we simply could not open it. Because of this, we cannot see our karma. The third eye is the eye of enlightenment. It can be “discovered” through sadhana and dhyana practices, which can also help our soul rise to a new level. It was in this way that Gautama Buddha achieved enlightenment.
Anna Kiseleva