Talk:Benefits of Believing in the Doctrine of Rebirth

By Vishal Agarwal

A conviction in the doctrine of rebirth has several potential benefits as discussed below:

1. The person has a reduced fear of death. Even though death is inevitable for all of us, we fear it greatly. Knowing that death is not the end of life, and is just a doorway to the next life is a comforting belief that helps us cope with the fear of our death. Likewise, the death of a beloved relative or friend can cause immense grief in one’s life. Knowing that the dead person is not really ‘dead’ but has merely proceeded to the next station in the journey of his soul does not eliminate the grief completely, but does reduce it considerably.

“Reincarnation allows us to see our existence not in the context of a single brief earthly visit, but in the context of a hundred such visits. It allows us the luxury of recognizing that our deaths won’t be the end of our lives, but the beginning of another, and permits us to live out our lives without self-recrimination, knowing that everything we’ve done – no matter how selfish or evil – is a part of the sometimes painful process of spiritual maturation. It also permits us the dignity of securing our own salvation not through some carte blanche absolution resulting from membership in a particular religion or by professing a specific creed, but by taking responsibility for our own lives and actions and learning to grow beyond our very human frailties and weaknesses.”

1. It can inspire or promote good behavior and offer hope of improvement to those whose conduct has been immoral in the past-

“Each life with all its actions and sufferings is on the one hand the inevitable consequence of the actions of a former birth, and the conditions on the other hand by the actions committed in it the next succeeding life. This conviction begets not only a real consolation to the sufferings of existence, which are universally seen to be self-inflicted, but is also a powerful incentive to habitual right conduct, and the instances from Indian epic and dramatic poetry are numerous in which a sufferer propounds the question, “What crime must I have committed in a former birth?” and adds immediately the reflection, “I will sin no more to bring upon myself grievous suffering in a future existence.” “However, while these (western) religions remain largely skeptical of the validity of transmigration or its value as a theory or doctrine, there is little doubt that some sectors of humanity have benefitted from belief in transmigration. Perhaps the most significant contribution of this doctrine has been the promotion of an ethical worldview rooted in the belief in an afterlife shaped by earthy conduct, associated with the need to acquire divine knowledge and an understanding of the true nature of the soul in order to secure release from continuous deaths and rebirths.”

1. The doctrine of rebirth makes us more accepting and resilient towards the temporary upheavals in our lives – like bankruptcy, lay-off; and also more balanced in our reactions to good fortune (e.g. winning a lottery). This is because we know that these incidents are but a small change in the many lives of our soul. A believer in the doctrine of rebirth is more forbearing, and has greater fortitude because he knows that these incidents are temporary, whereas the soul is eternal.

“Belief in transmigration, incorporating as it does the promise or possibility of a better life to come, has also served as a support system for many of its followers through the ages. For those suffering under oppressive circumstances, a belief in transmigration has provided a vehicle for sustaining the hope of a better future for themselves and their children.” Each life is seen as a gift from Bhagavān to us so that we can make progress towards Moksha. Therefore, a believer in rebirth is always aware of the purpose of his life, and is not easily distracted by trivial things or incidents.

1. The doctrine of rebirth teaches that different souls are at different levels of spiritual wisdom and enlightenment. Each life is an opportunity given to us to learn and advance in our spiritual journey towards the Divine. This awareness can help us in being more patient and understanding towards others, whose beliefs and behaviors are primitive or different from ours. Every individual takes his own time to learn and progress, and it is not appropriate for us to be arrogant or intolerant towards others whom we deem to be less enlightened.

“The experiences of reincarnation connect you with the larger reality, with the interconnectedness of all things. It puts you in touch with your own journey of learning and increases your empathy and compassion for others. Everyone is on the same journey of the soul; we are all in the same boat.”

1. A deep faith in the doctrine of rebirth makes us more sympathetic and appreciative of individual differences of cultures, languages, religions, opinions, behaviors, circumstances, health, looks and intelligence. As a result we do not discriminate against others on the bases of these differences, and realize the fact that we ourselves might have had the same different characteristics in a past life or in a future life. We become more accepting of our friends and family members – our kids, our spouses, our coworkers and so on. Our different lives are woven together like a web, and we have come together with them in our present life because of some purpose, or due to some connections from previous lives. Therefore, instead of fretting about, “Why did I get stuck with these relatives,” we believe that we have had some past connections that got us together.
2. A firm believer in rebirth has a greater understanding and peace regarding the perennial questions of spiritual philosophies – where have come from? Who are we? Why are we here on this earth?
3. Belief in rebirth makes us more open to alternative medical therapies like past-life regression. Numerous individuals have benefitted from these therapies which are based on the premise that we are reborn after our death. But fundamentalists who do not want to believe in rebirth after death have little tolerance for these highly beneficial alternative medical therapies.
4. The belief in rebirth also helps humans to have more compassion towards animals and plants. The Hindu belief is that humans, plants and animals have a similar soul, but different minds. In essence therefore, all living entities have the same soul. We have had animal and plant births in the past, and may have so in the future too. Likewise, our own near and dear ones may be reborn into non-human life-forms. This realization motivates us to be more compassionate and respectful towards non-human life-forms. In turn, this prevents wanton destruction of our environment, because animals and plants are seen not just as objects for our enjoyments, but as souls with whom we share this earth. Therefore, the belief in rebirth is beneficial for conservation of our environment.

“Closely related to the doctrine of karma is the belief in samsara, that is, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Birth is not a new beginning. Just as death is not the end of existence. Birth is the entry onto the stage of the world, while death marks the point of exist. Living beings, however, have countless entrances and exits. Although there are differences in interpreting the doctrine of samsara, the possibility of rebirth in a non-human form is widely believed. The Hindu tradition affirms a general evolution of lifeforms from the simple into more complex forms. We are related to other life-forms by the fact that Brahman constitutes the ontological truth of all life, but also by the fact that we may have existed in these forms and may do so again in conformity with our desires and the operation of the law of karma. This is a further reason why other species ought not to be treated with cruelty and exploited recklessly to satisfy human greed. The doctrine of samsara, along with karma, underlines the ties and bonds that connects all species. The belief in samsara breaks down any sharp boundaries that differentiate one species from another and underlines the unity of all life forms.” “….this doctrine has been instrumental in the development in its adherents of an affection of all life forms, including animals and plants.” “To the surprise of many westerners, transmigration has also promoted the highly advanced notion of a systems view of the universe. All existences are seen as a single integrated system of interconnected beings and processes that, to different degrees, affect each other’s well-being.”

1. Rebirth provides a logical explanation of why there are disparities and inequalities in this world even though the Divine is just and fair towards everyone. It explains the case of child prodigies and why individuals have natural talents in particular things (e.g. sports, or painting). It explains why identical twins are very different behaviorally, or why siblings born of the same parents and raised in the same environment .
2. It is more consistent with the compassionate nature of Bhagavān, who could not possible condemn anyone to an everlasting hell simply because of his beliefs. As it has been stated,

“Most people who believe in reincarnation accept that one lifetime simply isn’t enough time to absorb and integrate all the lessons that human experience presents, and that it makes good sense to accept a succession of lives, or incarnations, as part of the journey toward spiritual selfrealization. According to this perspective, our individual human lives are very much part of a greater cycle of evolutionary spiritual development, and the seemingly endless cycle of individual births, deaths and rebirths ensures that all the lessons of life are finally learned and assimilated by us all.” A loving parent has infinite patience with his recalcitrant prodigal child. He could never smite him or condemn the child to everlasting pain no matter how disrespectful and disobedient the child is. In Hindu Dharma, Brahman gives us not just one but many lives, so that we have several chances to understand the true nature of things, or ourselves and reach the Final Goal. The Abrahamic God gives the finite human being with finite understanding and a finite karma an infinite reward or retribution – all this just does not sound fair. Furthermore, the Doctrine of Rebirth absolves a just Divine of capriciousness in throwing different and even extreme challenges at some individuals versus providing others with happiness, abundance and good luck. It encourages us to take responsibility for our own actions and current state instead of laying the blame at the door of the Lord, or ‘fate’. Swami Vivekananda says: “It is the only theory that advocates the freedom of the human soul, and discourages the human tendency to lay all the blame for our weaknesses and sufferings on someone else or on a God or on a conjured-up ghost called fate. What is fate? It is only what we have made ourselves into. We are the makers of our own fate, we reap what we sow. None else has the blame, none else the praise. “The wind is blowing; those vessels whose sails are unfurled catch it, and go forward on their own way, but those which have their sails furled do not catch the wind. Is that the fault of the wind? Is it the fault of the merciful Father, whose wind of mercy is blowing without ceasing, day and night, whose mercy knows no decay, - is it His fault that some of us are happy and some unhappy? We make our own destiny. His sun shines for the weak as well as for the strong. His wind blows for the saint and the sinner alike. He is the Lord of all – the father of all, merciful and impartial…..Our attempts to lay the blame on Him, making Him the punisher and the rewarder, are foolish. His infinite mercy is open to everyone, at all times, in all places and under all conditions, unfailing and unswerving. Upon us depends how we use it….Blame neither man, nor God, nor anyone in the world. When you find yourselves suffering, blame yourselves, and try to do better.”

1. The philosophy of rebirth is one of hope when compared to the philosophy of atheism which generally advocates that we have no soul and that we simple melt into the elements once we die, with no soul that survives death,

“Some people believe that the world is essentially meaningless, that our individual lives have come about by chance, and that when we die – when our brain is no longer functioning – we simply pass into nonexistence….Others believe that life has a spiritual purpose, and that we can all use the insights provided by our daily activities and our interactions with other human beings and the world around us for our personal growth and spiritual transformations….” 

1. The belief in Rebirth teaches us patience, and acceptance of unfulfilled dreams in this life with the hope that there will be future chances to realize those dreams.

“Reincarnation also gives us the gift of accepting that we don’t need to realize every hope and dream in the context of this single brief lifetime, for the opportunities we wish we’d had in this life may be realized in the next lifetime, or in the one after that, or the one after that. Consider how many people might find comfort in this life knowing that those things they’ve always wanted to do but lacked either the time, resources, energy, or courage to try may be realized in a future incarnation….. Reincarnation is the mechanism through which we may live the very life we’ve always wanted – or relive the one we’ve always loved – upon a stage from which we may act out a million possibilities, dream a billion dreams, and live an effortless eternity. If that fails to appeal to the deepest longings of the human heart, then I can’t imagine what might do it.”

1. The theory of rebirth is consistent with the evidence from several different fields like PLR studies or Parapsychology.

“Only reincarnation, however, stands up and defies the skeptic to explain how an otherwise normal and honest person can have detailed memories of a life lived long ago, in faraway places and even in the guise of another race or gender, and then have those memories verified by objective sources. This is either evidence of the inexplicable but unavoidable possibility that the human consciousness can make its way from a dying corpse to a quickening fetus with no more difficulty that we would have in changing clothes, or evidence that disembodied human personalities can somehow impress the memories of their former lives onto the still-living brain of a sensitive and a willing human; either of which is possible, however only if human consciousness survives the death of the very vessel of blood and tissue that houses it. This is what makes it not only an important question to explore and examine, but perhaps the single most important issue we can consider in this lifetime. What we decide about it will determine how we choose to live out this life. It’s that important.”