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 Atma does not eliminate the grief, 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. Still, 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 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.”

2. The doctrine of rebirth, closely tied to karma, fosters moral responsibility by emphasizing that one’s actions have long-term consequences beyond the present life. This perspective discourages immoral behavior and inspires individuals to strive for righteousness.

“Each life, with all its actions and sufferings, is on the one hand the inevitable consequence of past actions and, on the other hand, an opportunity to shape the conditions of the next succeeding life. This conviction provides both consolation for suffering and a powerful incentive for habitual right conduct.”

“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.”

3. The doctrine of rebirth makes us more accepting and resilient towards the temporary upheavals in our lives – like bankruptcy and 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 Atma. A believer in the doctrine of rebirth is more forbearing and has greater fortitude because he knows that these incidents are temporary, whereas the Atma 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.

4.The doctrine of rebirth recognizes that different Atmas are at different stages of spiritual evolution, each undergoing unique karmic experiences. This understanding fosters tolerance, empathy, and humility, as individuals recognize that each person is on their spiritual path. This realization helps individuals refrain from judgment, arrogance, or intolerance toward others whose views, behaviors, or circumstances differ from their own.

“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.”

5. A deep faith in the doctrine of rebirth makes us more sympathetic and appreciative of individual differences in cultures, languages, religions, opinions, behaviors, circumstances, health, looks, and intelligence. As a result, we do not discriminate against others based on these differences and realize the fact that we might have had the same different characteristics in a past life or 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.

6. A deep belief in rebirth fosters greater appreciation for cultural, religious, and personal diversity, as it acknowledges that one’s present identity is only a temporary manifestation of Atma’s ongoing journey. This understanding reduces discrimination based on race, caste, gender, or nationality and encourages harmony among different groups. Additionally, rebirth explains why certain relationships feel deeply significant—our connections with others may be rooted in past-life interactions. Rebirth provides meaningful answers to questions such as:

1. Where did we come from?
2. Why are we here?
3. What happens after death?

Unlike doctrines that posit one finite life with eternal reward or punishment, rebirth offers a more rational, just, and spiritually progressive model.

7. Belief in rebirth makes us more open to alternative medical therapies like past-life regression. Numerous individuals have benefited from these therapies, which are based on the premise that we are reborn after our death. However, fundamentalists who do not want to believe in rebirth after death have little tolerance for these highly beneficial alternative medical therapies.

8. The belief in rebirth also helps humans to have more compassion towards animals and plants. The belief that humans, plants, and animals have a similar Atma, but different minds. In essence, therefore, all living entities have the same Atma. 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 enjoyment, but as Atma with whom we share this earth. Therefore, the belief in rebirth is beneficial for the 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 existence. 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 scriptures affirm 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 connect 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.”

9. The doctrine of rebirth provides a rational explanation for inequalities in wealth, talent, and life circumstances. It accounts for:

• Child prodigies who display extraordinary skills at a young age.
• Differences in intelligence, temperament, and health among siblings raised in the same environment.
• Identical twins with vastly different personalities and talents.

Rather than attributing such disparities to randomness or divine favoritism, rebirth explains them through individual karma and past-life experiences.

10. It is more consistent with the compassionate nature of Bhagavān, who could not possibly 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 self-realization. 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 Dharma, the 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 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 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 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 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.”

11. The philosophy of rebirth is one of hope when compared to the philosophy of atheism, which generally advocates that we have no Atma and that we simply melt into the elements once we die, with no Atma 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….”

12. 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.”

13. 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.”