Talk:Objections against the Rebirth Theory and Responses

By Vishal Agarwal

As with any doctrine of any faith tradition, the Rebirth theory has also attracted objections and criticisms. We note some of them below and attempt to respond to them-

Objection: The human population has been increasing constantly in the history of our planet. From a few hundred thousand, there are now billions of humans inhabiting the earth today. Where did all these extra souls come from? Answers: “Those who do not accept the idea of reincarnation sometimes argue that the total number of human beings should have been depleted because so many human beings must have been liberated from death and rebirth since the beginning of creation. But Hinduism refutes this objection by stating that many subhuman beings through the course of evolution are being born as human beings. Consequently, the number of human beings is increasing. Hinduism also asserts that divinity is equally present in every soul, whether that be in a human or a subhuman body. Otherwise it goes against the idea of God’s omnipresence.”

“The Vedic universe is abuzz with continuous soul traffic: some souls degrade to subhuman species and subterranean regions, some stagnate in human species and on the earthly realm, some rise to supra-human species and celestial regions, and some – a rare few – break entirely free to return to the spiritual world, never to return again. The fuel for this soul traffic is karma: bad karma degrades the soul, mediocre karma stagnates, good karma elevates, and outstanding karma liberates.”

Swami Sivananda says: It is not necessary that the same persons are reborn, and none else. In the process of evolution into the human life many from lower births also come up to the human level. All these are controlled by superhuman powers or by the Divinity, God or Īshvara Himself. Further rebirth need not necessarily be on this earth plane alone. It can take place anywhere in the Universe. Similarly, Swami Muktananda says: There are many more worlds than the world we know. There is the world of the moon and the world of the sun. There is heaven and hell, and the worlds of Indra and Varuṇa. Individual souls keep passing through these worlds... When bodies die here and their souls pass from here to other worlds, the population here goes down; when more souls take birth here, the population goes up.

Objection: If we have all lived before, then why don’t we remember our past lives? Answer: This objection has been responded to in detail above and below is a recapitulation- “….Whoever you were and whatever you did in previous existences, it’s what you do in this life that really matters…….there has to be a reason why the vast majority of us have no memories of former lives. It seems that, by and large, we were not meant to remember them. Yet, deep down inside, we will never forget the lessons we have learned during those previous existences and that are firm embedded in our souls. So perhaps, there’s no need to gain a forced entry to that hidden chamber of memories. Your present life may well be chosen on the basis of how well you coped with your previous incarnations, and what lessons you still need to learn….The challenge is to make the very best of your present life, for your own good, as well as for others.”

“Forgetfulness of our past lives enables us to start a new life afresh without being burdened by the memories of the past. This burden can be agonizing and disorienting; agonizing because of the many traumatic memories involved; and disorienting because it would make living according to our present bodily identity difficult.”

Objection: Why are past life recollection instances higher in eastern countries (where they already believe in rebirth) than in western nations? Answer: This is due to pattern recognition. In western nations, most people do not believe in rebirth because of their following Abrahamic traditions. Therefore such cases are not easily recognized or even dismissed. See above for more details.

Objection: If we have to keep dying every time, what is purpose of being born? Answer: One is not immortal even in his single life if there were no rebirth. Single life theory is adhered to by atheists (who do not believe in an immortal soul), Abrahamics (who believe in a single life followed by eternal heaven or hell) and both these theories have holes in them. Our multiple lives are different opportunities to advance on the path of Dharma and Moksha. The scriptures therefore declare-

The Supreme Lord manifested Buddhi (Intellect), senses, mind and the vital breaths (prāṇa-s) of living creatures so that they engage in their desires and gratify their senses, undergo repeated births and perform actions that bear fruit, uplift themselves in successive lives and eventually attain Moksha. Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.87.2

Objection: When a branch from some species of plants is cut and planted, it becomes a new, independent plant. Likewise, a single Banyan tree sprouts roots that eventually separate out and become new trees. Does the original soul divide into many in these cases? Answer: There are infinite ātmā-s that pervade every spot of the universe as well as our own bodies. But only one of them, called the ‘abhimānī ātmā’ possesses the body it pervades. The other ātmā-s don’t. In fact, phenomena like ‘possession’ involve surrendering the possession of one’s body to another ātmā. When a new organism is created from a portion of another organism, a different ātmā can take care of the new organism provided it is viable. Therefore, no division of souls is needed and each ātmā remains eternal, unchanged and unborn.

Objection: Even though the ātmā is the same between different lives, the bodies and personalities are different. In other words, despite the sameness of the ātmā, it is a part of two separate and different individuals living different lives. Therefore, rebirth ensures that the deeds done by one individual result in happiness or sorrow for a different and separate individual in the next life. Hence, the phenomenon of rebirth cannot be a logical consequence of the doctrine of Karma. Answer: Joys and sorrows are experiences that the ātmā feels through the subtle body (sūkshma or liṇga sharīra) and the latter two transmigrates along with the ātmā. The different bodies are merely different conduits or agents through which fresh karma is done and results of past karma are transmitted to the subtle body and the ātmā. An individual does not become different when it wears a different set of clothing. Our real identity is the ātmā which does not have a personality because the latter is an attribute of the subtle body and the gross body.

Objection: Does Reincarnation Generate Spiritual Apathy? Answer: This is not true. Here is the counter-perspective to this objection- “The ultimate goal of reincarnation is for the soul to evolve spiritually, and it never ceases its efforts to move a person toward that goal. While some people may choose to ignore the soul’s urging throughout their entire lifetimes, eventually they will tire of their fight, and, like a bit of brackish water temporarily stalled within an eddy of a slowly moving river, they will ultimately rejoin the inexorable march toward their own spiritual evolution. Whether it takes two, ten, or a thousand lifetimes to achieve progress, eventually each soul will acquire the maturity to recognize that it needs to take advantage of every opportunity it’s being given to advance and move on, for one never knows what hardships and trials the next incarnation may hold. In fact, once people recognize that the next incarnation might not afford them the opportunities this one does, reincarnationist beliefs might even serve as an incentive toward spiritual growth.”

Objection: If we have lived infinite lives, and each life is a learning experience, then why are we not much more advanced? Response: Here is the counter to this objection- “Objectors to rebirth nevertheless often ask, “If all of us have lived thousands of lives why are we not much further advanced?” Such questioners equate reincarnation with progress, whereas it only provides the opportunity for progress. Consider the daily “reincarnation” cycle. If mere multiplication of days made one automatically wise, then all octogenarians would be sages!”

Objection: The doctrine of rebirth promotes social injustice. For instance, rebirth into a lower caste is taken as a punishment for one’s evil karma in the past –

Those whose conduct here has been good will quickly attain a good birth (literally womb), the birth of a Brahmin, the birth of a Kshatriya, or the birth of a Vaisya. But those whose conduct here has been evil, will quickly attain an evil birth, the birth of a dog, the birth of a hog or the birth of a Chandāla. Chhāndogya Upanishad 5.10.7

Naturally then, members of higher castes will look down upon those of lower castes because the latter have done bad karma in the past lives. Answer: “Of course, this socially unjust system [the caste system] does either nothing to prove or disprove the validity of reincarnation. What it does demonstrate, however, is humanity’s propensity toward using religion to justify and perpetuate inequality and protect social privilege. Even the institution of slavery was maintained for centuries by appealing to certain religious dogmas and traditions. As such, before we in the West point a finger at the inherent injustice of India’s caste system we should look carefully at the class distinctions evident within our own societies first. While the caste system may be a result of errant religious beliefs, is it any worse than the natural tendency within all countries to consign individuals from birth to a lower economic class because of political, racial, gender, religious, or economic distinctions? Yet few people hold Western religious concepts responsible for these injustices, nor do they suggest that such inequalities are evidence that a particular faith structure is false; therefore why is reincarnation condemned because of a single erroneous belief about it? That some religions use reincarnation as a means of justifying oppressing is undeniable, yet ultimately irrelevant. The willingness to oppress one’s fellow citizen is a human failing; it should not serve as the litmus test for a particular religion’s authenticity, but instead merely serve as a reflection of a particular society’s level of spiritual development.”

Moreover, birth is taken as only one determinant of one’s true caste in the Hindu scriptures. See the detailed consideration of this topic earlier.

Objection: According to some Hindu scriptures, the last thought in one’s mind at the moment of death is what determines the state into which the person is reborn. Isn’t this too random, and disconnected to what the Law of Karma teaches? If an evil person happens to be thinking about Īshvara at the moment of his death perchance, does he deserve to get Moksha? Conversely, if a virtuous person happened, perchance, have evil thoughts, will be forgo the fruit of his good karma and be reborn in a lower species? In this regard, we might cite these verses- For whatever object a man thinks of at the final moment, when he leaves his body -- that alone does he attain, O son of Kunti, being ever absorbed in the thought thereof. Gita 8.6 Therefore, at all times constantly remember me and fight. With your mind and understanding absorbed in Me, you will surely come to Me. Gita 8.7 Answer: This is a misinterpretation of the verses of Gita. It is the dominant thoughts or tendencies of our life that come to the mind at the time of death. Death is a process, and is not instantaneous. Therefore during the last moments of death, irrespective of what we may try to think, we undergo a total life recall and the dominant nature comes to the fore as our last thoughts. This is the interpretation of all commentators of these verses even though the popular understanding takes them literally. In fact, the second verse itself says that one must remember the Lord at all times, and not just while dying, so that if the warrior were to die instantaneously due to beheading (for instance), he will only remember the Lord at the instant of his death due to his persistent habit of remembering Him while he was alive. Swami Rama Tirtha explains- You might say that, according to the common belief, a man is reborn according to his thoughts at the time of his death. How, then, can this belief be reconciled to the theory that the rebirth is caused by the unfulfilled desires to be fulfilled in the next life? ...The ideas and the thoughts which come at the time of the death of a man are responsible for his next life. But, at the same time, the Vedanta asserts that at the time of death only those thoughts and desires come to mind, which were uppermost during the life of the man.

Objection: The doctrine of Rebirth is about blaming the victim. For instance, consider this verse: Due to the effect of the remainder bad Karma (whose fruit has not been reaped) committed in previous lives, men are born as idiots, dumb, blind, deaf, deformed and as those who are despised by the virtuous. Manusmriti 11.53 Answer: What are the alternative explanations for that except blame one’s random fate or God? Rather than blaming these unfortunate individuals who are suffering, we ought to alleviate their pain and make efforts to help their overcome their disabilities. An implicit faith in the doctrine of rebirth actually helps the sufferer to accept his state and aspire for a better future.