1. Belief in reincarnation is the belief that the soul which departs
from the body at death
re-enters at birth another body (human or animal). This belief assumes
the preexistence of the soul and that the soul is eternal, without beginning.
Belief in reincarnation also assumes that the process of reincarnation
will come to an end when the soul has achieved an enlightened state. Belief
in reincarnation is held in all forms of Hinduism and Buddhism and in many
forms of dualism. Sometimes this belief is held by maintaining different
levels of truth. Belief in reincarnation, like all other beliefs about
the afterlife, is a basic belief, affecting all aspects of thinking about
individual human destiny and human culture.
2. Empirical reasons for belief in reincarnation and responses to these reasons.
i Deja vu is the sense that I have seen this before, although
it could not have been in this life. Therefore it must have been
in a previous life.
Response: the sense that one is remembering rather than perceiving
for the first time can be explained as an unusual phenomena of brain chemistry
or double neural firings.
ii Hypnotic regressions are said to bring to light memories of
previous lives.
Response: that what comes to mind is memory from previous lives rather
than knowledge imparted some other way cannot be verified; and, since reports
from hypnotic regressions conflict (several persons report being Napoleon
etc.) they are not to be accepted on the face of it.
iii Special psychic powers displayed by some persons are said
to have been acquired in a previous life.
Response: these powers can be explained in other ways, either naturally
(as clever tricks) or supernaturally (as operations of spirits).
3. Philosophical reasons for belief in reincarnation and responses to these reasons.
i Reincarnation is said to be an alternative to no afterlife.
Response: there are other alternatives: one can learn as well by living
one longer life; the soul may go on without the body; there could have
been no death originally; one may change from mortality to immortality
without death.
ii Reincarnation is said to explain circumstances of this life
in terms of previous lives.
Response: explanations from previous lives do not justify particular
conduct in this life - the actor's tale of adultery; explanations
from previous lives do not necessitate explanations in this life - the
doctor's tale of hard cases; explanations from previous lives are not conclusive
- the lottery winner's tale of changing fortunes.
iii Reincarnation is said to be just since we suffer for our own
karma (deeds) from previous lives.
Response: it is not just to suffer through many births and deaths to
know what is objectively not clear.
iv Reincarnation is said to be hopeful since we have many lives
to get it right rather than one life only.
Response: it is not hopeful if we have been through innumerable lives
before this one.
v Reincarnation is said to to be necessary if the soul is eternal.
Response: it is not possible for reincarnation to reach its goal of
enlightenment since there cannot be a unique event in an eternal being.
4. Higher levels of truth claims regarding reincarnation and responses to these claims.
i If there is no unique event in an eternal being then it is said
that reincarnation is a beginningless and endless cycle, contrary
to the popular view.
Response: if there is no beginning nor end then striving for release
is meaningless.
ii If an endless cycle makes life meaningless then reincarnation
(samsara) is said to be an illusion (maya), or ignorance (avidya), contrary
to popular view.
Response: if our existence is an illusion then it cannot be explained
in whose mind the illusion resides. It cannot be in our minds since our
minds are the product of the illusion; and it cannot be in God's mind since
God cannot have an illusion.
iii If the nature of the world as illusion (maya) cannot be explained
then this problem must be due to the limitation of reason. One must give
up reason at this point.
Response: reason cannot be given up and any belief kept. This would
be a lack of integrity. The meaningless belief should be given up in the
name of reason.
5. Is theistic reincarnation possible?
In this view the soul is created by God and therefore the soul had a beginning. It is not beginningless. It reincarnates until enlightenment is reached. Reincarnation assumes that the knowledge to be achieved is objectively unclear.
Response:
i if we suffer through many births and deaths to know what
is objectively unclear then God is not just. But if it is objectively clear
then we do not need many lives in order to know it. One life is sufficient.
ii if the human soul may pass through many life forms without
preserving any distinct human quality in these other life form then
the soul would be an essenceless reality, contrary to logical possibility.
6. Is it possible that the soul in this life already knows everything?
Response:
i it is self-evident that the soul does not know everything.
ii if the soul knows everything then it must always have known
everything, to avoid the problem of a unique event in an eternal
being.
iii if the soul knows everything then its present reincarnation
is not necessary.
iv if the soul knows everything then no form of enlightenment
is needed or possible.
v to avoid saying I know and do not know at the same time and
the same respect, the unity of the self as knower must be
denied, contrary to our most basic intuition.
© Surrendra Gangadean