Reincarnation
Reincarnation
is something many people do not understand. It is not a random conclusion to
one’s life, but a reward or punishment for the life they lived. One’s actions
throughout their life lead to what they will become in a next life. Many
aspects of one’s current life determine whether or not they will move onto a
higher-level after death. Reincarnation does not only apply to humans, but to
animals and plants as well, as everything is believed to have a soul. The final
goal of Hinduism “is called moksha, meaning salvation from samsara” (Curiosity.com).
This means an end to the suffering that is experienced through life on earth. In
order to benefit from reincarnation, one must fulfill their dharma and achieve
good karma.
The Bhagavad Gita states, “Just as man discards worn out clothes and puts on new ones, the soul discards worn out bodies and wears new ones” (Jayaram). Hindus believe people undergo many lives to experience many things before they can achieve moksha (Jayaram). The close of each life leads to the rebirth in the next. Before they can be seen as enlightened or one with the Devine, they must first experience the many sufferings of the world. Hindus believe in both heaven and hell, but do not see them as we do. They are not places one spends for eternity, but a place to go as reward or punishment based on karma (Jayaram). After the karma is matched, the person will be sent back to earth to continue the cycle of death and rebirth.
The Bhagavad Gita states, “Just as man discards worn out clothes and puts on new ones, the soul discards worn out bodies and wears new ones” (Jayaram). Hindus believe people undergo many lives to experience many things before they can achieve moksha (Jayaram). The close of each life leads to the rebirth in the next. Before they can be seen as enlightened or one with the Devine, they must first experience the many sufferings of the world. Hindus believe in both heaven and hell, but do not see them as we do. They are not places one spends for eternity, but a place to go as reward or punishment based on karma (Jayaram). After the karma is matched, the person will be sent back to earth to continue the cycle of death and rebirth.
Dharma
To understand the concept of karma, one must first look at the importance of dharma. Although it does not directly translate to English, it is interpreted as one’s duty or virtue. Hindus view dharma as “the power that maintains society, it makes the grass grow, the sun shine, and makes us moral people or rather gives humans the opportunity to act virtuously” (BBC). Every person has his or her own duties in life. A mother does not necessarily have the same duties as a soldier. In order to understand one’s dharma, you consider age, gender, social position, etc. (BBC). Who you are and where you are in life determines what you must do to achieve good karma. For example, a soldier in war who believes killing others is bad is going against his dharma. Because he is a soldier, his dharma is to fight in battle. Where as a doctor who believes killing others is bad is achieving his dharma.
Karma
After understanding one’s dharma, the meaning of karma starts to unfold. Karma is the Sanskrit word for action (BBC). The meaning behind karma is that every action will be countered with an equal reaction. People can bring upon themselves good or bad karma. Karma is not necessarily an immediate occurrence, for it can strike in another life. There are three types of karma: sanchita, the sum total of past karma yet to be resolved, prarabdha, karma being experienced in the present life and kriyamana, karma you are presently creating (Karma). The karma one earns leads to “a future rebirth or … [time] in a heavenly or hell realm in which the self is reborn for a period of time” (BBC). This heaven or hell as mentioned before is not a place for eternity. However, you stay there as long as your karma amounts to. In Indian society specifically, good karma goes towards achieving a higher level in the caste system after a rebirth (Dowdy). When one achieves good karma throughout their lives, they work towards a positive next life, while people who gain bad karma achieve negative rebirths.
For more information on Karma and Hinduism, visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/
Conclusion
When learned and understood, reincarnation is more predictable than it is depicted as. It is not a randomly chosen outcome, but a carefully determined one. All of one’s karma is carefully considered when a soul is going onto the next body. To control the next life and ensure that it will be a positive step, one must know the importance of karma and dharma. One must strictly adhere to the role they play in life and know the duties they must serve. They must also consider the consequences to their actions, as every action has an equal reaction. To know the importance of these aspects will result in becoming one step closer to spiritual fulfillment.