If you believe in reincarnation?

Question

If you believe in reincarnation, as I do, I pose this question to you. A lifetime is very short, compared to the duration of the universe. You know the numbers; many orders of magnitude difference. So, is it likely that if you live again after this life, that you return to this same universe? Or is it likely that if you do live again, you will be in another universe. By "universe" I refer to that reality whose origin can be traced back to a moment of creation, but no further back in time.

Answer 1

Well, I think in Buddhism, in order for someone to reincarnate, especially if their previous life was full of bad deeds, then they would have to go through hell before they get reincarnated. And I'm not sure how long one is suppose to stay in hell, but I suppose it would be in proportion to the amount of bad deeds done, in which that case, you could live life again in the "future." But then one has to ponder whether or not the real world and hell function according to the same time, what may appear as a century of torment and punishment may be mere seconds in the real world. So I think its up for grabs.

Answer 2

Good question sir redalot.

Hinduism has the answers to your questions like this :
1. Every human (and living) soul is essentially eternal.
2. There is life after death
3. The life you will get after death is decided by the Universal Law of Justice known as "Law of Karma". It depends on the deeds good or bad you did in the present and the past lives.
4. One keeps taking rebirth until one reaches the Utimate Goal - You may choose to call it God, Buddhists call it "Shunya" and Hindus call it "Brahaman"
5. It is not only possible but frequent that life forms, people return to this same earch many times in different births.
6. Heavens and Hells exist too but where one goes after one's life depends on the "Law of Karma"
7. Pleasures and Pains one gets in the life, "the fate" or "luck" (not excluding the scope for the free will) depends on this "Law of Karma", the deeds you did in the previous lives and that you may do now.

Some sects of Buddhism also believe in a similar theory that I have stated above. But they are not as ardent believers in "reincarnation" as Hindus.

Answer 3

To start with, I don't think we have any real concept of what TIME is! I think not only are there different universes,there are also different dimensions, all of which are happening all in the same time frame,but invisible to most of us.I think it is possible for your soul to reincarnate into another body any time after the death of the previous body.It all depends on your souls Karmic destiny and what you need to learn and re-evaluate about your most recent past life.I recommend the book"Journey of the Souls"by Michael Newton.I think you would find it fascinating.