Do you believe in the concept of reincarnation and karma?

Question

I do, but if you do give a reason and if you do not, give a reason or reasons. Its perfectly all right to have dissenting views. That is how we learn by listening to those who have other voices.

Answer 1

I am Buddhist of the Theravada tradition and yes I believe that the 2 concepts are valid. I apologise for the length of my response, I tried to reduce its length to bare "bones"...it was a tough exercise...

You are asking for a reason for me to "believe" in the above stated concepts...allow me then to elaborate on the reasons for these Laws to exist. I understand that your question is aimed at a general audience, please forgive me then as my use of terminology will be based on Buddhist Dharma or Teaching and I therefore must be dilligent in the terms used but careful too as others may not wish to know or even care to understand them.

Firstly though, to Buddhists the term Reincarnation is understood as a very special case of Rebirth and Rebirth is a seperate yet interconnected concept than the concept of Karma, and is the term generally associated with the Cycle of all Life.

The reason that I believe that these concepts exist at all is the same reasons for all Life to exist. The term Life is generally understood to mean all sentient Life Forms, which to Buddhists includes animal and human Life. Life then to Buddhists exists to evolve both in the physical sense and the esoteric sense. Buddhists see all Life as containing an Essential Nature...an Essence if you will which is subject to evolution through experience. Life to Buddhists is subject to the Laws of Nature to which everything including planets and stars are subject...

Evolution then is subject to the Laws of Nature. Through observing Life we can see that Life in all forms revolves through cycles, even physical things such as planets and stars do this.

The cycle observed is always Life....Death...Rebirth....for example, a star is born in a Supernova...it exists for a time.... then dies generally in another explosion..its parts scattered....those parts come together in different measure through gravity and another star is born through another Supernova...ad infinitum....trees grow from seed...they Live a Life...die...and another like tree grows from a seed different from the first.....continents on the planet form....through plate tectonics split apart...later on they form again in different measure than before....ad infinitum....and it is the Buddhist view that sentient Life on this planet is also subject to the same cycle of Birth...through Life...to Death.....to Rebirth....to Buddhists a natural phenomenon.

Karma, to Buddhists is a noun, simply a name for another natural phenomenon, that being the concept of Action and Consequence. Action to Buddhists includes but is not limited to thoughts, words and deeds, it also includes inaction. Consequence is the results of that Action and can be positive, negative or neutral depending on our Intention.

Consider the Consequence of a simple Action. We steal money from a wallet left on a park bench. Our Intent is to Steal, however innocent we think we are in thought, our intent is negative...theft. The wallet could be someone's life savings without which they will be homeless or starve. The money may be for another's life saving treatment or to pay a large debt to stave off creditors and jail. The Intent being negative will therefore have all these possible negative affects. If nothing else happens, we will have caused some suffering to the owner of the money...a negative result. This is Karma. We have all witnessed similar results.

It is the Buddhist view that any negative results of our Actions in Life will have negative repercussions for us either in the immediate future or the far future or even in the next Life. Consider the above example again in the context that this theiving behaviour is continued throughout that person's Life....their friends refuse to trust them knowing that they steal, they lose good friends because of the behaviour, they can only get friends who likewise feel stealing is OK, they cannot trust those then that they call friends, a lifetime of theft and mistrust, suffering....a negative result...this is Karma....and it is because of negative Action which continues because of a clinging attitude to the good feelings they get from theft.

Positive Action to Buddhists has the opposite effect which is why Buddhists embrace Positive Action to generate Positive Consequence and therefore Positive Karma...it will generate happiness with a bright future both for ourselves and for those with whom we interact.

These are very briefly the reasons why Buddhists embrace the above 2 concepts. I hope that I've provided some small insight and window showing the Buddhist view of Life which can be used to compare favourably with other folks' views...to Buddhists they too are just as valid.

Peace from a Buddhist....

Answer 2

Yes. First I think it necessary to say that my beliefs are primarily Bhuddist. I"m a senior, and after living what I like to think has been a fairly full and varied life, the teachings of Bhuddism make more sense than any others. Therefore, your question presents me with with no problems. I'm sure that you have had a few occasions in your life when you just knew that you recognized a person, and yet knew that it was highly unlikely, if not totally impossible. Coincidence? Probably not. What goes around comes around. The question is only When?

Answer 3

an rather exciting question there is extra desirable than one college of Buddhism and interior of diverse faculties there are incredibly some Sects To non Buddhists they are in a position to look as diverse as chalk and cheese The center ideals are an analogous yet it somewhat is approximately it it would remember very lots on the college and Sect those specific Buddhists belong to My first effect is they could have been Theravadan Buddhists All Buddhists have faith in karma and it performs a great section in all faculties in spite of the actuality that we don't think in reincarnation as there is not something everlasting to reincarnate it somewhat is widely believed the 8th understanding The Alaya is what undergoes rebirth yet even it somewhat is impermanent gathering and discharging karma because it does Buddhists attempt and do healthful acts [ meritorious deeds ] to pay off karma and to avert starting to be any extra desirable it could take many existence cycles till now someone has resolved all their remarkable karma there is not basically karma from the present existence yet additionally from each and all of the previous too it somewhat is assumed we've been taking rebirth on the grounds that beginningless time confident there is an afterlife of direction yet Lord Buddha's advice replaced into to pay interest on the here and now the present 2d on an analogous time working in the direction of the remarkable purpose of Buddhism great Bodi A Theravadan might choose to first substitute into an Arhant than a Pratyeka Buddha [ inner maximum Buddha focusing on their own salvation ] on an analogous time as those interior the Mahayana faculties do it slightly in yet differently In my own Sect we comprehend in those Dhamma ending circumstances the situations at the instant are not as perfect as they have been in Lord Buddhas time and to hack it out of here we choose a hand thankfully Lord Buddha left specific Dhamma basically for this time we remember commonly on Lord Buddha Amitabha and the Bodhisattvas and artwork in the direction of a rebirth in Amitabha's organic Land the place situations are far extra favorable to accomplishing the remarkable purpose Buddhism additionally teaches fearlessness too this is all an phantasm on the top of the day So confident we are in a position to be carefree I got here into this international screaming and kicking in accordance to my previous Mum i'm desperate to depart guffawing

Answer 4

Yes, I'm Tibetan Buddhist. The logic of rebirth and karma make perfect, workable sense to me, but not everybody can wrap their minds around some of the concepts that help explain the whole karmic process. Far too many misinterpret, HOWEVER, there is a delightful article in my latest issue of "BuddhaDharma" (spring 2007) on it for anyone who wants it directly from a teacher's perspective.

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Answer 5

No, becaue i believe in Jesus Christ and that he dies for my sins. I believe that if a person gives their hearto to Jesus they will go to heaven.

Jesus will one day come back to earth again and we will raigh with Him, then He will create a new world for every one who chose Him. His people.

So, u see, i have no need to believe in reincarnation or karma. I know what will happen to me.

Answer 6

Reincarnation is no question of believe or not believe, is a fact.
As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.
PURPORT
Since every living entity is an individual soul, each is changing his body every moment, manifesting sometimes as a child, sometimes as a youth, and sometimes as an old man. Yet the same spirit soul is there and does not undergo any change. This individual soul finally changes the body at death and transmigrates to another body.
Any man who has perfect knowledge of the constitution of the individual soul, the Supersoul, and nature—both material and spiritual—is called a dhéra, or a most sober man. Such a man is never deluded by the change of bodies.


The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association with that material nature. Thus he meets with good and evil among various species.
PURPORT
This verse is very important for an understanding of how the living entities transmigrate from one body to another. It is explained in the Second Chapter that the living entity is transmigrating from one body to another just as one changes dress. This change of dress is due to his attachment to material existence. As long as he is captivated by this false manifestation, he has to continue transmigrating from one body to another. Due to his desire to lord it over material nature, he is put into such undesirable circumstances. Under the influence of material desire, the entity is born sometimes as a demigod, sometimes as a man, sometimes as a beast, as a bird, as a worm, as an aquatic, as a saintly man, as a bug. This is going on. And in all cases the living entity thinks himself to be the master of his circumstances, yet he is under the influence of material nature.
How he is put into such different bodies is explained here. It is due to association with the different modes of nature. One has to rise, therefore, above the three material modes and become situated in the transcendental position. That is called Krishna consciousness. Unless one is situated in Krishna consciousness, his material consciousness will oblige him to transfer from one body to another because he has material desires since time immemorial. But he has to change that conception. That change can be effected only by hearing from authoritative sources. The best example is here: Arjuna is hearing the science of God from Krishna. The living entity, if he submits to this hearing process, will lose his long-cherished desire to dominate material nature, and gradually and proportionately, as he reduces his long desire to dominate, he comes to enjoy spiritual happiness. In a Vedic mantra it is said that as he becomes learned in association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he proportionately relishes his eternal blissful life.

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Answer 7

no. Its so boring.. why to drag our souls for so long when we die.. let the things finish on a time.

Answer 8

yes but I do not know why I just do!

Answer 9

No and it's because I'm christian.

Answer 10

no...

the Bible...