Reincarnation beliefs and origin?

Question

This is something I am curious. Some of us believe in reincarnation.

I have always wondered where did the idea of reincarnation come from. I used to think it was from the Middle East or even Africa.

I now realise it seems to originate from India.

From where in India did the idea of reincarnation originate? How did this belief come about and spread? Is there a religion or culture that stipulate this? If it does originate from India, the idea should be older than Buddism.

Answer 1

Yes.It came from Hinduism- India.

The soul dwells as the inmost body of light and superconscious, universal mind of a series of nested bodies, each more refined than the next: physical, pranic, astral, mental. In our conscious mind we think and feel ourselves to be a physical body with some intangible spirit within it. Yet, right now our real identity is the soul that is sensing through its multiple bodies physical, emotional and mental experience. Recognizing this as reality, we powerfully know that life doesn't end with the death of the biological body. The soul continues to occupy the astral body, a subtle, luminous duplicate of the physical body. This subtle body is made of higher-energy astral matter and dwells in a dimension called the astral plane. If the soul body itself is highly evolved, it will occupy the astral/mental bodies on a very refined plane of the astral known as the Devaloka, "the world of light-shining beings." At death, the soul slowly becomes totally aware in its astral/mental bodies and it predominantly lives through those bodies in the astral dimension.

The soul functions with complete continuity in its astral/mental bodies. It is with these sensitive vehicles that we experience dream or "astral" worlds during sleep every night. The astral world is equally as solid and beautiful, as varied and comprehensive as the earth dimension-if not much more so. Spiritual growth, psychic development, guidance in matters of governance and commerce, artistic cultivation, inventions and discoveries of medicine, science and technology all continue by astral people who are "in-between" earthly lives. Many of the Veda hymns entreat the assistance of devas: advanced astral or mental people. Yet, also in the grey, lower regions of this vast, invisible dimension exist astral people whose present pursuits are base, selfish, even sadistic. Where the person goes in the astral plane at sleep or death is dependent upon his earthly pursuits and the quality of his mind.

Because certain seed karmas can only be resolved in earth consciousness and because the soul's initial realizations of Absolute Reality are only achieved in a physical body, our soul joyously enters another biological body. At the right time, it is reborn into a flesh body that will best fulfill its karmic pattern. In this process, the current astral body-which is a duplicate of the last physical form-is sluffed off as a lifeless shell that in due course disintegrates, and a new astral body develops as the new physical body grows. This entering into another body is called reincarnation: "re-occupying the flesh."

During our thousands of earth lives, a remarkable variety of life patterns are experienced. We exist as male and female, often switching back and forth from life to life as the nature becomes more harmonized into a person exhibiting both feminine nurturing and masculine intrepidness. We come to earth as princesses and presidents, as paupers and pirates, as tribals and scientists, as murderers and healers, as atheists and, ultimately, God-Realized sages. We take bodies of every race and live the many religions, faiths and philosophies as the soul gains more knowledge and evolutionary experience.

Therefore, the Hindu knows that the belief in a single life on earth, followed by eternal joy or pain is utterly wrong and causes great anxiety, confusion and fear. Hindus know that all souls reincarnate, take one body and then another, evolving through experience over long periods of time. Like the caterpillar's metamorphosis into the butterfly, death doesn't end our existence but frees us to pursue an even greater development.
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Answer 2

Most traditions had a belief in reincarnation, it's only some of the modern traditions that don't. Reincarnation appears in Hinduism, Buddhism, Native American beliefs, Aboriginal beliefs, Celtic beliefs, Kabbalah, Sufism, Wicca, the New Age movement, Esoteric Christianity etc. Jesus said that John the Baptist was a reincarnation of the prophet Elijah. Most of the world used to believe in it, it's only most modern branches of what are now some of the worlds biggest religions that don't have a belief in reincarnation. In history belief in reincarnation was more common than not believing in it. Even today half the world believes in it but Catholicism etc. pretend to speak for billions so reincarnation is seen as a foreign idea. It was actually everywhere many thousands of years ago.

Answer 3

That's only one source of belief in reincarnation. There are a number of traditions that believe in it which developed independently of the Vedic traditions of India (Hindu, Jainist, etc.)

Buddha was originally a Jain or Hindu (there's some argument as to which) so Buddhism comes from the Vedic religions, originally. The Vedas were composed starting around three thousand years ago, and it is widely believed they are part of an older tradition of Indo-European beliefs that predates Indo-European migrations into the Indian Subcontinent.

Answer 4

I'm not sure of the exact origins, but it seems to be a reflection of what happens naturally around us and the belief that because we are part of nature, we too, would act in this way. Every year the world dies and is reborn, to early civilization, this would seem like reincarnation and it would stand to reason that everything followed this pattern.

I could be way off base, but this is what i've seen in my own observations.

Answer 5

Average Person is correct. Buddhism borrowed many beliefs from Hinduism. Reincarnation being one of them. Buddhist thought is that you are a part of the death and re-birth process until you attain enlightenment at which point you are no longer reborn. You can choose to be reborn to help others attain enlightenment.

This was the choice of Shakyamuni Buddha. He returned to assit others in attaining enlightenment.

Answer 6

i dont think there is a specific origin that it came from. native americans also believe in reincarnation and they are not from india.... to believe you have to believe that your soul is always evolving and learning. you can believe that you only get one chance to be in physical form and thats it, or you can believe that there is more to learn than this one chance. its too easy to say well either you are damned or you go to heaven, what about suicide? where do they go? they have to try again thats where. we will never know until it happens so lets not fight over it.

Answer 7

I have no idea where the idea originated from, but many of the world's religions believe in it.

I can only speak definitively from my point of view, but only multiple lives can explain past & global memories.

Answer 8

I would imagine it comes from some agrarian society that could observe the changing of seasons and its impact on plant life.

Answer 9

I don't know the answer to your question.
People in power can get people to commit the most evil crimes by selling them the idea that they are doing gods work and will be well received in heaven.

Answer 10

the hindu belief is out of destruction come construction it ever continuing cycle.