For those who believe in reincarnation. . .?

Question

Has the population of the Earth been recyling since the begining? Are there only so many souls available to the Earth? Is it possible that women would stop having children if the souls were depleated? Have we been improving? Is it possible that we could be reincarnated as an animal or plant?

Answer 1

Souls are not limited. Most people who believe in reincarnation also believe that a soul can be created and will eventually rest and not reincarnate anymore. So no, there's not going to be a "soul shortage".

Answer 2

Actually I am aware of the correct answers to your questions.
Reincarnation actually does happen. Jesus Christ was an example of reincarnation. The ancient meaning for reincarnation is that the soul existed before the body that it has entered into.
1) Most, but not all. There's still some who have yet to experienced a human body.
2) The earth had been plenished with them in the 6th day, although later some more were added.
3) Yes, Humans doesn't and had never created souls. All they have done is to prepare the rooms for the souls to dwell in.
4) Improving what? Anyway, No.
5) I'll leave you guessing the answer to your last question.

Anyway, All of the humans you see have been reincarnated. There's not one human that hasn't been.
the memories had been erased when each of you were reincarnated. That way none of you knows your past, so that all of you may be forced to live under men's laws so that in due time you all will learn not to blaspheme.
All of you are being watched at all times.

Answer 3

I tend to follow Sylvia Brown even if it's unproven. We go to heavan and we can choose to return to Earth or remain in heavan. It makes sense that it has always been so. It doesn't really matter if there are enough souls or not. I don't know if women should stop having children if they don't want to. We have been improving but it's been an uphill battle. I don't think I will be coming back as another life form if I don't want to.

PS There was a time when reincarnation was acceptable as a belief in the Catholic church.

Answer 4

Namaste! Excellent question!

We kinda skip past the more or less beings in existance part in buddhism as the Buddha simply refers to all other forms of like as 'innumerable sentient beings' and that mind/consciousness has ALWAYS existed. So there are more than you can ever count, so it's basically an infinite number, which means that further speculation as to the number is pointless, growing or dwindling it's still more than you can ever count, and it will never run out or be too much.

As there are all different 'realms' in buddhism (heaven, hell, etc), one can speculate that each one holds an infinite number of beings, so more than likely one realm can be infinitely more packed with life than another. In science terms I think that the multiverse theory is most fitting with this belief.

If you include bacteria & other microorganisms as sentient, then clearly it would have been innumerable days after life first emerged on the planet. As for 'recycling' yes, we have been reborn an infinite number of times in an infinite number of different worlds, since beginningless time, I see not why this world should be an exception, it may indeed be easier to reincarnate in this world/dimension than another one.

Yes you can be reincarnated as an animal, but not a plant as they are insentient, they don't have a mind.

One of the core concepts of buddhism is oneness. We are one and the same as all other forms of life, and indeed the universe. But our self-deluded mind of duality thinks otherwise (which causes all sorts of problems, sufferings etc). So we must tame the & conquer the ego to see truth.

As for improving or not.. That depends on the path you take RIGHT NOW, as your actions now dictate where you will be reborn in the future. Past is memory, future is speculation- only in the present moment can truth be found.

Answer 5

(1) Recycling --- Yes, it is recycling, everyone has desires to live for, but when the physical body becomes incapable of carrying on , it leaves that body and in the bodiless beings start desiring for physical pleasure -sex,taste,etc. then one day it finds itself in the womb again and comes out as any creature.
(2) No. of souls ---- It is said that no. of bodiless outnumber the bodied ones by many times.
(3)Depletion of souls --- No, it is an uncertainty (not likely), because the number of bodied beings are always proportional to amount of food available.
(4) Improvement---Yes of course, but depends. The improvement is considered in the manner , how civilized we are becoming. If we choose a path of non-violence , love ,affection and kindness then yes we are improving but if we choose an opposite way of greed, injustice, violence and oppression then we have to suffer in the manner that the lessons learnt from suffering will make us think & believe in the right path of love howsoever long it may take. The example is Europe which evolved from sea piracy in medieval times to white racism & colonization of the world to world wars to present times in which the capital punishment is banned and corruption is least. These are the lessons learnt. which the entire world has to follow sooner or later.
(5) Animal or Plant ---- Yes it is possible, it all depends upon our deeds (karma) . The negative deeds propel to make anyone to take bad positions as animal, plant, ghost or in hell. The only way to avoid these , is (a)to do good deeds and (b)cleanse our psyche from the tendencies & behavior which would harm others.

After reading Buddha one comes to understand that the devil is at every step , to tempt us into the wrongdoing. Why , because the devil does not want anyone to improve and become better as the good ones become his stronger enemies and the weak ones succumb to the bad choices for the purpose of pleasures of the flesh or for near & dear ones, but it is our choice to select the right path and avoid the evil.

So the reincarnation is all about spiritual evolution. When all bad karma is eliminated a person becomes pure, radiant and enlightened. Then looses all his individuality because it was karma which was making his ego & individuality to exist. Without any karma(misdeeds, bad behavior) left ,he jumps into the state of eternal, brightness, holiness , 'I' less state of being , ever existing, all seeing, ever blissful state of nirvana/salvation as attained by Buddha. But this is a final state attained by a few only after a lot of effort in meditation & with daily struggle with the physical pleasures & pains.

Read Bardo Thodol (Tibetan book of death) for the complete minute by minute commentary of afterlife until reincarnation.

Answer 6

Recycling? Yes, but some do make it to the next level.

Souls? Well, I don't know.

Improving? Yes, but two steps forward one step back.
It is a miracle that the cold war ended without nuclear destruction. Non-violence was used to free India and stop official segregation of blacks. But Bush was able to start an unnecessary war in Iraq.

Animial or plant? Why not.

Answer 7

I believe we can reincarnate as other animals. Plus, how do we know that the part of us that goes into the new body follows linear time like we do now? We all could be sharing the same "soul" for all we know.

Answer 8

Doubts exist humans come back as animals and/or plants. I don't think God has a set number of souls created that "recycle" like the seasons.

There's spiritual speculation that we DO "recycle", given we don't get right our pure purpose God has assigned us; those who do go on to a plane of existence considered as a higher reward for our efforts.

There's even other theories that if we get things wrong in THIS life, we come back to THIS life again.....until we get "it" right!

Debatable as these theories are, their points DO lend some degree of logical possibility.

Answer 9

The concept of reincarnation is not supported by the Bible.
Jesus told a story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) - and the rich man could not go back to the world of the living to warn his relatives about hell. Hebrews 9:27 says '... and inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment'.
Jesus told the criminal on the cross, "Today you will be with me in Paradise!" not "You will reincarnate and have another chance to live a life on this earth"
After his death Jesus reappeared in the same body, by His own power.
If the purpose of karma and reincarnation is to rid humanity of its selfish desires, then why hasn't there been a noticeable improvement in human nature after all the millennia of reincarnations?

Answer 10

Since reincarnation is in so many schools of thought, there is no definite answer.

I personally believe that your "Heaven" or "afterlife" is what you make it. If there is a God, that would be the best way to go about it. He/She/It would barely have to do any work. A very hands-off approach.