Karma and Reincarnation

Mark Jairus Denise G. Gilbuena

ReincarnationWhere was the doctrine elaborately developed?

India and Greece

Reincarnation In Greece…

Reincarnation in Greece was part of the

philosophical teachings of the Pythagoreans,

Empedocles, Plato, and Plotinus.

Basic Concept of Reincarnation and Karma in Hinduism

in other terms, it is known as:- rebirth- transmigration of the souls

(metempsychosis)- a passage from one body to another

(metensomatosis)- to begin again (palingenesis)

it concerns the rebirth of the soul or self in a series of physical or preternatural embodiments, which are customarily human or animal in nature but are in some instances divine, angelic, demonic, vegetative, or astrological.

Basic Concept of Reincarnation and Karma in Hinduism

Hindu philosophical concepts say that:- Man is composed of two fundamental

principles opposed to each other per nature

What are these principles?

The first principle is the spiritual principle or the

SOUL (Atman)

The SOUL (Atman)The atman is said to be eternal, immutable, not

born, not created, indestructible.

What are these principles?

The second principle is the material principle or

the BODY (Sarira)

The BODY (Sarira)

the body is temporal, created, mutable,

destructible.

So WHAT?

Birth is the union of the spiritual soul with the material body. It is an

accidental union which the atman has to undergo

because of karma

So WHAT?

The nature of birth, that is the condition of the

body to which the atman gets united, depends on

karma.

What is KARMA?Karma signifies action, every sort of action, whether good or

bad, meritorious or non-meritorious, religious or

worldly; here however, karma signifies the moral debit of

actions which one has done in past lives.

What is KARMA?Every action inevitably

produces its own fruit (phala) and the subject has to

necessarily experience all the consequences of his own

actions.

What is KARMA?A person’s behavior leads irrevocably to an appropriate

reward or punishment commensurate to that

behavior.

What is KARMA?It is the law of cause and effect applied to the life of

every individual, law according to which every one gathers the fruit of what one has sowed or

undergoes the effect of his own actions.

What is KARMA?

“Kung ano ang tinanim, yun din ang aanihin.”

What is KARMA?

There is also this concept of karma in the Visayas which we

call ‘gaba.’

What is GABA?

Gaba is an effect suffered by a person by committing bad

actions. It is one-sided. It only focuses on the effect of bad

actions.

But TAKE NOTE:The effects of all the actions which a person does cannot be experienced or lived in

one single existence

And so?From that fact we can deduce that the atman has to be born

repeatedly. The soul should undergo birth and rebirth due this inviolable law of karma. Thus, is

born the doctrine of the transmigration of the soul -- a

corollary of the doctrine of karma

Karma-SamsaraThe entire process of the reincarnation of the soul

according to the law of karma is called KARMA-SAMSARA

Karma-SamsaraSamsara means: “to wander or pass through a series of states or

conditions.” Samsara is the beginning cycle of birth, death, rebirth, a process impelled by

karma.

Karma-Samsara

Human life is a karma-samsara, a transmigration of the soul

according to the inevitable law of retribution. It is not limited to one

birth and one death but a migration in circle

A QUOTE:“Just as man takes off his old clothes in order

to put new ones, so does the soul who lives

in the body, by abandoning the old

form, enters into other forms prepared for it.”

How are the effects of the past actions of man preserved in the ATMAN?

TWO TYPES OF BODY

• Gross Body• Subtle Body

TWO TYPES OF BODY

Gross Body• it is that which is visible

and tangible, consists of senses, organs etc.,

TWO TYPES OF BODY

Subtle Body• it is that which is invisible

and intangible, and is composed of subtle

elements, like: buddhi (intelligence) manas

(mind) ahamkara (ego)

So WHAT?The subtle body encircles the atman and serves as a connection between the soul and the gross body. Every action of man leaves its imprint (samskara) on the subtle body and remains as a seed which has to mature and produce in due time its proper fruit. While the gross body disintegrates at death, the spirit continues to be in contact with the subtle psychic body which it carries forward. The subtle body together with all the tendencies, merits or effects of karma is said to migrate with the soul (atman) at death.

Transmigration of Soul in the Upanishads

Brahadarankaya Upanishad Chandogya Upanishad Kaushitaki Upanishad

Transmigration of Soul in the Upanishads

A man becomes good by good works, evil by evil (Brahadarankaya Upanishad 3.2.13)

Brahadarankaya Upanishad

Transmigration of Soul in the Upanishads

And on death, like a caterpillar -or a grass leech - proceeding from one

leaf to another, the soul (atman), having shaken off the

body and freed itself from ignorance, presumably empirical life, makes a

beginning on another body. As a goldsmith forms newer and fairer form

from a rough nugget, so the soul fashions for itself another newer,

fairer form (Brahadarankaya Upanishad 4. 4.4 )

Transmigration of Soul in the Upanishads

Chandogya Upanishad Human destinies are

assigned to two different pathways:

- devas (pathways of the gods)- pitrs (pathways of the

ancestors)

Transmigration of Soul in the Upanishads

Chandogya Upanishad DEVAS

- this is the path followed by those who meditate and practice asceticism; a path that leads the atman to liberation (moksha) and consequently unites with the Brahman and is freed from the chain of karma-samsara; the atman will not be reborn anymore.

Transmigration of Soul in the Upanishads

Chandogya Upanishad PITRS

- those who walk the normal worldly pursuits follow this pathway, which leads them to rebirth.

Transmigration of Soul in the Upanishads

Chandogya Upanishad

Where does the soul temporarily go after death?

Transmigration of Soul in the Upanishads

Chandogya UpanishadIf one's good karma predominates over his bad karma, then the soul goes first to hell (place of suffering and purification) for a

short period to pay (expiate) his bad karma and then goes to heaven for a

longer period, where he enjoys the fruits of his good karma. If, instead, the

bad karma predominates, then the soul goes first for a short period to heaven to enjoy the

fruits of his good karma and then goes to hell for a longer

period, in order to expiate his bad karma. 

Transmigration of Soul in the Upanishads

Chandogya Upanishad

In both the cases, once the two types of karma are consumed, the soul reincarnates in a place

of life determined by the original equilibrium between

good karma and bad karma.

Transmigration of Soul in the Upanishads

Kaushitaki UpanishadHe is reborn here either as a worm, or as a butterfly, or as a fish, or as a bird,

or as a lion, or as a serpent, or as a tiger, or as a person, or as some other

being in this or in that condition, according to his works, according to

his knowledge (Kaushitaki 1.2)

REINCARNATE me notReincarnation may seem

good, but the reality is, it is not. The main purpose of a human being, since it is our

desire to avoid suffering, is to avoid being reincarnated again and again. This can only be done if a person fulfills his caste duties.

REINCARNATE me notOne who does good work will be born in a good family of

saints and spiritual men, and after having reached

perfection through various rebirths, he will reach his final goal – liberation or moksha, a

perfect union with the Absolute.

A CompendiumREINCARNATION: a transmigration of the eternal soul to another body; rebirth due to KARMAKARMA: the consequence of one’s past actions

A CompendiumKARMA-SAMSARA: the endless cycle of birth and death due to karmaMOKSHA: to attain moksha one must fulfill his caste duties and reach spiritual perfection

ARGUMENTS

The soul (atman) is eternal, but the normal condition of the soul is that it is associated with a body. It is probable, therefore, that the soul in the past would have had

and in the future will have a succession of bodies.

Metaphysical Argument

The existence of prodigious children, who with their instinctive capacity far superior and prodigious in every way goes to prove

that they had a training (or knowledge) before they were born, or those who claim to remember their previous births and lives, or again the deja vu experience of some people who have explicit knowledge of people and

places without having had any previous contact with them, or, finally, the conception that since the soul is indivisible it cannot be

derived from parents.

Empirical ArgumentARGUMENTS

1. Faith in reincarnation is confirmed by the Vedas, which

are revealed and therefore contain intuitions

of rishis (sages, holy persons) that are true, precisely because they are expressions supported

by authentic testimony.

Theological ArgumentARGUMENTS

2. Rebirth, associated with karma, offers a fitting solution to the great problem or mystery of evil

(inequality, injustice, suffering: all results of past actions: karma).Justice demands, calls for

reincarnation. So much of inequality exists among men: some are strong and healthy, others instead are

weak and sick, deaf and dumb, blind, mentally and physically handicapped. Some are rich, others are

poor, etc. What is the reason for all this? It cannot be from God, because He is goodness and love. It cannot

be attributed to the responsibility of others (first parents, for example) which would be unjust. All these

problems and difficulties can be overcome by accepting the doctrine of karma-samsara or the

transmigration of souls according to the inviolable law of retribution. Each one is responsible for his own

destiny in his life.

Theological Argument

ARGUMENTS

3.) The doctrine of transmigration offers the possibility of a long period of time for the

process of self-purification and self-perfection. Everyone has the possibility of

achieving his ultimate goal, moksha. No one is exempt from it.

God the Creator, good and merciful, cannot punish his creature (the soul) for all eternity in hell, but offers him always new chances so

that he can arrive at his final goal, to be united with Him (Atman is Brahman).

Theological ArgumentARGUMENTS