#Reincarnation
Do you believe in reincarnation, the rebirth of souls in another body after the death of the current body?
If so, you might be surprised to learn that Vaishnavas and most Indian traditions do not “believe” in reincarnation in the sense of putting faith in it. If the word “believe” means to trust or put faith in something, such as “I believe in God, I trust that He will take care of me,” then reincarnation is something one should not rely upon. The texts of Indian wisdom, as well as most traditions of Indian spirituality, unlike the followers of New Age movements, state that reincarnation is a struggle or a condition to be overcome. The “Bhagavad-gita” – the Song of God – invites us to break the cycle of reincarnation, which always entails birth, disease, old age, and death. Even a spiritual person should not rely on being born into a good family as a righteous person in the next life, because the karma accumulated over many lifetimes is so intricate that no one knows when its fruits will ripen.
Therefore, it is not wise to put your faith in reincarnation. It is not wise to believe that in the next life you will start working seriously on yourself. There might not be a next life… here in the human world. Indian texts say that there are 8 million 400 thousand different forms of life into which we can enter by making a small mistake.
So, if you are preparing to do something, do it now. Do not wait for the next life.
P.S. Reincarnation is a Latin word. In the Indian tradition, other terms are used. Punar bhava – being again; punar janma – birth again; saṁsāra – the wheel of births and deaths.