Rebirth And Its Process: Buddhism Vs. Hinduism

Brian Lam

Professor Singh

Religious Studies 002

24 November 2014

Rebirth and its Process: Buddhism vs. Hinduism Considering the countless religions that exist in our world, the idea of reincarnation is surprisingly limited to only a fraction. Webster defines the idea of reincarnation as “the idea or belief that people are born again with a different body after death” and in many aspects is true. There are multiple religions that embrace reincarnation and so a life after death but there are two main religions that people associate with; Hinduism and Buddhism. Though Webster only provides one definition for reincarnation, that doesn’t mean that reincarnation is the same. For instance, in Buddhism, reincarnation is known in the Pali, the Buddhist

The code that dictates how one should regard suffering and desire is known as the Four Noble Truths, firstly stating that all life is suffering, pain and misery. The second truth says that all suffering is caused by desire, followed by the third truth, suffering, along with desire can be overcome with the last and fourth truth saying that the method to overcome desire is to follow the Eightfold Path. Once aforementioned path is followed all the way through and suffering is eliminated, Moksha is achieved but only after countless reincarnations of the same soul, interacting with one another to achieve proper karma, the moral law of cause and

Opposed to Western European religions, Hinduism does not really have an endpoint. It boasts more of a cyclical path including periods of creation, destruction and reincarnation. Life after death in Hinduism is more like a soul leaving the vessel of a body it was in for that lifetime. The Bhagavad Gita states that “the soul never takes birth and never dies at any time nor does it come into being again when the body is created. The soul is birthless, imperishable and timeless and is never terminated when the body is terminated.” Once the soul relieves itself of its previous body, depending on the karma that the soul achieved in its previous lifetime, it can be reincarnated as anything, though most times, memory of the previous life will not be included. The permanent soul constantly changes bodies until the soul reaches enlightenment through practices including meditation, yoga, contemplation and offering in the temple. The methods of reaching enlightenment in Hinduism contain a common theme: looking within. Similar to how the three marks of existence complement the principles and four noble truths of Buddhism, the main principle for Hinduism is also bolstered by its practice and self-reflection. It preaches to its followers to follow the eternal laws known as dharma. Though English doesn’t have a single word equivalent for dharma, it can be compared to a variation of moral law covering duties,