Reincarnation

[Lost Spirit]

I was wondering if anyone could post links to reliable sites about reincarnation. I really don't know much about it and have no idea as to what would be a knowledgeable/reliable site. Doesn't have to be from any particular faith, I'm open to any interpretation. Thanks!

[Gleb]

Re: Reincarnation

I don't know sites, but I have some info.
In Ancient Egypt a person would reincarnate in order to atone his deeds that he did in his former life.
The Druze people believe that the number of their living people is constant, and when a person dies- he reincarnates into another person.
I am sorry I don't have enough information, but thats what I know.

[Satu]

Re: Reincarnation

In Ancient Egypt a person would reincarnate in order to atone his deeds that he did in his former life.

I've never heard of reincarnation for the ancient Egyptians. All I'm familiar with is the transformation from ka, to ba, to akh. I don't think there was any "atonement" for deeds done in a past life. You were judged based on the merits you currently had and, at least in later stories, if the judgment wasn't a positive one, your heart was fed to Ammut and you ceased to exist. That doesn't mean the ancient Egyptians didn't have some idea of reincarnation, though. They were a vivid, imaginative people. Could you tell me where you read about the reincarnation, please?

Anyway, to the OP: I'm a new member and am not yet allowed to post links. I would recommend doing a Google search for "Buddhist reincarnation" and "Hindu reincarnation". The first five links or so that pop up seem reliable to me, although I don't feel comfortable elaborating much further without giving them all a close look. Lol. You might look up the Pythagoreans' conception of reincarnation as well. They called it "metempsychosis", I believe. Wherever you choose to go, I definitely recommend looking into Hinduism's conception of reincarnation, because they influenced a lot of people from Greece to China and you can kind of see the mark of Indian thought in these places.

[monsno_leedra]

Re: Reincarnation

I've never heard of reincarnation for the ancient Egyptians. All I'm familiar with is the transformation from ka, to ba, to akh. I don't think there was any "atonement" for deeds done in a past life. You were judged based on the merits you currently had and, at least in later stories, if the judgment wasn't a positive one, your heart was fed to Ammut and you ceased to exist. That doesn't mean the ancient Egyptians didn't have some idea of reincarnation, though. They were a vivid, imaginative people. Could you tell me where you read about the reincarnation, please?

I'd have to agree. When one considers the elaborate funeral processions and burial crypts it seem's unlikely they would have a notion of reincarnation as we understand it today. Even when one considers the later Greek influence upon Egypt I don't think they would have a notion of reincarnation. The way the total person was weighted also seems to suggest that there was no concept of reincarnation as each aspect was weighted differently and as an identifiable aspect.

Anyway, to the OP: I'm a new member and am not yet allowed to post links. I would recommend doing a Google search for "Buddhist reincarnation" and "Hindu reincarnation". The first five links or so that pop up seem reliable to me, although I don't feel comfortable elaborating much further without giving them all a close look. Lol. You might look up the Pythagoreans' conception of reincarnation as well. They called it "metempsychosis", I believe. Wherever you choose to go, I definitely recommend looking into Hinduism's conception of reincarnation, because they influenced a lot of people from Greece to China and you can kind of see the mark of Indian thought in these places.

In most instances it seems to be an eastern notion closely tied to their version of Karmic return and multiple lives to clear it off. Until the early 1960's i'd say it was mostly found in the India & Pakistan regions of the Asian landmass and into parts of China.

[Spinoza]

Re: Reincarnation

Most people I know that believe in reincarnation and rebirth are Hindu and Buddhist, and they see it as a negative cycle that they seek to escape. The Romans claimed that reincarnation was a central tenant of Celtic religion, but we have very little details about their beliefs. Amongst the Greeks, it seemed to be a most positive doctrine. I'm basing this on the fact that it was taught in several mystery religions in Greece, but there is no evidence of any focus on an attempt to escape from the cycle of rebirth the way there is in Hinduism and Buddhism.