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  • Writer's picturePremanandhan Narayanan

The Concept of Reincarnation and the Eternal Soul in Eastern Philosophies and Beyond

As per Raja Yoga the soul, or atma, is eternal and that we experience births and deaths through different bodies. It is also a central concept in many Eastern religions and philosophies, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. According to this belief, the soul is a distinct, unchanging entity that passes from one body to another through the process of reincarnation.


Individual soul carries the karmic impressions, or samskaras, of its past actions, which determine the nature of its future experiences. When a person dies, their soul is believed to detach from their physical body and enter a transitional state known as bardo, where it experiences a range of phenomena based on its karma. Eventually, the soul is said to be reborn into a new body, which will be human being based on its accumulated karma.





This view of the soul as eternal and constantly undergoing a cycle of births and deaths has profound implications for how we understand ourselves and our place in the world. It suggests that our current life is just one episode in a much longer journey of spiritual evolution, and that we have the opportunity to learn from our past experiences and create better karma in the present.


However, it's important to note that this view of the soul and reincarnation is not universally accepted or scientifically verifiable. The idea of an eternal soul and the possibility of rebirth, others may find it unprovable or incompatible with their own beliefs or cultural traditions. As with any spiritual or philosophical concept, it is up to each individual to explore and evaluate the ideas for themselves and come to their own conclusions.

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