Many people believe that there is no such thing as reincarnation in the universe. They believe that we are born once, that we die once and that this is the end of our total existence on the physical plane. Others believe that reincarnation means that we may return in the body of a lower life form after death as a human being. Perhaps we would return as a cow or as a monkey, or some other similar life form. Still others believe that there is so much to be learned from our life experiences on this physical plane (and the lessons of life that are associated with these life experiences), that it is impossible to learn all that we need from a single lifetime, or incarnation here. Because of this, they believe that we therefore make the decision to return again and again as necessary until we have learned all that we need to learn from living in this physical, material existence.
The author agrees with the latter school of thought, as you will see from other writings on this website that have also touched on the subject of reincarnation. We (at a higher level) do choose to return here as necessary, and when we return, the tendency is toward a continuing process of evolving to higher levels of human existence and understanding, not that of returning to lower animal forms. Although the author respects the beliefs of others to the contrary, I cannot justify to my own mind and heart, such beliefs for myself. The author does not seek to persuade any person away from their existing beliefs. Each person should follow their own truths and allow others to do the same.
These writings are for those who are seeking greater understanding because they can no longer accept and believe in that which may have been truth for them in the past. Some will say that truth is truth and can never change. The author has written previously on the pages of this website in an essay titled The Movies, that some people believe that the only real truth is that all truth is relative. As stated there also, what is true for children, may not be true for young adults, and what is true for young adults may not be true for mature persons with years of life's experiences behind them. As the years go by, life has a way of changing our perspective so that many of the things about which we were so uncertain when we were young, we understand with confidence in later years. On the other hand, many things about which we were so certain when we were young, become such that we must later re-examine these "truths" in the light of our many years of experiencing life. That which is truth to us when we are young, may not hold up as truth under a brighter light from the scrutiny of additional years of living as we grow older and gain in our experience and in our understanding of this life. That same concept however (that our perception of what is true may change), which holds true for us in the physical life, can be just as true in our Spiritual beliefs as we "grow" in Spiritual understanding also.
Many who do not believe that humans reincarnate at all, quote the Judeo-Christian Bible, which tells us in Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment". Those who have an understanding of reincarnation however, would not disagree with that statement. No one returns here in the same physical body to relive the same existence that they have just completed. That particular human person in that particular physical body is born once, lives once, dies once, and then from a higher level of existence, examines that life to evaluate or "judge" where goals were met and conversely, where there is need to try again in a subsequent lifetime when they will be born into a new body, with a new name, as a completely different person. It has been said that parts of the Judeo-Christian Bible did, at one time contain numerous references to reincarnation, but that those which could be recognized as such were removed by rulers who had the power to do so. Some say it was done because a certain ruler, or his wife, didn't believe in reincarnation, some say it was done so that the ruler could maintain greater control over the people through their religious beliefs. Others think that perhaps it might have been a bit of both.
There are still several references to reincarnation in the Judeo-Christian Bible today, although they are not as easily recognized as the more direct references which some claim have been removed. For example, it was customary in the time and the society within which the Master Jesus lived, for the people, knowing and accepting of the doctrine of reincarnation, to speculate among themselves about the past identity of Teachers and Avatars. It was with that knowledge that the Master Jesus asked His disciples in Mark 8:27 "Whom do men say that I am?". Those today who do not accept reincarnation as a possibility, nevertheless have no problem with the fact that the initial response given as an answer to His question, made reference to persons who had already left this life. In another example, this time in John 9:2, the Master Jesus was asked by His disciples about a nearby man who had been born blind. They asked whether the man had been blind since birth because of his own sins or because of the sins of his parents (remember, as we sow, so shall we reap). As many of you probably know, the Master Jesus was not at all hesitant to rebuke His disciples when He found them to be in error. Please note that if the man was blind from his birth, how could he have been born blind because of his own sins unless those sins had come from a previous incarnation? The Master Jesus, if there had been no such thing as reincarnation, would not have let such a serious oversight on their part pass without correction. However, he did not rebuke them but simply explained that this particular man did not meet the normal rule of criteria for such things, but was an exception who had been born blind so that the power of God might be made manifest through him. He then healed the man. Some may quote what they feel are additional examples, but for the author, these are sufficient to give the general idea.
There have been, and I suspect, still are a number of well known persons in the so-called "western" world (for many Eastern cultures, this belief is a way of life) who believe in reincarnation. Although there may have been only a few of them who talked or wrote openly about such beliefs, the idea did appear from time to time. The author believes that the following is such an example. It is the epitaph of Benjamin Franklin, a man who played a significant role in the establishment of the United States of America. Young Franklin wrote the epitaph himself when he was twenty-two years of age. Later in life however, he decided that the simple inscription: Benjamin and Deborah Franklin: 1790 be used instead. The original epitaph, however, read as follows:
The body of
B. Franklin, Printer
(Like the Cover of an Old Book
Its Contents torn Out
And Stript of its Lettering and Gilding)
Lies Here, Food for Worms.
But the Work shall not be Lost;
For it will (as he Believ'd) Appear once More
In a New and More Elegant Edition
Revised and Corrected
By the Author.
I suspect that most people would agree that this epitaph, written by Benjamin Franklin early in the adult years of his life, is a not-so-subtle reference to reincarnation. There are, of course, those who would not accept the idea that one of America's Founding Fathers could have held a view so unlike their own beliefs. Fortunately, the world is big enough to hold everyone's views on this often controversial subject.
Here is another non-biblical and perhaps more subtle example by a well known author. I am particularly partial to this poem. It is hoped that you will enjoy it also. It is a poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes titled: The Chambered Nautilus. It has been included here for your enjoyment:
Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at last art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell
By life's unresting sea.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
None of these examples have been given here as indisputable proof of reincarnation. They are simply offered by the author of this essay for your consideration. Those who don't believe in reincarnation will not be so easily persuaded to that way of thinking and those who already know that the concept of reincarnation strikes a resonant chord within themselves, will require no "proof".
In a separate essay at this web site titled: What IS This Thing Called Life? the author delves into more of the details on the subject of reincarnation, including the fact that the length of a typical lifetime on this earth is approximately seventy years, followed by approximately another seventy years on a higher plane of existence. The essay also discusses briefly why we come to this earth plane and why we choose to have certain life experiences. Perhaps it can be of help in understanding something that has deeply puzzled much of humankind for millennia: why do "bad" things seem to happen to "good" people? I trust that you will find it interesting.
For now, I believe that we have adequately covered the general subject of reincarnation for the purposes of this essay. For those interested in how it ties in with various decisions involving different life experiences, perhaps you will want to read the other essay mentioned in the previous paragraph. I hope and trust that you have found the information in this essay to be both interesting and worthwhile.