Reinkarnation

Reinkarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the belief that the consciousness or the soul persists after death and is reborn in a new body or form. In different traditions, the precise mechanism and the meaning of rebirth vary; some conceive of a permanent self migrating, others describe a continuity of mental energy or karmic potential rather than a fixed soul. Reincarnation is central to many South Asian religious systems and has also appeared in various Western philosophical and esoteric currents.

In Hinduism, the atman is believed to be eternal and subject to samsara, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Karma shapes future lives, and liberation (moksha) ends the cycle. In Jainism, rebirth is driven by karma; the goal is liberation through ethical conduct. In Buddhism, traditional doctrines reject a permanent self; instead, a continuity of consciousness links lives, conditioned by karma; enlightenment (nirvana) ends rebirth.

Sikhism accepts rebirth within the cycle but teaches that devotion to God and moral living can break the cycle and unite the soul with the divine. In classical Greek and later Western thought, metempsychosis or transmigration appeared as a philosophical idea, and in modern times reincarnation is a feature of Theosophical, esoteric, and New Age movements.

Scholarly and scientific perspectives generally treat reincarnation as a religious, philosophical, or cultural belief rather than an empirically proven fact. Tests of evidence often rely on anecdotal accounts, alleged past-life memories, or cross-cultural studies; supporters find compatibility with moral accounts of karma, while skeptics question memory reliability and the metaphysical assumptions. In popular culture, reincarnation frequently appears as a plot device or theme exploring identity and moral consequences across lifetimes.