reincarnations

Reincarnation, also called rebirth or transmigration, is the belief that the essence of a person—whether described as a soul, spirit, or consciousness—survives death and is reborn in a new body. The specifics vary widely between traditions, including what exactly is reborn and why.

In many belief systems the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth is known as samsara. The nature of the next life is often linked to karma, the record of actions and intentions that shapes future experiences. Some traditions posit a persistent self that migrates between lives; others deny a permanent self and describe the continuity as a stream of karmic energy.

In Hinduism, the atman is eternal and rebirth continues until moksha, liberation from samsara. In Buddhism, there is no enduring self; rather a flow of causes and conditions that leads to future existences and, ultimately, Nirvana. In Jainism, the soul accumulates and sheds karma through right conduct, with liberation achieved by purifying the soul.

Sikhism accepts rebirth within a framework of devotion to God and ethical living, but emphasizes union with the divine as the ultimate goal beyond the cycle.

Many other cultures have belief systems involving reincarnation or metempsychosis, while some major world religions—such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—emphasize resurrection or afterlife instead of reincarnation. Views on reincarnation also vary within indigenous and new religious movements.

In modern contexts, reincarnation appears in literature, popular media, and spiritual communities. Reports of past-life memories in children or adults have been explored by researchers, though such cases remain controversial and contested within science and scholarship.