Reincarnation/Rebirth and Personal Identity
From Body, Soul and Personal Identity
- Created by: Olivia Grace Matthews
- Created on: 09-05-15 19:10
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- Reincarnation/Rebirth and Personal Identity
- Reincarnation
- Reincarnation = Hindu and Rebirth = Buddhism
- Involve an individuals soul inhabiting a new body
- At death the soul moves from the dying body into a new body sometimes called the 'transmigration of souls'
- Through each life the soul will improve itself until perfection
- When achieved it will not be reborn but enter a state of bliss
- Memories of previous lives are either non-existent or deeply buried
- Though the individual may be a different person, there is the same continuing psychic structure from life to life
- Hinduism
- The atman (soul) is eternal
- Emphasis placed on individual development through samsara to achieve release
- Outcome is reunification of Brahman
- Reunification = moksha
- Karma influences the quality of the next life
- A reincarnated soul carries no personal attributes but immortal sense (jiva) continues
- Rebirth and Buddhists
- Continuity between lives but not identical
- Buddhists deny that there are souls. There is an ever-changing individual character
- Like a flame being transferred from one candle to another
- Karma influences next life
- The 'I' it the union of all lives lived
- Casual connections between diff lives
- Personal Identity
- Ultimate goal is to lose personal identity. Become at one with Godhead
- Materalists = impossible. They would have diff brains and lead diff lives
- Evidence could be past lives eg...
- Children claim to have memories of former lives
- Some have regressed earlier lives under hypnosis
- Children claim to have memories of former lives
- HOWEVER.. the individual could be remembering info gained in childhood
- Could be a cultural gene which passes down info about our ancestors
- Result of psychological problems
- Reincarnation
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