The Concept Of Afterlife And Reincarnation In Hinduism
It is a common belief held by many religions that our soul ‘atman’ never dies. Hindus, specifically, believe that there is no absolute beginning or end to the soul or to the existence of the world. Birth, death and re-birth cycles, are also implicit to disturb all aspects of existence. There are three main topics linked to the afterlife of Hindus, these include: karma, reincarnation and the four courses that Hindu’s follow after death. The concept of immortality can also be linked to the inevitability of re-birth and re-death. Hindu beliefs about the afterlife promote moral ideals that ultimately lead to a reincarnation of the soul.
In Hinduism, the word karma means action, and good or virtuous actions will have good reactions or responses and bad actions will have the opposite effect. Karma operates not only in this lifetime but across lifetimes, meaning actions taken in the present life may have greater results in a new life. ‘It is up to the human beings to create good or bad consequences for their actions and to be able to reap the rewards of action in this life, in a future human rebirth, or to reap the rewards of action in a realm of heaven or hell in which the self is reborn for a time’. Karma is a blend of cosmic and moral cause and effect in which marks lifetimes and life lessons learnt for spiritual growth. The concept of karma conveys that suffering is a part of life. Many human beings who want to remove the bad karma that might exist within their souls, wish to endure suffering. This may involve fasting, doing penance such as intense prayer or worship, or enduring pain even when medication is available. This common moral belief of many Hindu’s can therefore be strongly linked to the afterlife and furthermore ultimately leads to reincarnation.
‘Reincarnation involves the conviction that a person’s ‘atman’ passes into a new body and life after someone dies. This new life, however, depends on how the person has lived their previous life’. Hinduism has a strong belief in the rebirth and reincarnation of human souls. It is believed that the soul is part of Jiva, meaning the limited being, and is immortal and imperishable. Death is referred to as a ‘temporary termination of physical activity’, and an important means of recovering previous resources used by the soul in order for the Jiva to reactivate itself and review past experiences in order to plan for the next phase. There are two paths in which the souls can travel after death. These include the path of the sun and the path of the moon. When a soul travels along the bright path or the path of the gods, it never returns again while those souls which travel along the dark path or the path of the ancestors, will return again. Therefore, if a soul has obtained good karma then the opportunity of the path of the sun will be taken. However, if the soul was to have bad karma then this will result in following the dark path. These two paths can ultimately determine how the new life of the soul will live in the afterlife.
In Hinduism, after death, there are four courses that human beings are to follow, and each course relies on whether the soul obtained good or bad karma in the previous life. The first course is known as devayana, meaning the way of the gods. Spiritually progressive souls who lead an extremely pure life, dedicating themselves to meditation on Brahman, but before death have not been able to attain complete self-knowledge, will follow this course. The second course is known as pitriyana, which is the way of the fathers. Human souls will repair to the lunar sphere, and after enjoying happiness there, as a reward for their good actions, will return to earth. The third course leads to hell, and for the souls that led an impure life, with actions performed that were forbidden by the scriptures, will follow this course. After removing and forgetting about their evil actions, their ‘atman’s’ are again reborn as human bodies on Earth. Finally, the fourth and last course is for the extremely bad in their thoughts and actions. During this stage people are reborn as unimportant creatures such as mosquitoes and fleas. They then return to human bodies however this new soul takes up the thread of spiritual evolution of its previous birth. These four courses, however, do not apply to those souls who have attained self-knowledge previously or at the time of death. These souls are absorbed in Brahman upon their death, and the elements of their complex body-mind return to their creative foundation. Hindus believe dying can be compared to experiences of falling asleep and dreaming after death. Therefore, the soul must follow these courses after death in the afterlife, ultimately leading to reincarnation.
In conclusion, it is clear to say that there are a wide range of morals in relation to Hindu beliefs about the afterlife that ultimately lead to a reincarnation of the soul. This soul is known as being immortal and imperishable and therefore sacred to the beliefs of many Hindus. If the soul has good or bad karma, then this will determine which course it is to take in the afterlife. These four courses can either lead to a place such as hell and therefore suffer or a spiritual place where they have the opportunity of reincarnation where they will be born into a new soul. During this process of reincarnation, the soul will essentially ‘reboot’ and enter a new body and life with previous resources from the afterlife being recovered.
