Reincarnation: the transmigration of souls in religions and philosophy
The belief that after death we return to the world in a new body is one of humanity's oldest ideas. Today it is held by several hundred million people.
Ezostylia Editorial Team · facts checked in sources · updated 31.10.2026
Samsara and karma
In Hinduism the soul (atman) passes through successive incarnations in the cycle of birth and death known as samsara. The body into which it is reborn is determined by karma: the sum of deeds from previous lives. The goal is not eternal return but liberation — moksha.
The Bhagavad Gita compares this to changing clothes: just as a person removes a worn garment and puts on a new one, so the soul abandons the body and takes on another.
Buddhism: rebirth without a soul
Buddhism teaches rebirth, yet denies the existence of a permanent soul (anatta). What passes from life to life is a stream of causes and effects, like a flame lit from another candle. The Tibetan tradition even seeks the reincarnations of deceased masters; the most well-known example is that of the successive Dalai Lamas.
Greece: metempsychosis
Pythagoras was said to have recognised the voice of a deceased friend in a whimpering puppy. Plato, in the Myth of Er that closes the Republic, describes souls who choose their next life of their own accord before drinking from the river of forgetfulness, Lethe.
Other traditions
- Kabbalah: gilgul, the circulation of souls, which return in order to complete what they left unfinished.
- The Druze: believe that the soul is reborn immediately in a newly born child.
- Jainism and Sikhism: karma and the cycle of incarnations, with an emphasis on ethics and non-harm.
- Contemporary Europe: surveys show that anywhere from several to several dozen per cent of people declare a belief in reincarnation, though they often combine it with other convictions.
Reincarnation and science
The most widely known research was conducted by psychiatrist Ian Stevenson of the University of Virginia, who collected accounts given by children describing a previous life. More about these cases can be found in the article on children who remember past lives.
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You will find all 30 topics in the section Mysteries of life and death.
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Sources
Frequently asked questions
How does reincarnation differ from rebirth in Buddhism?
In Hinduism it is an immortal soul (atman) that transmigrates. Buddhism rejects a permanent soul, and only a chain of causes and effects passes from life to life.
Does Christianity accept reincarnation?
No. The mainstream Christian churches teach that there is one life, followed by judgement and resurrection.