Which religions believe in reincarnation?
Quick Answer
Religions that adopt reincarnation as part of their mainstream teachings include Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. However, there are sects of other religions that incorporate reincarnation on a smaller level, such as Kabbalah and Druze.
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Religions that believe in reincarnation include:
- Hinduism
- Jainism
- Buddhism
- Sikhism
In Hinduism, the jiva is the soul and it lives through multiple lives. Although it is pure by default, people can alter this through the way they behave in each life. Karma affects the experience someone's jiva has in their next life.
Jainism has a similar take to Hinduism on reincarnation. If someone behaves well, they attract good karma and have a happy experience during their next life. In contrast, someone who leads a bad life is said to have a desire to experience cruelty in the next one.
Buddhism does not believe that people have a new form of consciousness with each life. Instead, it sees moving between lives as a continuum of one existence to the next. Unlike other mainstream religions, it does not see the reincarnation as a new person.
Sikhism believes that the soul passes into new bodies when a person dies. This is a process that continues until Liberation.
Many of the Abrahamic religions do not promote reincarnation. However, there are sects that believe it exists. For example, some Islamic sects believe that souls undergo reincarnation until they have absolved all their past sins.
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