Transmigration of the soul

Transmigration of the soul refers to a belief that the soul reincarnates into another living form after the end of one life. It is often connected with a belief that the karma (or, the actions), of the soul in one life (or, more generally, a series of past lives) determines the future existence. It is a belief found within Hindu traditions, (such as Yoga, Vaishnavism and Jainism), Greek philosophy, animism, theosophy, anthroposophy, Wicca, and other theological systems, including some Kabballists and Christians. Within Hinduism, transmigration is often equated with reincarnation.

Some psychic mediums of a variety of religious persuasions (from Wiccan all the way to Christian), and some Spiritualists believe in transmigration of the soul, but hold that reincarnation is an anomaly if it occurs at all.

Transmigration in Hinduism and Buddhism

As the believed nature of the soul (jiva or atman) has a significant impact on any philosophy concerning transmigration there are a number of significant differences between both Hindu and Buddhist versions, as well as minor differences within the varied Hindu and Buddhist traditions themselves. In general, the Hindu sense is different from the Buddhist sense because, in Hinduism, a soul is both immmutable and eternal, but in many schools of Buddhism the soul is believed to be susceptible to change, and thus the character of a soul from a previous life is imprinted on the new one.

"Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be. As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change". (Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, texts 12-13)

Platonism, transmigration, and "innate knowledge"

The transmigration of souls is a concept which underpins Plato's ideas concerning innate knowledge. He states that "all learning is but recollection" because we have innate knowledge of universal ideas (things such as a triangle has 3 sides, because no matter where you go a triangle will have 3 sides - hence its universality) from the past experiences of our immortal soul. This soul, according to Platonic thought, once separated from the body, spends an indeterminate amount of time in "formland" (see The Allegory of the Cave "The Republic") and then assumes another body. Therefore, according to Plato, we need only recall our buried memories to manifest innate knowledge.

Two main difficulties arise from Plato's view of Transmigration. First, Plato says that we have knowledge of universals because of the experiences of our souls in past lives. However, whence comes the knowledge of the first soul? In purely Platonic theory, it must have had no knowledge at all, and hence Plato's concept of transmigration as the basis for innate knowledge fails. A second difficulty lies in explaining the varying, and especially the apparently increasing number of incarnated souls over history.

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Transmigration in Hinduism and Buddhism

Platonism, transmigration, and "innate knowledge"

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