Travel with the author on a fascinating journey to explore samsara, the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, along with the religions of Buddhism and Hinduism in the rich cultures of Nepal, Bali, Cambodia and India. Could the idea of samsara offer understanding of suffering, life, death and what happens after death?Does spirituality have any value in a twenty-first century world and can it exist apart from religion? Might quantum physics, parapsychology, mysticism or psychedelics give clues about samsara, consciousness, reality and ourselves?This book will get you thinking about your own beliefs, life and death, and where they might fit in to the bigger picture as you travel with the writer in extraordinary cultures of astonishing variety.

Along comes a global pandemic coronavirus, COVID-19, and our world is turned upside down. Can the idea of samsara shed any light on all this terrible suffering, turmoil and change? Are we all travelling around the ever-turning cycle of samsara, being born, dying, then reborn - again, and again, and again? Does our life, the things that happen to us, and our death, have any meaning? What do Hinduism, Buddhism, and samsara tell us about suffering, life and death? Could spiritual dimensions exist or do we live in a purely material universe? What is consciousness and does it die when our bodies die? Are rebirth or reincarnation even possible? Can we have spirituality without religion? What, if anything, might spirituality or religion mean in a turbulent and unpredictable twenty-first century? Do mysticism, psychedelics, science and quantum physics offer clues to any of these questions? Take a journey with the author through the fascinating cultures of Nepal, India, Bali and Cambodia and explore their rich traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism and samsara. Part exploration of spirituality and religion, part travel adventure to places of astonishing diversity, this book will get you thinking about your own beliefs, life and death, and where those might fit in to a bigger picture.

Featuring over 1,200 topical entries arranged alphabetically, this encyclopedia provides diverse and detailed coverage of the related subjects of reincarnation and karma. Its in-depth examination ranges from ancient beliefs to those of the present, incorporating all relevant world cultures. A series of broad thematic entries cover foundational aspects while over a thousand highly focused entries deal with various societies and organizations which support the concepts of reincarnation and karma; specific religious groups, sects, and associations; key individuals both historic and modern; and related beliefs, concepts, and practices.

Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject Theology - Hinduism, grade: 2,1, University of Hildesheim, language: English, abstract: The following paper will deal with the concept of the cycle of birth, death and rebirth in the Hindu religion, as Hindus, in contrary to the Western cultures and monotheistic religions, believe that there is life after death, and before the present life, there was a beforelife because they believe that it does not make sense that people suddenly appear from nowhere, meaning not the biological body, but the “soul” or the “spirit”. First, a definition of the different concepts of afterlife in different metaphysical models and of the term reincarnation from its semantic point of view and, how it is defined in other religions, will be given. Furthermore, Hinduism, itself, will be introduced, as it is important to understand the essence of this religion to be able to understand the concept of reincarnation. Additionally, the concept of reincarnation will be described. That includes the processes of birth, death and rebirth. Finally, the arguments in favor and against the theory of reincarnation will be discussed. The question, about what happens after death, is a philosophical one, which has been worrying humanity for centuries. By trying to categorize the different concepts, regarding what happens after death, three concepts, varying among cultures and religions, can be differentiated. First, there is the concept of denial which states that the existence of the individual ends with their death, as it is widely believed in the Western world. The second one is the concept of completion - in many religions, as, for example, in Christianity, the human life is seen as a preparation for a life after, somewhere else, in a different state of existence, like Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, Limbus, etc. And the third concept is the concept of rebirth, meaning that the mental part of the person, may it be called the “soul” or the “spirit”, is reborn many times in new bodies on earth.

THE WHEEL OF REBIRTH: This book goes to the heart of the esoteric basis of reincarnation to reveal the truth of this ancient belief. Dr. Baker elucidates the principles of rebirth and provides convincing arguments for having a positive understanding of this timeless subject. He surveys the concepts of reincarnation found in many of the world's religions including Judaism, early Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism. Truth is within ourselves; it takes no rise From outward things, whate 'er you may believe. There is an inmost centre in us all, Where truth abides in fullness; and around, Wall upon wall, the gross flesh hems it in, This perfect, clear perception—which is truth. —From Paracelsus by Robert Browning

Karma and Rebirth: Post Classical Developments explains the religious concepts most central to Asian philosophy, religion, and society, presenting articles representative of contemporary understanding and practice. The contributors look not only at the understanding of karma and rebirth in modern India, but also in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, Japan, and the Western world. This broad treatment underscores the fact that karma and rebirth have become part of the religious history and cultural fabric of the Western world. The collection is divided into three sections. Part I deals with figures and movements of the Hindu renaissance in India in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Part II on Buddhism deals with Indian, Chinese, Tibetan, and Japanese treatments of karma. Part III is devoted to the influence of karma and rebirth in the Western world through theosophy, new religious movements, and recent developments in psychology.