The Cycle of Life: Reincarnation, Karma and Moksha Hinduism

Words to get to grips with…  1. Reincarnation – Rebirth  2. Karma – Spiritual results of actions.  3. Moksha – Liberation, salvation, goal. By the end of today’s lesson we’ll begin to have an understanding of what these words mean…

Hindu Beliefs about Death Although there are said to be millions of Hindu gods and goddesses, Hindus believe there is one Great Power known as Brahman. Brahman is everywhere and everything that exists lives in Brahman. Thus, Hindus see the entire universe as one never- ending cycle of creation and destruction. When a living thing dies it does not disappear but changes into something else. This is known as REINCARNATION

1. Reincarnation Each atman (soul) passes through a long cycle of existence occupying different bodies and experiencing repeated births, deaths and rebirths This transmigration of the soul is known as reincarnation What’s the big idea?

Reincarnation Hindus believe that every living thing contains a soul or ‘atman’… eternal, indestructible… …like a little bit of Brahman in each of us. Where your atman goes depends on how you have lived in this life – your karma.

‘As a man casts off his worn- out clothes and takes on other new ones, so does the embodied soul cast off his worn-out bodies and enters other new.’ Bhagavad Gita 2:22

Reincarnation ‘Re’ means ‘again’ ‘in’ means ‘in’ (!) ‘carn’ means ‘flesh’ So the whole word means ‘again in flesh’. Rebirth might sound like a good thing but actually, Hindus believe that going around and around in the cycle of samsara is keeping our souls (atman) trapped in the material world away from the sublime spiritual one. So the ultimate aim of Hindus is Moksha - escape from the realm of Samsara and reunion with Brahman

Karma Karma means action Refers to the law of cause and effect i.e. actions and their consequences… Hindus believe this is a law of the universe just like the law of gravity The law: Every single action has an affect on something else Karma decides where you come back and what you come back as If your actions are good you will get a good rebirth into pleasant circumstances; if they are bad you will get a bad one… Sir Isaac Newton

There are lots of different types of rebirth in samsara. You can come back as a human, an animal, some Hindus believe you can even come back as a flower. If it lives you can be reborn as it In a lifetime people build up karma, both good and bad, based on their actions within that lifetime. This karma affects their future lives and existences… Karma Dung Beetle

Moksha Moksha is… Liberation – from samsara: the cycle of birth, death and rebirth Salvation – of the soul which is rescued from the material world and delivered into the spiritual The Goal – of Hindus who eventually hope to achieve moksha. Though many accept this might not happen for their next rebirth they aim to produce positive karma in the hope of a good rebirth that might be a little closer to moksha

Summary  SAMSARA IS THE CYCLE OF LIFE  REINCARNATION IS A RESULT OF PREVIOUS KARMA  KARMA RELATES TO ACTIONS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES  MOKSHA IS LIBERATION FROM SAMSARA

The Cycle of Samsara Draw your own version of this diagram It does not have to be an exact copy, but should include, from the bottom up… a plant an insect an animal a person a holy person

Research Brahman Atman Karma Samsara Moksha Dharma Look for evidence and further explanations/thinkers to support your writings.