Reincarnation, Transmigration of Souls, and Methempsicose
This article is an alpha-level discussion from the eCourse, The Sophia Scrolls. The eCourse is available to all Members of the University.
Origins of the Concept
The doctrine of Reincarnation has its origins in the dawn of mankind, even in very primitive cultures.
Some theologian say that this doctrine was developed through the understanding that a human life has a dualistic aspect, one mortal and another immortal; the existence of a soul, that could be separated from the physical body, during the dormant stage of sleep, or the permanent separation from it during the process of death. This same immortal essence could be also transferred from one organism to another. In its origins, reincarnation is regarded as a phenomenon, not merely a set of beliefs.
Reincarnation is a religious idea in which a specific part of a being, which is not its physical garment, or body, comes cyclically back to life and takes upon another physical body after death of the previous bodily vehicle to continue the learning process and the balance of its Karma.
The concept of reincarnation is based on the belief that all the living and sentient beings have their constitution and spiritual matrix physiology divided into two elements: one, the physical external body and the second; an immortal part, the Spirit. The immortal part of the being, its essence, survives the physical death, thus being possible to reconnect again with another physical vehicle, different and often distinct from the previous one.
