Day 11: Reincarnation

Since reincarnation is probably the thing that most non-Hindus think about when they think of Hinduism, you’ve probably been wondering when I was going to get to it. Well, wait no longer. Here we go.

Hinduism says that human beings are stuck in a cycle called samsara. We’re born, we live, we die. Then we do it again. And again. And again. For how long? Until we get it right.

The only way to stop the cycle and avoid yet another rebirth is to work out all the issues and problems we’ve had in our previous lives and achieve true realization—making us ready to become one with the absolute divine.

Hinduism tells us that daily life and all the—well, the crap—we go through trying to make our way in the world is a painful burden. That’s why trying to get out of the cycle is the ultimate goal. But it’s not easy, because we’re accountable for every thought we have and every action we take in all our lives. And we can only break free from the cycle of birth and rebirth once we’re dealt with it all.

I’ve always been interested in the notion of reincarnation, maybe because I’m the kind of person who feels like “an old soul.” A therapist once asked me how old I felt inside. I answered, “62.” (I was 19 at the time.) She seemed alarmed, and I’ve learned since then that most people usually say they feel 16 or, maybe, at the “older” end of the spectrum, 25. Not me. Sometimes I feel like I’ve seen it all—and I’ve screwed up a lot.

Getting the chance to do it all again is, in some ways, pretty appealing. If we do go through reincarnation, then we get to try again and maybe avoid some of the mistakes we’ve made this time around. Me? I’d definitely do a lot of things differently—like, for starters, I wouldn’t have married a jerk who didn’t even know how to change a tire.

Then again, there would be disadvantages. I’d have to go through everything again, like school. I really wouldn’t want to do grammar school again, with all those dodgeball games and spelling tests and “art” made out of pasta products.

And reincarnation would also mean going through that awful awkward period again—that adolescent stage where your teeth are all different sizes and you have acne and you can’t even talk to a boy without blushing. For me, the awkward phase lasted from age 6 to around age 20. Hell—who am I kidding? I’m still in it.

So maybe reincarnation isn’t such a good thing. When I think about having to relive my teen years, death as nothingness doesn’t sound all that bad.

I realize as I'm writing this that I have a lot more thoughts on reincarnation, but rather than numb your mind with a zillion-word-long post, I'll pick this up again next time. See you then!