Reincarnation: Science or Myth?
Questioner: Namaste Acharya Ji. So, my question is around this rebirth and reincarnation and around this science of reincarnation. I have heard about this through my colleague and he was talking about this University of Virginia and they have been doing research on this science of reincarnation. So they have found a baby who can remember the past life memories. So can you throw some light on those?
Acharya Prashant: Can you throw some light on this University of Virginia first thing? Where is the research paper? Where is the proof? I can say, 'No, University of Virginia has never done any such research and no such baby ever existed. How will you refute my claim?'
Facts are to be greatly respected. Rumors are not to be treated as facts.
Anybody can create anything from imagination and float it around. That is not to be quoted as a fact. If it's a university then the research paper would most probably be public. Had it not been public, the news won't have reached you. And do we even understand the implications, were such a paper to be published ever?
Please understand what it would do to the entire field of identity. It would have great consequences on every sphere of human activity. Everything would be upturned. Sir, nothing like this has ever been proven.
And it conversely tells about the composition and intentions of those who believe in such things. They would very liberally appropriate the name of any high-ranking scientific institution just to prove that reincarnation in the lowest sense possible does happen. What does that tell about their own composition? That these people are liar. Had I had any substance in my claim, would I have proceeded to substantiate my claim with lies? University of Virginia! Huh?
There is nothing in it, sir. Nothing. And also please remember the basics of probability. Probability as in mathematics. If you take a billion monkeys, if you take a billion monkeys and just give them keypads, one of them will be able to type something meaningful. It has been said that if you take enough monkeys and give them pens, one of them would surely be able to write down all the works of Shakespeare. That is just probability. You only have to have a sufficient number of monkeys and that will happen.
So if you look at the 800 crore people who are alive and the numbers that have been diseased just randomly, just by way of probability; if you go to all these people who were kids once and asked them to utter something about their previous life, a few people would end up saying something meaningful. That does not mean that there is something in it. That is just the law of randomness.
Okay. What's there on this table next to me? Please tell me.
Questioner: I can't see.
Acharya Prashant: Okay, try.
Questioner: No, I cannot.
Acharya Prashant: But if I ask you to just try. What would you say?
Questioner: A ball, maybe.
Acharya Prashant: Okay. Now, if I give you an infinite number of tries, will you not succeed in giving the correct answer at least once?
Questioner: Yes.
Acharya Prashant: That is called probability. Given an infinite number of attempts, anything is possible. Anything is possible. So if you take all the kids who are born and ask them, please tell us something about your previous birth. One or two of them will end up saying something meaningful. That proves nothing. In fact, that only proves that mathematics is great.
No place of any repute has ever conducted any conclusive research on this reincarnation thing. In fact, the scientific community the world over takes it as something of a joke. It is not even considered a subject fit enough to be taken for a serious study. Yes, studies have been done but those studies have amounted to nothing. Nothing came out of them. Nobody takes this seriously.
You must also reflect on why a lot of people insist on things like personal reincarnation. You must ask what stake do they have? Why do they so forcefully insist that yes, if I die, I will be reborn as somebody else? What is it in their psyche that impels them to believe in, to aggressively believe in the concept of reincarnation? The answer will be very interesting.
When you are living an unfulfilled life then the concept of reincarnation comes as a savior.
However, it is also the same concept that prevents you from bringing richness and meaning and joy to this one life that you have. You are told, you know, 'I have so many lives and the other lives the subsequent lives will probably be better.' If you are in turmoil, in bondage currently then you are saved from challenging your fears and your bondages with the greatest ferocity. How?
You say, you know, 'I somehow deserve my sorry state. I must have done something in my past lives. to deserve the pain that I have now. So there is no need to fight against my suffering and my bondage because I anyway deserve it. It is my Karmphal.' And what annoys me is that both these concepts which are interrelated, of course, — reincarnation and karma are attributed to the Gita. Whereas the Gita very forcefully destroys both these concepts but fantastic are the ways of Maya.
Questioner: Thank you, Acharya Ji.
Acharya Prashant: Welcome.
