Are We Reborn? — Swami Bhaskarananda

Recorded at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington on November 13, 2016.

In this talk, Swami Bhaskarananda examines the Vedantic doctrine of reincarnation and the reasons for believing that life continues beyond the death of the physical body. Beginning with the traditional means by which truth is established in Indian philosophy, he explains why the existence of the soul cannot ordinarily be verified through the senses alone but is affirmed through reason, reliable testimony, and the experiences of spiritually illumined souls. Drawing on stories of saints, scriptural references from the Bhagavad Gita, Buddhism, Christianity, and classical Greek philosophy, as well as documented accounts of individuals who remembered previous lives, he presents reincarnation as a coherent explanation for the continuity of consciousness and the soul's ongoing journey.

Swami Bhaskarananda also explores the purpose of repeated birth from the Vedantic perspective, explaining that each lifetime provides an opportunity for spiritual growth and the gradual manifestation of the divine nature already present within every individual. He emphasizes that reincarnation is governed by the law of karma and continues only until selfishness is overcome and the mind becomes completely purified. The lecture concludes by encouraging listeners to make purposeful use of this human birth through unselfish living, spiritual practice, and the cultivation of the qualities that lead to freedom from the cycle of birth and death.