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Like Jainism, Buddhism developed its own saṃsāra theory, that evolved over time the mechanistic details on how the wheel of mundane existence works over the endless cycles of rebirth and redeath. [118] [119] In early Buddhist traditions, saṃsāra cosmology consisted of five realms through which wheel of existence recycled. [111]
The vast majority of Buddhist lay people, states Kevin Trainor, have historically pursued Buddhist rituals and practices motivated with rebirth into Deva realm. [ 46 ] [ note 6 ] The Deva realm in Buddhist practice in southeast and east Asia, states Keown, include gods found in Hindu traditions such as Indra and Brahma , and concepts in Hindu ...
Historically, the roots of Buddhism lie in the religious thought of Iron Age India around the middle of the first millennium BCE. [5] This was a period of great intellectual ferment and socio-cultural change known as the Second Urbanisation, marked by the growth of towns and trade, the composition of the Upanishads and the historical emergence of the Śramaṇa traditions.
Bhikkhu Sujato notes that there are three main principles of rebirth in early Buddhism: [38] Rebirth is regarded as an ongoing process to be escaped from in the search for liberation. Rebirth is determined by one's own mind, particularly one's ethical choices. The practice of Buddhism aims at ending rebirth.
Illustration of reincarnation in Hindu art In Jainism, a soul travels to any one of the four states of existence after death depending on its karmas.. Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan in a different physical form or body after biological death.
In contemporary Hinduism, the Buddha is revered by Hindus who usually consider "Buddhism to be another form of Hinduism". [9] Other Hindus reject the identification of Gautama Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu , referring to the texts of the Puranas and identifying the two as different individuals.
The Theosophists used the concept of reincarnation common for Hinduism and Buddhism to substantiate the one esoteric core of these religions. [note 12] Thus, for A. P. Sinnett, an author of the Esoteric Buddhism, Gautama Buddha is simply one of a row of mahatmas who have "appeared over the course of the centuries."
Buddhism also combined the continuing interaction, such as giving alms to renunciants, in terms of merit gained for good rebirth and good karma by the lay people. This code played a historic role in its growth, and provided a means for reliable alms (food, clothing) and social support for Buddhism.