Five Lectures on Reincarnation

"Five Lectures on Reincarnation" by Swami Abhedananda is a philosophical work discussing the concept of reincarnation, written in the late 19th century. Drawing upon Vedanta philosophy, the text explores the idea of the subtle body and its relationship to the physical form, outlining how past actions and desires influence future incarnations. The author argues for reincarnation as a means of understanding life’s inequalities and the continuity of the soul across different lives. The opening of the work presents foundational ideas linked to reincarnation, emphasizing the intricate connection between the subtle and gross bodies. Swami Abhedananda explains that the subtle body, composed of latent impressions from past lives, drives the experiences and form of each individual in their current life. These insights set the stage for a deeper exploration of how desires and karmic actions shape our existence, culminating in the idea that the soul continues to learn and evolve through successive lifetimes. The author's intent is to provide a rationale for the inherent inequalities and diversities observed in the world while rooting these discussions in both philosophical and scientific observations, effectively advocating for the continued relevance of reincarnation in modern thought. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Swami Abhedananda, born Kaliprasad Chandra, was a direct disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of Ramakrishna Vedanta Math. Swami Vivekananda sent him to the West to head the Vedanta Society of New York in 1897, and spread the message of Vedanta, a theme on which he authored several books through his life, and subsequently founded the Ramakrishna Vedanta Math, in Calcutta and Darjeeling.