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Buddhist Beliefs about Life and Death » Samsara, Kamma and Rebirth in Buddhism
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 1, 2.1 (Buddhism)
- What samsara is, and how Buddhists see existence as a cycle
- How kamma shapes this life and future lives
- How rebirth can happen with no permanent soul, and the realms of rebirth
- Why Buddhists believe in rebirth, how views differ, and how the belief affects life and death
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Unlock This CourseSamsara: the cycle that never stops
In Death and the Afterlife: Linear and Cyclical Views, you met the cyclical view of existence. You met the idea that life is more like a wheel than a road. Buddhism is the clearest example of this view.
Buddhists teach that a being does not live once and then finish. After death a being is reborn, then dies, then is reborn again. This continual and endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth is called samsara. Nobody can find a beginning to it, and it does not end by itself. It only ends when a person reaches nibbana, which you will study in Nibbana and the Noble Eightfold Path.
Key terms:
- Samsara (recap from Buddhism: Impermanence, Compassion and Caring for the World): the continual and endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
- Kamma: wilful (intentional) acts, which affect the circumstances of this and future existence. It is the Pali word for karma.
- Realms of rebirth: the different kinds of existence in which a being can be reborn.
- Bardo: in Tibetan teaching, the state between one life and the next.
Kamma: what steers the cycle
Recall that kamma means intentional action. Buddhists believe that wilful acts of body, speech and mind leave results behind. Skilful acts, such as generosity and kindness, lead to happier results. Unskilful acts, driven by greed, hatred and ignorance, lead to suffering.
The spec says kamma affects the circumstances of this and future existence. So there are two time scales.
🌙 Future lives
Buddhists believe kamma carries on after death. It shapes where a being is reborn and the circumstances it meets there.
This is why rebirth is not random. Kamma is not a prize handed out by a judge. It works like cause and effect, in the way that planting a seed leads to a plant.
Rebirth without a soul
Here is a puzzle. Remember from Anicca, Anatta and the Five Khandhas that Buddhists teach anatta: there is no permanent, unchanging self. So what is reborn?
The answer is that nothing solid passes from one life to the next. Instead, a stream of cause and effect carries on. A famous story from the Milindapanha, a Buddhist text, compares it to a flame passed from candle to candle. Light one candle from another. The new flame is not the same as the old one, but it is not completely different either. It exists because of the first flame. In the same way, the next life is not the same person, but it comes from the last one. Kamma and craving keep the flame going.
This also explains why Buddhists prefer the word rebirth to reincarnation. Reincarnation suggests that a soul moves into a new body. Buddhists teach no such soul.
The realms of rebirth
Buddhists teach that a being can be reborn in more than one kind of existence. Traditional teaching names six realms:
- The realm of the gods (devas), a long and pleasant life.
- The realm of the jealous gods, full of anger and rivalry.
- The human realm.
- The animal realm.
- The realm of hungry ghosts, who are never satisfied.
- The hell realms, with intense suffering.
Every realm is impermanent. Even a being reborn as a god will die when the good kamma that caused it runs out. Many Buddhists see the human realm as the best place to follow the Buddha's path, because humans feel both pleasure and pain, and can choose to change.
Not all Buddhists take the realms literally. Some see them as states of mind that people pass through in a single day: calm and happy, jealous, greedy, angry.
Why do Buddhists believe in rebirth?
📖 The Buddha's teaching
Buddhists trust the Buddha. Tradition says that on the night of his enlightenment he saw his own past lives, and he taught rebirth ever after. The Jataka tales tell of his many earlier lives.
⚖️ It explains fairness
People are born into very different lives. Rebirth and kamma give a reason, without a God who chooses. It also means actions have results, even when good people suffer in this life.
👶 Accounts of past lives
Some Buddhists point to people, especially young children, who seem to remember earlier lives. Tibetan Buddhists search for children they believe are the rebirth of a respected teacher.
Different views among Buddhists
- Tibetan Buddhists teach that after death a being passes through a state between lives, called the bardo, before rebirth. Prayers are said to help the person through it.
- Some modern Buddhists read rebirth as change from moment to moment. Each moment ends and gives rise to the next, so in a sense we are reborn all the time. They may be unsure about literal rebirth after death, while still valuing the teaching on kamma.
How the belief affects Buddhists
- How they live. Because kamma has results, Buddhists try to act with kindness and avoid harm. Because all beings share the cycle, they care for animals too.
- How they face death. Death is not a final end, so it can be met with calm rather than terror. Family members may chant, give to the poor or do good deeds in the name of the person who has died, hoping to help their next existence.
- Their aim. Samsara contains dukkha (suffering and dissatisfaction), so the deepest goal is not a better rebirth but release from the cycle.
Common mistakes
Do not write that Buddhists believe in a soul that moves from body to body. Say that a stream of kamma and craving carries on, like a flame passed from candle to candle. Also, do not say that being reborn as a god is the goal. Even gods remain in samsara.
Exam-style question
Paper 1 style. Parts (a) and (b) test AO1. Parts (c) and (d) test AO1 and AO2.
(a) Identify three beliefs about what happens after death. [3 marks]
(b) Choose one religion. Outline two teachings about rebirth in this religion. [4 marks]
(c) Choose one religion. Explain why followers of this religion believe in rebirth. [6 marks]
(d) 'Rebirth is the best explanation for why people are born into such different lives.' Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks]
Model answer
(a) 1. Rebirth (1). 2. Resurrection (1). 3. Nothing happens, because consciousness ends at death (1).
(b) Buddhists teach that beings are caught in samsara, the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth (1), which only ends when a person reaches nibbana (1). Buddhists also teach that kamma, wilful acts, affects the circumstances of future existence (1), so skilful acts lead to happier results and unskilful acts lead to suffering (1).
(c) Buddhists believe in rebirth first because the Buddha taught it. Tradition says that on the night of his enlightenment he saw his own past lives, and the Jataka tales tell of his earlier lives, so followers trust his words.
A second reason is that rebirth explains fairness. People are born into very different lives. Buddhists believe kamma from earlier lives helps to shape these circumstances, without a God who chooses, so actions always have results.
A third reason is the accounts of past lives. Some Buddhists point to young children who seem to remember earlier lives, and Tibetan Buddhists search for children believed to be the rebirth of a respected teacher. This means rebirth is not just a theory but part of the way they understand life and death.
(d) Plan. For: Buddhists say kamma from earlier lives helps to explain why one person is born healthy and loved and another is not; no God is needed, so a loving God is not blamed for unfairness; it fits the cyclical view that every action has a result.
Against: there is no scientific evidence for rebirth, and accounts of past lives can be explained in other ways; non-religious people say differences come from genes, family and chance; Christians and Muslims say God, not kamma, is behind life; some modern Buddhists read rebirth as moment-to-moment change, not a link between lives; the explanation could also seem to blame those who suffer.
Possible conclusion: judge each point as you go, then pick a side. For example: I partly disagree. Rebirth gives Buddhists a fair and consistent reason, but 'best' is too strong because it cannot be tested, and genes and upbringing explain much of the difference in a way anyone can check.
Exam tip
In part (d), look at the word 'best'. A strong answer compares rebirth with other explanations, such as God's plan, genes and chance, and says why one works better than the others.