Abstract

Reviews the history of reincarnation beliefs, shared by Eastern and Western civilizations including early Christianity, from classical antiquity to the present. The author cites J. Stevenson's field studies of individuals recalling verified circumstances and episodes from previous existences. Hypnotically induced age regressions are considered less convincing than spontaneous recollection cases, such as that of Ceylon's Wijeratne and India's Shanti Devi. Parapsychologists' reductionist interpretation of reincarnation phenomena (e.g., the tracing of recollections of previous lives to telepathy, clairvoyance, and the interaction of multiple telepathic agencies) is viewed as simplistic and unsatisfactory. It is concluded that reincarnation theories, which claim to penetrate death's domain, possess a philosophical dimension not easily explained with strictly scientific methods.