Karmic Rebirth in Buddhism and Jainism

Naomi Appleton; Ashley Wells (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

Vardhaman Mahavira and Jainism vs. Siddhartha Gautama and Buddhism (dailyissues3.com)

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Buddhism and Jainism (two coexisting wandering ascetic traditions from ancient India) share the concepts of karma, rebirth, and the drive to escape the cycle of endless rebirth.

The literature of both spiritual traditions contains many stories about past -- and sometimes even future -- lives that reveal much about these two foundational doctrines or dharmas.

In Narrating Karma and Rebirth: Buddhist and Jain Multi-Life Stories Naomi Appleton carefully explores how multiple past-life stories served to construct, communicate, and challenge ideas about karma and rebirth in early South Asia.

Appleton examines portrayals of the different realms of rebirth, the potential paths and goals of human beings, and the biographies of ideal spiritual figures.

For the Buddha's Teachings, see BPS.lk

Appleton deftly surveys the ability of karma (deeds) to bind individuals together over multiple lives and the nature of the supernormal memory that makes multi-life stories available in the first place.

This original study sheds light on the individual preoccupations of Buddhist and Jain traditions, and it contributes to a more complete history of religious thought in South Asia. For it brings to the foreground long-neglected narrative sources. More