Past Lives or reincarnation, is a belief or many religions and spiritual movements such as Hindu traditions, Buddhism, African Beliefs, Native American, Paganism and new Age movements. In India the idea of past lives was introduced in the Upanishads, c. 800 BCE.
In Tibetan Buddhism the soul of an important lama reincarnates into an infant born nine months after the passing away of the lama. Also some ancient Greek philosophers believed in past lives. Some Gnostic groups believe in past lives, but in a negative concept. In some ancient societies, people were buried with their possessions in a belief they would take them into future lives.
Past lives were also a part of Norse mythology. The infamous Church of Scientology, accepts the belief in past lives. Another strong supporter of the belief in past lives was well known American Mystic Edgar Cayce. Most present day Christian beliefs reject past lives. Islam also rejects the concept of past lives.
Future lives are based on the belief of past lives, for in order to have another incarnation in the future, we must have had a past life. But there is also a belief in reincarnation that we must past through some sort of spiritual plane in order to travel from our past lives to the next life. Many people believe in the theory that how we live in our past lives governs what our journey will be in the next life. Past lives is the belief that as we reincarnate we do so in a different body. Belief in past lives may also help us to understand, "why are we here" in this life. Some people feel that a person who has done evil in their past life will suffer in this life.
