“Rebirth” and “reincarnation” are two related concepts that are often used interchangeably, but they have some distinct differences.
Reincarnation refers to the idea that a person’s soul, after death, is reborn in another body. This belief is held by many Eastern religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. In these belief systems, reincarnation is seen as part of the cycle of death and rebirth that all souls go through, and is linked to the idea of karma and the belief that a person’s actions in one life determine their circumstances in future lives.
Rebirth, on the other hand, is a concept that is found in many different religious and philosophical traditions, both Eastern and Western. It refers to the idea that a person, after death, is reborn or regenerated in some form, but the specifics of what this means can vary greatly. In some cases, rebirth is seen as a physical process, in which a person’s soul is reborn in a new body, similar to the concept of reincarnation. In other cases, rebirth is seen as a spiritual process, in which a person’s soul is transformed or renewed in some way.
In short, reincarnation is a specific type of rebirth that involves the transmigration of a person’s soul from one body to another, while rebirth can refer more broadly to any process of regeneration or renewal after death.