How Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain Views of Reincarnation Differ

It is easy to say that Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs “believe in reincarnation.” But the idea means different things in each tradition. This article compares them on four questions. It simplifies a great deal, since each tradition has many schools.

What is shared?

A cycle of birth and death. The New World Encyclopedia says samsara, the state of perpetual rebirth, is taught by the Indian religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and Britannica adds Sikhism. In all of them, karma, meaning action and its consequences, helps shape future births. The New World Encyclopedia notes that the doctrine of rebirth was gradually accepted in India by the sixth century BCE, around the time of the Upanishads.

How do they differ?

They differ on what continues from one life to the next, how karma works, and what the goal is. The table below sets the four side by side.

	Hinduism	Buddhism	Jainism	Sikhism
What continues?	The eternal self (atman)	A stream of cause and effect, with no permanent self	The soul (jiva)	The soul
How does karma work?	Action and its results, carried by the atman	Intentional action	A subtle substance that binds the soul	Karma shapes births, but grace matters
What is the goal?	Moksha, liberation	Nirvana	Moksha, freedom from all karma	Mukti, union with God

The table draws on Britannica, the New World Encyclopedia, EBSCO, and a comparison guide.

What does each say about the way out?

Different paths. In Hinduism, Britannica says liberation comes by realizing that the atman and ultimate reality (brahman) are one. In Buddhism, the comparison guide says nirvana is the extinguishing of greed, hatred, and delusion, which ends the production of new karma and so ends rebirth. In Jainism, EBSCO says all karma must be eliminated before one can escape the cycle. The comparison guide says this is why nonviolence matters so much, because harming any being binds heavy karma. RevisionDojo adds that Jain teaching points to right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct. In Sikhism, the comparison guide says liberation comes through God’s grace, living within the divine order, and remembering the Name.

Why does the soul question matter?

Because it changes what “rebirth” means. Britannica notes that Buddhism denies an unchanging soul, teaching non-self instead, yet still holds a belief in the transmigration of karma. For the other traditions, something enduring, the atman or the jiva, carries on. For more detail, see What Different Religions Teach About Reincarnation. For how these beliefs shape funerals, see Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh practices.