Samsara. This is the repetitious cycle of reincarnation, of birth, life, and death. It is governed by karma in that one’s actions in the past result in consequences that serve as spiritual educational opportunities. It is a foundational tenet in Hinduism, Buddhism, Bon, Jainism, Taoism and Sikhism, and is woven into the very tapestry of many world cultures.
Karma is real. And not only is it real, it is the governing law of life. Of existence. No one is or was exempt.
Karma is not unique to humans. It pertains to all living beings. But contrary to some belief, there is no inter-being incarnation. We, as humans, will not reincarnate as, say, as a mosquito or a cow (or any other non-human being) in the next life if we are bad… or good for that matter, even if we really, really want to be a mosquito or a cow (or another non-human being).
Karma is key. To dismiss it is to choose not to accept a fundamental truth. We are all subject to karma. And we all reincarnate until we have achieved, until we have personally earned, the karma of love. This takes lifetimes. It takes thousands of years. And it, admittedly, takes some souls far longer than others. But once we do earn our personal karma of love or of light, we can be free of embodiment. We then continue our work as a soul in the spirit realm.
Souls are energy and they are eternal. Call them souls or spirits or selves, no matter, but understand that they are eternal. However, we don’t live just once and then rest easy in the perpetual retirement community of heaven. No. We live and die and live again and die again and live again and die again, for as long as it takes, until we get it right, and then we live on in the spirit realm doing our work as part of the whole, The Source. Our incarnations as humans are just the beginning of our lives as souls, and we continue to grow and love intensely for the rest of forever. Once we achieve this true karmic balance of love and light and die as a human for the last time, only then are we free of karma.