It all depends on the last rituals which are done with the body after death.
Religions are different because their last rituals are different. And they are very important. The result is different.
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There is no concept of taking another birth in Christianity and also in Islam. Because they are buried. And a buried person never ever takes another birth.
Аny Christian is waiting for the second coming of the Lord. Also Islam Muslims are also waiting for the second coming of the Prophet. It is only the Hindu rituals make you sure you will take another birth and the evolution will continue.
Q: Do you mean cremation?
Sh: Cremation together with certain rituals performed for a year after it.
Q: So if those rituals are not performed, the person doesn’t take another birth.
Sh: No, he will remain as a ghost. And when somebody is buried, then his soul will not take another birth. They are all waiting on their graves for the second coming.
Q: So how the new soul are being born?
Sh: Well, in the white race no new souls are taking birth. It is decreasing in number.
Q: But the new souls can be born as people of the white race.
Sh: Of course, it is wrong to assume that number of souls it fixed. It is puzzle of God how many souls he wants to create.
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The technicality here is that you know subtypes of vayu like kurma and dhananjaya. Dhananjaya vayu resides in your skull. So as long as your skull remains intact, dhananjaya vayu never leaves the body, even after death. The only way to release it is a ritual when a person is being cremated, with a special cop on a skull with a long bamboo stick — then it is released finally.
When somebody is buried, the skull remains intact and the connection with the spirit also remains intact. Their spirit will never be released and they will be hovering near the place.
Q: Osho was writing: this is just a body, just leave it. Many tried, many different groups of people — they don’t do any ritual, just left the body there. Osho was writing that everybody in this world is food for someone else – so we should just leave the body lying there.
Sh: He didn’t know that the soul, the immortal substance is inside the body and whatever we are doing with the body is directly attracting it. So this is the last ritual which matters.
Q: And what is the connection – I mean, the soul, the spirit will have to be around that area?
Sh: They will remain in contact always. The bondage will not be broken.
Q: So the spirit will not be able to reincarnate in a new body?
Sh: No.
Q: And where will he reside, where will he spend his time?
Sh: Well, he will be about the dead body, where the body is buried. It can move around a little but it will mostly remain there. The attachment will be so strong that it will never leave the grave site.
Q: What if the body is cremated?
Sh: If it is incinerated then no connection will remain. That is why there is no concept of reincarnation in Christianity and in Islam. They keep on waiting for the second coming of the Lord or the Prophet.
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Q: Those people who are buried dead without being cremated — are they enjoying their staying bound to their graves?
Sh: How can you enjoy when you see all the time your body rotting away by maggots all over it. How can you enjoy that?