Reincarnation is the belief that the soul passes on to a new body after death.
There are many religions and belief systems that incorporate a form of life after death, including Buddhism. The theory is that after the soul leaves the body, it spends time in heaven or an afterlife and at some point are given the choice or opportunity to return to the physical plane to occupy a new body prior to it’s conception and subsequent birth.
There have been reports from young children that they chose to return and were a grandparent of a parent in a previous life. It is virtually impossible to verify these stories, other than that the child could not have met or known certain facts of a family member who passed long before they were born.
Tibetan Buddhists believe that the Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokite?vara. When he passes, a search for his reincarnated spirit is undertaken until they find a qualified subject to take his place. In other belief systems, the soul may be reborn in spirit, animal or human form.
The following videos include interviews, discussion and documentaries on reincarnation – also see the Past Life Regression video page.
Related Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnation