Reincarnation is a fact. Certainly from the perspective of physics and biology. The universe is in some senses an enormous recyling engine.

Physically, atoms were generated by the multiple growth, death and regrowth of different star systems. The earth consists of the detritus and mixing from these. Life is literally made of stardust.

Biologically, life is based on carbon. This is less than 0.025% of the material of the earth’s crust, yet life has recycled usable carbon up to 10,000 times.

(Kipp, M.A. (2023) ‘Carbon cycling: How much life has ever existed on Earth?’, Current Biology, 33(21), pp. R1153–R1155. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.041.
)

Think what this means. We are literally made of atoms that were once in plants, bacteria, other animals, dinosaurs even. We are the current expression of a constant process of reincarnation. Oh, and this recycling of carbon is increasing in rate – exponentially.

And of course we are most likely to share molecules with those near to us in space and time. Much of what we consider to be ourselves, biologically, is actually non-human. Within each person the human cells are outnumbered by non-human – fungi and bacteria that are part of us, sustaining us and in constant interplay with our human cells and those around us. We are exchanging molecules all of the time.

I like the idea that – physically – I am joined with those around me. My mother died 20 years ago, but some atoms that were within her are still within me and indeed my children.

The life of our mind and spirit is an expression or facet of physical life. And vice versa. Whatever the Buddhists say about spiritual reincarnation (and I have a hunch that they are on to something), it exists in the material world.