The
Hindu concept of reincarnation probably developed like this:
Intellectual A: "There are so many things to see, so much to do--it doesn't make sense that our lives would be finite."
Intellectual B: "But our lives are finite. We become corpses."
Intellectual A: "You're right. But the essence of the person must cross over
death somehow. I've never experienced non-existence, never experienced non-experience. How could I possibly vanish? The whole world is my life!"
Intellectual B: "So what is this essence? Where does it go when I become a corpse?"
Intellectual A: "The only place it could possibly go is into another body."
.... flash forward a few years...
Priest (formerly Intellectual) A: "Damn! Ever since I started preaching Reincarnation, people have been killing themselves in droves."
Priest B: "Naturally! Crippled, poor? Kill yourself, start over again. Throw the dice again. Wife dies? Kill yourself. In a bad mood? Kill yourself. I would do the same, but I've been happy ever since we got rich a few years ago."
Priest A: "This is horrible. It makes no sense, we can't keep preaching this."
Priest B: "Why not? Don't you
believe in Reincarnation anymore? Besides, I already have the answer. Just start teaching that you'll be punished in your next life for bad things you do in this one, and rewarded in your next life for good things you do in this one. Easy!"
Priest A: "Hmmm... that makes sense. It must actually be
that way, then."
Priest B: "There you go!"