Mou Tzu on Reincarnation

Taoist Philosopher Mou Tzu on Reincarnation*

"Some one said to Mou, The Buddhist doctrine teaches that when men die
they are born again. I cannot believe this.

"When a man is at the point of death, replied Mou, his family mount
upon the house-top and call to him to stay. If he is already dead, to
whom do they call?

"They call his soul, said the other.

"If the soul comes back, the man lives, answered Mou; but if it does
not, whither does it go?

"It becomes a disembodied spirit, was the reply.

"Precisely so, said Mou. The soul is imperishable; only the body
decays, just as the stalks of corn perish, while the grain continues
for ever and ever. Did not Lao Tzu say, 'The reason why I suffer so
much is because I have a body'?

"But all men die whether they have found the truth or not, urged the
questioner; what then is the difference between them?

"That, replied Mou, is like considering your reward before you have
put in right conduct for a single day. If a man has found the truth,
even though he dies, his spirit will go to heaven; if he has led an
evil life his spirit will suffer everlastingly. A fool knows when a
thing is done, but a wise man knows beforehand. To have found the
truth and not to have found it are as unlike as gold and leather; good
and evil, as black and white. How then can you ask what is the
difference?"

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*From Religions Of Ancient China by Herbert A. Giles, M.A., LL.D.