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[Alexandr Korol]

In Chinese Buddhism, the understanding of samsara changed. Whereas previously samsara was unequivocally perceived as suffering, in China this perception of samsara significantly weakened. The existence of endless rebirths in samsara became, for those becoming acquainted with the teaching, a “hope for the eternal continuation of individual existence” or a version of Daoist immortality. This understanding contradicted the Buddhist doctrine of anātman, which points to the absence of any permanent self or “I” in a person, and this later became the cause of a number of debates.” Well, as I understand it correctly — the point is, yes, you are immortal and continue to exist and reincarnate, right? Why doesn’t Buddhism agree with Chinese Buddhism? Because it’s precisely about being independent from everything and being aware — that is liberation. But when you endlessly live in this wheel of samsara under the illusion that you are free, yet you’re a zombie — that’s not freedom, and that’s not immortality. That’s why the debates arise. “In the Chan school, samsara is not initially separated from nirvana, which is connected to the school’s orientation toward the Mahaparinirvana Sutra on this matter. Chan considers the understanding of nirvana as a “departure from the world” to be incorrect and rejects the interpretation of samsara as an intermediate place before nirvana or before rebirth in the Pure Land of the Jingtu school. Chan points out that enlightenment can be attained in this very life without any additional rebirths, after which the person continues to live on in “empirical existence.”

In Jainism
Samsara represents worldly life, characterized by a series of reincarnations across various planes of existence. Samsara is viewed as worldly existence full of suffering and torment, and as such it is undesirable and worthy of renunciation. The cycle of samsara has no beginning, and the soul, once caught in it, spins in it eternally along with its karma.

In Sikhism
In Sikhism it is believed that through virtuous deeds in the past (karma or kirat), a person receives the chance to be born in a human body, which is considered an opportunity not to be wasted. By preserving righteousness and thereby receiving “the grace of the Supreme,” a person can attain liberation from the cycle of birth