Does the Soul Transmigrate from Life to Life?
Atman is the Absolute Soul or Self, without beginning or end, the infinite consciousness. While we can say that every human person is Atman sheathed in various bodies that generate the illusion of subject-object duality, it is technically incorrect to speak of Atman as incarnated. Rebirth takes place in the realm of Maya (illusion). Atman has no place in Maya. Atman is neither born, nor dies. Jiva is the relative soul or self, the finite expression of atman. If this Jiva is identified with the embodied self, then jiva comes into existence at conception and goes out of existence at death. Hence, we cannot speak of Jiva as something that survives death and transmigrates to a new body. However, some Hindu thinkers think of Jiva as an individual soul that becomes embodied. Jiva is then the bearer of the subtle and causal bodies. Jiva would then be a substantial entity that survives death. This is closest to the western concept of soul. To best capture the range of Hindu views about surviva
