I find it interesting that both the Buddha and Plotinus believed in reincarnation. In this respect, Plotinus is simply following his teacher, Plato.
Most people know that the Buddha believed in rebirth, but I’m not sure everyone realizes that Plato also affirmed reincarnation. It seems to be something many modern philosophers, who tend to be biased toward naturalism, regard with embarrassment and avoid discussing.
Pythagoras is traditionally credited, not only with coining the word philosophy, but also with being the primary source of the teaching on the soul’s migration among living beings—an idea echoed in Plato, the Gnostics, Plotinus, Kabbalah, and others.
The problem is that once you remove reincarnation from reality, you are left with a world that appears unjust. Good people go unrewarded, and bad people go unpunished. Such a world calls into question the existence—or at least the goodness—of the Creator. Karma and rebirth restore a sense of cosmic justice.
