c. How much has one’s past life had an impact on the current life?

Hinduism does not teach ideas such as eternal Heaven or Hell. It sees life as a process of evolution where we grow spiritually over many lives. 

Behavior in a past life, combined with dharma (the duty you are born with) for this life, creates the lives we live in the present.

With each incarnation we get new lessons, based on what lessons we passed and failed in the last life. If you were an abusive person in a past life, your karma dictates you will be on the receiving end of abuse in this or future lives. Forgiving your abuser where appropriate, and asking for forgiveness for yourself, frees you from the karma. 

When a Soul persists in not learning lessons, abusing, not forgiving; a vicious cycle of birth and death is created until the soul evolves and attains moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death).

Other reading material: The Momentum of Karma

Relevant videos: Swami Nikhil Anand Hinduism Q & A: What is Good Action, Why I become Hindu, Transcending Karma, The Deeper Meaning of Dharma,  

Contributor: Swamini VishwaPratibha

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