My wife theoretically believes in reincarnation.
The ultimate aim is to be so good a person eventually you reach Nirvana ("The ineffable ultimate in which one has attained disinterested wisdom and
compassion" according to http://www.thefreedictionary.com/nirvana , nothing to do with a British band of the late 60s or an American band of the 90s).
Before that you have to go through various stages to prove your worthiness.
Don't quote me, but you cannot, I believe, regress too far, even if there are people out here who deserve to have their next (very short, sharp) life as a mosquito. The entire political class across the Western world definitely needs a downgrade though to go and relearn what they have obviously not brought to this life! That is of course assuming (very doubtfully) that the thinking works in practice.
There are tests available on the Internet to see what you might expect to be next time round, though I am informed that no self-respecting Buddhist would accept the results.
When I was in the rehab clinic in Bad Nauheim following my heart attack and operations, I went on the Internet there and tried out a test I found (might have been useful to know, my long-term survival prospects were not that brilliant at the time).
Answer - in the next life I am going to be a horse. All well and good, I might end up winning the Derby and retire to stud for the rest of my life (sounds like fun), or as a dray horse where at least I could get used to the smell of beer.
Then again I might end up as a work horse on a farm, get gelded early (knowing my luck ....), and when I get too old, instead of being put out to pasture, I would get sent to the knacker's yard to be chopped up for cat food .....
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