Afterlife in Christianity and Bardos Buddhism - Essay Example

Afterlife in Christianity and bardos Buddhism Morality of Buddhism and Christianity Introduction For a long period of time the evident differences between Western and Eastern society have been referred to differences of spiritual practices. For religious beliefs of the Western society, death is permanent and there are Hell and Heaven, where all people go after death. Heaven is eternal goodness and happiness and Hell is a place for the souls’ torturing. For the eastern society the rebirth cycle or reincarnation are two ways for an individual to go after death. The paper compares and contrasts the vision of afterlife in Christianity and Buddhism and considers the morality in these two religions. Buddhism vs Christianity: general overview of the role of afterlife and morality The vision of the world in Buddhism is represented in the following way: the world and the actions of people are connected by causal actions. There are many different gods and their existence is not denied in Buddhism, but they are not the representatives of the basis for morality and they do not give much happiness (Buddhist Afterlife Beliefs, 2007). There is not an afterlife in its pure essence, but the Ultimate Reality, which is a transcendent truth governing the universe and human life. The main Hindu doctrines of reincarnation and karma were accepted by Buddhist practices. A human being should free himself from a desire, to escape the circle of life and death and exist in a kind of a philosophical emptiness. For this phenomenon Nirvana is positioned as a way of liberation. Moreover, there is no role assigned to the eternal soul. It is more about the eternal and everlasting mind in Buddhism, than about soul. Therefore, death is not a final point for the followers of Buddhism. Therefore, it should be noted that death in Buddhism is an option of further reincarnation or rebirth. Buddha departed from Hinduism and claimed that there are no eternal souls of individuals (Yong, 2006). The main goal is to abandon the false senses and leave nothing to reincarnate and to experience no pain. The departed soul is departing during 49 days and there are three basic stages called “bardos”. Then a person reaches Nirvana or reaches the Earth for a rebirth (Buddhist Afterlife Beliefs, 2007). The conscious of a departed has a vision of "Clear White Light", when a person dies. Further apparitions occur and in order to achieve Nirvana the personification of human feelings can be seen. Unlike this religion, Christianity has another representation of an individual’s departure. An important role is assigned to God. God sends an individual either to Hell or to Heaven after the Last Judgment. There are different Christian views about afterlife. The concept of afterlife exists around the life of Christ. It concerns his resurrection, death and Resurrection. There is the following interpretation of afterlife: “At the end of the age, the bodies of the dead shall be raised. The righteous shall enter into full possession of eternal bliss in the presence of God, and the wicked shall be condemned to eternal death” (Christian Beliefs about the Afterlife, 2004). Concerning morality, it is evident that there is a different representation of morality in Christianity and Buddhism. In the former religion, there are evident basic moral pillars and absolutes, which are absent in Buddhism. The latter is more concerned about an individual’s motivation, intentionality of his actions etc. Moreover, Buddhists teachings are focused on the absence of necessity to trigger one’s self perfection from outside. It is on behalf of any follower to advance his decision making and the ability to have his own morals and norms of behavior. The different thing happens to Christian practices of morality: there is God, who is a center of morality perfection and the followers should comply with the God’s instructions in order to purify their souls. A centrality of moral concerns is relevant to Christianity, at the same time, while Buddhism develops its moral basis on the background of an individual’s self-perfection. Comparison and contrasting of afterlife in Buddhism and Christianity There is no rebirth in Buddhism. There are a lot of controversial comments on the issue of rebirth in Buddhism (Buddhist Afterlife Beliefs, 2007). The role of subtle non-material mind is a dominant factor in Buddhism. The only way to improve existence in further lives is to correct our mistakes in the present life and to improve our mind. There are qualitative imprints in our minds. There is more intuitive resemblance, than factual one. The untrained mind is uncontrolled and afterlife or intermediate life known as bardo occurs. Mind has no power to resist to further transformations and reincarnations. It is a process of uncontrolled rebirth and not of afterlife (Loy, 2010). The same parallels can be drawn between Christian afterlife and Buddhism. Buddha underlines then when the cycle of rebirth is worn out and useless, meaningless and unimportant, than it is possible to think about afterlife. The only thing to mention is that the enlightened person should not worry about his life after death; it is not worth of that. There is a tiny border between the relevance and irrelevance of the after death in Buddhism: “if there is no life whatsoever after death, then we are led again into the camp of the annihilationists, which we have already seen is inappropriate” (Becker 1993, p. 39). Another point to be considered is whether Nirvana is a state surviving death and can there be a state after death compatible with Buddha’s teachings that avoid eternal soul doctrine? There is an answer to the question. In the Book of the Dead there are no descriptions of hell and heaven. There is a chronological representation of potential gateways to different postmortem levels of experience, which occur between incarnations and last from 28 to 49 days (Yong, 2006). The afterlife possibilities in Buddhism comprise “nirvanic transcendence, ascension to Pure Lands, judgment and torture, disembodied existence as an invisible ghost, and rebirth in this or other worlds” (Becker 1993, p. 102). As far as we can see, there is a deep and profound philosophy of afterlife, presented in Buddhism based on pure idealism. In accordance with Becker (1993), it is relevant to position afterlife in Buddhism as a reflection of ideas and desires from the life on the Earth. Morality in Buddhism and Christianity For Christians Jesus Christ determines morality of their actions. Their religion is a way of a proper behavior on the Earth in order not to experience pain in the Hell after death. There is a kind of interdependent moral bounds: if an individual complies with the moral norms of behavior, then his life will be good and he would have no sins and go to the Heaven after death. Thus, in Christianity the moral actor is an individual and moral creator is God. The different thing happens in Buddhism. In this religion a self-breeding and a self-perfection are propagated: "We are the causes of our own suffering"; "Think about your life" etc (Becker, 1993). Therefore, there is no supreme power, which obtrudes moral ways of behavior. “Karma” is the central concept of this religion and it implies that everything in this world is predetermined. Buddha’s teachings proclaim: Through birth and rebirth’s endless round,/Seeking in vain, I hastened on, To find who framed this edifice,/What misery!—birth incessantly! O builder! I discovered thee!/This fabric thou shall ne’er rebuild! The raters are all broken now,/And pointed roof demolished lies! This mind has demolition reached,/And seen the last of all desire! (cited by Thien) Thus, Buddha finds his own moral goodness after discard of sins, malpractices etc. His self-perfection is reached after he put his own efforts to reach his spiritual advancement and development. Therefore, morality in Christianity is determined on the basis of God’s 10 Commandments. Christians should believe in God in order to get salvation; Buddhists are more focused on self-perfection spiritual practices. Another description of moralities is possible in the following manner: Christianity is a linear religion, where a man stands in the beginning of his life and then he disappears at the end of his life (Aspden, Crockett, and Haywood, 2006); Buddhism claims that a man exists in a cyclic manner: there are possible reincarnations and a man can experience successive afterlives. Therefore, there is a direct morality, which instructs Christians how to behave and there is a cyclic, inspiring morality in Buddhism, which inspires its followers how to me masters of their own lives. Moreover, in his essence a man is not good. His actions are predetermined by God. The good actions are rooted in the following after the God’s goodness practices. In Buddhism there is no inherited vice in a man. All men are equal and they can be even more perfect in the process of self-improvement, meditations, self-reflections etc. Thus, morality in this religion is not obtruding or oppressing. It is more self-determined. Consequently, the absence of moral absolutes is relevant to Buddhism and ethical decision making process implies a complex nexus of causes and conditions. Buddhist practices, such as meditation, liturgy and self-reflection are directed on perfection of an individual’s decision making abilities. Conclusion As far as we can see, there is a different vision of afterlife and morality in Christianity and Buddhism. Nevertheless, there are also common points between this specific practice in Christianity and Buddhism. In order to find out common points of afterlife and morality representation in Christianity and Buddhism, it is relevant to focus our attention of the essence of afterlife as a kind of release and to consider morality as a way to escape from sins and release one’s soul from a burden. Moreover, Christians are perfecting their souls, while Buddhists are perfecting their minds. Therefore, the afterlife is positioned in a different way: in Buddhism there is an option for rebirth or peace and joy in Nirvana and in Christianity even after death and individual takes care of his soul. The same happens to morality representation: in Christianity it is directed on perfection of the soul and in Buddhism it is more focused on perfection of the mind. There is a need to focus on the nature of religion: the linear one of Christianity and a cyclic one of Buddhism in order to discuss any characteristic. The very nature is different. Christianity is linear and Buddhism and cyclic and different characteristics should be considered in this context. On the example of afterlife and morality representation in these religions we could see that an individual in Christianity is a dependent person and Buddhism is focused more on an individual’s freedom and independence from the powerful authority. It is necessary to consider specific characteristics of different religions in order to depict the peculiarities of their natures. The whole nature of Christianity has a strong moral background, while Buddhism is more concerned on cultivation of an individual’s self-development and not compliance with external moral rules. Works cited Aspden, Rachel, Sohani Crockett, and Kathy Haywood. "What They Believe; How Much Do the Great Religions Have in Common? Here's What They Have to Say on the Big Questions: Where Did We Come from, Where Are We Going and What's the Meaning of Life?." New Statesman 10 Apr. 2006: 32+. Questia. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. Becker, Carl B. Breaking the Circle Death and the Afterlife in Buddhism. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1993. Questia. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. Bloom, A. Where Do I Go When I Die?: Christian and Buddhist Views. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. Buddhist Afterlife Beliefs. 2007. Web. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. Loy, David R. "Self Transformation, Social Transformation." Tikkun May-June 2010: 54+.Questia. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. Simpson, Bob. "Impossible Gifts: Bodies, Buddhism and Bioethics in Contemporary Sri Lanka." Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 10.4 (2004): 839+. Questia. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. Thien. K. Ethical Teachings of Christianity and Buddhism. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. Yong, Amos. "Christianity Looks East: Comparing the Spiritualities of John of the Cross and the Buddhaghosa." Buddhist-Christian Studies (2006): 216+. Questia. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. Read More