Buddhism is a religion that believes in 'karma' (meaning action) (Buddhanet). Positive and negative karma influence what will happen to a soul after death – but no soul ever dies and life does never truly end. There are six possible outcomes (called realms) for a soul after death, and they all depend on this karma - the good and bad deeds of the person. Since there is no ‘God’ as such, a Buddhist’s life is about reaching the state of positivity and enlightenment, and living in a way where they make others happy and are selfless. Souls may not be reborn straight away – it may take from a short three days to a longer seven years (Urban Dharma) to be reborn into one of the six realms. The six possible outcomes are not permanent, and they are as follows:
Heaven: A realm of long-lasting happiness in a beautiful and heavenly environment. There is no suffering or sadness, and those who have accumulated a large amount of positive karma are born here. Heaven is the highest and most desirable of the six realms.
Human: The chance to be born again into human life to try and find the state of enlightenment once again. Can be born rich or poor, fortunate or not fortunate, depending on the deeds of the human’s previous life. Asura: A state below heaven where those in it can see those in heaven and are consumed with jealousy and frustration that they cannot be there. They are constantly unsatisfied and looking for happiness. Constant jealousy is present; to become enlightened in human life, jealousy must be removed. |
Hungry Ghost: For those who committed a large number of negative deeds, the hungry ghost is a state of having desires that cannot ever be fulfilled. They look for food and drink and cannot get to it, creating a constant torturous exhaustion of seeking and never finding.
Animal: Animals are seen by humans all around the world – they are hunted, used for entertainment purposes and treated terribly in many places, or often live in harsh conditions or are harmed by other animals. It is not an enjoyable state, but one with no freedom as humans have most of the control over animals. Hell: A realm of constant pain and suffering, where those with a large amount of accumulated negative karma can spend a long time. This is the lowest of the realms and the most undesirable. Below is a video on Buddhists' views on life after death. |
In preparing for death, Buddhists' main aims are to be kind, unselfish, pure and to not commit any harm to others. Positive karma leads to a place like heaven, while negative to a lower place, depending on the amount and the kinds of deeds done. Buddhist belief is about reaching a state of ‘Nirvana’ – one where there is only enlightenment, and no state of desire. Desire is to be removed completely to obtain this state of pure happiness. Nirvana translates to ‘state of liberation’, and those who obtain this are called Buddhas.
Buddhist Death & Funeral... As Buddhist’s believe in the cycle of reincarnation and life after death, as the patient is approaching death they should be made to feel calm and at peace by those surrounding. It is important for this person to accept their death as it is a part of the cycle they believe in. Often they will (with their family) attempt to think of their good deeds in this lifetime and think about how this will affect their next life; also, a Buddha statue is sometimes placed close to the head of the person. |
As soon as possible after death, the deceased person is cleaned and then dressed. Buddhism is a modest and peaceful religion; the deceased are not dressed in fancy clothes but more everyday ones, and funerals are not fancy and elaborate. Funeral goers wear white rather than black like many other religions. The third, seventh, forty-ninth and one hundredth days after death hold special services for the loved ones. |