Angeles,+Yadierys


 * The Afterlife

Question** Do the afterlives of religions relate to each other? And if so how?

The afterlives of different religions have one thing in common. Life continues in some sort of way. The details of these beliefs, however, differ greatly from having a heaven and hell, to being reincarnated in this earth. The three religions have themes of karma and sinning, and have a set of rules to live life by. But they are all major religions and very interesting to look into when one doesn’t know about them. The next couple of paragraphs will first show some quotes from sources online, and describe the kind of afterlife for three religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity. After a bit of knowledge is known from this subject, the three religions can be analyzed and compared.
 * Introduction**


 * Source Quotes

Buddhism** One fundamental belief of Buddhism is often referred to as reincarnation -- the concept that people are reborn after dying. In fact, most individuals go through many cycles of birth, living, death and rebirth. A practicing Buddhist differentiates between the concepts of rebirth and reincarnation. In reincarnation, the individual may recur repeatedly. In rebirth, a person does not necessarily return to Earth as the same entity ever again. He compares it to a leaf growing on a tree. When the withering leaf falls off, a new leaf will eventually replace it. It is similar to the old leaf, but it is not identical to the original leaf.

“In all planes of existence life is impermanent, subject to aging, decay, and death. Even life in the heavens, though long and blissful, does not last forever. Every existence eventually comes to an end, to be followed by a rebirth elsewhere. Therefore, when closely examined, all modes of existence within samsara reveal themselves as flawed, stamped with the mark of imperfection. They are unable to offer a stable, secure happiness and peace, and thus cannot deliver a final solution to the problem of suffering."

“Hinduism believes in the rebirth and reincarnations of souls. A soul is part of a jiva, the limited being, who is subject to impurities of attachments, delusion and laws of karma.”
 * Hinduism**

“Karma is generated by every action a person performs during their lives, and, it is the working out of karma that requires rebirth after death. So, Karma Yoga reasons, if a person could live without generating karma, then there would be nothing to cause rebirth.”

“Christian beliefs about the afterlife vary between denominations and individual Christians, but the vast majority of Christians believe in some kind of heaven, in which believers enjoy the presence of God and other believers and freedom from suffering and sin.”
 * Christianity**

“Christians also believe that human existence does not end at physical death. There is a world to come, and the consequences of sin will follow us there. As the judge of all, God will assess our relationship to Christ; we risk a sentence of eternal punishment and spiritual death, forever separated from God.”


 * Interpretation/Analysis**

Buddhism revolves around reincarnation. The goal in life is to do good things on earth to stop being reborn on earth and accomplishing eternal happiness. Karma is strongly believed to have an effect on whether a being is reborn or not. Each rebirth takes place in one of five (or six, depending on the schools other than Theravadins) realms: Naraka beings (those who live in one of many hells), animals, preta (which sometimes share space with humans, and are easier recognized as ghosts), human beings (which is one of the realms of rebirth in which getting to Nirvana is possible) asuras (which is variously translated as lowly deities, demons, titans, or anti gods)**.**

Karma is a big theme for Hinduism. It generates by every action a person performs during their lives. It's believed that the working out of karma requires rebirth after death, and since the goal is to stop being reborn, Karma Yoga reasons that if a person can live without regnerating karma, then there would be no reason for rebirth. A basic understanding of salvation is thought by some to be that human beings continue to be reborn because they continue to generate karma, and they continue to generate karma because they are ignorant of the true nature of the self.The possibility of going to heaven or hell through performing good or bad deeds in this world, along with a strong belief in the theory of karma, is what regulates the behavior of an average Hindu.

Christians believe in a direct Heaven and Hell after death. Heaven will consist of rejoice with God for eternity. But not everyone can enter Heaven. They believe that the sins (or bad things) done on earth will follow them after death, and at the gates, God will evaluate everything they did. If the good out weighs the bad, they will go on to heaven. But if the bad outweighs the good, they will be sent to Hell for eternity. There is a list of "rules" to help guide humans into salvation called The Ten Commandments. They are: 1. You shall have no other gods before Me, 2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, 3. You shall not take the name of your Lord your god in vain, 4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, 5. Honor your father and your mother, 6. You shall not murder, 7. You shall not commit adultery, 8. You shall not steal, 9. You shall not bear false witness, and 10. You shall not covet.

All three religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity) believe that there is a life after death. They believe in there being a "heaven." But those seem to be the only things that all three have in common. Christianity has a permanence to it's afterlife, whereas, Hinduism and Buddhism seem to have a bigger cycle of life and rebirth. Karma is the biggest theme in Hinduism and Buddhism, and both religions seem to completely revolve around the karma in a person's life. Christianity similarly has sins, and revolves around doing the right thing to reach salvation. All three believe that what happens on earth will effect what happens after death. Good following and devotion brings a heaven for eternity in Christianity and no more rebirth for Hinduism and Buddhism. All have rewards and punishment for things committed on earth. They all have a basic outline of something powerful, and a place to go to after the soul has left the body. But the details can completely differ between all three religions.

I learned a great deal about religions that I knew but not well enough to have a conversation over. I learned about the belief of karma and the mnay similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism. I was able to compare and contrast all three religions although not all three have many similarities. In today's world, we are becoming more and more accepting of people. And to be able to accept a person, we need to know a bit about them and their beliefs. Religion plays a big role in several lives, and not knowing something vital, may bring forth offense. This world is a big one, but if everyone is able to see the basic outline for religions and that they don't differ much at all, then maybe bringing something they all share as a whole can show more sympathy from both sides.
 * Final Thoughts**

Sites used for quotes above: http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism7.htm http://www.buddhanet.net/budmsg.htm http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/h_death.asp http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/beliefs/afterlife.htm http://www.patheos.com/Library/Christianity/Beliefs/Afterlife-and-Salvation.html
 * Buddhism**
 * Hinduism**
 * Christianity**