Buddhists, What Happens After Death?

Buddhism is an optimistic spirituality, the teaching of Buddha is the proof. He gave details about the human being and his nature, missions and destiny. If that is a person’s raison d’etre, what about death?

Is there life after death? How do Buddhists perceive it?

Buddha’s Doctrine of Rebirth

This doctrine is specific to Buddhism since Buddhaat the moment of enlightenment, discovered this truth. After waking up, he shared with his followers that death is just a passing and not an end. When human life dies, we don’t die in the truest sense, we just pass from one life to another. In other words, we are reborn. Indeed, the two existences are linked because each person already has the facet of gandhabhathat is to say “the unborn being”.

This consciousness of rebirth is natural in human beings, which is why the new life called ” bhevangasota invades the subconscious and underlines the latent character of a person. This passage does not require any human intervention called “ antarabhava is a natural process. However, it is imperative to remember that the Karma plays an important role in the process of Renaissance and the elements related to this process are: the animal kingdom, the celestial worlds, the spirits, extreme suffering and humanity itself.

Impermanence and death

Death is the detachment of the spirit from the human body. According to Buddhism, this rupture can be the beginning of a new life, that is to say the life extension. On this point, “permanence” comes into play, for it is hardly the characteristic of existence. However, one thing is ever-present in our lives, and that is change. Man changes his characters, his desires, his moods, his feelings; he also grows, he matures.

Therefore, theimpermanence is synonymous with change and is also ubiquitous. Buddha’s teaching on the Four Noble Truths indicates that the suffering is at the origin of impermanence because it pushes man to always want more, to seek happiness by all means and never to be satisfied with what he possesses.

Nevertheless, the fundamental principle of Buddhism opposes it. In this regard, Buddha said to his disciples: “The bodily form, O monks, is impermanent. What causes and conditions its birth is also impermanent. How, O monks, can the bodily form which originated in impermanence be permanent? “.

The passage from one body to another according to Buddha

When a person dies, they can no longer control anything and usually their memories are released of his subconscious and are presented in the form of a spirit. In addition, energies are released from his decaying body and go to the search for another body. This movement from one mind to another body is called reincarnation. Buddhist precepts emphasize the causal law of rebirth: rebirth in the celestial realm and rebirth in the hell realm.

It is our character in the past life that determines our reincarnation. A person of good character joins the celestial kingdom, while a person of bad character joins the kingdom of hell. Rebirth is therefore not the same for the two beings. For more than a decade, this transmigration from one being to another is known as a law. And, over the past thirty years, studies by parapsychologists have confirmed this hypothesis.

The Elements of Sangsara According to the Six Causal Realms of Rebirth

According to the principle of rebirth in Buddhism, karma intervenes in human life. There karmic law recognizes that life in the past influences life in the future. This is why the law of causality is related to continuity bloodsaric. Karma thus determines the reincarnation of a deceased person, either as a higher being or as an animal. This sangsaric continuity has six spheres to know :

– Human nature : this sphere is linked to the five abstinences: not stealing, not lying, not harming life, not committing adultery and not drinking alcohol;

– Assuras : this sphere concerns a person with a dual personality, that is to say that he can do good and evil at the same time;

– The demon pit : this sphere refers to evil characters such as evil deeds, greed, greed, greed, etc.;

– Enfer : this sphere determines the purpose of the bad deeds committed during life;

– The cattle fair : this sphere represents the future of lust and festivities;

– The celestial sphere : This sphere provides insight into good rebirth.

Rituals and spiritual practices at the time of death and after death

At death, the buddhists accomplish rituals such as prayers related “Infinite Light” and are intended for the Amitabh Buddha who made a vow to help humans after death. This ritual is more common in Tibet, China and Japan. And, on the other hand, they engage in ordinary practices such as purification And the transfer of consciousness called ” P’owa “. The latter is practiced at the time of death, it is a technique of Vajrayana Buddhism to transfer consciousness into a “pure field”. Thus, death is a liberation for Buddhists.

Does a Buddhist Believe in Reincarnation?

According to Buddhist precepts, an individual is considered dead when his consciousness leaves his body. In general, this process can occur within three days of his heart failure. His family does not touch the body of the deceased during this period so as not to disturb the phenomenon of the exit of consciousness; and during this same period, lay people and monks make prayers of purification, prayers of guidance or the P’owa with the body of the deceased. Some families practice all three at the same time. It is after these days of purification and detachment of consciousness from the deceased that theincineration of body takes place and is accompanied by a offering.