Comparing Afterlives: The Variation in Buddhist and Christian Beliefs

Thinking about death isn’t exactly a pleasant thought but it is something that eventually comes for us all. Yet maybe instead of thinking about death we should think about a life after death or something that gives us hope after our body has shut down. That’s what a lot of religions tend to do, following stories passed down from history and yes sometimes it gets modified over time, but it gives us something to go off of. Interestingly enough the theory of a soul is universally accepted it’s just how we determine where the soul will carry on that makes the difference. Lots of religions tend to believe something different as to how we should define and what to expect from the afterlife, including but not limited to the beliefs in Christianity and Buddhism.

Christianity, going more towards the more Catholic side of Christianity, is the most widely accepted religion around the globe but how do we understand the afterlife? Of course your body will one day shut down and decay but your soul moves on into the afterlife. The thought of the concept on how you have chosen to live your life, depends on where you will end up can be a scary thought. Depending on weather you can get into and spend eternity in heaven or are turned away and sent to hell. “The mission of Christ was to save sinners from their sins” in order for people to understand their wrongdoings and be forgiven by God so that they too could join him in heaven. Yet “the sinner makes his own atonement”, for not just one person can atone for all.

So what is the purpose of blood? “Every vision of cult included vastly different meanings for blood”. In the past, people would willingly sacrifice their lives in order to show their devotion to God as well as giving everything up for him. Self-sacrifice isn’t something we do nowadays but in the past it wasn’t necessarily uncommon. It is said that “Christ made peace by the blood of His Cross” and “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth from all sin”. This is where communion comes into play in churches, you are suppose to take a sip of wine, as if it were the blood of Christ and bread or crackers to represent the body of Christ. Some Christians believe Jesus was reincarnated and will return again one day.

The Creed is known as the set of beliefs and morals one should have if you follow the Christian faith. The very first article states “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth”. Following the bible is also another important part of this religion yet if these many articles from the Creed or if the bible isn’t flowed, you could be considered a sinner and banished to hell for all eternity after your death on earth. So in order to remain good in the eyes of the Lord you must follow the Creed in order to make it into Heaven. Everyone wants into heaven because it is depicted as a pleasant place where your soul can rest after life on earth.

According to Buddhism, the afterlife is describes more like nirvana, it “does not mean the annihilation of the soul” but rather “the dying out, in the heart, of the three fell fires of lust, ill-will and delusion”. Now what does that mean? Lust, ill will and delusion seemed to be seen as a sin, so we must avoid these things and strive for better. Buddhists are people who also think of and hold perfection atop a high pedestal, but why? It is said that their gods can take human form such as the body of a child in whose persons soul of the deceased is suppose to have become regenerate being in fact the soul of that of a Buddha on his way to perfection”. So maybe it’s not exactly about the perfection of the human but perfection of the soul.

Like many religions Buddhists have different traditions, beliefs, spiritual practices and even thoughts of the afterlife arise. Death, according to Buddhism, is “supposed to secure a happy entrance of the soul into realms of delight in heaven”. Similar to Hinduism, Buddhists believe there are many different planes of existence rather than just a couple. As told by Lalita Vistara, “the circumstances of Buddha’s life is having furnished all the Buddhist nations with their traditions”. So who is Buddha and how does this Buddha play a role in the afterlife? Some worshiped him as if he were a God, and maybe so considering that he is an important part to this religion. It even states that he can be compared to some higher up people or the possibility Buddha is identified also as “the prophet Daniel and to ascribe the appearance of Buddhism in India”.

Both the Sanscrit and Páli seen to be a very important part of Buddhism, and it’s probably because it hold such sacred meaning to their religion by having their own language and passing that down to their children weather it be the language itself or the literary works that came to be. Even the life of Buddha was originally written in Sanscrit, translated into a few different languages like Tibetan and French to help others who spoke other languages to be able to read. So why is this important to the afterlife? Well if we can understand the writings then we can better depict the stories that have been told including what may hold about the afterlife. Nirvana is shown in numerous passages both in Sanscrit and Páli but how can it be described? Sákya explains it well, "Existence is a tree ; the merit or demerit of the actions of men is the fruit of that tree and the seed of future trees ; death is the withering away of the old tree from which the others have sprung; wisdom and virtue take away the germinating faculty, so that when the tree dies there is not reproduction.”

So in defining the afterlife, it may be hard to universally explain what the afterlife truly is without leaving out a religion or two. It is something that gives us hope that after death, something is awaiting our arrival on the other side. Christianity and Buddhism seem to both have different yet similar constructs of what the afterlife may be like, going off of stories and history of their religions. The belief that there is a better place, such as heaven, seems to exist for most religions, which can give some piece of mind to those who yearn for that. Death isn’t quite a happy thought but the afterlife give those who believe in it comfort for when they leave this earth. Our body may die, but our soul will live on