There are variations among the Buddhist views of what occurs after death. However, the unifying feature of each is that the cycle of death and rebirth (reincarnation) is to be avoided by achieving nirvana. Nirvana, which means “extinction” or “blowing out”, also often translated as “bliss”, is the letting go of individual identity and desires (Ashton and Whyte, p 46). Thus, in the state of nirvana (the state toward which enlightenment drives one) there is no longer an ‘individual’ and there is no survival of subjective experience. However, this is desirable from the Buddhist perspective because, according to Gautama Buddha (the supreme Buddha) the essential nature of embodied life is suffering caused by desire for (in part) permanence and identity (in general for earthly things).
One striking aspect of the Buddhist view is that there is no soul, as it is understood in the Judeo-Christian or scholastic philosophy traditions. That is, there is no permanent substance or essence which endures after death. Rather the elements of individual identity necessary for Buddhism to have an intelligible view of reincarnation are predicated on, “…an endless array of phenomena making up the individual. These can be divided into five basic categories: physical phenomena, emotions, sensory perceptions, responses to sensory perceptions, and consciousness.” (Coward, p 89) In the Buddhist view these elements can continue to exist after the death of the physical body, although they do not take the form of an immortal soul. The phenomena have a finite longevity and are, for instance, dissolved upon the attainment of nirvana or even upon reincarnation (according to one Buddhist tradition).
There are two major Buddhist schools: Theravada (which is more closely associated with the teaching of Gautama Buddha) and Mahayana (which differs from the Theravada school in that it includes a ‘pure-land’ view of the afterlife, as well as some liturgical differences). These schools of thought reflect one major difference in Buddhist views of the afterlife (i.e. in the experience of the unenlightened immediately after death), however even within the Theravada school of thought there is some variation in afterlife belief.
There are variations among the Buddhist views of what occurs after death. However, the unifying feature of each is that the cycle of death and rebirth (reincarnation) is to be avoided by achieving nirvana. Nirvana, which means “extinction” or “blowing out”, also often translated as “bliss”, is the letting go of individual identity and desires (Ashton and Whyte, p 46). Thus, in the state of nirvana (the state toward which enlightenment drives one) there is no longer an ‘individual’ and there is no survival of subjective experience. However, this is desirable from the Buddhist perspective because, according to Gautama Buddha (the supreme Buddha) the essential nature of embodied life is suffering caused by desire for (in part) permanence and identity (in general for earthly things).One striking aspect of the Buddhist view is that there is no soul, as it is understood in the Judeo-Christian or scholastic philosophy traditions. That is, there is no permanent substance or essence which endures after death. Rather the elements of individual identity necessary for Buddhism to have an intelligible view of reincarnation are predicated on, “…an endless array of phenomena making up the individual. These can be divided into five basic categories: physical phenomena, emotions, sensory perceptions, responses to sensory perceptions, and consciousness.” (Coward, p 89) In the Buddhist view these elements can continue to exist after the death of the physical body, although they do not take the form of an immortal soul. The phenomena have a finite longevity and are, for instance, dissolved upon the attainment of nirvana or even upon reincarnation (according to one Buddhist tradition).
There are two major Buddhist schools: Theravada (which is more closely associated with the teaching of Gautama Buddha) and Mahayana (which differs from the Theravada school in that it includes a ‘pure-land’ view of the afterlife, as well as some liturgical differences). These schools of thought reflect one major difference in Buddhist views of the afterlife (i.e. in the experience of the unenlightened immediately after death), however even within the Theravada school of thought there is some variation in afterlife belief.
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