Introduction
Religion provides purpose and meaning, allowing its followers to navigate in a world full of uncertainty. This idea explains the seminal status of the world’s leading beliefs, as they possess well-established and documented descriptions of all key spheres of life. Among these aspects, the afterlife occupies a unique position due to the importance of the matter. Humanity has successfully addressed many fundamental questions through research and philosophy, but the afterlife remains a highly elusive subject. At the current stage of its development, society is unable to venture beyond the final points of life and acquire a complete understanding of what happens after death. Therefore, people rely on the descriptions of the afterlife documented in sacred texts and their historical interpretations. Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism are three inherently different religions that together amount to the vast majority of the global population. These frameworks of belief demonstrate varying presentation of the afterlife, and the differences comprise the very nature of existence beyond, as well as more minor details. The purpose of this paper is to compare the afterlife, as presented in Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism, through an examination of both primary and secondary sources.
Representation of Afterlife
Questions of the afterlife have also been with fascination by humanity on various levels. Naturally, spiritual studies devote a considerable degree of attention to the matter at hand. Throughout the history of mixed religion, the afterlife has been the central concept of interest for both leaders and followers. As a matter of fact, Georgiadou and Pnevmatikos write that even non-religious people favor the idea of continued existence beyond the physical understanding of life (159). Regardless of the specific religion, such beliefs help their followers find meaning and purpose by partially eliminating one of the most outstanding elements of uncertainty. In other words, afterlife representations highlight the primary role of religion as the beacon for people. Without concrete images of life after death, uncertainty would prevail, pushing many followers toward an existential crisis.
At the same time, the afterlife component of religion serves a distinct ethical function, as well. Most beliefs propose at least two possible types of life after death. The positive outcome is usually said to be attained by adhering to the moral framework of a corresponding religion (Cavallaro 2). Nevertheless, while the core principles of the next world may be common for most variations of faith, the world’s leading teachings demonstrate considerable difference on a more detailed level.
Christianity
As far as the matters of the afterlife are concerned, the Western cultural and academic spaces are dominated by the dogmas of Christianity. It appears important to note that several teachings exist within the framework of the Judeo-Christian faith. This paper focuses on the most popular interpretation based on the Catholic ideas of the afterlife. In this context, the next world in Christianity represents a classical dichotomy of the good and the harmful alternatives (Williamson 8). This division suggests that each person possesses an immortal soul that is sent to either realm of the afterlife upon death.
The positive outcome is represented by the Lord’s Paradise, in which faithful souls enjoy eternal peace and pleasure. This realm is described as the source of all life and holiness, and in Heaven, “there will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it” (Rev. 22.1-3). The other option is represented by Hell, a place for “the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars” who “will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (Rev. 21.8). The Scripture highlights this dichotomy as the central idea of the Christian afterlife. “Then [sinners] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matt. 25.46). In other words, life on Earth puts a person’s soul to an ultimate test, which will determine their fate after death. At the same time, the Christian afterlife primarily concerns abstract, philosophical entities of sin and rightfulness as the general mode of worship (Williamson 110). Thus, Christianity emphasizes the overall morality of a person rather than specific actions.
Buddhism
The concept of the afterlife retains its importance in Buddhist teachings while acquiring a different form of presentation. This religion is the source of the idea of karma, which is widely used across various settings today (Willard et al. 385). As Buddha said in Tripiṭaka, “beings are owners of karmas, heirs of karmas, they have karmas as their progenitor, karmas as their kin, karmas as their homing-place” (Majjhima Nikaya 135). Furthermore, the Pali Canon suggests that “it is karmas that differentiate beings according to inferiority and superiority” (Majjhima Nikaya 135). Karma represents a balance of the good and the bad, which is attained throughout a person’s life.
Even the most minor actions can sway it, meaning that Buddhist teachings lay a strong emphasis on more minor details of human existence. Ultimately, as an individual’s lifetime comes to an end, his or her karma decides the subsequent development. Buddhism relies on the idea of reincarnation, implying that being human is merely one step of the soul’s existence (Carr and Mahalingam 420). Accordingly, a positive balance of karma is associated with taking the form of a better, more sophisticated creature in the next life (Kachru 55). At the same time, as a soul continues its path along the cycle of lives and reincarnations, it may eventually reach the state of nirvana. At this point, a soul transcends the limits of existence and becomes one with the universe in eternal peaceful unity. This state is virtually unfathomable for the human mind, but it is presented as the ultimate living destination. In fact, the entire cycle of reincarnations serves to prepare a soul for reaching nirvana. Therefore, the Buddhist view of the afterlife is more practice-oriented, as it focuses on the combination of all actions during the lifetime, which determines the fate of a person.
Hinduism
The afterlife framework of Hinduism is highly reminiscent of the similar concepts exhibited by Buddhism. According to these teachings, each soul travels through the cycle of reincarnation called samsara (Frawley 127). The exact nature of reincarnation is debatable within the Hindu community. According to Frawley, some followers of this faith believe that rebirth occurs immediately upon the end of the previous life (128). At the same time, others speak in favor of the existence of other realms, in which a soul may pass some time before it is ready for the next life.
In addition, the concept of karma is equally central to the dogmas of Hinduism. As Buddhists do, the followers of Hinduism believe that the moral merit of a soul is built from the combination of either excellent or bad intentional actions. In fact, the component of intent is crucial in this context, as the change in karma requires an element of voluntary choice to act in a particular manner. “You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny” (Brihadaranyaka IV.4.5). Therefore, the ideas of Hinduism retain the emphasis on all practical decisions of a person.
Simultaneously, the cycle of rebirth and death in Hinduism is not eternal, either. While Buddhists eventually reach the state of nirvana, the followers of this religion attain moksha. At this stage, a soul becomes absorbed by Brahman, thus entering a new level of existence. In Hinduism, moksha is associated with infinity and the cosmos. It puts the cycle of rebirth to a complete end, symbolizing that a soul has been able to learn the sacred lessons of karma. Some interpretations suggest that the continuation of the reincarnation cycle resembles the Christian concept of Hell. Evidently, a new life eventually leads to a recent death, which is a painful experience feared even by Hindu gods (Frawley 130). Ultimately, accepting the values of the Hindu beliefs and following these moral principles leads to the eventual ascension.
Conclusion
Overall, the ideas surrounding the afterlife have been central to most religions of the world. They serve several important purposes, prompting the followers to adhere to specific moral principles while providing them with a higher purpose in life. Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism form the world’s most popular religions, which explains their interest in this context. Buddhism and Hinduism demonstrate similar perspectives on the matters of the afterlife, as they possess the concepts of a rebirth cycle leading to ultimate unity with the cosmos. However, Christianity takes a different approach, considering a person’s life on Earth as the only one. Furthermore, Christian ideas of punishment and reward after death are more direct, as specific realms of Heaven and Hell represent them. Nevertheless, despite the variations in details, the underlying purpose of the afterlife philosophy remains similar for most religions.
References
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Frawley, David. What Is Hinduism? A Guide for the Global Mind. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018.
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Kachru, Sonam. “Death and Afterlife: The View from South Asian Buddhism.” The Journal of Religion, vol. 101, no. 1, 2021, pp. 48-76.
Majjhima-Nikāya. 2013. Web.
New American Standard Bible. The Lockman Foundation, 2020.
Willard, Alyana K. et al. “Rewarding the Good and Punishing the Bad: The Role of Karma and Afterlife Beliefs in Shaping Moral Norms.” Evolution and Human Behavior, vol. 41, no. 5, 2020, pp. 385-396.
Williamson, Paul R. Death and the Afterlife: Biblical Perspectives on Ultimate Questions. InterVarsity Press, 2018.