When looking beyond what science can tell us, we are faced with thousands of theories and ideas considering where our consciousness or souls could wander to. Many people subscribe to the idea of a paradise waiting for our souls after this world which has been build by the same creator of Earth. Typically, this perfect resting place is referred to as heaven, paradise, nirvana, etc. If you were to ask one thousand people what heaven is, you would likely get one thousand different answers, but they would all likely describe a place filled of loyal religious followers who have lived their life doing good. Heaven is typically described as a place of no worries, pain or stress. Looking at the Christian faith, they see heaven as a place where they …show more content…
Not all religions which believe in reincarnation believe in an eventual eternal resting place for the soul, but sometimes the two believes intertwine. Many people who do not subscribe to any particular religion or belief system may still believe in reincarnation as an explanation to afterlife and origins of the soul or spirit. Reincarnation is simply the idea of the rebirth of a soul in a new body or entity. Reincarnation in many religions explains not only the questions concerning where the soul or consciousness moves on to after death but discusses origins of the soul and consciousness as well. The belief in reincarnation after death is seen in several religions, much like the belief of heaven and hell after death. In the same way, through various religions and beliefs, reincarnation is seen differently by many people. It is ultimately another belief in the journey of our soul or the continuation of our consciousness beyond this life or the human experience. Many ancient religions believed this concept. Plato described how the soul would be born into several bodies experiencing several lives in order to perfect the soul over years of experience. Brahmanism is similar in this belief that through reincarnation, the soul evolves. Brahmanism teaches that after each death there is a judgement determining if the soul moves on to a higher existence being a heaven like experience, a lower existence being a hell like experience, or back to human life. Hinduism teaches that the soul will reincarnate, not necessarily always into a human being, but into different lives. When the soul reaches perfection overcoming karma, as mentioned previously, the soul can break through the cycle and enter heaven. Sikhism is similar in teachings and believes that the soul must go from life to life to achieve a union with God through this perfection process. This process will continue
Hinduism as a similar belief the only difference seems to be for you to reincarnate you have to go down a very long tunnel to do so. Like christianity islam also has a hell. Heaven has seven different levels the higher the level the better you were, hell also has seven levels the lower the level the worse you were in the afterlife. To be honest I really don’t believe in the afterlife I think once when you die nothing happens after that.My belief has both pros and cons the pros being to live life to the fullest because there I think there is no afterlife I am not going to have another chance. The main con of my belief is that I will never see anyone of my dead friends or family in another
Each religion has its own idea of what will happen in the afterlife. In Buddhism, they believe that dying is apart of an ongoing cycle until the dead receive enlightenment. This cycle is called Samsara and by definition means an ongoing cycle of life and death until that person reaches enlightenment (heaven). There is a three stage cycle that occurs from the moment you die until you are reincarnated; This process is called The Three Bardo's. The first bardo is when the soul goes into a trance and often doesn't realize that they have passed away. People recall seeing a bright light once in this trance and if that person welcomes the light then they will not be reincarnated, but most people flee from this light. The second bardo begins when the person realizes they are dead. The deceased will see everything that they have done or throughout their life. The third bardo and final stage contains a longing for possessing someone. When they do posses someone the rebirth occurs and they are reincarnated as a living
Many religions and philosophies attempt to answer the question, what happens after a person dies? Some religions such as Christianity and Islam believe there is an afterlife. They believe that good and moral people enter Heaven or paradise and that bad and immoral people go to Hell. Other religions and cultures believe that death is final, and that nothing happens after a person dies. Buddhism and Hinduism have a different idea about death. Both of these religions originated in India. Buddhists and Hindus believe that death is not final. They believe that a person comes back after he or she dies. This process is known as reincarnation, and it provides opportunities for people to enter the world multiple times in different forms. Buddhists and Hindus want to reenter the world as humans, and they want to improve their status through reincarnation. In ancient India, many members of lower casts wanted to come back as members of higher casts. While this is an important goal of reincarnation, the main goal is to reach either moksha (Hinduism) or nirvana (Buddhism). In other words, the goal is to reach a point of spiritual enlightenment that removes the person from the reincarnation process. Geoff Childs, an anthropologist examines the views of the Buddhist religion by studying the lives of the people in Tibetan villages. He looks at issues that adversely affect these people such as infant mortality. He carefully looks at the lives of people who have been left behind by deceased loved ones, and he pays careful attention to customs and traditions surrounding death. Tibetan Buddhists view death as a means of reaching spiritual perfection, and they seek to reach this level of spiritual perfection through living spiritually meaningful lives....
The idea of the soul varies widely in religious tradition. While these variations exist, its basic definition is unvarying. The soul can be described as the ultimate internal principle by which we think, feel, and will, and by which our bodies are animated. The soul is seen as the core principle of life or as the essence of a being 1. Views on the permanence of the soul vary throughout religious tradition as well. While some view it as a mortal entity in flux others believe the soul is an immortal and permanent unit. These interpretations vary from time period to time period and between religions. These characteristics of the soul are interpreted differently through an Eastern or Western perspective. In general, Eastern and Western Religions, with the exception of Buddhism, consider the soul to be a permanent entity, which is either reborn or sentenced to a permanent heaven or hell.
J. W. Dunlap, an educational specialist and a medium, in her article “REINCARNATION AND SURVIVAL OF LIFE AFTER DEATH,” defines reincarnation as life being eternal and with a purpose that each individual will experience and continue to experience after death. The belief in reincarnation is universal in certain aspect of the world; based on the lives of Africans and Native Americans there is a strong belief in the concept of reincarnation from past human history (Dunlap 157-170). Looking at some Africans, they have a strong belief in ancestral rebirth; they do not believe that once an ancestor died they will never see them again; they believe that it is just a separation and only temporary (Dunlap). Some Native Americans have a different view; they have a spiritual, philosophical view with regards to reincar...
It is comparable to the belief in reincarnation. Reincarnation is the belief that a person is born innocent and perfect. If during life if perfection is not achieved, birth and rebirth will continue until it is ultimately accomplished. This is similar to grief. When tragedy strikes it leaves heartbreak, and so a person begins the grieving and healing process and it is similar to life in reincarnation. A person becomes imperfect and has flaws as they grieve. Depression and anger will surface before peace and understanding is achieved. By the time the healing process is complete, the original person has died and is reborn into a stronger, more perfect person because of the journey grief took them
In the course of my paper, I shall first relate why it may be important from the Buddhist point of view to examine reincarnation scientifically, pausing also to define what the scientific method truly means. Then I shall describe the various studies that have been conducted in this field, concentrating mainly on the research of Dr. Ian Stevenson, who is regarded as the foremost authority in this field. I will then review sceptical arguments offered against the findings of these studies. I will conclude that, for now, belief in reincarnation will have to rest on faith alone since "proof" for it is scientifically untenable.
Christians ultimately believe in two places to go after death, Heaven where eternity is spent in a state that is beautiful beyond our ability to conceive, or Hell, where eternity is spent with Satan and his demons. All are tormented and tortured, in isolation from God, without any hope of mercy or relief (Robinson).
Another word for paradise is heaven. That is what it seems to represent, heaven. Or at the very least the heaven the flesh side of humanity wants.
Hindus believe that when a soul expires, it acquires rebirth in a new body. This cycle is called samsara. To be set free from the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth one must discover their true nature in order to be with the Brahman in Nirvana. In figure G a picture of a Cambodian statue of the A.D. 900 of Brahma meditating is presented. Nirvana is a state where pain, worry and the outer world do not exist. When a person in Hindu religion has bad Karma, they must take rebirth multiple times. The sacred source of all existence is divided among three gods. Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the preserver, and Shiva is the destroyer. All three contribute to a person’s life and death and afterlife. In figure H a picture of a Vishnu sculpture is shown, and in figure I a picture of a sculpture of Shiva is
Reincarnation is the concept that at the point of death only the body is lost. The soul or spirit lives on and is reborn into a new body. " All things, on both the microcosmic level of humankind and the macrocosm itself are subject to this cyclical nature of existence, so what is born must die and what dies must be reborn" (Fowler. 1999. p208). Hinduism tells us that a spirit is not reborn into a random body, the karma and jivatman decide on an appropriate womb. This means that a sport oriented person will always be reborn into a family who have sport orientated lives.
Christians, for example, believe that souls that have lived by the words of their God will exist eternally in heaven as divine beings themselves. This conception of an afterlife is generally what we people who are residents of the Unitied States hold to be true. For American culture has its roots in Europe and European culture was and is still influenced by Christian faiths. Similar to Christianity, the Hinduism also eases the fear of death by presenting a life after death. Disimilarities present themselves in the two faiths concerning exactly what kind of afterlife is lived. Believers of the Hindu faith expect to be reincarnated after their demise, either as an animal or human being depending on the manner in which their lives were carried out.
It is a temporary place where one is free from karma and one can then go to heaven. In Christian religion , Christian’s believe if they are a repentant sinner and accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they will spend eternal life in heaven
Stemman stated that “growing numbers of people are prepared to mix and match the beliefs of teachings that most appeal to them” (Stemman 3) this then suggests that the idea and beliefs of reincarnation are increasing; people are tending to expand their knowledge and beliefs and integrating the different beliefs into their own. Stemman also states that “we already know that at least half of the worlds’ po...
I thought that, like many other religions, there was a desirable and undesirable place to go to after death. Hindus do not believe in a heaven or hell. They believe in rebirth and this happens depending on their karma. Karma is the computation of a person’s actions. An individual’s karma will decide on what they will be reincarnated as in their next life. Their goal in life is to become one with Brhaman and this happens when there is no more karma. There is no more rebirth and karma has equalized, meaning it has balanced. The person is immersed into Brahma and they are forever with the ultimate. An example of this is how a river flows into an ocean. This stage is called Moksha and that is the ultimate