The question of "What happens after death" has differing views across religions. I would like to explore the perspectives of Christianity, Islam, Japanese Shinto, materialism, and Buddhism.
Christianity believes that each and every one of us was born by God's will. The Bible states that all people were created by God's will. In the Christian worldview, we are born, live, and eventually die. We are then buried, and after a certain time, we will face God's "Final Judgment." The criterion for judgment at this time is whether or not we have rebelled against God. Those who believed in God during their lifetime are said to be able to live happily with God in a place called the Kingdom of God, the Millennial Kingdom, or the Eternal Kingdom. On the other hand, those who are judged for rebelling against God are said to be burned in eternal flames.
In Islam, apart from God, who is called Yahveh, Jehovah, or Allah, the Quran, a book left behind by the prophet Muhammad, contains detailed rules for how believers should behave. The book contains detailed rules, such as "don't eat pork" and "you must fast." Those who follow these rules are considered believers, while those who don't are considered non-believers and, like Christians, are judged after death. In Islam, they go to a land of happiness called Ryokuen. Muslims insist on burial because the Quran dictates this method. It's said that if the body were burned before the judgment, it would become impossible to tell who was who.
In Japanese Shinto, it is believed that our souls remain after death and reside in natural objects such as rocks and trees. Spirits are believed to have far greater power than living beings, and can bring misfortune and disaster to the living, or blessings and happiness. Spirits possess such power, and heroic spirits in particular are said to have particularly strong powers. Sugawara no Michizane of the Heian period, who died an untimely death, and soldiers who lost their lives fighting for their country in wars, are considered to be outstanding heroic spirits. In particular, it is believed that deceased people can bring curses or blessings to their descendants, such as their children and grandchildren, and it is clear that the idea of ancestor worship remains strong.
Materialism rejects this fairy-tale-like religious sentiment. It holds that the brain controls our consciousness, and that we exist only between birth and death. Materialism, which seeks rationality, holds that when brain signals cease, we cease to exist, and that there is no afterlife. Nothing existed before we were born, and nothing exists after we die; then, suddenly, we emerge as individuals, exist for a while, and then suddenly disappear, remaining nothing forever. Everything is the product of chance, with no meaning or significance. Everything becomes nothing when we die. Everything is coincidence. This is the materialistic view. However, since something came into being from nothing by chance, the possibility of the same thing occurring again by chance cannot be denied.
Buddhism teaches the concept of "reincarnation," a cycle of repeated birth and death. It tells us that water continues to exist while changing form, from rain to river to sea to cloud. There is always a cause for everything, and an effect is produced, but the surrounding environment, known as "en," also influences this. Since the next world is created by one's own karma, it is said that everything we do and do determines how we will be from then on.
There are many different ways of thinking about what happens when we die, but we don't actually know what the truth is. 100% of humans will die. It's up to each of you to think about it and make your own decision.
Reference: Learning about happiness from Buddhism by Ryuta Kikutani
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr8pmq5_UgU |
