The Concept Of Death In Buddhism And Christianity

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Term Paper Title	The Concept Of Death In Buddhism And Christianity
# of Words	1521
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	6.08

The Concept of Death in Buddhism and Christianity
     Death is a concept that people must face no matter what their personal beliefs are.  Most people consider death a frightening concept and don’t think about it when they aren’t faced with the issue, but depending on their religious belief death might not be such a frightening thought.  In fact many people find religion in order to help them explain what might happen to them after death.  Two religions that have different views on what happens at death and what becomes of a person are Buddhism and Christianity.  These two religions give very different perspectives on what happens to an individual after they die.
     Buddhism is a complex religion that requires a practicing Buddhist to always contemplate death.  In Buddhism death and reincarnation are linked very close together. Buddhists believe that there is a close relationship between the way that a person lives their life in the present life and the type of life that person will have in their next.  The main goal for Buddhists is to reach nirvana and they attain nirvana by creating good karma.  Essentially Buddhists strive to live their lives in a way that will ensure a good life in their next.
     Death awareness has traditionally been practiced amongst Buddhist monks for at least two thousand years.  There are many reasons for this awareness such as: it can give a wider view of their lives, calmness, and the ability to detach oneself in order to not allowing negative karma to arise (Huxter, 1997).  It can also allow ways to develop sympathy and wisdom, and the ability to be more tolerant towards others.  Both the Theravadin and Tibetan schools claim that without the recollection of death allows one not to become intoxicated with “mundane pursuits, one procrastinates, one’s meditations become mixed with worldly concerns, one lacks energy to practice, one creates negative karma and one dies in regret due to surprise” (Huxter, 1997).  There are many advantages to death awareness including that a person can lead a more purposeful life and that the individual isn’t surprised at the time of death.
     In Buddhist tradition there is a process to death that leads the individual into rebirth.  At the moment of death a “blinding experience of clear light fills [their] consciousness” and this seen as the opportunity to free themselves from their tendencies (Tibetan Book of the Dead).  If the light is too much for them then they are separated
from the physica...

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