By Amanda Eggert, Michael Murphree, and Joseph Moreno Fall 2006 AP World History Belief Systems Project

In this power point we explain three different religions of the world and how they view life after death and what they believe happens to the body or soul. Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam are three very different major religions of the world and each have different ways of explaining what happens when a human being dies.

The Jewish religion is very spiritual and is focus greatly on the relationship with Yahweh and the people. Since this relationship is the main part of the religion and its beliefs of the afterlife is not the substantial part of what they focus on believing and learning. Though they do have beliefs of what happens to the human soul after death. Over the many years that the religion has been alive they have been able to look at other beliefs and have considered many explanations for what happens in the afterlife.

Far back when Judaism was developing in Persia the thought of every human being resurrected after death came up originating from the Persian religion Zoroastrianism. Along this came the belief that there is a final judgment where people are rewarded or punished for the ways they live their lives. They were either sent to Eden (or heaven) or Gehenna (or hell). The souls of good men would be able “to have power to revive and live again.”

In Judaism Gan Eden (Garden of Eden) is described as a place of joy and peace. This is the place where the souls are rewarded for the way they had lived their lives. (The sterotypical way of thinking heaven is like)

This was “hell” for the souls that had not lived their lives to satisfy the judgment they received. It is described as a place of extreme evil where Pagan cults conducted rituals like burning children. It served as a temporary punishment for the soul and a place for the soul to stay during its 11 month purification time. In Jewish societies the mourning and asking for blessing of the deceased can only last 11 months so that the purification would not last longer than needed or wanted.

Quran Perspective: –Death is natural –It is a change that of the human body physically –Question- is there anything human that survives the body after death and disintegration? – Answer-The “ego,” or humanness of the body will leave the decomposing body for a fresh start –Death is not the end, but the beginning of a new sort of life

The human personality is not subject to physical laws because it is not part of the body The body is what keeps the self “tethered” to earthly laws “And they say, what! When we have become bones and dust shall we indeed be raised up a new creation. Say thou: Be ye stones or iron or a substance still more improbable in your hearts (to be restored to life). But they will say: Who shall bring us back? Say thou: He who brought you into being for the first time…” Quran, Chapter 17, verse 49-51

Will and Action are important in the development of the self, human personality, and survival Will –Will is realizing the action, what should be done, and not necessarily doing it Action- Action is knowing what needs to be done and doing that

Contrast between Self and Human Personality and Action –An example of an action is when an entity has deliberately chosen to be a free spirit and done this

Buddhism “Never is a man wholly a saint or a sinner. This only seems so because we suffer the illusion that time is something real. And if time is not real, then the dividing line that seems to lie between this world and eternity, between suffering and bliss, between good and evil, is also an illusion… The Potential Buddha already exists in the sinner; his future is already there.” ~ “Siddhartha”, by Hermann Hesse

Buddhism and Samsara Buddhists believe time is cyclical. Which supports the Buddhist belief in reincarnation. Buddhists who continue to be reborn due to reincarnation into this world have not been liberated from samsara. Samsara literally means “to flow together” or to pass through states. The purpose of samsara in this world is for an individual to come upon self- realization and or self-truth in a physical body.

Buddhism and Nirvana Freedom from samsara comes when the person achieves nirvana. When translated the word nirvana means, “blowing out”. Nirvana is thought as something so different from the experiences here on earth it is impossible to describe to someone of this world. Nirvana unlike the Christian view of heaven is not a physical location but rather a state of mind. Nirvana cannot be achieved while someone is alive. Nirvana is considered to be the highest happiness that a person can achieve, and can be achieve when one becomes free of kilesa (corruptions): lust, anger cravings etcetera.

Buddhists Focus An important thing to note is that Buddhism does not speak on matters such as the creation of the world and what life is like after death. Buddhists believe that it is more important for an individual to focus their attention to the problems in this world instead of wondering about non- worldly concepts. “Every thing that exists is good-death as well as life.”

Buddhism Timeline Prince Guatarma Siddhartha was born in a Northern India region; today know as Nepal around 500 BCE 297 BCE King Asoka convertes to Buddhism and sends froth missionaries to spread the teachings. 1st century CE, 500 sects of Buddhists. 200 BCE CE Hinayana Buddhism 2nd century Mahayana Buddhism 320 CE to 600 CE Vajrayana Buddhism 6th century CE, Buddhism enters Japan 7th to 9th century CE, Buddhism enters Tibet.

Sources Siddhartha. Hermann Hesse. New Direction Publishing Corporation, ath/buddhismlifeafterdeath.htm px-Samsara.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/80/Samsara.jpg/200 px-Samsara.jpg