| What is death? For a Buddhist, it is more of a | | | | are called Kamma-nimittas. |
| continuation than an ending. But what is it that | | | | Other common visions are ones that preview our |
| continues; this is the tricky part. If you describe the | | | | next world, give us a peek so to say. This happened |
| Christian soul as being a repository of everything a | | | | to my sister-in-law just before she died, "I see a |
| human being has done while on earth and into | | | | beautiful place, with beautiful people, and beautiful |
| eternity, then the part that continues for a Buddhist | | | | music." |
| would be that soul, but only the impersonal part, the | | | | If we are Buddhist meditators and have trained our |
| part that merely records our actions. A Buddhist calls | | | | minds to simply observe thoughts, emotions, visions |
| this... karma. | | | | and nimittas as they arise and not become attached |
| Karma is a summation of all of our actions, and not | | | | to them, then whatever comes up at the time of |
| limited to only this lifetime; karma has its roots in | | | | death will not affect us, especially the psychological |
| many lifetimes past, and continues in future lifetimes. | | | | fear of death and the pain and suffering that usually |
| So for Buddhists, death is not a one shot, make or | | | | goes along with dying. |
| break deal; death happens again and again. However, | | | | This moment of death is extremely important, and |
| the karma can be resolved, ended, and therefore not | | | | connects us to our next lifetime. We must prepare |
| eternal as a soul is. | | | | for this moment by living not only a virtuous life, but |
| When one body dies, another immediately replaces it, | | | | by understanding all about the mind from an intuitive |
| as our karma morphs from corpse to fetus. Or, we | | | | level. We have to train ourselves well enough so that |
| might not end up a fetus at all; there are numerable | | | | we can remain tranquil and unattached during our last |
| alternative destinations, thirty one of them, and all of | | | | conscious moments. If we are attached to our |
| them different fields of existence depending upon | | | | possessions, to our life, or to anyone that we leave |
| our actions this time around as well as our actions in | | | | behind, our next lifetime will reflect those desires by |
| past lifetimes. We could even temporarily be reborn | | | | plopping us back into the same circumstances, only |
| in a heaven, but we could not stay there. We | | | | to relive them all again, and suffer old age, disease |
| eventually would have to inhabit a human form again. | | | | and death innumerable times. |
| The fact that we made it into human form this time | | | | When the meditator faces death with calmness and |
| is a good sign. This indicates that we can pretty | | | | equanimity, this affects the future field of existence. |
| much count on rebirth in the human realm again, | | | | As a matter of fact, just reading this article will have |
| perhaps after a temporary stint in heaven unless | | | | a subconscious effect on the reader. If the reader is |
| something quite dramatic happens in this lifetime | | | | also able to have friends assembled at the time of |
| (which can either be good or bad)! Actually, it is | | | | death that understand things at these levels and |
| possible to alter our destiny by our actions, and this is | | | | therefore doesn't project an atmosphere of doom |
| what Buddhists attempt to do. By altering their | | | | and gloom, the next lifetime could be very favorable, |
| actions, Buddhists not only affect their destinies in | | | | especially if those assembled have trained their minds |
| the next lifetime, but also make this lifetime much | | | | with meditation or contemplative prayer, which |
| easier. | | | | neutralizes any projections of fear. |
| Therefore, every lifetime prepares us for the next, | | | | So in summation, Buddhists believe in rebirth, not the |
| and if a Buddhist is really clever, she or he can get | | | | reincarnation of a personality. Rebirth is the |
| out of the revolving door of rebirth and temporary | | | | transference of karma, or our past actions, which |
| heavens, and never have to worry about future lives | | | | mold our characters and tendencies. The body will be |
| again! This is called enlightenment, but until that | | | | new, the brain and memory will be new, but our |
| occurs, the Buddhist must endure the lifetimes to | | | | penchants will remain. The karma that fueled our |
| come, regardless of their unpredictability. | | | | actions this time around will do so again, until we are |
| At the moment of death, our strongest karma or | | | | able to break karma's chains. |
| trauma of this lifetime will arise in our minds. If we | | | | How to break the chains? A good way is simply to |
| killed someone, that memory will pop up. If we were | | | | meditate. This not only breaks the chains very |
| a Mother Teresa, a memory of all our kind acts will | | | | quickly, but also has the potential to break them |
| arise. Also visions might appear to us. We might see | | | | forever. The deep contemplative prayer of the |
| the weapon that we used to kill with, or we might | | | | Christian mystics works too. |
| see the faces of the children we have saved. These | | | | |