The ultimate goal for any Hindu soul is to achieve moksha, which is the liberation from samsara, the cycle of life and death (Chidester: 85). The critical aspect of Hinduism is realizing when the body dies, the Self (Atman) does not die. The Self is carried from life to life, through reincarnation, and the secret to death is to realize the Supreme Self hidden in the heart through meditation and grace (Kramer: 30). Realizing Self in Hindu customs is required to achieve moksha, and be liberated from the endless round of birth, death, and rebirth of samsara. Only when the Self is realized can one truly achieve death.
The Buddhist concept of death is similar to Hinduism with respect to the idea of liberation. In Buddhism, samsara refers to the continuous flow of life and exposure to suffering. Buddhist understanding of death explains that all life is vulnerable to suffering, everything is constantly changing, what is born also dies, there is no fixed identity of Self that dies, and as long as one is consumed by grief one can not be released from the fear of death (Kramer: 44). Unlike Hinduism, Buddhists do not strive to achieve liberation in the form of moksha, but rather liberation by achieving nirvana through enlightenment. Nirvana is described as the "deathless place" but it is not a state, place, idea, dream, or future place -- it is a personal achievement that occurs as one no longer has desire or attachment, and life's illusions and ignorance are gone (Kramer: 53). The greatest difference between Buddhism and Hinduism is understanding of Self. Buddhists believe there is no Self to realize, there is an Awakening (anatta) in which a person is enlightened and removed from the ignorance associate with desires and attachment (Kramer: 53). This critical difference between the religions was offered by Buddha, and the teachings of Buddha and the sacred Veda texts in Hinduism account for the varying perspectives.
Like all world religions, Hinduism and Buddhism offer beliefs on death and its meaning. Both belief systems explore ideas of suffering and continuous life cycles. Both belief systems also support a form of liberation: Hindus are liberated from samsara and achieve moksha, and Buddhists are liberated from samsara and experience nirvana. The greatest difference between the religions is the sense of Self, whereas Hindus must realize the Supreme Self to achieve moksha, and Buddhists believe there is no Self, only an Awakening. Each of the belief systems offer their understanding of death based on either sacred texts or teachings, and live their lives accordingly to honor these perspectives.
Question Three
All religions present attitudes or perspectives regarding death and the afterlife. One of the major concepts stemming from several dominate world religions is the idea of heaven and hell. Hebrew, Christian, and Muslim religions each offer ideas, perspectives, and beliefs regarding heaven and hell. Each of the three religions holds fundamental beliefs about the afterlife. The Jewish faith does not explore the afterlife to the same depths of Christianity and Islam, but the Torah focuses on the purpose of life on earth and explain the eternal destination for the righteous is heaven, while the unrighteous is gehinnom (hell). Christians explain heaven to be a place where followers experience eternal life in the likeness of the Creator (Kramer: 148). From the Muslim perspective, entering heaven requires a journey for the soul, and the ultimately goal for each person is to reach a vision of God (Kramer: 160). Christian...
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