What do you think about life after death?

The Sha Family

This is Kawaguchi Hidetoshi. This is my humble answer to the question.

Regarding posthumous matters, we have recently answered the following questions, so please refer to them first.

Question “Understanding Reincarnation”
http://blog.livedoor.jp/hasunoha_kawaguchi/archives/1028277625.html

I am dealing with “after death” Questions and answers
http://blog.livedoor.jp/hasunoha_kawaguchi/archives/cat_324660.html

Now, regarding the content of each question, “There are times when I feel anxious and scared about what will actually happen when I die.” ... Of course that was the case with my previous humble life. However, it was an opportunity for me to learn Buddhism even more deeply. One thing I can say is that after death, it is important to live well in the present first place, and that is also so that we can accumulate as many good causes as possible.

If it becomes anxiety or fear, it is hoped that people will work on dealing with the hesitation and suffering that is right now without thinking too much about what will happen after death.

“What happens after death if you do nothing?” ... I have to say that ignorance (fundamental ignorance) · If you don't treat your worries, it will still be tough due to the cause and effect of your actions...

“If you practice ascetic practices, will you change after death?” ... Even if you practice ascetic practice, it depends on the content, and basically, in Buddhism, it is necessary to accumulate the two sustenance of wisdom (understanding of the sky) and good fortune (mercy, altruism, convenience) without errors. If that causation is certain, I'm sure that destination will be a good one.

“What happens if a monk reads sutras after death?” ... Hmm... honestly, I have a feeling that just reading the sutras... Of course, I know that it will be a bit of a Buddha relationship or a law marriage, but I hope you can read the following humble remarks about that.

“About funerals”
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/hidetoshi-k/e/0816eb5e788bf5ecfc8eed8e901b1a76

Kawaguchi Hidetoshi Gassho

First, there's something I want to say no to. Even if it is because Buddhism explains the world after death, it does not mean scientifically that such a world exists after death. Buddhism examines how things exist in order to remove suffering from our lives. Then, we will capture this world as a world (lucky world, empty world, world of other powers, etc.) where our way of life (values for life) is clarified. On the other hand, the role of science is to clarify how things exist objectively and physically. Therefore, even if Buddhism explains the world after death, it is not referring to a world that exists objectively.

Now, the world after death is an important matter within Buddhism, especially in the Jodo religion. This is because in the Jodo religion, the completion of enlightenment was taken from this world to the next, that is, after death. However, the Buddha's basic stance on the world after his death is “ignorance (keeping silent about metaphysical matters and not answering).” In other words, Buddhism is not a teaching that progresses toward the world after death, but rather a teaching that explains how to live in the present. Therefore, even in the Jodo religion, which preaches the world after death as the perfect place of enlightenment, the emphasis of teaching is not on the world after death, but on how we should live here and now. The teachings that seek the perfect place of enlightenment in the world after death are a result of us being forced to do so (the more we look at ourselves, the more we are just ordinary people who are afflicted).

Like the questioner, the Sha family, I understand the feeling of anxiety about what will happen to us after death. What I can say from my point of view is that, just as the Buddha said “no note” about the world after death, how to live now is important, and how about having a way of life where you just leave the other world as a result of living in this way to the Buddha?

appending
My answer is not a denial of life after death. The basis of Buddhism is “ignorance.” Therefore, when the world after death is talked about in Buddhism, it becomes an issue what kind of “place (region)” it is described in.

① What happens after death if nothing is done?
We will go through the Rikudo reincarnation according to the principle of self-earned.
Will you go to hell or go to heaven?
It depends on your own work (actions).
There is no attainment of Buddhism in the Pure Land.

② If you practice ascetic practices, will it change after death?
Similar to the above, the destination is decided according to the principle of self-earned work.
It changes drastically depending on the training.

③ What happens if a monk reads sutras after death?
Sutras chanting is a ceremony for living people to read sutras, and it is not meant to be read aloud to those who have died.
No matter how much sutras you recite after death, it has nothing to do with the person who died.
The destination is decided by a self-earned reason.

In the Jodo Shinshu, I don't think it is possible to attain Buddhism with ①②③ above.
In the Jodo Shinshu sect, “faith” alone guarantees the birth of Buddha after death.
This is called “only faith.”
However, faith is not about believing.
In the Jodo Shinshu sect, “listening to Amida's story and entrusting it to him” is expressed as “faith.”
Since 100% otheric power creates the Buddha, “I believe it!” You don't need that self-help.
We just leave it up to you.
I believe in death after death, but making them believe is also a function of other forces, so there is no need to make an effort to believe in it on your own.
I think it's safe to say that losing one's sense of self-reliance is faith.

There are roughly three types of things called afterlife.
① A fantasy world created by living people ➡ Since existence cannot be demonstrated, it must be called fantasy after all.
② Inner image world created by misunderstanding Nirvana, Higan, Pure Land of Paradise, etc. ➡ ※A fantasy world created because words representing enlightenment were assumed in addition to the heart as a utopia. A kind of hesitation that makes you stay in the image world.
③ This earth and universe will exist forever and continue to circulate even after your death.
➡ After death, we will continue to live (live) in this world as ❝ material existence/energy/effect/influence ❞, making use of the lives of the next generation.
What they all have in common is that they all work in this world.
Shouldn't we fantasize? No, it would be nice if it was convenient. Manga also gives us dreams and hopes.
However, in reality, the destination we should use that convenience to lead is the real world of Buddhism away from the world of thought, delusion, and fantasy.
Simply put, the world after death is nothing more than speculation and speculation as it is now, so it is important to get out of the world of thoughts and live properly in the present reality without hesitation, and if you have any doubts, see through the true nature of your heart and thoughts and get rid of your doubts.
After all, humans cannot truly become free unless they get out of their own thoughts.
That's why we all do zazen meditation and adjust the frequency to the facts so that we can be free from our thoughts.
What happens after death if nothing is done?
→ ('omega') You will live in fear of death until you die.
If you practice ascetic practices, will it change after death?
→ ('omega') There is no ascetic practice other than getting out of one's own thoughts.
What happens if a monk reads sutras after death?
→ ('omega') Can you see that I'm reading a living sutra to you right now?

Ikkyu-san's anecdote
After her husband passed away, the old woman asked Ikkyu-san to “give me sutras.”
They said, “Give me a hammer,” so when I handed over the hammer, they started hitting the dead danna on the head like a wooden fish with a hammer.
“What are you doing!!”
“Look, old lady, old man, I don't care if it hurts. Sutras are something you should listen to while you're alive, so it's too late after you die. This is my sutra.”

In Buddhism, the story of reincarnation appears in sutras.
There are various discussions and research on Buddhist thought.
It seems that what kind of creature you will be reborn into next after death depends on your mind at the moment of death.
As an image, what will happen in the next life when you die is probably like what kind of dreams you will have next time when you sleep.
If you don't die, you don't know what will happen if you don't sleep.
However, it is also true that everyday training and everyday life will have an impact on the next life and dreams.
So it's better to do it than not practice.
However, even if you are practicing, there is a possibility that your mind will be disturbed the moment you die.
Just like gymnasts sometimes make mistakes in matches no matter how many thousands of times they practice. However, they probably practice to reduce the chance of mistakes.
If you have strong worries, the probability of thinking bad things at the end of your life will increase, so the probability of getting bad results will also increase.
However, in the Jodo religion, it is also said that even bad people who have not practiced ascetic practices will pick them up if they do nembutsu, so their mind stabilizes at the moment they die, and they can be reborn in the Pure Land.
If you think that you are determined to go to the Pure Land after death, you never need to worry about the afterlife again.
So, the Jodo religion seems like a sect that only thinks about the other world, and in fact, it may be the sect where you don't have to think about the other world the most, and you can work hard on this world. (I'm not advertising.)
The future makes me anxious when I think about it. However, if it's also difficult not to think about it, it's okay to decide on a tentative answer and stop being delusional.
A teppan story by Sermon Boy. “Since no one has come back after death, the Pure Land is probably a very nice place.” (puffy face)
Now, being able to listen to someone reading the sutras would have a positive impact.
However, it may be better not to have excessive expectations as to whether you can hear the sutras until you have been reborn, or whether you can listen to the sutras being read by the family in the place where the baby was born before becoming a fertilized egg.