Before life, Life, After life
 

This hasn't anything to do with music. I just thought I would pick everyone's brain. This isn't intended to start any fights. Debates, sure, but not anything mean spirited.

I am not Buddhist, contrary to what everyone may think. LOL. I buy into a lot of their belief system, though.

Buddhism is the belief that your body is just a vehicle to carry your soul. A person's soul is eternal, and moves from body to body for all eternity, and how you treat your soul and live your life will affect all others who inherit your soul.

They spend their entire lives preparing to die correctly, so the soul will be pure and clean for the next person.

This isn't the entire concept of Buddhism, just one part that I wanted to cover for the purpose of this post.

Now, my question is this: What are your thoughts on this subject? Do you believe their is an afterlife, or reincarnation, or past lives, etc? Or do you believe when you die, that's it?

I've pondered this for quite some time, even before I read this book. I know a great majority of the people in here are cerebral in nature, so I'm curious what your thoughts are on the subject.

I know there has been at least one thread on reincarnation, but that isn't what this is about, exactly.

Well, like alot of my friends have passed away this past year so i've thought ALOT on the subject. I think theirs like, at least some sort of high power out there...I use to think christanity has the answers a bit after talking to some friends but after recent expierences i've pushed away from that. I think theirs some sort of an after life, but that could just because i'd like to believe so I tell myself there is sort of thing..

ur body becomes one with the earth and ur atoms are realesed to pass through, all life

I've questioned exactly what happens after death also. It is a mysterious subject (mainly because the people who know are dead lol). But I don't know, I do think that some beliefs as to what happens are stupid and the people who believe those things probably think that my beliefs are stupid. I'm not going to say them though just because I know even though it was requested that someone will come in and try to start a fight. But I will say that I have adopted the parts of certain religions/ideas and put them into my own beliefs.

But getting back to death I'll have to agree with you jr. that we are only preparing to die. Humans are afraid of death because of its uncertainty. If they knew exactly what happens after they wouldn't be as scared. I'm curious as to what it feels like the few seconds before death, is it like anything else, is it painful or euphoric (spelling?)?

Those are my thoughs.

Theres an afterlifeee.
But.. I pretty much only believe so cause my mind cant seem to fathom what would happen to our souls when we die otherwise..
Its like imagining nothing.
It doesnt work.

I just... Im gonna sound completely unintelligent trying to explain why I believe theres an afterlife, but, yknow, its not exactly something I can be educated on. Souls aren't physical things, & I cant see how or why theyd shrivel up and die just because the body we're in has worn out from time.

What happens afterwards is down to complete individual preferences & beliefs. I've always imagined we just have another life, anywhere & anyone's. But then Ive always thought I'd get bored with heaven.. [or hell, I guess =/]

...*Rambles*.

i know there's an after life....but the question of eternity troubles me....so for my own well being i have concluded that being mortal , we are very aware of time because it's limited, when you're immortal, time seices to exist, so you're basically one point in the time space continuum that doesn't move....

i've read an exceptional book about an after life experience ( saying it was near death is not accurate, the woman actually died and came back ) where she describes the feeling of being released from the shackles of our bodies....being pure energy that is not restrained by the "cold heavy" body....sounds wonderful....

You guys keep talking about souls like it is a proven fact that we have them. 'Well, since a soul isn't physcial, it has to go somewhere'. Not true. Who ever proved that we have souls? The soul doesn't have to go anywhere. What is a soul? What does it do? How can you be so positive that we have souls? I believe that when you die, you get turned into ashes, or worm food. Our souls don't go anywhere, because they don't exist. Maybe metaphorically speaking we can have a 'soul', but it isn't like it is an actual thing that is going to wander around, or go to some city in the sky when we die. When we die, our 'soul' does too. My opinion.

The Buddha actually did not believe in a soul. The reason they have added it in - in summation - is because it is more comforting to the populace if there is a belief that one will live on forever. Read some of Robert Thurman's work for a better understanding of this.

Interesting fact: Robert Thurman, father of Uma, is the first Westerner to be deemed an actual Buddhist monk.

I saw the E! True Hollywood Story of Uma Thurman, talking about how she always had to share her room with some Buddhist Monk that was taking up residence at the Thurman home, was a pretty interesting watch.

I strongly Believe that there is an afterlife but i do not really believe in all that Reincarnation stuff...The thought that our body is kind of like a car for our soul is very interesting though