CCCH9037 Chinese Mythology
Term Paper
Name: Chan Yuen Sum
UID: 3035576852
Title: Afterlife in Buddhism and the related festivals
Word Count: 3036
This paper is going to discuss how Buddhism create the order of afterlife and the ways Buddhists worship and celebrate the related festivals. The backgrounds and ideas of death and hell in Buddhism will be introduced.
What is Buddhism?
About 2500 years ago, Buddhism originated in India between the 6th and 4th centuries BC. Buddhism is one of the largest religions in the world today, with more than 500 million followers. Buddhism is a belief that emphasizes on personal spiritual development.
The concept of afterlife in Buddhism
Diyu (Chinese: 地獄) is the domain of the passed away, implying "hell" in Chinese
mythology. It is an underground labyrinth with many levels and chambers, where souls are taken after death to atone for the guilts they committed when they were alive.
A combination of the Buddhist concept of Naraka, traditional Chinese beliefs about the afterlife and a wide variety of expansions and reinterpretations of these two traditions made up the concept of hell. According to ideas from Taoism, Buddhism and traditional Chinese folk religion, hell is a purgatory that serves to punish and renew spirits in preparation for reincarnation.
The Buddhism belief
Buddhist cosmology encompasses a great number of “worlds”. The Naraka are the realms of suffering which is the same as the Christian hell, more specifically, to purgatory. If a person is born into one of these realms as a result of bad karma, this is not an everlasting punishment –he or she may be reborn into one of the higher worlds in the next life. The Nakaras are watched over by Yama, who is the King of Hell. They are not only physical places but also states of consciousness – and symbols of suffering that can take place during life, as well as after death. There are various lists of Narakas.
Buddhists believe in a cycle of death and rebirth called Samsara. Through karma and eventual enlightenment, they wish to get rid of samsara and achieve nirvana, which is an end to suffering.
Buddhist believe in karma or 'intentional action'. Through good actions, such as ethical conduct, and by developing concentration and wisdom, Buddhists hope to either gain enlightenment or to ensure a better future for themselves. These good actions are set out in the Eightfold Path, which includes right speech, right livelihood, and right concentration. Good actions will result in a better rebirth, while bad actions will have the alternative effect.
Depending on the actions performed in previous lives, rebirth could be as a human or animal or even ghosts, demi-gods, or gods. It is not a common case to be born as a human towards escaping the cycle of samsara in the view of Buddhists.
If one could escape completely from samsara, it is known as Nirvana or enlightenment.
Once Nirvana is achieved, and the enlightened individual physically dies, Buddhists believe that they will no longer be reborn.
The Buddha taught that when Nirvana is achieved, Buddhists are able to see the world as it really is. Nirvana means realising and accepting the Four Noble Truths and being awake to reality.
Some Buddhists believe that enlightened individuals can choose to be reborn in order to help others become enlightened. Others believe that, when Nirvana is achieved, the cycle of samsara, all suffering and further existence for that individual itself ends.
Buddhists do not believe in souls or an eternal creator God based on two concepts:
Anicca – Buddhists believe that nothing is enduring. Everything is subject to change. Therefore, this means that things like everlasting souls or eternal gods cannot exist. Buddhism, does not believe in a creator God or an eternal soul like other religions do.
Anatta – Buddhists believe that there is no permanent self or soul. Because the essence or soul is keep changing continuously, Buddhists sometimes discuss about energy being reborn, instead of the rebirth of souls.
Buddhists believe in life after death because the Buddha taught that human beings are each born an infinite number of times, unless they achieve Nirvana. In the Dhammapada the Buddha states:
“Long is the cycle of birth and death to the fool who does not know the true path.”
The Buddha taught his disciples not to fear death. This has been interpreted by Buddhists as suggesting that if they live well, their rebirth will be good.
The structure of hell
Upper Levels:
01: Hell of Tearing Tongue 拔舌地獄 – those who were gossipy meddlesome
02: Hell of Scissors 剪刀地獄– women who indulged in sexual licentiousness
03: Hell of Iron Tree 鐵樹地獄– those who caused separation among father/son, brothers, and husband/wife
04: Hell of the Truthful Mirror孽镜地獄 – those who managed to avoid punishment in life
05: Hell of the Steam Cage 蒸籠地獄 – those who spread malicious rumors
06: Hell of the Bronze Pillar銅柱地獄 – those who committed arson or burnt evidence
07: Hell of the Blades Mountain刀山地獄 – those who killed another living thing
08: Hell of the Icy Mountain冰山地獄– women who murdered their husband, committed adultery or abortion. Also, those who gambled or have no filial piety
09: Hell of Burning Oil油鍋地獄 – Prostitutes, kidnappers or men who had designs on another person’s wives
Lower Levels:
10: Hell of the Pit of Bulls牛坑地獄 – those who tortured or slaughtered animals meaninglessly
11: Hell of the Descending Stone 石壓地獄 – those who killed babies
12: Hell of the Stone Grinder 舂臼地獄 – those who wasted food
13: Hell of the Blood Pool 血池地獄 – those who disobeyed their parents or the elders
14: Hell of Unnatural Death枉死地獄 – those who committed suicide
15: Hell of the Punishment of Jie 磔刑地獄 – grave robbers
16: Hell of the Fiery Mountain 火山地獄 – thieves, cheaters and those who were dishonest
17: Hell of the Stone Mill 石磨地獄 – Dirty ministers and officials. Also, monks who ate meat
18: Hell of the Saw Blades刀鋸地獄 – Cheaters and kidnappers
The traditional Indian reincarnation view holds that Atman and Karma are the two major elements of reincarnation. Self is the actor of the industry, and also the carrier of karma; and karma is the only factor that guides the direction of self-revolution and determines the situation of the future. Therefore, the traditional concept of reincarnation has a tendency to show moral requirements. At the same time, the principles of morality and life, which are good and evil, can be established in accordance with this reincarnation.
Buddhism's view of reincarnation does not oppose the moral principles contained in traditional reincarnation thoughts. The reasons for adopting reincarnation thoughts are partly based on moral requirements. However, Buddhism advocates "no self", which removes one of the two major elements of traditional reincarnation thinking. Therefore, there has always been a question about the possibility of "no reincarnation view." But Buddhism argues that the so-called reincarnation is not the cycle of the individual's own soul, but the karma created by the living being in the cycle. We should not be confined to the individual's self to see the reincarnation, because reincarnation is like the karma of all life, and it is an infinite circular movement without beginning or end. This is the basic view of the original Buddhist karma cycle.
What is Nirvana?
Nirvana cannot be "obtained" because Nirvana is an object that cannot be obtained. Nirvana cannot be got because it is not a visible target. Nirvana is not . Nirvana is neither empty nor eternal. Nirvana is a spiritual realm that transcends life and destruction. Nirvana is not a phenomenon of "having" (Bawa), because once you ‘have’ it, there must be an old and dead phase of it.
The only thing that can surpass the old and dead phrase is that it has already achieved Nirvana. The so-called transcendence of old and death does not mean that the body does so, but is in a spiritual level. one has overcome the anxiety of old and death in spirit and is no longer suffering from the pain of old and dead. The original meaning of Nirvana (killing) is to extinguish the fire of anxiety.
According to the Brahma Book, "Be good for the good, be evil for the bad, acting good will result in a good life, and vice versa.”
百段梵書︰「為善者當受善生，為惡者當受惡生，依淨行而淨，依污行而污。」
The idea of reincarnation is combined with the morality of good and evil. This is the basic feature of reincarnation. However, the realm of the reincarnation of the soul, such as the Six Realms of Existence known by the later generations, has not yet been fully established in the Brahma period; the question of how the soul is freed from reincarnation is still unclear. However, after the rise of reincarnation, the "reincarnation" was gradually accepted and became a universal consensus of Indian life and cultural thoughts. Among the traditional Indian thinkers, apart from materialists such as Charvaka. There are no people who are not at the basis of the idea of reincarnation.
The six realms are typically divided into three higher realms (good) and three lower realms (evil).
Gods realm 天道 : lives better than the world
Demon, Anti-god or Demi-god realm 阿修羅道 : lives as a semi-blessed beings
Human realm 人道 : lives as a human being
Animal realm 畜生道 : lives together with human beings and can be seen
Hungry ghost realm 餓鬼道 : lives together with human beings, but cannot be seen
Hell realm地獄道 : suffers from pain
From the point of view of reincarnation, life and death are a cycle of continuous circulation, but Indians believe that life in reincarnation is imperfect, so we do not have to be happy with the "the soul is immortal" presupposed by the reincarnation. Just because the soul is not dead, in the imperfect world, accepting the eternal reincarnation with the same imperfect life style, it is said that the suffering of all beings is also enduring.
But why are the lives of all beings not perfect? It is because the driving force of life and reincarnation, that is, the desires of all beings and the behaviours they showed, whether visible or invisible, are called karma. The desires of human beings are mostly blind, thus causing many sufferings for all beings. This blind intention is called dumbness (Avidya). It is the blind impulse of life and the reason for reincarnation. To get rid of the endless cycle of life and death, the only way is to eliminate dumbness. The Indians generally believe that the soul of each being, the Atman, comes from Brahman, the creator of the universe, the root of everything, the omnipotent God, everyone’s Atman come from it. Due to human’s dumbness, so they no longer have the same omnipotence as the Brahman, and is caught in the cycle of life and death without being conscious. Therefore, the so-called relief "Moksa" means that the self can return to Brahman and achieve the state of harmony between the two. For most Indians, the harmony of the their lives and the Brahman is the ultimate goal of life and religion.
Important Buddhist festivals
There are many festivals to celebrate in Buddhism, the following is some of them.
Ullambana
Ullambana, also known as the Ghost Festival, is the most well-known Buddhist festival. The word ‘Ullambana' is a transliteration of the Sanskrit word meaning ‘deliverance from suffering'. It is believed that the "Gates of the Hell" are opened on this day and the dead souls go to visit their beloved ones. So as to bring good fortune and luck, people provide offerings to the spirits of the dead and the hungry ghosts during the festival.
It is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the calendar. Ullambana is a pageant of liberation, that promotes and reinforces the conception of filial righteousness. On this day, Buddhists provide prayers each to their departed forefathers and to their living parents and elders.
Uposatha Festival
Uposatha are days characterized by full and new moons. For Theravada Buddhists, they tend to have intense meditation and study on that day. People can confess their sins in the past and ancient monastic rules of the Pali Vinaya-pitaka are recited. For people in general, Uposatha are the days of bringing offerings to the temple. They may meditate and listen to spiritual speech.
Losar
Losar is one of the major festivals celebrated by the Tibetan Buddhists, which is also the Tibetan new year. In many parts of India, Buddhists celebrate this festival with great pleasure. They dress well, visit their relatives and offer worship in temples in search of blessings from different gods. The Chaam dances performed in the monasteries in India are also of special importance. The dancing depicts the victory of good over evil.
It usually takes place in February, but the exact date depends on the lunar calendar every year. Losar is a festival of three days. Celebrations on the first day are usually limited to the family and the second and third days are the time to visit and exchange gifts with friends and some distant relatives. There is also time for Tibetans to visit and offer monasteries.
Losar festival can be traced back to Tibet's pre- Buddhist era. In the days when Tibetans practiced the Good Religion, a festival was held every winter in which people offered large amounts of incense to please local spirits and deities. Eventually this festival became the annual Buddhist festival we are familiar with today.
How are the Buddhists worshipping?
Besides of the important festivals, Buddhists can worship both at home or at a temple. It is not considered essential to go to a temple to worship with others.
At home
At home, Buddhists often put a room or part of a room as a sanctuary aside. There will be a Buddha statue, candles and a burner of incense.
Temples
Buddhist temples have different shapes and patterns. The most famous are Chinese and Japanese pagodas. Another typical Buddhist building is the Stupa, a stone structure built on what are believed to be Buddha's relics or copies of Buddha's teachings..
The Buddhist temples are intended to symbolise the following five elements:
• Fire
• Air
• Earth, symbolised by the square base
• Water
• Wisdom, symbolised by the pinnacle at the top
All Buddhist temples contain an image or a statue of Buddha.
There are many schools of Buddhism to carry out various forms of worships and rituals.
Adoration in the tradition of Mahayana takes the form of devotion to Buddha and Bodhisattva. Worshippers will sit on the barefoot floor facing a Buddha image and singing. They will listen to monks singing from religious texts, accompanied perhaps by instruments, and participate in prayers.
What is Buddhist meditation?
The person meditating in Buddhism does not attempt to enter a hypnotic state or contact angels or any other supernatural entity. Meditation involves spirit and body. This is especially important for Buddhists because they want to avoid what they call 'duality', so the way they meditate must involve the body and the mind as one entity. In the most general sense, meditation is a way of taking control of the mind so that it becomes peaceful and concentrated and the meditator becomes more conscious. The aim of meditation is to stop the rushing of the mind.
There are a number of meditation methods- methods that have long been used and that have been shown to work. People can meditate either individually or in groups. Meditating in a group- possibly in a retreat called a sesshin or in a meditation room or zendo- has the advantage of reminding a person that they are both part of a larger Buddhist community and part of the larger community of beings of every kind.
Conclusion
Until this moment, there is still no evidence to prove the hell and afterlife in Buddhism is real or not. All these are based on some traditional predictions and imaginations. However, we can see that Buddhists can use plenty of ways to worship their beliefs. All of them gives them a sense of calm and fulfillment. It can be concluded that religion is very important to human beings in general, giving us guidelines and directions in their lives. Whether or not we follow Buddhism, it is important to act kindly in our lives. Not talking about the religious belief, I still believe that good behaviors will result in a good result.
References
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