Philosophy Now Forum

I was reading up on the Buddhist concept of the afterlife and I find it quite strange how the Buddhists would want to dissipate into nothingness forever rather than to not give themselves up and have themselves reincarnated over and over again. They say they would give themselves up because life mostly consists of suffering and that it is better to give up one's self than to keep on living this life over and over again which is a life of suffering.

But by saying that, they are saying that since life consists of suffering, that it is not all that great of a life and that it is better to give up on it. This is contradictory to something else Buddhists talk about which is the idea that our lives can still have full joy and meaning in the midst of suffering. Therefore, why give up ourselves if we can instead choose to live a meaningful life over and over again even if it is a life of much suffering?

Therefore, I see no reason to give up on living. That is, providing, a life of suffering really can still be a full meaningful and joyful life. If it's not, then the Buddhists would be instead adhering to the concept known as "hedonism" which is the whole notion that one's life can only have full joy and meaning if it is a life that has as little suffering and as much pleasure as possible.

Here, I will present to you the Buddhist concept of the afterlife here in this link:

http://www.near-death.com/religion/budd ... liefs.html

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I think there may be an aspect of giving-up that you may not be able to fully appreciate.

I think, giving-up in the Buddhist sense that you use, it may be more of a giving-up of attachment.

You pretty much carry on with your life as you live it. It's just that you practice detachment; looking at ourselves. Sometimes referred to as self-consciousness.


Don't know if you have ever ingested a dissociative but that would be a type of experience where you give-up your normal connection with yourself - your normal state of being.


There is a philosophical discipline that although very strict, yields much in the way of results if done correctly.







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The idea is to end suffering. No self, no suffering.

MozartLink wrote:I was reading up on the Buddhist concept of the afterlife and I find it quite strange how the Buddhists would want to dissipate into nothingness forever rather than to not give themselves up and have themselves reincarnated over and over again. They say they would give themselves up because life mostly consists of suffering and that it is better to give up one's self than to keep on living this life over and over again which is a life of suffering.

It is not my understanding of Zen Buddhism that after death the individual "dissipates into nothingness", but rather joins the "Universal Mind" and becomes part of that consciousness. As the story goes the young Buddha was sheltered from all unpleasantness and when he finally discovered what was involved in life of that time, he went the other way and declared that all life was suffering, I don't agree with this but there is certainly some pain and suffering, but there is also joy and pleasure. I think that in the Zen concept of the afterlife the suffering is eliminated through the absence of the self that desires things and experiences, and the joy and happiness is realized through becoming one with the "one mind" or "universal mind". The desire for joy and pleasure can sometimes lead to pain and suffering, but without taking the chance of the bad, you will never experience the good. This is not exactly what Buddhism teaches, Buddhists teach that all life is pain and suffering, I suppose that's why I'm not a strict Buddhist.