Judgement After Death and the Next Rebirth

II. Judgement After Death and the Next Rebirth

We often think of the departed and wonder what kind of situation they are in. In Chinese Buddhist culture, it is customary to pray for the dead when we celebrate a new year or at various holidays. It is all very well if this is done out of concern and respect for our departed parents or loved ones. Most people, however, have the misconception that when their parents pass away, they become ghosts in hell, and so they often have prayer services for their parents hoping that their parents will rest in peace. This is actually quite disrespectful of their parents, for only those who have committed grave transgressions will be reborn as hungry ghosts or hellish beings. Does it mean that we think of our parents as less than virtuous? Why can't we suppose our deceased parents have gone to the heavenly realm, or are reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss?

Many religions believe that when we die, we will be judged on how we have led our lives. Chinese folk religion believes that after one dies, one appears before the Yama King, who will pass judgement on us. Christians believe that when we die, we will appear before God, who will decide if we should be welcomed into heaven or condemned to hell. Buddhists believe in judgement after death, too. The difference is that we will be judged, not so much by the Buddha, the bodhisattvas, or the Yama King, but by our own karma. The collective good and bad karma of our past actions will determine in which realm of existence we will be reborn and the conditions in which we will be reborn. In the Buddhist teachings, we learn that our happiness or misery is not controlled by deities, but is in our own hands.

Where does one go after death? Some people believe that death is the final chapter of one's life and there is nothing after death, let alone that one will be reborn. To them, life is short and fragile. Because of their view about death, they look at life with skepticism and anxiety. Instead of treasuring life and making the best use of it, these individuals look at life as a means to indulge in pleasures and satisfy the senses. As they do not look at life and death in the context of the Law of Cause and Effect, they are willing to do everything, legal and illegal, to further their own personal goals. Such a view about death, and therefore about life, is erroneous and can lead us astray. Although Christians differ from Buddhists in their way they look at how judgement is metered out, they also believe in the existence of heaven and hell and that there is life after death. In Buddhism, we believe that after we die, we will be reborn into one of the six realms of existence. In fact, there is a verse which can help the living relatives of the deceased to assess in which realm their loved ones will be reborn. It goes like this, "The enlightened emerge from the head, and heavenly beings rise to the heaven through the eyes. Humans emerge from the heart and hungry ghosts from the stomach. Animals leave from the knees and hellish beings from the feet." What this verse means is this: The last part of the body to remain warm indicates the realm of rebirth for the deceased. If a person dies, and his feet are the first to feel cold and the head is the last place to remain warm, this means that the deceased has attained the holy fruit of enlightenment. If the eyes are the last parts to remain warm, this means that the consciousness has left through the eyes and one is reborn in heaven. If the heart is the last part of the body to remain warm, one will be reborn as a human. If the belly remains warm the longest, one has fallen into the hungry ghost realm. If only the knees remain warm, one will be reborn as an animal. If the feet remain warm at the end, one has fallen into hell.

Which realm of existence will we be reborn into? How is this decided? This all depends on our cumulative good and bad karma of our past actions, just like this saying: If you want to know about your future life, all you have to do is reflect on your present life. There are three kinds of karmic forces which determine the realm and the conditions of our next rebirth. These karmic forces are shaped by:

1. The relative weight of our good and bad karma

The way how this karmic force works can be likened to how a bank auditor goes through the accounts of bank customers; those who owed the most money must be pursued first. When one dies, the relative weight of the good and bad karma will determine the person's rebirth. A person who has done a lot of good deeds will be reborn into a good realm, while a person with a lot of bad karma will be reborn in one of the three suffering realms. The principle behind this is as simple as the saying, "Good begets good; ill begets ill."

2. Our habits

In Buddhism, we believe that a person's habits can affect his or her rebirth. If one has the habit of chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha, one's mind is most likely to be on Amitabha. If this person meets with an accident and remembers to chant the name of Amitabha Buddha at the moment of his death, then this one utterance can help him to be reborn into the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

3. Our thoughts

A person's rebirth is closely linked to his or her daily thoughts. If a person is dedicated to the ways of the Buddha, then he or she will be reborn into a pure land. If a person is committed to going to heaven and practices accordingly, the person will be reborn into the heavenly realm. Thus, in our daily practice, it is important to discern the kinds of thoughts on which we anchor our mind.

No matter if it is the weight of our karma, the force of our habits, or the power of our thoughts that directs us to our next rebirth, we should always hold the right thought, practice good, and avoid inflicting harm. This way, we do not need to fear neither judgement nor death.