Birth and death beliefs of buddhism
Rituals of buddhism.
Birth and death beliefs of buddhism
Life and Death Are One
(Photo above by kaboompics / Pexels)
Understanding that one day we will die can bring our lives into focus. What do I want to use my life for? Do I just want to be successful or do I want to also make a real impact on others? This is why instead of avoiding the thought of death, Buddhism looks at it directly.
Buddhism enables us to live the kind of rich, victorious life that makes our passing like a beautiful sunset illuminating the sky at the end of the day.
The 13th-century Buddhist teacher Nichiren Daishonin writes in a letter to someone who had lost a family member:
How can we possibly hold back our tears at the inexpressible joy of knowing that [at the moment of death] not just one or two, not just one hundred or two hundred, but as many as a thousand Buddhas will come to greet us with open arms!
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol.
1, pp. –17
Nichiren is not saying that we will become happy or go to a land where everything is perfect on