Three Traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism In Buddhist teachings, we will all pass away eventually, which is a part of the natural process of birth and death, but that we should always be aware of the impermanence of life itself. A life which we all cherish and wish to hold onto as long as possible, however, death in Buddhism is not the end of life, but merely the end of the physical body we inhabit here in this life. The spirit is believed to remain and seek through need of attachment to a new body and new life to be reborn depending on the accumulation of either positive or negative actions and the subsequent karma of those past actions. It is believed that persons are reborn in one of six realms which are; heaven, human beings Asura, hungry ghost, animal and hell. Depending on the severity of one’s karmic actions will determine the realm. Life does end for Buddhist, it continues on in other forms depending on the accumulated karma of the individual. Buddhism is a belief that places great importance on the impermanence of lives, including those beyond the here and now, which is why Buddhist do not fear death as it will lead to rebirth. (Tang, 2012)
Hinduism teachings, is the map of how to live appropriately. Strong belief in rebirth and reincarnation is the cornerstone of Hinduism. A soul is part of a jiva (being), the limited being is subject to the impurities of attachment, delusion and laws of Karma. Hence, death is not a great calamity or an end at all, but a natural process in the existence of a jiva, as a separate entity, a resting period while it recuperates, reassembles its resources, adjusts its course and returns again to the earth to continue its journey. In Hinduism, unless the soul has been liberated, neither life nor death, remain permanent.
The Bhagavad-Gita is made up of two paths that a soul can travel after death. One is the path of the sun, also known as the bright path or path of the Gods and the other is the moon, which is known as the dark path or the path of ancestors. When a soul travels along the path of the sun, it is believed to never return and those that travel the path of the moon, return again.
Hinduism teaches that if a person committed many bad deeds in his life, he will go to the lower worlds and suffer from the consequences of his evil actions. The state of mind at the time of death is what desires were predominant in his consciousness at the time of death, will be the deciding factor in which direction the jiva will travel. For example if a person was thinking of family and children at the time of death, then they will likely go to the world of ancestors. If it’s money, they will likely travel the world of Vishnu and will be reborn as a merchant or trader. If the last thoughts were of an evil nature or negative, they will travel to the lower world and suffer evil. And if thinking of God, they will go to the highest world. (V, 2012)
Traditional Judaism believes that death is not the end of human existence, but because it is primarily focused on the life here and now, rather than on the afterlife. There appears to be some murkiness on an absolute belief and since Judaism does not have much doctrine about the afterlife, there can be varying beliefs, but some are comparative to Judeo-Christian teachings.
Orthodox Judaism believes that a small number of the superbly righteous and innocent gain entrance to Heaven immediately after death, but only a small number of souls are considered evil enough to be condemned to the fiery punishment. It is