Expert: Joe McSorley - 4/22/2011

Question
Dear Joe McSorley,

I am currently do a school project on religion and how it affects fear of death. I was wondering if you could be so kind as to answer my questions below:

1.   What happens to people after they die in the teachings of Buddha?

2.   If people are reincarnated over and over again, does that mean that their souls live forever?

3.    Can Buddhism help cope with the fear of death?

4.    Are people born with the fear of death, or do they learn it from their parents?

5.    When you are afraid of death, what are you actually afraid of?

Thank you for your consideration,
With the utmost respect,

-Zach

Answer
Hello Zach,
  I don’t normally answer homework questions but for some reason I am moved to answer yours.

1.    What happens to people after they die in the teachings of Buddha?

 It’s according to which school of Buddhism you follow.  Zen does not talk about death and asks that if you don’t know who it is that is alive then why are you concerned about death?  I don’t know that the Buddha ever said anything directly about death because there are so many things attributed to him that were not written down till hundreds of years after his death so they can’t be trusted to be authentic.  The Buddhist ideal of awakening is often described as ‘unborn/undying’.  This means to realize reality that is neither born nor dies, it is the universe as it is, ever creating and ever destroying. They are not separate from one another – living and dying.

2.    If people are reincarnated over and over again, does that mean that their souls live forever?

   This is not a Zen idea, you need to ask a Tibetan Buddhist or other school about this.  Buddhism teaches that the self is ultimately empty, meaning there is no essential substance to it, it is a composite of things.  From this standpoint it is hard to defend the idea of reincarnation.  What reincarnates if there is no self?

3.    Can Buddhism help cope with the fear of death?
   The samurais of ancient Japan studied Zen precisely to overcome the fear of death for they knew they could fight fully if they were not encumbered by fear.  Zen is often called the religion of the samurais but that is not true; it is the religion the samurais came to but is in no way attached or associated with the samurai ethic.
 To fully realize awakening is to completely overcome the fear of death.

4.    Are people born with the fear of death, or do they learn it from their parents?
   No baby fears death. Animals don’t ponder death.  If they did a squirrel would never cross the road for fear of getting squashed.  You need to be self-conscious to fear death.  This means that you are aware of yourself as being a person separate from the world. You are not only aware but you are aware that you are aware.  I know that’s a tough sentence but work on it.  An animal is, it does not know that it knows it is, it just is.  It does not compare itself to other animals; you need to be self conscious to do this.  A baby does not become embarrassed because it is not self conscious.  After it becomes self conscious then it does become embarrassed and will learn the fear of death.

5.    When you are afraid of death, what are you actually afraid of?

  And this is your best question, can you answer it? What does it mean to die?  What does it mean to be alive?  When someone wants to kill themselves what is it they want to kill?  This is the crux of Zen; who am I that was born, that fears death and will die?
   Philosophically speaking you are afraid of losing your sense of self, that you will no longer ‘be’ but we do this all the time, lose our sense of self.  People do it with drugs and alcohol and on roller coasters.  We let got to become ‘alive’ but to let go also means to die, to lose your sense of self.  It is the paradox of the human being that it loves to lose itself to pleasure but fears losing itself to death.
  
         I hope this helps you.  Take care,
                     Joe