On Life and The Afterlife:
An examination and comparison of various mythologies and philosophies. The source for this paper was Kishlansky, Sources of World History, vol. I, but I do not have the date or publisher at this time because I did not keep the book.
The afterlife is a mysterious subject and while Christians and Egyptians talk about an afterlife the Buddhist and Confucians say very little about it. However, they do share common values concerning life and the best way to live it so that one can move to a higher level of existence. These similar morals and ideas hold human society together, while the idea of an afterlife, such as Nirvana or Heaven, gives people a goal to move beyond this existence.
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (p. 36) shares a common link with other societies concerning its values of not doing harm to others. These values relate to Confucius's saying 'Let there be no evil in your thoughts' (Analects, p. 83), Buddha's 'By the practice of loving kindness I have attained liberation of heart, and thus I am assured that I shall never return in renewed births. I have attained Nirvana" (The Buddha: Sermons and Teachings, 76), and Jesus' saying of 'Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven…' (Sermon on the Mount, 120). The Egyptian values of not committing evil against men, animals, or the gods is to attain a higher plain of existence after death and approval of the gods, just as Buddha speaks of Nirvana and Jesus of Heaven. They believed that if one did not treat what is on Earth with respect and kindness they could not reach the afterlife.
Likewise, Confucius believed that if one treated others with respect then they could die with content (85). The way for Confucius was to show kindness and respect for others, 'for without Goodness a man cannot for long endure adversity, cannot for long enjoy prosperity' (85). No one seems to be content with life when they try to demean others in order to attain a goal nor do they keep what they attain very long if it is acquire by unjust means. In today's society the living go to jail for stealing and as for the afterlife, even Christians today believe the person who sins will receive judgement by God, thus do not enter the kingdom of Heaven. No one can die contented if they know they have done wrong in life.
This adversity thought carries over in "The Sermon on the Mount" when Jesus says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (119). Those who do good things are sometimes criticized for their good deeds, yet by doing what is right they will eventually reach a goal that gives them contentment, in this case Heaven.
The word 'content' in Confucius' saying, "In the morning, hear the Way; in the evening, die content!" (85), could for some people be Heaven or even Nirvana. For some contentment in the afterlife is Heaven and for others it is Nirvana, but the goal for most societies is to die with contentment regardless of what happens after they die. As for how most cultures acquire this is generally through good works and deeds such as not killing, stealing, or coveting. The Egyptians mentioned these things in 'The Protestation of Guiltlessness' (The Book of the Dead, 37), Jesus when he mentions the Ten commandments in his Sermon on the Mount (120), and Buddha when he discussed anger, bigotry, and evil intentions (The Buddha: Sermons and Teachings, 75). However, to die content has different meanings for different people. For Christians it is entering 'the Pearly Gates of Heaven', for the Egyptians it was well-being in the afterlife, and for Buddha it was Nirvana.
Nirvana is not the same as Heaven, but to Buddhist it is a different plane of existence, just as well-being in the afterlife was for the Egyptians. In The Buddha: Sermons and Teachings, "Nirvana is cognizable by mind; an ariyan-disciple, faring along rightly with a mind that is purified, lofty, straight, without obstructions, without temporal desires, sees Nirvana" (77). Just as in other cultures, Nirvana is attained by doing what is right, yet like Heaven it can not be seen in this existence. It is another realm just as the afterlife was to the Egyptians and Heaven is to the Christians. Like Heaven, it can not be shown or seen in this dimension, but can be comprehended by way of examples, such as the wind: "If, sire, it is not possible for the wind to be shown, well then, there is no wind." "I, revered Nagasena, know that there is wind, I am convinced of it, but I am not able to show wind." "Even so, sire, there is Nirvana; but it is not possible to show Nirvana by colour or configuration." "Very good, revered Nagasena, well shown is the simile, well seen the reason; thus it is and I accept it as you say: There is Nirvana" (78). It is possible to describe Heaven in similar terms, for one can not fly into the sky or space and get there because it is not in this dimension and like the wind it can not be seen. Both Christians and Buddhist know there is more beyond this existence and the only way to move beyond this existence is to 'Let there be no evil in your thoughts' (Analects, 83) and respect to other people.
So, just as the Egyptians prepared for judgement by the gods in the afterlife by not doing evil, other cultures prepare similarly by doing works. They knew there was something beyond their comprehension after death just as Buddha and others did and did their best to prepare for it. These ideas contributed to human existence by giving people a goal and something to hope for beyond this life. Humans have a need to strive for more than what is in this existence. Most societies want to believe there is more to life than just what they can see and in order to survive there has to be respect for others. Without morals and hope for more than what is in this life, societies could not survive and people strive to be more other species.
In the Analects it states, "The master said, 'Filial sons' nowadays are people who see to it that their parents get enough to eat. But even dogs and horses are cared to that extent. If there is no feeling of respect, wherein lies the difference?" (Confucius: Analects, 85) Therefore in order to strive to be more than other species societies have laws pertaining to murder, mistreatment of others, and violence. Religions developed not just to appease a deity, but for stability of a society, to teach respect for others and for a higher power.
These teachings are common among various societies. They are goals for living life and achieving something beyond this existence be it Heaven, Nirvana, or contentment after one dies. Every society strives for more beyond this existence. Morals, values, and goals hold humanity together while giving them an external reward so that they can exist and thrive.