Religious Studies 1022A/B Chapter 6: The Meaning of Life in Buddhism
14 Dec 2018
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Document Summary
Death is not the inevitable end in life - but human life is a continuous cycle of living and dying, which presumes that the goal is immortality. Living and dying are also not on two opposite ends, buddhism seeks liberation from this cycle and aims to reach a state of nirvana realized by liberating from the living-dying cycle. Human existence is distinct from that of other animals - and has no beginning or end. Buddhism does not view humans as being distinct from other animals, but as apart of an impermeance that involves a dimension of sentient beings that transcends human reasoning. Birth and death involves migrating through six realms and goes beyond humanism. The way to emancipation is through dharma. Life and death are not posed as two different entities and are interconnected. They are often removed from both life and death, while anxiety about death is not addressed.
