Wisdom Quarterly (ANTI-DEATH PENALTY BUDDHISTS); Associated Press (ap.org)
The Latest: Appeals court delays execution at least an hour
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The latest on Arkansas' efforts to carry out [an unprecedented number of] executions before the end of April (all times local): 7:00 pm A federal appeals court has delayed an Arkansas inmate's execution for at least an hour to review his request to stop his lethal injection scheduled for tonight (Thursday, 4/20/17).
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| We'll all be guilty of murder when state kills |
Buddhism and Death
Maurice O’Connor Walshe (Wheel #261, rev. 2nd ed., BPS.lk) first published as Sangha Guide No. 3 by the English Sangha Trust, Dhammapadìpa, London ATI edition; edited by Wisdom Quarterly
Maurice O’Connor Walshe (Wheel #261, rev. 2nd ed., BPS.lk) first published as Sangha Guide No. 3 by the English Sangha Trust, Dhammapadìpa, London ATI edition; edited by Wisdom Quarterly
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| What does Buddhism have to say about death? British Buddhist scholar Walshe explains. |
The Traditional Christian View
This
asserts that humans have an immortal soul, created by God.
After death a human will, in some shape or form,
receive the reward or punishment for deeds on earth....
The Modern Secular View
According
to this view, which usually claims to be “scientific,” a human is just
another animal and, like the animals in the Christian view,
simply perishes totally at physical death....
The Buddhist Attitude
...The Buddhist attitude to both of these types of view is that they are extremes, neither of which is in fact true.
The first type of view is called in Buddhism “the heresy [teaching or wrong view] of eternalism” (sassataváda), while the second is called “the heresy of annihilationism” (ucchedaváda). They both in fact miss the point.
What actually happens according to Buddhism can only be clearly understood if we have some acquaintance with the Buddhist view of the general nature of humans.
But before considering this (as far as it is relevant to our subject), it may be as well to observe how the Buddhist view can be misinterpreted:
If we say, for instance, that in the Buddhist view human are not distinguished from by the possession of an “immortal soul,” then this looks very much like the Modern Secular position.
If, on the other hand, it is pointed out that according to Buddhism we reap the "rewards and penalties," after death, for our actions (karma) in this life, then this looks rather like the Traditional Christian view. If both propositions are stated to be correct, the result looks like a contradiction, though in fact it... More
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