Hopefully not a GD.
But why is it that Western and Eastern religions have such opposite views of reincarnation?
I know many people who believe (or hope for) reincarnation, and they all see it as great fun. Get to keep living life over and over again, whee!
But in Eastern traditions, life is suffering and torment and being stuck in samsara sucks. Buddhists want nothing more than to escape this endless cycle of rebirth.
Any idea how these views came about?
Many hypotheses, here’s my favorite: eastern acceptance of their miserable lot in life, with authorities enforcing the status quo by telling them if they work hard, suffer sufficiently, in the next life they’ll be born into a life with more advantages, while if they rebel, they come back as worms. Meanwhile western civilization has focused more on individuality and each person’s ability to better his own life. If you keep improving your self and life, you don’t want to die, cuz in 500 years or so your life will be really great! westerners had this outlook also, during the middle ages, when serfdom was popular. Then you obeyed god and your lord, and got to go to heaven when you died.
Tom Robbins, the novelist, explored this question in his book “Jitterbug Perfume”
Speak for yorself, Toad!
Easy… Who wouldn’t want to spend eternity in California… Eternity in CT? fuck, I don’t think so.
oh… you meant the other kind of westerners and easterners.
Well. For western religion, once your life is over, it’s over. done. For eastern, you continue it again. What’s the point in living forever? you’ll get hundreds of chances to do your life over again, plus you get to constantly relive your youth.
ALthough, It should be pointed ot that there are many westerners who do not want to live forever, and many easterners who do.
Such as the many Chinese emperors who tried to find ways for immortality.
Actually, many Japanese do want to live forever, but the Health Ministry won’t let them.
Product Helps Diabetics, but Not Here
Sorry, just read it this morning and had to vent.
–sublight
Actually, Taoists believe that through meditation and by changing their lives to become more simple the can live incredibly long lives, almost infinate. (there’s also no really definate after life in the Taoist philosophy, so living as long as you can is a bit of a bonus)
Upham
Certainly Alex Chiu will help you become immortal!
::D&R::
damn you, smileys.
::D&R::