Buddhism End Goals

One worry that afflicts almost all humans is the question of what happens when we die. Do we go somewhere? Meet someone? Come back? Burn? The majority of the world's religions have some sort of answer to these pressing questions. Depending on the religion’s answer to where we go when we die, there are different steps followers can take to head towards it. Each religion gives those following it some sort of end goal- something to achieve during this life to make the next step better. The end goals of Hinduism and Buddhism are very similar. Devotees want to escape the cycle of life, death, and rebirth known as samsara by achieving enlightenment. The Idiot's Guide to Hinduism explains that for Hinduism specifically, there is “a heavy emphasis on attaining freedom from the perceived world and on eliminating ties to the material plane of existence, eventually including one’s personal identity.” (Johnsen, 166) Buddhism had a large effect on Hinduism when it introduced the concept of reincarnation. It “placed an emphasis on individual spiritual development, the better to attain release from the cycle of birth and death.” (Johnsen, 170) Without the concept of reincarnation, there would be no cycle that one would need to escape from. Because of this adopted belief in

Sumbul Ali-Karamali states in The Muslim Next Door that “Heaven is the ultimate reward after death.” (48) While this is true, she also says that “Islam does not reserve heaven for Muslims only.” (48) Emily Schramm, a devout christian, explained a similar understanding of heaven in Christianity. She said that in her opinion, there exists a heaven that is the . In response to being specifically asked about those who have not been introduced to Christianity, and those who have not heard of Jesus, she stated that in her opinion, that does not mean that they are not going to