Facts About Afterlife That Will Make You Think About Our Lives

The Afterlife is also called life after death.

It is a belief in many cultures and religions worldwide that the stream of consciousness or the identity of an individual carries on after the death of the living physical body. There are various ideas about life after death.

Some believe that the crucial aspect of the individual lives on after death in the form of some partial element. Some believe that it is the entire spirit or soul that lives on. This spirit or soul can contain personal identity, or it might not, as said in Buddhist nirvana. In some cultures, eternal life exists in a spiritual realm. At the same time, in other views, the individual is reborn in the living world and starts the life cycle again. These individuals have no recollection or memory of their past lives. These deaths and rebirths can occur again until the person gets access to a spiritual realm or Otherworld.

State Of The Dead In The Afterlife

Egyptians made pyramids in the ancient past to assist the souls of their leaders into a life beyond the grave. There also is news that tribes in Papua New Guinea have mummified their dead family members and put them on a ledge so that their spirits can look over the village. There is a belief in the Hindu and Buddhist communities that after death, an individual is reincarnated as a human, an animal, or a spirit that continues to live in this world and continues the journey.

There are a lot of Christian communities that believe that after death, the soul continues to live on in Heaven or Hell. Some Christians also say that death can be compared to sleep, where the individual doesn't understand the truth until the resurrection happens at the second coming of Christ.

Hellenistic Beliefs

Afterlife was very important to the Ancient Egyptians. They thought that if they behaved in a specific way, they would travel to the afterlife. They also believed that they might be sent to the Underworld forever if they misbehaved or did wrong deeds.

Ancient Egyptians believed that the body parts of a person as a whole decide where the individual is going when they die. The person's body is considered the Akh. Akh is their physical body with arms, legs, head, skin, bones, and other body parts.

The body consists of five parts: the Ab, Ren, Ba, Shadow, and Ka.

The Ren is known to be the individual's name. It is, however, not their original name. When an individual dies, the Ancient Egyptians thought that the individual is given a secret name. The Ren is part of the afterlife, and if an individual wants to go to the afterlife, they must possess this secret name. This name is important in life after death as the individual must get their name written on Earth to make it to the afterlife. Due to Ren, grave robbing is a heinous crime. A grave robber might mess up the name, diminishing the chances of that individual going to the afterlife.

The Ab is known to be the individual's heart. The heart is in the middle of everything and is a part of the body that makes the individual who they are. The Ab is the most intelligent part of the individual. The heart is known to be the most crucial part of an individual as it is the only part of the individual's body that knows good from bad. It is essential for the individual who wants to go to the afterlife and the Land of the Two Fields to know what good deeds are. The Ab helps in this.

The Ba is known to be part of the individual's body which is their personality. The Ba is the part that makes people cry, laugh, emotional, and cooperative. The Ba is shown as a bird with a head of a human, as the Ancient Egyptians believed a bird flies between the worlds like the Ba does after the individual's death.

The Ka is known to be the part of the body representing part of the soul. The Ka is the protector of the soul and helps the individual make good decisions. The Ka is shown by a small person with a big person standing next to each other. The Ka assists the individual in making better decisions. This is why the big person is standing beside the little person.

Every individual is known to have a shadow. The Ancient Egyptians thought that this shadow was present to protect the individual. When sunrays fall on the body, the sun god protects the body and stops evil spirits from attacking the individual. The shadow is known to help people make the right choices and prevent them from making bad ones while on earth.

Ancient Egyptians believed life was meaningful on Earth as it was necessary for the Afterlife. Egyptians thought that in the Afterlife, a place known as the Land of the Two Fields exists. This place was full of happiness and joy. This is the place where the Egyptians thought that they would meet their loved ones and be united again.

To go to this Land of Two Fields, an individual must die and go to the Underworld. After death, the individual would be judged in the Underworld. The God Osiris would open the gates to the afterlife. If the individual's soul had a light heart, they would ride on the sails of God Ra and travel to the new land. If the individual had a heavy heart, the ship of Ra would sink, and the soul would be trapped in the Underworld. The Egyptians believed that after the death of an individual, the God Maat weighed their heart and decided where the soul would go next.

Afterlife: Exists Or not

The main views of the afterlife have been derived from esotericism, religion, and metaphysics. Many belief systems say that the dead travel to a specific plane of existence after dying based on their actions and beliefs during life. This plane of existence is determined by God or other divine judgment. This is prominent in Abrahamic traditions.

In Indian religions, the systems of reincarnation are different. The actions of the person in the ended life determine the continued existence. The decision of any divine judgment does not determine the person's existence.

Some people do not believe that there is an afterlife. They believe that an individual ceases to exist after death. Atheism is based on this and is the refusal of the existence of an afterlife and God.

FAQs

According to the Egyptians, what does a person have to do to make it to the afterlife?
The Egyptians believed that after death, the individual had to navigate a dangerous journey and get judged before entering heaven.

How long can people hear after death?
It is believed that a person can hear after death for a minute or two. They still retain the sense of hearing for some time after death.

How long is the end of life?
It is said that people approach the end of life when they would live for 12 months or less.

What is reincarnation?
Reincarnation is being reborn with the same soul. Reincarnation can be of any form.