Buddhists classify these beliefs in two ways. The first belief that there is life after death is contingent on belief in something that continues on indefinitely once the body dies (a soul or spirit) this belief is referred to as "eternalism". The second view that there is nothing that continues after the death of the body but that for the duration of the body there is a continuous self or identity is referred to as "nihilism". The Buddha considered both of these as "wrong view".
According to the Buddhist view, the self (soul or identity), is a transient phenomena that is initiated and conditioned by circumstances (past and present). The arising , decay and death of conditioned "selves" is a phenomena that occurs an uncountable number of times within the span of a lifetime (from birth to death of the body). The self always arises on account of a perception of dissatisfaction of the current situation. In other words, when, through a perception gained through the six senses (thought is considered a sense) an object that initiates an attraction or revulsion is encountered, the "self" arises and begins to either crave to interact with the object (like craving a nice hot cheeseburger) or crave to escape the object (like escaping the foul smell no one will own up to in an elevator). Whatever the particular stimulus happens to be conditions how we react and what action the self formulates. Inherent in every instance of this process is suffering as the presence of an arisen self is also evidence of dissatisfaction.
These arising, ageing and dieing selves are all unique according to the conditioning circumstance, once the self of that circumstance has passed, it's gone. The self arisen in me, at this moment, that is created based on it's attraction to a buddhist conception of the phenomena of identity and desires to share it, will die very soon. Perhaps it will cling in pride to it's understanding ( and reread this post) but either way it has to die soon and very shortly another perception will condition the arising of another dissatisfied, clinging, craving, temporary self.
The aim of a Buddhist monk is to gain insight into this process so that it can be interrupted and the birth of a self preempted since the process is only initiated in conditions considered unsatisfactory/suffering (dukkha). When everything is absolutely perfect there is no need to act in any way to change it , right? Thus, no need for a self to arise to identify and make changes.
So , really, since the self writing this post will die long before the body dies, why would it be concerned with what happens to some future self at death?
:laughing::lolsign::nana:
