What Continues After Death?

Does a ‘me’ or a ‘self’ or a ‘soul’ continue after death? Yes. Just as there has been a ‘me’ throughout your life, there is a ‘me’ that continues after death. The ‘me’ I was yesterday continues to be the ‘me’ I am today; the ‘me’ I was last year continues to be the ‘me’ I am this year.

And the ‘me’ I am today will continue to be ‘me’ after I die. 

This ‘me’ is not like the religious concept of a soul that is spoken of in the Abrahamic religions, it is merely an imputed idea. In other words, ‘me’ is an illusion. But don’t despise ‘me’ just because it is an illusion. All our illusions are very powerful and the ‘me’ illusion is the strongest of all.

The Oxford English Dictionary tells us that the Abrahamic religions think of the soul as “the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal”. These religions also believe that animals and other living beings have a different kind of soul to human beings. Buddhists, on the other hand, believe in continuity. We believe that our idea of a ‘me’ or a ‘self ’ will continue after death and into a new life. But, of course, we must also remember that the concept of ‘continuity’ is a relative truth, and like all relative truths, was arrived at by a deceptive mind.

If I strike a match to light a white candle, and then use that candle to light a blue candle, is the same flame burning on both the white and blue candle? Yes and no. And ‘yes and no’ can be applied to all relative truths. If you were to ask, is today’s ‘you’ the same as tomorrow’s ‘you’, the answer would be yes and no, because there is a continuation but only on the relative level. 

The only time a ‘me’ or ‘self’ will not continue into a new life is when we get enlightened. Once we are enlightened, the idea of a ‘self’ is no longer perpetuated and neither is the idea of ‘time’. For the enlightened, there is, therefore, no such thing as continuity or reincarnation.

Basically, the mind continues after the body dies.

Choten Tshering - Tibetan Buddhism Community