Death and the Afterlife Flashcards
what is a soul?
- non-corporeal (not of body), spiritual component of an individual
- the term soul is usually reserved for the spirit that is connected to the body
- it is believed that the soul animates the body
- the soul may take on the personality of the individua OR the individual may take on the personality of the soul (or maybe a combination of both)
- life after death: souls have some sort of existence after death (at east for some duration of time)
souls and dreams
- during dream the soul leaves the body and travels through time and space
- it can meet with other souls, guides, or ancestral spirits
- it is believed that souls also leave the body during: comas, faints, trance states
- illness may be due to the soul leaving the body and getting lost (in healing, the Shaman will retrieve the soul for the victim)
Haitian Voodoo: the 3 spiritual components
1) met-tet: “Master of the head”
- this spirit may possess the individual
- identity is discovered through divination
2) ti-bonanj: “Little angle”
- this part of the soul makes up a persons consciousness and ego
- in death, ti-bonanj, stays near the body for some time and then goes to heaven
3) gwo-bonanj: Big angle”
- this part of the soul comes from ancestral spirts and returns after death
- it is part of Bondye, “high god”, and determines ones character and intelligence
- if a person lives a good life, the persons memory is kwpt for generations and their gwo-bonanj can be prayed to
Jivaro of Ecuador: three souls
1) Nekas
- born with this soul
- this souls is the life force
2) aruntam
- acquired in a vison
- worldview: this world isn’t real, only the spiritual world is real
- function: the aruntam gives a person power, intelligence, and self confidence and the ability to see and enter between worlds
3) Miusak
- the avenging souls
- if a person is killed, the Miusak will avenge the death
- this worldview gives rise to headhunting, because it is believed that the miusak resides in the head
souls: mystical Islam (Ruh and Nafs)
- Ruh is used to describe the soul when it is not connected to the body
- Nafs is used to describe the soul when it is connected to the body
- all souls originate from the spiritual world
- the souls is the feminine principle between body and spirit
- the soul undertakes a quest for transformation to realize itself (humans have the ability to elevate their souls in this world)
Souls: mystical Islam
three main stages
1) Nafs-i-ammarah (the inciting soul_
- the lower self relies on basic instincts and is selfish in nature (primitive/animalistic/ego)
- one is meant to make Jihad, struggle, against this soul
2) Nafs-i-Lawwamah (the self accusing soul)
- the souls starts to become self aware and strives to become disciplined
- realizes this world is an illusion
3) Nafs -I-Muta’Innah (the soul that is at peace)
- the surrendered soul; the disciplined soul
- nonattachment
- reintegrated with the spirit (the divine intellect)
souls and death
- belief in some concept of the soul appears to be a human universal
- the soul is eternal in at least some capacity
- life after death: whats the destination
souls and death: the Yup’ik (western Alaska)
- belief that when a community member dies, they await to be reborn within the community (reincarnation)
- the newborn is often given the name of the recently deceased
- animals also have immoral souls
- when one kills a seal for food, the community keeps that deal bladder (they believe the seal soul retracts to the bladder after death)
- the collect all bladders from the year, inflate them, and hang them throughout a five day festival
- they return the bladders to the water to be reborn
souls and death: Hinduism
- reincarnation: a belief in an immortal, eternal souls that is born again and again in different bodies (including animals)
- the soul remains the same through these migrations
- personality remains the same
- reincarnation is linked to Karma, which is the consequences of ones thoughts, emotions, and behaviour
- one acquires both good and bad karma throughout lifetimes
- must rid ones self of the bad karma in this life to not have to pay for it in the next life
- goal is to escape Samsara (cycle of both, death, rebirth) and achieve Moksha (liberation from time, space, and matter)
- individuals require multiple lifetimes to achieve Moksha
souls and death: Buddhism
- like Hindus, Buddhists believe in reincarnation BUT: do not believe in an immortal souls and don’t believe in a conscious personality that continues on
- Karma in Buddhism is passed on during reincarnation, not ones personality (however, ones karma influences one personality)
- the self (or soul) is a combination of 5 mental and physical aggregates (which are responsible for personality:
1) the physical body
2) feelings
3) understandings
4) will
5) consciousness - the self is in a constant state of flux and is caught up in Samsara
- one can be reborn in this world or in other planes of existence
ancestors
- deceased family member who has a continued existence and the potential to impact the lives of his or her living descendants
- ancestors are respected and attended to but nit really worshipped
- kinship remains important even after death
- ancestors may act as moral authorities, punishing family for misbehavior
- not all souls becomes ancestors in this context
- in patriarchal societies only men of high influence become ancestors
- same is true for societies where women are elders or Shaman
bodies and souks: ghosts
ghost: the soul of an individual that died, which stays near the community
- unlike the soul, that is in essence good, a ghost is bad
- souls are meant to go the their final destination but when they don’t they become ghosts (death rites)
- ghosts are seen to bring illness and misfortune
ghosts: Bunyoro (west Uganda)
- ghosts are one cause if illness (sorcery and spirit activity are other causes)
- seek a diviner to determine cause of illness
- ghosts can only be seen in dreams
- techniques to catch, destroy, and remove ghost from community
- belief in ghosts reinforces good behaviour
death rituals
- death rituals or funerals are important rites of passage where on moves from the status of living to deceased
- death rites function to serve those who are grieving, allowing them to channel emotional behaviour and mourn the individual
- funerals also provide explanation for death and what happens after death
- death rites help the soul of the deceased t go to their next destination
funeral rituals: disposal of the body
- disposal of the body is an important aspect of the funeral ritual
- cultures vary in their disposal method, which is shaped by belief and worldview
- time is an important part of the ritual
- different methods include:
1. burial
2. cremation
3. mummification
4. exposure
