Life and Death

A comparison of resurrection in the Bible and the cycle of birth and death (生死輪廻) in Buddhist scriptures. We explore together the hope and wisdom both traditions offer at the boundary of life and death.

The Meaning of Death

Bible

τὰ γὰρ ὀψώνια τῆς ἁμαρτίας θάνατος, τὸ δὲ χάρισμα τοῦ θεοῦ ζωὴ αἰώνιος ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Sutra

不放逸為甘露路，放逸乃是死亡道，不放逸者不死，放逸者如屍

“Heedfulness is the path to the deathless; heedlessness is the path to death. The heedful do not die; the heedless are as if already dead.”

Comparison

Christianity sees death as the consequence of sin and speaks of overcoming it through redemption; Buddhism sees death as the natural outcome of a heedless life and speaks of transcending it through wakefulness. In the Bible, true death is separation from God; in Buddhism, true death is heedlessness — the loss of mindfulness. Both traditions speak of life and death on a dimension more essential than physical death.

Eternal Life

Bible

εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή· ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ κἂν ἀποθάνῃ ζήσεται, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ζῶν καὶ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

“Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?'”

Sutra

如來如實知見三界之相，無有生死，若退若出，亦無在世及滅度者

“The Tathagata sees clearly the nature of the three realms as they truly are. There is no birth or death, no going away or coming out, no being in the world or entering nirvana.”

Comparison

Jesus's 'I am the resurrection and the life' and the Lotus Sutra's 'there is no birth or death' both point to the dimension of life that has transcended birth and death. In Christianity, eternal life is given as a gift within the relationship of believing in Christ; in Buddhism, the Tathagata's life is the realm of enlightenment that transcends the distinction of birth and death. Both traditions declare that physical death is not the end of life, but Christianity reaches beyond it through personal relationship, while Buddhism reaches it through the insight of wisdom.

Beyond Death

Bible

ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ νῖκος; ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ κέντρον; τὸ δὲ κέντρον τοῦ θανάτου ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἡ δὲ δύναμις τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁ νόμος· τῷ δὲ θεῷ χάρις τῷ διδόντι ἡμῖν τὸ νῖκος διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Sutra

無老死，亦無老死盡，無苦集滅道，無智亦無得

“There is no old age and death, and no end to old age and death; there is no suffering, arising, cessation, or path; no wisdom and no attainment.”

Comparison

Paul's 'O death, where is your victory?' and the Heart Sutra's 'there is no old age and death' both deny the final authority of death. Christianity conquers death through the historical event of Christ's resurrection; Buddhism deconstructs the very dichotomy of birth and death through the insight of emptiness. The methods differ, but both traditions stand on the conviction that death does not have the final word and testify to freedom and peace beyond death.