As Buddhism is a majority religion in Thailand, I grew up as an Theravada Buddhism. In the Buddha’s teaching, all of us will pass away sooner or later as a part in the natural process of birth, old-age and death and that we should always keep in mind the ephemeral of life. The life we wish to hold on.
Buddhists believe in life after death and this is an important motivation for us to be careful about our actions, speech, and thoughts in this life. Every action creates a new karma, this karma or action is created by our body, our speech or our mind and this action leaves an imprint on our mind which has the potential to develop as future happiness or future suffering, depends on the action was positive or negative. When people talk about karma in the sense of 'fate' they are referring to result of karma, not karma itself.
If we bring happiness to people, we will be happy. If we create suffering, we will experience suffering either in this life or in a future life.
This is called the Law of Karma. Karma law will lead the spirit of dead to be reborn. The place where rebirth takes place depends only on the last moment of consciousness in death, but this last moment is condition by actions and thoughts done when death is near. So the Buddhist tradition is to encourage dying persons by reminding them of good things they have done.
In Theravada Buddhism a person can be reborn in one of three level of existence: the world, the hells below, and the heavens above. Buddhists believe, none of these places are permanent and one does not remain in any place indefinitely. So we can say that in Buddhism, life does not end, merely goes on in other forms that are the result of accumulated karma.
The Buddha said of death:
Life is a journey.
Death is a return to earth.
The universe is like an inn.
The passing years are like dust.
Regard this phantom world
As a star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,
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