Where the dead goes when they die

Where does the deceased go after they face death? Sure, we bury them or cremate our departed loved ones--that’s already given. But what really happens beyond after they received their death care service and we bid our last goodbyes? Is there really an afterlife?

The truth is no one really knows. The stories we hear about where the dead goes after they die are mostly based on mixtures of religious doctrines, myths, and folklores. And because Filipinos have different culture influences, we also have different outlooks on what happens to the dead when they shake hands with death.

The dead goes to heaven… or hell

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The Philippines had been a colony of Spain for over 300 years and the Christian doctrines they have passed unto our ancestors have been so much embedded in our culture and one of these teachings is about the afterlife. Eternal life is one of the promises of following the Christian teachings. According to the Catholic Church, a person will be evaluated on how he acted upon the teachings during his time on Earth and depending on this if he will reach heaven where he will experience eternal bliss or they will be sent to hell to atone for their sins. There are other variations of this belief wherein the existence of purgatory enters the picture but nonetheless they share the same idea that the dead goes to heaven or hell after receiving their death care service on Earth.

The dead goes to the land of the dead

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Long before other foreign countries has invaded the Philippines, archeological evidence has proven that they already have rites for the dead and concept of the afterlife. The first Filipinos enclosed their loved ones into ornamented jars that are similar to those that they use in making rice wine. This closely resembles how ancient Egyptians give death care to their loved ones. The condition and designs on these jars reflect how much they care for the dead. Some are even unearthed from the ground and discovered to be covered with plates or bowls in their mouth. Not much is known about how and why the first Filipinos did this, but it is strongly associated with the belief of the afterlife and whatever is placed alongside the bodies serve as their food to their journey to the afterlife.

The dead goes back to life as a different being

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No. We’re not talking about zombies here but the Buddhist belief of reincarnation. Though our Chinese influence isn’t as strong when it comes to religion compared to our Spanish influences, there are still some who believes in the concept of reincarnation. There are also variations of this belief. One of the most popular is the Tibetan view wherein after death the dead is presented with visions of his past life and is allowed to observe the world but cannot interact with it. If the dead feels sad, lonely, or afraid about his observations then he will be reincarnated.


Nothing is really certain about where the dead truly goes after their time on earth is up. Whether there is really life after death or none, no one can really tell. But these beliefs can show us how people, across any culture, values life and death that even during the final rites of their loved one’s death care service, they still cling that they are out there getting what they deserve.







Sources: 

• http://reviewphilippines.blogspot.com/2008/07/burial-and-afterlife-belief.html
• http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/afterlife
• http://www.sptimmortalityproject.com/background/buddhist-views-of-the-afterlife/