What Happens After Death?

What Happens After Death? May 27, 2009

My interest in this question resurfaced during my holiday re-reading of Mark Rowe’s article, “Where the Action Is: Sites of Contemporary Soto Buddhism (Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 31/2 2004). Provoked by this article, I’m wondering again how “Soto” American Soto Zen really is. More on that in a moment.


First, Rowe’s done some good work here but his title is misleading. The “action” is about so-called funeral Buddhism (a huge issue in Japan) and its effects on Soto Zen. 90% of Soto temples report that they depend on funerals and the 33-yearly follow-up memorial services for their support. Meanwhile, only 30% of the monks believe what is said in the services about what happens to the dead. That kind of disconnect must create some outflows.


But here’s the part that struck me the most. When asked what happens to a person after death, Japanese Soto priest’s responses were as follows (they could pick more than one response):

– the deceased becomes enlightened as a child of the Buddha (46%)

– the deceased goes to a Buddhist land (maybe meaning “realm”) (45%)

– the deceased goes to a Pure Land paradise (30%)

– the deceased goes to another world (23%)

– the deceased goes to a temple or grave (3%)

– the deceased goes to the oceans or mountains (1%)

– don’t deal with spirits at all (8%)


I’ve talked at some length about deep belief in karma and rebirth in Keep Me In Your Heart Awhile. In short, I could say I’m a nuanced agnostic. I suspect that 90% of American Soto Zen priests and practitioners are closest to the last category: “don’t deal with spirits at all.”


And that’s what has me wondering about Soto in Japan and America. An 80% gap around the explanation for what comes next is kinda big for folks all wearing the same style of robes, it seems to me. Granted, whatever happens after death isn’t as BIG a thing in Zen as it is in other religions. And such a diversity in views could be a healthy thing.

After all, completely forgetting the self is no easy matter.

Capping Phrase
“Just do good, don’t worry about the road ahead.”
– Wansong

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