Most souls, however, will fail to do this. They will be pulled down by the weight of their karma into the second stage of the first bardo, called the Secondary Clear Light seen immediately after death.At this point, there are separate instructions to be read according to the spiritual condition of the person while in life. For an individual advanced in meditation and other spiritual practices, there is repeated over and over the same instructions as at the moment of death, enjoining him to recognize himself as the Dharmakaya.For a person who was still at a student-level on the spiritual path, there is the injunction for him to meditate on his "tutelary deity", that is, the particular god for whom he performed devotional practices while alive. Finally,"if the deceased be of the common folk", unpracticed in any spiritual disciplines, the instruction is to "meditate upon the Great Compassionate Lord", which is to say an "Avatar" worshipped by the multitude, equivalent to Jesus as conceived by the average Christian.

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King Atom, if you want others to respect your beliefs you should respect others as well.

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Besides the fact that I shouldn't have to respect other people's beliefs, simply because they are wrong, I do very much honor the fact that other people are entitled to think as the choose. Now, I disagree that this freedom should exist because that only encourages liberal ideals and crazy theories about monkeys turning into people, but what are we going to do, have a society full of lobotomized Epsilon semi-morons?
But that is beyond the point. You can't expect me to agree that you may be right, because part of accepting one religion involves the rejection of all others. Yes, I will try my very best to make you think what I think, because I know that you are wrong. But in the end, won't you be trying your very best to do the same to me?
But if anyone is familiar with Federalist Papers Article 51, ambitions will counteract ambitions. This is what gives us religious freedom in the first place. So if there is no such debating and arguing, the value of this freedom will be lost more and more. As it has been over the years. Christianity is becoming marked as obsolete, idiotic, and confusing merely because people aren't willing enough to fight for it any more!
So I would gladly see that no one fights for their religious rights except us Christians, but despite all of that, I know that brainbomb is just posting these things to mock Mujus, myself, and all the other Christians on this site.
And so, greysoni, I issue an apology to all people religiously offended, but please, do take it cum grano salis!

Thats fine, you dont have to agree with me? this article wasnt written for you anyways, nor was it to mock anyone. I merely wanted my beliefs to have a relevant place in the overall debate as well.
Now your literally doing the very thing to me that you claim i'm doing to you...how...Christian.

Might I add that there are religions with more ancient roots than Christianity being practiced throughout the world? Perhaps informing yourself about religions which have become obsolete, and which religions are actually guilty of persecution would help you. Calling me a "retard" for a beleif in the afterlife is a fascinating argument too...what kind of Christianity mocks the idea of an afterlife??

The Second Bardo
If the soul is still not liberated at this stage, it will descend into the second bardo, which is said to last for two weeks. The second bardo is also divided into two parts; in the first, the soul of the deceased encounters what are referred to as "the Peaceful Deities."On each of the seven days, a particular Buddha-being will appear in radiance and glory, with a bevy of angelic attendants. At the same time, on each day in turn there will shine a light from one of the six worlds of the Buddhist universe, called"Lokas" (the basic meaning is "place";our English words "location" and "locale" are derived from the same Sanskrit root).

@brainbomb - Ignore the moron. KA's a kid who is brainwashed by his parents religious views and will someday learn that respect doesn't mean he has to agree, just that he has to not be an fucking asshole when he does disagree.

While I'm not Buddhist, I have the utmost and profound respect for both Buddhism and Hinduism. Religions of peace are *always* deserving of respect that religions whose history involve some pretty extreme violence (yes, Christianity and Islam are included in that later list) don't deserve.

Buddhism is the one religion I know that considers it bad to criticize any other religion for they don't consider themselves exclusive holders of truth.

there is faith and idiot faith (or blind faith). Those the practice the first have enough room in their heart for everybody the second only has room for themselves.

"Besides the fact that I shouldn't have to respect other people's beliefs, simply because they are wrong, I do very much honor the fact that other people are entitled to think as the choose. Now, I disagree that this freedom should exist because that only encourages liberal ideals and crazy theories about monkeys turning into people"

Can't tell if you're being serious or just trolling.

From what I understand the Buddhist faith allows afterlife for any Religion's deity so long as devotion was to this, "tutelary deity", (that is, the particular god for whom he performed devotional practices while alive). Thats pretty welcoming

Yes but even gods are subject to the cycle of life and death (reincarnation) though their life in the God realms is immeasurably long. It is written that a God becomes aware of his departure from the God realms (the accumulation of merit that placed him there eventually becomes exhausted) before it happens and it is the most painful disappointment of all.

greysoni, "Buddhism is the one religion I know that considers it bad to criticize any other religion for they don't consider themselves exclusive holders of truth."

Actually, Abrahamitic religions are the odd ones out, not Buddhism. Syncretism is pretty common globally. Hinduism can easily integrate other forms of worship. Chinese classical religion can mix Confucianism with Buddhism and Taoism, and a person can identify with more than one faith. Animist and shamanic faiths have also done so throughout history, for example by worshiping the God of the Christian/Muslim missionaries while still holding on to the previous view of nature as animate, or rituals for divination/ancestor worship/totemism etc.

When asked if he was a Hindu, Gandhi answered "Yes I am, I am also a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist, and a Jew."

I'm glad to see some Buddhism here. It has the same right to be shared here as Christian ideas. Especially Tibetan Buddhism is fascinating. Yes, these threads are probably a reaction to the Christian threads, but that doesn't mean that they are merely here to provoke. And KA is either trolling or not worth your time.

Sorry neglected those....