Diversity Q & A

What happens to people after they die?

Sujato

According to Buddhism, after our death we are reborn in another life.  This may be as a human again, or maybe as an animal, or in some other kind of realm.  We get born in these different realms because of our actions in this life.  If we do good, then we are reborn in a happy life.  If we do bad, we are reborn in suffering.  There are many stories of people who remember their past lives.  Sometimes children can remember living before in another home, with a different mother and father.  There are some amazing cases of children who found their former homes, and knew all the people there and could say exactly what happened in their former life.