Ngaba Kukho Ubomi Emva Kokufa?
“Kukho ithemba nangomthi. Ukuba ugawulwe, uyaphinda ukhule kwakhona . . . Ukuba umntu uyafa ngaba angaphila kwakhona?”—UMOSES, UMPROFETI WAMANDULO.
KWENYE indlu yabangcwabi kwiSixeko saseNew York, abahlobo nentsapho babethe nxokotho ngakwibhokisi evuliweyo. Babewuthe ntshoo loo mzinjana wenkwenkwe eneminyaka eli-17 ubudala. Abahlobo eyayifunda nabo esikolweni babengasayazi. Unyango lomhlaza lwaluzinqunqe zaphela iinwele zayo; umhlaza wawuyitsho yabhitya yaluswazi. Ngaba ngokwenene ngumhlobo wabo lo? Kwiinyanga ezimbalwa ngaphambilana, wayenamabhongo, enemibuzo, yaye esisiquququ—engumqabaqaba! Umama wale nkwenkwe otyumk’ intliziyo uzam’ ukuzixolisa ngelithi unyana wakhe usaphila ngandlel’ ithile. Eyingxididi ziinyembezi wayelilisela ngento awayeyifundisiwe esithi: “UTommy wonwabile ngoku. UThixo umbizele kuye uTommy ezulwini.”
2 EJamnagar, eIndiya, kwiikhilomitha ezinokuba li-11 000 ukusuka apho, oonyana abathathu bosomashishini oneminyaka engama-58 ubudala babebambisene ngomzimba kayise bewubeka kwiziko lokutshisa izidumbu. Ekuhambeni kwentsasa xa ilanga ligqatse kuhle, inkulu yalapho iqalisa isiko lokutshisa umzimba ngokuntumeka umlilo ize igalele isiqholo esixutywe nesiqhumiso kweso sidumbu sikayise. Ukunqanqaza kwaloo mlilo kugqunyelelwa yintsholo yentsapho yamaBrahman icengceleza umthandazo ngesiSanskrit othi: “Ngamana umphefumlo wakho ongafiyo ungaya kumanyaniswa nengweletshetshe.”
3 Njengokuba la magatyana ayebukele loo mzimba usitsha, ngamnye uyazibuz’ engqondweni ukuba, ‘Ngaba ndiyakholwa ukuba kukho ubomi emva kokufa?’ Ekubeni babesele imfundo kwiindawo ngeendawo zehlabathi, baziphendula ngeendlela ezahlukeneyo. Oligqibelo yena wayekholelwa kukuba uyise amthandayo wayeza kuphila komnye umzimba ekwisikhundla esiphezulu. Ophakathi ukholelwa ukuba abafi ngandlel’ ithile balele, abazi nto kwaphela. Inkulu yona izama ukukwamkela ukufa, kuba yona icinga ukuba akukho mntu waziyo ukuba kwenzeka ntoni kuthi xa sisifa.
Umbuzo Omnye Oneempendulo Ezininzi
4 Ngaba kukho ubomi emva kokufa? lowo ngumbuzo oshiye iingqondo zibethana kangangezigidi zeminyaka. UHans Küng, umphengululi ongumKatolika wathi: “Kwanoomakhwekhwetha kwezakwalizwi babik’ imbiba babik’ ibuzi xa bebuzwa ngalo mba.” Njengokuba iminyaka ihamba, abantu beendidi zonke baye bawuhlafunisisa lo mbandela, yaye bawuphendula ngeendlela ezininzi.
5 Abaninzi abathi bangamaKristu bakholelwa kwizulu nesihogo. AmaHindu wona, akholelwa ekuveleni ngokutsha. Ephefumla ngembono yamaSilamsi, uAmir Muawiyah, igosa kwinkonzo yamaSilamsi, uthi: “Sikholelwa kwelokuba kuza kubakho imini yomgwebo emva kokufa, apho uza kuya kuma phambi kukaThixo, uAllah, nto leyo eya kufana nqwa nokuma enkundleni.” Ngokwenkolelo yamaSilamsi, uAllah uya kubuhlolisisa ngelo xesha ubomi bomntu ngamnye aze akuthumele eparadesi okanye esihogweni.
6 ESri Lanka, amaBhuda namaKatolika ahlala ezivule ng’a iifestile neengcango azishiye zithe genge xa kukho umntu ofileyo ekhayeni. Kukhanyiswa ngofinyafuthi, yaye ibhokisi ibekwa ezinyaweni zikamfi ijongiswe ngasemnyango wangaphambili. Bakholelwa ukuba benzela umoya, okanye umphefumlo kamfi, uphume kakuhle endlwini.
7 URonald M. Berndt weUniversity of Western Australia, uthi iiNzalelwane zaseOstreliya zikholelwa kwelokuba “abantu banomoya ongenakutshatyalaliswa.” Izizwe ezithile zaseAfrika zikholelwa kwelokuba amakhatshakhowana nje abantu aba zizithunzela xa befile, ngoxa oosomaqhuzu besiba zizinyanya, eziza kuhlonelwa kuze kucanyagushwe kuzo njengeenkokeli ezingabonakaliyo zasekuhlaleni.
8 Kwamanye amazwe, lo qashi-qashi wenziwayo ngomphefumlo yingxubevange yezithethe zabantu noko kufane kubizwe ngokuba bubuKristu. Ngokomzekelo, amaKatolika namaProtestanti amaninzi aseNtshona Afrika, anesiko lokugquma izipili xa kufe umntu ukuze umoya kamfi ungabonwa. Emva koko, kwiintsuku ezingama-40 emva kokufa kothandekayo, iintsapho nabahlobo benza isikhumbuzo sokunduluka komphefumlo kamfi usiya ezulwini.
Umrhiba Ezidibana Kuwo
9 Iimpendulo ozifumanayo xa ubuza ngokwenzekayo ekufeni zahluke njengamasiko neenkolelo zabo bantu bakuphendulayo. Ukanti, inkoliso yeenkonzo isengela thungeni linye ngento enye: Kukho nto ithile emntwini—umphefumlo okanye umoya—engafiyo neqhubeka iphila emva kokufa.
10 Inkolelo yokungafi komphefumlo iwagqibe onke amawakawaka eenkonzo zeNgqobhoko namahlelo azo. NakubuYuda yimfundiso esesikweni. KubuHindu le nkolelo isisiseko semfundiso yokuphinda uzalwe. AmaSilamsi akholelwa kwelokuba umphefumlo uphila nomzimba kodwa uqhubeka uphila ekufeni komzimba. Ezinye iinkonzo—ezama-Afrika anqula indalo, amaShinto kwanamaBhuda—ziyifundisa ngeendlela ngeendlela le nkolelo.
11 Bambi bawuvela kwelinye icala lo mbandela, besithi wakufa buphelile ubomi bakho. Kubo, into yokuba ubomi buyaqhubeka buneemvakalelo yaye nengqondo isebenza kumphefumlo ongengomntu nowahluliweyo emzimbeni bubuvuvu obuphindaphindeneyo obo. Omnye umbhali nomphengululi waseSpeyin wenkulungwane yama-20 uMiguel de Unamuno ubhala esithi: “Ukukholelwa ukuba umphefumlo awufi ngumnqweno nje lowo, kodwa ukukholelwa loo nto ude ubethe ngenqind’ etafileni kuya kukwenza uyibek’ emanqineni ingqondo yakho.” Phakathi kweenqeberhu ezaziyibhebhetha into yokuba umntu akafi yayiziintshicibela zezithandi zobulumko uAristotle noEpicurus, ugqirha Hippocrates, isithandi sobulumko saseSkotlani uDavid Hume, umphengululi wama-Arabhu uAverroës, nengangalala yenkulu-mbuso yokuqala eIndiya emva kozimele-geqe, uJawaharlal Nehru.
12 Nanku ke umbuzo, Ngaba ngokwenene sinomphefumlo ongafiyo? Ukuba enyanisweni umphefumlo uyafa, ngoko yintoni le ibangele ukuba loo mfundiso ibubuxoki olo hlobo ibe yimfundiso esisiseko senkoliso yeenkonzo zanamhlanje? Yaqala phi le ngcamango? Yaye ukuba umphefumlo uyafa xa umntu efile, ngaba likho ithemba ngabafi?
13 Ngaba sinokuzifumana iimpendulo eziyinyaniso nezanelisayo kuloo mibuzo? Ewe! Le mibuzo neminye iza kuphendulwa kumaphepha alandelayo. Okokuqala, makhe sihlole imvelaphi yemfundiso yokungafi komphefumlo.
[Imibuzo YeSifundo]
1-3. Abantu abaninzi bazithuthuzela ngelithini xa befelwe ngumntu abamthandayo?
4. Nguwuphi umbuzo oshiye iingqondo zabantu zibethana kangangeenkulungwane zeminyaka?
5-8. Yintoni efundiswa ziinkonzo ngeenkonzo ngobomi emva kokufa?
9, 10. Nguwuphi umrhiba edibana ngawo inkoliso yeenkonzo?
11. Abanye abaphengululi bayijonga njani imbono yokuba umphefumlo awufi?
12, 13. Yiyiphi imibuzo ebalulekileyo ebuzwayo ngemfundiso yokungafi komphefumlo?