Ingabe Kukhona Ukuphila Ngemva Kokufa?
“Ngokuba kukhona ithemba emthini: uma unqunywa, ungabuye uhlume . . . Uma umuntu efa, uyakubuye aphile na?”—UMOSE, UMPROFETHI WASENDULO.
1-3. Abaningi bayifuna kanjani induduzo lapho belahlekelwe othandekayo ngokufa?
EMNGCWABENI othile eNew York City, abangane nezihlobo baklele ngokuthula eduze kwebhokisi elivuliwe. Babuka isidumbu somfana oneminyaka engu-17 ubudala. Abangane bakhe basesikoleni abasamboni. Ukwelashwa ngamakhemikhali kumqothule izinwele; umdlavuza umzacisile. Ingabe umngane wabo ngempela lona? Ezinyangeni ezithile nje ngaphambili, ubenemibono eminingi, imibuzo eminingi, egcwele amandla—ephila sáka! Unina odabukile uzama ukuzinika ithemba nenduduzo ngokucabanga ukuthi indodana yakhe isaphila kwenye indawo. Ekhala izinyembezi, ulokhu ephindaphinda lokho akufundisiwe: “UTommy ujabula kakhulu manje. UNkulunkulu ubefuna ukuba noTommy ezulwini.”
2 Endaweni eqhele ngamakhilomitha angaba ngu-11 000, eJamnagar, eNdiya, amadodana amathathu kasomabhizinisi oneminyaka engu-58 asiza ekubekeni isidumbu sikayise lapho sizoshiselwa khona. Elangeni elikhanya bhá lasemini yasekuseni, indodana endala iqala ukushisa isidumbu ngokubasa izinkuni nokuthela isidumbu sikayise ngengxube enuka kamnandi yamakha nempepho. Ubuqhuqhuqhu bomlilo bugqitshwa umthandazo wesiSanskrit olokhu uphindaphindwa yiBrahman, othi: “Kwangathi umphefumulo ongafi nhlobo ungaqhubeka nemizamo yawo yokuhlangana ekuphileni kokugcina.”
3 Njengoba lezi zelamani ezintathu zibukela kushiswa isidumbu, ngamunye wazo uzibuza buthule, ‘Ingabe ngiyakholelwa ekuphileni kwangemva kokufa?’ Njengoba zazifunde ezindaweni ezihlukene zezwe, zinezimpendulo ezingefani. Uthunjana uyaqiniseka ukuthi uyise othandekayo uzophinde azalwe athole isikhundla esiphezulu nakakhulu. Indodana ephakathi ikholelwa ukuthi abafileyo balele, abazi lutho. Endala izama nje ukukwamukela ukufa, ngoba icabanga ukuthi akekho owazi kahle ukuthi kwenzekani kithina lapho sifa.
Umbuzo Munye, Izimpendulo Ziningi
4. Yimuphi umbuzo oye wakhathaza isintu iminyaka eminingi?
4 Umbuzo othi, Ingabe kukhona ukuphila ngemva kokufa? sekuyizinkulungwane zeminyaka udida isintu. UHans Küng, isazi esingumKatolika, uthi: “Ngisho nezazi zenkolo ziyakhungatheka lapho zibuzwa [wona].” Eminyakeni edlule abantu kuyo yonke imiphakathi baye bacabanga ngale ndaba futhi izimpendulo ezisikiselwayo ziningi kakhulu.
5-8. Izinkolo ezihlukahlukene zifundisani ngokuphila ngemva kokufa?
5 Abaningi abathi bangamaKristu bakholelwa ukuthi kukhona izulu nesihogo. Kanti amaHindu akholelwa emfundisweni yokuphind’ ukuzalwa. Ephawula ngombono wamaSulumane, u-Amir Muawiyah, isisebenzi sasesikhungweni seNkolo YobuSulumane, uthi: “Sikholelwa ukuthi kuyoba khona usuku lokwahlulela ngemva kokufa, lapho uyoya phambi kukaNkulunkulu, u-Allah, okuyofana nokungena enkantolo.” Ngokwenkolelo yamaSulumane, u-Allah, uyobe esehlaziya inkambo yokuphila yomuntu ngamunye, abese emdlulisela epharadesi noma esihogweni somlilo.
6 ESri Lanka, amaBuddha namaKatolika avula umnyango namafasitela kuthi gengelezi lapho kushoniwe emikhayeni yawo. Kukhanyiswa isibani, ibhokisi libekwa ngendlela yokuba izinyawo zikamufi zibe ngasemnyango ongaphambili. Akholelwa ukuthi lokhu kwenza ukuba umoya, noma umphefumulo, woshonile uphume kalula endlini.
7 URonald M. Berndt wase-University of Western Australia uthi aboMdabu base-Australia bakholelwa ukuthi “abantu banomoya ongenakufa.” Ezinye izizwe zase-Afrika zikholelwa ukuthi abantukazana baba izipoki uma sebefile, kanti abantu abavelele baba amadlozi, bayakhonzwa futhi kushwelezwe kubo njengabaholi abangabonakali bomphakathi.
8 Kwamanye amazwe, izinkolelo eziphathelene nalokho okuthiwa imiphefumulo yabafileyo zingamasiko endawo axutshwe nobuKristu bokuzisholo. Ngokwesibonelo, kumaKatolika namaProthestani amaningi eNtshonalanga Afrika, kuyisiko ukumboza izibuko lapho kushona othile ukuze kungabibikho muntu obuka isibuko abese ebona umoya wofileyo. Ngemva kwezinsuku ezingu-40 eshonile othandekayo, izihlobo nabangane bagubha umkhosi wokwenyukela komphefumulo ezulwini.
Imfundiso Esakazekile
9, 10. Izinkolo eziningi zivumelana ngayiphi inkolelo eyisisekelo?
9 Izimpendulo zombuzo othi kwenzekani lapho sifa zihlukahlukene njengamasiko nezinkolelo zabantu abanikeza lezo zimpendulo. Noma kunjalo, izinkolo eziningi zivumelana ngombono owodwa oyisisekelo: Okuthile okungaphakathi kumuntu—umphefumulo, umoya—akufi futhi kuyaqhubeka kuphila ngemva kokuba umuntu efile.
10 Inkolelo yokungafi komphefumulo itholakala ezinkulungwaneni zezinkolo namahlelo eLobukholwa. Iyimfundiso esemthethweni naseNkolweni YobuJuda. ENkolweni YobuHindu le nkolelo iwumgogodla wemfundiso yokuphind’ ukuzalwa. AmaSulumane akholelwa ukuthi umphefumulo uvela kanye nomzimba kodwa wona uyaqhubeka uphila ngemva kokufa komzimba. Ezinye izinkolo—ukukholelwa emimoyeni kwase-Afrika, ubuShinto ngisho nobuBuddha imbala—zifundisa yona le mfundiso ngezindlela ezihlukahlukene.
11. Ezinye izazi ziwubheka kanjani umbono wokuthi umphefumulo awufi?
11 Abanye banombono ohlukile wokuthi ukuphila kuyaphela ngemva kokufa. Bawubona ungenangqondo umqondo wokuthi imizwelo nengqondo kuyaqhubeka kusebenza emphefumulweni ongaphili nongaqondakali ohlukene nomzimba. Umlobi nesazi saseSpain sekhulu lama-20 uMiguel de Unamuno uyabhala: “Ukukholelwa ekungafini komphefumulo kuwukufisa ukuba umphefumulo ungafi, kodwa kuwukufisa okukhulu uze ugqibe futhi ushalazele amaqiniso.” Phakathi kwalabo abenqaba ukukholelwa ekungafini komphefumulo kukhona izazi zefilosofi ezidumile zasendulo u-Aristotle no-Epicurus, udokotela uHippocrates, isazi sefilosofi saseScotland uDavid Hume, isazi esingumArabhu u-Averroës kanye nondunankulu wokuqala waseNdiya ngemva kwenkululeko, uJawaharlal Nehru.
12, 13. Yimiphi imibuzo ebalulekile ephakamayo ngemfundiso yokungafi komphefumulo?
12 Umbuzo uwukuthi, Sinawo ngempela yini umphefumulo ongafi? Uma umphefumulo ufa, imfundiso engamanga ngale ndlela ingaba kanjani-ke ingxenye ebalulekile yezinkolo eziningi kangaka namuhla? Waqalaphi lo mbono? Futhi uma kuwukuthi ngempela umphefumulo awube usaba khona ekufeni, liyini ithemba ngabafileyo?
13 Ingabe singazithola izimpendulo eziyiqiniso nezigculisayo zale mibuzo? Yebo! Le mibuzo neminye izophendulwa emakhasini alandelayo. Okokuqala, ake sihlole ukuthi yavela kanjani le mfundiso yokungafi komphefumulo.