Just as ancient cultures created stories to explain the origins of the universe, the mystery of death has inspired diverse beliefs about what — if anything — comes next.

For some, death means the complete cessation of consciousness. For others, it’s a doorway to another realm. Visions of the afterlife vary widely. Traditional Christian doctrine holds that a person’s deeds on Earth determine whether they spend eternity in heaven or hell. In contrast, many Buddhists believe in reincarnation — a continuous cycle of rebirth among different life worlds of heaven, human, animals, ghosts and hell.

Yet, even Buddhists disagree about the exact nature of reincarnation. Mainstream Buddhist traditions teach that mean-spirited people are reborn as pretas, or “hungry ghosts” — a karmic retribution for misdeeds in a past life. While most Buddhist traditions acknowledge the concept of reincarnation, the question of who or what is being reborn remains highly contested. Many Buddhist schools reject the notion that reincarnation is tied to a distinct soul. “These monks say that rebirth is simply the continuation of existence but without the transmigration of individual identity,” says Jessica Zu, assistant professor of religion and East Asian languages and cultures.

Religious teachings on the afterlife have evolved — sometimes dramatically. During the Reformation, for example, the Church of England rejected the Catholic doctrine of purgatory, a temporary place of suffering where impure souls are cleansed of sin before ascending to heaven.

This shift disrupted long-held Christian ideas around death and generated much anxiety for Elizabethan England, says Thea Tomaini, professor (teaching) of English. The era’s unease is reflected in Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, when he wonders, “What dreams may come / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil.”

The human longing to transcend mortality continues to reveal itself in our enduring attraction to the illusion of eternal life. In the 20th century, cryonics promised bodily revival once technology caught up to the vision. Today, artificial intelligence fuels dreams of a transhumanist “cyber forever,” where consciousness is uploaded to the cloud for perpetual existence, says Tok Thompson, professor (teaching) of anthropology.

And yet, freezers fail. Computers crash. Hamlet’s “undiscovered country” may still await us all. —M.C.