Life after Death
- Judy T
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
Judy here again. I will tiptoe around this topic in the hopes of not offending anyone. Here goes...
Koreans appear to have a strong belief in some sort of afterlife. Regardless of the religion, they respect and honor the dead in ways Americans do not. For example, the annual recognition of a loved one's death is an important event where ritual food and prayers are offered in memory of the deceased. I believe this practice has roots in Buddhism and Shamanism but may include other religions too.
Another concept is the idea that a person has 3 lives - or reincarnations - available to them. It's not unusual to hear them discuss 'meeting each other in their second life.' Certainly if you have either good luck or bad luck it is often attributed to what you did in your prior life.
Lastly, the idea that deceased people are in some sort of place (Heaven?) where they are happy and watching what is going in in the 'real' world. For example, in Kdramas the survivors will bring new love interests to visit their deceased parent's gravesite and introduce them. The girlfriend/boyfriend will pay their respects to the grave and ask the deceased to look kindly on them. I am not aware of that happening in the US.
Just today I viewed an Instagram clip whereby the surviving bandmates of MoonBin - who committed suicide a couple years ago - send him messages asking for MoonBin to 'listen to this song' and 'hoping he is happy.'
These subtle differences in culture and how societies treat death and dying are fascinating to discover. I for one, find the ritual surrounding death date endearing. Do you have thoughts on this?
Pat: OF COURSE I DO! I love the reverence and caring that the deceased are given. The fact that their favorite foods are displayed on the anniversary of their death is so heartwarming. I do wonder, though, what happens to that food. Hopefully some of our Korean followers can tell us.
If you watched Mystic Pop Up Bar, death was the prime focus. Reincarnation - what or whomever you were going to be reincarnated into - seems to be determined by who was in charge in The Afterlife. I think if more people believed in this concept - life after death in the form of another life - we might have more people behaving themselves in this life. (One can only hope.)
Speaking from a Korean perspective,
the tradition of Jesa (ancestral rites) is roots are in Confucianism.
During the Joseon Dynasty, Korea was a Confucian state where honoring one’s parents and ancestors was considered extremely important.
So when a parent passes away, their death anniversary becomes one of the most important days of the year.
It’s true that the idea of afterlife is more familiar and commonly accepted in Korea than in the U.S.,
but most people don’t seriously believe in afterlife.
It’s more of a cultural idea than a religious or literal belief.
After the Jesa ceremony for Death Anniversary, the food offered on the table is shared and eaten with family or relatives.
When I was young, neighbors and…