I have read that there exists a Buddhist belief that one's incarnations might not occur in chronological order: that is, I might die and be reincarnated in what currently appears to me to be the past. Following this line of thought, would there be any logical inconsistency with or contradiction of Buddhist belief in the mechanism or purpose of reincarnation if I were to suppose that I might encounter this other incarnation during my lifetime, or even that many or all living things are various incarnations of one entity?

This question obviously has a large psychological component, but I think there is a philosophical aspect as well: I have a four year old that is vaguely aware of a death that recently occurred. I do not want him to be afraid that his family will suddenly and permanently vanish, but, as previously discussed on this board, it seems neither moral nor prudent to lie to him. Is there any theory of what happens when someone dies that is at least somewhat plausibly correct but that will not terrify the little guy?

Is this a probable way to think about death?: the same "nothingness" we 'experience' before we are born and have memory is what we will 'experience' when we die. (It just makes sense to me - what about to whomever reads this?)

Why don't people who say that when you die you go to a better place kill themselves? If death is a better place, why are they staying in this "lesser" world? Is it that they are unsure if they are right or not and don't want to risk it? -Dylan (13)

I believe that death is nothingness, when my conscious mind is dead, nothing else will exist. What are your thoughts on this and are there any writings on this theory?

Assuming that there is no afterlife -- that you lose the ability to think or feel anything once your body dies -- is it irrational to fear death? Asked another way: Was Larkin wrong when he described the philosopher's contention that "no rational being can fear a thing it will not feel" as "specious stuff"?

If someone murders many people, is it fair that they die once for their multiple victims?

Is it possible for one to possibly know what exists after death? As humans, with a mind that exists solely as physical matter (and a soul, if religion is counted), when we die, how is it possible for this purely physical mind to keep on functioning, and allow us to realize that we are dead? As well, if we have souls, how can an entity created purely of energy (or whatever you think a soul is made of) have senses and detect that it exists, or even think?

I don't know if this is a good question, but is it morally correct to execute murderers with lethal injections? I mean we are murdering them for murdering, which is kind of ironic; it would be like setting fire to a criminal who killed people by setting fire to them. Sure it's an eye for an eye, but is it correct? We are just humans, and it's not right how we sentence other humans to death; I don't think it's our place.

If people did not fear death, is it likely that religion as we know it would not exist?