The Encyclopedia of World Religions

agriculture and religion S 9

Death and the Afterlife: A Cultural Encyclopedia (Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2000).

in a heavenly or hellish state that will last until the good or bad karma is exhausted. The ultimate ideal is to become one with God, and so go beyond death and rebirth altogether. B UDDHISM is similar to Hinduism. There are six places of possible rebirth, depending on karma: the hells, the realm of the hungry ghosts, the realm of the asuras or titans (fighting giants), as an ani mal, as a human, or in one of the heavens. These too last only as long as the bad or good karma, and the supreme achievement is to become a Buddha and enter N IRVANA , unconditioned reality beyond life or death. In one important form of Buddhism, P URE L AND B UDDHISM , those who express faith in A MIDA Buddha will be reborn after death in the Pure Land, a paradisal realm from which entering into Nirvana is easy. In China, T AOISM speaks of becoming an immortal, a deathless one, in this world or a heavenly realm. There are ways to attain immor tality through YOGA or MEDITATION , through taking medicines of immortality made by ALCHEMY , and through virtuous living. C ONFUCIANISM , because of its emphasis on the family, makes much of ances tral spirits that continue to bless the living. They are venerated at ancestral tablets in the home, in family temples, and at the grave. Although images of the afterlife in the world’s religions are varied, many of these images have in common three features. First, the afterlife is a place of judgment in which the injustices of this world will be corrected; the wicked will be pun ished and the good rewarded. Second, the world religions’ concepts of the afterlife see it as—at least for the righteous—a place of ease and beauty that compensates for the hardness of this world. Third, whatever its form, the belief means that there is more to the fullness of human life than just this world, that our lives are lived out on a larger stage. Further reading: Mircea Eliade, Death, Afterlife, and Eschatology: A Thematic Sourcebook (New York: Harper & Row, 1974); Hiroshi Obayashi, ed., Death and Afterlife: Perspectives of World Religions (New York: Greenwood Press, 1992); Richard C. Taylor,

Aga Khan Persian for “great commander”; the title of the leader of the Nizari Ismaili community in I SLAM . The Aga Khan is the IMAM or inspired leader of a community in S HI ’ ITE I SLAM known as the Nizari Ismaili community. Aga Khan I (1800–81) received the designation from the shah of Persia in 1817. Later he rebelled against one of the shah’s succes sors and immigrated to India. There he assisted British military efforts and won British favor. The title has been passed down to succes sors of the first Aga Khan: His son Aga Khan II (d. 1885), his grandson Aga Khan III (1877–1957), and his great-grandson Aga Khan IV (b. 1937). In addition to overseeing their community, the Aga Khans have been active in politics and business. For example, Aga Khan III, a philanthropist and statesman, led the All-India Muslim League in its early years. In 1937 he was elected president of the League of Nations. Agni God of fire in the V EDA . Vedic H INDUISM — a form of Hinduism that scholars often suggest entered India from the northwest around 1500 B . C . E .—centers upon performing SACRIFICES . As a result, the fire into which sacrifices are made assumes tremendous importance. It is worshipped as the god Agni. In the sacrificial grounds three fires represent Agni in the three levels of the uni verse: HEAVEN , atmosphere, and earth. As the “oblation-eater” (the one who devours sacrifices) Agni is the divine equivalent to the priest. He is responsible for purifying the gifts of human beings and bearing them to the gods. He also brings the blessings of the gods to human beings. In the sacred collection of hymns known as the Rig-veda, he is praised more than any god but I NDRA .

agriculture and religion See PREHISTORIC RELIGION .