East has always been the land of seekers , if you closely look at the main eastern religions Hinduism , Buddhism , Jainism , Bon , you will find that they all talk and support an after life . These religions propagate that man does not have one birth and death cycles , he goes through infinite cycles of birth and death . As it says in the Geeta , the body made of the five elements is just like a piece of clothing . As in life man wears and then discards his robes and clothes , the body will also be discarded one day and all that will remain is the soul , the eternal the light or the atman as they call it in Hindu Vedic philosophy . This cycle can only be broken through self realisation and through spiritual practices called the sadhana . So is the same in Buddhism they call this cycle of life and death Samsara and the moksha who go into spiritual search are looking for Moksha when their soul merges with the superconscious and becomes all and divine . Buddhism also has the birth and death theme , so does Jainism for that matter propagated by Mahavira . The body is a piece of cloth and what happens to you in the current life is cause of Karma that you have collected over many past lives . The events that unfold in this life maybe to balance out the Karma done in past lives .That is why many a times we are stuck to ponder why such things good or bad , negative or positive are happening in our lives . We try to re collect what are the reasons for this , but are left wondering . The answer is simple , you carry your deeds , actions and karma’s as the soul moves from one body to anther or for that matter one life to another . The vents that unfold , happen due to also karma’s of past lives .
That is why the east is always seeking liberation , they are seeking enlightenment . Now that they have many lives to live and many more karma’s will unfold , the current life is just a dream till another one unfolds . These religions thus talk of detachment , to be in the world but not of it . Their is no need to fetter or worry , this life is no more a face from start to finish , as it itself is eternal and is never ending the cycle has no beginning and no end . This life is. to all , it is a collected karma of past life .This detaches you from things and events as you just witness them unfold , you know and are reassured this will happen again and again in a cyclic form .
The western religious philosophies Christianity , Judaism , Islam have the concept of heaven and hell and things like the judgement day or the day of the Qayamat . They see this life as one life birth to death and then you will be judged for your actions by a benevolent god . According to your actions you will be given heaven or be doomed to the hell fire .They have a fear component in them . Follow the laws of the Bible or the Quran strictly or else prepare for hell.This life is all topi have to do good and get a ticket to paradise as it were .The West is looking outward where as the east has always searched inwards , that is the way of the Yogi or the Guru .
In Judaism you have the law of the Tora their holy books along with Genesis. It states that Judaism pre dates even Christianity and that Christianity is an of shoot of Judaism . The religion began more then 3800 years ago with a conversation between GOD and Abraham . The father as it where of the jews . They were then given the Tora a book of commandments and laws that would govern the religious community .Here again is the concept of Garden of eden as heaven and Ghinnom is the hell where the soul is damed to great fires .Make sure you do enough good not to burn for ever .
What people like OSHO were doing was the combine the two Western and Easter halves into one wholistic philosophy meant for the entire human race .A new man was what he was creating the Zorba the Buddha . A man steeped in both spiritual and materialistic philosophies . That was the new way or the new path .
