In Buddhism Where Will Souls Go if they Haven''t Reached Nirvana Before the Sun Dies?

[LuisDantas]

This is a serious question, not an attempt to poke fun at Buddhism. To my knowledge, this question has not been addressed because the thought of total annihilation did not occur to the ancients. As I said to my knowledge. I could be wrong. Enlighten me.

Many people believe Buddhism gives us this indefinite amount of time to be reincarnated over and over until we get it right. But suppose there’s nothing to come back to?

It’s a matter of when, not if. Forget apocalyptic dooms day theory. We know the sun will one day use up it’s power and no longer be able to support life on earth. Even before that if we keep on humans will bomb, pollute and genetically modify ourselves into extinction quite soon.

So what will happen to the souls that haven’t made it to nirvana by then? Will they just float around in oblivion? Until the universe collapses into a black hole and begins to expand again with a new set of laws, hoping a new form of life will appear that is more amenable to nirvana than humans?

Buddhism does not use Atman / Soul concepts.  It specifically denies them ("Anatta").  Incidentally, it does not have a concept of reincarnation either, although people often misunderstand rebirth to be reincarnation.

Buddhist doctrine does not really have a choice, either.  Interdependent Origination and other core concepts of Buddhism also deny the idea of an immortal essence that transcends death.

As it was once said, that what reincarnates is neurosis.  As the doctrine goes, there are psychic residue that are explicitly mortal but nonetheless are associated with certain cravings.

Hinduism, however, has different conceptions.  So does kardecist spiritism, which is very popular here in Brazil.

It is only IMO a real problem with doctrines that rely on the idea of reincarnation (which Hinduism as I understand it does not).  Kardecism shows all too painfully that once a doctrine becomes obsessed with reincarnation there is no room for religion proper in there.