Death (Buddhism)

The final life-continuum consciousness in the case of one becoming is death or decease, the passing away from that existence. The associated consciousnesses are the same 19 associated with rebirth-linking and life-continuum. The object of death consciousness cannot be present, only past or neither of these. Following death there is rebirth-linking again, and the cycle proceeds through the kinds of becoming or sources of life, destiny, stations of consciousness or conscious durations and abodes of beings. With attainment of arahantship, the cycle ceases at the end of death consciousness.

In Hinayana Buddhism, this is the 14th and last mode of occurrence of consciousness in which the 89 khandas or kinds of consciousness proceed.