Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional stories - Seeking Essay on Philosophy of Death in Western Philosophical Schools
Seeking Essay on Philosophy of Death in Western Philosophical Schools
that moment when our life, our life and our life are growing. Therefore, we should not and cannot be afraid of death, but rather, we should inquire into it and seek the profound truths of life that it contains. What we should do
only lies in the way of thinking and realizing "death first" and facing death directly, so as to y realize death, chew
chew death, and determine the direction, meaning, and value of "life" for oneself by thinking about death. A
modern man has reached this state in his life, his existence and life is complete, his life can
emit dazzling light, his life can be a great success.
I. The Fear of Death
Generally speaking, people in the world are fond of life and hate death, and the fundamental reason is that the two are distinctly different. But in fact, "
Life" and "death" are like Siamese twins, and it is impossible to separate them. Because man is on his way to death just after birth
death is embedded in life, and this is true of all living things in the universe. All living things go through a period of conception, then birth, growth, aging, and finally death. Although life and death are very different and distinct from each other, the moment of birth contains the element of death, and the two are intertwined.
But the world generally does not realize the truth of "the interpenetration of life and death," and everyone wants to live forever, and everyone
is afraid of death. Because, in people's eyes, "life" is full of vitality, overflowing with warmth, vitality
power, light, have; and death is the loss of vitality, is cold, dry, dark, loss, how people do not want to live
fear of death? However, human beings are creatures that cannot escape the fate of death. Whether we accept it or not,
death will come at some time or another. That being the case, people must face up to death and not avoid the issue of death
while they are alive, because you can't avoid it even if you want to.
In fact, one must understand one thing: if there is no death but only life, how can human beings, or any other creatures for that matter
good, be squeezed into this world? From the origin of life, every living person should not be too selfish,
As the book of Zhuangzi says: heaven and earth as "parents" to give birth to me, then live well; heaven and earth as "parents"
beckon us to return, and we have to be at ease with the advent of death. This is actually leaving a place for new life to grow,
is it not also an immense merit for us?
But even if one understands the inevitability of death from the root of life, one is still emotionally terrified and
afraid of death. This must be resolved by looking at the nature of death. The ancient Greek sages pointed out that death is an object that people
cannot experience, and when people are still alive, death is very far away; when death comes, people have no feeling and
thought about it. People's fear of death, anxiety, fear, and so on, are all feelings that only exist when they are alive,
and when death comes, all the perceptions, mental reflections, and so on, do not exist, so how can people be afraid of it?
Since it is not possible to be afraid, there is no need to fear death when we are alive. That is to say, when one exists,
death cannot exist; and when we do not exist and die, we cannot be afraid at all. Therefore,
what need is there for the living to fear death?
It is evident that people's fear of death does not arise at all from death itself, but from some horrible notions that people acquire from the phenomena of death
such as coffins and dead bodies. It is merely an idea, not a real object. So
that human beings can indeed make a subjective effort to change or even abolish these notions in order to eliminate anxiety, fear
fear, dread and worry about death. These methods about the nature of death and how to be free from the fear of death are actually quite
effective, and every one of us modern people should always meditate on them, listen to the voices of the ancient sages, and think positively about
life and death in order to gain some kind of wisdom about life and death, and to be free from the fear of death. In this way, and only
in this way, can we achieve happiness in our lives.
But another question will be raised: since we are born to die, and all that we had in our lifetime is bound to be
completely lost, what is the meaning of "life"? What is the value of the struggles, acquisitions, sorrows and joys of our lives? In a word, what is the point of living? The way to think about it is this: since
everything that is "there" must come to "nothing", why should there be "there" at all? In fact, one should extend and think more y
thinking: what comes after "nothing"? It must be "yes"! Therefore, a modern man should, as the ancient Chinese philosophers have said, treat the issue of life and death with a "big heart", and look at life and death beyond the confines of one's own life
this life and in the context of the cosmic essence. In this way, why should one weep over the inevitable
death of the self? We must understand that the death of "I" is the birth of "he", and "I" must die before "he" can be born;
The death of living things is precisely the prerequisite for the birth of all things. Moreover, without the death of the former, there would be no life for each of us
. Since "my" life is based on the foundation of "his" death, why can't "I" be the foundation of the life of others and face death fearlessly, so that I can step into the path of death bravely? Just as we cannot be too selfish in life, we cannot be selfish in life and death. Moreover, it does not matter much if people are selfish in life, but it will cause some trouble in life; but in dealing with death, if a
person is very selfish and reluctant to face death, it will inevitably result in a very low quality of life and death of the self -- in
Death is surely bound to occur at some point in time. Therefore, any person should attain
broad-mindedness in the matter of life and death, and be selfless in dealing with life as well as with death. When a person is able to treat death correctly, he will also
be able to treat life correctly; when a person is truly free from the fear and dread of death, his life and life
will have embarked on a straight path.
The meaning of death
It is generally believed that death is the most meaningless thing of all; moreover, it devours all the meaning of life
. However, if one understands that life is inevitably accompanied by death, and that from the moment we are born
each one of us enters into the process of dying, then we should experience death in the process of living, meditate on
death, and make our own lives grow by asking questions about death, and construct a healthy, correct, and meaningful
outlook on life, thus making our lives more meaningful. This approach can be called "living and dying together".
First of all, the existence of death and our contemplation of death can make us realize the finiteness of life
, which will enable us to cherish every second of our life. Let every section of life is full of content
and can leave an indelible mark. It can be seen that the existence of "death" is not to make "life" meaningless, but
is to highlight the significance and value of "life". When a person is able to hold on to life, not to waste the precious time of life, to engage in all kinds of creative activities, to cherish family, friendship, love, and human kindness in life, and to taste as much as possible of all the tastes of life, then one is able to be free of fear when death comes, to be at peace with oneself and to be proud of one's own eternal rest and the foundation for the birth of other lives. The best state of being at peace with life and death is reached when one rejoices in one's own permanent rest and in the foundation for the birth of other lives.
This is the best state of being at peace with life and death. We can see that the true meaning of life is reflected in death
. Anyone who is in the stage of "life" should be vigorous and hard-working; while in death, one should be at peace with oneself and have no worries.
Secondly, the existence of death enables us to have a healthier outlook on life. In real life, it is common to see
many people burying their heads in the sand, always thinking that the more they have, the better; when dealing with others, they are mean, stingy, and
uncompassionate, and do nothing. Maybe he did succeed and had a lot, but he did not love and help others in this world
and of course others would not love him and help him. Therefore, his life in
this world must be quite lonely; and when he faces death, he will be in great agony because everything he has will be lost for
ever. The paradoxical nature of human life and death lies in the fact that the less people have in life, the less they lose in death, and the less pain they suffer; the more people have in life, the more they lose in death, and the more pain they suffer according to the general
logic. This law of life and death is
too unfavorable for those who are intent on grasping in this world.
So, in order to avoid greater suffering at the time of death, it is necessary to make great changes in our outlook on life.
In order to live and survive, of course we have to make a living and earn money; but we cannot make money as our only life
purpose, and we cannot gather wealth as the only pursuit that we are concerned with in all of life. To understand a profound truth of life and death: people
worldly material possessions are not everything in life, not even the main thing in life; people live the most important
will be a word of love, is the harmony of the relationship, is the warmth of affection. Therefore, we live in the world, the material
quality of things to take and let go, to live in harmony with others, love and help people as the most worthy
pursuit of the most valuable things in life, and develop and for the actual life guidelines. As a result of this, we will be able to receive love and help from
others in our lives, and thus we will be able to gain the right position as human beings through the realization of death.
Once again, the existence of death also enables us to have a better attitude toward life. If people are absorbed in their daily lives,
they tend to be obsessed with everything. Yours, mine and his, not to be confused, not to let others from
their own here to obtain the slightest bit, what all points clearly, not only obsessed with their own, more on his,
also eager to obtain your. Moreover, the loss of even a little bit is intolerable, even if it is to eat a little bit of
loss is also determined not to do. In that case, people must be tired, bitter and helpless in life. If
If we are able to transcend from our daily life and learn the way to view life from death, our mind will be enlightened, and we will
realize that when we are born into this world, we come with nothing; and when we die, we leave this world bare
stripped. All that we have in life is temporary, so why should we cling to it? In fact, why should we be attached to it? Moreover, as we go through the world, we form all kinds of relationships with all kinds of people, which are really all karmic. These human
relationships are unique, unrepeatable, and therefore precious in our lives. Therefore, why should I
be obsessed with your and my and his? And why should this create a tension between you and me and him? Therefore,
If we think a little about death in the process of birth, we will be able to think a little more openly about many things in our lives,
and we will be able to deal with all kinds of complicated relationships a little better. Such an attitude to life would certainly be beneficial throughout our
life, and it seems to be based only on the contemplation of death.
Finally, the presence of death enables us to be constantly aware of the fragility of life. Although human beings are all things, life
is itself quite fragile and very vulnerable to external and self-inflicted harm. This life is only once,
Death means the complete end of people's life, which always reminds us to protect their own fragile life, do not
make it damaged, and do not fall into the unnatural death. We must not only carefully protect our lives, but also
try to live as long as nature gives us through various exercises and regimens, and under no circumstances
do not take suicidal behavior. There are many setbacks in life, and the pain in life is intense,
but we will get over it by gritting our teeth out of a cherishing attitude towards life. Suicide is not only a cowardly act in life,
it is also a desecration of the sacred life, and it is the worst way to solve the problem of life and death. For the suicidal person,
all of life's problems seem to be solved, but for society and the loved ones of the deceased, a heartbreakingly large
heap of problems have just begun, so how is this a good recipe for solving the problems of life and death?
It is clear from this that death not only has meaning, but that it is very meaningful, and the key lies in whether we can think carefully
about it, discover it, and manifest it. Being able to do this is really of much benefit to our lives.
Three: Transcendence of Death
Fundamentally, the fear of death and the effort to find meaning in it all stems from the idea that death is the total destruction of life. If people can find ways and means to transcend death, and realize that death is not the end of all human life, the fear of death and the question of the meaning of death can be solved.
Animals are not conscious of "life", so they can only live passively driven by physical needs, but they are thus
exempted from the fear of death; human beings are conscious of "life", so they can use their own intelligence and physical ability to change their external environment, and thus live actively, but at the same time, they are conscious of death, and taste the pain of
fear of death. >
The fear of death. It can be seen that the Creator is benevolent and fair, although human beings have more than animals, "life" of
joy, but to taste the animal does not have the "death" of sadness. However, this greatest and deepest pain in life
has enabled human beings to embark on the path of seeking to transcend death, and has thus revealed their own greatness.
Mankind's search for ways and means to transcend death has gone through a long historical process, and has taken countless detours
and even paid the price of many lives and sweat. For example, the ancient Chinese priests and Taoists believed that
people could become immortal and live forever by taking certain medicines (such as exoteric elixir), or by undergoing certain bodily exercises (such as endoteric elixir).
These beliefs were also confirmed by the Chinese government's belief in the immortality of the human body, which was based on the belief that the human body could become immortal by taking certain medicines. In order to verify this idea and to truly realize the wish of immortality,
many people have invested countless financial, material, and human resources to do so over the centuries, but, except for the many people who have lost their lives because of
this, all efforts have failed. In addition, many emperors in Chinese and foreign history have tried every
means and spent a great deal of money to solve the problem of embalming corpses, and have also made amazing achievements; but well-preserved
corpses do not come back to life as they should. So the attempt to make our human physical bodies immortal from a physical point of view by some practical maneuver
is bound to fail.
All attempts to transcend death in human history have proved that physical immortality is never possible. Therefore, we can only
find another way to seek transcendence of death from the spiritual path.
The human spirit has a completely different nature from the physical body. The physical body of man is a real thing that can only occupy a certain space and exist within a certain period of time, while the spirit of man is a derivative of the physical body of man,
but it is not bound by the physical body, and it can travel in infinite space, as well as backward and forward in infinite time,
and it is a truly transcendent thing. This special nature of the spirit allows it to carry the burden of transcending death
.
Spirit, although it is something invisible and unseen, can form a condensation which is relationship.
People build
interpersonal relationships with each other by communicating their ideas, thoughts, consciousness, and other spiritual things to each other through language. The more the spirit of the self is communicated to the other, the closer the relationship is constructed; similarly,
the spirituality of others is also connected to the self through certain ways, and the more we receive it, the closer the relationship is
with it.
In this way, relationships are established between human beings that are composed of various kinds of embedded spirituality. Generally speaking, people cannot maintain their physical existence without the intake of material substances; at the same time, they cannot maintain their existence without spiritual relationships, which are the basis of their existence. Without the spiritual relationship, one may be alive, but
not as a human being, but only as a thing.
Understanding the qualities of spirituality and its complex relationship to human existence, we can then seek ways and means to transcend
death.
Of course the physical body of a human being dies, but the relationship of the spiritual nature of a human being lives on forever, and this is the
first aspect in which the spirit can transcend death. When a person establishes various kinds of relationships with others, with many people, although his physical body will inevitably die after a certain period of time,
these relationships remain, transcending the limits of the individual's life, and transcending death through the bonds of spirituality that are tied to other people, and existing in this world.
It is clear that the transcendence of death by such spiritual ties is directly proportional to the closeness of the relationships one establishes in the world
. The closer one's relationships with others in the world, the more lasting one's spiritual transcendence of death;
The deeper one's relationships with the greater number of people in the world, the more extensive one's spiritual transcendence of death.
People who want to transcend death in terms of spiritual relationships are not eternal. If people want to transcend death more permanently and more extensively, they must relate to all kinds of people with a good outlook and attitude toward life while they are still alive.
Not only do they want to transcend death more permanently, but they also want to transcend death more extensively.
Not only should one develop close relationships with one's loved ones, but one should also maintain good relationships with other people.
The more and deeper your relationships are in the world, the more successful you are in your quest to transcend death.
Man's physical body of course dies, but man's creation lives on forever, which is the second
aspect in which the spirit can transcend death. An object that has nothing to do with man is only a natural object, but if it is infused with man's intelligence and subjective consciousness, it
becomes a man's creation. It is in fact infused with the spirit of man, is the crystallization of human consciousness,
Then, this thing is not just a natural thing, it has a certain value, so that society or some people are willing to
to appreciate, to save. For example, those immortal paintings, soul-stirring music, great scientific inventions, and so on.
The owners who created these objects were able to perpetuate their lives by putting their spirit and consciousness into them.
It is only natural that the more time, energy, and effort one spends in the creation of an object, the more valuable the object is, and therefore the longer it will be preserved on earth, and the more effective the transcendence of death that one achieves through the concentration of one's spirit on the creation of the object, and conversely, the transcendence of death will be very limited.
The pursuit of transcendence of death is very important to life, and it has a direct bearing on the orientation of life, the establishment of the meaning of life, and the pursuit of the goal of life, and so on. A person without the pursuit of death,
in real life is very easy to fall into the state of doing nothing, or doing nothing, or doing nothing; while there is the hope of
death transcendence, in the life of the self, the goal is firm, the behavior is standardized, and make a difference. Therefore, when
we get rid of the fear of death and realize that death has its meaning and value, we
must set up the pursuit of transcendence of death, which may not only enable us to really achieve the transcendence of death through our efforts,
and more importantly, it will make our life more directional and richer, and our life into the splendor.
Main References
The Last 14 Tuesday Lessons, by Mitch Albom, translated by Yu-Cheng Bai
Big Block Culture Ltd. 1998 edition
Facing Life and Death Together, by Akira Yamazaki, translated by Zenmei Hayashi
Renjin Publishing Co. (Japan), by Zheng Xiaojiang, Hanxin Culture Business Co. 1997 edition
The Wisdom of Death in China, by Zheng Xiaojiang, Sanmin Bookstore Dongda Book Co. 1994 edition
(don't quite understand what you mean You can just take it as reference)
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