Abstract of "Death As A Relief Problem"
Why do we ask the question of Death ?
It is because Death is nothing but a
fundamental meaning oflife. But we can't
experience our own death. How can we
ask it ? Death turns up for us as
various appearances, when we think of
it beforehand. Generally speaking,
Death makes its appearance as an
anxiety or a fear for our lives. We
all feel uneasy facing our own death
and consider how to relieve ourselves
from it. Then, we are going to trace the thoughts of how human beings
have been coping with the fear of death.
I think there have been three main types of answers to the problem.
The first is a method of dismissing our own death from our minds.
The second is a method of reducing the Deathquestion to the knowledge
question. This method, still more, can be divided in two contrastive
ways, one is comtenplative and the other practical.
The third is a method of regarding Death as the starting point to
" a better land."
This is a religious method. All religions in the world perhaps have
made preparations of some devices for saving the people from the fear
of death.
I have given and discussed here three typical examples of
" the beyond ", that is, " Anoyo(the other world)in Shitoism",
" Gokuraku-Jodo(a paradise) in the Jodo sect of Buddism" and
" Heaven in Christianity ."
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