Buddhist Insights into Life and Death: Overcoming Death Anxiety

Abstract

Death anxiety devastates emotional well-being and may produce suicidal ideations, thus lowering life satisfaction. Although much literature suggests that religion reduces this fear, their direct correlation remains controversial. The present case study investigates how a Buddhist perceives life and death, and how she copes with death anxiety through Buddhist teachings and practices. Using multiple first-hand sources, it analyses data through an interpretative phenomenological analysis. It also adopts peer analysis to increase academic rigour, attaining an inter-rater reliability of 93%. Findings reveal that the law of dependent origination, karma, cause-and-effect, and the cycle of life and rebirth expound on the phenomenal reality, giving hope, and producing peace when facing death. Despite the fact that a single case does not aim at generalisation, research outcomes shed light on helping professionals who equip themselves with a wider range of worldviews and life views in order to enhance their professional skills.

The effect of death education on fear of death amongst Italian adolescents: A nonrandomized controlled study

“…One aspect of formal death education that potentially could respond to this need encourages reflection of spiritual and religious issues and experiences that address concerns about one's own mortality (Kastenbaum, 2000;Wass, 2004). This educational process may reduce the negative responses that come from unconscious and uncontrolled defenses against fear of death (Cheng, 2017;Niemiec et al 2010;Skevington, Gunson, & O'Connell, 2013).…”

Factors contributing to the quality of life among Thai patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer with a stoma: An integrative review

“…This means that the ostomates who are Buddhists believe in the results of karma; what they do in the present life will affect this life and the next life (Bernhard, 2010). In this life, they should accumulate good karma and avoid bad karma by adjusting their holistic lifestyle to reach the former conditions (Cheng, 2017; Kuwinpant, 2002; Lochan, 2021). Thus, this theme reflects that the spiritual aspect is prominent in Thai CRC ostomates because it has shaped the personality of Thai CRC ostomates and teaches them to adapt their lifestyle to improve their QOL in a new life after ostomy creation (Pongthavornkamol et al, 2019).…”

“…The Department of Health Service Support and the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand (DHSS of MOPH) reported that the number of patients who underwent ostomy surgery in 2017was 1471, 1690and 1722, respectively (DHSS of MOPH, Thailand, 2020.…”

“…Healthy people have done good things and avoided the harmful activities that affect their physical and mental health and social and spiritual aspects, called merit-making. Concurrently, unhealthy people also believe in doing good things by adjusting their holistic lifestyle to reach the former conditions as much as possible (Cheng, 2017). Both the behaviours of the healthy and unhealthy are intended to improve their QOL in this life and the next life (Lochan, 2021).…”

The Central Role of Schools in Promoting Death Education Interventions

“…Life and death coexist inseparably (Wong 2008), living predicts obviously dying, but the two aspects elicit very different responses. Most people are reluctant to discuss dying, as it emotionally, cognitively, and experientially yields anxiety (Cheng 2017;Lehto & Stein 2009;Kennedy et al 2017;Stylianou & Zembylas 2018). Adults tend to believe that avoiding honest discussions about death can protect children from the pain and fear of death (Mahon et al 1999), therefore parents, caregivers and teachers tend to avoid the topic of death, facing it only after a tragic event has happened (Mahon et al 1999; The loss caused by death, which characterizes Western societies in particular, seems to be the consequence of a tendency, which lasted several generations, not to address the issue of death and even to hide death itself by outsourcing it, or relegating it to health facilities or making it spectacular.…”