Sacred art of dying

Sacred Art of Dying

The Contrasting Views on Death

In many religions and cultures, attitudes toward death define attitudes and perspectives toward life. Cultures will often look at spirituality, their relationship with nature, and their motivations in terms of death. Although different cultures certainly have different views of death, many of these views are quite similar. This understanding can be realized through a discussion of Chinese, Jewish, and Christian views on death.

Chinese culture views death as a part of life. Like the Yin and the Yang, both life and death are necessary part of being. In other words, the Chinese believe that "birth already contains its opposite, death" (81). This idea reinforces that Chinese belief that opposites are parts of each other. In fact, in Chinese creation myth, the Yin and the Yang, together, are considered the "All," that is, perfect unity. It is only when they separate that the Creation occurs (83). The Yin represents the negative charge, a hardness, and a masculinity, while the Yang symbolizes a positive charge, a softness, and the feminine. In the same way, Yin is considered death, while Yang is considered life. Thus, both are in each other at the beginning of creation, and both remain in each other in death. Thus life is in death and death in life, a never-ending process. In much the same way, traditional Chinese beliefs hold that the living can help the dead through their prayers and esteeming their ancestors, while the dead can benefit the living by giving wisdom. As one of the Chinese funeral rituals is tying the feet so that the dead person cannot get up, and a fear of uttering a dead person's name, for fear that the person may come back to earth, is acknowledged, the Chinese do not necessarily believe that the body and the spirit are separate. They also believe in ghosts and spirits that lurk on the earth.

The Jewish tradition, similar to the Chinese tradition, includes many who believe that death simply returns life to "the source" (122). Thus, these two beliefs can be seen as similar. The Chinese believe that life and death originate together, and many Jewish believers also consider this cycle to be circular. In addition, both systems of belief focus on something other than death as superior to beliefs about death themselves. Jewish beliefs differ from Chinese beliefs, however, regarding that emphasis or focus. In Chinese tradition, the focus is the Ying and Yang or the unity of all things. In the Jewish tradition, however, the focus is a struggle for meaning. For Jews, knowing what happens to a person after death is not as important as asking the right questions, and struggling with the answer. In this way, some might call the Jewish faith intellectual, as asking questions is more important than finding an answer. Because of this, Jewish people have many beliefs of death. Some believe that there is no life after death, others in a heaven and hell in which a person's good deeds are weighed against his bad ones. Jews do, however, believe that death is the consequence of Adam's sin in the Book of Genesis. This contrasts with Chinese beliefs, which do not see death as a punishment. The measure of a good life for the Jew is, of course, following God's law, but also asking good questions. Thus, Jewish views about death are comparable to Chinese views in that both types of views see death as less important than some other fundamental concept.

Unlike both of these belief systems, Christianity has a rather specific definition of what life after death will look like. It is composed of a heaven that will be rich and wonderful, populated by God and those who believe in God. Activities in heaven, according to the Christian, will be to constantly sing the praises and glory of God, doing what he wills. On the other hand, Christianity also stipulates a hell for those who do not believe its teachings. In the Christian tradition, a person's body is separated from his or her soul upon death. The soul is then judged, and can be sent to heaven, hell, or purgatory, though some Christian faiths do not believe in purgatory. In addition, Christians believe that they will be reunited with changed bodies in heaven, and that a judgment will take place on earth at the end of days. Though Christians look at death joyously, they are also understand the necessity of praying for forgiveness and reiterating their beliefs as death approaches.

Thus, Christianity's view of death is similar to Judaism's in some ways. Both believe that death is the result of sin. Some Jews even believe in a similar heaven and hell, and both religions share a God that has created these things. The two religions part ways, however, when it comes to the importance of death. For Christians, everlasting life is the core of their spirituality, especially since it was for this that Jesus sacrificed himself. For the Jewish people, however, the question is still greater than the answer. Similarly, Christians' beliefs about death are different than Chinese beliefs, as Christians see death as punishment, as well as a process that will end with the final judgment. Chinese people, however simply see death as a natural process that ends only to begin again.