ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 03

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 15

comes to all without any distinction, the dying very seldom take it so naturally. The reason behind the fear of death, basically, lies in two things: 1. The love for life, 2. The uncertainty associated with the after life.
The love for life: No matter what the quality of life that a living being enjoys or suffers, it does not wish to die but to live on. Even the poor and the miserable who can be heard as wishing to die all the time, back out when the death stares them in the face and beg to live on. Life is the dearest thing and one wants to hold on to it as long as possible. As death means dissociation from life or the termination of life, it frightens.
Uncertainty Associated with Afterlife: One is never sure of what lies in store for him in the afterlife. This uncertainty is also a potent cause of the fear of death.
1.2 Can the Fear and Misery associated with Death be overcome? The fear and misery associated with death can be overcome if we can address the causes that result in such fear and misery.
Firstly, the love of life and the desire to live on springs from a lack of appreciation of the purpose of life as well as a lack of belief in a life after death. The believers of rebirth and afterlife, to that extent, feel less frightened and miserable as compared to those who believe that there is nothing but perpetual darkness after this life. Also, an appreciation of the purpose of life gives one a balanced outlook towards life and when one feels that, due to a variety of reasons, the bodyis unable to fulfill the purpose of life, one is prepared to face death with dignity in the hope of a suitable rebirth and of regaining a body capable of achieving the purpose of life better in the next birth. For such believers, present life is one in a continuum of lives in which the purpose of life is to be fulfilled. For such believers the death ceases to be frightening.
Secondly, for a reasoning being, that the human being is, the afterlife is also not such an absolutely uncertain commodity after all. The quality of afterlife largely depends on the activities of the present life and if one has led a pious life, he can be reasonably sure of a good afterlife and it certainly reduces the fear of death just like in the case of a traveler who has made all the necessary reservations and, consequently, can travel arrangements and, consequently, can hope to have a good trip.
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