The Science of Death

Persatuan Buddhist Hilir Perak

Bugs Tan Phd
9th March 2018
The Science of Death
1. Introduction
2. Definition of death
3. Objects Presented to the Mind
before Death
4. The pain of dying
5. Coping with death
6. What happen at the time of
death?
7. The myth about dying
8. Life after death
9. Re-birth
10. How to stop Dying
1 Introduction
Worldly perspective
• Nobody wants to die.
• Death comes without warning, this body will be a corpse
• We know how the body dies, but we don’t really know what happen to the mind.
• Death is the “Mother of all fears”
• In death; In ancient Egypt people believed that they’ll cross the river of life to go
beyond.
• Thus, the Pharaohs of the various dynasties prepared for death. They believed that
they will cross that river with all their worldly goods, with all their chariots, with all
their property and with all their belongings. They also tried to immortalize
themselves putting up the pyramids, their golden masks and mummies.
• Same as in ancient China – Emperor and his strong battalion of 10,000 army goes to
heaven with him when he dies.
1 Introduction
Buddhist perspective
• In the Buddhist tradition we are trained to contemplate, rather than ignore, the reality
and the meaning of death.

• Death is not something horrible. Not something to be avoided, Not something to be

postponed but rather something to be dealt with.

• Death does not discriminative – Young and old. Everyone dies

• Death is imminent – The story of Kisa Gotami

o The impermanence of all things,
o her doubts were cleared away, and, accepting the lost of her son.
 2 Definition of death
Worldly perspective
• Clinical death is the medical
term for cessation of blood
circulation and breathing,
the two necessary criteria
to sustain human lives.
Buddhist perspective
• Death according to
Buddhism is the cessation
of the psycho-physical life of
any one individual. It takes
place by the passing away
of the life faculty
(jivitindriya), heat and
consciousness (Vinnana).
• * Jivitindriya = Mental factor that
sustains the life of the citta (mind)
2 Definition of death
Buddhist perspective
• There are three types of death referred to in the Dhamma, namely,
1) Instant timely death - the arising and dying of the psyche or the consciousness
from moment to moment which is called Kshanika Marana.

2) Long timely death - The conventional Death or Sammuti Marana which is the
inevitable perishing of the human organism due to old age disease or accident
which everyone on this earth without an exception has to face.

3) Ultimate death - Finally the total or absolute Death or Sammuchcheda Marana

which is the total and absolute ending of the contents of consciousness without a
trace which the Buddha and Arahants attain.
Buddhist perspective on the Modes of Death 2 Definition of death
Death can occur due to the following 4 causes:-

1) Exhaustion of the force of the Reproductive Kamma that gave rise to the birth

2) Expiration of the lifespan.

3) Simultaneous exhaustion of both Reproductive Kamma and expiration of lifespan.

4) Action of a stronger Kamma that suddenly cuts off the power of the Reproductive
Kamma before expiry of the life-term.

The first 3 types of death are called Timely Death while the last one is called Untimely
Death. An oil lamp, for instance, may get extinguished owing to any one of the
following 4 causes:

1) The exhaustion of the wick,

2) The exhaustion of oil,
3) Simultaneous exhaustion of both wick and oil, and
4) Some extraneous cause like a gust of wind.

The death of a person may similarly be caused by the above- mentioned four ways.
3. Objects Presented to the Mind before Death
Worldly perspective

• While interviewing dozens of people who work with terminally ill patients, or
have had deathbed experiences or have come back from death, I learned that the
dying often seem to know that they're going, and when. ... They are seeing death
as a trip—possibly to somewhere else.
- Cassell, Dana K., Robert C. Salinas and Peter A.S. Winn. "The Encyclopedia of Death and

Dying." Facts on File. 2005.

• Remember: hearing is thought to be the last sense to go in the dying process,

so never assume the person is unable to hear you. Talk as if they can hear you,
even if they appear to be unconscious or restless. If possible, lower lighting until
it is soft, or light candles, making sure they burn in a safe place.
- Dying Matters Organization
3. Objects Presented to the Mind before Death
Buddhist perspective

The dying man is presented with Kamma:- Kamma Nimitta or Gati Nimitta:

By Kamma is meant some action of his, whether good or bad:-

The most powerful are Weighty Kamma. If this is absent, he may recollect the action
done immediately before death called Death Proximate Kamma.

If this is also absent, a Habitual Kamma is presented to him, such as stealing in the
case of a thief or healing the sick in the case of a good physician.

Failing all these, some casual act, one of the cumulative reserves of the endless past
or Cumulative Kamma becomes the object of the dying thought.
3. Objects Presented to the Mind before Death
Buddhist perspective
Kamma Nimitta is any sight, sound, smell, taste, touch or idea which was obtained at
the time of commission of the Kamma:-

Such as knives in the case of a butcher, patients in the case of a doctor, an object of
worship such as the Buddha image or Bodhi tree in the case of a devotee, or happy
memories of one’s pilgrimage to India.

Gati Nimitta is some sign of the place where one is destined to be reborn, an event
that invariably happens to dying persons:-

If these indications of future birth are bad, they could be turned into good by
influencing the thoughts of the dying man, so that his good thoughts may now act as
the Proximate Kamma and influence the type of Reproductive Kamma to condition
his rebirth.

These symbols of one’s destiny may be hellish fires, mountainous regions, mother’s
womb, celestial mansions, etc.

• The concept of last thinking moment

 4 The pain of dying
Worldly perspective
• With cancer, up to 90
percent of people
experience pain at some
point in their journey, and
half of the people dying
from cancer have severe
pain.
• pain at the end of life is
inadequately treated
Buddhist perspective
• Fear of Dying - When one has
failed to examine, to look at
and to understand the true
nature and content of
consciousness one is
frightened of Death to the "Un
Known.“
• Out of this fear arises the
need to continue the contents
of the consciousness beyond
death.
 5 Coping with death
Worldly perspective Buddhist perspective
• Five stage model of death and Sorrowful are all conditional
dying. These stages have things: when this, with
different emotional responses wisdom, one discerns, then is
that people go through in one disgusted with ill; this is
response to the knowledge of
the path to purity.
death. They are commonly
- Magga Vagga - The Dhammapada
referred to by an acronym of
DABDA and are denial, anger,
bargaining, depression and
acceptance.
-Kubler-Ross
6 What happen at the time of death?
Worldly perspective

Donno.
Never die before
 Buddhist perspective

Venerable Anuruddha: -
The Maha Parinibanna
Then the Tathagata,
• after emerging from the cessation of perception and feeling,
• attained the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception,
• and after emerging from the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception he
attained the sphere of nothingness,
• and after emerging from the sphere of nothingness he attained the sphere of endless
consciousness,
• and after emerging from the sphere of endless consciousness he attained the sphere
of endless space,
• and after emerging from the sphere of endless space he attained the fourth
absorption,
• and after emerging from the fourth absorption he attained the third absorption,
• and after emerging from the third absorption he attained the second absorption,
• and after emerging from the second absorption he attained the first absorption,
• and after emerging from the first absorption he attained the second absorption,
• and after emerging from the second absorption he attained the third absorption,
• and after emerging from the third absorption he attained the fourth absorption,
• and after emerging from the fourth absorption, immediately the Tathagata attained
Maha Parinibanna.
 7 The myth of death
Worldly perspective
• Death is the one of the last
mysteries, remaining largely
unknowable - regardless of huge
scientific advancements.
– The Mirror UK
• Judgment Day
Beliefs that the dead go to a specific
plane of existence after death, as
determined by God, or other divine
judgment, based on their actions or
beliefs during life.
- Abrahamic religion
Buddhist perspective
• We don’t die – Buddhism in general,
teaches the survival after death,
• We get recycled - accepts rebirth and
death also conceive of time as being
cyclic.
• Repetition of the cycle of death and
rebirth all over again - In other words,
our lives—collectively known as samsara
(saṁsāra), or wandering-on—is endless
and repetitive.
 8 Life after death
• Worldly
perspective Does it happen?

• Since we have no
empirical
knowledge of
what happens
after death, this is
anyone‘s guess.
• Near Death
Experience (NDE)
Really?
8 Life after death
Buddhist perspective

• In the Paṭicca Samuppāda, the Buddha mentioned that Craving gives rise to
Clinging, that to Becoming (or the continuity of the life-process actuated by Kamma)
and that to Birth.

• The Craving of the dying man must give rise to Clinging, that to the continuity of
the life-process of Becoming through Kamma (Kammabhava), and that to Birth.

• This is in line with the Second Noble Truth whereby craving gives rise to a new
being consisting of the five aggregates of clinging which are suffering.
8 Life after death
Buddhist perspective
• Those who accept reincarnation also believe that consciousness with its content
which is the "me" the "ego" the "self," hopes, aspirations in ones present life which
one hopes to fulfil in the future, is going to be born in the next life as a result of the
operation of cause and effect.

• Depending on your proper conduct in this birth your next life will be rewarded and
improper conduct will beget a miserable existence in the next life.

• Entering into one of the 31 plane of existences

• Antara-bava - Transition in-between death and rebirth

9 Re-birth
Worldly perspective
9 Re-birth
Buddhist perspective
• Starting with the conception of a human, the Buddha said that a germ of life is
planted only when 3 conditions are met:
1 Mother and father must unite,
2 it is the mother’s period (ovum is ripe) and
3 “the being to be born " is present. For a being to be born here, a being with
craving for Becoming must die somewhere.

• The instant death occurs, a new mental process called the Re-birth Consciousness
(patisandhi citta) conditioned by the Reproductive Kamma (or kamma-bhava, the
kamma process of becoming) arises together with three kamma-produced material
groups constituting the body, sex and base (seat of consciousness). They condition
the arising of mental & material processes of the embryo, now called a being in the
conventional sense.
10 How to stop this suffering
Worldly perspective

Donno, don’t care

10 How to stop this suffering
Buddhist perspective - Buddhist’s goal – How not to die?

• Unless the mind is really free from fear "there is no possibility of understanding the
extraordinary beauty, strength and vitality of death".

• Question is: Can the content of consciousness be totally emptied?"

• Answer: Dying is living when the content of consciousness is totally emptied. That
means completely no attachment.

• It is not the brutal cutting off, but the understanding of attachment of depending, of
acquisition, power, position, anxiety and all that. The emptying of that is real death.

• So death becomes living when the content of consciousness which make it our
frontier, its own limitation comes to an end."
10 How to stop this suffering
Buddhist perspective - Buddhist’s goal – How not to die?

• The Buddha laid down that the world, the cause for the world, cessation of the
world and the path to its cessation did not lie "out there" but in this fathom long
sentient body of ours.

In the well-known verse in the Appamada Vagga, the Buddha has stated.

Appamado Amatapadam
Pamado Machchuno Padam
Appamatta Na-Miyanti
Yepamatta Yatamata

Heedfulness is the deathless path

Heedlessness, the path to death
Those who are heedful do not lie
Heedless are as good as dead.
“Come now, monks, for I tell you all conditioned
things are subject to decay, strive on with
heedfulness!”

Buddha’s last breath

Following that he entered into deep meditation,
after which he enters the maha parinibanna