Reflections on Dying, Our Last Thought(s), and Living a Spiritual Life

Abstract

In this essay, the importance of living a spiritual life while maintaining a regular meditative (reflective) attitude toward life, death, and dying is explored. A review of some clinical studies pointing to the importance of having a spiritual outlook in life and toward death is provided. The basic teachings of the Buddha are used as the foundational theme of this paper to discuss death and the possible barriers to its acceptance. The concept of process from a thermodynamical perspective is discussed, implying that life also consists of many processes, resembling a journey with many stages. I then look at the relationship between spirituality and dying.The article ends with a few remarks and reflections on living a spiritual life.