7 How to Have a Stable and Tranquil Mind When You Are Facing Death With No Way Out

It would seem the significance of death is connected with one’s beliefs about the afterlife. Most contemporary philosophers have rejected this as a possibility. Here’s why: Materialist philosophers argue that all we are is a body. When that dies, there is nothing left. That is why Epicurus said not to fear death because, “When we are, death is not come, and when death is come, we are not.”^[1]

That does not help too much with the process of dying itself, which can sometimes be very painful. Because of this, many argue for the reasonableness of mercy killing so that the hopelessly or terminally ill will be able to end their suffering.

Many, perhaps most people, believe that their consciousness will continue after death. How could this be possible? With the brain gone, burned, or buried, how can there be thoughts, memories or emotions?

The 12th century Hindu philosopher Ramanuja thought he had a solution. He believed we always have two bodies, the ordinary or gross body, and the subtle body which is within the gross body. The subtle body cannot be perceived by ordinary means. It carries the seeds of good and bad karma. It can be developed by yogic practices. It is believed that when we die, the subtle body continues on to either heaven or is reincarnated into another body.

Ramanuja’s followers believe the yogic body cannot be perceived by anyone who has not developed the power of yogic perception, so it cannot be proved to exist. Nevertheless, they believe, it may exist, and thus offers for them a coherent idea of survival after death.

Buddhists, Taoists, and Stoics like Seneca, believe that we never were a separate thing apart from the universe; The separate self is an illusion. All of us are constantly changing, instant by instant. Thus, how can we say, “what is the real ‘me’”? Is it the baby of two weeks, or the elderly person of a hundred? And all of us are physically intermingled with the state of the universe at any moment. These thinkers urge us not to fear death because they believe that, with meditative awareness at the time of death, we can come to experience unity with all things, and melt into a clear blissful experience of light.

Some hospice workers use similar meditative concepts to help the dying. They encourage patients to relax, sometimes using massage therapy. They recommend thinking loving thoughts, to rejoice in the positive things patients have done in their lives, and that they visualize an all-encompassing, loving clear light.

Some dying people consider this refuge to be God. Others consider it to be nature itself. Some, like many Buddhists, prefer not to give it a name. Here are some examples of how heroic people have faced imprisonment and death with great strength of character.

Seneca 3 BCE-65 CE

The Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca The Younger, was born in Cordoba, Spain which at that time was part of the Roman Empire. He was a sickly child and worries about him prompted his aunt to take him to Rome, where there were better doctors. He survived childhood and became a brilliant lawyer.

Unfortunately, he became involved with political problems stemming from a suspected (but unproven) adulterous affair with Julia, the youngest daughter of Emperor Claudius. He was exiled from Rome for twenty years and spent his time studying and writing.

Eight years later, Agrippina, the current empress and mother of Nero, requested he return to Rome, to become the tutor of her eleven-year-old son, Nero. At this time, Seneca had become widely known for his brilliance, kindness, and forgiveness.

When Nero inherited the throne after the death of Claudius, Seneca and another political leader, the prefect, Burros, ruled Rome as Nero’s regents for nine years. This was a time of prosperity and good order for Rome.

Seneca did his best to guide the boy into becoming a good person, but ultimately failed. As he grew older and began to govern Rome himself, Nero’s true colors began to show. He became a vicious tyrant, torturing and killing his political enemies, and he executed Christians who refused to burn incense before his statues.

Seneca tried to resign from the government, offering his considerable fortune to Nero. But Nero refused his resignation, promising he would never harm his beloved tutor. Nevertheless, when he (probably falsely), suspected Seneca of treason, Nero ordered him to commit suicide, which he did, with calm and dignity. His beloved wife tried to die with him but was prevented from doing so.

Seneca was an important philosopher, playwright, poet, political theorist, and humorist. He owes a debt to early Greek Stoicism, particularly the teachings of philosopher Heraclitus:

Heraclitus, one of the early Stoics, saw the universe as being in constant flux or change. (You cannot step into the same river twice.) Individuals were subject to the laws of nature and the universe, and the creative force of reason was embedded in the universe as well as within individuals. The Stoics were monists (the concept that all is one); they saw no difference between God and the universe. God for the Stoics, was “a rational spirit having itself no shape, but making itself into all things.”^[2] They believed everything emerged from God, and evil was essential to the perfection of the whole.^[3] They held that the universe is benevolent, and that when one realized this, one would have peace of mind and be able to accept whatever comes. These views of Heraclitus were the foundation of Seneca’s philosophy.

Seneca’s main aim was to convince people to lead a life of virtue, for to him this was to live in accordance with the divine universe. To be wise and good, we must harmonize ourselves with the divine will (nature itself). This would enable us to accept whatever happened with wisdom and dignity. To do this, the passions had to be brought under control.

One example of how Seneca advised doing this was his analysis of anger. Seneca believed that we become angry because we falsely expect things to go the way we want. When they do not, we are surprised and hurt and become enraged.

Seneca was at times a very rich man. He did not see this as a problem, however. For him, a problem would arise only if one lusted after riches or anything else that one could not have. Seneca supported the philosopher Epicurus’ views on the virtues of moderation.^[4]

Here are some sayings of Seneca:

The acquisition of riches has been for many men, not an end, but a change, of troubles.^[5]

What difference does it make how much you have? There is so much more that you do not have.^[6]

No one is laughable who laughs at himself.^[7]

It is quality rather than quantity that matters.^[8]

Seneca’s beliefs served him well when he was exiled from Rome. He asked his mother not to be sad for him because what happened was the will of the gods. This is possibly why when Nero ordered him to commit suicide, he did so calmly and with peace of mind.

Boethius circa 480–524 B.C.E.

Boethius is a good role model in our search to find a way to handle death. He was an important Roman statesman, who loved Greek and Roman philosophy but was also a Christian. Despite general hostility to Christians, he held a high position in the Roman government, due in part to his wealthy and powerful family. He had a loving wife and two sons and was content writing a remarkable number of books, considering that he had so many governmental duties.

In 524 he was falsely accused of treason by the emperor Theodoric and was thrown into prison. At first, he despaired, correctly foreseeing his execution. Then, he claims in his book, The Consolation of Philosophy, he had a vision of a beautiful woman, Lady Philosophy, who scolded him for his mental anguish.^[9] She entered into a dialogue with him and argued that all of life was dominated by the goddess Fortune (“Fortuna”).^[10] The wheel of Fortune turned, raising people up, then crushing them with the loss of what they cherished, and finally death.

The only escape from this, he believed, was to find solace in one’s understanding. He held that nature is the embodiment of divine wisdom; as such nothing could really harm one, and Fortune herself was also part of the divine plan. Because of this, Boethius calmly met his death. He was able to find happiness because of his faith in divine wisdom. The Consolation of Philosophy became one of the most influential books in history; Queen Elizabeth I wrote her own translation from Latin into English.

Although these historical figures faced terrible situations, they were able to keep their courage and peace of mind. Each found a different way to do this, but all of them can inspire people experiencing pain and suffering to do the same.