end of life Essay

People would be buried in the ground, in water, put in a hanging coffin or cremated. Chinese burial practices had two main components: tombs and their contents, and ceremonies to honor the dead, performed in temples and offering halls by their relatives. The rites observed at his funeral were elaborate versions of those common throughout China. Ancestors were considered an important influence on one’s life, and their continued existence in the afterlife a certainty, prayers were offered both to those who had gone before and to the principle of divine harmony to aid the dead person in transition from this world to the

Death rituals, known as funerals, which have been a ritual that has dated back to 60,000 BC. A Catholic funeral is conducted in three different sections, Arnold van Gennep’s theory of rites of passage can be implemented when discussing the three phases in a Catholic funeral. The Pre-liminal stage of a funeral can be seen as a pre vigil, this is where family and friends gather in the home of the deceased, in the funeral home, or in the church to pray and remember the deceased (Everplans, 2015). The liminal stage of the ritual is at the funeral itself and the Post-liminal stage being the wake that is set after the funeral, in an act of celebration to a wonderful life. Throughout the funeral ceremony, symbolism is represented right

The body should ideally face in the direction of Mecca. It is a religious requirement that the dead be buried as soon as possible and considerable family distress can be avoided by speedy production of the death certificate. The body will be washed and shrouded in simple unsewn pieces of white cloth. A funeral prayer is held in the local mosque, and family and community members follow the funeral procession to the graveyard where a final prayer is said as 138 the deceased is laid to rest. Events occur in rapid succession Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice, Imperial College School of Medicine, Norfolk Place, London W2 1 PG, UK JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE Volume 91 March 1998 and often the dead will be buried within 24 hours.

Many Buddhists wish to maintain a clear mind when dying; they may wish to have quiet time chanting sacred texts with another Buddhist.

When we get older and when we deal with someone else who is nearing death we misunderstand what happens and how to understand the death process, we do not know what to expect and how to handle the process.

In this sense, inexplicable fear of death can manifest itself in an excessive desire to obtain achievements to counteract this anguish and the person takes an anxious race against time, no enjoyment of one's own achievements. The deep religious beliefs, rituals and ceremonies helped familiar with death. Friends and neighbors accompanied the suffering and the dying and provided support and comfort in this difficult time of the end of life. “Numerous Researchers now for many people believe that, continuing bonds with the deceased is a regular part of healthy adaptation” (Klass & Walter,

This research explores the literature across cultures on death and dying in order to highlight the impact of culture on reactions to death and the dying process. A theoretical framework is established, using Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’s five stages of dying, followed by a succinct discussion of the reactions and attitudes toward death and the dying process of four cultures (Buddhist, Hindu, Native American and American). By illustrating the different reactions and attitudes toward death of these cultures, it is revealed that through increased cultural understanding health care workers can provide more personalized care to the dying.

The Buddhists guided us to prepare for death, to prepare for that journey by cleansing the mind and not being so attached to things, to be able to let go and release ourselves for needing to be. Through this we will not suffer so much as we pass through the final stage of the present life, we can let go, be grateful for what we had but not hold to it, not try to guarantee stability and cause ourselves to suffer more than we need to. This way we can end

Buddhists believe that they have no identity. That there is no constant substantial self. They believe that after death, the spirit is recycled. During this formation, the personality is disintegrated and only certain memories, personal traits, and skills would be recycled to create a new person and when death approaches, then the process starts all over again (Rivas, T., 2005).

As people approach the end of their lives, they with their families and their caregivers, face many tasks and decisions. They may be psychological, spiritual, or medical in nature, but all end-of-life choices and medical decisions have complex psychological components, ramifications, and consequences that have a significant impact on the suffering patients and their caregivers.

Death is one of the only things guaranteed in life and most religions have meaningful and precise customs, traditions, and funerary practices revolving around death. From specific protocols for preparing the body to performing certain duties during the memorial service. The structure that religion provides around dealing with death offers guidance to grief stricken survivors and fulfills religious obligations. The two religions I chose to focus on for this paper is Buddhism more specifically the Mahayana sect of Buddhism and religion I the Mayan civilization. Mahayana Buddhism and Mayan religions have similar aspects in dealing with death and the funerary practices such as cremation.

In viewpoint, it is essential to be nonjudgmental about an individual’s practice related to death and dying as each person has different views. Therefore, if an individual chooses to uphold confidentiality regarding beliefs, their request should be respected. In experiencing personal loss, grieving relates to all cultures and practices relating to death and dying are a practice of an individual’s personal preference. Therefore, assisting individuals to choose for themselves how their end-of-life wishes should be handled has assisted people to take control over their dying practices related to death and dying and their final scenario (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2013).

In the midst of undergoing a serious life-altering incident, one often experiences the feeling of a paradigm shift. It is amazing to see how our perspectives of the world shift when forced to reflect on what is truly important. Such is the way with death. Being near death causes a sharp realization of what is truly important in life--love of family and friends, faith in God, and making the world a better place to live in--and enables one to not merely accept this, but apply it to their life as well. All those typical, average daily worries and concerns about homework, professional careers, food, sleep, personal grooming, etc., while important and necessary in everyday life must seem unbelievably miniscule when the death has wiped ones

Mankind’s history of burial practices and funeral customs are as old as civilization itself. There is no specific way to planning a funeral. Every civilization and culture has provided for their dead in different ways. Religion and personal beliefs play an important role in the burial practices and funeral customs of a given culture or civilization. Furthermore, each civilization and cultured ever studied have three things in common: some type of funeral rites, rituals, and ceremonies; A sacred place for the dead; and memorialization of the dead. As far back as the time of Christ, burials have been noted to take place. In time burial and funeral customs have become very distinct, interesting and

There are many religions that have different beliefs about dying. Buddhist?s do not believe in life after death meaning heaven. Buddhist?s believe that when one dies he is reborn again and this continues until the person reaches Nirvana. Nirvana is