DEATH AS AN AESTHETIC FORM IN PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT OF CONFUCIANISM, BUDDHISM, AND DAOISM

Tóm tắt

Death–a human phenomenon that appears to signify an ending, stillness, sorrow, and loss–has nevertheless become a point of convergence and a central category of concern in three major Eastern systems of thought: Confucianism, Daoist philosophy, and Buddhism. Within these three traditions, death is not understood merely as the cessation of human biological activity; it is also considered within philosophical, ethical, and aesthetic categories. This article approaches death as an aesthetic form rather than as a dark and fated conclusion. It examines the conception of death in each system of thought, whose different epistemological foundations and perspectives generate distinct aesthetic values. By elucidating their philosophical depth, the article opens an aesthetic perspective on death at the point where Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism meet. It thereby arrives at the following conclusion: in Eastern philosophy, death is not an endpoint but a doorway into the profound dimensions of life, enabling human beings to perceive, confront, and experience the beauty of mortal existence.