ABSTRACT

                  This research covered three main purposes: (1) to study the view on life and death in Theravāda Buddhist philosophy, (2) to study the view on life and death in Krishnamurti, and (3) to study comparatively the view on life and death in Theravāda Buddhist philosophy and Krishnamurti. This was a documentary research that collected all data from Tipitaka, Buddhist books, academic document and the related researches, and then, took all collected data into the analytical comparison. 

                  A result of this study was found that Theravāda Buddhist philosophy had the view on the truth of life both in a concrete and abstract meaning, i.e. a body and mind. Both of them were true in life but they were in the changing process of Three Characteristics: arising, existing and disappearing. There was no matter in those things. The change of a body and mind had to arise in human beings all times. Generally, Theravāda Buddhist philosophy divided death into two types. The first was the death of a body and mind in each existence, actually called ‘Jivitintriya’. If life was not pure from defilement, it would appear again in the next existence. This was so because mind had the state of continuous arising and falling that was related to the form’s arising and falling according to its elements. The second was the death of form and mind in every minute of phenomena while a person was alive.  This was called ‘Khanika-marana’. Thus, Theravāda Buddhist philosophy gave the death the definition covering both the concept of life in the mundane world and that in the supramundane world.  

                  A study of the concept of life and death in Krishnamurti was found that physical death, Krishnamurti said, was one of truths because it was clearly visible. However, he did not agree with the conclusion of the unchangeable definition of life and death. He gave his view that human life moved continuously with the condition of the relation and change both in materialism and idealism. Each form of life was the continuity of mind. To understand life and death clearly with the conclusion, theories, and beliefs could not make human beings absolutely free from fearing. Life and death was two things that could be separated from each other.

            When two concepts were taken into the comparison, it was found that Theravāda Buddhist philosophy and Krishnamurti had the same view on life and death. According to them, human life was moveable with its relating and changeable aspect all times. However, they had some different view of life and death. Krishnamurti showed the view that death was an end of thinking, and the stop of thinking, basically called ‘death’. On the contrary, according to Theravāda Buddhist philosophy, death was an end of five aggregates and the end of form and mind in every minute of formation without limitation. Krishnamurti denied this Buddhist view on rebirth because Krishnamurti believed that this Buddhist concept was only a reason of the complex thoughts but it was not true in the present. Thus, the view on life and death in Theravāda Buddhist philosophy was clearly in Three Characteristics through crossing the self-attraction and selfishness. However, Three Characteristics in life and death according to Krishnamurti stressed on self that gave clearly understanding the human life in all aspects relating to self and attraction to self.