The Invisible Dimension of Passing

Human existence is a synergy of body and soul. While physical death is concrete and provable, "Spiritual Death" is a subjective realm that varies across religions, cultures, and individuals.

Religious Interpretations of Spirituality

Different faith systems explain the soul's with unique symbolic perspectives:

Christianity: Views the soul's arrival on Earth as a separation from God and death as a return to eternal life.(Grudem, 1994),(Bynum, C.W. 1995)
Islam: Believes every individual is born pure and that the soul faces eternal consequences based on free-will actions on Earth.(Juan, ed. 2009),(Mohamed, 1996)
Judaism: Suggests that deceased loved ones accompany the soul during its transition to eternal life.(Raphael, 2000)

Through the Lens of Carl G. Jung

Carl Jung opened new horizons in psychology with concepts like the "collective unconscious" and "psychic energy."

Relativity of Time and the Unconscious

Jung pointed to dreams—where seconds of sleep feel like minutes of experience—as evidence of the relativity of time.(Jung, 1960) Our logical constraints limit our ability to envision a world operating under entirely different rules.

Personal Fate and Rebirth

Jung regarded the meaning of life as the "essential question" in understanding spiritual death.

Personal Fate: The theory that we are born with previous acquisitions and continue a quest for answers. Human progress resembles a chain where each individual completes a specific link.(Jung, Jaffé, 1962)
Psychic Energy: If there is continuity after death, Jung suggests it exists in the form of psychic energy, which does not require space or time.(Jung, Jaffé, 1962)

Eastern Philosophies on Death

Buddhism: Enlightenment and Nirvana

Buddhism views death as an integral part of life and the body as a privilege for the "Path of Enlightenment."

Nirvana: Breaking the attachment to the physical world. It is the "death of death"—a rebirth through the extinction of the self.(Collins, 1998)
Cosmic Cycle: Galaxies and the universe itself undergo the same cycle of birth and death as humans.(Sadakata, 1997)

Taoism: Energy Conservation and Natural Law

Taoism suggests that something invisible and independent existed before all living things—the "Tao."

Form, Pneuma, and Spirit: Human life is an organic combination of these three.
A Natural Cycle: Death is a return to the essence. Just as grass is soft when alive and stiff when dead, the cycle of life and death is an irreversible but natural process of the universe.(Pengying, Yuhui, 2014)

Conclusion: Humanity remains in an endless cycle of trying to understand a self that is both limited and infinite. Jung's quest for purpose, Buddhism's detachment, and Taoism's harmony with nature provide diverse horizons for understanding the transition we call death.

References

Bynum, C. W. (1995). The Resurrection of the Body in Western Christianity. Columbia University Press.
Collins, S. (1998). Nirvana and Other Buddhist Felicities. [Cambridge University Press]
Grudem, W. (1994). Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. [Zondervan Academic]
Juan E. C., ed. (2009). Encyclopedia of Islam. Infobase Publishing
Jung, C. G. (1960). The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche (Collected Works Vol. 8). [Princeton University Press.]
Jung, C. G., & Jaffé, A. (1962). Memories, Dreams, Reflections. [Pantheon.]
Mohamed, Y. (1996). Fitrah: The Islamic Concept of Human Nature. Ta-Ha Publishers
Pengying, Z. & Yuhui, Y. (2014). Characteristics of “Taoism” and Its Enlightenment on Regimen. [DOI: 10.3968/5660]
Raphael, S. P. (2000). Jewish Views of the Afterlife. [Jason Aronson Inc.]
Sadakata, A. (1997). Buddhist Cosmology: Philosophy and Origins. [Kōsei Publishing Co.]

Spiritual Death: Perspectives from Jung, Buddhism, and Taoism