Preparing for Death and Helping the Dying

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28 Sogyal Rinpoche says (p.213): All religions stress the power of forgiveness, and this power is never more necessary, nor more deeply felt, than when someone is dying. Through forgiving and being forgiven, we purify ourselves of the darkness of what we have done, and prepare ourselves more completely for the journey through death. HOW TO HELP SOMEONE WHO IS A BUDDHIST If the dying person is a Buddhist, ask questions to find out how much they know and understand, and their answers should give you a better idea about what to do to help them spiritually. For example, if the person has strong faith in Guan Yin (Tib: Chenrezig, Skt: Avalokitesvara), then you should encourage them to keep that faith in their mind and pray to Guan Yin as much as possible. Or if the person were a practitioner of mindfulness meditation, encourage them to do that practice as often as they can. In short, whatever teachings and practices they are familiar and comfortable with, remind them
of these and do whatever you can to provide them with confidence and inspiration to do these practices. If they have difficulty practicing on their own, due to pain or tiredness or a confused state of mind, do the practice with them. If possible, place images of Buddha, Guan Yin, Amitabha, and so forth within sight of the person. If he or she has any Spiritual Teachers, you can put their pictures as well. It’s also very beneficial to recite the names of Buddhas to the person, because the Buddhas have promised to help living beings avoid being reborn in states of suffering. Speak to the person, or read passages from books, about impermanence and other Buddhist teachings—but do this only if they are receptive, do not force it on them. Also, be cautious about teaching them something that would cause their mind to be confused or upset (for example, if the subject is too difficult for them to understand, or if it is new and unfamiliar). Remember that the most important thing is to help the person have a peaceful and positive state of mind before and during their death. It may be that the dying person does not know how to meditate or pray. In that case you can meditate or do other prayers or practices in their pres- 29
Page 1: Preparing for Death and Helping the
Page 4 and 5: CONTENTS Preface To The Revised Edi
Page 6 and 7: PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION This
Page 8 and 9: INTRODUCTION Death is a subject tha
Page 10 and 11: training and preparation, a peacefu
Page 12 and 13: the fear of death (because we tend
Page 14 and 15: And: 2 What is born will die What h
Page 16 and 17: turned to the Buddha, buried her ch
Page 18 and 19: die, for example, on an operating t
Page 20 and 21: may lead us to take birth in unfort
Page 22 and 23: 10 HOW TO PREPARE FOR DEATH THE FOU
Page 24 and 25: 12 “Every religious tradition emp
Page 26 and 27: death itself is one of the most eff
Page 28 and 29: 16 • keeping in mind an object of
Page 30 and 31: and making regular prayers for such
Page 32 and 33: correspond to the gradual dissoluti
Page 34 and 35: such as The Tibetan Book of the Dea
Page 36 and 37: Thus one of the most important skil
Page 38 and 39: and deal with turbulent emotions. I
Page 42 and 43: ence, dedicating the merit of these
Page 44 and 45: their religious beliefs and practic
Page 46 and 47: have stopped breathing. Remember th
Page 48 and 49: spiritual instructions. Among the p
Page 50 and 51: 38 CONCLUSION I hope that the ideas
Page 52 and 53: dark smoke. It comes into your hear
Page 54 and 55: person you love whom you want to fo
Page 56 and 57: 44 NOTES 1. Gary Zukav, The Dancing
Page 58 and 59: 46 You never think of death’s app
Page 60 and 61: 48 Driven by the winds, swept by th
Page 62 and 63: 50 RECOMMENDED READING BUDDHIST TEA
Page 64 and 65: Dying. London: Papermac, 1988. Call
Page 66: 54 St Joseph’s Home & Hospice 921

Preparing for Death and Helping the Dying

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