Preparing for Death and Helping the Dying

faith in and relying upon the Three Jewels: Buddha,
Dharma and Sangha, accompanied by a sincere effort
to learn and practice the Buddhist teachings in
our life. It is said in the Buddhist teachings that taking
refuge at the time of death will ensure that we
will obtain a fortunate rebirth and avoid an unfortunate
one in our next lifetime. 3 Faith in one’s personal
spiritual teachers, or in a specific Buddha or
Bodhisattva such as Amitabha or Guan Yin, will also
have the same result and will bring great comfort to
the mind at the time of death.
2) Pure Land practice
A popular practice, particularly in the Mahayana tradition,
is to pray for rebirth in a Pure Land, such as
the Pure Land of Bliss (Sukhavati) of Amitabha Buddha.
Pure Lands are manifested by the Buddhas to
aid those who wish to continue their spiritual practice
in the next life, free of the distractions, hassles
and interferences of the ordinary world.
Bokar Rinpoche mentions four essential conditions
that need to be cultivated in order to take birth
in Amitabha’s Pure Land: 1) making ourselves familiar
with the image of the Pure Land and meditating
upon it, 2) having a sincere wish to be born there,
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