About a Death and Dying practice from the Tibetan teachings

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Creating Moments of Joy: A Journal for Caregivers, Fourth Edition

Prayers for the Dying

Two topical sites w.r.t. end-of-life care

Buddhist prayers for the dying

April 16, 2008 · by Loden Jinpa · Meditation

I often get asked, what people can do during the last days of a loved one.
Below is some simply advice for anyone currently dealing with death.

What to do when someone is dying
Generally speaking, just having good thoughts and memories of your loved one will be helpful both to you and your loved one(s). Getting upset, crying or getting angry, will only serve to make things worse. A persons state of mind at the time of death is important for a good rebirth. Therefore it is best to help the dying person remain calm and happy. Reminding them of events that will only cause problems is not a skillful action. So try to avoid this as much as possible.

If you feel so inclined, you and if possible, the dying person can meditate on compassion and loving-kindness for all sentient beings.

Start off the meditation by not focusing on a friend, as this can cause people to get upset and attachment to arise. Think about someone like a work friend or someone similar. Someone that you know and care for but, who is not too close that attachment will arise. Then as the meditation continues, add more and more people into the scope of your attention. In the end add all beings, even your enemies if you can without causing issues. Then this is the important part, try and develop a feeling that all the beings in the scope of your meditation are of equal importance to you. Why? because all beings want happiness and do not want suffering. No one wants to die, not even the worse people! But, we all have to leave our bodies behind. We all come into the world naked and all we leave naked. In this regard we are all the same, we are all equal. Try and develop a sense of equanimity towards all beings. This will happy remove attachment for friends and family and anger for people you feel have done you wrong. Buddhist assert that someone who dies with this type of mind is very likely to have a good rebirth.

In terms of a Buddhist prayers for the dying you and if possible the dying person can recite the following prayer.

By this virtue (reciting this prayer), at the instant of death, may you take rebirth in Tushita (a heavenly realm). May you meet the limitless Bodhisattvas and be cared for by Maitreya, our supreme refuge.

Through the fire of great love, the wood of hatred is burnt.
Through the light of pristine awareness, the darkness of ignorance is dispelled. To the Regent of the Dharma (Maitreya Buddha) abiding in Tushita, I prostrate.

Also, learn the death process itself. If the dying person is a Buddhist and they want to hear. Read to them the explanation of the death process. This will also be useful for when we are dying.

Role of Ritual

Developing an appreciation of the rituals associated with various religious belief systems aids spiritual care-giving for oncology patients. As spiritual needs such as meaning, purpose, hope, love, forgiveness and gratitude, or spiritual issues such as fear, anger, guilt, shame, or sadness are identified, patients may find hope and comfort in the practices and rituals of their religious beliefs. Although religion and spirituality are different, the rituals of religion may be an avenue to the spiritual connectedness with self, others, and God and help with questions of suffering or an afterlife. Rituals alone can become mechanical but with faith they can give shape to the more abstract beliefs one holds. The practice of a particular ritual can be the means that we outwardly express an inner belief or prepare our hearts and minds to inwardly accept a divine intervention. Rituals can point to the sacred, the holy, the transcendent.

Rituals belong to the social life of society. They can remind us of who we are or to whom we belong. They place a present circumstance into the traditions of history and those who have gone before us. For someone that has long been alienated from their religion, a cancer diagnosis may the catalyst for a return to the practice of one’s faith. A life review may remind a patient of times of religious support or meaning. Oncology nurses can assist in mobilizing spiritual resources as they are familiar with the rituals of one’s religion. An awareness and respect of the rituals at the end of life are essential in compassionate caregiving and will have continual effects as they may help to meet the spiritual needs of loved ones who are left to grieve, mourn and find meaning in their loss.

This article goes on to detail rituals of different religions and traditions at the end of life. Highly recommended! See the complete article at http://wwwnew.towson.edu/sct/ritual.htm

National Spiritual Care Summit

A joint project by City of Hope and the George Washington Institute of Spirituality and Health, sponsored by the Archstone Foundation

We are pleased to announce a new project, described in this press release. GWish is partnering with City of Hope to hold a Spirituality Summit to develop tools and resources in spiritual care. This project is sponsored by the Archstone Foundation.

A key component of this project is a white paper or policy paper that will be used to help frame future research and projects in Spirituality and Health. If you are interested in this project, and/or interested in contributing clinical or educational resources in spiritual care, please let me know by email at hcscmp@gwumc.edu.

I look forward to hearing from you.
— Christina Puchalski

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day – India
Wednesday October 8, 2008
To celebrate World Hospice and Palliative Care Day on October 11, 2008, CanSupport will hold a full day workshop together with the Foundation of Universal Responsibility of HH The Dalai Lama in New Delhi, India

The title of the workshop is “Finding Meaning from Life in the Face of Death’. Speakers will range from the religious to the secular and will include practitioners of hospice and palliative care. The purpose is to start a dialogue that will begin the process of evolving toolkits, rooted in different religious and secular traditions, so as to help people deal with the spiritual and existential crises that they experience at the end of life.

The workshop will be followed by an evening outdoor concert at the India International Centre which will be open to the public and will include healing music from diverese religious traditions in India.

http://www.cansupport.org (from about.com)