A Buddhist Guide to Death, Dying and Suffering Audio / eBooks / Articles / Free Download
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"Good
health is simply the slowest way a human being can die." - author unknown
November 25, 2011 - An old man was found dead in the waiting hall of a train station in Taiyuan, the
capital city of North China’s Shanxi Province. Among his fellow passengers was a Buddhist monk.
______________
Living
in the Light of Death ...Larry
Rosenberg
From
chapter 3:
1.
Everyone must die...
2.
The remainder of our life span is decreasing continually.
3.
Death will come regardless of whether or not we have made time
to practice the dharma.
4.
Human life expectancy is uncertain.
5.
There are many causes of death.
6.
The human Body is very fragile.
7.
Our wealth cannot help us.
8.
Our loved ones cannot help.
9.
Our body cannot help.
A Buddhist Prayer for the Dead and Dying
Oh Buddhas and Bodhisattvas abiding in all directions,
Endowed with great compassion,
Endowed with foreknowledge,
Endowed with divine eye,
Endowed with love,
Affording protection to sentient beings,
Please come forth through the power of your great compassion,
Please accept these offerings, both actually presented and mentally created.
Oh Compassionate Ones, you who possess
The wisdom of understanding,
The love of compassion,
The power of doing divine deeds,
And of protecting in incomprehensible measure,
[...................................] is passing from this world to the next,
[He/she] is taking a great leap,
The light of this world has faded for [him/her],
[He/she] has entered solitude with their karmic forces,
[He/she] has gone into a vast silence,
[He/she] is borne away by the great ocean of birth and death ..…
Oh Compassionate Ones, protect [......................] who is defenceless. Be to [him/her] like a mother and father.
Oh Compassionate Ones, let not the force of your compassion be weak, but aid them.
Let [...........................] not go into the miserable states of existence.
Forget not your ancient vows.
The audio of Rev. Kusala's talk (3.27.16) at the 'Against the Stream' Meditation Center on Melrose
in Hollywood on who or what is afraid to die. Plus some thoughts on dying well.
The Five Powers to Develop for a Happy Successful Death
(These are explained in the tradition of Thought Transformation; see the Recommended Reading list for books on Thought Transformation)
1. The Power of the White Seed: purify negative karma with the 4 powers of regret, reliance, remedy and resolution; give up attachment to your possessions and make offerings of them; meditate upon refuge in the 3 Jewels, give rise to positive thoughts such as Bodhicitta; reaffirm your commitment to whatever spiritual goals and values you cultivated during your life
2. The Power of Intention: develop in your mind strong, positive resolutions such as not allowing your mind to come under the influence of negative, disturbing emotions; or not letting your mind be separated from the altruistic attitude of Bodhicitta
3. The Power of Remorse: remembering the disadvantages of the disturbing emotions, protect yourself from being overwhelmed by them
4. The Power of Prayer: make strong prayers never to be separated from Bodhicitta, not to be dominated by the misconception of self or the disturbing emotions, to obtain a fortunate rebirth in the next life to be able to continue your practice of the Dharma, etc.
5. The Power of Familiarity: utilize whatever difficulties you face at the time of death to reflect on the teachings, e.g. the suffering nature of samsara, and to develop compassion for all beings; when the time of death comes, lie on your right side with your right ring finger blocking your right nostril (this is the posture the Buddha adopted during his Parinirvana); meditate on “taking and giving”; and on the emptiness of true existence of all things
Further Reading on the Thought Transformation Tradition (the 5 Powers)
· Beresford, Brian, trans. Mind Training Like the Rays of the Sun. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1992
· Gyalwa Gendun Druppa. Training the Mind in the Great Way. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion, 1993 trans. by Glenn H. Mullin
· Geshe Rabten and Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey. Advice from a Spiritual Friend. London: Wisdom, 1976, 1984
· Chodron, Pema. Start Where You Are . Shambhala. USA, Aug 2001 (Also other books by this author)
Rev Sandra Yarlott - 10/2006 - 49 min - MP3 - 11.4 MB // Rev. Kusala's interview
with Rev.
Sandra Yarlott, Director of the UCLA
Medical Center Spiritual Care Dept... Rev. Yarlott
speaks on the challenges of running a Spiritual Care Dept. in Los Angeles...
The importance
of training new hospital chaplains and some of the religious issues patients
face in getting well or dying. For more information on the UCLA Medical Center
- Spiritual
Care Dept
Kusala
Bhikshu / Podcast - Q & A
- Spirituality and Healing in Medicine -
12/2005 - 43min - MP3 - 9.7 MB // Questions and answers
from
a
workshop at the Spirituality and Healing in Medicine
Conference - Boston, December 2005. A variety of
topics
were covered...
Sex, death and dying, karma, heaven, the problem with
oneness, etc. This conference was sponsored by the
Harvard Medical
School Department of Continuing Education and George
Washington University. A complete list of conference
presentations
can be found at: (Conference
Recordings)
BUDDHIST
SPIRITUAL CARE AND PASTORAL COUNCILING SYMPOSIUM / MP3 Insight
Meditation Center with Steve Stuckey, Jaku Kinst,
Gayle Madison
Saturday,
October 7, 2006. Buddhist
chaplains,
both volunteer
and professional, share their understanding,
experience
and practce. - Four MP3 Files -- Free
Download
Notes on a Theravada Buddhist Approach to Spiritual Care to the Dying and the Dead
(Originally written for people offering Buddhist Spiritual Care)
Insight Meditation Center by Gil Fronsdal
According to the Buddhist way of thinking, death, far from being a subject to be shunned and avoided, is the key that unlocks the seeming mystery of life. It is by understanding death that we understand life; for death is part of the process of life in the larger sense. In another sense, life and death are two ends of the same process and if you understand one end of the process, you also understand the other. Hence, by understanding the purpose of death we also understand the purpose of life.
This booklet contains the eight prayers that are traditionally done in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries when someone passes away. According to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, we absolutely must do something to benefit those beings who have died. Rinpoche recommends Medicine Buddha Puja, Medicine Buddha practices in general, and this collection of eight prayers as being the most important practices to do at this time. In addition, one may do the practice of Prostrations to the Thirty- Five Confession Buddhas. That practice is included at the end of this booklet.
Sutra
of the Medicine Buddha — Dharma Master Hsuan Jung.
In the Mahayana tradition of East Asia, particularly China,
Japan, Vietnam and Tibet. The Medicine Buddha occupies a special
place in the hearts of Mahayana Buddhists. Specialising in
curing diseases, both physical and mental - of which delusion
is the
root cause. His healing acts are but the prelude to Supreme
Enlightenment for those seekers who have the good fortune
to
learn of his vows or merely to hear his name! -
(Free
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A
Guide to a Proper Buddhist Funeral — Koperasi Buddhisme
Malaysia Berhad.
This is a hand book on Buddhist Funerals, with sections on
practical advice as to what is to be done when a family member
is critically
ill; the final moments; when death takes place; preparing for
the funeral; paying last respects; the final rites; verses
for
contemplation; the burial / cremation ceremony and the memorial
service. -
(Free
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Generally, a Chinese funeral is a mixture of Taoist, Confucian
and Buddhist rites. How then should a Theravadin Buddhist
funeral
be conducted? Venerable Suvanno, a respected and senior Theravadin
Buddhist monk of Chinese descent explains how a Theravadin
Buddhist
funeral may be conducted. -
(Free
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Dying to Live - The Role of Karma in Dying and Rebirth —
Aggacitta Bhikkhu
The
purpose of this work is to present a comprehensive picture of
kamma and the often unpredictable role it plays in the process
of dying and rebirth according to orthodox Theravada doctrine.
With
the aid of colour diagrams, basic concepts of Abhidhamma are
first introduced in order to facilitate a thorough understanding
of what happens, on a microscopic level, to the body and mind
of a person dying to live again. Since kamma is inextricably
linked with Abhidhamma principles, and our main subject of discussion
is one of its specific roles, the whole of Chapter 2 is devoted
to an exposition of the nature of kamma and its various aspects,
classified according to four different ways of analysis.
Chapter
3 begins by surveying the causes of death and the possible manifestations
of the kamma that is about to produce rebirth in the dying person,
and concludes by presenting a microscopic description, accompanied
by a colour diagram, of the actual process of dying and rebirth,
based on the basic principles of Abhidhamma introduced in Chapter
1.
In
Chapter 4, the order in which specific types of kamma generate
rebirth is discussed with the help of many interesting storie's
mostly extracted from the commentaries, but including a few
modern one's and accompanied by pencil drawings.
Finally,
Chapter 5 summarises and concludes this booklet with some
proposals
for skilful dying, and a dramatic personal account of a young
monk's own observations and masterly manipulation of the
changing
visions experienced by a dying Buddhist devotee. -
(Free
Download)
Preparing
for Death & Helping the Dying —
Sangye
Khadro.
This
booklet is based on material used during a seminar that
Sangye
Khadro taught in Singapore and elsewhere, entitled “Preparing
for Death and Helping the Dying.” This seminar answers
a genuine need in today’s world, as expressed by one
participant:
“I am interested to know more about death and how to
help dying people, but it’s very difficult to find anyone
willing to talk about these things.” The material for
the seminar is taken mainly from two sources: traditional
Buddhist teachings,
and contemporary writings in the field of caring for the dying.
This booklet is meant as a brief introduction to the subject
rather than a detailed explanation. -
(Free
Download)
Imagine
a life partner, a family member or a close friend of yours
is
dying. How might she or he be feeling? Facing death, being
in pain maybe. What are her or his intimate needs and wishes?
What
happens to us when staying with a dying person? How can we
deal with the sorrow, the confusing thoughts and the trying
situation?
How should we communicate with her or him and with the family
members and friends? When a beloved person is dying we are
touched
to our deepest core. Difficult, painful emotions may rush up,
stirring in our hearts. Dying and death becomes a great
challenger,
breaking into our lives – which we try so hard to keep
smooth and under control. -
(Free
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Daily
Readings -- Buddha's Words of Wisdom — by Ven. S. Dhammika.
For over two thousand years the discourses of the Buddha have
nourished the spiritual lives of countless millions of people.
This book contains extracts of the early Buddhist discourses
from the Pali Tipitaka, and also from some post-canonical
writings.
Presented so that one reading can be reflected upon each day
of the year. This book is an indispensable companion for anyone
trying to apply the Buddha's gentle message to their daily
life. -
(Free
Download)
