# 如何做好临终关怀
# How to Provide Proper End-of-Life Care

------2016年讲于临终助念培训
---A teaching at the End-of-Life Chanting Assistance Training, 2016

 济群法师 
Master Jiqun

- 一、临终助念与三级修学
- 二、认识死亡真相
- 三、心理引导
- 四、助念的相关事项
- 五、往生的助缘
- 六、结束语

- I. End-of-Life Chanting Assistance and the Three-Stage Practice
- II. Understanding the Truth of Death
- III. Psychological Guidance
- IV. Matters Related to Chanting Assistance
- V. Supportive Conditions for Rebirth
- VI. Conclusion

临终助念是书院的慈善项目之一，目前主要针对学员及直系亲属。每次关于助念的培训，参与者都很踊跃，这也反映了很多家庭乃至整个社会的需求。生、老、病、死是人生四件大事，尤其是现在的中国社会，已步入老龄化门槛，并处于逐步加深的阶段。据世界卫生组织预测，到2050年，中国将有35％的人口超过60岁，成为世界上老龄化最严重的国家。\
End-of-life chanting assistance is one of the Academy's charitable projects, currently offered primarily to its members and their immediate family. Every training session on this topic draws enthusiastic participation, which reflects a need felt by many families and indeed by society at large. Birth, aging, illness, and death are the four great events of human life. Chinese society in particular has now crossed the threshold into population aging, and the trend is still deepening. The World Health Organization projects that by 2050, 35% of China's population will be over sixty, making it the world's most severely aged nation.\

　　从另一方面来看，现代人大多关心现实的物质追求，缺乏信仰生活和对心灵归宿的关怀。年轻时忙于工作和家庭，可能还没多少感觉；老来无所事事，精神生活显得格外贫乏。所以，全社会都在呼吁关爱"空巢老人”。这固然值得提倡，但我觉得，比儿女不在身边更可怕的，是内心的空空荡荡，无所依靠。事实上，这是任何陪伴都无法弥补的空白。因为陪伴只能让人得到暂时的慰藉，用亲情来转移或稀释死之将至的恐惧。\
From another angle, most modern people are preoccupied with material pursuits. They lack a life of faith and care for where the heart finds its true home. When they are young, busy with work and family, they may not feel this acutely; but in old age, with nothing to do, the impoverishment of their inner life becomes starkly apparent. That is why society at large is calling for care of "empty-nest elders." This is certainly worth advocating, but I believe that what is more terrifying than one's children being far away is the emptiness within --- having nothing to lean on. In truth, this void cannot be filled by any amount of companionship. Companionship can only offer temporary consolation --- using familial affection to shift or dilute the fear of approaching death.\

　　和衰老相比，那个同时逼近的死亡，更是让人困惑、茫然、避之唯恐不及的话题。在我们的默认设定中，死亡就是这期生命的终结和消失。但人死真的如灯灭吗？到底有没有一个未知的世界？怎样有尊严地走完人生最后阶段？如何为此做好准备？包括以怎样的心态接纳衰老，面对疾病，都是我们需要共同学习的。\
Compared with aging, the simultaneous approach of death is an even more bewildering, disorienting subject that people avoid at all costs. In our default assumptions, death is simply the end and disappearance of this phase of life. But does death really mean extinction, like a lamp going out? Is there an unknown realm after all? How does one walk the final stage of life with dignity? How does one prepare for this? And how should one accept aging and face illness --- with what state of mind? All of these are topics we need to study together.\

　　书院是一个修学团体，为学员提供有效的引导和良好的氛围。而慈善工作的定位，重点是加强团体的凝聚力和向心力，同时为大家提供践行菩提心的平台。通过利益大众来促进修学，通过深化修学来更好地利益大众。这是智慧和慈悲的修习，相辅相成，彼此增上。关于这次培训，我看了慈善委所做的PPT，总体来说比较完整，代表着义工们长期以来的探索，值得随喜。我就在此基础上和大家谈一谈。
The Academy is a study and practice community that provides its members with effective guidance and a supportive environment. The role of its charitable work is, above all, to strengthen the community's cohesion and shared purpose, while offering everyone a platform for putting bodhicitta into practice --- benefiting others to deepen one's study, and deepening one's study to better benefit others. This is the cultivation of wisdom and compassion, each supporting and elevating the other. As for this training, I have looked over the PPT prepared by the Charity Committee. On the whole it is quite comprehensive and represents our volunteers' long-term exploration --- truly worthy of rejoicing. I will now speak on this basis and share some thoughts with you all.

## 一、临终助念与三级修学
## I. End-of-Life Chanting Assistance and the Three-Stage Practice

通常，我们是将临终助念作为利他的慈善行。事实上，它和三级修学也有着密切关系，能够帮助我们生起并强化念死之心。在《道次第》中，念死既是重要的前行，也是不可或缺的正行。从下士道的对三宝生起皈依求救之心，到中士道的生起出离轮回之心，再到上士道的断除我执，发愿利他，可以说，念死贯穿着整个菩提道的修行。\
We usually regard end-of-life chanting assistance as an altruistic act of charity. In fact, it also has a close connection with the Three-Stage Practice, for it can help us arouse and strengthen our mindfulness of death. In the *Lamrim*, mindfulness of death is both an important preliminary practice and an indispensable main practice. From the Path for Persons of Small Capacity --- giving rise to a mind that seeks refuge in the Three Jewels --- through the Path for Persons of Medium Capacity --- giving rise to a mind of renunciation from cyclic existence --- to the Path for Persons of Great Capacity --- severing self-grasping and vowing to benefit others, one can say that mindfulness of death runs through the entire bodhisattva path.\

　　但我们平时的念死往往停留在理论上：死亡是一定的，死期是不定的，死时除佛法外余皆无益......道理似乎都知道，但真能提起念死之心吗？其实并不容易。我们明知道人必有一死，可除了拿来说一说，未必有多少感觉，更难生起紧迫感。而参与临终关怀和助念，需要零距离地直面死亡，这种冲击是实实在在的，是在活生生地为我们诠释法义，提醒我们：这一刻也会发生在自己身上。\
Yet our usual mindfulness of death tends to stay at the theoretical level: death is certain; the time of death is uncertain; at death, nothing helps except the Dharma... We seem to know these truths, but can we really bring our mindfulness of death to the fore? It is not easy. We clearly know that death is inevitable, yet beyond mentioning it in passing, we may not feel much about it, and find it even harder to give rise to a sense of urgency. Participating in end-of-life care and chanting assistance, however, requires facing death at close range. This impact is tangible; it interprets the Dharma for us in a living way, reminding us that this very moment will also come to us.\

　　西藏帕绷喀大师有一首《心匙》，是关于如何念死的长诗，也是对如何多角度、全方位地进行观察修的详细引导。我在讲解《道次第》时特别引用过，希望大家经常念一念，会是一记当头棒喝。因为我们总是习惯于还有明天，而且是明日复明日，所以会在学佛的同时，用更多的时间忆念五欲六尘，追逐镜花水月。但终有一天，死亡比明天来得更快------突然间，就必须马上走了------这时该怎么办？我们准备好了吗？这辈子努力追求的一切，哪一样可以带走？如果能够真切地提起念死之心，我们自然会精进修行，自然会把三宝作为唯一的依怙。因为在那一刻，亲人、事业、财富，没有什么是抓得住，也没有什么是帮得上的。\
The Tibetan master Pabongkhapa composed a long poem called *Heart Spoon*, which is about how to be mindful of death. It is also a detailed guide for analytical meditation from multiple angles and in all dimensions. I have cited it in my teachings on the *Lamrim* and hope everyone will recite it often --- it can serve as a sharp blow to the head. We are always accustomed to believing there is still tomorrow, tomorrow after tomorrow, and so while studying the Dharma, we spend even more time recalling the five desires and six dusts, chasing after flowers in the mirror and the moon on the water. But one day, death arrives faster than tomorrow --- suddenly, you must leave at once. What then? Are we prepared? Of everything we have striven for in this life, what can we take with us? If we can truly bring forth our mindfulness of death, we will naturally practice with diligence and naturally take the Three Jewels as our sole refuge --- because at that moment, family, career, and wealth are things we cannot hold onto and cannot help us.\

　　对于念死的修行来说，临终助念就是让闻思落地的实际演练，是有效而有力的助缘。同时，也可以帮助我们修习利他心。在生命面临何去何从的关键时刻，我们以慈悲心参与助念，不仅在给予临终者（或亡者）今生所能得到的最后帮助，而且这种帮助将直接影响到这个生命的未来走向。想一想，我们会发现这件事实在是意义重大。人生路上，很多选择会影响到一生的命运。但其中影响最大的，莫过于生死关头的选择。它是结束，但更是新的起点，而且关系到未来生命的去向。\
For the practice of mindfulness of death, end-of-life chanting assistance is a real-world exercise that brings learning and contemplation down to earth. It is an effective and powerful supportive condition. At the same time, it helps us cultivate the altruistic mind. At that critical moment when a life faces the question of where to go next, we participate in chanting assistance with a mind of compassion. We are not only offering the dying person (or the deceased) the last help they can receive in this life, but this help will also directly affect the future direction of that life. Think about it and you will see how profoundly meaningful this is. On the journey of life, many choices affect one's destiny for a lifetime. But the choice with the greatest impact is none other than the choice made at the juncture of life and death. It is an ending, but even more so a new beginning, and it bears directly on the future direction of that life.\

　　从实践效果来看，且不说亡者和所在家庭得到的利益（相关事例见书院网站的临终关怀栏目），就助念者而言，也往往因为参与这一慈善活动，在修学上变得更加精进，在心行上变得更加调柔。同时，还会增强整个班级的凝聚力。可见利他和自利确实是统一的，当我们发心利他的时候，自己首先会成为受益者。这个心发得越真切，越到位，受益相应也就越大。
In terms of practical results, leaving aside the benefit received by the deceased and their family (see the end-of-life care section of the Academy's website for relevant cases), the chanting assistants themselves often become more diligent in their study and practice, and more gentle in their mental states as a result of participating in this charitable activity. At the same time, it strengthens the cohesion of the entire class. Clearly, benefiting others and benefiting oneself are indeed united: when we resolve to benefit others with a sincere heart, we ourselves become the first beneficiaries. The more genuine and thorough this resolve, the greater the benefit we receive accordingly.

## 二、认识死亡真相
## II. Understanding the Truth of Death

如何做好临终助念？这就必须对死亡有所了解，知道什么阶段会遇到什么问题，又该如何应对，如何对临终者（或亡者）进行引导。在中国传统文化中，死亡是被回避的，所以我们很少能得到如何看待死亡的教育，更不知道怎样帮助那些挣扎在生死关头的人。问题是，这是每个人都要面对的结局，回避只能搁置而不是解决问题。而佛教的重点，就是从认识生死到超越轮回，走向解脱，在很大程度上弥补了中国文化的空白。\
How do we provide proper end-of-life chanting assistance? This requires some understanding of death --- knowing what issues arise at each stage, how to respond, and how to guide the dying person (or the deceased). In traditional Chinese culture, death is a subject to be avoided, so we rarely receive education on how to view death, much less on how to help those struggling at the threshold of life and death. The problem is that this is an outcome everyone must face --- avoidance can only set it aside, not resolve it. Buddhism, by contrast, places its emphasis on understanding life and death, transcending cyclic existence, and moving toward liberation. In this respect it fills a significant gap in Chinese culture.\

　　佛教认为，一期生命有四个阶段。一是生有，即投生的刹那；二是本有，即这期生命中除生死之外的整个过程；三是死有，即死亡的刹那；四是中有，即今世已死、后世未生之间的中阴身。这也是很多人觉得最神秘、最难以理解的部分。其实简单地说，中有就是过渡时期，就像辞职以后，老工作已经失去、新工作尚未找到的闲置阶段。至于接下来能开始什么样的工作，固然和能力等因素有关，但在很大程度上，也取决于能否在过渡阶段把握机遇，扭转命运。\
Buddhism holds that one phase of life consists of four stages. The first is birth existence --- the moment of taking rebirth. The second is life existence --- the entire course of this life excluding the moments of birth and death. The third is death existence --- the instant of dying. The fourth is intermediate existence --- the bardo state between the death of this life and the birth of the next. This is the part that many people find most mysterious and most difficult to understand. To put it simply, the intermediate existence is a transitional period, like the idle interval after resigning from a job --- the old position is already lost and a new one has not yet been found. As for what kind of work one can begin next, this certainly relates to one's abilities and other factors, but to a great extent it also depends on whether one can seize the opportunity during this transitional phase and turn one's destiny around.\

　　中有，又称中阴，佛典中有很多相关记载。《瑜伽师地论》说："又此中有，若未得生缘，极七日住。有得生缘，即不决定。若极七日未得生缘，死而复生，极七日住。如是展转，未得生缘，乃至七七日住。自此已后，决得生缘。"中阴的寿命以七天为一周期。如果在此期间出现投生因缘，将从中有进入生有，开始下一期生命。但投生不是一厢情愿的，能否投生，投生到哪里，取决于这个因缘是否成熟。有的人善业特别强，或恶业特别强，可能很快就会投生。如果无缘投生，七天后，中阴会死而复生一次，并继续寻找机会。但最多七个周期，即四十九天内，就会找到投生之处。\
The intermediate existence, also called bardo, is extensively documented in the Buddhist scriptures. The *Yogacarabhumi-Sastra* states: "Further, this intermediate existence, if it has not yet obtained the conditions for rebirth, lasts for a maximum of seven days. If it obtains the conditions for rebirth, the duration is not fixed. If after a maximum of seven days it has not obtained the conditions for rebirth, it dies and is reborn again, lasting for a maximum of seven days. In this way, revolving again and again, if it has not obtained the conditions for rebirth, it will continue for up to seven times seven days. After this, it will definitely obtain the conditions for rebirth." The lifespan of the bardo being is measured in seven-day cycles. If the causes and conditions for rebirth appear during this period, it will enter birth existence from intermediate existence and begin the next phase of life. But rebirth is not a matter of wishful thinking. Whether one can be reborn, and where, depends on whether these causes and conditions have matured. Some people have especially strong good karma or especially strong bad karma and may be reborn very quickly. If the conditions for rebirth are absent, after seven days the bardo being will die and be reborn once, continuing to seek an opportunity. But within a maximum of seven cycles --- that is, forty-nine days --- it will certainly find a place of rebirth.\

　　临终助念所做的，就是帮助对方在临终前提起并保持正念，进而在中有阶段准确抉择，转变随业流转的命运轨迹，乃至有机会往生净土。那么，投生主要是由哪几种力量决定的呢？\
What end-of-life chanting assistance does is to help the person bring forth and sustain right mindfulness before death and then, during the bardo stage, to make an accurate choice, transforming the course of drifting with karma and even gaining the opportunity to be reborn in the Pure Land. So, what are the main forces that determine where one takes rebirth?\

　　第一是随重，取决于业力的轻重。在投生时，哪种业力最重，就会去向何方。就像一棵树倒下时，哪根枝桠最大，树就会往哪边倾斜。在生生世世的轮回中，每个众生都曾造作恶业，也曾修习善业，此时，这些业力就决定了生命的未来去向。重的业报受完之后，依次再受轻的业报。\
The first is going with weight --- it depends on the relative weight of one's karma. At the time of rebirth, whichever karmic force is heaviest will determine one's direction. It is like a tree falling: it leans toward whichever branch is the thickest. Across life after life in cyclic existence, every being has committed unwholesome deeds and also cultivated wholesome ones. At this moment, these karmic forces determine the future direction of that life. When the retribution of the heavy karma is exhausted, the lighter karma is then experienced in turn.\

　　第二是随习，取决于平时的串习。这是长时间养成的习惯，喜欢什么，就会选择什么，并感召相应的生命轨道。尤其对那些没有大善大恶的人，习气的力量会表现得更为突出。\
The second is going with habit --- it depends on one's habitual tendencies built up over time. These are habits cultivated over long periods: whatever one likes, one will choose, thereby evoking the corresponding life trajectory. Especially for those who have done no particularly great good or great evil, the power of habitual tendencies will manifest even more prominently.\

　　第三是随念，取决于临终时的心念。类似通常所说的临场发挥。比如某人平时表现不错，但临命终时遭遇违缘，生起极大嗔心，可能就会堕落畜生道或地狱道。反之，因为助念的善缘，使对方临终时生起善心，就可能导向善道，乃至往生净土。所以说，临终一念非常重要。就像我们面前有很多船，这条船是生天的，这条船是去人道的，这条船是去地狱的......你踏上哪条船，就会被带向哪里。很可能，"一念之差"就带来了不同的生命走向。因为这一念出现在最关键的时刻，所以作用特别大。现在很多人临终时真是悲惨，要不就是儿女为利益发生争执，反目为仇；要不就是家人哭哭啼啼，徒增爱执；要不就是在医院插满仪器，折磨到死......在这样的情况下，会有什么样的"临终一念”，又会被带向哪里？\
The third is going with thought --- it depends on the mental state at the time of death. This is similar to what we would call on-the-spot performance. For instance, someone may have conducted themselves well in daily life, but at the moment of death they encounter adverse conditions and give rise to intense anger, potentially falling into the animal realm or hell realm. Conversely, through the wholesome condition of chanting assistance, if the person gives rise to a wholesome mind at the time of death, they may be guided toward a good realm or even be reborn in the Pure Land. This is why the final thought is so critically important. It is like having many boats before us --- this boat leads to the heavenly realms, this boat leads to the human realm, this boat leads to the hells... whichever boat you step onto will carry you in that direction. Very likely, a single thought at this juncture can send a life in an entirely different direction. Because this thought arises at the most pivotal moment, its effect is especially powerful. These days, many people's final moments are truly tragic: either children quarrel over inheritance and turn against one another; or family members wail and weep, only adding to attachment; or they lie in a hospital with tubes everywhere, tormented until death... Under such circumstances, what kind of "final thought" would arise, and where would it lead?\

　　所以在临终关怀中，心理引导特别重要。近年来，台湾等地开始倡导安宁疗护，对一些得了不治之症、没有治愈希望的患者提供心理帮助，让他们在人生最后阶段心有所依，得到善终。这不仅是给临终者的福利，也是对患者家属的安慰和引导。在这方面，佛教确实有得天独厚的优势。\
This is why psychological guidance is especially important in end-of-life care. In recent years, places such as Taiwan have begun to promote palliative care --- providing psychological support to patients with terminal illnesses and no prospect of cure, so that in the final stage of life their hearts have a place to rest and they may attain a good death. This is not only a benefit for the dying but also comfort and guidance for their families. In this respect, Buddhism indeed has a unique and profound advantage.\

　　因为佛教三大语系乃至各个宗派，对生死问题都有着完整的理论和实践经验。这些见和行并非出自玄想，而是佛菩萨或祖师大德通过修行亲证的，且被一代代佛弟子效仿并验证，是切实可行的。其次，大乘行者以慈悲济世为己任，对亡者施以援手，令其离苦得乐，是责无旁贷的使命。此外，佛教的净土法门就是以念佛往生为修行重点，在千百年的传承中，祖师辈出，在理论体系和实修引导方面留下了大量教言，并有着广泛的影响和信众基础。
This is because all three major traditions of Buddhism, down to each of its schools and lineages, possess complete theoretical systems and practical experience concerning the matter of life and death. These views and practices are not products of abstract speculation but were personally verified by Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and great masters through their practice, and have been emulated and confirmed by generations of Buddhist disciples --- they are genuinely practicable. Furthermore, Mahayana practitioners take compassion and benefiting the world as their own responsibility. Extending a helping hand to the deceased, enabling them to leave suffering and attain happiness, is an inescapable mission. In addition, Buddhism's Pure Land path takes Buddha-name recitation and rebirth as its central practice. Over more than a thousand years of transmission, generations of eminent masters have emerged, leaving behind extensive teachings on both the theoretical framework and practical guidance, and it commands broad influence and a vast base of followers.

## 三、心理引导
## III. Psychological Guidance

死亡之所以可怕，主要在于两点。一是对生的留恋，不愿意放下现在拥有的一切；二是对死亡的恐惧，不知道未来去向哪里。舍不得，却不得不舍；不想死，又不得不死。对于没有宗教信仰的人来说，年轻时还可以用"人死如灯灭”搪塞一下，但死亡真正现前时，真的无所畏惧吗？事实上，我们会看到各种表现的惊恐、不安、沮丧......不害怕的，或者是无知者无畏，或者只是麻木而已。那么，应该从哪些方面对临终者进行引导，才能让他的心不再惶惑，找到归宿？\
Death is terrifying mainly for two reasons. One is clinging to life --- a reluctance to let go of everything one currently possesses. The other is fear of death --- not knowing where one will go in the future. One is unwilling to part, yet part one must; one does not wish to die, yet die one must. For those without religious faith, when they are young they may brush it off with "death is like a lamp going out," but when death truly looms near, are they really without fear? In reality, we see all kinds of manifestations: terror, anxiety, despondency... Those who are not afraid are either fearless out of ignorance or simply numb. So from what angles should we guide the dying person so that their mind is no longer bewildered and can find its true home?\

　　首先，需要让临终者认识到，生老病死是一种自然规律。就像春去秋来，四季更迭，人生也是在这样周而复始的轮回中。在自己之前，无数人死去了；在自己之后，还会有无数人接着死去。可以说，生就注定了死的结果。这是时刻发生在我们身边的现实，任何人都无法幸免。所以，我们应该关注的不是"我要死了”，而是怎么死，怎么开始新的生命里程。\
First, we must help the dying person recognize that birth, aging, illness, and death are natural laws. Just as spring goes and autumn comes, just as the four seasons cycle, human life too unfolds in this recurring rhythm of cyclic existence. Before us, countless people have died; after us, countless more will die. One could say that birth already determines the outcome of death. This is a reality occurring around us at every moment, and no one can escape it. Therefore, what we should focus on is not "I am going to die," but rather how to die and how to begin a new journey of life.\

　　其次，需要帮助临终者解除去向哪里的恐慌。我们准备介入临终关怀前，要对受助者有所了解，尤其是他曾做过哪些善行义举，有什么值得赞赏的品德。这样就能引导他通过对善行的回忆生起善心，进而安住在善念中。哪怕这些善行非常微小，我们也要设法激发并加以正向引导，令他对未来建立信心，对善趣心生意乐。戒律中也说到，修行者临终时，应该根据他平日的行持，有针对性地称扬赞叹。比如对方是修苦行的，或是诵经、持戒、说法、禅修、经营僧事的，都要根据他的修行功德加以赞叹，令其"忆所修福，念于净命，勿生忧恼”。律中还记载，按照印度习俗，不论僧俗，至临终前，在旁守护的亲友都要在他根识未坏时，为他宣读今生所修善行，令病者内心欢喜，正念不乱，得生善处。\
Second, we must help the dying person resolve the panic over where they are heading. Before we prepare to step in and provide end-of-life care, we need to know something about the recipient --- especially what good deeds and charitable acts they have done, and what admirable qualities they possess. In this way, we can guide them to give rise to a wholesome mind by recalling these good deeds, and then to rest in wholesome thoughts. Even if these good deeds are very small, we must find ways to evoke them and channel them in a positive direction, allowing the person to build confidence about the future and to find joy and inspiration in a good rebirth. The precepts also say that when a practitioner is facing death, one should offer praise and commendation tailored to their daily conduct. For example, if the person practiced asceticism, or recited sutras, observed precepts, taught the Dharma, meditated, or managed monastic affairs, one should praise them according to the merit of their practice so that they "recollect the merit they have cultivated and contemplate their pure livelihood, giving rise to no sorrow or distress." The Vinaya also records that according to Indian custom, whether monastic or lay, when someone was approaching death, the relatives and friends keeping vigil would, before the person's sense faculties failed, recount for them the good deeds they had performed in this life, so that the sick person's mind would be gladdened, their right mindfulness undisturbed, and they would be reborn in a good realm.\

　　第三，需要帮助临终者确立生命的终极归宿。如果临终者已有佛教信仰，或虽无信仰但有好感，我们可以引导他去了解西方净土的庄严，了解阿弥陀佛的功德和四十八愿，让临终者相信，只要专心忆念阿弥陀佛，心心相印，就能蒙佛加被。人在临命终时，就像在水里挣扎到身心俱疲，一心只想抓住什么作为依靠，更容易生起依止心。哪怕之前没什么信仰，此刻因为对未来充满恐惧，只要如法、善巧地加以引导，也可能对阿弥陀佛生起真信切愿，紧紧抓住这句佛号，与弥陀的大悲心相应，被弥陀的大愿力摄受。\
Third, we must help the dying person establish an ultimate spiritual home. If the dying person already has faith in Buddhism, or at least a favorable disposition toward it even without faith, we can guide them to learn about the magnificence of the Western Pure Land, about the merits of Amitabha Buddha and his forty-eight great vows. Help the dying person believe that as long as they wholeheartedly recollect Amitabha Buddha, their minds in mutual resonance, they will receive the Buddha's protection and blessing. When a person is at the threshold of death, it is like struggling in water until body and mind are utterly exhausted, longing only to grasp hold of something as a support --- this makes it easier to give rise to a mind of reliance. Even if they had little faith before, at this moment, because they are full of fear about the future, as long as we guide them properly and skillfully, they may still give rise to genuine faith and earnest aspiration toward Amitabha Buddha, holding tightly to the Buddha's name, resonating with the Buddha's great compassion, and being embraced by the power of his great vows.\

　　具备以上心理基础之后，需要祈请阿弥陀佛、观音菩萨、大势至菩萨及十方诸佛菩萨的慈悲摄受，让临终者消除恐惧，并提醒他：你的生命即将死亡，阿弥陀佛才是唯一的依靠，你必须至诚忆念，一心皈投。接着告诉临终者，在中阴身投胎过程中，会显现各种境相。你喜欢什么，它就显现什么。但这些境界往往来自贪嗔痴的串习，可能和地狱相应，可能和饿鬼道相应，也可能和畜生道相应。所以千万不能随境而转，必须安住在佛号上，专心忆念弥陀。\
Once these psychological foundations are in place, we must beseech Amitabha Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, and all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions for their compassionate embrace, so that the dying person may be freed from fear. We then remind them: your life will soon come to an end; Amitabha Buddha is your sole reliance. You must recollect him with utmost sincerity and devotedly take refuge in him. Next, we tell the dying person that during the process of taking rebirth in the bardo state, all kinds of images and appearances will manifest. Whatever you are drawn to, that is what will appear. But these states often arise from the habitual tendencies of greed, anger, and ignorance. They may be connected with the hell realms, with the hungry ghost realm, or with the animal realm. Therefore, you must never be swayed by these appearances. You must rest firmly in the Buddha's name and recollect Amitabha single-mindedly.\

　　目前，书院的临终助念主要针对学员家属，他们尚未进入三级修学，因此以忆念弥陀圣号、发愿往生西方为主。如果针对书院学员，可以通过念诵"三皈依”，安住在三宝的功德中。此外还要提醒临终者，勿忘曾经发起的菩提心誓言，安住在菩提心的强大愿力中，自觉觉他，决不退转。
At present, the Academy's end-of-life chanting assistance is mainly directed at the family members of our members. Since these people have not yet entered the Three-Stage Practice, the emphasis is on recollecting Amitabha's sacred name and vowing to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. When it comes to Academy members themselves, we can guide them by chanting the "Three Refuges" so they may rest in the merit of the Three Jewels. In addition, we must remind the dying person not to forget the bodhicitta vows they once made --- to rest in the powerful force of that bodhicitta resolve, awaken oneself and others, never retreating.

## 四、助念的相关事项
## IV. Matters Related to Chanting Assistance

助念通常有两种情况，一种是在对方临终前介入，另一种是在去世后参与。如果是前者，可能会出现病情变化等各种问题。这就需要根据病人的状况，再结合助念者的自身条件妥善安排，以免后继乏力或难以承担。因为这是一项常规慈善活动，必须根据大家的时间和精力来承担，否则是很难长远的。\
There are generally two scenarios for chanting assistance: one is stepping in before the person is dying, and the other is participating after they have passed away. In the former case, various issues such as changes in the patient's condition may arise. This calls for proper arrangements based on the patient's state, together with an assessment of the chanting assistants' own circumstances, so that the effort does not lose momentum or become unsustainable. Since this is a regular charitable activity, it must be undertaken according to everyone's available time and energy; otherwise it will be difficult to sustain in the long term.\

　　对于临终者来说，往往是身苦和心苦交织。而且在很多时候，心苦可能远远超过身苦。尤其是那些患有绝症的人，在得知病情后，多数背上了沉重的心理负担，从而加重病情，并陷入身苦和心苦不断互推的恶性循环。在这样的情况下，需要站在对方的立场进行引导。众生都是贪生畏死的，除了一心生西的修行人，对其他人不必直接从往生切入，而是可以从消除业障、减轻病苦的角度宣导念佛利益。\
For the dying person, physical suffering and mental suffering are often intertwined. And in many cases, mental suffering can far outweigh physical suffering. This is especially true for those with terminal illnesses: after learning of their condition, most are burdened with a heavy psychological load that aggravates the illness and plunges them into a vicious cycle in which physical and mental suffering continually reinforce each other. Under such circumstances, we need to guide the person from their own perspective. All beings cling to life and fear death. Except for practitioners who wholeheartedly aspire to be reborn in the Pure Land, we need not start directly with the topic of rebirth for others. Instead, we can share the benefits of Buddha-name recitation from the angle of eliminating karmic obstacles and alleviating the suffering of illness.\

　　比如有的人特别害怕死亡，你告诉他赶快念佛往生，他自然会心生抵触。不妨先告诉他，念佛可以蒙佛护佑，消灾延寿。等他接受之后，再酌情告诉他，如果你的死期没到，念佛可以使你长寿；如果死期到了，念佛可以让你往生极乐。总之，不论生也好，死也好，念佛都能带来殊胜的利益。\
For instance, if someone is especially terrified of death and you tell them, "Hurry up and recite the Buddha's name to be reborn in the Pure Land," they will naturally resist it. It would be better to first tell them that reciting the Buddha's name can invoke the Buddha's protection, dispel calamities, and prolong life. Once they accept this, you can then tell them, as appropriate, that if your time to die has not yet come, reciting the Buddha's name can bring you longevity; if your time has come, reciting the Buddha's name can lead you to be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. In short, whether you live or die, reciting the Buddha's name brings extraordinary benefit.\

　　同时还要设法劝导家属，让他们和临终者一起念佛。对临终者来说，这不仅是同甘共苦的慰籍，更是并肩作战的力量。这些安排一方面可以减少助念负担，使义工们不至透支；另一方面也能教化家属，成为他们接触佛法的契机。因为平时对老病死的漠视，很多家属都没有相关的心理准备。一旦家人身患重病乃至临终，多半都乱了方寸，不知该做些什么。在这样的时候，只要如理如法地加以引导，动之以情，晓之以理，还是容易让对方接受的。\
At the same time, we must find ways to encourage family members to join the dying person in reciting the Buddha's name. For the dying person, this is not only the comfort of sharing hardship together, but also the strength of fighting side by side. These arrangements can, on the one hand, reduce the burden on the chanting assistants so that volunteers are not overstretched; on the other hand, they can edify the family members and become an occasion for them to encounter the Buddhadharma. Because of their usual indifference to aging, illness, and death, many family members are psychologically unprepared. Once a family member is seriously ill or dying, they are thrown into confusion, not knowing what to do. At such a time, if we guide them properly --- appealing to both heart and reason --- it is still relatively easy for them to accept.\

　　到实地参加助念时，我们还要注意外在形象和交流方式。首先要考量所去的场所，看看以什么身份出现、穿什么衣服，对方更容易接受，不一定都穿平等装或院服。在语言沟通过程中，也要视实际情况调整。比如称呼，是用佛门称谓，还是用社会上通行的。对于学佛者，可以用佛法自由沟通；但对于没学佛的，就要尽量淡化宗教色彩，从心理层面关怀。此外，还要根据对方是否做好死亡准备进行交流，在尽量不触碰敏感话题的前提下，逐渐将对方带入需要引导的语境。\
When we go to the actual location to offer chanting assistance, we must also pay attention to our outward appearance and manner of communication. First, we should assess the venue and consider what identity to present, what clothing to wear, and what approach the recipients will find more acceptable --- we need not always wear the uniform attire or the Academy jacket. In verbal communication as well, we should adjust according to the actual situation. For example, in forms of address, should we use Buddhist terms of address or those common in everyday society? For Buddhists, we can communicate freely using Dharma language; but for those who have not studied the Dharma, we should minimize the religious coloring as much as possible and care for them on the psychological level. Furthermore, we should communicate according to whether the person is prepared for death, and while trying as much as possible not to touch upon sensitive topics, gradually bring them into the context that needs to be addressed.\

　　此外，助念环境也很重要，应该洒扫整洁，供有庄严的佛像，尺寸视场合而定，让临终者对佛菩萨具有感性认识，由此生起虔诚、恭敬、依赖之心。香、花、灯、水、果等供具可酌情安排，如果在公共场所，尽量低调些，以免带来违缘。\
In addition, the environment for chanting assistance is very important. The space should be swept clean. A dignified Buddha image should be enshrined, with its size chosen according to the setting, so that the dying person has a tangible sense of the Buddha and bodhisattvas and thereby gives rise to a mind of reverence, respect, and reliance. Offerings such as incense, flowers, lamps, water, and fruit may be arranged as appropriate. If the venue is a public space, try to keep things low-key to avoid creating adverse conditions.\

　　助念时的声调、音量高低、节奏快慢等，都要尊重对方的习惯，不要一厢情愿地进行。尤其对处于弥留之际的人，务必要仔细观察，根据对方的体力和接受程度妥善安排，千万不要让临终者或家属心生烦恼。如果在受助者去世后参与，先要根据参与义工的人数、精力等因素，初步决定助念时间。比如是8小时或更久，是否日夜连续进行等，然后再安排轮班顺序。通常可以四人一组，否则可能力量不足。在人员安排上也要注意搭配，以有助念经验的义工带动新人。同时引导并鼓励家属参与，因为这是对亲人最后的帮助，不要因错失机会而追悔。在人力不足的情况下，可以借助念佛机一起来念。\
In chanting, aspects such as the tone, volume, and tempo should all respect the recipient's habits --- do not proceed in a self-centered way. Especially for those at the final moment, one must observe carefully and make proper arrangements according to the person's physical strength and degree of receptivity, never allowing the dying person or their family to give rise to affliction. If you are participating after the recipient has passed away, first decide on the duration of chanting assistance based on factors such as the number and stamina of the volunteers involved --- for example, whether to continue for eight hours or longer, whether to proceed continuously day and night, and so on --- and then arrange a rotation schedule. Usually, groups of four are suitable; otherwise, the chanting power may be insufficient. In assigning personnel, pay attention to pairing experienced chanting assistants with newcomers. At the same time, guide and encourage family members to participate, for this is the final help they can offer their loved one. Do not let them miss this opportunity and later be filled with regret. When manpower is insufficient, a Buddha-name recitation device can be used to chant together.\

　　助念的效果，在很大程度上取决于临终者和参与者对阿弥陀佛的信心。信愿行中，信是第一位的。所以在助念之前，先要宣说阿弥陀佛的愿力和功德，让大家对阿弥陀佛生起至诚皈依之心，对西方净土生起无限向往之心。以这样的信心来念，才能念得真切，念得到位，念得有力量。否则的话，对阿弥陀佛似信非信，对西方净土可去可不去，即使随众在念着，又有什么力量呢？同样，如果念三皈依，也是先要宣示三宝功德。当心调整到位了，声声佛号才能成为解脱的资粮。
The effectiveness of chanting assistance depends to a great extent on the faith that the dying person and the participants have in Amitabha Buddha. Among faith, vow, and practice, faith comes first. Therefore, before the chanting begins, we should first proclaim the power of Amitabha Buddha's vows and merits, enabling everyone to give rise to a mind of sincere refuge in Amitabha Buddha and a mind of boundless yearning for the Western Pure Land. When one chants with such faith, the chanting will be genuine, thorough, and powerful. Otherwise, if one's faith in Amitabha Buddha is half-hearted and one's attitude toward the Western Pure Land is "go or not, either way," then even if one chants along with the group, what power does it carry? Likewise, if reciting the Three Refuges, we should first proclaim the merits of the Three Jewels. Only when the mind is properly attuned can each utterance of the Buddha's name become the provisions for liberation.

## 五、往生的助缘
## V. Supportive Conditions for Rebirth

除了助念，还有一些在亡者去世后特别需要注意的问题。比如很多家庭在操办丧事时，大办荤席，杀生害命，还以为这样有排场。殊不知，这些杀业将给自己和亡者带来极大损害。这就要善巧地和家属沟通，让他们了解杀生过患，了解什么才是对亡者真正有益的，引导他们把这些铺张浪费的钱拿来广行善事，并将功德回向给亡者。尤其在去世后的七七四十九天内，最为关键。因为中阴身可能尚未投胎，尚未确定去处，在此期间所做的功德或许马上就能兑现，成为何去何从的直接推动力。\
Beyond chanting assistance, there are certain matters requiring special attention after the deceased has passed away. For instance, many families, when arranging funeral rites, lay on lavish meat banquets, taking life and causing death, thinking this shows proper grandeur. They are unaware that this karma of killing brings tremendous harm to both themselves and the deceased. We must communicate with the family skillfully, helping them understand the dangers of killing and what is truly beneficial to the deceased. Guide them to take the money that would have been squandered on extravagance and use it instead to perform extensive good deeds, dedicating the merit to the deceased. The forty-nine days after death are especially crucial, for the bardo being may not yet have taken rebirth or determined its destination. The merit created during this period may take immediate effect and become the direct force that determines where the being will go.\

　　我们所熟悉的盂兰盆会，起源就是目连尊者对去世母亲的救度。尊者之母因生前造业太重，死后堕入饿鬼道。尊者虽是佛弟子中的神通第一，却无力救度母亲，只能祈求佛陀帮助。佛陀让他在七月十五的僧团自恣日，以百味饮食供僧，以此功德令其母离苦得乐。所谓自恣日，是僧团从四月十五开始，经过三个月的结夏安居，精进修行，将于此日圆满。是以人天赞叹，诸佛欢喜。所以，这一天斋僧的功德特别大。《盂兰盆经》曰："是佛弟子修孝顺者，应念念中忆父母乃至七世父母。年年七月十五日，常以孝慈忆所生父母，为作盂兰盆，施佛及僧，以报父母长养慈爱之恩。"这才是真正的孝顺，也是对亡者真正的利益。\
The Ullambana ceremony we are all familiar with originated from Venerable Maudgalyayana's deliverance of his deceased mother. Because his mother had created extremely heavy karma during her life, she fell into the hungry ghost realm after death. Although the Venerable was foremost among the Buddha's disciples in spiritual powers, he was powerless to save his mother and could only beseech the Buddha for help. The Buddha instructed him to make offerings of food and drink of a hundred flavors to the Sangha on the fifteenth day of the seventh month --- the day of Pavarana, when the monastic community completes its three-month rains retreat. Through the merit of this offering, his mother was able to leave suffering and attain happiness. The day of Pavarana is when the Sangha, having begun their rains retreat on the fifteenth day of the fourth month and practiced diligently for three months, reaches completion. On this day, humans and devas offer praise and all Buddhas rejoice, so the merit of making offerings to the Sangha on this day is especially great. The *Ullambana Sutra* states: "Those disciples of the Buddha who cultivate filial conduct should, thought after thought, recollect their parents, extending to parents of seven lives past. Each year on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, they should always, with filial love and compassion, remember the parents who gave them birth and make an Ullambana offering to the Buddha and Sangha, thereby repaying the kindness of their parents who raised them with loving care." This is true filial piety, and true benefit to the deceased.\

　　《地藏菩萨本愿经》告诉我们："若能更为身死之后七七日内广造众善，能使是诸众生永离恶趣，得生人天，受胜妙乐。"所谓广造众善，或是放生物命、助印经书、供养三宝；或是去寺院打普佛，让出家人在早晚上殿时将功德回向亡者；或是以亡者的名义救济贫苦、参与慈善等。总之要尽快去做，而且是带着纯正的利他心做，然后把功德回向亡者。经中还记载，地藏菩萨在因地时，得知母亲在地狱等诸恶道受苦，起大悲心，在十方诸佛前至诚发愿："却后百千万亿劫中，应有世界所有地狱及三恶道诸罪苦众生，誓愿救拔，令离地狱恶趣、畜生、饿鬼等。如是罪报等人尽成佛竟，我然后方成正觉。"这就是著名的"地狱不空，誓不成佛”。当他发起这个大愿时，其母即刻度脱苦难。\
The *Sutra of the Fundamental Vows of the Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha* tells us: "If, furthermore, within forty-nine days after death, one can extensively create abundant good deeds on their behalf, this can enable those beings to forever leave the evil realms and be reborn among humans and devas, receiving supreme and wondrous happiness." "Extensively creating abundant good deeds" may mean releasing living beings, sponsoring the printing of sutras, making offerings to the Three Jewels; or going to a monastery to sponsor a *pǔfó* (Buddha-name ceremony), so that monastics dedicate the merit to the deceased during morning and evening services; or giving to the poor and participating in charitable works in the name of the deceased. The key is to act swiftly, with a pure altruistic mind, and then dedicate the merit to the deceased. The sutra also records that Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, while still on the path to enlightenment, learned that his mother was suffering in the hells and other evil realms. He gave rise to great compassion and, before the Buddhas of the ten directions, made this sincere vow: "From now until the end of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of eons, for all worlds that exist, I vow to deliver all beings suffering for their offenses in the hells and the three evil realms, causing them to leave the hells, the evil realms, the animal realm, the hungry ghost realm, and so forth. Only after all such beings undergoing karmic retribution have attained Buddhahood will I myself attain perfect awakening." This is the renowned vow, "Until the hells are empty, I shall not become a Buddha." As soon as he made this great vow, his mother was immediately liberated from suffering.\

　　所以说，我们不仅要重视助念，还要了解什么是对亡者有益的，才能众缘和合，送他们走好今生的最后一程。
Thus we must not only value chanting assistance but also understand what is truly beneficial to the deceased. Only then can we bring together all favorable conditions and help them walk well the final stretch of this life.

## 六、结束语
## VI. Conclusion

参与助念是菩提心的实践，也是让我们提前预习死亡这门重要的人生功课，引导我们通过这一因缘，生起真切的念死之心，生起"当勤精进如救头燃”的紧迫感，生起对三宝的归投依赖之心，是自利利他的良机！如果单纯把助念视为慈善，不和自身修学联系起来，就容易产生疲惫感，或是在遭遇挫折后退心。如果能将两者结合起来，那么助念就不仅是利他善行，也是让自身心行得到成长的契机。这样的话，我们会珍惜每一次助念机会，而不是心生疲厌；我们会感恩亡者的生命示现，而不是当做任务来完成。\
Participating in chanting assistance is a practice of bodhicitta. It is also a way for us to preview in advance the important life lesson of death, guiding us to use this occasion to give rise to a genuine mindfulness of death, to a sense of urgency --- "practice diligence as though putting out a fire on your head" --- and to a mind of taking refuge and reliance in the Three Jewels. It is a precious opportunity to benefit both ourselves and others! If we regard chanting assistance merely as charity and do not connect it with our own study and practice, we will easily become weary or retreat in the face of setbacks. If, however, we can combine the two, then chanting assistance is not only an altruistic act of goodness but also an opportunity for our own mental growth. In this way, we will cherish every opportunity to offer chanting assistance rather than grow tired of it; we will feel gratitude for the life-demonstration of the deceased rather than treating it as a task to complete.\

　　心态调整到位了，进一步了解助念的各种相关事项，包括怎样心理引导，怎样如法助念等。更重要的是，在每次参与助念后不断总结经验，吸取教训，让助念成为一次菩提心的共修。祈愿所有众生都能在三宝慈光的护佑下，蒙佛加被，离苦得乐。
Once our mental attitude is properly attuned, we can go further in learning the various matters related to chanting assistance, including how to offer psychological guidance and how to chant properly. More importantly, after each session of chanting assistance, we should continuously reflect on our experience and learn the lessons. Let chanting assistance become a collective practice of bodhicitta. May all beings, sheltered by the compassionate light of the Three Jewels, receive the Buddha's blessing and protection, leave suffering, and attain happiness.
