diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md index 589e41b..c1ae28d 100644 --- a/AGENTS.md +++ b/AGENTS.md @@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ ## Skills -MPI skills live in `skills/` and are loaded via `~/.hermes/config.yaml`: +Skills in `skills/`. Loaded via `~/.hermes/config.yaml`: ```yaml skills: @@ -10,32 +10,44 @@ skills: - /home/user/documents/mpi/skills ``` -Available skills: `terms-search`, `dharma-translation`, `translation-review`, `chinese-text-normalize`, `pptx-translate`, `pdf-to-docx-conversion`. +{% `hermes config set` stringifies list values — edit config.yaml directly. %} -{% `hermes config set` stringifies list values — edit config.yaml directly for proper YAML list syntax. %} +Available: `terms-search`, `dharma-translation`, `translation-review`, `chinese-text-normalize`, `pptx-translate`, `pdf-to-docx-conversion`. ## Terms Database - DB: `terms-search/termlib.duckdb` -- CLI: `terms-search/search.py [limit]` -- Source priority: DoT定稿 > 内部特色词 > 佛教术语 > 经论名 +- CLI: `terms-search/search.py [limit]` (preferred over HTTP) +- Priority: DoT定稿 > 内部特色词 > 佛教术语 > 经论名 + +## Directory Structure + +``` +translate-files//
/ + source.dj — Chinese original + target.dj — English translation (match source line count) + bilingual.dj — interleaved (source line, blank, target line, blank) +``` + +`.docx` output → `/tmp/`. Don't commit binaries. ## Translation Workflow 1. Load `dharma-translation` and `terms-search` skills -2. Search terms DB for key terms before translating -3. Translate directly (agent IS the model — no external translation APIs) -4. Write `target.dj` alongside `source.dj`, matching source line count -5. TOC: bullet list, no link targets +2. Search terms DB with `search.py` for key terms before translating +3. Translate directly — agent IS the model, no external APIs +4. Write `target.dj`, match source line count exactly +5. TOC: bullet list, no link targets. No page numbers. +6. Create `bilingual.dj` (interleave source/target lines) -## Djot Conventions +## Djot - Comments: `{% ... %}` -- Em dashes in English: three hyphens (`---`) -- En dashes in English: two hyphens (`--`) -- No `对照.dj` files — don't create or delete them -- Translation formatting: preserve source formatting exactly +- Dashes: `---` em, `--` en. Pandoc converts in docx output. +- Preserve source formatting — don't add/remove emphasis ## Scripts -Fish shell. Live in `scripts/`. +Fish shell in `scripts/`. + +- `scripts/dj2docx.fish ` — pandoc to `/tmp/` diff --git a/readme.dj b/readme.dj index 38d3050..ac1a539 100644 --- a/readme.dj +++ b/readme.dj @@ -1,4 +1,18 @@ +# MPI — Mindful Peace International + +## Directory Map + +| Directory | Contents | +|---|---| +| `skills/` | Hermes Agent skills — loaded via `~/.hermes/config.yaml` `external_dirs`. [Install guide →](skills/readme.dj) | +| `terms-search/` | Term database (DuckDB) + search CLI (`search.py`). Priority: DoT定稿 > 内部特色词 > 佛教术语 | +| `translate-files/` | Translation projects: `/
/` with `source.dj`, `target.dj`, `bilingual.dj` | +| `scripts/` | Utility scripts (fish shell): `dj2docx.fish` | +| `guide/` | Reference materials — 术语库 source data | +| `AGENTS.md` | Project conventions for AI agents — translation workflow, djot rules, skill usage | + +## Links + https://en.mindfulpeace.org/bookstore https://www.aryaread.com/ https://web.aryaread.com/ - diff --git a/scripts/dj2docx.sh b/scripts/dj2docx.fish similarity index 100% rename from scripts/dj2docx.sh rename to scripts/dj2docx.fish diff --git a/skills/dharma-translation/SKILL.md b/skills/dharma-translation/SKILL.md index f5fcf61..92d1e29 100644 --- a/skills/dharma-translation/SKILL.md +++ b/skills/dharma-translation/SKILL.md @@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ When translating Chinese↔English Buddhist/Dharma content, consult TWO resource - DB: `/home/user/documents/mpi/terms-search/termlib.duckdb` - CLI: `/home/user/documents/mpi/terms-search/search.py ` - Source tables priority: DoT定稿 > 内部特色词 > 佛教术语 > 经论名 -- See `/home/user/documents/mpi/terms-search/SKILL.md` for full API details +- See `terms-search` skill (via `skill_view`) or `AGENTS.md` for full usage ### Mindfulness Bell Corpus - Location: `/home/user/meta/www.files/public/The Mindfulness Bell/` @@ -48,11 +48,48 @@ Four registers observed, useful as style targets: ## Workflow 1. Load both `terms-search` and `dharma-translation` skills (and `mpi-project-conventions` for output conventions) -2. For each key term in the source: search the terms DB first (HTTP API at port 8910) +2. **Search terms DB FIRST — before producing any output.** Use the CLI: `/home/user/documents/mpi/terms-search/search.py `. Query every key Buddhist/MPI term in the source. Prefer DoT定稿 > 内部特色词 > 佛教术语 > 经论名. Pitfall: skipping this step and translating from general knowledge produces incorrect terms that must be patched later. 3. For register decisions: consult the register table above (scanning MB articles is optional) 4. Translate directly — never call external translation APIs. Agent IS the model. 5. Write `target.dj` alongside `source.dj`. Match source line count exactly. -6. After translation, offer to align against the terms DB for verification +6. **TOC**: strip link targets, render as bullet list (`- I. ...`). No `[text](#anchor)` markup — those are pandoc artifacts. The target is a standalone document. +7. **Em-dash convention**: AGENTS.md mandates `—` (Unicode em-dash) → `---` (three hyphens) in English djot. When drafting, type `---` for em-dashes, not `—`. The Chinese source often uses `------` (six hyphens) as its em-dash equivalent — translate to `---`, never to `—`. Before declaring done, run a sanity check: `grep -c '—' target.dj` should be 0. +8. After translation, offer to align against the terms DB for verification + +## Diacritics Convention + +Follow the terms DB, not academic Sanskrit. See `references/diacritics-convention.md` for the full rule table. Summary: + +- No diacritics: `Mahasthamaprapta`, `Yogacarabhumi-Sastra` (matches 佛教术语 / 经论名) +- With diacritics: `Kṣitigarbha` (DoT定稿 uses this form) + +When in doubt, search the DB and use whatever form appears in the highest-priority source. + +## Bilingual Output + +After `target.dj` is finalized, create `bilingual.dj`: interleave source and target, one line at a time. Format: + +``` +source line + +target line + +source line + +target line +``` + +Use Python: `terminal("cat")` on both files, split on newlines, zip and interleave. + +## DOCX Output + +`.docx` files go to `/tmp/` — never commit binaries. Use `scripts/dj2docx.fish`: + +```fish +fish scripts/dj2docx.fish path/to/target.dj +``` + +Pandoc auto-converts `---` → em dash, `--` → en dash in docx. ## MB Article Quick-Find diff --git a/skills/dharma-translation/references/diacritics-convention.md b/skills/dharma-translation/references/diacritics-convention.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..901269a --- /dev/null +++ b/skills/dharma-translation/references/diacritics-convention.md @@ -0,0 +1,13 @@ +# Diacritics Convention + +When in doubt, search the terms DB and use the highest-priority source's form. + +| Rule | Examples | +|---|---| +| No diacritics (default) | `Mahasthamaprapta` (佛教术语), `Yogacarabhumi-Sastra` (经论名), `Guanyin` (佛教术语), `Pabongkhapa` (nti) | +| With diacritics | `Kṣitigarbha` (DoT定稿 uses this form) | +| Sanskrit terms | Keep standard romanization: `bodhicitta`, `bardo`, `Amitabha`, `prajñā` | + +The DB uses simplified romanization. DoT定稿 is the authority — if it uses diacritics for a term, follow it. Otherwise strip them. + +Pitfall: academic/pedantic diacritics (`Mahāsthāmaprāpta`, `Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra`, `Avalokiteśvara`) are common in general knowledge but wrong per MPI conventions. diff --git a/skills/readme.dj b/skills/readme.dj index 11f344e..0e077ce 100644 --- a/skills/readme.dj +++ b/skills/readme.dj @@ -1,10 +1,10 @@ # MPI Skills -These skills are loaded via `skills.external_dirs` in `~/.hermes/config.yaml`. +These skills live in this directory and are loaded via `~/.hermes/config.yaml`. -## Setup +## Install for Hermes -Add this to `~/.hermes/config.yaml`: +Add to `~/.hermes/config.yaml`: ```yaml skills: @@ -12,4 +12,15 @@ skills: - /home/user/documents/mpi/skills ``` -{% `hermes config set` stores list values as strings. Edit the YAML file directly to ensure proper list syntax. %} +{% Edit config.yaml directly — `hermes config set` stores list values as strings. %} + +## Skills + +| Name | What it does | +|---|---| +| `terms-search` | Full-text search across MPI term database | +| `dharma-translation` | Translate Chinese↔English Buddhist content | +| `translation-review` | Review translations for quality issues | +| `chinese-text-normalize` | Normalize Chinese markdown line breaks | +| `pptx-translate` | Translate PowerPoint files | +| `pdf-to-docx-conversion` | Convert PDFs to DOCX with layout preservation | diff --git a/skills/terms-search/SKILL.md b/skills/terms-search/SKILL.md index df19dfb..c6500e4 100644 --- a/skills/terms-search/SKILL.md +++ b/skills/terms-search/SKILL.md @@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ Terms data comes from `/home/user/documents/mpi/guide/03 术语库/`. To rebuild When aligning translated djot files against the term database, load `references/translation-alignment.md` for the full workflow. Summary: 1. Extract Chinese terms from `{% "..." %}` glossary blocks in the translated file -2. Batch-search via HTTP API (`/search?q=...`) +2. Batch-search via CLI (`./search.py `). Query each term individually. 3. Prioritize DoT定稿 > 内部特色词 > 佛教术语 4. Fix both glossary comments AND body-text occurrences 5. Verify with grep diff --git a/skills/translation-review/SKILL.md b/skills/translation-review/SKILL.md index 5b54171..4fba3cf 100644 --- a/skills/translation-review/SKILL.md +++ b/skills/translation-review/SKILL.md @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ --- name: translation-review -description: Review Chinese↔English translations for quality issues — terminology, grammar, consistency, formatting. Two workflows: CSV/XLSX batch review (write .dj suggestions) and .dj comparison line-by-line review (surgical patching). +description: Review Chinese-English translations for quality issues - terminology, grammar, consistency, formatting. Two workflows: CSV/XLSX batch review (write .dj suggestions) and .dj comparison line-by-line review (surgical patching). --- # Translation Review @@ -65,10 +65,15 @@ Use `terminal: cat` — `read_file` deduplicates within a session. ### 2. Scan for problems (ordered by severity) +**Sanity checks first** (mechanical, no judgment needed): +- **Line count**: source and target must match exactly. Mismatch means paragraphs were dropped, merged, or split. +- **Em-dash convention**: AGENTS.md says English em-dash (`—`) → three hyphens (`---`). The Chinese source often uses `------` (six hyphens) as its em-dash equivalent — convert to `---` in target, not to a Unicode `—`. A find/replace `—` → `---` over the target file catches all instances at once; a typical long file has 30–50. +- **TOC format**: AGENTS.md says TOC must be a plain bullet list, no link targets. If target still has `[I. Heading](#...)` markdown links, strip them. + **Terms database drift** (systematic): - Cross-reference glossary terms against the MPI terms database -- HTTP API: `http://localhost:8910/search?q=...` (start: `python3 /home/user/documents/mpi/terms-search/server.py &`) -- Prefer DoT定稿 > 内部特色词 > 佛教术语 > 经论名 +- CLI preferred: `python3 /home/user/documents/mpi/terms-search/search.py `. For a review, batch many queries in one `execute_code` script (subprocess loop) — one terminal call per term is slow and noisy. +- Source priority: DoT定稿 > 内部特色词 > 佛教术语 > 经论名 - Fix both glossary comments AND body text - See `references/terms-db-alignment.md` for batch-lookup patterns @@ -87,6 +92,8 @@ Use `terminal: cat` — `read_file` deduplicates within a session. - Stray spacing in Chinese text - Awkward line splits - Odd word choices +- Redundant English calques: when the target mirrors a Chinese grammar pattern literally, it can read as a typo (e.g. "mind of death-mindfulness" for 念死之心 — should be "mindfulness of death"). +- Clunky idioms: 一念之差 → "a single thought of difference" is unidiomatic. Standard renderings exist (e.g. "a single errant thought", "a moment's carelessness", or rephrase as "a single thought can make all the difference"). **Missing content**: bare headings with no body — flag, don't invent. @@ -115,6 +122,10 @@ See `references/buddhist-terminology.md` for Chinese-English term mappings and c - **Never delete .dj comparison files** — intentional work artifacts - **Verify patches with `cat`** — `read_file` dedup makes it unreliable - **Re-read before fixing** — user may have made interim edits +- **Em-dash drift**: AGENTS.md mandates `—` (Unicode em-dash) → `---` (three hyphens) in English djot. The Chinese source often uses `------` (six hyphens) as its em-dash equivalent; converters or translators may preserve it as a Unicode `—` in the target, which is a convention violation. Run a single find/replace `—` → `---` over the target. Long files typically have 30–50 such instances. +- **Batch terminology lookups** — when checking many terms against the terms DB, run them in one `execute_code` script that loops over a query list and calls `search.py` via `subprocess.run`. One terminal call per term floods the context with repetitive output. +- **Clunky idioms aren't translation errors, they're review items** — a literal calque of a Chinese idiom can read as a typo to a native English reader. Flag these under "Cleanup needed", not "Real errors", and suggest a standard rendering rather than trying to fix in place without confirmation. +- **Stale-phrasing sweep before declaring done** — after applying patches, run a single script that asserts the target contains zero of the fixed-but-replaced strings, zero Unicode em/en-dashes, and the expected count of the new phrasings. Missed instances (e.g. "mind of death-mindfulness" fixed on L21–L24 but forgotten on L68) survive regular spot-checks. Use `stale = [...]` and `new = [...]` lists; print `[STILL PRESENT (N)]` and `[OK]` per item. Also assert `line_count == source.line_count` and `heading_count == source.heading_count`. ## References diff --git a/translate-files/安宁疗护/如何做好临终关怀/bilingual.dj b/translate-files/安宁疗护/如何做好临终关怀/bilingual.dj new file mode 100644 index 0000000..deda846 --- /dev/null +++ b/translate-files/安宁疗护/如何做好临终关怀/bilingual.dj @@ -0,0 +1,275 @@ +# 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](#一、临终助念与三级修学)\ + +- I. End-of-Life Chanting Assistance and the Three-Stage Practice + +[二、认识死亡真相](#二、认识死亡真相)\ + +- II. Understanding the Truth of Death + +[三、心理引导](#三、心理引导)\ + +- III. Psychological Guidance + +[四、助念的相关事项](#四、助念的相关事项)\ + +- IV. Matters Related to Chanting Assistance + +[五、往生的助缘](#五、往生的助缘)\ + +- V. Supportive Conditions for Rebirth + +[六、结束语](#六、结束语) + +- 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. diff --git a/translate-files/安宁疗护/如何做好临终关怀/target.dj b/translate-files/安宁疗护/如何做好临终关怀/target.dj index 95bc0ba..871dccc 100644 --- a/translate-files/安宁疗护/如何做好临终关怀/target.dj +++ b/translate-files/安宁疗护/如何做好临终关怀/target.dj @@ -12,58 +12,58 @@ Master Jiqun - VI. Conclusion 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.\ -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.\ -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.\ -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. +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.\ +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.\ +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. ## I. End-of-Life Chanting Assistance and the Three-Stage Practice -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 the mind of death-mindfulness. 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.\ -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 the mind of death-mindfulness 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.\ -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 the mind of death-mindfulness, 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.\ -For the practice of death-mindfulness, 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.\ +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.\ +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.\ +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.\ +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.\ 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. ## II. Understanding the Truth of Death -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.\ -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.\ -The intermediate existence, also called bardo, is extensively documented in the Buddhist scriptures. The *Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra* 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.\ +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.\ +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.\ +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.\ 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?\ -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.\ -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.\ -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 of difference will bring about a different life trajectory. 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?\ -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.\ -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. +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.\ +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.\ +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?\ +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.\ +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. ## III. Psychological Guidance -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?\ +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?\ 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.\ -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.\ -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.\ -Once these psychological foundations are in place, we must beseech Amitabha Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Mahāsthāmaprāpta 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.\ -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, awakening themselves and awakening others, never retreating. +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.\ +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.\ +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.\ +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. ## IV. Matters Related to Chanting Assistance 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.\ 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.\ 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.\ -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.\ -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.\ +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.\ +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.\ 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.\ -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.\ +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.\ 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. ## V. Supportive Conditions for Rebirth 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.\ -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 pravāraṇā, when the monastic community completes its three-month summer retreat. Through the merit of this offering, his mother was able to leave suffering and attain happiness. The day of pravāraṇā is when the Sangha, having begun their summer 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.\ -The *Sutra of the Original Vows of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva* 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 universal Buddha-name recitation service 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, in a past life as a cause-stage practitioner, 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.\ +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.\ +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.\ 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. ## VI. Conclusion -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 mind of death-mindfulness, 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.\ +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.\ 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. diff --git a/translate-files/安宁疗护/安宁疗护与临终关怀的时代意义/bilingual.dj b/translate-files/安宁疗护/安宁疗护与临终关怀的时代意义/bilingual.dj new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d01aa98 --- /dev/null +++ b/translate-files/安宁疗护/安宁疗护与临终关怀的时代意义/bilingual.dj @@ -0,0 +1,833 @@ +# 安宁疗护与临终关怀的时代意义 + +# The Contemporary Significance of Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care + + + + + +*济群导师 2025年7月为生命关怀项目开示* + +*A teaching by Master Jiqun for the Life Care Project, July 2025* + + + + + +*[安宁疗护与临终关怀的时代意义 1](#安宁疗护与临终关怀的时代意义)* + +- *The Contemporary Significance of Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care* + + + + + +[*一、安宁疗护与临终关怀 2*](#一、安宁疗护与临终关怀) + +- *I. Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care* + + + + - 1. Palliative Care + +[1．安宁疗护 2](#1．安宁疗护)\ + + - 2. Differences Between Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care + +[2．安宁疗护和临终关怀的不同 3](#2．安宁疗护和临终关怀的不同) + + + + + +- *II. Traditional Chinese Attitudes Toward Death* + +[*二、中国古人对死亡的态度 4*](#二、中国古人对死亡的态度) + + - 1. Accepting Death + + + + - 2. A Good Death as a Blessing + +[1．接纳死亡 4](#1．接纳死亡)\ + + - 3. Careful Funeral Rites and Remembrance of Ancestors + +[2．善终为福 5](#2．善终为福)\ + + + +[3．慎终追远 5](#3．慎终追远) + +- *III. Why Modern People Need Life Care* + + + + - 1. Lack of Understanding About Death + +[*三、现代人为什么要生命关怀 7*](#三、现代人为什么要生命关怀) + + - 2. Overemphasis on Physical Cure + + + + + +[1．对死亡缺乏认识 7](#1．对死亡缺乏认识)\ + +- *IV. Establishing a Correct View of Life, Death, and Treatment* + +[2．过分重视身体的治愈 8](#2．过分重视身体的治愈) + + - 1. Understanding the Relationship Between Life and Death + + + + - 2. Establishing a Correct Approach to Treatment + +[*四、树立正确的生死观和治疗观 9*](#四、树立正确的生死观和治疗观) + + + + + +- *V. What Happens at Death and Rebirth* + +[1．认识生与死的关系 9](#1．认识生与死的关系)\ + + - 1. The Four Stages + +[2．建立正确的治疗观 10](#2．建立正确的治疗观) + + - 2. The Three Forces + + + + - 3. Faith, Vow, and Practice + +[*五、死亡、投生是怎么回事 11*](#五、死亡、投生是怎么回事) + + - 4. The Open Space of Mind + + + + + +[1．四个过程 11](#1．四个过程)\ + +- *VI. End-of-Life Care* + +[2．三种力量 11](#2．三种力量)\ + + + +[3．信、愿、行 13](#3．信、愿、行)\ + +- *VII. Conclusion* + +[4．心的空白处 13](#4．心的空白处) + + + + + +Life care is an important charitable undertaking. We advocate mindful living — not only to make life more beautiful, more meaningful, and richer in quality, but also to cultivate the capacity to face aging, illness, and death. These are essential subjects that everyone must confront. + +[*六、临终关怀 15*](#六、临终关怀) + + + + + +# I. Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care + +[*七、结说 15*](#七、结说) + + + + + +This event focuses on two main areas: palliative care and end-of-life care. The latter belongs to Buddhism's traditional repertoire — many monasteries are already engaged in it, so it should not be unfamiliar. Palliative care, by contrast, is relatively new; our past charitable programs have touched on it but not in depth. + +生命关怀是慈善的重要项目。我们倡导禅意生活，不仅要让生活过得更美好，更有品质和内涵，还要有能力面对衰老、疾病、死亡，这是每个人必须面对的重要课题。 + + + + + +## 1. Palliative Care + +# 一、安宁疗护与临终关怀 + + + + + +Palliative care originated in Britain. Its founder was Dr. Cicely Saunders. She began as a nurse and, while caring for cancer patients, discovered many problems. She felt deeply that conventional medicine lacked care for those at the end of life. Driven by this insight, she did everything in her power to relieve patients' suffering, and in 1967 she founded the world's first hospice dedicated to palliative care. + +本次活动主要围绕两个方面，一是安宁疗护，一是临终关怀。后者属于佛教的传统内容，已有不少寺院在做，大家应该不陌生。相比之下，安宁疗护属于新生事物，我们过去的慈善项目有所涉猎，但不深入。 + + + + + +In recent decades, as the population has aged, the number of cancer patients in China has steadily risen. According to relevant statistics, there are currently about 30 million existing cancer patients, and roughly 3 million people die of cancer each year — an enormous number. Once an illness is detected, hospitals and family members tend to make cure the sole objective. But for certain late-stage or incurable conditions, medicine is not all-powerful. An obsessive pursuit of cure often leads to overtreatment. Even when life hangs by a thread and treatment has ceased to have any value, people still frantically attempt to save the patient — tubes inserted everywhere — just to prolong survival by a few days or even hours. The result is that patients endure terrible suffering, approaching death in despair, helplessness, and confusion. + +## 1．安宁疗护 + + + + + +What palliative care advocates is comprehensive care for patients, enabling them to complete the final stretch of life with more dignity and less suffering. This is not giving up on treatment; it is giving up on treatments that are ineffective at curing or prolonging life. The focus shifts to relieving physical and mental pain and improving quality of life. This includes physical care, emotional comfort, spiritual guidance, and religious care. If, at the end of life, merely staying alive only adds suffering, and the patient does not wish to undergo futile emergency interventions, family members should accept and respect the patient's own decision. + +安宁疗护起源于英国，创始人为西塞莉·桑德斯博士。她曾是一位护士，在照顾癌症患者的过程中发现很多问题，深感传统医疗对末期病人缺乏关怀。基于此，她竭尽所能地为患者减轻痛苦，并在1967年创办了全球第一所安宁疗护医院。 + + + + + +Pain is the greatest difficulty faced by many who are dying. It is constituted by physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions — what Dr. Saunders called "total pain." There is the physical pain caused by disease, the psychological pain of not accepting one's condition, the spiritual pain of facing the loss of all social connections, and the ultimate pain of knowing nothing about one's future destination. To address these issues, palliative care must construct multi-faceted care from different angles. This requires a multidisciplinary, multi-professional team, including physicians, nurses, psychotherapists, chaplains, and volunteers. + +近几十年来，随着人口老龄化的加剧，中国癌症患者日益增加。据有关统计，现有癌症存量患者约3000万，而每年因癌症死亡的人数约300万，数量庞大。一旦发现病症，医院和家属往往以治愈为唯一目的。但对某些晚期或无法治愈的病患，医学并不是万能的。一味期待治愈，往往会导致过度医疗。甚至在生命垂危且无治疗价值时，依然拼命抢救，全身插满管子，只为延续几天甚至几小时的存活时间。结果使患者饱受痛苦，在绝望、无助、迷茫中走向死亡。 + + + + + +Palliative care fully embodies respect and care for human beings. Since its inception, it was quickly promoted by the United Nations worldwide. In 1988, Tianjin Medical College established China's first palliative care ward. In 2017, the National Health Commission officially issued the *Palliative Care Practice Guidelines (Trial)* and launched national pilot programs. Today, palliative care services cover 185 regions across China, but given the enormous population base, this is still a drop in the bucket. Faced with the needs of society at large, some charitable organizations and civil groups have also become actively involved. Here, I deeply rejoice in everyone's aspiration and altruistic spirit. + +安宁疗护倡导的，是对病患进行全面关爱，让他们更多尊严、更少痛苦地走完最后一程。这并不是放弃治疗，而是放弃对治愈或延长生命无效的治疗，以缓解身心痛苦、提高生活质量为重点，包括对患者的身体照护、精神抚慰、心灵引导、宗教关怀。如果患者在弥留之际，活着只是增加痛苦，自己并不想接受无谓的抢救时，家人应该接纳并尊重患者本人的决定。 + + + + + +## 2. Differences Between Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care + +疼痛是很多临终者面临的最大困境，由身体、心理、社会关系、精神共同构成，桑德斯博士称之为"整体性疼痛”。其中有疾病造成的身体痛苦，还有因不接纳造成的心理痛苦，因将要失去各种社会关系导致的精神痛苦，以及对未来归宿一无所知的终极痛苦。针对这些问题，安宁疗护要从不同角度，构建全方位的关怀。这就需要多学科、多专业组成的团队，包括医生、护士、心理治疗师、宗教师、志愿者等。 + + + + + +All major Eastern and Western religions include elements of end-of-life care — for example, the reading of the Bible and hymns in Christianity, and the last sacraments in Catholicism. Buddhist scriptures also contain relevant records. In my lecture series "Selected Readings from the *Dharmaguptaka Vinaya*," there is the *Chapter on Caring for the Sick and Seeing Off the Dying*, which compiles the various matters prescribed in the monastic precepts for nursing the ill and accompanying the deceased — concrete and detailed. Clearly, these practices have a history of over two thousand years in Buddhism. Palliative care, by comparison, is still in its early stages. It shares common ground with end-of-life care, but each has a different emphasis. + +安宁疗护充分体现了对人的尊重和关爱，自提出以来，很快被联合国推广到全世界。1988年，天津医学院开设了中国第一间安宁病房；2017年，国家卫健委正式发布《安宁疗护实践指南（试行）》，并启动全国试点。如今，安宁疗护服务已覆盖全国185个地区，但相对庞大的人口基数，依然是杯水车薪。面对社会大众的需求，一些慈善组织、民间团体也积极参与其中。在此，深深随喜大家的发心和利他精神。 + + + + + +In terms of time span, end-of-life care is mainly concentrated in the final period when life is nearing its end, whereas palliative care intervenes earlier and can occur at any stage of illness. When the World Health Organization redefined palliative care in 1990, it emphasized that it should "be applied early in the course of illness, in conjunction with other therapies that are intended to prolong life." In other words, palliative care can run throughout the patient's entire journey from falling ill to dying, lasting months or even years. + +## 2．安宁疗护和临终关怀的不同 + + + + + +In terms of methods, end-of-life care leans toward the religious and spiritual dimension. Based on the dying person's faith and wishes, a suitable chaplain is found to provide psychological relief and guide the dying person to accept death and peacefully face the future. Palliative care, on the other hand, is comprehensive care. Beyond offering religious and psychological support, it also includes professional medical nursing — controlling symptoms, alleviating pain — and helping patients and their families confront the many pressures of fear, anxiety, financial burden, and caregiving. + +东西方宗教中，都有临终关怀的内容。如基督教的诵读《圣经》与赞美诗，天主教的临终圣事等。佛典也有相关记载，在我的"《四分律删繁补阙行事钞》选读”系列讲座中，就有《瞻病送终篇》，汇集了戒律中关于照护病人和为人送终的各项事宜，具体且详细。可见，这些做法在佛教已有两千多年历史。相对来说，安宁疗护尚属起步阶段。它和临终关怀有相通之处，也有不同侧重。 + + + + + +# II. Traditional Chinese Attitudes Toward Death + +从时间跨度来说，临终关怀主要集中在生命即将到达终点的最后时段，而安宁疗护介入更早，可以发生在患病的任何时期。世界卫生组织在1990年重新定义安宁疗护时，强调应"在疾病早期，与其他旨在延长生命的治疗同时应用”。也就是说，安宁疗护可以贯穿患者从得病到死亡的整个过程，延续几个月甚至几年。 + + + + + +The emergence of palliative care is deeply connected to modern medicine. Many new treatments can sustain life but also bring tremendous suffering to patients, to the point where living becomes worse than dying. How do we find the optimal balance between staying alive and living with quality? In ancient times, without all these life-extending measures, death was more natural. How did our ancestors view this question? + +从运用手段来说，临终关怀偏向宗教和灵性层面。根据临终者的信仰和意愿，找到相应的宗教师，为其做心理疏解，引导临终者接纳死亡，安然走向未来。而安宁疗护属于全面关怀，除了给病人提供宗教和心理支持，还包括专业的医疗护理，为患者控制症状、舒缓疼痛；帮助患者和家属面对恐惧、焦虑、经济和护理等种种压力。 + + + + + +## 1. Accepting Death + +# 二、中国古人对死亡的态度 + + + + + +In traditional Chinese culture, life and death are seen as natural attributes of existence, and there is a degree of acceptance toward death. When we were children, people of a certain age would prepare a coffin for themselves, called a *shoucai* — longevity wood. The local custom in Taining is even more interesting: when a person is born, the family adds a coffin for them, which is why the mountains around Taining hold many unopened coffins. The reception hall on Plum Blossom Island once stored seven or eight coffins, all of fine wood and craftsmanship. The island now has a guest room called "Impermanence Hall," which contains a coffin. Staying there — sleeping alongside a coffin — is a unique life experience. + +安宁疗护的出现，和现代医学有莫大关系。很多新的治疗手段虽能维系生命，但也给患者带来极大痛苦，甚至生不如死。怎样在活着和有质量地活着之间，找到最佳的平衡点？在没有各种延命手段的古代，人的死亡相对自然，他们是怎么看待这个问题的？ + + + + + +There is a Chinese saying, "Life and death are decreed by fate; wealth and status depend on Heaven," which also reflects how Chinese people understand and approach death. Although Buddhism does not endorse pure fatalism, under the influence of this culture, people could peacefully accept death rather than resist it futilely. This is very important, because resistance not only fails to help — it adds unnecessary suffering. + +## 1．接纳死亡 + + + + + +## 2. A Good Death as a Blessing + +中国传统文化中，将生和死视为生命的自然属性，对死亡会有一份接纳。在我们小时候，人到一定年龄，就要为自己准备一口棺材，称为寿材。泰宁当地的习俗更有意思，每个人出生时，家中就会为其添口棺材，所以泰宁山中有很多没启用的棺材。梅花岛的接待厅，原来存了七八口棺材，木料和做工都很好。岛上现在有间客房叫"无常馆”，就放着一口棺材。入住其中，可与棺材共眠，是别样的人生体验。 + + + + + +As far back as three thousand years ago, the ancient Chinese regarded the Five Blessings as the standard of a complete happiness: longevity, wealth, health and peace, love of virtue, and a good death. A good death means passing away naturally, without illness — peacefully and serenely — drawing a perfect full stop to one's life. Conversely, "a bad death" became the most severe curse. + +中国有句俗话叫"死生有命，富贵在天”，也体现了国人对死亡的认知和心态。虽然佛教并不认同纯粹的宿命论，但在这样的文化熏陶下，人们可以安然接纳死亡，而不是无谓抗拒。这点非常重要，因为抗拒不仅于事无补，还会增加不必要的痛苦。 + + + + + +What constitutes a good death? It includes both physical and psychological dimensions. Physically, it means ending through natural aging, like a melon ripening and falling from the vine, or a leaf returning to its root — not through premature death, violent death, lingering in a sickbed, and certainly not through taking one's own life. Psychologically, it means having fulfilled one's family responsibilities, properly handled inheritance and social relationships, avoided causing disputes among relatives, and being buried alongside one's ancestors — then one can smile in the netherworld and die without regret. The iconic scene of a good death is being surrounded by children and grandchildren, giving final instructions. That is why, when parents or elders are dying, children will return from however far away to see them one last time — otherwise, the deceased would die with eyes open in grievance. + +## 2．善终为福 + + + + + +## 3. Careful Funeral Rites and Remembrance of Ancestors + +早在三千多年前，中国古人就以五福作为幸福的标配，分别是长寿、富贵、康宁、好德、善终。所谓善终，即无疾而终，安详逝去，为人生画上圆满的句号。相反，"不得好死"则成了最严重的诅咒。 + + + + + +The *Analects* says, "Attend carefully to the funeral rites of parents and remember the ancestors; then the people's virtue will return to richness." This reflects the Confucian emphasis on funeral and memorial rites, and the moral cultivation they represent. "Careful funeral rites" means handling the funeral of parents and elders according to propriety, without negligence. "Remembrance of ancestors" means conducting regular memorial ceremonies, recalling the ancestors, and never forgetting one's roots. Chinese culture is an ancestor-worshipping culture. Many families maintain ancestral halls housing the spirit tablets of generations of forebears. After a person dies, their place is added to the hall. So in the traditional view, after death one simply joins one's parents, grandparents — all the way back eighteen generations of ancestors. They all live in another world, and after death, one goes to that world to reunite with them. One is not alone. + +如何才是善终？包含身体和心理两个层面。身体上，由自然衰老而终结，就像瓜熟蒂落、叶落归根那样，不是夭折、横死或缠绵病榻，更不是自我了断。心理上，能完成家庭责任，处理好遗产分配、社会关系等问题，避免引起亲属纠纷，死后和列祖列宗埋在一起，就能含笑九泉，死而无憾。标志性的善终场景，就是子孙环绕，交代后事。所以当父母、长辈临命终时，孩子不管多远都要回来见最后一面，否则会让逝者死不瞑目。 + + + + + +In Chinese culture, a person becomes a ghost after death. The difference lies in this: those without merit become lonely, wandering spirits with no one to care for them; those with abundant merit receive offerings of incense, and may even become deities who receive worship. Traditional customs such as tomb-sweeping at Qingming and offering sacrifices to ancestors on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month represent both remembrance of the ancestors and a time when the ancestors return to visit their descendants. So on these days, people make sincere offerings, praying for their ancestors' blessings for future generations. From the Buddhist perspective, of course, the deceased have long since been reborn. The saying "in eighteen years I'll be a hero again" is influenced by the idea of rebirth. Confucianism, lacking the concept of rebirth, holds that ancestors all dwell in another realm and maintain a different form of connection with their descendants. Under the influence of this culture, death does not seem unacceptable. + +## 3．慎终追远 + + + + + +Why can careful funeral rites and remembrance of ancestors make people's virtue return to richness? If one has a strong sense of family, on the one hand one feels that living in this world, you are not merely an isolated individual — you also represent a family system built on kinship and blood ties, where a slight move in one part affects the whole. Therefore, you must not act without virtue, still less commit wrongdoing. Otherwise, you not only bring censure upon yourself but also bring shame upon the entire family — an unbearable responsibility. + +《论语》所说的"慎终追远，民德归厚矣”，则体现了儒家对丧祭的重视，以及它所代表的道德教化。慎终，是依礼办理父母、祖辈的丧事，不能草率行事；追远，是定期祭祀，追念祖先，不忘根本。中国文化属于祖先崇拜，很多家族都建有祠堂，供奉着一代代的祖先牌位。人死之后，祠堂就会增加他的位置。所以在传统观念看来，死后就是和父母、爷爷奶奶，乃至祖宗十八代在一起。他们都生活在另一个世界，自己死后，就到那个世界与他们相聚，并不孤单。 + + + + + +Beyond being accountable to the ancestors, one must also accumulate merit for future generations. The *Book of Changes* says, "A family that accumulates goodness will surely have abundant blessings; a family that accumulates evil will surely have abundant calamities." When the ancestors have virtue, the entire family enjoys lasting good fortune. In a sense, this also reflects the continuity of karma and has some connection to the Buddhist view of cause and effect. Within this cultural system, life is already integrated into the family system, a part of a continuous bloodline. Even if I die, the family remains, the descendants remain — so the individual's death is not so frightening. + +中国文化中，人死为鬼。区别在于，无福者会成为孤魂野鬼，无人问津；如果福德深厚，就有人祭拜香火，甚至会成为受人供奉的神。传统习俗中的清明扫墓、七月半祭祖，既代表对祖宗的追思，也是祖先回来看望子孙的日子。所以要在这一天虔诚祭祀，祈愿他们保佑后代。当然从佛教角度来说，亡者早就投生了。"十八年后又是一条好汉"的说法，就受到轮回思想的影响。而儒家没有投生的概念，认为先祖都在另一个世界，并以另一种方式和子孙保持联系。在这样的文化熏陶下，不会觉得死是不可接受的。 + + + + + +At the same time, traditional Chinese medicine was relatively gentle, and physicians, taking the practice of medicine as a compassionate mission, would not overtreat for profit. Accordingly, patients and the elderly could depart without excessive intervention. And within traditional filial thinking, it was taken as a matter of course that the younger generation would care for their elders; failing to do so would bring double condemnation from society and one's own conscience. Thus, life care for patients could be handled within the family and would not become a social problem. + +为什么慎终追远，可以让民德归厚？如果有家族观念，一方面会觉得，生活在世间，你不仅仅是自己一个人，还代表亲情和血缘构建的家族系统，牵一发动全身，所以不能德行有亏，更不能为非作歹。否则，既让自己受到指责，也让整个家族蒙羞，这是一份承担不起的责任。 + + + + + +For Buddhist practitioners, spiritual practice is precisely learning how to face and transcend life and death. Pure Land practitioners can recite the Buddha's name and be reborn in the Western Pure Land. Chan practitioners can see their true nature and gain liberation from birth and death. So death is merely an exam — just the right moment to see how one's practice is doing, whether one can know the time of death in advance and depart freely. + +除了对祖宗负责，还要为子孙积德。《易经》有句话，叫"积善之家必有余庆，积不善之家必有余殃”。祖宗有德，整个家族就会福泽绵长。从某种意义上说，这也体现业力的相续，和佛教因果观有一定关联。在这样的文化体系中，生命已融入家族系统，是血脉相连的一部分。哪怕我死了，但家族还在，子孙还在，对个体的死亡就不会那么恐惧。 + + + + + +In summary, whether Confucian thought or Buddhist faith, both contain, to varying degrees, elements of life care that help people prepare for death in advance. + +同时，中医治疗比较温和，且医生以悬壶济世为使命，不会为利益给人过度治疗。相应的，病患或老人就能在不被过多干预的情况下离去。而在传统的孝道思想中，后辈照护长辈是天经地义的，如果不这么做，将受到社会和良心的双重谴责。所以对患者的生命关怀可以在家族内部解决，不会成为社会问题。 + + + + + +# III. Why Modern People Need Life Care + +而对佛教徒来说，修行就是学习如何面对并超越生死。学净土的，可以念佛往生西方；学禅宗的，可以明心见性，了生脱死。所以临终只是一场考试而已，正好看看自己的功夫如何，能不能预知时至，来去自在。 + + + + + +Although we live within the cultural system of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, these ideas have not been well inherited or transmitted. As a result, most people today cannot accept death as calmly as the ancients did. In everyday life, we can see that those with severe illness often struggle in confusion, fear, and despair — body and mind tormented as if in a living hell. I once said in a teaching that the richer people are, the more agonizing their death may be. Because they cannot let go, they will fight to the end with treatments and emergency interventions. For the patient, this is actually being tortured until the very last moment, denied even the right to a natural death. If, once it is confirmed that treatment is ineffective, one can let things take their natural course, one may actually depart with greater ease. + +总之，不管儒家思想还是佛教信仰，都在不同程度上包含了生命关怀，让人为死亡早做准备。 + + + + + +A professor working in palliative care cited this passage of mine in a paper and supported it with data. A report on the quality of death surveyed 80 countries worldwide and found that the quality of death for Chinese people ranked 71st. From the perspective of ancient ideals, many people today cannot be said to have had a good death; instead, they depart in the midst of prolonged torment. Why does this phenomenon exist? I think the following factors are at work. + +# 三、现代人为什么要生命关怀 + + + + + +## 1. Lack of Understanding About Death + +虽然我们生活在儒释道文化体系中，但这种思想并没有得到很好的传承传播，所以多数人不能像古人那样坦然接纳死亡。生活中可以看到，重疾患者往往是在迷茫、恐惧、绝望中挣扎，身心煎熬，有如炼狱。我曾在一个开示中说到，人越有钱，可能死得越痛苦。因为不甘心，就会拼命治疗、抢救。对患者来说，其实是折磨到最后一刻，连自然死亡的权利都没有。如果在确认治疗无效的情况下，能够顺其自然，反而会走得自在些。 + + + + + +Our current education emphasizes knowledge and skills, mainly addressing survival-level needs, but lacks education on the level of life itself — life's meaning, where the heart finds its true home, and how to face death. In daily life, people tend to avoid the topic of death and are unwilling to face it; even mentioning the word "death" is considered unlucky. This leaves modern people neither understanding nor accepting death. + +一位从事安宁疗护的教授在论文中引用我的这段话，并用数据作了证明。有份死亡质量调查报告显示，他们对全世界80个国家做了调查，发现中国人的死亡质量排在第71位。从古人的观念看，很多人都说不上好死，而是在饱受煎熬的过程中离去。为什么存在这种现象？我觉得有以下几方面原因。 + + + + + +But not understanding and not accepting does not mean one can avoid it. In fact, death is the inevitable conclusion for every person — an indispensable and essential subject in life. Only by understanding it can one walk toward the end with clarity and composure. Only by accepting it can one prepare before the day arrives, rather than panicking, not knowing how to respond. + +## 1．对死亡缺乏认识 + + + + + +Through studying the Buddhadharma, we come to know that death is merely the period at the end of one phase of life; it is not a complete end. Life continues on and on, unceasing. And *how* we die is the critical factor that determines where we will be reborn in the next life. This requires, through study and practice, understanding the principles of rebirth, seeing clearly the truth of life and death, and gaining the ability to transcend them. Only then can we be at ease in life and without regret in death. For both life and death are processes in the flow of existence. By living each present day well, we can continuously elevate our life, life after life. This shifts us from passively awaiting death to actively taking hold of our destiny and transcending birth and death. + +我们现有的教育偏向知识、技能，主要解决生存层面的问题，缺乏人生价值、心灵归属、如何面对死亡等生命层面的教育。日常生活中，大家也往往回避死亡，不愿面对，甚至说到"死”都觉得晦气。这就使得现代人不了解，也不接纳死亡。 + + + + + +## 2. Overemphasis on Physical Cure + +但不了解、不接纳，不等于可以躲开。事实上，死亡是每个人的必然结局，是人生不可或缺的重要课题。只有了解它，才能清醒、笃定地走向终点；只有接纳它，才能在这一天到来前做好准备，而不是惊慌失措，不知如何应对。 + + + + + +According to relevant surveys, one-third of the medical costs for many illnesses occur in the final month of life. At this point, the patient and the family are often filled with fear. Even if there is only a glimmer of hope, they will follow whatever the doctor says, staking everything on one throw. If the hospital places particular value on financial profit, it may overtreat for gain — even continuing aggressive interventions when it is already clear there is no hope. For the patient, this only adds physical and mental suffering; for the family, it imposes a crushing financial burden, driving many families into poverty because of illness. + +通过学习佛法，我们会知道，死亡只是一期生命的句号，并不是彻底结束，生命还会生生不息地延续。而怎么死，才是下一世投生哪里的关键所在。这就需要通过闻思和修行，了解投生原理，看清生死真相，获得超越生死的能力。只有这样，才能生固欣然，死亦无憾。因为生和死都是生命流转的过程，过好当下每一天，才能让生命生生增上。这就从被动等死，转为主动把握命运，超越生死。 + + + + + +To what extent should treatment go? As patients and family members, on the one hand, we must understand the illness itself, the medical resources available, the treatment's effectiveness, and the probability of cure. On the other hand, we must recognize that with birth, death is inevitable. Only by facing this squarely can we make an objective assessment and a reasonable decision for ourselves — neither giving up lightly nor indulging in wishful thinking. + +## 2．过分重视身体的治愈 + + + + + +As a person approaches death, they experience not only physical and psychological suffering, but also problems on the social and spiritual levels. We have lived several decades and built social connections over decades — all kinds of relationships, loves, and resentments. If, at the moment of departure, we cannot let go, we will also die badly. Moreover, many people's fear of death stems from fear of the unknown — not knowing where they go after death and what will happen. It can be said that people have not the slightest understanding of this and have made no preparation whatsoever. From this perspective, both palliative care and end-of-life care cannot be separated from religion, because these are ultimate questions that cannot be reached through the mundane level or through existing experience. + +据相关调查，很多疾病的治疗费用，有三分之一发生在生命最后一个月。因为此时的病人和家属往往充满恐惧，哪怕有一线生机，也会对医生言听计从，孤注一掷。如果医院特别看重经济利益，就可能过度治疗，以此牟利。甚至明知没希望了，还在拼命抢救。对患者来说，只是徒增身心痛苦；对家属来说，则会增加巨大的经济负担，使得不少家庭因病返贫。 + + + + + +I once gave a lecture in New Zealand titled "The *Heart Sutra*'s View of Life and Death," where I discussed the Buddhist attitude toward and approach to death, and held a dialogue with a local expert working in palliative care. They were very interested in this content. How should we face death? Different religions handle it in different ways. It must be said that Buddhism's understanding of life and death is the most thorough, because the Buddha's original purpose in leaving home to practice was precisely to resolve the problem of life and death. Consequently, many of Buddhism's teachings and methods revolve around this question. It is regrettable that many people do not understand these ideas and even reject this wisdom culture out of misunderstanding. + +到底应该治疗到什么程度？作为病人和家属来说，一方面要了解疾病本身、医疗条件、治疗效果和治愈概率；一方面要认识到，有生必然有死。只有坦然面对，才能客观评估，为自己作出合理的决定，既不轻言放弃，也不一厢情愿。 + + + + + +Through life care, we can share the Buddhist view of life and death, helping people see new hope when the body can no longer be cured. For the mind is the true master of life. When the mind can be autonomous and free, it will not be bound by physical suffering, enabling us to face life and death directly and transcend them. + +一个人临终时，不仅要经历身体、心理的痛苦，还有社会关系和灵性层面的问题。我们活了几十年，在社会上经营了几十年，有各种人际关系、爱恨情仇，现在即将离开，如果放不下，也是死不好的。此外，很多人之所以怕死，是出于对未知的恐惧，不知道死了去哪里，又会发生什么。可以说，对这方面没有丝毫了解，也没做好任何准备。从这个角度，安宁疗护和临终关怀都离不开宗教。因为这是终极问题，不是现实层面或已有经验可以触及的。 + + + + + +# IV. Establishing a Correct View of Life, Death, and Treatment + +我曾在新西兰开讲"《心经》的生死观”，谈到佛教对死亡的态度和做法，并与一位当地从事安宁疗护的专家进行对话。他们对这些内容很感兴趣。怎么面对死亡？各种宗教有不同的处理方式。应该说，佛教对生死的认识最为透彻，因为佛陀出家修行的初衷，就是为了解决生死问题。所以佛教的很多教义和法门，都是围绕生死展开。遗憾的是，很多人并不了解这些思想，甚至因误解而排斥这一智慧文化。 + + + + + +## 1. Understanding the Relationship Between Life and Death + +通过生命关怀，可以为大家宣导佛教的生死观，让人在身体无法治愈时，看到新的希望。因为心才是生命的主宰，当心能够自主、自在，就不会被身苦束缚，从而直面生死、超越生死。 + + + + + +In providing life care, we must first establish a correct view of life and death. The Three Dharma Seals in Buddhism — "all conditioned phenomena are impermanent, all phenomena are without self, nirvana is peace" — tell us that everything in the world is in constant change. The moon waxes and wanes, the four seasons cycle, never stopping. Life is the same: from the moment of birth, no matter how long one lives, every moment is moving toward death. + +# 四、树立正确的生死观和治疗观 + + + + + +Death is inevitable and also uncertain — we never know when it will arrive. The key lies in *how* we die. This requires building positive life accumulations. Just as living well requires the right causes and conditions, if we want physical health, we must learn the way of nurturing life, balancing movement and stillness. If we want mental health, we must let go of negative emotions and cultivate positive qualities. If we want harmonious relationships, we must understand, accept, and treat others well. If we want abundant good fortune, we must do more good deeds and extend compassion to all beings. + +## 1．认识生与死的关系 + + + + + +Life is an endless accumulation, like a river flowing from the infinite past into the boundless future. Death is merely a transition within this flow, not an absolute disappearance. If our present moment is a positive accumulation, then life can continuously elevate as it continues, moving toward a beautiful future — like moving to a better place to live. Why cling? Why fear? + +作为生命关怀，我们首先要树立正确的生死观。佛教的三法印，是"诸行无常，诸法无我，涅槃寂静”，告诉我们，世间一切都在变化中，月圆月缺，四季更替，从未停止。生命也是同样，从出生开始，无论存活多久，每一刻都在走向死亡。 + + + + + +Next, we must also recognize death's significance for life. Socrates said that philosophy is the practice of death. He himself was a living embodiment of this idea: when sentenced to death, he not only refused to escape but calmly drank the hemlock, because he had seen through life and death thoroughly, and his inner cultivation had reached a level where he could face death directly. Western humanist thought holds that human beings are the essence of the universe and the spirit of all things. The life we have received is an extraordinarily precious opportunity. How can we make the best use of it? The existentialist philosopher Heidegger proposed "being-toward-death." Recognizing that we will eventually die, we come to know the finitude of life — we cannot pass through this life in numbness and confusion. + +死是必然的，也是无常的，不知何时就会到来，关键在于怎么死。这就需要构建良性的生命积累。就像我们要活得好，得有相应的因缘因果。希望身体健康，就要学习养生之道，动静结合；希望心理健康，就要摆脱负面情绪，建立良性品质；希望人际和谐，就要理解、接纳、善待他人；希望福报广大，就要多行善事，慈悲众生。 + + + + + +From the perspective of the Buddhadharma, we are guided to see the leisure, opportunity, great meaning, and rarity of human life. To obtain a human body — especially one with the capacity and time to study and practice the Dharma — is an opportunity that comes once in a thousand ages, of immense significance. In the six realms, the human realm is a transfer station, because humans possess reason and can determine their own actions of body, speech, and mind. When we use reason well, we can seek truth, perfect our moral character, benefit society, and even attain Buddhahood. That is why all Buddhas and World-Honored Ones appear in the human realm. But if we misuse reason, we not only create measureless afflictions for ourselves, sending our lives into decline, but also cause tremendous harm to others and to the world. + +生命是无尽的累积，就像河流，从无穷的过去延续到无限的未来。死亡只是其中的过渡，并不是彻底消失。如果当下是良性的积累，就能让生命在延续过程中不断增上，拥有美好未来。就像换到更好的地方去生活，何必不舍，何必畏惧？ + + + + + +In short, death makes us see the brevity of this life, and thus cherish this rare and easily lost opportunity to realize the maximum value of human existence. + +其次，还要认识死亡对生命的意义。苏格拉底说：哲学就是练习死亡。他自己正是这一理念的践行者，当他被判有罪时，不仅拒绝逃亡，还从容饮下毒酒。因为他对生死看得很透彻，心性修养也达到一定高度，有能力直面死亡。西方人本主义思想认为，人是宇宙的精华，万物的灵长。我们得到生命，是极其可贵的机会。怎么才能用好它？存在主义哲学家海德格尔提出了"向死而生”。认识到人终将死亡，就会知道生命的有限性，不能麻木且混混沌沌地度过此生。 + + + + + +## 2. Establishing a Correct Approach to Treatment + +从佛法的角度，是让我们看到人身的暇满、义大、难得。得到人身，尤其是有能力、有时间修学佛法的人身，千载难逢，意义重大。在六道中，人道是一个中转站。因为人有理性，可以决定自己的身口意三业。善用理性，就能追求真理，完善道德，造福社会，乃至成佛作祖，所以诸佛世尊皆出人间。但不善用理性，不仅给自己制造无量烦恼，使生命走向堕落，还会对他人、世界造成极大破坏。 + + + + + +Beyond the view of life and death, we must also, on the basis of understanding, respect, and care for patients, help them establish a correct approach to treatment. Many people's care for patients is mainly on the physical level. But in reality, when a person faces illness and death, not only the body needs care — the mind also needs care, including the soothing of emotions and guidance on the spiritual level. That is why palliative care teams must be composed of professionals from multiple disciplines. + +总之，死亡让我们看到今生的短暂，从而珍惜这一难得易失的机会，实现人生的最大价值。 + + + + + +In Western countries, working in palliative care requires specific training and qualifications. In the future, we must likewise have a cohort of people who receive professional training. On that foundation, by infusing the content of the Buddhadharma and integrating mindfulness practice, we can create a life care that reaches the heights of Eastern wisdom, offering a new perspective and a new exploration for palliative care. + +## 2．建立正确的治疗观 + + + + + +# V. What Happens at Death and Rebirth + +除了生死观，我们还要本着对患者的理解、尊重、关爱，帮助他们建立正确的治疗观。很多人对患者的关爱，主要是基于身体层面。其实一个人面对疾病、死亡时，不仅身体需要关爱，心灵也需要关爱，包括对情绪的疏解，及灵性层面的引导。所以安宁疗护团队要由多专业的人员组成。 + + + + + +Whether engaged in palliative care or end-of-life care, understanding death and rebirth is essential. How can a person depart peacefully and be reborn in a good realm? This is a matter that carries real technical depth. + +在西方国家，从事安宁疗护需要通过一定训练，具备相应资质。未来，我们同样要有一批人去接受专业学习，在此基础上，增加佛法内涵，配合正念修行，就能做出具有东方智慧高度的生命关怀，为安宁疗护提供新的视角和探索。 + + + + + +## 1. The Four Stages + +# 五、死亡、投生是怎么回事 + + + + + +The Buddhadharma tells us that the continuity of life consists of four stages: birth existence, life existence, death existence, and intermediate existence. Birth existence is the moment of birth. Life existence is one's present lifespan. Death existence is the instant of dying. Intermediate existence — the bardo state — is the period after death and before taking rebirth, like the interval after graduating from university or resigning from a job, when you have not yet found new work. + +不论做安宁疗护还是临终关怀，了解死亡和投生非常重要。怎么才能安详离去，投生善道？这是有技术含量的。 + + + + + +From birth to death is simply the beginning and end of one phase of life. In the long river of existence, one such phase follows another in unbroken continuity. Buddhism holds that a being in the intermediate state will usually take rebirth within seven days. If rebirth does not succeed, it continues for another seven-day period, generally not exceeding seven cycles of seven — forty-nine days. So, while Chinese people imagine ancestors waiting in the ancestral hall, the reality is that the ancestor may long since have become one of their own descendants, because ancestors often remain attached to the family and will repeatedly take rebirth within it. This is a key difference between Buddhist and traditional Chinese understandings of life and death. + +## 1．四个过程 + + + + + +In traditional Chinese culture, a person becomes a ghost after death and remains in the ghost realm. But Buddhism holds that life revolves unceasingly through the six realms — heavens, humans, asuras, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings. Through practice, one can transform from an ordinary being into a noble one — becoming a sage — including the four kinds: hearers, solitary realizers, bodhisattvas, and Buddhas. These six ordinary and four noble destinies together form the ten dharma realms. Thus, becoming a ghost after death is only a one-in-ten probability. + +佛法告诉我们，生命延续包含生有、本有、死有、中有四个过程。生有，即出生之时；本有，即今生的存续；死有，即死亡的刹那；中有，即死后到投生前的中阴状态。就像你大学毕业，或从单位辞职，尚未找到工作的空窗期。 + + + + + +## 2. The Three Forces + +从生到死，只是一期生命的开始和结束。在生命长河中，这样的生命一期接着一期，相续不绝。佛教认为，中阴身通常会在七天内投胎。如果没有投胎成功，就会继续下一个七天，一般不超过七七四十九天。所以，中国人以为祖宗会在祠堂等着，其实他可能早就成了你的子孙后代。因为很多时候，祖宗可能执著这个家庭，就会不断来此投胎。这是佛教和中国文化对生死的不同认识。 + + + + + +Which of the six realms one enters after death is determined by three forces. + +在中国传统文化中，人死就变成鬼，并且一直在鬼道。但佛教认为，生命在六道轮转不休，包括天、人、阿修罗、畜生、饿鬼、地狱。通过修行，就能转凡成圣，成为圣贤，包括声闻、缘觉、菩萨、佛四种。由六凡四圣，组成十法界。因此，人死为鬼只有十分之一的可能。 + + + + + +The first is going with karma — following one's karmic force. But a person accumulates much karma: heavy and light, fixed and unfixed, and so on. Among these, the heaviest karma ripens the fastest. As the saying goes, "When a person creates offenses, the strongest pulls them first." It is like being in debt and having to sell your house to repay — whoever you owe the most to gets paid first. + +## 2．三种力量 + + + + + +The second is going with habit — following one's habitual tendencies. The power of habit is immense. What we do or don't do, what we like or dislike — it seems we decide for ourselves, but in fact we are often unconsciously carried along by habit, helpless to resist. So if we want to know what our future life will be like, we can know by looking at the present. What you think about and do every day — the force accumulated thereby — will propel you toward a corresponding rebirth. The reason we practice meditation is precisely to help us awaken awareness, to break free from habitual tendencies, and not be driven by inertia. Otherwise, life sinks into ignorance — day after day, year after year. In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed; in another blink, twenty — and we are not even clear on what we have been doing. + +死后会进入六道的哪一道，是由三种力量决定的。 + + + + + +The third is going with thought — following the thoughts that arise at the end of life. We usually think we are living in reality, but in truth, much of the time we are living in our own thoughts. Thoughts determine how you see the world and what you do or don't do. Every day we meet various people and face various situations. Whether these people and events make you happy or sad, fill you with love or hatred — all of this is bound up with your perceptions and your thoughts. + +第一是随业，即随着业力。但人的业力很多，包括重业和轻业、定业和不定业等。其中，最重的业会快速成熟，所谓"如人造罪，强者先牵”。就像欠了钱要卖房还债，你欠哪家的债最多，就得先还哪一家。 + + + + + +The Buddhist stories of cause and effect record many relevant cases. For instance, someone buried several gold bars under the bed and passed away without telling his children; he later turned into a dog that circled that spot every day without leaving. There was a grandmother who loved her grandson dearly; after she passed, she was so attached that she took rebirth and became his grandson's wife. Someone else generated intense anger at the moment of death and turned into a venomous snake. All of these outcomes were brought about by thoughts. + +第二是随习，即随着串习。习惯的力量很大，我们做什么或不做什么，喜欢或不喜欢什么，看起来是自己决定的，其实往往是在不知不觉中被习惯左右，身不由己。所以，我们想知道未来生命会怎样，看看现在就知道了。你每天在想什么，做什么，由此积累的力量，就会推动你往哪里投生。我们之所以要禅修，就是帮助自己开启觉知，摆脱串习，不被惯性左右。否则，生命就会耽于无明，日复一日，年复一年。一转眼，十年过去；一转眼，二十年过去，都不清楚自己做了些什么。 + + + + + +Furthermore, the six realms of cyclic existence are not only forms of life but also represent psychological states. In other words, different mind states manifest as corresponding life forms. A person moves from views to behavior, from repeated behavior to habit, from accumulated habit to character, and from the solidification of character to personality. One could say that personality is simply the specific shape taken by certain mental states that have been repeatedly reinforced. + +第三是随念，即随着起心动念。我们通常以为，自己是生活在现实中，其实，很多时候是生活在自己的心念中。念头决定你怎么看世界，也决定了你做什么不做什么。我们每天会见到各种人，面对各种事，这些人和事会对你产生什么影响，让你是喜是忧，是爱是恨，都和你的认知有关，和你的念头有关。 + + + + + +From this perspective, even within the human realm there are the six realms. If one is full of ignorance, one manifests behavior comparable to animals. If one is full of greed and a sense of lack, one displays the characteristics of hungry ghosts. If one is full of anger and antagonism, one belongs to the life of an asura. If one is full of compassion and wisdom, one draws ever closer to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. This is what the Dharma calls "mind being various, forms being various." The variety of minds manifests the variety of life forms. + +佛教的因果故事中，记载了很多相关案例。比如有人在床下埋了几块金砖，走时没来得及和儿女交代，后来就变成一条狗，每天围着那地方不走；有个奶奶很爱她的孙子，走了之后万般牵挂，结果投胎回来，成了孙子的媳妇；还有人死时生起强大的嗔心，结果变成一条毒蛇。这些都是念头导致的。 + + + + + +Especially at the time of death, whatever kind of thought arises will call forth the corresponding kind of karma. Understanding the forces that determine rebirth, we then know how to choose. If we wish to be reborn in a good destination, we must cultivate good karma, be endowed with good conduct and good thoughts. At the end of life, these good karma, good conduct, and good thoughts will guide us to a good rebirth. Conversely, if we habitually create bad karma, bad conduct, and harbor unwholesome thoughts, when the great limit arrives, we will follow this bad karma, bad conduct, and unwholesome thoughts and fall into the lower realms. + +包括六道轮回，也不仅是生命形态，还代表着心理状态。换句话说，不同心理会展现相应的生命形态。一个人从观念形成行为，再由行为的重复形成习惯，由习惯的积累形成性格，再由性格的固化形成人格。可以说，人格就是某些心理被不断强化，呈现出的特定形态。 + + + + + +## 3. Faith, Vow, and Practice + +从这个角度看，人道也有六道之分。如果充满愚痴，就等同动物的表现；如果充满贪婪、匮乏，就显现饿鬼的特点；如果充满嗔恨、对立，就属于阿修罗的生命；如果充满慈悲、智慧，就在向佛菩萨不断靠拢。这也就是佛法所说的"心种种故，色种种”。各种各样的心，会呈现各种各样的生命形态。 + + + + + +What can also affect karma is the power of vow. One could say this is a specific form of the power of thought. Most people, unable to see the truth of life clearly, can only drift along with karma. But through studying the Dharma, we know that life can be chosen with autonomy. On the one hand, we must begin from this moment to stop evil and cultivate good, accumulating merit and purifying obstacles. On the other hand, we must generate great vows, giving our life a new direction. + +尤其在临命终时，出现什么样的心念，就会唤起什么样的业力。了解到决定投生的力量，我们就知道如何选择了。如果想投生善处，就要修习善业，具足善行和善念，临命终时，这些善业、善行、善念将引领你投生善道。反之，如果总是造作恶业、恶行，心存恶念，大限到来，就会随着这些恶业、恶行、恶念堕落恶道。 + + + + + +The Pure Land path advocates faith, vow, and practice as the three most important provisions for rebirth. First, we must generate faith in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss and the Pure Land Dharma path, believing this to be the best destination for life. Only with faith will vow further arise. Then, this power of vow will propel us to practice diligently, fulfilling every condition for rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss one by one — just as, upon learning the requirements for immigration, we make preparations according to the relevant criteria. + +## 3．信、愿、行 + + + + + +In fact, practicing any Dharma path — and even doing anything well in life — equally requires faith, vow, and practice. Take liberation, for example: only when we have faith in liberation will we vow to achieve it, and then put that vow into practice through cultivation. + +能够影响业力的，还有愿力。可以说，这是一种特定的念力。多数人因为看不清生命真相，只能随业流转。但我们通过学佛，知道生命是可以自主选择的。一方面要从现在开始止恶修善，集资净障；一方面要发起大愿，让生命拥有新的方向。 + + + + + +## 4. The Open Space of Mind + +净土法门提倡信、愿、行，以此作为往生最重要的三种资粮。首先要对西方极乐世界和净土法门生起信心，相信这是生命最好的归宿。有了信心，才会进一步引发愿力。然后，这份愿力就会推动你努力践行，对往生西方极乐世界的条件，逐一落实。就像知道移民的要求后，会根据相关内容做好准备。 + + + + + +Beyond karma, habitual tendencies, and the power of thought, there is a still more advanced force — right in the open space of mind. + +事实上，修习任何法门，乃至生活中要做好一件事，同样要有信愿行。比如解脱，只有对解脱生起信心，才会发愿解脱，进而落实于修行。 + + + + + +Earlier, we discussed that the intermediate state is the form taken during the gap between life phases. For thoughts, too, there is such a gap — in the interval after the previous thought has passed and before the next thought has arisen. That is the true mind. In ordinary life, we live entirely within our thoughts, as though shrouded and obscured by clouds. But behind the layers of cloud, there is the cloudless clear sky — representing the power of inner awakening, the capacity of self-liberation. + +## 4．心的空白处 + + + + + +The Chan records contain many accounts of Chan masters passing away in seated meditation without any illness. For example, Master Zhiduan foretold the date of his passing while showing no sign of illness, guiding his disciples as usual. On that day, after the meal, he ascended the teaching seat and bid farewell to the assembly. He asked, "On what day did the World-Honored One enter cessation?" Everyone replied, "At the hour of zi on the fifteenth day of the second month." The master said, "I shall go before the hour of zi today." Then he quietly passed away in seated meditation. Master Shenzan, facing the end of his life, shaved his head, bathed, gathered his disciples, and asked, "Do you recognize the samadhi of soundlessness?" The disciples said they did not. The master said, "Now listen carefully." As the disciples inclined their ears to listen intently, the master serenely passed away in seated meditation. There were also those who passed away in water at Huating, in seated meditation at Shishuang, lying down at Yuanzhao, and hanging upside-down at Yinfeng — all demonstrations of unimpeded mastery over life and death, coming and going in complete freedom. + +除了业力、串习、念力，还有一种更高级的力量，就在心的空白处。 + + + + + +How is this accomplished? First, through meditation practice, we must open a mind that is awake and clear, maintaining distance from our thoughts, no longer falling into them or being carried away by them. Through continuous training, we come to see that everything — from arising thoughts to speech and action, from birth, aging, illness, and death to mountains, rivers, and the great earth — is but an image in the sky of the mind, like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow. + +前面讲到，中阴是生命转换间隙时的形态。对心念来说，在前念已过后念未生之间，也有这样的间隙，那就是本心。我们平常都是活在念头中，就像被云彩笼罩着，遮蔽着。但在重重云彩的背后，还有无云晴空，代表内心觉醒的力量，自我解脱的能力。 + + + + + +The Buddha discovered the true mind behind our thoughts and told us that every person possesses the capacity for self-healing and self-liberation. As long as we find this mind, we can be autonomous amid thoughts and at ease amid life and death; we gain the power to choose the direction of our life. This power is profoundly important. Tibetan Buddhism speaks of bardo deliverance. But in truth, bardo deliverance is not only at the time of death — every moment, every instant of the present, as long as we do not fall into thought, we can experience the open space of mind, the power of awareness and liberation. + +禅宗典籍中，记载了很多禅师无疾坐化的实例。如志端禅师生前就预告归期，但没有任何病相，并如常指导弟子。到了这天，禅师在饭后上堂辞众，问大家：世尊什么时候灭度的？大家说：二月十五日子时。禅师说：我今天子时前走。然后泊然坐化。神赞禅师临终前剃发沐浴，召集弟子，问：你们识得无声三昧吗？弟子说：不识。禅师道：你们现在好好听着。当弟子们侧耳静听之际，禅师就怡然坐化了。此外，还有华亭水化，石霜坐化，圆照卧化，隐峰倒化，都是生死无碍、来去自在的显现。 + + + + + +Therefore, do not wait until death arrives to consider liberation. By opening inner awareness in each present moment and becoming familiar with the clear mind, we can be liberated right in the present. Then, at the end of life, we may be at ease in life and death, passing away in seated meditation or standing. If we wait until death is imminent to start practicing, it is often too late. If our negative karma and habitual tendencies are too heavy, we may not have the good fortune to invoke others to guide us and chant supportively — we can only drift with karma. + +怎么做到这一点？首先要通过禅修开启觉知清明的心，和念头保持距离，不再陷入念头，被念头带走。经由不断训练，就能看到一切的一切，从起心动念到言行举止，从生老病死到山河大地，都是心灵天空的影像，如梦幻泡影。 + + + + + +True practice must be trained in ordinary times. Mindfulness practice is precisely what helps us open awareness, recognize our true mind, and, in the inner open space, experience the power that is luminously clear, distinctly knowing. This power not only resolves present afflictions but can also find for life an eternal well-being that extends into the endless future, because you have already opened the inexhaustible treasure of life itself. You can be at ease in life and death, benefiting both yourself and others. This is the ultimate life care that the Buddhadharma offers us. + +佛陀发现了念头背后的本心，告诉我们：每个人都有自我疗愈、自我解脱的能力。只要找到这个心，我们就能在念头中自主，在生死中自在，就有能力选择生命的去向。这种力量非常重要。藏传佛教讲中阴救度，其实中阴救度不只是在临命终时，每时每刻，每个当下，只要不陷入念头，我们就能体会心的空白处，体会觉知、解脱的力量。 + + + + + +# VI. End-of-Life Care + +所以，不是到了死时才考虑解脱。在每个当下开启内在觉知，熟悉清明的心，我们就能在当下解脱。临命终时，才可能生死自在，坐脱立亡。如果等到死之将至再来修，往往就来不及了。如果你的恶业、串习太重，也没福报感召别人为你引导、助念，就只能随业流转。 + + + + + +Having understood what death and rebirth involve, we must base our end-of-life care on this understanding. + +真正的修行要在平时训练。修习正念就是帮助我们开启觉知，认识本心，在内心空白处，体会清清楚楚、了了明知的力量。这种力量不仅能解决现实烦恼，也能为生命找到尽未来际的永恒福祉。因为你已开启生命的无尽宝藏，可以生死自在、自利利他。这是佛法给我们提供的，最究竟的生命关怀。 + + + + + +First, create a good atmosphere. Just as we arrange the space before the Seven Steps of Mindful Tea, end-of-life care requires this even more. A dignified, pure, and proper atmosphere allows participants to gather their minds, and also makes clear to the family what matters most at this moment and what is most beneficial to the dying person — rather than wailing loudly or even arguing over inheritance, which would stir up the dying person's greed and anger, obstructing their peaceful departure. More importantly, a good atmosphere can reduce the dying person's fear of death, enabling them to rest in the present and maintain mindfulness. + +# 六、临终关怀 + + + + + +If there are still things the dying person cannot let go of, we should offer psychological relief, guiding them to release all attachments and entanglements. If the dying person's own practice is not yet stable, we should, through supportive chanting and other means, help them bring forth right mindfulness. If the dying person has faith in the Pure Land path and wishes to be reborn in the West, we recite Amitabha Buddha's name so they may rest in the Buddha's name. If the dying person is more familiar with the Three Refuges, we chant the Three Refuges, helping them rest the mind in faith toward the Three Jewels. The ultimate approach is to open inner awareness and experience the clarity of mind — this is the best path of self-liberation. If the dying person has other religious faith, we should show respect and help make arrangements accordingly. + +了解死亡、投生是怎么回事，就要基于这个前提来做临终关怀。 + + + + + +# VII. Conclusion + +首先是营造良好氛围。就像静茶七式前要布置场地，临终关怀更是如此。有一个庄严、清净、如法的氛围，既可以让参与者收摄心念，还能让亲属知道，眼前最重要的是做什么，对临终者最有利益的是什么，而不是大声哭泣，甚至为分财产吵架，结果引发临终者的贪嗔之心，障碍其顺利离去。更重要的是，良好氛围可以让临终者减少对死亡的恐惧，安住当下，保持正念。 + + + + + +Life care, encompassing both palliative care and end-of-life care, is an important endeavor. On the one hand, everyone experiences birth, aging, illness, and death. Understanding these principles enables us to face them correctly ourselves. On the other hand, many people around us will have this need. Especially in international Dharma propagation, where overseas Chinese find themselves in a foreign culture, the need for this kind of care is all the greater in times of illness and at the end of life. I hope everyone will carry forward the project well and establish the six-step growth path. In the future, may we produce cohorts of practitioners, presenters, and teachers who go everywhere to share, guide, and serve the community. + +如果临终者还有事放不下，我们要为他做一些心理疏解，引导他放下万缘，不再纠结。如果临终者自身的修行没把握，我们就要通过助念等方式，帮助临终者提起正念。若是临终者信仰净土法门，希望往生西方，就为他念阿弥陀佛，以佛号令其安住；若是临终者对三皈依更熟悉，就为他念诵三皈依，帮助他把心安住于对三宝的信心。更究竟的，是开启内在觉知，体会心的清明，这是最好的自救之道。如果临终者有其他宗教信仰，我们也要表示尊重，为他做好相关事宜。 + + + + + + + +# 七、结说 + + + + + + + +生命关怀包括安宁疗护和临终关怀，是一项重要课题。一方面，每个人都有生老病死，了解这些原理，自己就能正确面对。另一方面，身边很多人会有这个需要。尤其在国际弘法中，海外华人身处异域文化，在患病和临终的特殊时刻，更需要这方面的关怀。希望大家做好项目建设，构建六步成长，未来能出一批达人、主讲、讲师，去各地传帮带，服务大众。