THE PURE LAND WAY OF DYING

     In his book on Shin (Pure Land) faith and practice BUDDHA OF INFINITE LIGHT (p. 81), the world-renowned Japanese Zen scholar Dr D.T. Suzuki quotes from a poem by Mrs. Hina Mori, a living myokonin (one with a pure and plain faith in Amitabha Buddha) whom he had met in the mid-1930s, and he then comments:

       Day in and day out I am with Amida (Amitabha).

       Let the sun set whenever it pleases.

       How grateful I am! NAMU-AMIDA-BUTSU.

     Suzuki (then 88) comments: To “let the sun set whenever it pleases” means this: whenever the time comes, I am ready to die. When the sun sets, when my life comes to an end, I am ready to part with it, and I do not care where I go. (1)

     Can it not also be read as expressing her complete confidence and trust of being comfortably and safely delivered to Amitabha’s Pure Land?

    The Reverend Hozen Seki has written: “I cannot live in this world without Oya-sama. Oya-sama and I are in Oneness. Oya-sama is the infinite light and life that is called Amida Buddha…(2)

     “We came into this world with Oya-sama and will return to Oya-sama after our death…” (3)

     For faithful and sincere devotees of Lord Amitabha Buddha, their death (when it comes) brings them spiritual liberation with their rebirth in Amitabha’s Pure Land where they become high-level bodhisattvas (highly enlightened beings).

     Thus death brings them, not only final release from many lifetimes of suffering in samsara, but also a quantum leap in their spiritual development and evolution.

Preparing for death

     For the Pure Land faithful, the main spiritual preparation is based on their daily practice of mindfulness of the Buddha through chanting or reciting the sacred and spiritually powerful name of Amitabha.

     They chant or recite: NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA. It means: I/We pay homage to Amitabha Buddha. I/We take refuge in Amitabha Buddha.

     Master Thich Thien Tam, a Vietnamese scholar-monk and Pure Land expert, has advised that to achieve one-pointedness of the mind at the time of death for attaining rebirth in the Pure Land, “the cultivator should practice Buddha Recitation in daily life to the point where it becomes second nature.

     “As he constantly recites the Buddha’s name in daily life, even though one-pointedness of mind is not yet achieved, the seeds of Buddha Recitation are accumulated and stored away in great quantities.

     “On his deathbed, the practitioner who begins to recite “activates” those seeds immediately and with great force, resulting in one-pointedness of mind…” (4)  

     “What is most important at the time of death is to recite the Buddha’s name in all earnestness and not worry about anything else. Any doubts at that time will give rise to obstructions and impediments,” Master Thich advises. (5)

     “He should just concentrate on reciting the Buddha’s name in all earnestness until the very end…”

     Master Thich reiterates: “We must remember that when death is impending, the practitioner should let go of everything around him, including his own body and mind, and concentrate single-mindedly on reciting the Buddha’s name, earnestly seeking rebirth in the Pure Land. By so doing, if his life span has come to an end, he will surely achieve rebirth there…” (6)

     At the critical juncture of the transition/translation of body, mind and consciousness, the dying person should also try to keep the mind calm, clear and confident. This is putting into practice the psychology of clarity, faith, non-attachment, and serenity.

     “We should be aware that the main condition for rebirth in the Pure Land, according to the Amitabha Sutra, is that a person on his deathbed have an undisturbed mind,” Master Thich reminds us. (7)

     “. If the cultivator has no aberrant, topsy-turvy thoughts at the time of death, then one thought or ten thoughts of Amitabha Buddha will ensure rebirth in the Pure Land.”

     As advised by Master Thich: “He should also instruct his family and relatives that should he be gravely ill or on the verge of death, they should not weep and lament or otherwise show their grief. Rather, if they care for him, they should calmly recite the Buddha’s name on his behalf, or assist him in other ways to achieve rebirth in the Pure Land. This would be true concern and love.” (8)

     And, as stated in the Pure Land classic Direct Pointing to the Source:

          If your illness becomes serious, and you are facing the end, your relatives

          should not weep or wail or utter sounds of lamentation and distress. This

          may throw your mind into confusion and make you lose correct mindfulness

          (of Amitabha Buddha). They should just join together and recite the Buddha-

          name to help you to go to the Pure Land…(9)

     Tibetan master Sogyal Rinpoche emphasizes that “the last thought and emotion has an extremely powerful determining effect on our future.”

     And he goes on to say: “This is why the masters stress that the quality of the atmosphere around us when we die is crucial. With our friends and relatives, we should do all we can to inspire positive emotions and sacred feelings, like love, compassion, and devotion, and all we can help them to “let go of grasping, yearning, and attachment”.” (10)

THE FIRST EIGHT HOURS

     “When a person has just died, the most important thing is not to rush to move him. Even if his body is soiled with excrement and urine, we should not hasten to clean it. We should wait about eight hours – or a minimum of three hours – before cleaning the body and changing its clothes,” Master Thich instructs. (11)

     “Relatives should not weep and wail immediately before and after the actual death. Doing so is not only useless, it can be harmful, as this can cause the deceased to develop thoughts of attachment, which may prevent him from achieving (spiritual) liberation.

     “To be of true benefit to the patient, we should concentrate on reciting the Buddha’s name in all earnestness, without crying until at least eight hours have passed.

     “Why is this necessary? It is because his Alaya consciousness (karma repository, which undergoes the cycle of birth and death) has not yet left his body. (12)

     “If, during this period (extremely sensitive, susceptible and vulnerable to the newly dead), we move the body, clean it, change its clothes, or weep or lament, the deceased may still experience feelings of pain, sadness, anger or self-pity, and descend upon the Evil Paths (the paths of hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals). This is a crucial point – a critical one – that relatives should note and remember well…” (13)

     Master Thich has advised that reciting the Buddha’s name should continue for at least three to eight hours. (In Pure Land practice, the Buddha Recitation can also be kept on by running an audiotape of it for the duration of the wake. The comforting, reassuring and soothing sound helps to charge the ambience spiritually.)

     To quote Master Thich again: “After the patient has expired, the persons who came to recite the Buddha’s name should continue doing so for another three hours. After that, the body should be left alone, free of all disturbances, for another five hours (or a total of eight hours), at which time it can be bathed and given a change of clothing.

     “If, during the eight-hour period, someone, or a group of persons, can remain near the deceased reciting the Buddha’s name, so much the better. Except for recitation, nothing should be done. A reminder and caveat: during this period, the “deceased” may still have consciousness and feelings…” (14)

Funeral arrangements

     Master Thich advises to make funeral arrangements simple and economical, not accompanied by superfluous ceremonies occasioning unnecessary expenses. Another caveat: only vegetarian food should be served. (15)

Follow-up good deeds

     “When performing follow-up good deeds on behalf of the deceased, we should dedicate the merit and virtue to all the sentient beings in the Dharma Realm (the universe),” Master Thich says.

     “In this way, these merits and virtues will be multiplied many times over, and so will the benefits accrued to the deceased.” (16)

A touch of immortality

     “Generally, when someone is close to death it is very important not to touch any part of their body other than the crown. By touching their crown we shall cause the door of their crown chakra to open, and this will enable their consciousness to leave the body through the crown, thereby leading to a higher rebirth,” Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, a contemporary Tibetan Buddhist meditation master and teacher, has written.

     “If the consciousness leaves through any of the lower doors of the body it will take rebirth in one of the lower realms. Understanding this is very important…”  (17)

     In a stanza in one of the sutras:

            The crown stands for sainthood, the eyes rebirth in a celestial realm.

            The heart indicates the human realm, the belly stands for the ghostly.

            The knees are tantamount to animality, the soles of the feet stand for the hells.

     “When the cultivator’s body is completely cold except for the crown, that person has been reborn in the realm of the saints, or of the Buddhas,” Master Thich explains. (18)

     “When his eyes are the last to remain warm, he has been reborn in the celestial realms; warmth in the area of the heart means rebirth among human beings.

     “If the abdominal area retains warmth after the body has grown cold, he has been reborn among hungry ghosts.

     “The knees represent rebirth among animals, while the soles of the feet indicate the hellish realms.

     “Thus, the last warm spot represents the place where the consciousness of the deceased escaped the mortal body…”

Rebirth in the Pure Land

      Following the great example set by Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, many Pure Land followers vow daily to seek rebirth in Amitabha’s Pure Land. (19)

     And as taught by Master Thich, a disciple vows in earnest, after each Buddha Recitation session and paying respect to Amitabha Buddha, that “he will, at the time of death, be welcomed and guided by Amitabha Buddha to the Land of Ultimate Bliss, so that he may achieve Buddhahood and save sentient beings.” (20)

     Rebirth in the Pure Land takes place at the transformative moment of death. Spiritual liberation, which comes with rebirth in the Pure Land, will lead ultimately to the attainment of complete and perfect enlightenment.

     NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA

Notes

1. A transcription of the five lectures given by Daisetz Teitaro (D. T.) Suzuki (1870-1966)in 1958 at the American Buddhist Academy in New York City, this small classic of Pure Land literature was originally published by Harper and Row in 1970 with a preface by The Reverend Hozen Seki, founder, American Buddhist Academy.

The revised edition with an introduction and notes by Taitetsu Unno, Jull Ker Conway Professor of Religion at Smith College, was published in 1997 by Shambhala, Boston..

2. BUDDHA OF INFINITE LIGHT, p. 9

3. Ibid., p. 10

4. BUDDHISM OF WISDOM & FAITH, p. 77

On the method of Breath-by-Breath Recitation, Master Thich instructs (pp. 122-123):

“This technique consists of reciting silently or softly, with each breath, inhaling or exhaling, accompanied by one recitation of the Buddha’s name.

“Since life is linked to breath, if we take advantage of breath while practicing Buddha Recitation, we will not be apart from Buddha Amitabha in life and at the time of death, when breath has stopped, we will be immediately reborn in the Pure Land.

“The practitioner should remember, however, that once he has mastered this technique, he should recite aloud as well as silently. In this way, the power of recitation will be strengthened and the will to be reborn in the Pure Land more easily developed…”

Recite: NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA

5. BUDDHISM OF WISDOM & FAITH, p. 279

       6.     Ibid., p. 282      

7. Ibid., p. 110

8. Ibid., pp. 273-274

9. Ibid., p. 322 as quoted in Notes

10. GLIMPSE AFTER GLIMPSE, entry for March 20

The warmth of close group support at the time of death is generally lacking in the West

In his book HOW WE DIE, Dr. Sherwin Nuland  observes that there is no dignity in dying alone in  a hospital in the midst of strangers, including well-meaning and dedicated doctors and nurses.

He also points out that American deaths in hospital have increased from 50% in 1949 to 80% in 1993.  .

            The French social historian Philippe Aries has written that “…The hospital has become the

               place of solitary (‘invisible”) death…”

               Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross (born 1926), a Swiss-American psychiatrist who began her medical

            work in 1958 with terminally ill patients in the US, has written: “One of the most important

               facts is that dying nowadays is more gruesome in many ways, namely, more lonely, mechanical,

               and dehumanized; at times it is even difficult to determine technically when the time of death

               has occurred.

               “Dying becomes lonely and impersonal because the patient is often taken out of his familiar

               environment and rushed to an emergency room… I include the trip to the hospital as the first

               episode in dying, as it is for many…”  (extract from her first book On Death and Dying

               published by Macmillan and reproduced in FIELDS OF WRITING, St. Martin’s Press,

               New York, 1984, p. 327)                                                                          

11. BUDDHISM OF WISDOM & FAITH, p. 288

12. As explained in the Notes (ibid., pp323-324) prepared by the Van Hien Study Group in New York,

Buddhism makes a distinction between physical (clinical) death and mental (brain) death, with the former preceding the latter by a period of some three to eight hours.

Actual death is defined as that moment when the Alaya consciousness (with its karmic imprint) leaves the body – not when the heart has stopped or brain waves can no longer be detected. This is the reason for the waiting period of at least three hours after clinical death before the body is disturbed.

13. The two principal dangers to avoid at the time of death are anger and love-attachment. (Ibid., p, 324)                                                                                                        

14. Ibid., p. 289

15. Ibid.,, p. 289

16. Ibid., p. 291.

As stated in the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva (Ksitigharba Sutra): the Collected Lectures of Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua, p. 168:

    The evil deeds done by living beings bear corresponding results, yet even if one ought

    to fall into the Evil Paths (of hell beings, hungry ghosts and animals), his offenses may

    be eradicated if his survivors cultivate holy causes for him. During a period of forty-nine

   days after the death, they should do many good deeds that can cause the dead one to

                    leave the Evil Paths.

Quoted in BUDDHISM OF WISDOM & FAITH, Notes, p. 323  

17. Living Meaningfully, Dying Joyfully, p. 84

A chakra is an energy centre, and there are seven of them in the human body. The seventh crown chakra at the top of the head is called sahasra in Kundalini Yoga. It is the seat of cosmic awareness, writes Dr Ravindra Kumar (Swami Atmananda), Kundalini Yoga, published by New Dawn, New Delhi, 2001, pp. 26-27.

In KATHA (one of the main Upanishads, India’s oldest and most important scriptures), King of Death revealed to Nachkata, a young Brahmin: “Radiating from the lotus of the heart there are a hundred and one nerves. One of them ascends toward the thousand-petaled lotus in the brain. If, when a man comes to die, his vital force passes upward and out through this nerve, he attains immortal life; but if his vital force passes out through another nerve, he goes to one or another plane of mortal existence and remains subject to birth and death.” THE UPANISHADS: Breath of the Eternal, p. 24.

“The secret of immortality is to be found in purification of the heart, in meditation, in realization of the identity of the Self (God within) within and Brahman (the transcendent and ultimate divine reality) without. For immortality is union with God.” (KATHA, ibid., p. 13)

18. BUDDHISM OF WISDOM & FAITH, p. 296

        

                 In Notes (ibid., p. 325): The practice of feeling the body at the time of death is common to many        Buddhist traditions, including the Yogacara (Mind-Only), Pure Land and Tantric (Esoteric) schools.

19. A major Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism, Samantabhadra is also known as Universal

           Worthy, who personifies the transcendental practices and vows of the Buddhas. In the concluding

            and  keynote chapter of the monumental Avatamsaka Sutra, Samantabhadra vows to seek

            rebirth in Amitabha’s Pure Land and attain the highest spiritual perfection in order to benefit and

            save all beings.

  

20. BUDDHISM OF WISDOM & FAITH, ibid., p. 106