Buddhist End-of-Life Care

Death is something most people would rather not think about, and that's understandable. In many modern societies there are fewer and fewer shared rituals around dying, so when death does come close, people often feel quite alone with their grief.

In the Shingon tradition, death is understood as a transition rather than an end. The heart, or mind (shin 心), is seen as pure by nature, and the passage can be accompanied before death, during dying and long afterwards. I don't see this as a consolation meant to make grief smaller. It's an attitude that has grown out of many centuries of practice, and it invites you to meet the inevitable with open eyes.

Four levels of accompaniment 四段

I like to describe Buddhist end-of-life care in Shingon on four levels, which lie around the moment of death a bit like rings around a stone thrown into water.

The first level concerns the living, and not only when someone falls ill. The awareness of impermanence, mujō 無常, isn't a gloomy thought in Japanese culture. If you know that the cherry blossoms only last a few days, you look at them differently. In the same way, contemplating impermanence is part of the foundation of Buddhist practice, as a kind of wakefulness and not as fear.

The second level concerns the people close to the dying person. In Japan, families traditionally prepare together for the death of someone they love, and the temple community supports them in this. In Shingon Reiki this level is about shared practice, meditation and quiet presence.

The third level concerns the dying person. Here it's about calm, about surroundings where silence and mantras have a place, and about being accompanied with an open heart. Meditations are offered, never imposed.

The fourth level concerns the deceased. In Japanese Buddhism, accompaniment doesn't end with the last breath. Memorial services (nenki hōyō 年忌法要) are held in set years after the death, and in many families the last one takes place in the 33rd year. Until then the deceased stay present in the family's prayers and practice.

Amida and the Pure Land 阿弥陀

Anyone who looks into Buddhist end-of-life care soon comes across Amida Nyorai 阿弥陀如来, the Buddha of immeasurable light. His name goes back to the Sanskrit Amitābha, "immeasurable light," and Amitāyus, "immeasurable life." According to the sutras, Amida made a vow to receive all beings who call on him into his Pure Land (jōdo 浄土), and he does this out of compassion, not as a reward for a perfect life.

The Pure Land is understood as a place where the conditions for awakening are complete. Many people know the invocation Namu Amida Butsu, "I take refuge in Amida Buddha," the nenbutsu, which is the central practice in the Pure Land schools. In Shingon, Amida is approached through the three mysteries (sanmitsu 三密) of body, speech and mind, with mudra, mantra and contemplation.

Rituals of light 光明

Two rituals of the Shingon tradition are worth mentioning here, simply as a glimpse into a practice that's still little known outside Japan.

The Kōmyō Shingon 光明真言, the Mantra of Light, is one of the most important mantras in Shingon. It's connected with Dainichi Nyorai, the Great Sun Buddha, and is recited at funerals and memorial services to bring light to the path of the deceased.

In the ritual dosha kaji 土砂加持, sand is empowered through recitation of the Kōmyō Shingon. The sand is then sprinkled on the deceased or on the grave. You could say that the living give the dead something that goes beyond material gifts.

There's a path for animals as well. Batō Kannon 馬頭観音, the horse-headed form of Kannon, is regarded in Japan as the protector of animals, and memorial services for animals are held at many temples. If you've ever lost an animal and felt that grief just as strongly as the loss of a person, you'll find a tradition here that takes it seriously.

End-of-life care in Shingon isn't a system you read about and then apply. It's a practice that grows over time and is carried by initiation and community. I offer Buddhist end-of-life care as a live event, where you experience the meditations and rituals together with the initiation that belongs to them. How would you like to be accompanied yourself one day?