Venerable Da'an's Collected Dharma Talks: End-of-Life Care

When the eighth consciousness departs at the moment of death, the suffering is unbearable. Most people cling to life and fear death, unwilling to leave this world and wishing to live a few more days, yet they have no choice but to go. This mental anguish of death is like a live turtle being skinned alive, its shell ripped away while it is still living — this is the suffering of death, one of the eight forms of suffering.

At the moment of death, ordinary beings bound by karma carry immeasurable seeds of affliction and karmic activity. If they are illuminated by the Buddha’s light, these karmic seeds will not surface. This is why it is often said that when the mind is free of attachment and thoughts are not deluded, one enters a state of deep meditative stillness. This unwavering state is the result of the Buddha’s light, blessings, and protective care.

Those with heavy negative karma will see all kinds of ominous visions at the end of life, while those with abundant wholesome karma will pass more peacefully and serenely, as they perceive positive, wholesome realms. This is why a person’s karmic cause and effect is laid bare at the moment of death, as it is the sum total of all their actions in life.

The moment of death is the most dangerous and deluded moment of all: the sixth consciousness lapses into unconsciousness, and karmic seeds stored in the ālāyavijñāna (store consciousness) churn to the surface chaotically. At this life-or-death turning point, most people have no power to steady their own minds, no matter how diligently they have practiced. This is why Amitābha Buddha made the profound vow to welcome and guide all beings at the moment of their death. At the moment of beings’ greatest peril, Amitābha comes to their aid. As long as Amitābha appears before them and his light shines upon them, dispelling their delusion, they can follow him to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

End-of-life care is also a major focus of modern Western medicine. Yet the Pure Land path offers the most complete, ultimate approach to this practice: placing trust in Amitābha Buddha and reciting his name is the best form of end-of-life care, the most powerful remedy for the pain of dying. As long as one recites the Buddha’s name with single-minded devotion, they will surely pass from this world in peace. When caring for our parents at the end of their lives, we must carefully clear away any obstacles to their practice, and support them in maintaining right mindfulness.

Amitābha Buddha’s core vow is to welcome and guide all beings at the moment of their death. This is an enormously important promise for us ordinary beings bound by karmic afflictions. We must know that at this critical life-or-death moment, relying solely on our own spiritual efforts is almost never enough: our consciousness will be pulled along by the force of our karma. But when Amitābha comes to receive us, our consciousness enters the lotus platform in an instant, completely secure and free from danger.

What is assisted recitation (zhunian)? It is a supportive practice to help a dying person maintain right mindfulness, and it must never overshadow the dying person’s own central role in their rebirth. The core purpose is to inspire the dying person to generate faith in Amitābha, make the vow to be reborn in the Pure Land, and recite his name: it is the dying person’s own karmic connection to the Buddha’s power that leads to rebirth in the Pure Land. Even when you offer end-of-life guidance, the only decisive factor for their assured rebirth is whether the dying person themselves generates faith and vow. This is why end-of-life guidance is so vital.

The methods for assisted recitation at the end of life are all detailed in Chìzhōng Jīnliáng (A Guide to End-of-Life Care), and Master Yin Guang also wrote a dedicated essay titled The Three Essentials for End-of-Life Care, which outlines how to rotate recitation shifts, how to offer guidance, and stresses that the body should not be touched for eight hours after the person has passed away. The minimum recommended duration for recitation assistance is eight hours, but 24 hours of continuous recitation is ideal; of course, the longer the recitation support, the better.

For Pure Land practitioners, when a family member is nearing death, only Amitābha Buddha’s name should be recited. If one wishes to chant the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra or other Pure Land sutras, this may be done shortly before the person stops breathing. However, during the critical final moments, as the person is on the verge of passing, only the four-character name of Amitābha Buddha should be recited, in keeping with Pure Land sutras. The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra also records that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva instructed that the Buddha’s name be recited at the moment of death.

What key points should we keep in mind when offering assisted recitation for the dying? First, we should speak at length about Amitābha Buddha’s merits and virtues, so that the dying person develops faith in Amitābha and the Pure Land, generates the vow to be reborn there, nurtures complete faith and vow, and forms a karmic connection with Amitābha Buddha.

The most important goal of assisted recitation is to help the dying person develop deep faith in the inconceivable merits of the Buddha’s name, and keep them continuously mindful of it. For those who have not yet generated faith, we help them develop it; for those who already have faith, we help them strengthen it. This ensures they can achieve a smooth, unhindered rebirth in the Pure Land.

Assisted recitation at the end of life benefits all people, whether they are Buddhist, non-Buddhist, or new to the Dharma. For those who are already Buddhist, we remind them of the vows they have already taken, encourage them not to lose these aspirations, keep them mindful of the Buddha’s name, and assure them that Amitābha will surely come to receive them. For non-Buddhists who may have no prior familiarity with these teachings, we explain that in the Dharma realm, there is a compassionate Amitābha Buddha who made a great vow to establish a wondrous Pure Land; as long as one recites his name, Amitābha will come to guide them to be reborn there. It is possible that upon hearing this, they will immediately generate faith and accept the teaching, and accomplish the great task of rebirth in the Pure Land in this very lifetime.

For those facing execution, if they are told of Amitābha Buddha’s compassionate vow at the time of their death sentence, they can be reborn in the Pure Land with as few as ten recitations, or even just one. When the gun is raised to fire, if they recite “Namo Amitābha Buddha”, they may be reborn in the Pure Land in that very instant. If prisons can offer all beings one final opportunity to hear the Dharma, the merit of this act is immeasurable.

After a person dies but before they take rebirth, during the 49-day intermediate period, they constantly hope that their living family and relatives will accumulate merit on their behalf and rescue them from their suffering. Once the 49-day period has passed, they will undergo karmic retribution in accordance with their own karma; any Buddhist rites performed by their family after this point will be too late. It is essential to act without delay.

For lay Buddhists, assisting a dying person with recitation is a precious opportunity to accumulate merit and virtue, so we should participate actively. When we help others, others will help us in turn. Assisted recitation for the dying is itself a form of spiritual practice: it awakens our awareness of life’s impermanence, and in these moments, we will recite the Buddha’s name with far greater sincerity and earnestness. Participating in recitation assistance only brings positive results, and the more we do it, the better. But we must never treat this practice as a transactional exchange.

When offering end-of-life guidance, do not simply read from a script in a rigid, impersonal way. First, you should seek to understand the patient’s personality, preferences, spiritual practice background, their mental state as they approach death, what obstacles they are facing, what doubts they hold, and how to help them generate faith — all of this requires open, compassionate communication with them. It is not enough to flip through a book and recite a passage in a stiff, formal way: the content you read may not even be suited to their individual circumstances.

During assisted recitation for rebirth, only the Buddha’s name should be chanted; no other practices or variations should be introduced. Why is this? Because the essential cause of rebirth in the Pure Land is faith, vow, and constant recitation of the Buddha’s name. What is the purpose of recitation assistance? It is to help the dying person maintain the right mindfulness for rebirth, and the aspiration to be reborn in the Pure Land.

In Amitābha Buddha’s eyes, the many different states in which beings pass away are completely normal. Amitābha knows exactly when each being’s moment of death arrives, and what difficulties they will face at that time, and he will resolve all these obstacles fully. As long as you have cultivated the merit of faith, vow, and constant recitation of the Buddha’s name in your daily life, even if it is only ten recitations, you can be completely at ease: at the moment of your death, Amitābha will surely and safely guide you to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

It is extremely rare — one in ten thousand — for a person with heavy negative karma to encounter a spiritual friend at the moment of death; this is an exceptionally special circumstance. Those without good spiritual roots will be completely overwhelmed by the suffering of their body and mind, and the terror of the hell realms at the end of life; how could they possibly encounter a spiritual friend who teaches the Pure Land path, believe it immediately upon hearing it, and then recite the name with full devotion? Such situations are very uncommon. Therefore, we must not rely on luck or count on such a rare occurrence.

Rebirth in the Pure Land while still carrying karmic burdens is possible for all, whether those burdens are from past or present actions. As long as one recites the Buddha’s name with utmost sincerity and earnestness, seeking rebirth in the Pure Land, rebirth is assured. This is the fundamental characteristic of the Buddha-name recitation practice. “When you remember the Buddha and recite his name, you will surely see the Buddha, whether in this life or in the future.” Even if your spiritual practice is not yet fully perfected, as long as you have faith, make the vow, and recite the Buddha’s name, you will be received by the Buddha, see him at the moment of death, and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. When the lotus flower you are reborn in blooms, you will see the Buddha face to face. Whether you see him in this life or in the future, it is certain that you will see the Buddha, and thereby be liberated from the cycle of birth and death.