When Is the Best Time Window for End-of-Life Assisted Chanting?

Question: Master, please give us guidance: what is the best time window for end-of-life assisted chanting? Some family members see that the patient’s organs are still functioning and are unwilling to cease life-saving treatment, which causes the patient to become distressed and leaves them with no choice but to comply with their family’s arrangements. What should be done in this situation?

Answer from Master Honghai: We must always follow the patient’s wishes in this situation. I am speaking specifically from the standpoint of us Pure Land practitioners who chant the Buddha’s name and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land—please keep this context clear first. I am not advising anyone to forgo life-saving treatment; I would never make such a reckless statement, as it would bring trouble upon us. And any trouble we bring on ourselves is trouble for Buddhism. Are there not already enough difficulties facing Buddhism as it is? So let me be clear: if a patient is a Pure Land practitioner with fully established faith and vows, who chants the Buddha’s name and seeks rebirth in the Western Pure Land, and no longer wishes to continue treatment, that means they already have extremely steady inner resolve. I tell you, not everyone can reach the point of willingly choosing to forgo treatment at this stage.

I often mentally prepare for this scenario. When the sincere desire for rebirth in the Pure Land arises at the end of life, a person will go willingly, even if they seem hesitant at first—would their children even need to force them to go? So from this perspective, if a fellow practitioner is in this situation, their inner resolve, faith, and vows are already strong enough to hold up under this test. That said, passing this initial test does not mean they have fully reached the standard of unwavering faith and vows. It only means their faith is sufficient for their own personal practice. If there is external interference around them—for example, if their children urge them to continue treatment—their temporary, fleeting desire to stay alive may take over in that moment, their faith and vows may fade, and they may agree to resume treatment.

In reality, even if treatment extends their life a little, a life without quality is meaningless. But this would delay their one and only chance to be reborn in the Pure Land in this lifetime, which would be a grave misfortune. This is the perspective we Pure Land practitioners hold.

So what is the best time window for end-of-life assisted chanting? It is from the moment of imminent death until the person takes their last breath. If we start too early, while they still have significant vitality left… I have noted that those conducting the assisted chanting also need physical and mental energy. If we start too early, say while the patient still has a long buffer period left, we will exhaust the energy of the chanting volunteers. Then when we really need them at the critical moment, they will have no strength left—unless you have a very large, well-staffed team. But most people do not have that kind of karmic fortune and good conditions. So we should begin the assisted chanting when the person is on the brink of death, about to fall into a coma, or when the visible signs of impending death are already clearly apparent on their face. We continue the assisted chanting from that point until the person takes their last breath. The period immediately after death is when assisted chanting is most vigorous, and most effective at providing added spiritual impetus for the deceased.

The period from the moment of death through the next 24 to 48 hours is also appropriate for this practice. So I believe timing is truly critical. Those with experience must pinpoint the right moment to begin, and direct all available resources for assisted chanting to the most critical point. That is roughly all I have to share on this matter.