Editor's Note - This is an excerpt from the July 2005 issue of the Buddhist Wheel

Buddhism should not be considered a religion of death. It focuses on death and dying to remind us to live with clarity. Buddhism teaches us to accept old age, illness and death as aspects of human life that are constantly changing. However, our narrow perspective prevents us from accepting the changes of human life; thus we experience mental agony.

In our Hongwanji community on this island there still is a Buddhist custom of having a “deathbed ritual” known as “Rinju Gongyo,” a rite for a bedridden patient before death. While a bedside service is held after death, “Rinju Gongyo” is held beforehand. During this rite, the family members express their gratitude to the family member about to pass away. It is a precious opportunity for persons of Buddhist faith to have a final devotional service to thankfully acknowledge the benevolent guidance of Amida Buddha who awakens us to man’s desire to cling to life and makes such a person free from fear, providing peace of mind.

What is done during this short religious rite varies according to the minister and the family, but what takes place is as follows:

1. The minister reassures the patient of the presence of Amida’s love and compassion throughout his or her life.

2. He informs the patient that the “Rinju Gongyo” is the final opportunity to thank the Buddha for the infinite life that guided the person. The ritual consists of sutra chanting and the saying of “Namo-amida-butsu.”

3. The patient is told that no matter what kinds of difficult thoughts and feelings he or she may carry in approaching the end of life, Amida’s love is within the person of “Namo-amida-butsu.”

4. Some people express their deep wish to meeting with their deceased parents. They are assured that they are going to the homes of homes. (The Buddha land of peace.)

5. The minister then chants the sutra as an act of praising the virtue of the Buddha, and concludes the ritual with the saying of the Nembutsu.

6. This rite serves as an expression of gratitude and good-bye for the family members. They, in turn, embrace the patient to say “good-bye,” “thank you,” and “Namo-amida-butsu.”

In my experience of performing this service for many years, this ceremony enables both the patient and the family to be settled physically and mentally during the difficult time. In Jodo Shin teaching, this ceremony is not necessary for the person and the family because of the unconditional nature of Amida’s compassion, and the Nembutsu does not have to be recited continuously by the family for the patient because Amida already guides him to the Pure Land at death. The rite provides an act of closure, necessary for the ones left behind, so that they may go on with their lives after a final farewell.

If you have your family member who is bedridden at home, receiving special medical care from an agency such as Hospice, please let a minister know. Especially if a Buddhist funeral is planned in the event of that family member’s death, please let the minister visit that person at home or at hospital. Instead of waiting until a minister is contacted for the bedside service, please allow the minister to visit the patient for a short spiritual consultation and an important ritual.

In Shin Buddhism, Amida is ever- present; Amida’s boundless compassion is all-encompassing. For a person of shinjin, birth in the Pure Land is assured. This understanding is remembered in the precious moment of “Rinju Gongyo.”

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