助念="Chu-nien" chanting or prayer; 臨終助念=the guiding prayer for the dying by reciting the Buddha's name; 往生助念=the guiding prayer for the deceased by reciting the Buddha's name; 《瑜珈師地論》=the Yogacarabhumi-sastra; 臨終關懷=terminal care; 安寧照顧=hospice care
"Chu-nien" chanting or prayer, which means the guiding prayer for the dying and dead by reciting the Buddha's name, has long been prevalent around the Buddhist circle in Taiwan for many years, but has always lacked a strong theoretical basis. In recent years in Taiwan, "Chu-nien" chanting has become the "standard operating procedures" in the formality of dealing with the dying and death events in the Buddhist community and among the Buddhists. Due to the religious attitudes in the folk tradition: "where there is incense burning offer, there is blessing," more and more non-Buddhists, going along with the impact, have begun in form and procedure to adapt "Chu-nien" chanting in handling the dying and deceased. However, in a matter of fact the overwhelming majority of people have little knowledge about "Chu-nien" chanting for the loved ones, even the Buddhists are also mostly not so familiar about the details. Their knowledge about this matter is mixed with incorrectly relayed or erroneous message or error of opinion. For example, some thinks that the hospice care for the dying has only to do nothing but Buddhist chanting for the patient, or some insists on no moving the dead patient's body within eight hours after expiration, not willing, or even refuses to cooperate with medical and nursing staff to apply the symptom control for the patient. This paper is addressed to the general reader, including Buddhists and non-Buddhists. This author uses a number of practical cases, and takes reference from the discourse and exposition of human death and dying elucidated in the Yogacarabhumi-sastra, in the hope to propose a universal theoretical basis beyond the Pure Land point of view, and to provide some actually pragmatic reference to the practice of hospice care for the terminally ill patients and their families.
