There are two purposes of holding Buddhist services to deliver the dead. The first one is to deliver the deceased to the Pureland and the second one is to comfort the families of the dead with Buddhist teachings. To the clinical Buddhist chaplains, the significance behind introducing Buddhist teachings to the family members is much more important than the Buddhist service for the deceased itself, as Buddhist teachings can help the families to not trap in the emotional trauma of losing their love one. In addition to relieving the pain and anguish of the families, the other role of the clinical Buddhist chaplains is to give the family support and help them move on with their life. Buddhist services allow the family members to spiritually connect with the deceased within 49 days after their love ones passed away. In accordance with the feelings of the family members for the dead, the clinical Buddhist chaplains would use different Buddhist sutras to guide the family members. For example, for those who feel worried or even sorry because they did not care for the dead good enough, Buddhist chaplains would chant the Repentance Sutra of Emperor Liang or Water Repentance Sutra. For those who have a closer relationship with the deceased and therefore have difficulties letting go, the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra are better choices. For those who believe in the Pureland or those who accept death better and hope for a better future for the deceased, Amitabha Sutra and the Discourse on Samantabhadra Bodhisattva's Beneficence Aspiration are usually selected. For the dead who had been sick for a long time or died an untimely death, Amitabha Sutra and the Medicine Buddha Repentance Sutra are often chanted. A proper Buddhist ceremony for the deceased will not only benefit the dead, but also provide the causes and conditions for the surviving family members to be liberated, for the participants of the Buddhist service receive a rare life-death education. Buddhism encourages family members to personally participate in the self-organized after death ceremonies or in the increasing number of deliverance ceremonies held in many temples these recent years. In Buddhist deliverance ceremonies, the most important role of the Buddhist chaplain is not in the rite itself, but in guidance. From the point of clinical care, Buddhist deliverance ceremonies extend the patient's spiritual growth before dying, promote the proper frame of mind during death, and provide guidance for the surviving family members. This is a very beneficial component in indigenous care for the dying and in life-death education.
