Buddhists and Dying: How to Effectively Care for Buddhists at the End of Life

Abstract

Since Elisabeth Kübler-Ross has written groundbreaking text On Death and Dying (1969), numerous studies have documented effective strategies for helping the terminally-ill cope with dying. Yet, few studies have examined the role that religion plays in a person's coping with death and how healthcare providers can help facilitate positive religious coping. This paper addresses this lacuna in death studies. Drawing from textual analysis of primary and secondary literature and qualitative interviews with Buddhist masters, this paper examines what Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist religion does well with regard to helping its congregants cope with dying, and offers practical guidelines as to how healthcare providers can use this information to help their patients achieve what they define as a good death. Specifically, the Buddhist religious tradition helps Buddhists die well because it addresses what Charles Corr defines as the four dimensions of a person: the physical, social, psychological, and spiritual dimensions. This paper argues that sensitivity to this idea and successful coordination between religious practices and medical treatments shall result in better care for Buddhist patients.