Chapter Nine : Sending on Spirits in Transition 3

The Founding Master continued,
“When a patient who is on his deathbed realizes that the moment of nirvana is near, one should let go of any thoughts about everything and collect and concentrate his spirit. If for unavoidable reasons he has to make a will, he should take care of it in advance and not think about it so that it does not become an obstacle to his concentration, for at this moment, there is nothing more crucial.
Also, if on thinking back on your life, there are incidents where you have been holding a grudge or have become an enemy to someone, ask that person to come and do your best to eliminate those previous enmities. Should that person not be available, you ought to try hard if only by yourself to let go of your resentment. Unless you manage to resolve the resentment in your own mind, it will become a seed of an unwholesome cause and fruition in your next life. Also, if on thinking back on your life, you have been attached to certain cravings in your daily life and have not been able to sever those attachments, then try hard to let go of those thoughts even if you have to force yourself. If you do not sever that attachment, naturally you will not attain true nirvana, those attachments will forever become a cause for transmigration in unwholesome destinies. Let the departing spirit of the patient, after he has assiduously attended to all these provisions, leave at the final moment with an even purer spirit, utterly putting down all unrighteous thoughts and relying on meditation or recitation of the Buddha’s name.
This way, even persons who did not have clear understanding of the truth of birth and death will be able to avoid unwholesome destinies and return to wholesome destinies.
However, this dharma is not just something one should observe and practice only when one is about to die. For people whose lives are already equipped with fundamental faith and practice, that dharma enjoins that they must try even harder in their final hours; for those lacking faith and practice, things will not work out well even if they tried at the moment of death. Thus, you must have a solemn understanding of this in advance and avoid having regrets about your failure at the decisive moment. Always bear every one of these provisions in mind so there will be no serious mistake in the comings and goings of the spirit. The matter of birth and death is so important that you cannot be too careful about it.”

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