Question asked by Jennifer
Dear Pastors,
I am writing you to find a peaceful way of dealing with the slow death of my aunt. She is very ill and will not be living for a lot longer. I am really worried about how I and she can deal with the situation, since she is completely aware what is happening around her but she cannot speak anymore.
Is there something I can say to her to have a positive journey into then next life? Is there a prayer I can say that helps us all deal better with it? I have been praying to the Medicine Buddha so far. Why do I feel like my prayers were not enough? I feel I could have done more, but since she is not responding anymore it is frustating to the both of us and I do not know how else to help.
I always think it must be awful for her, she cannot even tell anyone or write down if she is in pain, this really brings me down.
Thank you so much for your kind answer.
All the best to you
Jennifer
Dear Jennifer,
Thank you for your question. I am sorry to hear of this. At this crucial time, you should continue to have strong faith in Medicine Buddha and engage in the practice for your aunt, dedicating the merits from the practice to her fortunate rebirth. You can find a good practice to Medicine Buddha here that you can engage in: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/medicine-buddha-practice.html. You can also recite the Medicine Buddha mantra and then blow the mantra on her. Better yet, you can recite in front of her so she can hear the mantra and the imprints are planted in her mindstream.
Sometimes, even when we are doing all we can, we feel that we haven’t been able to do enough or that the methods we are using are not working out. However, this may not always be the case. In fact Medicine Buddha practice is known to be extremely beneficial, it’s just that perhaps you may not see its benefits physically.
The best thing to do at this point is to make her mind as calm as possible. If you know she has any unresolved issues, you should try to ease her worries and let her know that everything is alright and will be alright after she has passed away. Let her know that she is loved and that it is ok to pass onwards. A calm mind is very important at the time of death. A disturbed mind will open up negative karma and not lead to a fortunate rebirth. On the other hand a calm mind will open up neutral or positive karma which will lead to a fortunate rebirth.
If you are able to do so, you can sponsor pujas to generate merit for your Aunt at this time. If you want you can sponsor Medicine Buddha Pujas (http://www.vajrasecrets.com/medicine-buddha-puja-fund) or even Lama Chopa (http://www.vajrasecrets.com/lama-chopa-puja-fund). These pujas are very good for those on who are close to death or even for those who have passed away. I hope this helps.
Thank you.