Buddhist Life and death Wisdom and Hospice

Zheng Xiaojiang

Abstract:

Buddhism is a kind of learning to solve the problem of samara, and it is in order to solve the "great matter of samsara" that the Buddha left home and sought the truth. Everyone in the world has to face death, which is the cause of the utmost pain of a human life, therefore modern medicine has developed a special branch -- hospice to handle it. Hospice needs multitudinous medical equipment and other facilities indeed, but its kernel lies in a good care of the "spirituality" of the dying at a spiritual level. The concern about "spirituality" is the very point where the modern medicine is different from the traditional one, and thereby Buddhist wisdom about samsara problem has an opportunity to participate in the cause of hospice. Actually, Buddhism has widely been applied to the hospice business at present, and hospice has become one of the main social welfare fields where modern Buddhist groups are devoted to. And in addition, it's also an important approach to fulfill the goal of Human Buddhism. Beginning with the rise, development and characteristics of hospice, this article discusses how the basic concept and operation of Buddhist wisdom about samsara can function in the cause of hospice.