淨土念佛法門在當代臨終照顧場域的實踐－臨終念佛經驗的現代詮釋

Actualization of the Pure Land Practice of Chanting the Buddha's Name in Contemporary Hospice Care: A Modern Interpretation of Chanting Sutras on the Deathbed

蔡昌雄(Tsai Chang-hsiung)

《《人間佛教叢書》2015星雲大師人間佛教理論實踐研究(下)》 2015 (2016/02) Pp. 124-146

摘要

「三根普被」的淨土宗念佛法門是佛教徒歷來最普遍受持的修行法門。將念佛法門歸於「易行道」的看法是原因之一，但是人們對輪迴轉世的信仰與生死解脫的關懷，則是更為重要的修行動力。在台灣安寧療護體系中，由佛教法師擔任的臨床宗教師在將佛法融入對臨終病人照顧的過程中，念佛也是主要應用的法門，具有舉足輕重的分量。為求善終，不僅病人被引導念佛，家屬往往也加入臨終助念的行列，而形成現代華人社會臨終照顧場域，極具人間佛教實踐意義的現象。然而，臨終念佛的意義何在？往生西方極樂淨土的人間佛教意義何在？在參照臨終病人念佛的實踐經驗下，淨土經典的相關論說又應如何進行現代意義的理解？筆者認為，這些問題的回答不僅可以活化吾人對佛教經典的意義理解，也可以為人間佛教的當代實踐增添一筆註腳。基於以上問題背景的思考，本文嘗試從台灣安寧療護的宗教實踐中，建立一個吾人對臨終念佛經驗的現代詮釋，以此揭露臨終念佛之人間佛教意義的思想線索。具體將從以下幾個次題演繹論述：一、臨終時刻的神話處境；二、替代涅槃的淨土；三、從臨終視域發現淨土的意義；四、臨床案例的演示。最後，以臨終念佛的人間佛教意義，以及後續深入研究方向的呼籲作結。

關鍵字

淨土 ； 念佛 ； 臨終照顧 ； 詮釋

並列摘要

The Pure Land practice of chanting the Buddha's name is traditionally the most common practice upheld by all Buddhist practitioners and attributed as ＂the easy path＂ as they believe in rebirth and are concerned about liberation from the cycle of birth and death. However, one has to realise that of higher importance is the driving force of practice. In Taiwan's hospice care system, Buddhist monastics assist in clinical cases, integrating the Dharma into the care of dying patients. Chanting the Buddha's name is the main practice and of pivotal importance. In search of a good ending to one's life, patients are not the only ones guided to chant the Buddha's name; family members often also participate as support. This phenomenon, taken shape in deathbed care in modern Chinese society, is of great practical significance for Humanistic Buddhism. However, what is the significance of chanting the Buddha's name for a dying person? What is the significance of a rebirth in the Western Pure Land in the perspective of Humanistic Buddhism? Referring to the practical experiences of deathbed patients who chant the Buddha's name, how is it related to the teachings of the Pure Land sutras? And how should it be understood in a modern sense? The answers to these questions not only elucidate the meaning of the Buddhist sutras, but also the contemporary practice of Humanistic Buddhism. Based on the questions raised by the above issues, this paper attempts, from the perspective of Buddhist practice in Taiwan hospice care, to establish a modern interpretation of the experiences of chanting the Buddha's name at the end of one's life. As such, the significance of this practice and experience is investigated in terms of Humanistic Buddhism. This paper covers the following issues: 1) dying and its mythology; 2) Pure Land as a replacement for nirvana; 3) discovering the Pure Land and its significance from the perspective of the dying; and 4) examples of clinical cases. Additionally, it presents directions for subsequent in-depth research regarding chanting the Buddha's name at the deathbed and its significance for Humanistic Buddhism.

並列關鍵字

Pure Land ； chanting the Buddha's name ； hospice care ； interpretation