13th International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies Conference

13th Biennial Conference of the
International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies

Neither Monk nor Layman
僧にあらず、俗にあらず

University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
August 3-5, 2007

Never Die Alone:
Recreating Communal Structures for the Dying from Buddhist Traditions

1. Never Die Alone: Images of Deathbed Experiences in Heian and Kamakura Pure Land Materials
Mark L. Blum (State University of New York, Albany) available in our book Never Die Alone
This paper will explore written and visual evidence of the social nature of death in the mid-Heian and Kamakura periods of Japanese history, that is, from about 1000 to 1400 CE. It is well-known that within the Buddhist culture of the Tendai school from the mid-Heian period, the ideal way to approach death was to train oneself in holding one’s own attention during that terrifying moment. Drawn from sutra language of “dwelling in the proper mindset” the idea of this shōnen 正念 and its prominence in Pure Land death rituals is famous. What is less well-known is that there was an accompanying general belief at that time that a person should be surrounded by others to support him/her in this endeavor. There is ample evidence of this being practiced scattered throughout setsuwa literature and in the pictoral biographies of famous monks like Hōnen and Shinran. We typically see references to everyone in this setting, not just the dying individual, chanting nenbutsu together. I will attempt to show that not only does the group participation help sustain the spiritual needs of the individual, but also that this process has a profound affect on the group as well, in some sense collectivizing the death event.

2. Dissolving Karmic Cancer: Practicing Classical Pali Teachings in the Modern World
Jonathan Watts (Jodo Shu Research Institute) available in our book Never Die Alone
This presentation will consist of reading the death diary of a Thai Buddhist lay woman who died in 2003 from breast cancer. Within the context of traditional doctrine and practice, this woman’s diary is extraordinary because as a laywoman she practiced what are considered advanced meditative practices and contemplations thought to be only appropriate for male monastics. Her death shows us the power of Buddhist practice in preparing for death and in creating a loving community which can support this process. It also raises questions in both Theravada and Pure Land Buddhism about doctrinal distinctions which discourage certain forms of practice as either too difficult or too advanced for “common” people.

3. The Pure Land Experience of Ojo and Honen’s Instructions for Death: Ancient Myth or Reality?
Rev. Yoshiharu Tomatsu (Jodo Shu Research Institute) available in our book Never Die Alone
This paper attempts to bridge the gap between the classical teachings of Honen’s Pure Land Buddhism and the present day reality of Buddhist spiritual practice in Japanese society. In the biographies of Honen and his followers, we see numerous examples of miraculous deaths with individuals facing their last moment sitting upright, chanting the nenbutsu and being welcomed by the great light of Amida. However, these types of Pure Land death are largely extinct in medicalized and secular modern Japan. What is the meaning of these experiences and practices? Are they simply ancient myths or actual exemplary practices? Do they have something to offer modern Japanese society which is facing the crisis of a large portion of its population dying off in the next 30 years?

4. On Death and Dying: Practical Applications of Honen’s Dharma among Convert American Buddhists --> Ojo in the West: A Report on End of Life Issues in the United States of America
Rev. Clyde Hoyu Whitworth (Jodo Shu Research Institute)
In mid-July 2006 a nineteen-part questionnaire was given to five convert American, Jodo Shu Buddhists. The results of the inquiry are quite fascinating in that they very clearly show the many different needs of a cross-section of Americans who have converted to Jodo Shu Buddhism. The purpose of this paper is to offer a comparison/contrast examination of these needs, and to highlight certain aspects specifically regarding the subject of ritualistic and priestly assistance throughout the process of dying and into Birth (ojo).