Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to study the major events and the principles associated with the preparation in the end of life, which appears in Mahāparinibbāna sutta.

Result indicated that Mahāparinibbāna sutta recorded the major events about  the travel itinerant preaching of Buddha before went off extinction. Buddha taught things leading never to decline but only to prosperity, mirror of the norm, diligence, the Threefold Training and foundations of mindfulness which were the important preach about the preparation for the end of life moment. Moreover, Buddha also taught the four Buddhist Communities as well.

According to this study, Buddha taught the principle for the end of life moment in Mahāparinibbāna sutta that the death is the end of human being, every being was born on this earth must be dead. The death appeared to all of being by time as well as place.If people understand and accept the death, people should live carefully. People should do what they should do, and they should do many good things hurriedly before  the death was coming in order to reach Nirvana.

According to the study, the Dhamma the Buddha emphasized at the end of his life as a preparation for entering Nibbāna. Starting with the realization that his body was so deteriorating then he could not apply it for his mission anymore. He decided that he would enter Nibbāna within 3 months and he gave a direction how to handle with his dead body. He chose Kusinara city as his dead place. He told his student monks about Vinaya in order that they were able to take care of each other. He supported Anandha and encouraged him to go on with his practice to enlightenment. He cleaned his body and drank water from Kakudha River to adjust body elements’ balance. He guided that the bed could be in between the 2 Sala trees with 4 folded pieces of clothes to support the body to be comforted. He slept on one’s side to the right. He gave opportunities to his disciples to ask questions about the practices he had tought. Then he gave his final speech before peacefully entering Nibbāna among his followers in the full moonlit night in the last phase of that night.

The study found that there are some important activities to be prepared before the last moment of life. It was applied from Mahāparinibbāna sutta together with the study from other text books and researches. The Buddhist Principle to preparation on the end of life is as follows:

1.    accepting the reality that body is naturally being deteriorated

2.    accepting that the death is approaching sooner or later

3.    choosing where to enter mortality

4.    Management plans at the funeral

5.    working on the unfinished mission

6.    preparation of the body and facility

7.    leaving last speech before passing away

8.    practicing mindfulness

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