The objectives of this thesis are divided into three as follow: (1)to study the concept and method of the end-of-life care according to modern medicine and the Buddhist Doctrine (2)to study the problematic situations in Thai society (3)to create the model of Buddhist Integrated End-of-life care by means of studying the documents, related research works, in-depth-interview with the scholars and expertise. The result of research is as follow:
According to modern medicine, the patients who are in the final state of life should be cared in several ways such as multi-professionals caring covering every dimension of life, holistic care, palliative care of mental dimension so that the patients will have a good dying or happily dying. According to Theravada Buddhism, the patients who are in the final state of life should be cared like this; the person who are in charge of this matter should be qualified with loving-kindness and compassion. They should try to brighten and pacifying the spirit of their patients to gain, the mindfulness and clear-comprehension and filled with joyfulness and happiness. Having these good factors, those patients will be reborn in a good place afterdeath.
According to the practices in Thai society, the patients who are the final state of life should be cared like this; . the care of those patients should be multi - disciplinary covering every dimension such as herbal medicine. The humanist care and holistic care should cover physical, mental, intellectual and social dimensions. Holistic care such as creating the atmosphere beneficial to the mind, chanting, family and social network participation in caring. The purpose of this method of caring is good dying or peacefull dying which is conducive to good place afterdeath.
The principle and method of Buddhist Integrated is as follows; the persons who are in charge of caring the patients have to keep in mind the holy abidings-Brahmaviahara such as loving-kindness and compassion, individually realizing the world and life, stepping up the life and death. The method of caring is various multi-professionals care so that the care will cover every aspect of life, by organizing the medical factors in sufficial state. Helping the patient to become a good attitude and behavior conducive to easiness in taking care, to have the firm faith in the triple Gem (or in the doctrine of any religion) and realizing the fact of life can be cared easily. The persons who are in charge of caring the patient should be qualified with service-mind, the holy abidings-Brahmaviahara and virtues for fraternal living-saraniyadhamma. The relatives should also keep good relationship with the patient. The medical instruments should be intangible such as ultra-conscious insight-Abhinna, and tangible such as herbs. The curing by modern medication in moderate level, care of four dimensions;(1)physical-silasikkha (2)social-silasikkha (3)mental-cittasikkha (4)wisdom-pannasikkha should be done. The purpose of caring is to fill the patients with complete mindfulness and clear-comprehension, good quality of life, good health and efficiency before their death with purified mind in the last moment of life before death such that they will be reborn in good place or heaven afterdeath. Finally the topmost purpose of this caring is to get the happiness from emancipation(Nibbana) such as the case of Putigattatissathera. Apart from the benefits for the patients, the persons who are in charge of caring also benefit with mental development at the same time, they should have the opportunity to accumulate the merits. In principle, modern medicine and the medical practices in the Thai society should be implemented together so that the patients will get the basic rights such as the rights to get medical practice towards them as a human being, the acknowledgement and participation in medical decision, the seeking of spiritual need, the family’s participation and station closely by the patients bed, peaceful dying, dignified dying and expectation to acquire the proper treatment of their body. |