Suggestions for supporting a dying Buddhist

If the person has cultivated a strong practice of Dharma, you can influence the direction their mind will take, leading their mind toward faith and other virtuous qualities, which can be treme ndously beneficial and make a great difference in determining the next life.

Remind them of their practices, perhaps reading the prayers or mantras that they recited every day. You can gently guide their mind back to the virtuous practices they cultivated when they were still alive and healthy. Read the prayers and practices to them. This also keeps the mind focused on virtuous thoughts and pulls it away from wandering to unwholesome objects.

Also, make strong dedications with your own practice (and all virtuous activities that you do) that they be free from suffering and that they will find a perfect human rebirth in their future life.

In general, we are helpless to change other peoples’ karma, but seeing to it that the external conditions are peaceful and trying to guide their mind in a virtuous direction, can influence the way their death process proceeds and can be a very good and helpful thing to do.