Hi All Brothers and Sisters in Dharma
Any of you know of others who are terminally ill or going through
illness though not
terminal type can contact me-inbox me your handphone. I can arrange
for bed-side
support group for the illed. He or she will not be alone to face
this path. We will walk
the path with he/she. Below is an article on what our support group
does.
The Bed-Side Support Group. (BSSG).
The family goes through a very stressful period when a member is
facing the dying process. The process may start with the discovery
of a terminal illness; it is followed by the death and ends with
the wake and the funeral.
The Bed-Side Support Group helps families through the process by
comforting both the dying and the living.
When the grieving family is facing the dying process,
CURE and HOPE must be
replaced with CARE. The medical professionals
take care of the body but the mind needs to be cared for too. Old
wounds of the mind can reappear and quite often the pain of the
mind can hurt more than the pain of the body. Volunteers at the
BSSG provide counseling or just a pair of
listening ears. A person may be bedridden but meditation empowers
him. Learning meditation enables him to control his own state of
mind; an untrained mind can constantly regret the past and worry
about the future. Knowing that there are people in the community
who are your friends in your need warms the heart. Chanting
provides comfort and sharing the Dhamma helps provide answers to
many questions.
Many do not like to talk about death but it is a process
everyone must go through. If well prepared, the process can be
peaceful and joyful. Illness is uncomfortable but we have all
experienced some form of illness before. Dying is a change of phase
of our life. We too have all experienced changes in phases of our
life, from childhood, adolescence, young adult, middle age to old
age. The change of phase is a natural process. Every phase of our
life ends, the end of one phase is the beginning of another phase,
a better phase.
There are some elements in the society who would take advantage
of the grief of families to proselytize, often resulting in turmoil
and agitation within the family. Others would capitalize on
superstitions to sell their services, resulting in hard earned
savings being spent on items to be burnt or buried.
The BSSG operates on a strictly by
invitation only basis. Volunteers are dispatched when calls for
bedside support comes through the Buddhist Fellowship. We have
volunteers who are knowledgeable in funeral arrangements and we
also provide chanting and memorial service at wakes and
funerals.
With Metta
