Deathbed - Rinju

Japanese: 臨終 - りんじゅう

It can mean the moment of death, the final stage, or simply dying, but generally it refers to the point at which a doctor witnesses the patient's agony (the state just before death) and pronounces the death sentence. People have devised various customs regarding the moment of death in response to feelings of grief, avoidance, and acceptance of death.

[Kadowaki Yoshiyoshi]

Christianity

For Christians, death does not mean only the stopping of breathing and the heart and the end of biological life. Rather, death is a great opportunity to perfect one's personal life. Although death is an unfortunate event that attacks from the outside, humans believe that by freely and actively accepting it, they can perfect their personality at the time of death. Furthermore, for Christians, the moment of death is the best time to imitate Christ, who accomplished the salvation of all mankind by his death on the cross, and thereby share in God's eternal life. Death is not only a farewell from this world, but also an encounter with God "face to face" and an entry into divine eternal happiness. However, if one rebels against God and dies in sin, death is eternal destruction. For this reason, the priest or a close relative will have the sick person receive the sacrament of confession and Holy Communion, and while holding a rosary or a cross in his hand, the sick person and close relatives will recite the prayer book "Prayer on the Birth of the Dead." They also administer the sacrament of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the sacrament of extreme unction (anointing of the sick).

[Kadowaki Yoshiyoshi]

Buddhism

Based on the theory of reincarnation, which says that all living things, including humans, go through a cycle of birth and death, it explains the four states of existence of living things: original existence (actual existence), death (the moment of death), intermediate existence (an existence between death and life), and life (the moment of life). There have been detailed discussions about the state of consciousness at the moment of death, the speed at which the functions of the body's organs stop, etc. (see, for example, Volume 190 of the Mahavibhasa-ron). In particular, in Japanese Buddhism, it is believed that the good or bad deeds of a person's life during their final moments will be reflected in how they die, and so the state of mind at the time of death is given great importance. Nichiren preached about the mental preparation for death, saying, "First, learn about the time of death and practice the practice of vain deeds" (Reply to Myoho-ni Gozen), and in Pure Land Buddhism, there is a custom of keeping one's mind clear at the time of death, without any distractions or delusions, such as setting up a folding screen depicting Amida, tying Amida's hands to the hands of the person about to die with five-colored thread, chanting Amida's name, and waiting for Amida Buddha to come to welcome them. It is said that when a Nembutsu practitioner is about to die, the Amida Triad rides on a white cloud along with 25 bodhisattvas to welcome the practitioner and take him to the Pure Land. This is called Raigou and is stated in the 19th of the 48 vows of Amida Buddha. However, Jodo Shinshu does not refer to this as Raigou at the time of death.

[Fujii Noriaki]

[References] | Death | Archive | Extreme Unction

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

死に際、末期(まつご)または死ぬことをいうが、一般には医師が患者の死戦期（死に至る直前の状態）に立ち会い、死の判定を下した時点をいう。死者への哀惜や忌避、死の受容の仕方をめぐって、人々は臨終に対するさまざまなしきたりを考え出してきた。

［門脇佳吉］

キリスト教

キリスト者にとって死は、呼吸や心臓が止まり、生物学的生命が終わることだけを意味しない。むしろ、死は人格的生命を完成する絶好の機会である。死は外から襲いかかる不幸なできごとであるが、人間はそれを自由をもって積極的に甘受することによって、臨終のときに自分の人格を完成しうると考える。そのうえ、キリスト者にとっては、臨終は十字架上の死によって全人類の救いを完成したキリストに倣う最良の時機であり、それによって神の永遠の生命にあずかることができるのである。臨終とは、この世からの決別であると同時に、「顔と顔とをあわせて」神と出会うことであり、神的な永遠の幸福に入ることである。しかし、神に反逆して罪のうちに死ぬなら、死は永遠の滅びとなる。このため司祭または近親者は、病人に告解（許し）の秘蹟(ひせき)と聖体拝領を受けさせ、手にロザリオや十字架を握らせて、祈祷(きとう)書「臨終の祈り」を病人とともに近親者も唱える。また、臨終の秘蹟または終油（病人塗油）の秘蹟をさずける。

［門脇佳吉］

仏教

人間も含めて、すべて生あるものは生死を繰り返すという輪廻(りんね)説にたち、生き物の存在形態として、本有(ほんぬ)（現実の生存）・死有(しう)（死の瞬間）・中有(ちゅうう)（死有と生有の中間の存在）・生有(しょうう)（生の瞬間）の四有(しう)を説き、死の瞬間における意識の状態、身体諸器官の機能停止の遅速などについて細かな議論がなされてきた（『大毘婆沙論(だいびばしゃろん)』巻190など）。とくに日本仏教では、臨終の際はその人の生前の行為の善悪が死に方の好醜として表れるとして、死に臨んだときのあり方を重要視する。日蓮(にちれん)は「先(ま)づ臨終の事を習ふて佗事(たじ)を習ふべし」（『妙法尼御前(みょうほうあまごぜん)御返事』）といって死に対する心構えを説き、また浄土教では臨終正念(しょうねん)といって臨終の際に心乱れず妄念をおこさずに、弥陀を描いた屏風などを立て、弥陀の手と死に臨む人の手を五色の糸で結び、弥陀(みだ)の名号(みょうごう)を唱えて阿弥陀(あみだ)仏の来迎(らいごう)を待つ風が行われた。念仏行者(ねんぶつぎょうじゃ)の臨終のときは、阿弥陀三尊が25人の菩薩(ぼさつ)とともに白雲に乗ってその行者を迎えにきて、極楽浄土に引き入れるという。これを来迎(らいごう)といい、阿弥陀仏四十八願のうちの第十九願に示される。ただし浄土真宗は臨終来迎をいわない。

［藤井教公］

[参照項目] | 死 | 死戦期 | 終油の秘蹟

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