Why Audio on This Site?
Currently, a very small percentage of the US population consider themselves Buddhist. So there are not yet a lot of Buddhists to attend to the dying, be they Buddhist or not. In Asian countries, there are monks and nuns that will come and stay with dying around the clock and attend to them in a traditional manner. Families grow up Buddhist and have a good idea of what to do because they have seen such things in their own lives. However, that's not true in this country.
We have limited human resources with precious little available time and need to be creative when it comes to supporting the dying in a Buddhist manner. Most end of life support for Buddhists in the West is likely to come from non-Buddhist family, friends and/or healthcare sources. Audio is a convenient way for non-Buddhists to help support dying Buddhist. Such folks may be happy to help with audio and but less comfortable reciting or getting involved themselves - even if they were capable of doing so.
While there are scant Buddhist human resources in the West, there has probably never been a time in history when there has been so many Buddhist teachings, prayers, text, etc so readily available to practitioners. Such materials may be found in books, CD, DVDs and via the Internet. There is a fantastic amount of info out there to be had. The trick is finding it and making it readily accessible.
Audio, in particular, is a wonderful support for the sick and dying. It's much easier to listen to audio when sick then to try to read a book or even watch DVDs. Hearing accomplished practitioners teach, chant, recite, etc can be very inspirational and comforting.
Free, Internet downloadable audio is a particularly attractive resource for the ill. When the medical bills are piling up quickly, extra money for commercial recordings may be hard to find. Fortunately, there are many who have been very generous and have shared a precious resource with us all.
The topics in this collection relate to all aspects of Buddhism - not just end-of-life. A wider scope provides a means for Buddhists on all stages of the path to find helpful material, even those who have just entered. It should also serve as a resource for friends, family and healthcare providers to learn about Buddhism.
Note: This collection has been established in the hopes that it may be of benefit to those looking for such a resource. However, BSEOL does NOT endorse nor necessarily support the views expressed in any of the material you may access via this section. The content is entirely the responsibility of those who provide it and NOT BSEOL. Most of the links in this section are collected automatically through podcasts. We do NOT review all material you may find in this database. No guarantees are made for the accuracy or veracity of ANY of these submitted materials.
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