초기불교 수기사상에 나타난 Well-dying의 의미고찰

Abstract

In the 21C, people are getting concerned about how to meet the death at the end of their lives by the growing social issues, the increase of desired life time and social recognition of the aging society, the lonely death, the death without family members etc. As the Well-dying, which is pursuing mental, physical self satisfaction, happiness, has become a big issue, it is also recognized as the problem we should get close in the dimension of social welfare. The Well-dying - the mind and detailed practices to be ready for the happy life - may be explained as the active preparation process for mental and physical death. It medically means the interruption of meaningless prolongation of life or palliative care. And also it contains the multilateral supports and the death education for the alteration of consciousness about death to dying patients. I looked into the terminological definitions and histories of hospice, terminal care in the practical dimension for Well-dying. Synthetically, it is to raise the quality of left lives through the physical, mental, social, and spiritual care of the patient, who is expected to die because of impossible treatment, and ones family members. It is defined as the act to give helps including death and the issue of separation of death and understood as the meaning of social welfare dimension for Well-dying. And also, I looked at the understanding of death for the theoretical consideration of Well-dying in a religious dimension and explored the religion through alternative suggestions of death and the delivery of hopeful messages to dying in the approach of Well-dying. Especially, I examined the death of Buddhism as focusing on the content of Sutra and had a consideration into its modern meaning by reviewing it as the Buddha's teaching about Well-dying.