「助念團」原是佛教徒基於佛教淨土宗的往生淨土觀念，為臨終與往生者以唱誦佛號、助其往生淨土為主要目的，所結集的社團組織。近二三十年來，隨著台灣社會各地佛教團體蓬勃發展的帶動下，尤為快速的成長；而在其為往生者助念過程中，基於佛教淨土宗強調對待臨終者，尤其是往生者時，籲其家屬親友「祇可以佛號開導彼之神識，不可洗澡換衣，或移寢處」、「亦不可對之生悲戚相，或至哭泣」的思想與行事，與台灣地區源自於既有中國傳統，若逢患者病情嚴重時，子女必須為患者「徹褻衣，加新衣」，與「弔哭」等喪俗，乃至常民社會以「死無人哭」為詛，甚至以「五子哭墓」等陣頭為喪葬排場的認知，顯然有著截然不同的立論與思考邏輯，不免亦造成往生者家屬之間，因而各稱其是的紛爭。有鑑於此，本文，首先擬將「助念團」所本之淨土宗旨，以及中國傳統一脈相承自《禮記》、《儀禮》等經典教諭和歷史制度的喪俗文獻，梳理其對於臨終、助念之觀念，釐清其間各自的思想脈絡。援此，進一步探討，無論是在宗教觀點和社會禮俗，對於經歷生死契闊的家屬，兩者之要求「哭」與「不哭」的規範時，衡諸人情人性的適切性。 Based on the belief of Pure Land Sect of Buddhism,“end-of-life chanting group”is a team formed to chant Buddha's name for the dying and dead patients for the purpose of assisting them toward the Paradise of the West. It has developed rapidly in the recent two or three decades in Taiwan due to thriving expansion of religious bodies. Buddhism's Pure Land Sect emphasizes that during the process of chanting for dying and particularly dead patients,their family and relatives “can merely guide their spirits with Buddha-name chanting rather than cleaning,dressing and relocating the remains,”also“should not show their sorrows and tears facing the circumstances.” However,Taiwanese conventional perceptions of funeral customs,which originated from mainland China,hold divergent argumentation and ways of thinking.According to the tradition,sons and daughters have to renew their dying parent's dress and be ready to grieve and wail. In Taiwan “death without anybody's wailing”is a severe cursing,and further,the magnitude of professional Tomb-wailing of Five Sons (pronounced as Wu-Zi-Ku-Mu) at funeral explicitly signals a family's social/wealth status. It therefore is a logical result that disputes may well emerge if the dying patients and their family members hold different points of view over funeral customs. This study first looks into end-of-life chanting group and its Pure Land Sect doctrine,and then clarifies traditional deathbed/funeral customs evolved inherently from“The book of rites”、“The book of ritual”of Chinese classics and other historical institutions. It subsequently explores the appropriateness and balance between“whether to wail or not,”considering both religious perceptions and social customs of dying/dead patients' family members.
