The night prior to his death, I was made possible to go to Takapuna Hospice where he was referred to take a rest after his final assessment in the headquarter Auckland Hospital. Doctors believed his liver cancer had totally destroyed him and there was no possibility at all to get his health back.
Two other fellow Buddhists escorted me to come to the charitable Hospice located by a small creek flowing into the serene Lake Pupuke nearby. It was a calm and crystal evening with comfortable breeze. Stars twinkling in the night sky. These added some atmosphere of condolence to the courtyard and the building within the fence. Indeed, Hospice has offered its loving kindness and comfort to many many souls over the years since its establishment.
My Parkinson's Disease trembling involuntarily came up despite the medicine which I had just taken before leaving for this visit should be at its peak of effect. Over the 8 year since I was diagnosed of this disease, I have realized that mood fluctuation plays a big part on the symptoms. Whenever I experience nervousness, exciting, anxiety and etc I suffer extra mobility problems.
Having entered Guan shixiong's room, my eyesight immediately drawn to him. There lain on the bed was him, no longer the handsome and righteous look I had been familiar with. The cancerous cells had mercilessly eaten away his flesh, making him totally emaciated and deformed. I could not recognize him if I came in to search for him by myself.
I walked toward him, and before I arrived his bedside, he already reached his left hand to hold mine. Both of us made no voice as the conventional exchange of messages was not necessary now. He knew we all wished him to be able to concentrate his thought in awaiting Amituofo's presence and follow Him decisively to the Pure Land of Western Blissful World. No emotional messages should be allowed among Buddhists of Pure Land tradition especially under the situation like that night.
They pulled a chair for me to sit by the bed. I closed my eyes and naturally began to join other fellow Buddhists in chanting Amitofuo to assist Guan to focus his thought on this supreme mantra that master Chin Kong has patiently assured us the power of it. We chanted for some time till nurses came in to attend Guan's medical needs.
We left there without saying goodbye to him. It is a commonly followed realization among Buddhists that death is the final renounce of our most treasured object Even this most cherished item will have to return to its original form of the four elements: earth, water, heat and air, what else can we hold onto permanently? So the visitors of a dying patient resting in his own home or in the hospital know they don't show emotional expression by means of speech, letter, facial looks in order not to stir up and trigger the patient's mind and thus distract him from focusing his thoughts on the teachings and let go the broken body decisively.
His funeral was scheduled to be held at the auditorium of the grave yard of North Shore region. I accepted the offer of a lift from Zhuang shijie and her husband to attend Guan's funeral. From the eulogy presented by his son, who is studying his master degree of Optometry in Melbourne, his former career was for first time being unveiled, a Pediatrician in Canton before he immigrated to New Zealand in 1995. What a humble man. He never said anything about his doctor identity in the past to anyone.
Guan has finished his life journey. May his soul resolutely followed Amituofo's guidance without any hesitation and hindrance from his Karma.
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