As we lay dying, what advice do the suttas offer us to help guide our final thoughts or reflections? Of course, the entire cannon is a set of teachings to help us prepare for death, but which ones specifically comment on the final moments of our lives? I see this topic has been discussed previously (Suttas on dying and choosing your rebirth) and I included several of those suttas from those threads. The Tibetan Book of the Dead and other teachings also include advice on preparing/transitioning into death, but since they are not EBTs, I am not including them in this list.
I found the following, but would appreciate any other suggestions:
https://suttacentral.net/sn55.22/en/sujato
-The Buddha advises Mahanama, who is afraid of an untimely death, âDo not fear, MahÄnÄma, do not fear! Your death will not be a bad one; your passing will not be a bad one. A noble disciple who has four things slants, slopes, and inclines towards extinguishment. What four? Itâs when a noble disciple has experiential confidence in the Buddha ⊠the teaching ⊠the Saáč
gha ⊠And they have the ethical conduct loved by the noble ones ⊠leading to immersion.â
https://suttacentral.net/mn120/en/sujato
-This sutta, âRebirth by choiceâ explains that the realm we wish for at the time of our death can influence our rebirth: âThey think: âIf only, when my body breaks up, after death, I would be reborn in the company of the Divinity of five thousand!â They settle on that thought, stabilize it, and develop it. Those choices and meditations of theirs, developed and cultivated like this, lead to rebirth there. This is the path and the practice that leads to rebirth there.â The Buddha advises that, to attain nibbana, we should "think: âIf only I might realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life, and live having realized it with my own insight due to the ending of defilements.â "
https://suttacentral.net/sn54.8/en/sujato
-Emphasizes the importance of detachment (which is cultivated through our practice), and suggests a helpful final thought: âIf they feel a pleasant feeling, they feel it detached. If they feel a painful feeling, they feel it detached. If they feel a neutral feeling, they feel it detached. Feeling the end of the body approaching, they understand: âI feel the end of the body approaching.â Feeling the end of life approaching, they understand: âI feel the end of life approaching.â They understand: âWhen my body breaks up and my life has come to an end, everything thatâs felt, since I no longer take pleasure in it, will become cool right here.ââ