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영어

Humans are very fragile enough like thin glass trembling with fear to death. Then humans are striving after the other consoling devices but cannot help persuading to accept the reality of death. It is not easy for them instantly adopt death figure in their terrain of life. But once, they understand and accept the reality of life and death, it will help providing them less fear and will guarantee much joy of life for the rest of life. So, there are tendencies to create consensus of the need for 'Death Education' especially nowadays in Korea. In Buddhism, we could find that such trials of accepting the reality of death have been integrated into a certain form through religious and cultural traditions from more than two and half thousand years from India and regenerated as a ritual form of Buddhist Pre-Death Purification Service to Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and the Ten Destiny Judge Kings which have been in charge of well beings of the deceased. Buddhist in China have practiced for more than a thousand years with such a ritual. However, most of the people in these days forget to understand the goals and functions of the rituals and regard it only as of mechanical procedures traditionally to be followed up. That's because most of Buddhist could not realize that they possess such a tremendous tools of death education in hand. Pre-Death Purification Service for after-death well-being is one of services consist of several ceremonies like 'Releasing of Captive Lives' 'Making Ransom Money for Ten Destiny Judge Kings and their officials' 'Offering Service for Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Ten King Destiny Judges and their officials for the sake of donner of after death well-being' If Buddhist update some modern psychotherapeutic devices like personal or group psychotherapy skills or communication skill onto the Pre-Death Purification Service, that could be reborn as one the leading and cutting edge Death Education program for Buddhist.

한국어

불교의 예수재는 죽음을 두려워하는 인간의 심정을 포용하고 사후세계에서의 안녕을 보장하는 의식이다. 예수재 의식은 단순한 절차로만 진행되는 것이 아닌, 재자로 하여금 자신의 심연과 접촉하게 하는 과정이다. 재자는 예수재의 방생, 조전, 점안, 이운, 수설명사승회소, 성현과 명부시왕 등의 권속에게까지 공양하고 발원하는 과정을 통하여 끊임없이 사후의 세상과 만남을 지속한다. 이러한 과정은 자신의 죽음에 대한 인식영역을 확장하게 되는 것으로 현대 죽음교육의 목표와도 같다. 현대 죽음교육은 죽음을 금기시 하지 않고, 죽음에 대한 공포와 근심을 최소화 할 수 있도록 하며 죽어가는 사람과의 편안하고 지적인 교감을 증진시키는데 그 목적이 있다. 이렇듯 불교가 가진 전통적이며 발군의 검증된 죽음교육의 도구를 현대 심리학적 방법으로 분석하고 좀 더 보완하여 사용한다면 불교도들에게는 물론 현대 죽음교육의 중요한 한 프로그램으로 자리 잡을 수 있을 것이다.