In a special Nippon Foundation lecture at Chiba University recently, the abbot of Hida Senko-ji Temple in Gifu Prefecture discussed the fundamentals of medicine through end-of-life and palliative care initiatives. The lecture, delivered by Daien Oshita, was entitled “Thinking about Life,” and addressed the importance of psychological care for the terminally ill. This is the third year that the special series has been conducted, with a total of 15 lectures being delivered during the course of fiscal 2009 (which ends on 31 March). During the series, students have heard from various figures on the sanctity of human life, including doctors, nursing staff, counselors, and philosophers.

Lecturer Daien Oshita

Abbot Oshita is also involved in psychological counseling for patients in palliative care units at hospitals in Takayama City, as well as lecturing on clinical religious studies at Nagoya University and Wakayama Medical University. In his lecture, Oshita examined Japanese views on religion, life and death, describing the importance of religious knowledge as the foundation for understanding the emotional state of a patient.

He also described an episode with a patient that marked the starting point for his work in spiritual care.

Lecture in progress at Chiba University

The story dates to 1989. Oshita met a 63-year-old man who had been bed-ridden for 20 years in a hospital in Takayama City following a road accident. The patient had suffered a broken neck and was completely paralyzed, unable even to spit or swallow. Everything above the neck functioned normally, and he was completely cognizant of his surroundings, but was unable to speak. Oshita heard from the doctors that the patient was able to express himself via his eyeballs, and so built a board containing the Japanese hiragana symbols and attempted to communicate with the patient by pointing at the individual symbols. The patient moved his eyes up for yes, and kept them still for no.

Students at a lecture

It was hard work at first, but it wasn’t long before he could actually communicate. On one occasion, the patient told Oshita how much he wished to die. In other conversations, he mentioned his desire to attend a concert and to return home before his death. A music recital was organized within the hospital shortly thereafter. When he returned to his home for the first time in 20 years, all of the neighbors gathered round. He spoke and laughed with an elderly woman he had known since his childhood. Oshita also took him to the temple. When the patient returned home, he said “I’m glad to be alive, and I want to live longer.” Through this experience, Oshita learned how vital the human spirit remains even as people develop disabilities or approach death, convincing him of the importance of psychological care.

A patient pleading to live longer

Oshita summed up his beliefs: that spiritual care involves accompanying individuals on their journey between life and death and maximizing the potential of these individuals so that they can find meaning to integrate into their lives.