First-Ever Buddhist Hospice to be Built

A prayer service was held on April 18 for a Buddhist hospice to be built. This service was the beginning of a 1000 day intensive prayer service that is intended to raise money for the hospice, which will be called Jaje Hospital . The Pure Land Kwanjajae Association began raising funds in 2000 to build the hospice. The building site has been designated at Eonyang in Chungnam Province . A design for the building has already been created and the ground-breaking is forthcoming. However due to the grand scale of the hospital and the large estimated cost of 9 billion won ($8 million), the dharma service was held to begin intensive fund raising efforts.

In the dharma talk given by the representative of the Meditation Monastic Association (Sujahoe), Ven. Hyeguk said, “Due to medical progress, countless lives have been saved and suffering mitigated. However, how to die in a humane way is a question that keeps coming up. It is very meaningful to have a place to die in a humane way while maintaining a high level of quality of life until the moment of death. We need a lot of help from Buddhists (to build the hospice).”

The president of the hospice planning committee Ven. Neunghaeng said, “When a person prepares to die, it’s not only death he deals with but also life.” He added, “It is an absolute necessity to have a professional staff and facility to provide palliative care to relieve the emotional and physical suffering of patients and their loved ones.”

Jaje Hospital , which is to be the first Buddhist hospice in , will provide care for the terminally ill with incurable disease such as cancer. The hospice will have five floors from the basement level to the fourth level with 70 sickbeds. It will be a comprehensive clinic using environmental friendly and holistic treatments such as physical therapy and acupuncture. The hospice will also provide professional counseling for patients and family. The hospice will collaborate with nearby medical centers to provide necessary treatment from outside. The hospice will use diverse treatment and care methods to provide the best care for patient and family.

All the funds raised this day will be used for the construction of the hospice. Those who wish to become a patron of the hospice can donate 30,000 won per month for three years or 1.08 million won at once.