Daily life in Jōdo-shū quietly tunes the spirit for that final moment, much like fine-tuning an instrument before a big concert. Faith blooms through the steady heartbeat of the nembutsu—Namu Amida Butsu—rekindled at dawn prayers, whispered in evening chants, and carried through every breath.

As the end draws near, attention shifts gently toward these practices:

• Steadfast recitation of the nembutsu: Each “Namu Amida Butsu” serves as an act of complete entrustment to Amida’s vow. Over a lifetime, this simple chant becomes a comforting refrain, cutting through fear and doubt.
• Community support and ritual: Family members, temple priests or close friends gather to chant the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life or recite the shorter San-Jū-ron, enveloping the dying person in a chorus of solidarity. Even video calls have caught on since the pandemic years, letting distant loved ones lend their voices.
• Meditation on impermanence: Reading Hōnen’s sermons reminds practitioners that life is transient. This isn’t gloom but a clear-eyed recognition that each moment matters, making the final passage feel less like stepping off a cliff and more like sailing toward a luminous shore.
• Temple funerary rites: When breath becomes gentle, a simple altar is prepared with incense, flowers and an image of Amida. Chanting carries the practitioner’s awareness away from worldly worries and into the promise of rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

In the aftermath of events like the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake or the challenges of recent health crises, these rituals have offered astonishing resilience. Trust in “Other Power” frees practitioners from the endless hamster wheel of self-effort, turning death from a dreaded unknown into a familiar gateway—one already illumined by Amida’s boundless compassion.