Spiritual support is an integral part of hospice care. While  relieving patients from their physical and mental suffering, patients as well as hospice care providers are both  in their search of  meaning of life and eventually on their path towards spiritual cultivation and attainment. Volunteering in hospice care provides a platform where volunteers  mobilize dharma knowledge  into  spiritual practice. The by-products of this social service are tremendous. Not only is hospice care an opportunity to perform virtuous actions, it is also an opportunity to contemplate death and impermanence.

The Buddha’s teachings provide a comprehensive manual for mental and spiritual support in  hospice care. Through an understanding of Dharma, both patients and hospice care providers can utilize the critical moments surrounding death to enhance spiritual cultivation. This paper explores the ways in which hospice care qualifies as Dharma work and prepares caregivers to assist patients on their spiritual journey.