Being With Dying

Spirituality
#1

Hello Dear Ones,
I recently completed a [I]Being With Dying[/I] professional training at the Upaya Zen Center with Roshi Joan Halifax, Tussi Kluge, Cynda Rushton, Mary Taylor, Barbara Dossey, Gwynn Sullivan and Gary Pasternak to name just a few of the teachers who lead us through the 8-day intensive. If anyone is feeling called to compassionate end-of-life care as a path of service, or interested in this training, I would be grateful to share my experience with you. Here is a link if you are interested in hearing a bit about the practices, other’s experiences while in the process of these practices and Roshi’s dharma talks from last year’s training: YouTube - Being With Dying.

With great respect and love,

#2

Dear Nicole,

Thanks for sharing this with us. I started in 1999 with something similar when one of my friends was busy dying of cancer, for two weeks prior to her death I had many meditations with her and the main purpose was to enable her to escape the terrible pain she suffered through the meditation and also to bring her to a place of peace regarding death and what awaits her. We also went through a session of forgiving, which was so important to her and finally I was in a very privileged situation to help her crossover peacefully. I then discovered a beautiful book by Dion Fortune: Book of the Dead, which is a Christian and Western perspective of guiding people on their death beds and also afterwards.

I am called upon now regularly to help various people who are busy dying and to help them through meditation and other practices to prepare them for death and to cope with the fears they harbour. Over the years I have found that it is fear and the inability to forgive that hold many people back from dying and which prolongs their suffering, the moment they get beyond that, when there is no fear, when it is replaced by loving kindness and forgiveness, it is amazing how quickly they can then pass on.

Would love to hear what your experience is. I think I don’t do exactly what this course that you have done teaches, but I feel there might be various synergies.

#3

Nicole,
I’ve been interested in attending this training at some point in the future. I’ve seen a few videos of Roshi Joan Halifax talking about end-of-life care which made me want to learn more. Are you using this training now in caring for the dying?

Peace,

Kiran