Nancy Spence
Dying to Live:
How a Buddhist Prepares for the Death Transition
March 22-25
3 nights $180 ($90 deposit) Dana
This Soto Zen retreat offers a privileged environment in which to explore dying simply while deepening one’s mindfulness practice. Drawn from a new adaptation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, the retreat integrates Buddhist teachings concerning the death transition with managing one’s end-of-life issues, simplifying the transition into and through the death bardo.
Through the teachings of Karma, the Six Realms, and Stages of Death, one will recognize how the conditioned mind could create confusion and chaos during the transition of the death bardo. By examining crucial end-of-life decisions related to health care, personal treatment, comfort, closure, and rights/laws/regulations concerning the body disposition, one is empowered to replace the suffering inherent in the death experience with a clear mind, at peace and filled with understanding.
Nancy Spence, author of The Tibetan Book of the Dead: An Adaptation for Reading Aloud to the Dead and Back to Basics: An Awareness Primer, is teacher and guide of Anattasati Magga, Inc., a Soto Zen Buddhist Sangha for the Laity. In 1977 Nancy began lay and then priest training at Vichara Bodhiyana Monastery in California. Then she trained as a Lay Minister at Shasta Abbey, receiving Lay Minister license in 1984. She leads monthly Buddhist services, offers individual spiritual guidance, and leads silent meditation retreats in NC and CA. Nancy, who has an M.S. in Psychology, also has a private counseling practice, and facilitates personal growth groups through InnerVision.