DYING TO LIVE: HOW A BUDDHIST PREPARES FOR THE DEATH TRANSITION

DYING TO LIVE: HOW A BUDDHIST PREPARES FOR THE DEATH TRANSITION

This Soto Zen retreat offers a privileged environment in which to deepen mindfulness practice while exploring death and dying. It draws from a new adaptation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead to integrate Buddhist teachings concerning the death transition with the management of end-of-life issues, thereby simplifying the transition into and through the death bardo.

Teachings on Karma, the Six Realms, and the Stages of Death will reveal how conditioned mind can create confusion and chaos during the transition through the death bardo. Crucial end-of-life decisions related to health care, personal treatment, comfort, closure, and rights/laws/regulations concerning body disposition will be examined to empower replacement of the suffering inherent in the death experience with a clear mind, at peace and filled with understanding. Two booklets (The Tibetan Book of the Dead: An Adaptation for Reading Aloud to the Dead and The Five Wishes Form), a packet of laws and regulations for body disposition, and two videos (The Tibetan Book of the Dead Parts 1& 2 and The Five Wishes) will enhance the teachings.

Designed in the formal Soto Zen Tradition of Shasta Abbey, this retreat offers the rare opportunity to "let the world take care of itself" while absorbing the silence and stillness of retreat. The daily schedule includes Morning, Mid-Day, Evening and Meal-time Services, each with mindfulness ritual and ceremonies of gratitude; silent, seated and walking meditations; Dharma classes and study periods. Except for Dharma class discussions, the retreat will be in silence.

Nancy Spence is teacher and guide of Anattasati Magga, Inc., a Zen Buddhist Sangha for the Laity that adheres to the practices of Soto Zen training. She authored both The Tibetan Book of the Dead: An Adaptation for Reading Aloud to the Dead and Back to Basics: An Awareness Primer. Nancy began lay training and entered Priest training at Vichara Bodhiyana Monastery in CA in 1977. She then trained as a Lay Minister at Shasta Abbey in CA and received her Lay Minister license in 1984. Nancy leads monthly Buddhist Services, teaches three and seven-day silent meditation retreats, and offers individual spiritual guidance in both NC and CA. She also has an MS in Psychology, maintains a private counseling practice, and facilitates personal growth groups through InnerVision.

Caroline Yongue has practiced and studied Soto Zen Buddhism with Nancy Spence for 21 years, including completing certification as a Lay Minister. She is creator, trainer, and facilitator for Center for End of Life Transitions, which offers workshops and retreats to facilitate awareness, compassion, and planning for dying, death, and after-death care.