Approaching Dying and Death, a Contemplative Field Guide

with Soren Glassing

Overview

In this three-session course, viewed through the lens of Buddhist practice, participants will explore death and dying from a personal standpoint as well as from the perspective of a contemplative caregiver.

Do you wonder about death and how Buddhist wisdom and practice can help us accept and prepare for it? Are you caring for a loved one who is dying? What can we learn from the dying? What can we learn about dying well? How do Buddhists view death, and how can we learn Buddhist-informed ways of facing death, being present with death, and even caregiving for someone going through the death process? How can we take better care of ourselves in the face of death, and fearlessly provide better care for friends, family members, clients, and patients who are making the ultimate journey?

In this course we will discover our own fears and biases around death. We will learn about the spiritual needs of the dying, how to make a spiritual assessment, and use the Six Worlds of Buddhism as a template to provide effective care. Finally, we will learn how to bring meditation, art and poetry into our relationship with death and dying and will actually create a legacy art project during the last session.

 

Schedule

Session One: An Introduction to Dying, Death and the Possibilities at the End of Life

• Facing our own demons and fears. What is dying well?
• Exploring the spiritual needs of the dying.
• Identifying ways to approach the dying as a Spiritual Sherpa.

Session Two: Death in Buddhism. What is Happening?

• Phowa, the practice of “Conscious Dying.”
• Exploring the Bardo, the in-between place.
• An in-depth journey through the Bhavachakra.
• The Six Realms of the Wheel of Life. We will use this mandala image as a template to formulate a Bodhisattva-centered way to help the dying, and in fact, the living too!

Session Three: Integrating art and poetry into our Relationship with Death

• Using art and art making as a tool to create legacy work.
• Q and A, wrapping it all together.

All sessions include brief meditation and check-ins.

 

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Faculty: Soren Glassing
Schedule: Three Mondays: October 30, November 6, and 13 from 6:30 – 8:00pm ET
Tuition: Regular fee: $90 / Supported fee: $60
The tuition is for all three evenings. (Can’t make all three dates? Each session is recorded and will be available for six weeks for those who registered.)
Location: Online via Zoom