Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death - Halifax, Joan Review & Synopsis

 Synopsis

The Buddhist approach to death can be of great benefit to people of all backgrounds-as has been demonstrated time and again in Joan Halifax's decades of work with the dying and their caregivers. Inspired by traditional Buddhist teachings, her work is a source of wisdom for all those who are charged with a dying person's care, facing their own death, or wishing to explore and contemplate the transformative power of the dying process. Her teachings affirm that we can open and contact our inner strength, and that we can help others who are suffering to do the same.

Review

Joan Halifax founded the Project on Being with Dying to help healthcare professionals and their patients learn to "see death and know life in terms of compassion and awakening". Distilled from this influential program, the "Being with Dying" audio learning course combines Eastern and Western psychology, philosophy, and contemplative practices from many spiritual traditions. This innovative, hands-on approach teaches medical professionals, social workers, clergy, community activists, and spiritual seekers an elegant path for taking the fear out of the dying experience. 6 cassettes in vinyl binder.Joan Halifax, PhD, is a Zen priest and anthropologist who has served on the faculty of Columbia University and the University of Miami School of Medicine. For the past thirty years she has worked with dying people and has lectured on the subject of death and dying at Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Medical School, Georgetown Medical School, and many other academic institutions. In 1990, she founded Upaya Zen Center, a Buddhist study and social action center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1994, she founded the Project on Being with Dying, which has trained hundreds of healthcare professionals in the contemplative care of dying people.

Being with Dying

The Buddhist approach to death can be of great benefit to people of all backgrounds—as has been demonstrated time and again in Joan Halifax’s decades of work with the dying and their caregivers. Inspired by traditional Buddhist teachings, her work is a source of wisdom for all those who are charged with a dying person’s care, facing their own death, or wishing to explore and contemplate the transformative power of the dying process. Her teachings affirm that we can open and contact our inner strength, and that we can help others who are suffering to do the same.

In this book, Halifax offers lessons from dying people and caregivers, as well as guided meditations to help readers contemplate death without fear, develop a commitment to helping others, and transform suffering and resistance into courage ..."

Sophie Learns to Be Brave

A story for kids ages 4–8 about a young girl and her encounters with a dog that teaches her friendship, presence, loss, and bravery. This story follows a young girl named Sophie and a sweet old dog who cross paths in the midst of a storm. “Breathing in, I am safe; breathing out, I am free,” Sophie repeats again and again to remind herself and the "old one" to stay present and brave when feeling scared or unsettled. In helping each other through their fears, a deep kinship is formed that makes a lasting impact on Sophie’s life.

This story follows a young girl named Sophie and a sweet old dog who cross paths in the midst of a storm. “Breathing in, I am safe; breathing out, I am free,” Sophie repeats again and again to remind herself and the "old one" to stay ..."

The Best Buddhist Writing 2009

Offers an entertaining mix of writing styles on a wide range of issues from a Buddhist point of view, including pieces by the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hahn, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Pema Chdrn, Jack Kornfield, Natalie Goldberg, Alan Weisman, Tom Robbins, Joan Sutherland, and many more. Original.

From Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death by Joan Halifax , © 2008 by Joan Halifax . Reprinted by permission of Shambhala Publications. Inc., Boston, MA. www.shambhala.com."

A Physician's Guide to Pain and Symptom Management in Cancer Patients

This highly regarded handbook provides clinicians with the information they need to treat their cancer patients effectively and compassionately. This comprehensive guide to managing pain and other symptoms for people with cancer has helped tens of thousands of patients and families. Designed for busy practicing clinicians, A Physician's Guide to Pain and Symptom Management in Cancer Patients provides primary care physicians, advanced practice nurses, internists, and oncologists with detailed information and advice for alleviating the stress and pain of patients and family members alike. Drawing on the work of experts who have developed revolutionary approaches to symptom management and palliative care, as well as on the lessons learned from patients and their families during her thirty years as a teacher and clinician, Dr. Janet L. Abrahm shows how physicians and other caregivers can help patients and families heal emotionally even as the disease progresses. The third edition includes updates to medications and clinical stories, and features two new chapters: “Working with Patients’ Families” and “Sexuality, Intimacy, and Cancer.” New lessons from palliative care and hospice care can help patients, their professional caregivers, and their families support each other every step of the way.

Saying Kaddish: How to Comfort the Dying , Bury the Dead , and Mourn as a Jew. New York: Schocken Books, 1998. Halifax , Joan . Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death . Boston: Shambhala, 2008."

Preparing to Die

We all face death, but how many of us are actually ready for it? Whether our own death or that of a loved one comes first, how prepared are we, spiritually or practically? In Preparing to Die, Andrew Holecek presents a wide array of resources to help the reader address this unfinished business. Part One shows how to prepare one's mind and how to help others, before, during, and after death. The author explains how spiritual preparation for death can completely transform our relationship to the end of life, dissolving our fear and helping us to feel open and receptive to letting go in the dying process. Daily meditation practices, the stages of dying and how to work with them, and after-death experiences are all detailed in ways that will be particularly helpful for those with an interest in Tibetan Buddhism and in Tibetan approaches to conscious dying. Part Two addresses the practical issues that surround death. Experts in grief, hospice, the funeral business, and the medical and legal issues of death contribute chapters to prepare the reader for every practical concern, including advance directives, green funerals, the signs of death, warnings about the funeral industry, the stages of grief, and practical care for the dying. Part Three contains heart-advice from twenty of the best-known Tibetan Buddhist masters now teaching in the West. These brief interviews provide words of solace and wisdom to guide the dying and their caregivers during this challenging time. Preparing to Die is for anyone interested in learning how to prepare for death from a Buddhist perspective, both spiritually and practically. It is also for those who want to learn how to help someone else who is dying, both during the time of illness and death as well as after death.

Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition Andrew Holecek ... The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo . By Guru Rinpoche , according to Karma Lingpa. Trans."

Eldercare 101

The Silver Tsunami is upon us as elder care and crisis management reaches a tipping point with the graying of America. By 2020, 54 million people in the U.S. will be over the age of 65; by 2030, that number will top 80 million. Feeling the squeeze of multi-generational home demands, children of aging parents are struggling to learn innovative eldercare management strategies and often find themselves overwhelmed by the many facets of caregiving. Eldercare 101 is the answer to making order from chaos. As a guide covering all aspects of aging and end-of-life in one place, caregivers will no longer spend endless nights trying to decode the Internet trail--confused, uncertain, and fearful of what they’re missing. Whether they are proactively planning ahead or need to have fast answers, this comprehensive, technology-rich resource presents steppingstones for the Sandwich Generation as they navigate caring for aging parents, grandparents, friends, and other family members. Eldercare 101 is a well-researched, organized, easy-to-understand guide for families desperately in need of help as they care for their aging loved ones. The book is organized into “6 pillars of aging wellbeing”: legal, financial, living environment, social, medical, and spiritual. Each pillar is explored by an expert and offers best practices and tips for evaluating choices, making decisions, and living well wherever the road might lead.

8th ed. Berkeley, CA: Nolo, 2015. Dass , Ram . Still Here : Embracing Aging , Changing and Dying . New York: Riverhead Books, 2000. Delehanty, Hugh, and Elinor Ginzler. Caring for Your Parents: The Complete Guide. New York: Sterling, 2008."

Present through the End

A trusted companion and go-to resource for everyone supporting someone at the end of life--from the moment we first learn that someone is dying through the time of death and beyond. Present through the End offers the guidance and essential wisdom we need when we are struggling to support someone who is nearing death. This book helps us meet the many challenges ahead and navigate through difficult times with clarity and kindness--both for the person who is dying and also for ourselves. Inspired by decades of experience caring for the dying and years teaching contemplative care around the world, Kirsten DeLeo shares down-to-earth advice and offers short, simple "on the spot" tools to help us handle our emotions, deal with difficult relationships, talk about spiritual matters, practice self-care, listen fully, and more. This book offers insight and encouragement when we are unsure what to do or say and shows us how to be present even though we may feel utterly helpless, love when loss is just around the corner, and be fully alive to each moment as time runs out.

 Halifax , Joan . Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death . Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2009. Hanson, Rick, and Forrest Hanson. Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, ..."

The Routledge Companion to Death and Dying

Few issues apply universally to people as poignantly as death and dying. All religions address concerns with death from the handling of human remains, to defining death, to suggesting what happens after life. The Routledge Companion to Death and Dying provides readers with an overview of the study of death and dying. Questions of death, mortality, and more recently of end-of-life care, have long been important ones and scholars from a range of fields have approached the topic in a number of ways. Comprising over fifty-two chapters from a team of international contributors, the companion covers: funerary and mourning practices; concepts of the afterlife; psychical issues associated with death and dying; clinical and ethical issues; philosophical issues; death and dying as represented in popular culture. This comprehensive collection of essays will bring together perspectives from fields as diverse as history, philosophy, literature, psychology, archaeology and religious studies, while including various religious traditions, including established religions like Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism as well as new or less widely known traditions such as the Spiritualist Movement, the Church of Latter Day Saints, and Raëlianism. The Routledge Companion to Death and Dying is essential reading for students and researchers in religious studies, philosophy and literature.

As many Western societies do not have a dominant pattern of practices and narratives surrounding death , the steps towards the ... Halifax , Joan (2009). Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death ."

Let's Talk about Death (over Dinner)

For readers of Being Mortal and When Breath Becomes Air, the acclaimed founder of Death over Dinner offers a practical, inspiring guide to life's most difficult yet important conversation. Of the many critical conversations we will all have throughout our lifetime, few are as important as the ones discussing death—and not just the practical considerations, such as DNRs and wills, but what we fear, what we hope, and how we want to be remembered. Yet few of these conversations are actually happening. Inspired by his experience with his own father and countless stories from others who regret not having these conversations, Michael Hebb cofounded Death Over Dinner—an organization that encourages people to pull up a chair, break bread, and really talk about the one thing we all have in common. Death Over Dinner has been one of the most effective end-of-life awareness campaigns to date; in just three years, it has provided the framework and inspiration for more than a hundred thousand dinners focused on having these end-of-life conversations. As Arianna Huffington said, "We are such a fast-food culture, I love the idea of making the dinner last for hours. These are the conversations that will help us to evolve." Let's Talk About Death (over Dinner) offers keen practical advice on how to have these same conversations—not just at the dinner table, but anywhere. There's no one right way to talk about death, but Hebb shares time—and dinner—tested prompts to use as conversation starters, ranging from the spiritual to the practical, from analytical to downright funny and surprising. By transforming the most difficult conversations into an opportunity, they become celebratory and meaningful—ways that not only can change the way we die, but the way we live.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER READING Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. Atul Gawande. Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death . Joan Halifax and Ira Byock."

The Heart of Hospice: Core Competencies for Reclaiming the Mystery

Returning to the original principles upon which hospice was founded, the authors describe the core competencies every hospice practitioner needs to reclaim the mystery of death and guide families through end-of-life care. With fifty-five years of collective hospice nursing experience, the authors are equipped to take you on a journey that leads to success. You’ll learn: • steps to move from being a novice to a final designation of Mystery Watcher; • core competencies to reclaim the mystery of death, including examples from the field of hospice care. • tips to implement organizational structures and processes to support optimal staff development and the retention of the most competent practitioners. • methods to continuously measure outcomes as hospice team members gain mastery of core competencies.

 Halifax , Joan . 2008. Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death . Boston, MA: Shambala Publications, Inc. Harper, Bernice C. 1977. Death : The Coping Mechanism of the Health Professional."

Grateful, Not Dead

A guide to uncovering your post-retirement purpose and creating financial security. Art Mitchell uses the REWIREMENT process to empower and transform himself and people like you. He details ten critical steps to inform aging, building on the anti-ageism and conscious aging movements. In Grateful, Not Dead, you learn how to: overcome ageist myths and shame to change everything for yourself reboot your mind through self-reflection, consciousness expansion, and spirituality uncover purpose, boost creativity, increase engagement, and service find meaningful work and achieve financial independence take back your power and make the changes you want to see Those of you who have been forced to make career changes, retire, or otherwise chose to work past “retirement age” may find yourself wanting help. It’s here. Prepare to learn how to live purposefully and inspired to do what’s important to you! “Grateful, Not Dead is the best I have read to assist you in resetting your life script for the happiest, youthful aging!” —C. Norman Shealy, MD, PhD(from Foreword) “After decades in careers that have defined us, what's the next step? Guided by the author's life wisdom and skills as a coach, readers find their own answers through inspiration and exercises that tap into personal power and purpose.” —Lois Guarino, author of Writing Your Authentic Self “Art Mitchell has written an indispensable guidebook for people entering the territory of older age.” —Harry R. Moody, retired Vice President, AARP

Fruitful Aging : Finding the Gold in the Golden Years. Wakan. Ram Dass (2000). Still Here : Embracing Aging , Changing, and Dying . Riverhead Books. Ram Dass and Mirabai Bush (2018). Walking Each Other Home: Conversations on Loving and ..."

Transforming Retirement

People are naturally worried about transitions at any stage of their lives, and retirement transitioning presents unique challenges because you realize that your life clock is ticking faster with each passing year. Beyond financial concerns, your true wealth is determined by how you spend your time and how you care for your health. Retirement represents a rich psychological growth time, and successful aging is characterized by cultivating a growth mindset alongside a healthy dose of grit, or passion plus persistence. This book shares insights from a survey of 125 participants, all of whom are 55 or older, on retirement beliefs and time management. The author encourages retirees to embrace the concept of rewiring their brains in a psychological reboot applying to both work and non-work scenarios. Each chapter presents rewiring exercises that prepare space for new possibilities to germinate immediately, and "possibility time" exercises that foster digging deeper into legacy roots for shaping days where you can flourish. Seasoned citizen years have the possibility of becoming your greatest life plots when you rewire your personality and ability skillset.

 Halifax , Joan . Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death . Boston : Shambhala , 2008 . Halifax , Joan . Standing at the Edge : Finding Freedom Where Fear and Courage Meet ."

Palliative Touch: Massage for People at the End of Life

With the support of palliative care and hospice a growing number of people are choosing the kinds of experiences they want at the end of life. Massage can offer moments of comfort, wellbeing, and beauty at a challenging time for patients and their loved ones, yet most of us are not prepared with the right skills or knowledge to offer this help. Palliative Touch: Massage for People at the End of Life is written for healthcare providers and complementary therapists who wish to provide safe, comforting touch for people with life-limiting illness, as well as anyone who might wish to support a dying client or loved one to live life to the fullest, right up until the end. Based on more than two decades of field and inpatient hospice experience, this book addresses topics from common end-of-life symptoms and the stages of dying to cultural issues and how these can impact end-of-life care. Readers are guided to engage with the material at whatever level might be appropriate for their needs, with practical tips in every chapter. Beautiful color photographs, actual case studies, and stories from therapists, caregivers, and patients bring this information to life.

 Advice for future corpses and those who love them : a practical perspective on death and dying . Sally Tisdale , 2018. New York: Touchstone. A path with heart. Jack Kornfield, 1994. London: Random House Group."

Yuk, Ngobrolin Akhir Kehidupan (Sambil Makan Malam)

Akhir kehidupan atau kematian kerap menjadi hal tabu untuk dibicarakan ketika kita masih hidup. Namun, pembicaraan akan kematian akan memberikan nuansa kehidupan yang lebih baik bagi kita maupun orang tercinta. Mempersiapkan kematian (termasuk persiapan tradisi pemakaman, surat wasiat, atau hal apa yang ingin dilakukan sebelum kematian) membuat orang lebih lega dalam memandang akhir kehidupannya. Hal ini pun dapat menghindarkan seseorang dari penyesalan atas dirinya sendiri maupun orang yang ia cintai, karena bisa memperlakukan kehidupan dengan cara sebaik-baiknya pada masa akhir. Buku ini akan membuka pemikiran Anda, bahwa ada banyak hal yang tidak terungkapkan dengan baik mengenai “persiapan” kematian. Buku ini juga akan menuntun Anda bagaimana membuat obrolan akan akhir kehidupan tidak lagi menjadi suatu hal yang tabu.

 Still Here : Embracing Aging , Changing, and Dying . Ram Dass . The Tibetan Book of the Dead :The Great Book of Natural Liberation Through Understanding in the Between. Padma Sambhava (compiler), Robert Thurman (translator), the Dalai Lama ..."

The Chaplain's Presence and Medical Power

This book explores the work, experience, language, and ambiguity of the profession of chaplaincy, tracing its struggles to professionalize in the hospital while caring for the human experiences of death and decline within its walls.

... Suggestions for the Education of Healthcare Chaplains.” Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry 34 (2014): 165–75. Halifax , Joan . Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death ."

All is Well

And we can ask ourselves this: Knowing that death is inevitable, what is most precious today?” — Joan Halifax ... It's called “ Being With Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death ,” a classic published in ..."

Deathbed Wisdom of the Hasidic Masters

The first-ever English translation of and commentary on The Book of Departure, which compiles the end-of-life stories of 42 holy men, sheds light on Jewish traditions about death, the afterlife and how to care for people in their final days. Modern insights drawn from these stories help caregivers make greater meaning out of end-of-life care.

 Halifax , Joan . Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death . Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2008. Horodezky, Samuel Abba. Ha-Hasidut veha-Hasidim. Vol. 4. Berlin: Dewir, 1922. Jacobs, Louis."

Turning Words

A poignant portrait of spiritual relationships in the diverse worlds of American and global Buddhism, through stories of over 30 luminaries including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Joan Halifax, Joanna Macy, and more. Across more than thirty-five years of practice in Zen and socially engaged Buddhism, Alan Senauke has had a range of remarkable encounters with Buddhist teachers and spiritual friends. Here he collects stories of moments in which someone’s words, actions, or presence opened his mind and heart in a new way. Touching on meditation, insight, social action, race, family, community, and more, these vignettes build like a chorus and convey lessons such as taking one’s work seriously without taking oneself seriously, letting things fall apart, and using oneself up on behalf of others. The book’s stories and accompanying photographs feature many of the greatest Zen teachers, engaged Buddhists, and global Buddhist leaders of our day, including Robert Aitken, Bernie Glassman, Shodo Harada, Dainin Katagiri, Jarvis Masters, Ven. Sheng Yen, Sulak Sivaraksa, and many more—with a special section devoted to the teachings of Senauke's primary teacher, Sojun Mel Weitsman.

 Halifax , Joan . Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearless- ness in the Presence of Death . Boston : Shambhala Publications , 2008 . Standing at the Edge : Finding Freedom Where Fear and Courage Meet ."

The Power and the Pain

We all encounter obstacles on a daily basis—from small inconveniences and nuisances to the really big hardships wreaking havoc with our lives. Sometimes just the small things are enough to set us reeling. Andrew Holecek offers us a progressive path beginning with common, easily understood hardships and moving on to more subtle and challenging ones that commonly arise on our spiritual journeys.

Transforming Spiritual Hardship into Joy Andrew Holecek. Dead: The Great Liberation through Hearing in ... Kornfield , Jack . After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path . New York: Bantam Books, 2001."

Sisters in Mourning

Caring for their mothers at the end of their lives and grieving for them after their deaths brought them together. Seven women from diverse racial, cultural, and religious traditions with differing sexual orientations and life experiences became seven “sisters in mourning,” meeting to share their grief and to remember together—not only their mothers but themselves as daughters. This book is a rich compilation of narratives that emerged through vulnerable conversations—a spiritual, emotional, and existential exploration of the complexities of caring and grieving. As their grief transformed over time, and their friendship deepened, their understanding of who their mothers were and the nuances of their relationships with them continued to evolve. Sisters in Mourning invites readers to a journey of healing and insight. With contributions from: Barbara Breitman Cari Jackson Linda Jaramillo Laura O'Loughlin Kathleen T. Talvacchia

 Oliver , Mary . Thirst : Poems . Boston: Beacon, 2006. Olson, Tillie, ed. Mother to Daughter, Daughter to Mother. Old Westbury, NY: Feminist Press, 1984. Ostaseski, Frank. The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us about ..."

Hope & Healing for Transcending Loss

This inspirational pocket guide by the author of Transcending Loss offers healing reflections for anyone experiencing the pain of losing a loved one. It's easy to feel unmoored when we lose someone close. We need to find a new rhythm to our days and new ways to connect to the ones we've lost. But how does one move on after the death of a loved one? Therapist and self help author Ashley Davis Bush offers a path forward with these daily meditations: small doses of comfort and hope to help you get through your day when you are still heavy with grief. Each bite-sized reading offers reassurance that healing is possible, whether it's an ordinary day of living with loss or a special anniversary day. Poetic words, combined with photographic images throughout the book, help provide solace along with the perspective that love always transcends even the deepest loss. Here you’ll learn how to find: · Comfort through grief · Hope from pain · Life after loss

Grollman, Earl A. Living When a Loved One Has Died . Revised edition. Boston: Beacon Press, 1995. Halifax , Joan . Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death . Boston: Shambhala, 2009."

The Theology of Suffering and Death

This book introduces the spiritual and theological issues raised by suffering and dying. It relates theology to practical issues of caregiving and provides a 'toolbox' for thinking about suffering and death in a creative and supportive way.

3 Joan Halifax , Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death (Boston: Shambhala, 2009), pp. 179–80. 4 Cathy Siebold, The Hospice Movement: Easing Death's Pains (New York; Toronto: Maxwell Macmillan ..."

Memoir of a Debulked Woman: Enduring Ovarian Cancer

A 2012 New York Times Book Review Notable Book "Staggering, searing…Ms. Gubar deserves the highest admiration for her bravery and honesty." —New York Times Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2008, Susan Gubar underwent radical debulking surgery, an attempt to excise the cancer by removing part or all of many organs in the lower abdomen. Her memoir mines the deepest levels of anguish and devotion as she struggles to come to terms with her body’s betrayal and the frightful protocols of contemporary medicine. She finds solace in the abiding love of her husband, children, and friends while she searches for understanding in works of literature, visual art, and the testimonies of others who suffer with various forms of cancer. Ovarian cancer remains an incurable disease for most of those diagnosed, even those lucky enough to find caring and skilled physicians. Memoir of a Debulked Woman is both a polemic against the ineffectual and injurious medical responses to which thousands of women are subjected and a meditation on the gifts of companionship, art, and literature that sustain people in need.

“Letter toMenoeceus,” in James Warren, Facing Death : Epicurus and His ... Halifax , Joan . Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death . Boston: Shambhala, 2008. Happe, KellyE."

Bearing Witness

Much like theology itself, the experience of trauma has the potential to reach into almost any aspect of life, refusing to fit within the tramlines. A follow up to the 2020 volume "Feminist Trauma Theologies\

Anonymous, 'Rosary of our Mother of Sorrows' in Devotion to the Sorrowful Mother, Ashland, NC: TAN Books , 2002. 27 Arudpragasam , Anuk , A Passage North , London: Granta, 2021. Balasuriya, Tissa, Mary and Human Liberation, Colombo, ..."

Unfuck Your Grief

When we lose someone or something close to us—a loved person or animal, a relationship, our health, our dream, our idea of who we are—it hurts. A lot. Grief is both what we experience and how we heal. Dr. Faith Harper, bestselling author of books like Unfuck Your Brain and Unfuck Your Boundaries brings us a counseling and neuroscience perspective on grieving. She explains what is actually happening in our brains and bodies and what we need in order to allow it to happen fully. She also shows us how to identify and treat traumatic grief, the variety of grieving processes we experience, what grief looks like in the long term, when to get professional support, and how to ask the people in our lives for what we need (and to give ourselves the care we need as well). You'll also find solid advice on how (and how not!) to support a grieving person in your life. Wise, a little crass, and gently funny.

WHEN A LOVED ONE IS DYING The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe Mary Anne Schwalbe lived with cancer for ... Being With Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death by Roshi Joan Halifax Roshi Joan ..."

Leaves Falling Gently

A life-limiting illness may have taken hold of your body, but you can still live more fully and openly than ever before. You can enrich your life by exploring ways to make peace with yourself and deepen connections with friends and family. This book will help you reap the benefits of mindfulness and acceptance, one day at a time. Leaves Falling Gently is a comforting guide to the mindfulness and compassion practices that will help you embrace the present moment, despite your illness. With each simple practice, you’ll deepen your appreciation for the experiences that bring you joy and enhance your capacity for gratitude, generosity, and love. As you work through each personal reflection and guided meditation, you’ll regain the strength to live fully, regardless of the changes and challenges that come.

2004. “MindfulnessBased Stress Reduction and Health Benefits: A MetaAnalysis.” Journal of Psychosomatic Research 57 (1):35–43. Halifax , Joan . 2009. Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death ."

Grief

Grief: Insights and Tips for Teenagers is a compassionate guide to help you and those you care about navigate the difficult path of grief. Filled with the words of other young adults who have walked this road themselves, you will find that you are not alone—and that things do get better. You will learn how to honor the memory of those you have lost what movies, writers, musicians, and philosophers can teach us about grief what has helped other teenagers work through their grief the many resources available to you, including websites, videos, music, podcasts, and more Grief is one of the most personal emotions we can experience—no one will ever have the unique relationship you had with your family member or friend. At the same time, the sadness of grief is one of the most universal feelings. This book shows both the personal and universal sides of mourning, bringing a message of hope during a difficult time.

 Erdrich , Louise . LaRose: A Novel . New York: Harper Perennial, 2016. ———. The Painted Drum. ... Gootman, Marilyn E. When a Friend Dies: A Book for Teens about Grieving and Healing. 3rd ed. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit, 2019."

Women in Buddhist Traditions

A new history of Buddhism that highlights the insights and experiences of women from diverse communities and traditions around the world Buddhist traditions have developed over a period of twenty-five centuries in Asia, and recent decades have seen an unprecedented spread of Buddhism globally. From India to Japan, Sri Lanka to Russia, Buddhist traditions around the world have their own rich and diverse histories, cultures, religious lives, and roles for women. Wherever Buddhism has taken root, it has interacted with indigenous cultures and existing religious traditions. These traditions have inevitably influenced the ways in which Buddhist ideas and practices have been understood and adapted. Tracing the branches and fruits of these culturally specific transmissions and adaptations is as challenging as it is fascinating. Women in Buddhist Traditions chronicles pivotal moments in the story of Buddhist women, from the beginning of Buddhist history until today. The book highlights the unique contributions of Buddhist women from a variety of backgrounds and the strategies they have developed to challenge patriarchy in the process of creating an enlightened society. Women in Buddhist Traditions offers a groundbreaking and insightful introduction to the lives of Buddhist women worldwide.

 Halifax , Joan . Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death . Boston: Shambhala, 2009. ______. Standing at the Edge: Finding Freedom Where Fear and Courage Meet. New York: Flatiron Books, 2018."

Dancing with Cancer

Diana had never been ill and on diagnosis she stepped into a parallel world of waiting rooms, treatments, friends and family who supported - or fled - as life became both exquisitely precious and terrible. Dancing with Cancer is a human drama, a ride on the roller coaster of hope and despair and, as the gradients became gentler, a journey through meditation and creativity to wisdom and acceptance.

(trans) The EssentialRumi Penguin 1995 Halifax Joan . Being with Dying . Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness inthe Presence of Death . Shambala Publications 2009 Ladinsky Daniel. (trans) The Subject Tonight is Love."

Mourning the Dream--Amor Fati

The inner figure of the blind victim, the one who has the power to withstand the dark pull of the archetypal dynamic of illness/wholeness, was particularly active for a long period of time after I initially lost my eyesight. She kept looking for what I could not see, checking each eye over and over again separately, crying out in despair to the other eye to see if it could not grasp what this one could not. As a metaphor pointing to something not seen—shadow material not identified with—the soul of my blindness kept reaching out past her claustrophobic confinement to the blackness pressing in on her. She was relentless in her efforts to stay connected to the “not-me” that might help her learn how to see in another less literal way. I reflect now on how seeing and my sense of self became symbiotic in that what I could see, I felt was still a part of me; I could still be whole. I still had a relationship with these parts of my experience. And what I could not see, was not lost to me forever vanished as if my very sense of myself was suddenly unavailable, absent. Dead.

 Halifax , Joan . Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death . Boston: Shambhala, 2008. Hillman, James. Archetypal Psychology: A Brief Account. Dallas: Spring, 1988. ———. “An Inquiry into Image."

Love and Vulnerability

Love and Vulnerability: Thinking with Pamela Sue Anderson developed out of the desire for dialogue with the late feminist philosopher Pamela Sue Anderson’s extraordinary, previously unpublished, last work on love and vulnerability. The collection publishes this work for the first time, with a diverse, multidisciplinary, international range of contributors responding to it, to Anderson’s oeuvre as a whole and to her life and death. Anderson’s path-breaking work includes A Feminist Philosophy of Religion (1998) and Re-visioning Gender in Philosophy of Religion: Reason, Love and Epistemic Locatedness (2012). Her last work critiques, then attempts to rebuild, concepts of love and vulnerability. Reason, critical self-reflexivity, emotion, intuition and imagination, myth and narrative all have a role to play. Social justice, friendship, conversation, dialogue, collective work are central to her thinking. Contributors trace the emergence of Anderson’s late thinking, extend her conversations with the history of philosophy and contemporary voices such as hooks and Butler, and bring her work into contact with debates in theology; Continental and analytic philosophy; feminist, queer and transgender theory; postcolonial theory; African-American studies. Discussions engage with the Me Too movement and sexual violence, climate change, sweatshops, neoliberalism, death and dying, and the nature of the human. Originally published as a special issue of the journal, Angelaki, this large, wide-ranging collection, featuring a number of distinguished contributors, makes a significant contribution to the burgeoning interdisciplinary research on interpersonal relations, sympathy and empathy, affect and emotion.

During the weeks that I cared for Pamela before her death , her academic work about vulnerability became real and embodied. ... Halifax , Joan . Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death ."

Embracing the End of Life

Explore the Resistance to Death, and Awaken More Fully to Life Death is simply one more aspect of being a human being, but in our culture, we've made it a taboo. As a result, most of us walk through life with conscious or unconscious fears that prevent us from experiencing true contentment. Embracing the End of Life invites you to lean into your beliefs and questions about death and dying, helping you release tense or fearful energy and awaken to a more vital life now. Preparing mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for this inevitable transition provides improved clarity and strength. This book shares the idea of death as a journey of three steps—resistance, letting go, and transcendence. With dozens of exercises, practices, and meditations, author Patt Lind-Kyle helps you experience your truest, most expansive self. Exploring multiple aspects of life and death—with everything from chakras and the Enneagram to living wills and health care directives—this book is meant to help you unwind the challenge of death and discover the truth of your own path to inner freedom. Praise: "The fear of dying keeps countless people from living fully—as well as keeping countless others trapped in endless suffering. Embracing the End of Life will help all of us prepare joyously for the inevitable."—Christiane Northrup, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Goddesses Never Age Winner of a 2018 Gold IPPY Award

 Jenkinson , Stephen . Die Wise: A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul . Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2015. Johnson, Robert A. The Fisher King and the Handless Maiden. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1993. Joyce, James. Dubliners."

The Still Point of the Turning World

Like all mothers, Emily Rapp had ambitious plans for her first and only child, Ronan. He would be smart, loyal, physically fearless, and level-headed, but fun. He would be good at crossword puzzles like his father. He would be an avid skier like his mother. Rapp would speak to him in foreign languages and give him the best education. But all of these plans changed when Ronan was diagnosed at nine months old with Tay-Sachs disease, a rare and always-fatal degenerative disorder. Ronan was not expected to live beyond the age of three; he would be permanently stalled at a developmental level of six months. Rapp and her husband were forced to re-evaluate everything they thought they knew about parenting. They would have to learn to live with their child in the moment; to find happiness in the midst of sorrow; to parent without a future. The Still Point of the Turning World is the story of a mother’s journey through grief and beyond it. Rapp’s response to her son’s diagnosis was a belief that she needed to “make my world big”—to make sense of her family’s situation through art, literature, philosophy, theology and myth. Drawing on a broad range of thinkers and writers, from C.S. Lewis to Sylvia Plath, Hegel to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Rapp learns what wisdom there is to be gained from parenting a terminally ill child. In luminous, exquisitely moving prose she re-examines our most fundamental assumptions about what it means to be a good parent, to be a success, and to live a meaningful life.

... Louise, The Wild Iris Halifax , Joan , Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death Havel, Václav, Open Letters: Selected Writings, 1965–1990 Heaney, Seamus, Opened Ground Poems, 1966–1996 Kafka, ..."

Compassion in the 4 Dharmic Traditions

The Dharmic traditions – Hinduism; Buddhism; Jainism; and Sikhism – share much in common; not with standing a number of variations among them. In all these traditions the scriptures; writings; and practices hold compassion as an integral part and a supreme virtue. This collection of essays by leading scholars from different disciplines aptly captures the essence of the religious and spiritual aspects of these traditions as they relate to compassion. Most of the authors are practitioner-scholars and are experts in their own disciplines; including sciences; humanities; social sciences; law; and religion. The experts met in September 2014 at Naropa University in Boulder; Colorado; for two days of lively deliberations under the auspices of the Uberoi Foundation for Religious Studies; which was established to spread awareness and promote understanding of the Dharmic traditions throughout North America. After addressing the ‘central and fundamental’ knowledge of these traditions and the common features and interactions among them; the essays here discuss compassion from various perspectives; such as relationship with the natural world and the environment; selfless service; and the treatment of animals. A final set of essays sheds light on the significance of compassion in each of these Dharmic traditions. As a comparative study; this is a unique collection from which a clear picture emerges of the central theme of moral and compassionate conduct in the Dharmic traditions.

Ira Byock, M.D., Foreword to Joan Halifax . Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death (Boston: Shambhala, 2008), xi. One of the most popular Buddhist books in the West for dealing with death is ..."

Embracing Wisdom: Soaring in the Second Half of Life

Here is the first handbook to help you discover how to access the secrets of the second half of life. The reward is wisdom, serenity, and deeper self-knowledge. In the first half of life we strive, work, compete, achieve, and accumulate. Will we do this until we die? Because we live in a world that worships youth, aging in America isn't pleasant; we have no imagination for the spiritual adventure that aging offers. While Embracing Wisdom doesn't shirk from the real challenges of this time of life, it points to a new understanding of how to experience loss not as tragedy but as compost for wisdom. Based upon the pioneering work of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Embracing Wisdom: Soaring in the Second Half of Life presents aging in the 21st Century as the newest frontier in human development. It sets a path and purpose for the boomer generation to complete life successfully and leave a legacy to future generations.

 Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. s in the End s in the End New York: Metropolitan Books, 2014. Halifax , Joan . Being with Dying : Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death ."