Death and Dying

Death & Dying

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In Buddhism, the process of death and dying is recognized as a natural stage in cyclic existence—samsara. Many traditional authors describe the process of transitioning from one life to the next as an opportunity to discover freedom from samsara, and therefore emphasize meditative practice and self-reflection geared to prepare a person mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, to face death.

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Recent Books on Death and Dying

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Articles

Thich Nhat Hanh on Dying…and Living

Thich Nhat Hanh on Dying...and Living For more from Thich Nhat Hanh, who passed away on January 22, 2022, see his author page with books, audiobooks, cards, as well as anthologies where his teachin...

How to Be with the Dying

Buddhist End-of-Life Care An excerpt from Living Is Dying Confidence and Motivation First of all, the fact that you want to help the dying person—that you are even thinking about them—in...

Preparing to Care

“I don’t think I can do this!” Perhaps this was the first thought that went through your mind when you heard the sad news and you are about to visit for the first time. That’s okay. Most ...

Present through the End | Discussion Guide

Guiding Questions Introduction 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...

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Videos

Present through the End

The Passing Away of Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche

Andrew Holecek on His Book Preparing to Die

Steve Buscemi and Sam Bercholz Discuss A Guided Tour of Hell

Susan Moon on This is Getting Old

Anyen Rinpoche and Allison Choying Zangmo Co-teaching Living the Dharma

Joan Halifax on Being with Dying

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

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Snow Lion Articles

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche on Traversing the Bardo of Becoming

What happens right after death? Dzogchen Rinpoche’s practical description of the taste of that experience is taken from his book Mind Beyond Death. In the first stage of this bardo, when we still see ourselves as who we are right now, the appearances of the life we have just left can arise for us quite...

Rounding Off the Practice: Preparing for Death

The beauty of this Mahayana practice for the end of life is that it can be shared with friends and family who may not be Buddhist. This simple, five-aspected practice is adapted from The Seven- Point Mind Training: A Tibetan Method for Cultivating Mind and Heart by B. Alan Wallace. The following article...

The Brain and Mind Relationship

The following article is from the Summer, 2003 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here. The Scientific Frontier of the Inner Spirit by B. ALAN WALLACE With the union of scientific and contemplative inquiry, humanity...

Death, Dying and Reincarnation

The following article is from the Spring, 2002 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here. How to Contemplate and Encounter Death from a Buddhist Point of View Venerable Traleg Kyapgon Rinpoche at his...

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