Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death

Description

A Buddhist teacher draws from her years of experience in caring for the dying to provide inspiring lessons on how to face death with courage and compassion The Buddhist approach to death can be of great benefit to people of all backgrounds-as has been demonstrated by Joan Halifax's decades of work with the dying and their caregivers. A Zen priest and a world-renowned pioneer in care of the dying, Halifax has helped countless people face death with courage and trained caregivers in compassioante end-of-life care. 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. 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.Being with Dyingis a source of wisdom for anyone who is facing their own death, caring for someone who is dying, or wishing to explore the transformative power of the dying process.

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.

"A moving meditation on palliative care. . . . A supremely readable book that will attract readers of all faiths who will appreciate her clarity and compassion and the poignancy of these stories of ordinary people facing their final hours with quiet courage." -Publishers Weekly "This compelling, brave, and wise book draws from a lifetime of remarkable work with people at the end of life." -Andrew Weil, MD "Joan Halifax has a knack for straight talk and sublime insight-a no-holds-barred approach to life's greatest challenge, dying well. This book beckons to those who dare, and those who care; it's a profound and practical guidebook to the inevitable final dance." -Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence "This book is a gift of wisdom and practical guidance for living." -Ira Byock, MD, author of Dying Well and The Four Things That Matter Most