Living Is Dying: How to Prepare for Death, Dying and Beyond

by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse

Paperback, 2020

Collection

Status

Available

Call number

KHY-208

Publication

Shambhala (2020), Edition: Illustrated, 256 pages

Description

"Lifetimes of effort go into organizing, designing, and structuring every aspect of our lives, but how many people are willing to contemplate the inevitability of death? Although dying is an essential part of life, it is an uncomfortable topic that most people avoid. With no idea what will happen when we die and a strong desire to sidestep the conversation, we make all kinds of assumptions. Living Is Dying collects teachings about death and the bardos that have been passed down through a long lineage of brilliant Buddhist masters, each of whom went to great lengths to examine the process in minute detail. Renowned author and teacher Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse responds to the most common questions he's been asked about death and dying--exploring how one prepares for death, what to say to a loved one who is dying, and prayers and practices to use as a handhold when approaching the unknown territory of death. Whether you are facing death today or decades from now, preparing for it can help to allay your worst fears and help you appreciate what it means to be truly alive"--… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member markflanagan
A Buddhist teacher discusses how to prepare for death in the Buddhist tradition. Though not a practicing Tibetan Buddhist, I picked this book up because I am interested in ideas of dying and the afterlife of varied cultural traditions. The author, who is not a particularly good writer, cops to to
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writing the book on his phone, assumes a good deal of Buddhist knowledge, and is contradictory in places (die in the presence of someone who can introduce you to Buddha Nature / die solitarily), and seems ill-equipped to explain essential concepts at times. One example is in this illustration of "the ground of liberation" via this metaphor:

It's a bit like this: Imagine you are sitting on a sofa in a very small living room. Suddeenly, all you want to do is dance, so you move the sofa into the dining room. You can move the sofa because, no matter how heavy and bulky it is, the sofa is movable, and the space you move it into is inherently available.

No more is said about the sofa.
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ISBN

1611808073 / 9781611808070

Similar in this library

Call number

KHY-208

Rating

(1 rating; 2)

Library's review

Lifetimes of effort go into organizing, designing, and structuring every aspect of our lives, but how many people are willing to contemplate the inevitability of death? Although dying is an essential part of life, it is an uncomfortable topic that most people avoid. With no idea what will happen
Show More
when we die and a strong desire to sidestep the conversation, we make all kinds of assumptions.

Living Is Dying collects teachings about death and the bardos that have been passed down through a long lineage of brilliant Buddhist masters, each of whom went to great lengths to examine the process in minute detail. Renowned author and teacher Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse responds to the most common questions he's been asked about death and dying-exploring how one prepares for death, what to say to a loved one who is dying, and prayers and practices to use as a handhold when approaching the unknown territory of death. Whether you are facing death today or decades from now, preparing for it can help to allay your worst fears and help you appreciate what it means to be truly alive.
Show Less
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