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Dying Consciously
In the Mahabharata, the sage Yuddisthira is
asked:
“Of all things in life, what is the most amazing?”
Yudhisthira answers:
“That man, seeing others die all around him, never thinks that he will
die.”
We can walk through this life
with grace and courage. And we can assist each other with the knowledge
and tools that have been handed down to us through the ages. This
knowledge shows the direction of trust towards life's great mystery and
journey.
There is principle that holds the key to living and even more so as we
approach our final moments - and that key is the degree to which we are
connected to our core and spirit. All of the great world religions point
out the importance of our preparation and our state as we approach those
moments.
Unfortunately, for many people that preparation and the tools to provide
it are not available. Instead, there is a cultural habit of avoidance and
denial. In the end it can lead to great suffering and the loss of perhaps
the most precious opportunity to move forward with greatness, courage and
faith, not only for a dying person, but also for their families.
This site has been created in part to address these issues, to illumine
life's great mystery and journey and to provide the resources and support
to move towards a more fulfilling and grateful experience.
If you are interested in pursuing this
knowledge, there is a way to begin. We invite you to learn the Four Gifts
of Passage™ as offered in the 'Dying
Consciously: The Greatest Journey' course. This course is taught by Susana
Sori, Certified Teacher, Institute for Energy Medicine and the Four Winds
Society. Learn about death and how to be present and assist a loved one
during their greatest transition. Learn about life and how you can pass
through this world with more ease and lightness. Learn about who you truly
are.
For information on Dying Consciously Course
Favorite Books:
There
exist great writings about the
physiology of the death experience which point the way to further
contemplation about that fleeting moment. Below I offer you a sharing of
my favorite books to date on the subject.
View a printable
reading list, in PDF version, which
includes the perspectives of both Western and Eastern traditions
A must read for all…
Graceful Exits:
How Great Beings Die
Death stories of Tibetan, Hindu and Zen Masters
Compiled and edited by Sushila Blackman
I found Graceful Exits to be an inspirational presentation of the
way great beings live the moment of their death. In a society that tries
to hide and ignore death because of fear and denial, this book is an
important contribution that allows us to see the possibility of leaving
this world with grace, clarity, dignity and even humor.
For those who want to dive deeply into the
physiology of death…
Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth
in Tibetan Buddhism
Lati Rinbochay and Jeffrey Hopkins
This is an extraordinary work. A study of the Highest Yoga of Tantra,
aimed at stopping death and rebirth as well as the intermediate states
between the two. For a person who seeks right understanding and their own
freedom, it may be important to know how humans die – the stages and
physiological reasons behind them. This highly technical manual of medical
insight
in subtle physiology provides a detailed explanation of the currents of
energies that serve as a foundation for various levels of consciousness.
Depending on the serial collapse of these currents’ abilities to serve as
basis for consciousness, the events of death unfold. As right
understanding enhances trust and trust overcomes fear, I highly recommend
this book to those curious about the details of a moment which we must all
eventually meet.
The
Tibetan Book of the Living and Dying
Sogyal Rinpoche
Sogyal Rinpoche shows
the hope there is in death: how we can go beyond denial and fear to
discover what it is in us that survives death and is changeless. This book
is a manual, a guide and a source of sacred inspiration.
For those wanting a historical and cultural look
at the subject of death…
Meditation and the
Art of Dying
Pandit Usharbudh Arya
As the title hints, meditation is truly a practice that prepares us for
the event of death, as it can give us glimpses of that which cannot be
intellectually understood but only experienced. In meditation, as in going
from waking to sleep, then to deep sleep and back, we learn to notice
subtleties in changes of consciousness; we learn to distinguish how the
senses activate or collapse at each level of awareness.
This book integrates history and philosophical wisdom and offers different
cultural aspects of the event of death.
A true gem for those who love the mythic journey…
Dialogue with Death
The Spiritual Psychology of the Katha Upanishad
Eknath Easwaran
This book is based on the ancient myth of Nachiketa taken from a mystical
scripture called the Katha Upanishad, one of the ten principal documents
of the ancient world. Nachiketa is a daring teenager, an astute and
ruthless observer who descends into the Land of Death to ask the King of
Death himself about the meaning of life. Nachiketa waits at the gates of
death for 3 days and 3 nights and finally extracts all the knowledge of
the art of life that he can from Death. Death repeatedly tries to get out
of it by offering him all kinds of favors. Thus begins an instruction
which throws life into the sharpest perspective.
In Dialogue with Death the writer expands on the meaning of this story
adding his own commentaries. Yet, feel free to dive in and create your own
commentaries because the true nectar of contemplation is in the original
scripture, which the writer offers us in the direct translation in the
back of the book.
Does Death Really Exist?
Swami Muktananda
Swami Muktananda
belonged to the lineage of Siddhas, Self-realized masters with the ability
to awaken the spiritual potential in others. Revered in his own country
for his spiritual attainment and the universality of his teachings, he
became one of the most highly respected meditation masters in the world.
In this poetic essay, he explores the nature of death and the meaning of
immortality.
For those interested in developing clarity….
Dream Yoga and the
Practice of Natural Light
Namkhai Norbu
This book is a support to the practice of awareness, during sleep and
while dreaming, as a tool for enhancing and generating greater awareness
at the time of death. It is written from the perspective of Tibetan
Buddhism from the Dzogchen tradition. Hints for a night practice appear.
And, for the fun of it all!...
The Oversoul Seven Trilogy
Written by Jane Roberts
Three imaginative tales, collected in one volume: The Education of Oversoul Seven, The Further Education of Oversoul Seven, Oversoul Seven
and the Museum of Time. I read these tales in 1979 to 1984, in a time when
I was extremely curious and contemplating the possibilities of parallel
universes, rather than thinking in the accepted linear way where ‘life after life’
comes into play. I found these great fun and great food for my
imagination.
Jane Roberts takes us through a mind-altering exploration of our inner
being, an exploration of consciousness while celebrating life. ‘Seven’
explores the nature of being and learns to communicate with four of his
‘incarnations’, faces new problems as his incarnations struggle with the
meaning of life and free will, and finally learns by taking up residence
in a human body in order to find the eternal truths that offer us energy,
right understanding and fulfillment. A really fun and enlightening read.
Further information on the process of Dying
Consciously
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