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

(Paperback)

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A caregiver to the dying herself, Zen teacher Joan Halifax shares her experiences and wisdom from thirty years of being with people who are in the process of dying or are taking care of someone who is dying. Based on Buddhist principles, her teachings point out that we can open and contact our inner strength, and we can help others who are suffering to do the same. Her seasoned, realistic approach to caring for and being present with people in the last stages of life is encouraging because she has seen so much death and grief, yet she remains open-hearted and inspired. Halifax observes that millions will have to deal with the loss of parents and loved ones and that we are largely unprepared emotionally for their deaths. She presents the notion that the process of dying is a rite of passage. Halifax offers stories from her personal experience as well as guided exercises and contemplations to help readers contemplate death without fear, develop a commitment to helping others, and transform suffering and resistance into courage. Topics and exercises include- Learning to see death as a rite of passage The guiding principles of bearing witness and how self-awareness can help us to relate more fully with others How to take care of ourselves when we're taking care of others Contemplation on the universality of death How to transform pain and fear with lovingkindness And much more Coupled with a new foreword by Frank Ostaseski, a leader in the field of death and dying palliative care, the guidance and experiences represented in Being with Dying are invaluable in supporting and instilling peace as the journey of life unfolds and inevitably reaches not only an end, but also a new beginning. In this classic book of inspiring and practical teachings, Buddhist teacher Joan Halifax offerswisdom from her many years working with dying people. Inspired by traditional Buddhist teachings, her work is a source of wisdom for all those who are charged with a dying person's care, who are facing their own death, or who are wishing to explore and contemplate the transformative power of the dying process. 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. She says, "Why wait until we are actualy dying to explore what it may mean to die with awareness" A world-renowned pioneer in care of the dying, Joan Halifax founded the Project on Being with Dying, which helps dying people to face death with courage and trains professional and family caregivers in compassionate and ethical end-of-life care.

Reviews

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 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

Joan Halifax has a knack for straight talk and sublime insighta 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

Joan Halifax has taken the great matter of death and dying and woven a tapestry of stories, wisdom, and practical advice for care of the dyingall against a background of compassion.
Charles R. Lewis, MD, Medical Director, Inpatient Care Center, San Diego Hospice and Palliative Care

This book picks up where many books about palliative care end, by giving us a sense of the possibilities offered by an encounter with a dying person. Joan Halifax gives us a map of territory not usually mentioned in medical discussions about dying. Her book deserves to be read by clinicians who take care of people with life-threatening illnesses, from the beginning of their journey through the last moments of life and beyond.
Anthony Back, MD, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

Joan Halifax guides us in receiving the grace and healing of abiding in the present moment as the balm for our fears, anger, grief, and sadness. She is a masterful teacher, wise sage, and mentor for dying people, their families, and professional caregivers.
Cynda Hylton Rushton, PhD, RN, John Hopkins University and Children's Center

This beautiful book is both a gentle comfort and a fierce guide to the experience of living, of which death is simply a part. Joan Halifax poignantly and generously offers the wisdom and practices she embodies. A gift beyond measure.
Margaret J. Wheatley, PhD, author of Leadership and the New Science

Through the lens of Halifaxs discussion of death, even the most devoted yogis will be able to deepen their experience of presence in everyday life.
Eric Larson, Whole Life Times

This compelling, brave, and wise book draws from a lifetime of remarkable work with people at the end of life.
Andrew Weil, MD

Author Bio

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.