Product Description In this long-awaited book of inspiring and practical teachings, Buddhist teacher Joan Halifax offeres the fruits of her many years of work 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, facing their own death, or 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.
Customer Reviews:
A sales pitch for BuddhismAugust 23, 2008 0 out of 4 found this review helpful
Joan Halifax has spent many years caring for and spending time with dying people. I assumed her experience in this field would leave valuable insights for caregivers and the living alike, much like Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. What I found was a work that treats Buddhism as if it were a concept, but never takes that extra step to go into the teaching. Furthermore, the writer assumes the reader knows nothing about Buddhism and never spent time with a person in need. As such, it is useless for anyone with the least bit of experience with either.
My advice to Joan Halifax- do not use Buddhist terminology or mention Buddhism in your books. What you do in your private life is your business, but a book like this should be a gift to all caregivers- not just those of your ilk. Caregivers can be Christian, Muslim, Hindu- or might choose no religion at all. Can you see how your book might alienate those who would rather not be taken in by Buddhist concepts?
A book on end of life care should be as far reaching as possible. Death is bigger than religion for the simple reason that it affects all of us.
Straight from and to the heartAugust 20, 2008 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Healthy, clear, concise guidance, including reflective meditation to care for those who are dying.
At the same time in developing compassion and fearlessness to face the dying, it concurrently provides a guide for healthy living.
Who knows what is most important in life? Those who deny it and live on in ignorant bliss, or those for whom it is already knocking on their door.
Another Halifax GiftAugust 15, 2008 2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Joan Halifax brings deep wisdom and caring to every moment, and this book is one more example of the gifts she shares so freely. We all deal with death and dying, now or later, ours or others, and this wise book will help us traverse the terrain more gracefully.
