“Death itself is not what causes fear. It is simply the consciousness leaving the body; one labels death on that event. There is no terrifying death from its own side; the terrifying death is made up by our mind. We have made death terrifying. What causes the worry and fear, what makes death so difficult is attachment, desire, clinging: to this life, to the body, possessions, family, friends and so forth.” — Lama Zopa Rinpoche, How to Face Death Without Fear
Imagine meeting death head on, armed with knowledge and confidence. In this weekend course, we will learn to engage the mind with teachings and practices that prepare us for this natural event, so that we can accept it and face it without fear; and help our loved ones do the same.
Buddhism explains that thinking about death is not morbid, but useful, logical, and necessary because to die well, peacefully and without fear, we need to live well by leading lives based on ethics, compassion, kindness, honesty, and altruism.
In this course, we will look at what death is; what happens when one is dying, what one should do beforehand to prepare, as well as during the death process itself, and what happens after death.