First Session: Cozying up to Death and the Bardos in Daily Life
This course with Susan Shannon, M. Div., BCC, will explore some of the treasures from the Buddhist Tradition related to Death and Dying. Of all the schools of Buddhism, the Tibetan tradition goes into this area the deepest.
Death and Dying from a Buddhist Perspective
A Three Session Course
Sundays, March 13, 20, 27
10 AM-12PM PST
Led by Susan Shannon, M.Div, BCC
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Cozying up to Death and the Bardos in Daily Life
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Being present with Death in Real Life: It’s Elemental!
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Inviting the Mystery; Bringing it all Back Home
Our course will start with identifying the many little deaths we’ve already had in our life, as well as the many bardos, or in-between states which are a part of our daily lives. Becoming familiar with those will lead us into how to be more present with the death process at the end of our lives.
From there, we’ll orbit around the teaching of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, otherwise known as the Bardo Thodal, which translates into “The Great Liberation in the Intermediate State through Hearing.” The Tibetan Book of the Dead has often been called a roadmap to the death and dying process. The whole point of this text is that if we become familiar with this roadmap during life, when we pass, we know the way and can proceed directly to liberation.
We will also come to understand how Buddhist meditation allows us to work within our psychological framework with the idea and intention that our meditation practice can lay the groundwork for a good death.
Cost: Sliding scale donation $90 or $140
ABOUT THE TEACHER
Susan Shannon, M. Div., BCC has been “married to the Dharma” since 1971, first studying Chinese Buddhism, then finding home with Tibetan Tradition. She took refuge with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1980 and in 1983 took refuge and teachings with His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche, the great master of the Karma Kagyu and Shangpa lineages. Over the years she’s also taken refuge with some of Tibet’s greatest masters in the Sakya, Drukpa Kagyu, Dudjom Tersar and Nyingma lineages.