By Ralph White The spring of 2020 marks a quarter of a century since the Open Center organized the first Art of Dying conference, co-sponsored by Tibet House. It took place in a large midtown hotel and attracted a sell-out crowd of 700 participants. As we … [Read more...]
How an Encounter with Death Can Change Your Life
By Simcha Raphael At the age of four, I encountered death for the first time when my maternal grandmother suddenly disappeared from my life. Faced with the absence of a person who had been a deep source of love and nurturance, I probingly questioned all the … [Read more...]
What Grief Teaches Us
By Julie Lange Groth In the depths of our grief, something new is being born in us. Grief is the dark mother delivering from her womb of sorrow an unfolding version of ourselves. This new version experiences dimensions of emotion that the old version could … [Read more...]
Walking Each Other Home
by Mirabai Bush After breakfast, [Ram Dass and I] go upstairs, where [he] has his bed, a bathroom, his office — a wall of books, photos of friends, an altar with Maharaj-ji’s picture, a phone, an intercom. Lakshman, who helps care for Ram Dass, moves him from … [Read more...]
Open Center History – The Art of Dying 5: Spiritual, Scientific and Practical Approaches to Living and Dying
By Ralph White April 2015 The Open Center has been engaged with the great matter of living and dying for well over twenty years now, and has seen the discussion of this topic move closer to the heart of society and away from the fringes. One of the most … [Read more...]