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...]
A Woman of a Certain Age
By Nancy Slonim Aronie Personal narrative and memoir can be about anything. Emotional truth and vulnerability are essential when writing your story. This one I just wrote so now you know aging and dying are on my addled brain. Remember when your kids were … [Read more...]
Making Friends With Death: A New York Open Center Opportunity
By Catharine DeLong Anne Lamott, the American novelist, non-fiction writer and full-of-grace real life philosopher was interviewed during Reimagine End of Life in San Francisco last month. “Death sucks, AND it’s holy,” she explains as she describes being at … [Read more...]
10 Components of a Good Death
A renowned scientist and prolific author, Dr. Edwin Shneidman, believed life is enriched by the contemplation of death and dying. He later wrote a paper titled “Criteria for a Good Death.” Here he lists ten components of what he called a ‘good … [Read more...]
Grieving Through the Holidays
By Claudia Coenen Everyday grief is hard enough, but when special dates loom, what is a bereaved person supposed to do? How will you approach these days, which usually involve celebrating with family, when someone important is now gone? Should you keep time … [Read more...]
Enriching Our Cultural Experience of Dying
By Ruby Parker In modern society, death is often a source of fear and anxiety. The dying may be afraid of the great unknown they are about to face—what will it be like, will they be aware of what’s happening, will it hurt? If they are in a nursing home or … [Read more...]
Let’s Talk About Death (over Dinner)
By Michael Hebb From where I sit, the writing is on the wall. It is time to face the inevitable, and we need a grassroots movement--we need to face our mortality as a village, not as isolated individuals. Funerals, law offices, and hospitals shouldn't be the … [Read more...]
25 Years of the Art of Dying
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...]
