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Author: alexvangils

Number of entries: 156
Email: [email protected]
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Feb 23
Tuesday

Dying Well: A Book and Community Conversation

Filed underCommunity Articles

With Richard Reoch and Ron Schultz

Article by Ron Schultz

“I thought I was preparing for death. And in reality, I learned I was preparing to live more fully.”

When Richard Reoch wrote Dying Well, his impetus was an awareness that people didn’t know what to say to people dying or to those diagnosed with a terminal illness. ”There’s a kind of fear or inhibition that grips people emotionally and mentally,” Richard said via Zoom from his London home. “It’s almost like their vocal chords seize up when they are told they have a terminal illness or when they get the news that someone has died. Afterwards they often feel that whatever they said was either superficial or not what they felt in their hearts. I began to realize that there are many ways in which one can express what is in one’s heart.”

The original publisher of Dying Well, Gaia Books, pioneered books on complementary medicine and healing therapies from herbs and oils, to breathwork and massage. “I thought these therapies could be beneficial in the care of the dying,” Richard told me, “as well as those caring for them. For example, we can communicate through touch, through our energetic presence, through meditative practices and through the ability to be still, present, and completely accommodating in support of the person on their journey.”

This was timely information when the book was written and even more so today when the ravages of a pandemic have made us all come face to face with our mortality. The Eightfold Collection, an imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers, specializing in bringing back out of print books on mindfulness, meditation and the Buddhist Path, came to Richard and offered to republish the book. It was clear that now was the time to give Dying Well an auspicious rebirth. Continue…

Author Archive


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1 response - Posted 02.19.21
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How to Watch the Shambhala Day Broadcast – HIGHLIGHT
no responses - Posted 02.17.21
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Touching the Earth Collective: February 2021 – HIGHLIGHT
no responses - Posted 02.08.21
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Dön Season Teachings and Gathering – HIGHLIGHT
no responses - Posted 02.01.21
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Revisiting "Understanding Dön Season"
Revisiting “Understanding Dön Season” – HIGHLIGHT
no responses - Posted 01.25.21
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Shambhala Day Info: Year of the Iron Ox! – HIGHLIGHT
no responses - Posted 01.20.21
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a wild love for the world
A Wild Love for the World: Joanna Macy and the Work for Our Time – HIGHLIGHT
1 response - Posted 01.16.21
Edited by Stephanie Kaza Book review by Christine Heming As an activist, Buddhist scholar, general systems thinker and deep ecologist, Joanna Macy’s work is far-reaching.  Many know her for creating “The Work That Reconnects” and “The Great Turning,” and with her husband Fran, a real-world vision of nuclear ...continue
Virtual Cushion in January: featuring Jeff Scott
Virtual Cushion in January: featuring Jeff Scott – HIGHLIGHT
no responses - Posted 01.12.21
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash By Camren Von Davis Welcome back to Virtual Cushion – a space for open meditation sessions and meditation instruction happening throughout Shambhala’s global community. The goal of Virtual Cushion is to offer a space where meditators at any level can see and tune ...continue
The Love for Truth: Buddhism and Recovery
The Love for Truth: Buddhism and Recovery – HIGHLIGHT
3 responses - Posted 01.08.21
Photo by Justin Dream on Unsplash by Shelly Webb When I started my recovery process over five years ago, I would tell a dear friend of mine, a dharma sister, about how amazing my Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor was, how much I was getting out of the 12-step meetings ...continue
Touching the Earth Collective—January 2021 Newsletter
Touching the Earth Collective—January 2021 Newsletter – HIGHLIGHT
no responses - Posted 01.05.21
Dear Collective’s members and friends, UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ address on “The State of the Planet” from early December at Columbia University is an exceptionally frank assessment of the perilous state of our sacred living environment. He is explicit: “Let’s be clear:  Human activities are at the root ...continue
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How Can Art Enhance The Experience Of Meditation? – HIGHLIGHT
1 response - Posted 12.21.20
Photo by Jelleke Vanooteghem on Unsplash By “Jackie Writing Jackie” Meditation and mindfulness are vital practices embraced by Buddhists, owing to their ability to keep the mind on the eightfold path, as well as the many benefits they bestow on human mental health. If, in the past, meditation ...continue
We are now at the fork of this road
We are now at the fork of this road – HIGHLIGHT
4 responses - Posted 12.15.20
By Richard Reoch “We are now at the fork of this road. We now have an ultimatum or an alternative,” warns Albert Marshall, the Elder who speaks for the Mi’kmaw Nation on the environment. “Is it going to be business as usual? Or are we going to ...continue
Virtual Cushion - A Resource for Meditators Around the Globe
Virtual Cushion – A Resource for Meditators Around the Globe – HIGHLIGHT
no responses - Posted 12.12.20
Photo Credit Dan Horak This week’s Featured Centres: Prague, Czech Republic + Sky Lake Lodge View the full Virtual Cushion calendar for December here.  All are welcome at any session. *Does your Centre or Group offer virtual sessions that you’d like to have featured? Email Camren at [email protected] to have your ...continue
Sacred World
Sacred World – HIGHLIGHT
no responses - Posted 12.09.20
The world is filled with power and wisdom, we’ve just forgotten how to see and feel it. By Halleluiah Strongheart With all of the challenges going on in the world today it’s easy to feel like everything is doomed and that humanity is to blame. From the mishandling ...continue


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