Thursday

Dying & Death Classes on Shambhala Online

By Alley Smith

Death is the greatest of all teachers. –The Buddha

Shambhala Online has been offering a variety of courses on topics related to dying and death. These topics enable the sangha and outside community members to gather and think about death, engage in contemplative practices, and toil with topics such as fear, anxiety, the unknown, and how to have conversations about death.

The Shambhala community is gathering with purpose: to understand the dying process, to recognize and articulate the role of spiritual, religious and existential support, practices, and cultural norms within the modern Buddhist context. The result is tremendous openness and courage to face the inevitable and unknown in a gentle and relaxed way.

As Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche says, Life is painful with an occasional speck of pleasure. We are born, we get old, we experience sickness, and, last but not least, we die. We are each waiting to die. I’m afraid that is the bad news. Whether you are young or old doesn’t make much difference – everybody will eventually die. So now is the time to do something with your life. We are not interested in developing eternity or immortality, or in preventing being sick or being born. We are interested in doing something while we are alive, while we are breathing, while we see the beauty of the snow, the flowers, the blue sky, the sunshine and many other things we can imagine.

While we are alive we can explore our personal belief systems about dying and death, our struggles, vulnerabilities, strong emotions, personal values, needs, and much more. Death has so much to teach us. Even as the Buddha was dying, he taught that suffering (dukkha) comes from not living in accordance with the truth of impermanence and interdependence. Death itself is a profound spiritual transmission.

Students have been gathering across the global community at Shambhala centers in Seattle, Dallas, Halifax, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia to offer support and practice advice. Communities are interested and invested in doing something while they are alive, while breathing, to be embraced by the sangha, to be met with unconditional kindness and the warmth of the Great Eastern Sun. 

In the end, everything is left up to the individual. Therefore, most Buddhists do not take the truth of impermanence half-heartedly. Whether we are studying the Tibetan Book of the Dead, teachings of Amitabha Buddha, the Pure Lands, Sukhavati, Bodhichitta, the Bardos, and a vast array of teachings, we must do as many great Rinpoches and Tibetan lamas suggest. Engage in whichever practices are clearest, familiar, and most vivid on our deathbeds.

While we are alive we must be willing to face old age, sickness, and death with confidence and fearlessness. We must abandon any notion of resentment and attachment. Ask yourself, why would the Buddha say, Death is the greatest of all teachers? What can we learn from his words? In the end, as Trungpa Rinpoche says, “It’s up to you sweetheart.”

Shambhala Online would like to invite you to attend any one of these upcoming sessions in 2025:

Fear & Fearlessness: Navigating Life & Loss

March 27. During this online session, we will explore Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s teachings on “Fear and Fearlessness” from the timeless classic, Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior.

The Buddha’s Discourse on Teachings to Be Given to the Sick 

November 1. During this mini-retreat, we will read and explore the Buddha’s Discourse on the Teachings to Be Given to the Sick. We will examine traditional Buddhist teachings on the six senses, six sense objects, six elements, the five aggregates, and more.

Making Friends with Death & Dying: Support Group (1st Monday night of every month)

Next session April 7. Support group sessions will include a short talk, meditation practice, and an open forum to discuss personal experiences with old age, sickness, death, grief and bereavement. All are welcome. We respect your privacy. These sessions will not be recorded.

The 49 Day Ceremony: A Celebration of Life & Death

December 13. Join Chaplain Alley Smith for a 3-hour online mini-retreat as she guides participants into a deeper understanding of the 49 Day Ceremony and the common Buddhist practices and rituals that follow someone’s death – all within a modern Buddhist context.

Alley Smith (she/her) is an ordained Zen Buddhist Chaplain, scholar, researcher, and lecturer who serves at a college and university. Alley is deeply influenced by Pure Land Buddhism and Vajrayana. She has been a member of Shambhala and Zen since 1999. Alley works in the funeral industry in Vermont. She teaches a number of courses on Shambhala Online.