A nurse draws on a teachings of Tibetan Buddhism and on thirty years of personal experience to offer practical advice on the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of caring for the dying. Readers learn: - How the terminally ill can experience emotional and spiritual healing even when they can't be cured - Techniques for promoting a peaceful environment for the dying and their loved ones - Useful resources from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition on facing death with honesty, courage, and compassion - What to expect during the dying process and how to meet changing needs - How to appreciate the special opportunities for inner growth that become available as death approaches. Sacred Passage, Margaret Coberly, Shambhala Publications, 162 pages, $21.95
Margaret Coberly, Ph.D., R.N., has been a nurse for more than thirty years, working in inner-city trauma centers and in hospice settings. She holds a doctorate in psychology, is a faculty member at the University of Phoenix, and lectures at the University of Hawaii. Dr. Coberly is also a nurse educator and works as the director of research and development at Hospice Hawaii.
Table of Contents: Sacred Passage
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1 PART ONE: DEATH IN WESTERN HEALTH CARE
1 The Problem of Death Denial 11
The Prevailing Medical Paradigm 16
Nursing School and Death Denial 19
Emergency Room Practice 22
Death Denial in the Community 24 2 A Broader View of Healing 29
Kübler-Ross and the Plight of the Dying 30
Palliative Care and Healing 32
Healing and the Power of the Mind 35
Reflecting on Death 38 3 Awakening to Impermanence and Facing Death 45
Death's Scythe 50
Questioning Assumptions 58 PART TWO: RESOURCES FROM THE TIBETAN BUDDHIST TRADITION
4 Ceaseless Transformation 65
Dependent Origination: The Truth of Impermanence 66
Karma: Form and Shadow Remain Linked 68
Ordinary Mind: The Worlds We Find Ourselves In 70
Enlightened Mind: The Light Within 71
Rebirth: The Realms of Cyclic Existence 72
The Tibetan Book of the Dead: An Instruction Manual 74 5 The Eight Stages of Dissolution 79
Stage 1: Earth Dissolves into Water (Mirage) 82
Stage 2: Water Dissolves into Fire (Smoke) 84
Stage 3: Fire Dissolves into Wind (Fireflies) 86
Stage 4: Wind Dissolves into Space (Flame) 87
Stage 5: Ordinary Mind States Dissolve (White Flash) 88
Stages 6–8: Subtle Mind States Dissolve (Red Flash, Black Flash, Clear Light) 89
The Tibetan Art of Death: Two Lamas 92
Summary Table of the Eight Stages of Dissolution 94 PART THREE: PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS FOR CARE PROVIDERS
6 Tibetan Buddhist Practice and the Dying Trajectory 101
The Tibetan Buddhist Death Meditation 103
Hearing the Diagnosis: Death Is Certain 106
What Do I Say? Time of Death Is Uncertain 109
Focusing: At Death Only the Condition of the Mind Has Value 112 7 Developing a Transpersonal Stance in Care of the Dying 115
Presence, Not Pretense 117
Promoting Peace in Relationships: Forgiveness 119
Ensuring Peace at the End: Sacred Passage 121 Notes 125
Recommended Readings 143
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