Death and Serving the Dying
Winter/Spring 1990 Vol. 06 #2
Winter/Spring 1990 Vol. 06 #2
Features
Expanding “My” Pain into “The” Pain: An Interview with Stephen Levine
By Shoshana Alexander, Barbara Gates, Wes Nisker
Stephen Levine, with his wife Ondrea, has become internationally recognized for his service to the dying and grieving as well as his work in healing.
Augusta Lucas-Andreae shares two stories about the transformative experience of doing art therapy with hospice patients.
Photographs by Raja Hornstein and quotes drawn from Zen Hospice volunteers’ collective journal illustrate Frank Ostaseski’s thoughts on “conscious caregiving.”
When death-awareness contemplation is done properly, it’s astonishing how much stability and peace come out of it. Larry Rosenberg offers a practice outline and guides us through this meditation.
Joseph Goldstein describes the ways meditation can help us understand and relate to death and dying, noting that the Pali word for meditation is “bhavana,” which means mental development or bringing forth.
Shoshana Alexander tells us of sensations she experienced upon the death of her sister that led her to a 1982 lecture given by Kalu Rinpoche. Here, excerpts from that lecture detail the outer signs and inner experiences of death.
Dipa Ma: A Memorial
By Carol Wilson, Michele McDonald, Jack Engler, Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield
Michele McDonald presents a biography of Dipa Ma, followed by her own and other teachers’ personal stories about this beloved, blessing-bestowing woman who was a profound role model—”the most wonderful combination of loving grandma, wise dhamma mother, and deeply enlightened being.”
Ruth Hirsch compiled a brief, annotated list of books that relate to this issue’s topic.
INSIGHT MEDITATION NEWS
Sharon Salzberg reflects upon the blessings and challenges Western vipassana teachers experience when, by offering the teachings freely, they establish livelihoods that are dependent on donations.
The Dharma and the Drama
Wes Nisker laughs at death. “Crazy wisdom tries to explain it this way: If life is a joke, then death is the punch line.”