Living Is Dying, How to Prepare for Death, Dying and Beyond

No matter who we are – pop star, nurse, teacher, real estate magnate, gardener, atheist, CEO, secretary, road sweeper, agnostic, film critic, Buddhist, home maker – each and every one of us will die. We have no choice, no alternative option, no wiggle room. Death is inevitable. So why do so few of us even think about death, let alone make any effort to prepare ourselves for it?

In his new book, 'Living is Dying', Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche offers a broad spectrum of advice about how to prepare for dying, death and beyond no matter who you are. Inspired by nearly one hundred questions that were put to him by friends and students, Rinpoche describes how to:

prepare for our own death

help, comfort and guide a dying friend or loved one

approach the moment of death

navigate the bardos (intermediate states)

guide the dead

help loved ones who have died

“These teachings about death and the bardos have been passed down through a long lineage of brilliant Buddhist thinkers, each of whom went to great lengths in order to examine the process in minute detail and from every angle. Their advice may well be especially useful for Buddhists, or those attracted to the Buddha’s teachings. Even those of you who know nothing about the teachings of the Buddha but who are open-minded, curious, and perhaps contemplating your own death or that of a loved one, may well find something in these pages that will be of help.”

\- Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche