In the Mirror of Death
Starts Saturday, January 18th ( 8 Weeks )
10 am PT / 1 pm ET
“Death is real, it comes without warning. This body will be a corpse.”
- The Four Thoughts for Turning The Mind to the Dharma
While we all know we are going to die some day, most of us go about our daily lives acting as if it will never happen. Ignoring the reality of our own death is not only burying our head in the sand, but it also means we are missing an incredible opportunity to allow the reality of our mortality to inform and enrich the way we live.
If you are interested in exploring your own attitudes about death and would like to learn from the practical wisdom and spiritual outlook of the Tibetan Buddhist teachings on preparing for death, then this course is for you. We will present teachings on death and dying as found in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, including guidance on meditation and the Essential Phowa, a practice for the moment of death. Participants will be guided in structured contemplation sessions as a way to deepen their understanding and encourage personal engagement with these Buddhist teachings.
In addition to providing participants with tools to personally prepare for death, this course will include practices for supporting someone nearing death, which can help them to meet death reassured by loving support, peace of mind, and increased confidence.
Meet the instructors for this course:
Gail Kollner began investigating Buddhism in the 1970s, taking refuge with Dodrupchen Rinpoche in 1974. She met Sogyal Rinpoche during this period when he was interpreting for Dudjom Rinpoche. She formally requested to become Sogyal Rinpoche's student in 1985, and assisted for many years to organize events and retreats in America. She has been a national team member, course instructor, and US retreat presenter. Gail has been entrusted as a senior teacher in Rigpa and continues to serve on the US teaching services team. She has a particular interest in the teachings on ngöndro and on death and dying. She has been a registered nurse specializing in hospice care, and has a Master’s degree in Psychology.
Tom Andrews met Sogyal Rinpoche in 1999, and began instructing in 2001. He has been Rigpa US Teaching Services Director during which time he helped to facilitate US retreats, coordinated events with various lamas, and courses with local sanghas. He has helped to develop Rigpa courses, and newsletters for the Rigpa student mandalas. He has attended retreats with Rinpoche over many years including in the US, Lerab Ling, and Germany. He is the National Curriculum Holder for Foundation and Mahayana courses.
