Are you Concerned for Someone who has Died?

Posted on July 28, 2019 by webmaven
Ways to Help those who are Suffering

Medicine Buddha: Helping those who are Suffering

Is it possible to help someone who is dead?

The Buddhist view is that not only can we help those who have died, but we must do something to benefit them! The between lives state, which generally lasts about 7 weeks* after physical death, can be a time of disorientation. Prayers and readings recited with good intention help to orient the being to their true nature and help to relieve confusion and suffering.

Here are some instructions and beautiful prayers for this time and also for the time preceding  death: 8 Buddhist Prayers to Benefit the Dead.

You can also help your friend or loved one to stay aligned on their spiritual path by doing Tonglen, (relieving suffering), Phowa, (blessings w/saints from any religion) and spiritual readings from their favored religion or practice. The Clear Light Prayer is an all purpose non denominational prayer especially good for this time as is Om Mani Padme Hum

In our book Caregiver Revolution we offer many other helpful tools for stress management, developing mindfulness and for working with the transition from caregiving to end of life care. For a short time only we are offering a special promotion to caregivers: signed copies of Caregiver Revolution  sent to  you for only $10 with free shipping! We guarantee that you’ll love our book and we will pay for return shipping if you don’t! If you prefer not to use eBay simply message us at the Caregiver Revolution page on facebook or contact us through this website and we’ll give you the same offer.

Boddhisattva

To further explore the Tibetan Buddhist practices, the Bardo Guidebook  provides a straightforward explanation of some basic principles. Luminous Emptiness by Francesca Fremantle is a comprehensive and scholarly discussion of the teachings. Mind Beyond Death by Dzogchen Ponlop, is very accessible.  The American Book of the Dead by EJ Gold, the Tibetan Book of the Dead interpreted by Chogyam Trungpa and the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by  Sogyal Rinpoche all give the practical instructions on how to do prayers, practices and readings for others. The Dalai Lama has written many books on the subject, all of which are all excellent!!

*7 weeks is a gross average, this time duration can vary greatly, being either shorter or much longer

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How to Beat Caregiver Stress

Posted on July 4, 2019 by webmaven

Here’s how to recognize and handle stress…

Our book Caregiver Revolution presents a wide variety of ways to manage your caregiving situation. For your convenience we have compiled a concise and printable sheet of the EASIEST and most EFFECTIVE ways to recognize and deal with caregiver burnout and stress.  Thank  you www.alsa.org and www.alz.org!

Go to 10 Steps to Beat Caregiver Stress to see the stressbuster sheet.

View, download, print in PDF format: Caregiver sheet1

Please feel free to share this information with others!

All Drawings by the fabulous LIN LARSEN

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CareGiving.com National Convention

Posted on May 27, 2019 by webmaven

Here is the link so that you can make plans to attend the 4th annual National Caregiving Convention in November. Early bird registration still available!

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Angelic Invocation Affirmation Video

Posted on May 4, 2019 by webmaven

I find that watching this short video and acknowledging the actions really does help with stress relief. I don’t know how or why exactly. There is something meditative about it (notice the Tibetan singing bowls) and the affirmations are undoubtedly beneficial. The overall effect leaves me in a less distracted, more centered state especially after a long work day. Please let me know what you think. There are many more of these orbs which I hopefully will be posting for relaxation, mindfulness, meditation, helping the dying and other remedies.

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Facing Death Calmly – The Dalai Lama

Posted on April 12, 2019 by webmaven

Facing Death calmly, without fear: Since we have no escape from death, it is wise to learn how to face it. We must accept the idea of death and instead of being afraid, we may feel a sense of excitement, and having made preparations over the years, we should be able to meet the challenge of death effectively, explains Dalai Lama. He adds, my will to live is equal to my excitement of facing death; I wonder how I will cope when actually faced with it, though I daily practice facing death, by visualization and training the mind. At one level it means cultivating a sincere, compassionate motivation and performing positive actions, serving others. It means learning to control the mind, becoming familiar with the idea of death without fearing it. Making life meaningful and useful to society, is the best preparation. Spiritual practices leave good imprints on the mind. Sincere, continuous prayers for well-being and happiness of all should become our habit. Start now because ‘tomorrow’ or ‘next life’, we don’t know which will come first!

From: The Times of India Blog

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The Art of Dying Well, an interview with Katy Butler

Posted on April 7, 2019 by webmaven

Another EXCELLENT interview by Joe Donahue regarding end of life matters, this time with Katy Butler about her new book “The Art of Dying Well: A Practical Guide to death and dyinga Good End of Life.” This interview emphasizes practical matters,  decisions and the discussions that one should have with their doctor and family in facing end of life decisions, the difficulties of making decisions in the clinical environment and also ways that one can make any environment sacred for passing. A ten minute listen – highly recommended!

 

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