A concise, well written article…well worth reading: http://dying.about.com/od/thedyingprocess/a/process.htm
You may want to consider subscribing to Angela’s About.com mail list. She is an excellent moderator and her posts are generally informative and of good quality.
A few invitations for you:
1. I co-moderate an eldercare chat on Twitter every other Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET. Our next chat takes place on December 29–we’d love for you to join us! Our topic: What to do when you see changes in your aging relatives over the holiday? We’ll also spend a few minutes talking about New Year’s resolutions. To join, just use this hashtag: #eldercarechat. You can use tweetchat.com to follow the conversation.
2. If you know a great family caregiver, please consider nominating him or her for our Caregiver of the Year award. Every year, we honor five family caregivers. Deadline to submit a nomination is January 1. (if you need more time, just let me know.) You can learn more about submitting a nomination here: http://www.caregiving.com/caregiver-of-the-year-award/
contact also at – denise@caregiving.com
This is the blog site for the Caregiver Revolution. This is where it all starts! We are happy to report that the final edits and corrections are being made to the book and it will go to press soon. We hope to have it available for sale by December 20th.
AN ALL PURPOSE PRAYER
Instructions for doing a Clear light Reading
From the verable Loden Jinpa · Meditation
“I often get asked, what people can do during the last days of a loved one.
Below is some simply advice for anyone currently dealing with death.
What to do when someone is dying
Generally speaking, just having good thoughts and memories of your loved one will be helpful both to you and your loved one(s). Getting upset, crying or getting angry, will only serve to make things worse. A persons state of mind at the time of death is important for a good rebirth. Therefore it is best to help the dying person remain calm and happy. Reminding them of events that will only cause problems is not a skillful action. So try to avoid this as much as possible.
If you feel so inclined, you and if possible, the dying person can meditate on compassion and loving-kindness for all sentient beings.
Start off the meditation by not focusing on a friend, as this can cause people to get upset and attachment to arise. Think about someone like a work friend or someone similar. Someone that you know and care for but, who is not too close that attachment will arise. Then as the meditation continues, add more and more people into the scope of your attention. In the end add all beings, even your enemies if you can without causing issues. Then this is the important part, try and develop a feeling that all the beings in the scope of your meditation are of equal importance to you. Why? because all beings want happiness and do not want suffering. No one wants to die, not even the worse people! But, we all have to leave our bodies behind. We all come into the world naked and all we leave naked. In this regard we are all the same, we are all equal. Try and develop a sense of equanimity towards all beings. This will happy remove attachment for friends and family and anger for people you feel have done you wrong. Buddhist assert that someone who dies with this type of mind is very likely to have a good rebirth.
In terms of a Buddhist prayers for the dying you and if possible the dying person can recite the following prayer.”
By this virtue (reciting this prayer), at the instant of death, may you take rebirth in Tushita (a heavenly realm). May you meet the limitless Bodhisattvas and be cared for by Maitreya, our supreme refuge.
Through the fire of great love, the wood of hatred is burnt.
Through the light of pristine awareness, the darkness of ignorance is dispelled. To the Regent of the Dharma (Maitreya Buddha) abiding in Tushita, I prostrate.
Here is another Clear Light prayer from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and a version of the Clear light Prayer which is somewhat updated.
