The Zen of Living and Dying A Practical and Spiritual Guide,9781570621987

The Zen of Living and Dying A Practical and Spiritual Guide

by
ISBN13: 9781570621987
ISBN10: 1570621985
Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: 1998-04-14
Publisher(s): Shambhala
List Price: $29.95

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Summary

To live life fully and die serenely-surely we all share these goals, so inextricably entwined. Yet a spiritual dimension is too often lacking in the attitudes, circumstances, and rites of death in modern society. Kapleau explores the subject of death and dying on a deeply personal level, interweaving the writings of Western religions with insights from his own Zen practice, and offers practical advice for the dying and their families.

Author Biography

Philip Kapleau's classic Three Pillars of Zen has sold an estimated five hundred thousand copies. He is the author of Awakening to Zen, Zen: Merging of East and West, The Wheel of Life and Death, and The Zen of Living and Dying. Kapleau was the first Westerner to be ordained a roshi. He established the Rochester Zen Center in 1966. He lives in Rochester, New York.

Table of Contents

Editor's Note xii(1)
Acknowledgments xiii(2)
Introduction xv(8)
A Note on the Drawings xxiii
PART ONE: DEATH 3(60)
1. Existential Aspects of Death
3(30)
What Is Life, What Is Death?
The Masters' Reactions to Death
What Is "Birth and Death"?
The Force of the Universe
Why Do We Fear Death?
Ego
Facing Death Fearlessly
2. Meditations on Death
33(11)
Reflections on Death: Eight Points of View
Meditating on the Word Death
Meditation on a Death Koan
A Meditation on Death Using Beads
The Day of the Dead in Mexico
Matters of Worldly Anxieties
3. Facing Death
44(19)
Socrates
Duncan Phyfe
Leah
Seng-chao
Sri Ramana Maharshi
Gautama the Buddha
PART TWO: DYING 63(76)
4. The Dying Person and Death
63(15)
The Process of Dying
Daily Dying
We Die as We Have Lived
Survival and the Inner Voice
Should One Struggle Against Death?
Dying Well
Two Different Ways of Dying
5. The Dilemma of Pain
78(12)
Existential Pain
Physical Pain
6. Suicide and Euthanasia
90(8)
Suicide
Euthanasia
7. To the Terminally Ill
98(10)
The Value of Repentance
Keeping Your Mind Clear
Breathing to Dispel Anxiety
The Mind at the Moment of Death
Reflections on Death
Meditations for the Dying Person
8. To the Family and Friends of the Dying
108(5)
Dying in the Hospital or at Home?
The Last Hours of the Dying
9. Cremation or Burial?
113(9)
Six Options for Taking Care of the Body
Prepaying Your Funeral
Are Funeral Directors Necessary?
Wakes and Vigils
The Body's Presence at the Funeral
Waiting Until the Life Force Leaves the Body
Religious Aspects of Cremation
10. Creating the Funeral Service
122(17)
The Service
The Value of Chanting
Funerals for Newborn Babies
PART THREE: KARMA 139(36)
11. Understanding Karma
139(7)
Life's Seeming Injustice
The Wheel of Life and Death
Why Believe in Karma?
Karma and Causation
Karma and Intention
Karma Is Not Fate
Primary and Secondary Causes
12. Changing Your Karma
146(13)
Can "Bad" Karma Be Prevented?
Simultaneous and Progressive Cause and Effect
Variable and "Constant" Karma
Transcending Karma
Collective Karma
Lightening the Karmic Burden
When Others Are Wrong I Am Wrong
13. The Interconnectedness of All Life
159(16)
We Are Our Brothers
Karma and Suicide
Karma and Abortion
Karma and Euthanasia
Karma and Retribution
Karma Realized Now and in the Future
Karma and the Intention to Learn
Karma and Compassion
Karma and Change
Creating Good Karma
PART FOUR: REBIRTH 175(34)
14. The Case for Rebirth
175(21)
What Lies Beyond?
Belief in Afterlife
The Intermediate Realm
Rebirth and the Aim of Life
Rebirth Distinguished from Reincarnation
What Passes Over?
The Power of Will
Can Fear Be Carried from Life to Life?
Remembering Past Lives
15. Further Implications of Rebirth
196(13)
The Moral Effects
Heredity, Environment, or Karma?
Parents, Children, and Rebirth
Rebirth and Special Affinities and Aptitudes
Near-Death Experiences
APPENDIXES 209(24)
Appendix A: Living Wills
209(9)
Living with Technology
The Rise of Patient Autonomy
Advance Directives
Physician Assistance for the Dying
Appendix B: Hospice Care
218(4)
Appendix C: What to Do upon Someone's Death: A Checklist
222(3)
Appendix D: Consoling the Bereaved: Do's and Don'ts
225(2)
Appendix E: Meditation
227(6)
What Is Meditation?
Meditation at Rest and in Motion
Notes 233(14)
Glossary 247(6)
Bibliography 253(12)
Index 265

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