Western Gateway to the Buddhist Science of Mind

3902 Woodland Park Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103 USA
(206) 529-8258

Overview

Spiritual Perspectives on Dying Well, Caregiving, and Healing Grief: August 19 - 22, 2006

Nalanda West is very pleased to announce an ecumenical conference on Death and Dying to be presented at Nalanda West August 19-22, 2006.

This conference offers a precious opportunity to explore the spiritual aspects of death and dying from an ecumenical point of view. Whether your interest is primarily personal or professional, this program offers opportunities to hear, contemplate and incorporate into your life spiritual perspectives on dying well, caregiving for those who are dying and transforming the experiences of loss and grief into a path of personal growth.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM - WEEKEND

	Saturday, August 19	Sunday, August 20
	Dying Well	Dying Well
AM	Registration	Contemplation and Prayer
	Welcome and Introduction	Working with Suffering and the Power of Compassion – Dr. Judith Simmer-Brown
	Keynote Address – The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche	Dying Well from the Jewish Perspective - Rabbi Ted Falcon
PM	Dying Well from the Christian Perspective – Reverend Marilyn Kallshian	Dying Well from the Sufi Perspective - Jamal Rahman
PM	Personal Journey Presentations	Interfaith Panel – Rabbi Ted Falcon, Jamal Rahman, Reverend Marilyn Kallshian, Dr. Judith Simmer-Brown
EVENING	Medieval Music for Transition Led by Joseph Anderson Harpists: Claudia Walker and Jeri Howe Gregorian Chants: Peregrine Medieval Vocal Ensemble	Labyrinth

CONFERENCE PROGRAM - WEEKDAY

	Monday, August 21	Tuesday, August 22
	Caregiving	Healing Grief
AM	Contemplation and Prayer	Contemplation and Prayer
	Compassionate Presence: The Essence of Spiritual Care – Mark Power	Grieving and Healing – Rex Ellen
	Enriching Environments for Living, Caregiving and Dying – Rosemary Bakker	Creative Arts & Healing: Writing as a Therapeutic Tool in the Work of Grief (Panel) – Rabbi Ted Falcon; Kristen Spexarth; Deborah Jarvis
PM	Lessons from Attending to the Dying – Trudy James, Multifaith; Ellen Zahlis, Care Share/Cancer Lifeline; Dr. Ann Cutcher, Enos Hospice	World Cafe Review and Discussion – Lee Worley and Andrew Holecek
PM	World Cafe Review and Discussion – Lee Worley and Andrew Holecek	Interfaith Memorial Service – Rabbi Ted Falcon, Jamal Rahman, Reverend Marilyn Kallshian, Mark Power

Spiritual Leaders from the Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, and Sufi traditions will share their wisdom on the meaning of death, the inner work required to die well and live well when death is imminent, caregiving, working skillfully with loss and healing, and letting go of fear. An Interfaith Memorial Service will be held as conclusion to the conference.

Chaplains, hospice workers and grief experts will share their professional experiences on dying and grieving. An expert on environmental design for elders will share insights on creating an enriching environment for the dying and their caregivers. This conference has been approved by APC for up to 24 continuing education credit for chaplains.

The contemplative focus of this conference enables participants to learn techniques to work with fear and grief, to practice compassion and deep listening, to find their courage and to deepen their understanding of the death and dying process. Participants will be able to learn about the role of healing music in an evening program that includes a talk on music thanatology, and harp and Gregorian chants performances. At another evening program, participants will be able to take a meditative walk through a Labyrinth.

To Registration

Program speakers

more info

Contemplation

“You would know the secret of death

“But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?

“If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.

“For life and death are one, even as the river and sea are one.”

Kahlil Gibran
The Prophet