
Preparing to Die
Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition
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Narrated by:
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Karen White
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Neil Shah
About this listen
We all face death, but how many of us are actually ready for it? Whether our own death or that of a loved one comes first, how prepared are we, spiritually or practically? In Preparing to Die, Andrew Holecek presents a wide array of resources to help the reader address this unfinished business. Part One shows how to prepare one’s mind and how to help others, before, during, and after death. The author explains how spiritual preparation for death can completely transform our relationship to the end of life, dissolving our fear and helping us to feel open and receptive to letting go in the dying process. Daily meditation practices, the stages of dying and how to work with them, and after-death experiences are all detailed in ways that will be particularly helpful for those with an interest in Tibetan Buddhism and in Tibetan approaches to conscious dying.
Part Two addresses the practical issues that surround death. Experts in grief, hospice, the funeral business, and the medical and legal issues of death contribute chapters to prepare the listener for every practical concern, including advance directives, green funerals, the signs of death, warnings about the funeral industry, the stages of grief, and practical care for the dying.
Part Three contains heart-advice from twenty of the best-known Tibetan Buddhist masters now teaching in the West. These brief interviews provide words of solace and wisdom to guide the dying and their caregivers during this challenging time. Preparing to Die is for anyone interested in learning how to prepare for death from a Buddhist perspective, both spiritually and practically. It is also for those who want to learn how to help someone else who is dying, both during the time of illness and death as well as after death.
Excerpts from The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche, edited by Patrick Gaffney and Andrew Harvey. Copyright 1993 by Rigpa Fellowship. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers. Excerpts from Glimpse After Glimpse: Daily Reflections on Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche. Copyright 1995 by Sogyal Rinpoche. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers. Excerpts from Facing Death and Finding Hope by Christine Longaker, copyright 1997 by Christine Longaker and Rigpa Fellowship. Used by permission of Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©2013 Andrew Holecek??Excerpts from The Tibetan Book of the Dead, translated with commentary by Francesca Fremantle and Chögyam Trungpa, 1975 by Francesca Fremantle and Chögyam Trungpa. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc (P)2014 Audible Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Story
One of the greatest works created by any culture and overwhelmingly the most significant of all Tibetan Buddhist texts in the West, The Tibetan Book of the Dead has had a number of distinguished translations, but none encompassed the work in its entirety. Now, in one of the year's most important publishing events, the entire text has not only been made available in English but in a translation of quite remarkable clarity and beauty.
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Can’t Understand Narrator
- By Rod on 10-17-23
By: Gyurme Dorje - translator, and others
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Being Nobody Going Nowhere
- Meditations on the Buddhist Path
- By: Ayya Khema
- Narrated by: Claire Slemmer, Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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In this lucid classic, beloved teacher Ayya Khema introduces the listener to the essence of the Buddhist path. She addresses the how and why of meditation, providing a clear framework for understanding the nature of karma and rebirth and the entirety of the eightfold path. With specific, practical advice, Ayya Khema illuminates the practices of compassion and sympathetic joy, and offers forthright guidance in working with the hindrances that we all encounter in meditation.
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The only book you will ever need.
- By Andrew on 01-10-17
By: Ayya Khema
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The Art of Transforming the Mind
- A Meditator's Guide to the Tibetan Practice of Lojong
- By: B. Alan Wallace
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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In this book, B. Alan Wallace explains a fundamental type of mental training that is designed to shift our attitudes so that our minds become pure wellsprings of joy instead of murky pools of problems, anxieties, fleeting pleasures, hopes, and frustrations. The lojong—or mind-training—teachings have been the subject of profound study, contemplation, and commentary by many great masters. Wallace shows us the way to develop our capacity for spiritual awareness through his relatable and practical commentary on the mind-training slogans.
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Not as good as I was hoping it would be
- By Diomedes on 01-18-23
By: B. Alan Wallace
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Dreaming Yourself Awake
- Lucid Dreaming and Tibetan Dream Yoga for Insight and Transformation
- By: B. Alan Wallace, Brian Hodel - editor
- Narrated by: Tom Pile
- Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Some of the greatest of life’s adventures can happen while you’re sound asleep. That’s the promise of lucid dreaming, which is the ability to alter your own dream reality any way you like simply by being aware of the fact that you’re dreaming while you’re in the midst of a dream. There is a range of techniques anyone can learn to become a lucid dreamer - and this audiobook provides all the instruction you need to get started.
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Unfortunately unlistenable
- By MMore on 12-15-14
By: B. Alan Wallace, and others
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Training the Mind
- & Cultivating Loving-Kindness
- By: Chögyam Trungpa, Judith L. Lief - editor, Pema Chödrön - foreword
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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The 59 provocative slogans presented here - each with a commentary by the Tibetan meditation master Chgyam Trungpa - have been used by Tibetan Buddhists for eight centuries to help meditation students remember and focus on important principles and practices of mind training. They emphasize meeting the ordinary situations of life with intelligence and compassion under all circumstances. Slogans include, "Don't be swayed by external circumstances," "Be grateful to everyone," and "Always maintain only a joyful mind."
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A great experience
- By Sunnycanuck on 05-27-15
By: Chögyam Trungpa, and others
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Training in Compassion
- Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong
- By: Norman Fischer
- Narrated by: Norman Fischer
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Lojong is the Tibetan Buddhist practice that involves working with short phrases (called "slogans") as a way of generating bodhichitta, the heart and mind of enlightened compassion. Though the practice is more than a millennium old, it has become popular in the West in only the last 20 years or so - and it has become very popular indeed because it's a practice that one can fit very well into an ordinary life, and because it works.
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Best audiobook I have listened to out of hundreds!
- By Mike on 11-30-16
By: Norman Fischer
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Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them)
- A Practical Perspective on Death and Dying
- By: Sallie Tisdale
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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You get ready to die the way you get ready for a trip. Start by realizing you don't know the way. Listen to a few travel guides. Study the language, look at maps, gather equipment. Let yourself imagine what it will be like. Pack your bags. This book is one of those travel guides - a guide to preparing for your own death and the deaths of people close to you. The fact of death is hard to believe. Sallie Tisdale explores our fears and all the ways death and talking about death make us uncomfortable - but she also explores its intimacies and joys.
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I thought I had more time...
- By Alyssa on 09-09-19
By: Sallie Tisdale
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Teachings of the Buddha
- Revised and Expanded
- By: Gil Fronsdal - editor, Jack Kornfield - editor
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Jack Kornfield
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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This treasury of essential Buddhist writings draws from the most popular Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese sources. Among the selections are some of the earliest recorded sayings of the Buddha on the practice of freedom, passages from later Indian scriptures on the perfection of wisdom, verses from Tibetan masters on the enlightened mind, and songs in praise of meditation by Zen teachers.
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A book that necess focus
- By Ricardo on 04-15-16
By: Gil Fronsdal - editor, and others
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The Path Is The Goal
- A Basic Handbook of Buddhist Meditation
- By: Chögyam Trungpa, Sherab Chödzin - editor
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 3 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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According to the Buddha, no one can attain basic sanity or enlightenment without practicing meditation. The teachings given here on the outlook and technique of meditation provide the foundation that every practitioner needs to awaken as the Buddha did. Trungpa teaches us to let go of the urge to make meditation serve our ambition; thus we can relax into openness.
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$2.00!!!
- By Roberta and Johnny Shaughnessy, Mindfulness Meditation Teachers on 12-04-16
By: Chögyam Trungpa, and others
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Stepping Out of Self-Deception
- The Buddha's Liberating Teaching of No-Self
- By: Rodney Smith
- Narrated by: Tom Pile
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Anatta is the Buddhist teaching on the nonexistence of a permanent, independent self. It's a notoriously puzzling and elusive concept, usually leading to such questions as, "If I don't have a self, who's reading this sentence?" It's not that there's no self there, says Rodney Smith. It's just that the self that is reading this sentence is a configuration of elements that at one time did not exist and that at some point in the future will disperse.
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Brilliant
- By Andrew on 06-01-16
By: Rodney Smith
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Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying
- An Exploration of Consciousness with the Dalai Lama
- By: Francisco J. Varela PhD
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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For modern science, the transitional states of consciousness lie at the forefront of research in many fields. For a Buddhist practitioner, these same states present crucial opportunities to explore and transform consciousness itself. This book is the account of a historic dialogue between leading Western scientists and the Dalai Lama of Tibet. Revolving around three key moments of consciousness - sleep, dreams, and death - the conversations recorded here are both engrossing and highly listenable.
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was captain Spock not available?
- By Amazon Customer on 09-04-20
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The Bliss of Inner Fire
- Heart Practice of the Six Yogas of Naropa
- By: Lama Thubten Yeshe
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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In the classic best seller, Introduction to Tantra, Lama Yeshe offered a profound and wonderfully clear glimpse into the sophisticated practices of Tibetan Buddhist tantra. This present book, the last major teachings of this great lama, opens up the world of advanced practices for Highest Yoga Tantra initiates in much the same way his earlier work opened up the world of tantra in general. Lama's own realization of the transformative power of these practices comes through, inspiring his students to discover for themselves their own capacity for inexhaustible bliss.
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This is a starting point
- By Sasaoakea on 02-19-17
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The Buddha Is Still Teaching
- Contemporary Buddhist Wisdom
- By: Jack Kornfield - editor, Noelle Oxenhandler - editor
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 4 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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When the Buddha set in motion the wheel of Dharma, he knew that the teaching he gave was inexhaustible - that every future generation would find its own skillful ways to convey it to the hearts and minds of those ready to hear. The Buddha Is Still Teaching is testimony to the fulfillment of that promise today. The selections it contains, from today's most highly regarded contemporary Buddhist teachers, bring the Dharma eloquently to life for us in our own time, place, and culture.
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Many pearls, but no string
- By Steve on 04-15-15
By: Jack Kornfield - editor, and others
What listeners say about Preparing to Die
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- Amy Hampton
- 03-08-24
Esoteric, practical, and profound
A wonderful work. You don’t need to be Buddhist to get a lot out of this. Great practical advice as well as profound moments of striking, raw beauty.
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- BHPhD
- 04-14-18
Essential reading for life
If you could sum up Preparing to Die in three words, what would they be?
Well-Rounded, Essential, Inspiring
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
Learned how to pronounce Buddhist words before reading a text on Buddhism. The narrator mispronounces at least 70% of Tibetan Buddhist terms and 100% of names (and that might be generous). A simple google search would have clarified pronunciation. For people who have studied Buddhism it is an annoyance that detracts greatly from the listening experience of the book. Had he not tried to pronounce it in an accent, it wouldn't have been as annoying, but he says the words with an accent as if he knows how to pronounce it but doesn't.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The first part of the book was the most profound. Once they started getting into the legal portions and so forth it was tough to get through. But if you are in the process of dying and have some time then the legal portion might be more interesting.
Any additional comments?
Holecek has created what I feel is one of the essential works available in Buddhism ... top 5 I would say.
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3 people found this helpful
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- James
- 06-09-20
Wonderful book!
Wonderful book! I have enjoyed each moment, and have listened to this again and again. Thank you!
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- Kai C. Yee
- 02-24-21
Great book, pronunciation's a little off
Great book. Always wanted to learn more about the bardos. Pronunciation from the narrator is a little off. He needed consult more with the author.
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- Nikki
- 10-16-21
So good
Very important information that everyone should hear! Very straight forward and easy to digest. I really enjoyed this
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- Nathaniel
- 08-26-23
Appreciated the Approach
I thought there was some good general advice. The best advice was to let go and trust in your nature. Considering that speaking about something like death, which is obviously speculative and reliant on a large degree of belief and supposition, the part I had the biggest problem with was all the overly cumbersome details and instructions. I understand that they are part of a tradition and I appreciate that for what it is, but some of the instructions like: don’t look down or don’t have one negative thought in this instance, etc. is in my perspective silly and superstitious. If I tell you not to think about a pink elephant what is the first thing you will think of? Exactly. The belief that you must follow a formula or otherwise you will become a lizard or something is nonsensical in my opinion. Rely on the One who Is, let go, and have trust. This will direct you exactly where you need to go. The rest is speculative white noise. Again these are just my own opinions, and if someone is attracted to this tradition and wants to master a formula condoned by it, I appreciate it and respect it just as I would for any other tradition.
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1 person found this helpful
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- kahali
- 11-13-15
Good book, badly read.
What did you like best about Preparing to Die? What did you like least?
Preparing to Die is a comprehensive and thorough book on what to do in order to die in a peaceful and meaningful manner. It has chapters on concrete practices which can be helpful for everybody, and others which are directed more specifically towards those practicing Buddhism, particularly Tibetan Buddhism of all lineages. These are further divided into what to do for oneself and for others both before, during and after the individual has died, and has suggestions from a number of Tibetan teachers as to what is most important in each circumstance. It also has discussions on a number of ethical, and legal, questions around death and dying. One caveat is that the book is written by a US citizen and the discussions around some of the legal issues may not necessarily apply in other countries.
Any additional comments?
The reason I have been motivated to write this review is to point out something which I found disturbing in the reading. I haven't heard the whole book, although I have read it through. I downloaded this book because I was using it as the basis of a course and needed to reread it while travelling. In paper form it is a thick and heavy book to carry around, so I thought this would be a convenient way of refreshing my memory. Unfortunately, I found it disturbing that the reader did not know how to pronounce Buddhist words and names. I suggest that one of the criteria in choosing someone to read a book which uses terms from a particular discipline, is that the reader is or has been involved in some way in that discipline, and has some way of checking with those who are directly involved on the pronunciation of words that are not commonly used in English.
Another thing was that the chapters in the audio version did not correspond to those in the hard copy.
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15 people found this helpful
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- John Welch
- 01-10-15
Wisdom & compassion for life's toughest challenge
Would you listen to Preparing to Die again? Why?
Yes, as we need to prepare for death while we still have health and are relatively free from the pain & suffering that often accompany the process of dying.
What other book might you compare Preparing to Die to and why?
Robert Thurman's Liberation Upon Hearing in the Between: Living with the Tibetan Book of the Dead and Sogyal Rinpoche's The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying both of which are essential listening for those interested in how Tibetan Buddhism can help us deal with death & dying.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, but you will need to listen to it repeatedly to gain the maximum benefit as the book (13 hrs and 48 mins) contains a great deal of valuable information and insights
Any additional comments?
I hope Audible makes available as Audio Books more Tibetan Buddhist classics for those who are blind or have other visual handicaps. Thank you to Andrew Holecek, the narrators and Audible for making these precious teachings available on audio.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Linda Brink
- 04-19-23
Imperative Knowledge
Having read this book and studied it I found the audio version to be quite convenient, but I must complain about the pronunciation of the Tibetan terms is disrespectful, at best!
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- Brian
- 02-13-21
Seriously worthwhile listen
Magnificently written, well-narrated, and overall an awesome experience. On a really important topic no less.
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