When a Buddhist practitioner dies, in addition to a funeral service that usually occurs on the 3rd or 7th day, there is a 49 Day Ceremony. Mourners may also gather to perform ceremonies after 100 days and on the one-year anniversary of the person’s death. Join Chaplain Alley Smith in an educational and discussion group to explore the 49 Day Ceremony and common practices therein.
“…life is painful with an occasional speck of pleasure. We are born, we get old, we experience sickness, and, last but not least, we die. We are each waiting to die. I’m afraid that is the bad news. Whether you are young or old doesn’t make much difference – everybody will eventually die. So now is the time to do something with your life. We are not interested in developing eternity or immortality, or in preventing being sick or being born. We are interested in doing something while we are alive, while we are breathing, while we see the beauty of the snow, the flowers, the blue sky, the sunshine and many other things we can imagine.”
– Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, The Individual Path of Liberation: Compiled and edited by Judith L. Lief
This live session will include:
What You Will Gain:
Prerequisites:
Open to all levels of experience.
Donations are welcome! Offer an amount of your choosing at registration. Donations collected will help fund long-term work on End of Life Resources.
Recommended Reading Material (not required):
Shambhala Online Resource (recommended, not required):
Death & Dying: Practice & Ceremony Protocols
[Note you must be logged into your Shambhala Online account to access the resource]
Privacy:
We respect your privacy. This program will not be recorded to protect the privacy of individuals who want to share their deep and heartfelt experiences of dying and death.
Alley Smith is an ordained Buddhist Minister of Religion (Chaplain) in the Shambhala Lineage. She also holds precepts in Zen Buddhism. She specializes in spiritual care, mortuary affairs and as a funeral clergy. Alley has been a student of Shambhala Buddhism and Zen since 1999. She currently hosts, “Making Friends with Death & Dying: Support Group” with Shambhala Online. Email: [email protected]
Teacher Bio on Shambhala Online
Meli-Tashi Happy is the End-of-Life Coordinator for Seattle Shambhala Center, a death doula, and somatic educator. Her Buddhist path began in 1997 in the Zen tradition, and in 2007 she found the Shambhala teachings. She’s taken Refuge and Bodhisattva Vows, and is a vajrayana student. She helps foster ‘community death care’ education and connections.
Questions? Email Meli-Tashi Happy at [email protected]