Contemplative
End of Life Care

2010 Program Dates to be announced shortly.

Naropa University's Center for Contemplative End of Life Care takes a spirit-centered approach to facilitating those in need of palliative care, offering comprehensive training in end of life care that brings together the ancient wisdom of the Buddhist tradition as presented in Sogyal Rinpoche's The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying with the knowledge, skills and best practices of hospice and palliative care. Presented by Rigpa's Spiritual Care Program and Naropa University's School of Extended Studies, the Contemplative End of Life Care Certificate Program inspires a mindful and compassionate approach to improving the quality of life of patients and their families.

"As we will discover for ourselves, the more we can embody the spiritual teachings, the more natural and more effective we will be in giving spiritual care to a dying person. How we are is so much more important than what we say or do. Our presence, by itself, can reassure our dying friend, and evoke in him or her a fundamental confidence and trust, a sense of hope and meaning."
—Sogyal Rinpoche, in the foreword to Facing Death and Finding Hope by Christine Longaker

"Death is the most crucial moment of our lives, and each and every one of us should be able to die in peace and fulfillment, knowing that we will be surrounded by the best in spiritual care."
—Sogyal Rinpoche, in the introduction to the revised edition of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

The Challenges of Suffering and Death

Every day, as health care professionals, we are faced with physical, emotional and spiritual suffering for which we have little or no training. Despite extraordinary technological achievements in science and medicine, most of us are profoundly ill at ease with the daily realities of dying and death. Death seems to be the negation of life, and the ultimate defeat of the healing arts.

Emotional or spiritual pain is often the primary source of suffering for people approaching death. When not addressed, this suffering exacerbates the physical pain, anxiety, and other distressing symptoms of dying. Responding to these many sources of suffering remains an on-going professional and deeply personal challenge that can lead to exhaustion, accumulated grief, and burnout. In order to meet the needs of the whole person, it is important to understand our patients' needs and concerns, their feelings and beliefs, and what touches and inspires them. Education that encompasses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of care is desperately needed.

Some of the most important questions facing healthcare providers who are called upon daily to respond to pain and suffering are:

• How can we understand and respond to so many layers of suffering?
• How can we prevent becoming overwhelmed by it?
• How do we speak about death with our patients, their families and children?
• Is there a more positive way to view death, and to prepare for it?

The Spiritual Opportunity in Death

"The fundamental message of the Buddhist teachings is that if we are prepared, there is tremendous hope, both in life and in death. The teachings reveal to us the possibility of an astounding and finally boundless freedom, which is ours to work for now… For someone who has prepared and practiced, death comes not as a defeat but as a triumph, the crowning and most glorious moment of life."
—Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

From the Buddhist perspective, the moment of death is an extraordinary spiritual opportunity, and the environment one dies in is crucial. As health care workers, we have a vital role to play in creating a special environment for the dying and their families. Through learning how to inspire oneself with a daily meditation practice, a sense of confidence and deep love naturally grows. Then, by integrating meditation practice with caregiving work, we can create a sacred environment in which our patients can die in a state of peace and even inspiration. It is the compassionate, clear, inspired presence we bring to the ill or dying that brings hope in the face of suffering and death.

In a remarkable way, the Buddhist teachings reveal universal spiritual principles that resonate with people of any faith or none. The training emphasizes very skillful ways that the compassion and wisdom of these teachings can be applied in any caregiving setting.

This in-depth training addresses the spiritual dimension of dying and death and the practical knowledge most frequently requested by health care professionals for additional training, including:  how to communicate about dying and death, pain and symptom management, bereavement, supporting children, and techniques for healing or preventing burnout.

The goals for participants of this training are three-fold:

• Develop knowledge and skills in end-of-life care to respond to the full range of patient and family needs.
• Encourage personal and spiritual growth, and more effective methods of communication.
• Learn meditation practices that awaken deeper compassion and wisdom, and support you personally and professionally.