After ordering this course, you will receive an email with a link to a webpage to download a PDF document that contains the enrollment key for the course and instructions on how to access the course on the FPMT Online Learning Center.

Overview

Heart Advice for Death and Dying is an online FPMT introductory course that provides practical ways for thinking about and preparing for one’s own and others’ death. It is suitable for anyone—non-Buddhist, beginner student of Buddhism, or senior Buddhist practitioner—interested in thinking about and preparing for death in a deeply personal way. Ven. Sangye Khadro, a senior American teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, teaches this course in her usual engaging, gentle, and down-to-earth style, making death into an immensely important and practical topic for contemplation. Having completed this course, you will feel much more confident in facing your own death and also in your ability to help and support others as they are dying.

Course Structure

This course is presented as a series of five sessions. Each session consists of teachings by Ven. Sangye Khadro (available in both MP3 and written formats) supplemented by two guided meditations on related topics and two mindfulness practices. These are complemented by and elaborated upon by teachings and meditations by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in the course book, Heart Advice for Death and Dying. Each session concludes with some points for reflection intended to encourage a personal reflection and analysis of the topics taught. Additional supplementary materials are provided to help prepare for one’s own and others' death.

Course Topics

The five sessions of the course cover the following topics:

TEACHINGS

Session 1: Death and Rebirth in Buddhism

• Part 1. Death in Buddhism
• Part 2. Rebirth in Buddhism
• Part 3. The State Beyond Death
• Part 4. The Inevitability of Death

Session 2: Working with Emotions Regarding Death

• Part 1. The Uncertainty of the Time of Death
• Part 2. Working with Emotions Regarding Death in General
• Part 3. Working with Specific Emotions Regarding Death
• Part 4. Purifying Harmful Actions and Emotions

Session 3: Preparing for Death

• Part 1. What Helps at the Time of Death
• Part 2. Living a Good Life as Preparation for Death
• Part 3. Practicing the Five Powers

Session 4: Practicing Tonglen and Experiencing Death

• Part 1. Practicing Tonglen
• Part 2. Experiencing Death

Session 5: Helping Others Die

• Part 1. How to Help Others Die
• Part 2. How to Give Spiritual Help to Others
• Part 3. What to Do for Others At and After Death

GUIDED MEDITATIONS

The meditations guided by Ven. Sangye Khadro can by done either by listening to the audio file, reading the corresponding transcript, or reading a summary of the meditation:

• Meditation 1: Impermanence
• Meditation 2: The Inevitability of Death
• Meditation 3: The Uncertainty of the Time of Death
• Meditation 4: Applying the Four Opponent Powers
• Meditation 5: What Helps at the Time of Death
• Meditation 6: Purifying with OM AH HUM
• Meditation 7: Tonglen Using Your Own Problem
• Meditation 8: The Eight Stages of the Death Process
• Meditation 9: Tonglen for Another Person’s Problem
• Meditation 10: Medicine Buddha Practice

MINDFULNESS PRACTICES

The mindfulness practices consist of reflecting on a passage from Ven. Sangye Khadro’s teachings throughout the day:

• Mindfulness Practice 1: The Changing Nature of Things
• Mindfulness Practice 2: I am Definitely Going to Die
• Mindfulness Practice 3: Death Could Happen to Me at Any Time
• Mindfulness Practice 4: There are Many Causes of My Death
• Mindfulness Practice 5: What Won’t Help Me When I’m Dying
• Mindfulness Practice 6: How I Want to Live My Life
• Mindfulness Practice 7: Transforming Problems
• Mindfulness Practice 8: Taking on Others’ Suffering
• Mindfulness Practice 9: Setting Aside My Own Needs and Wishes
• Mindfulness Practice 10: Praying for Help in Difficult Situations

Course Materials

The online course materials consist of the following resources:

• A detailed description of the course including an explanation of how to use the course materials and how to qualify for a Certificate of Achievement
• Outlines of the topics, meditations, mindfulness practices, readings, and points for reflection for each session
• MP3 recordings of five sessions of teachings by Ven. Sangye Khadro, each about one and a half hours in length but divided into smaller parts of 10–30 minutes in length
• MP3 recordings of ten guided meditations led by Ven. Sangye Khadro
• Transcripts of all the teachings and guided meditations that can either be read online or downloaded as PDF files
• The course book Heart Advice for Death and Dying available to be read online or downloaded in PDF format
• An optional complementary book, Heart Practices for Death and Dying, available for download in PDF format
• Written summaries of the ten guided meditations
• Supplementary materials:
  - An illustrated explanation of the seven-point meditation posture
  - Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s instructions on the very first thing to do when someone dies, on the need to plan what you want to do when you are dying, and on how to help someone before, during, and after their death
  - A template for a Dharma will to let others know what Dharma practices, prayers, and so forth you would like done before, during, and after your death
  - Suggested ways in which to make our money most beneficial after our death
  - The Buddhist view on euthanasia

• Points for reflection that allow you to share your thoughts with the course elder and receive feedback
• A discussion forum that provides an opportunity for you to discuss the topic of death and dying with other course participants
• An offline activity log and an online checklist for the Certificate of Achievement that you can use to keep track of the course components you have completed
• A final Certificate of Achievement once for those who complete the required teachings, readings, meditations, mindfulness practices, and points for reflection

Course Readings

The course book Heart Advice for Death and Dying contains Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s essential instructions on impermanence and death, an overview of the death process, guidelines for preparing for death, and, in particular, a detailed explanation of how to practice the five powers at the time of death. This book is included in the course materials for online reading and in PDF format for download.

Also included in the course material in PDF format is the companion book Heart Practices for Death and Dying, which contains Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice on preparing for death and assisting others through that time. It also contains practices for the time of death, such as the Medicine Buddha Puja and the traditional eight prayers recommended by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to help others at the time of death. It also includes mantras to say for those who are dying or who have died, teachings on their benefits, and a sheet of mantras to place upon the body of one who has died.

The recommended additional reading, How to Face Death without Fear by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, is a step-by-step instruction manual with detailed advice on how to prepare yourself to face the end of your own life and your loved one’s lives with the confidence that comes from knowing what to do. It contains most of the practices Lama Zopa Rinpoche recommends be done before someone dies, as they are dying, and after their death.

When the books Heart Advice for Death and Dying and Heart Practices for Death and Dying along with Ven. Sangye Khadro’s teachings and meditations are combined with the book How to Enjoy Death, you will have all the information and practices you need to be able to face your own and others’ deaths with confidence and serenity.

Note: The entire course was revised in 2019 to provide the option of either reading and listening to the teachings and meditations online or to download all the audio and text files and make use of them offline. Many supplementary materials were newly created for this revised edition.