Joan Halifax is a revered Zen Buddhist teacher and author whose writings delve into the profound realms of Buddhism and spirituality. As an anthropologist and ecologist, she brings a unique perspective to her work, weaving together spiritual wisdom with a deep understanding of the world. Her commitment to socially engaged Buddhism shines through her lifelong work, focusing on compassionate presence with the dying and exploring the intersection of science and Buddhist philosophy. Halifax invites readers to explore the possibilities of compassion, awareness, and a more profound connection to life and death.
A story for kids ages 4–8 about a young girl and her encounters with a dog that teaches her friendship, presence, loss, and bravery. This story follows a young girl named Sophie and a sweet old dog who cross paths in the midst of a storm. “Breathing in, I am safe; breathing out, I am free,” Sophie repeats again and again to remind herself and the "old one" to stay present and brave when feeling scared or unsettled. In helping each other through their fears, a deep kinship is formed that makes a lasting impact on Sophie’s life.
An evocative examination of how to respond to suffering, live our fullest
lives, and experience spiritual and personal growth - from a renowned
activist, humanitarian, and spiritual thought-leader.
Draws on the Zen priest author's long-time work with dying patients while introducing the Buddhist approach to death and how it can enable caregivers to provide comfort and compassion to the dying, in a volume that shares Buddhist teachings, stories, and meditations on how to be present with people in the last stages of life. Reprint.
Buddhist teacher and anthropologist, Joan Halifax, delves into the shadow side
of being, found in the root truths of Native religions, the fecundity of
nature, and the stillness of meditation.
This collection features eighteen essays that delve into contemporary Buddhist social developments, enriched by personal insights from prominent figures in Buddhism, including the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh. Each essay offers a unique perspective on how Buddhist teachings are being applied to address modern social issues, showcasing the voices of influential leaders who are shaping the future of Buddhism in a changing world.
Stanislav Grof, M.D., and Joan Halifax, Ph.D., have a unique authority and competence in the interpretation of the human encounter with death. Theirs is an extraordinary range of experience, in clinical research with psychedelic substances, in cross-cultural and medical anthropology, and in the analysis of Oriental and archaic literatures. Their pioneering work with psychedelics administered to individuals dying of cancer opened domains of experience that proved to be nearly identical to those already mapped in the "Books of the Dead", those mystical visionary accounts of the posthumous journeys of the soul. The Grof/Halifax book and these ancient resources both show the imminent experience of death as a continuation of what had been the hidden aspect of the experience of life.—Joseph CampbellThe authors have assisted persons dying of cancer in transcending the anxiety and anger around their personal fate. Using psychedelics, they have guided the patients to death-rebirth experiences that resemble transformation rites practiced in a variety of cultures. Physician and medical anthropologist join here in recreating an old art—the art of dying. —June SingerThe Human Encounter With Death is the latest of many recent publications in the newly evolving field of thanatology. It is, however, a quite different kind of book—one that be- longs in every library of anyone who seriously tries to understand the phenomenon we call death.—from the Foreword by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
