Inspiring teachings, personal stories, and meditations for those near death and their caregivers, by a respected Zen teacher who has worked with the dying for over 30 years. Everyone who lives must inevitably face death. Inspired by traditional Buddhist teachings and decades of work with the dying and their caregivers, this landmark work on death and dying by beloved Buddhist teacher Joan Halifax is a source of wisdom for all those who are charged with a dying person’s care, facing their own death, or wishing to explore and contemplate the transformative power of the dying process. Relevant and powerful for people of all backgrounds, her teachings affirm that all of us can open and contact our inner strength even in the face of death, and that we can help others who are suffering to do the same. Halifax observes that millions will have to deal with the loss of parents and loved ones and that we are largely unprepared emotionally for their deaths. She presents the notion that the process of dying is a rite of passage. Halifax offers stories from her personal experience as well as guided exercises and contemplations to help readers contemplate death without fear, develop a commitment to helping others, and transform suffering and resistance into courage. Topics and exercises include: Learning to see death as a rite of passage The guiding principles of bearing witness and how self-awareness can help us to relate more fully with others How to take care of ourselves when we’re taking care of others Contemplation on the universality of death How to transform pain and fear with lovingkindness And much more Coupled with a new foreword by Frank Ostaseski, a leader in the field of death and dying palliative care, the guidance and experiences represented in Being with Dying are invaluable in supporting and instilling peace as the journey of life unfolds and inevitably reaches not only an end, but also a new beginning.
Joan Halifax is a clearheaded and fearless traveler and in this book...she offers us a map of how to travel courageously and fruitfully, for our own benefit and the benefit of all beings." —From the foreword by Rebecca Solnit Standing at the Edge is an evocative examination of how we can respond to suffering, live our fullest lives, and remain open to the full spectrum of our human experience. Joan Halifax has enriched thousands of lives around the world through her work as a humanitarian, a social activist, an anthropologist, and as a Buddhist teacher. Over many decades, she has also collaborated with neuroscientists, clinicians, and psychologists to understand how contemplative practice can be a vehicle for social transformation. Through her unusual background, she developed an understanding of how our greatest challenges can become the most valuable source of our wisdom—and how we can transform our experience of suffering into the power of compassion for the benefit of others. Halifax has identified five psychological territories she calls Edge States—altruism, empathy, integrity, respect, and engagement—that epitomize strength of character. Yet each of these states can also be the cause of personal and social suffering. In this way, these five psychological experiences form edges, and it is only when we stand at these edges that we become open to the full range of our human experience and discover who we really are. Recounting the experiences of caregivers, activists, humanitarians, politicians, parents, and teachers, incorporating the wisdom of Zen traditions and mindfulness practices, and rooted in Halifax's groundbreaking research on compassion, Standing at the Edge is destined to become a contemporary classic. A powerful guide on how to find the freedom we seek for others and ourselves, it is a book that will serve us all.
The author has photographed striking images of the people and places she has encountered in her extentsive travels in Tibet, Burma, throughout Asia, and elsewhere. She is a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist and author.
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.
“The wisdom of cultures that live harmoniously with nature spoken through the heart and mind of a true gnostic intermediary.” —Ram Dass In this “masterwork of an authentic spirit person,” Buddhist teacher and anthropologist Joan Halifax Roshi delves into “the fruitful darkness”—the shadow side of being, found in the root truths of Native religions, the fecundity of nature, and the stillness of meditation (Thomas Berry). In this highly personal and insightful odyssey of the heart and mind, she encounters Tibetan Buddhist meditators, Mexican shamans, and Native American elders, among others. In rapt prose, she recounts her explorations—from Japanese Zen meditation to hallucinogenic plants, from the Dogon people of Mali to the Mayan rain forest, all the while creating “an adventure of the spirit and a feast of wisdom old and new” Halifax believes that deep ecology (which attempts to fuse environmental awareness with spiritual values) works in tandem with Buddhism and shamanism to discover “the interconnectedness of all life,” and to regain life’s sacredness (Peter Matthiessen).
Eleanor Hurley is a woman leading a life of quiet desperation when a single moment of violence changes everything. Eleanor kills a homicidal man to save a group of children. With this lethal act she is released from her former existence, yet her freedom comes with a price: Eleanor's not repulsed by her capacity for violence, but rather exhilarated by her unsuspected power to take a life. Frightened at the darkness within, she flees to Halifax, but cannot run away from herself, or from the troubles that lie ahead. Author Joan Mauch delves into the psychology of the average person and discovers that what lies beneath the surface is something complex, disturbing and altogether unexpected. —Michael Romkey, author of "American Gothic" and nine other novels
An illuminating in-depth study of one of the most well-known and recited Buddhist texts, by a renowned modern translator The Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra is among the best known of all the Buddhist scriptures. Chanted daily by many Zen practitioners, it is also studied extensively in the Tibetan tradition, and it has been regarded with interest more recently in the West in various fields of study—from philosophy to quantum physics. In just a few lines, it expresses the truth of impermanence and the release of suffering that results from the understanding of that truth with a breathtaking economy of language. Kazuaki Tanahashi’s guide to the Heart Sutra is the result of a life spent working with it and living it. He outlines the history and meaning of the text and then analyzes it line by line in its various forms (Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, Mongolian, and various key English translations), providing a deeper understanding of the history and etymology of the elusive words than is generally available to the non-specialist—yet with a clear emphasis on the relevance of the text to practice. This book includes a fresh and meticulous new translation of the text by the author and Roshi Joan Halifax.
This is the story of two families in Dartmouth at the time of the Halifax Explosion, December 1917. Flossie Wright is a prankster, taking pleasure in practical jokes. Isobel Morton, whose father is listed as missing in the war, dislikes Flossie's jokes, and is ridiculed by the other girl. Although Isobel knows she is a not a "scaredycat," Flossie's jibes still hurt. Can Isobel prove her bravery and win Flossie's friendship in the terrible days that follow the Halifax explosion? Who's a Scaredy-Cat? is an enjoyable, historically detailed novel now back in print. Includes black and white illustrations by Marijke Simons.
Stories and photos that bring the people and places of Nova Scotia’s historic past to life. Beaubassin was once a prosperous farming community at the head of the Cumberland Basin; Africville was the vibrant home of Black Nova Scotians who struggled to make a living and found spiritual solace in their church. Both are now gone, one a casualty of long-ago colonial warfare and the other a victim of misguided urban renewal. In this fascinating book, author Joan Dawson looks at thirty-seven of this Canadian province’s lost communities: places like Electric City, Indian Gardens, and the Tancook Islands. Some were home to ethnic groups forced to leave. Others, once dependent on factories, mills, or the fishery, died as the economy changed or resources were depleted. But they were all once places where Nova Scotians were born, married, worked, and died. Featuring over 60 archival and contemporary photos and illustrations, Nova Scotia’s Lost Communities preserves those memories with fascinating insights.
Here is the late Joan M. Hardy's (nee Langille) complete writings. Compiled is her Poetry, Philosophy & Children's Literature she wrote spanning almost 3 decades.
The photograph from the air of the University of Montreal, built (1928-1945) on Mount-Royal by Quebec-born Architect/Engineer Ernest Cormier, (1885- 1980), trained in Paris. That whole period was very important for developing the Province of Quebec. The building was built on the north-side of the Mountain with the enormous old cemetery easily visible and the St. Lawrence river just visible on the other side. Today, such a photograph would no longer be so striking, the whole area has many more impressive buildings and enormous trees cover the area. We lived a ten minute walk away from the bottom left-hand corner of the picture in Outremont, the francophone counterpart of Anglophone Westmount two miles of so to the west. The head office of Family Medicine was situated close to and just to the west of the big tower. It is from there that the Bethune/Chinese connection was established. I was at the UofM from 1975-1995. It was by far the most productive period of our professional lives.
Appreciation for the small goods of life-the taste of warm, fresh bread, the birthday card in the mailbox, the hour of quiet that returns us to ourselves-is itself a spiritual exercise." As nourishing as our daily bread, this all-new collection of wisdom from spiritual master and renowned religious leader Sr. Joan Chittister is essential reading for all who long to grow closer to God and one another. Here she reflects on such important themes as St. Benedict's call to "listen with the ear of the heart," learning to cultivate happiness and find joy in moderation, and developing a deeper prayer life in our ongoing search for communion with God. Book jacket.
Have you ever been to the LaHave Islands Marine Museum on Bell Island? How about the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre in Judique, or the Africville Museum in Halifax? Joan Dawson has. Armed with a spirit of adventure, curiosity, and the belief that "treasures can be found in unlikely places," the author-historian has scoured Nova Scotia's National Heritage Sites and community museums for the fifty objects that best "embody the history and culture" of the province. Casting a wide net, from a pair of good-luck Nantucket Whaler shoes to a Mi-Carême seven-beast mask, Dawson unearths the many arcane and overlooked items whose stories collectively form Nova Scotia's historical fabric. Entries are arranged in chronological order, from prehistory to present-day, and each one includes a photograph, description, and contextual history of the object. Written in an engaging, narrative style, A History of Nova Scotia in 50 Objects is both a fabulously unique approach to the province's history and an interactive treasure hunt.
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