No Time to Lose! How to make Friends with Death

with Venerable Robina Courtin

  • April 26 – May 1 (Plus Bonus Day for Sponsors on May 2)

 

This is an intermediate course, suitable for students who have attended one of our 10-day Introduction to Buddhism courses or have taken the full online program, The Buddhist Path of Training the Mind and Going Deeper: The Buddhist Path of Training the Mind.

In modern society the subject of death is treated as a taboo, due to which we avoid discussing it and even go as far as pretending it doesn’t exist. As a result, our own and others’ deaths come as a huge shock to us.

In fact, death is the one sure thing that will definitely happen to every single one of us, and it can happen anytime. So doesn’t it make sense to think about it and make preparations for it? Wouldn’t that make our own death easier and less frightening? And wouldn’t that enable us to help other people who are dying?

Would you like to know why some people die peacefully, as though going to sleep, and why others experience great fear and anxiety?

Buddhism explains that thinking about death is not morbid, but useful, logical, and necessary because to die well, peacefully and without fear, we need to live well by leading lives based on ethics, compassion, kindness, honesty, and helping others.

We will look at what death is, what happens when one is dying, what one should do before death and while one is dying, and what happens after death. We will also discuss how to prepare for death, both in terms of what it means to live well and in terms of actual practices that can be done as death is approaching.

In this course topics such these below will be discussed

1. Why make preparations for death?
2. How mindfulness of death is useful
3. Death, intermediate state, and rebirth
4. Practices for the time of death

Teacher

Ordained since the late 1970’s, Venerable Robina has worked full time since then for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s FPMT. Over the years she has served as editorial director of Wisdom Experience, editor of Mandala Magazine, executive director of Liberation Prison Project, and as a touring teacher of Buddhism. Her life and work with prisoners have been featured in the documentary films Chasing Buddha and Key to Freedom.

Please click here to learn more.

Pre-requisites

  • Either completed one of Tushita’s 10-day “Introduction to Buddhism” courses (or equivalent).
  • – or –
  • Completed both parts of the Buddhist Path of Training the Mind (Introduction and Going Deeper) online class

 

Course Schedule

April 26 –  May 1 (Plus Bonus Day for Sponsors on May 2)

All times are based on India Standard Time. We recognize that for many of you outside of India, some of the times may not work. It can still be possible to use the recordings for those sessions and join in the live sessions that are convenient for you. If you want to figure out the time in your country click here.

There will be 2 separate classes each day:

  • Morning Online Class: 9:00 – 10:30 am (Indian Standard Time)
  • Evening Online Class: 7:00 – 8:30 pm (Indian Standard Time)

 

Video recordings of each session will be available for those who cannot make the live session.

Recommended Reading

For years Lama Zopa Rinpoche envisioned a practical book to inform students of how to help loved ones have a beneficial death. How to Face Death without Fear has been compiled from years of Rinpoche’s teachings and has been lovingly edited by Venerable Robina Courtin.

During this course Ven Robina will offer teachings based on the content of this book which provides detailed advice on how to help your loved ones prepare for the end of their life with courage, acceptance, and a mind free of fear. This is information we all need but is especially useful for caregivers, health care professionals, chaplains and social workers.

We hope you will find reassurance in this wealth of advice offered by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and shared by Ven Robina, and will also gain the confidence to ensure that your loved one’s death—and your own—will be peaceful and meaningful.

The Handbook for this course: How to Help Your Loved One Enjoy Death and Go Happily to Their Next Rebirth (the hard copy is called “How to Enjoy Death”) is available as a free download from the FPMT website.

Please use this link: A Handbook by Lama Zopa Rinpoche

One of the reasons why we came up with this course is to be able to raise some funds for Tushita in this difficult time of lockdown, so we detail below the different categories for suggested donations.

Please note that nobody will be turned away due to lack of funds! If you have sincere interest in this specific course and have financial difficulties, please let us know.

Sponsor Level Package

$108 USD (8,000 Indian Rupees)

Includes:

  • 14 live Zoom sessions (including Bonus Day)
  • Live teachings and discussion with Venerable Robina Courtin
  • Video recordings of each session
  • Course materials and online resources
  • A butter lamp offered on your behalf & with your special dedication on Saka Dawa 
  • Bonus Day – Q&A with Venerable Robina Courtin

 

Supporter Level Package

$80 USD (6,000 Indian Rupees)

Includes:

  • 12 live Zoom sessions
  • Live teachings and discussion with Venerable Robina Courtin 
  • Video recordings of each session
  • Course materials and online resources

 

Well-Wisher Level Package

$40 USD (3,000 Indian Rupees)

Includes:

  • 12 sessions of recorded video with Venerable Robina Courtin
  • Course materials and online resources

 

Register

Register by filling out our online form

Register Online

Please make sure you have read the information on this page first.