Some months after witnessing my mother’s death, I took a “Moment of Death” workshop with Patricia Shelton, founding teacher of the Clear Light Society.

I have to say, Shelton (or ZenMa, as she likes to be called) opened my eyes to the opportunity that exists in life’s final days and hours. And naturally, I wish I’d taken the workshop before mom left us. I did my best, but I now see how I could have been more useful to her.

Shelton employs a dynamic, shared breathing/meditation technique that allows for a dawning in the mind of the dying person, a dawning of “clear light,” as she calls it. Too often, the person dying is frightened. And the people around that person are also scared to death! You may find that the Clear Light Society’s writings and workshops will prepare you for your own death and the demise of those you love. Apparently, the Tibetan Buddhist meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche declared this graceful teaching a “mind treasure.”

Here’s the group’s website. The next big workshop will be held July 21 and 22 in Andover, Massachusetts. You can call 413-298-4446 for details or answers to questions.

Writes ZenMa: “To assist a dying person’s consciousness to become one with the light is a compassionate act of great import. It is at once both inexpressible and
unforgettable. It is a treasure worth passing down to future generations.”