Wholesome Fear : Transforming Your Anxiety About Impermanence and Death

With the right perspective, our anxiety around sickness, old age, and death can be a "wholesome fear"--a fear with a positive quality that ultimately enriches and nourishes our lives. Lama Zopa Rinpoche shows us how we can use our anxiety as a high-octane fuel to really live what's most important. Alongside Rinpoche's teachings, Kathleen McDonald presents meditations that lead to peace, compassion, and joy for ourselves and others. Approaching our physical realities in this way will help us to live well and, when the time comes as it inevitably will, to die well too. It's never too early to start making this most important of efforts--and, fortunately, it is never too late. An essential guide for anyone confronting the challenges of death and dying, Wholesome Fear serves as a reminder of the gift and truth of impermanence.

Our anxiety around sickness, old age, and death can be transformed into a "wholesome fear"-a fear with a positive quality that ultimately enriches and nourishes our lives. Lama Zopa Rinpoche shows us how we can use our anxiety as a high-octane fuel to really live what's most important; while Kathleen McDonald presents meditations that integrate these teachings as well as lead us to peace, compassion, and joy for ourselves and others. Taking up these practices wholeheartedly will help us to live well and, when the time comes as it inevitably will, to die well too. It s never too early to start making this most important of efforts-and fortunately it is never too late.

Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 Section 1 Impermanence and Death......Page 32 Section 2 Meditation on Death......Page 48 Section 3 The Process of Dying......Page 74 Section 4 Meditations and Dedications......Page 86 More Meditations......Page 100 How to Begin Meditating Right Now......Page 136 Recommended Reading......Page 164 About the Authors......Page 166 Tells us that the fear of death can be a wholesome fear - a fear that can have a positive quality that ultimately enriches and nourishes our lives by leaving us no choice but to face difficult truths and live more authentically because of them