Awake at the Bedside

Contemplative Teachings on Palliative and End-of-Life Care

Koshin Paley Ellison, Matt Weingast, Koshin Paley Ellison, Matt Weingast

• Publisher: Wisdom Publications
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781614291190
• eBook ISBN: 9781614291428
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Religious Counseling

This book isn't about dying. It's about life and what life has to teach us. It's about caring and what giving care really means. In Awake at the Bedside, pioneers of palliative and end-of-life careas well as doctors, chaplains, caregivers and even poetsoffer wisdom that will challenge, uplift, comfort—and change the way we think about death. Equal parts instruction manual and spiritual testimony, it includes specific instructions and personal accounts to inspire, counsel, and teach. An indispensable resource for anyone involved in hospice work or caregiving of any kind. Contributors include Anyen Rinpoche, Coleman Barks, Craig D. Blinderman, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Joshua Bright, Ira Byock, Robert Chodo Campbell, Rafael Campo, Ajahn Chah, Ram Dass, Kirsten DeLeo, Issan Dorsey, Mark Doty, Norman Fischer, Nick Flynn, Gil Fronsdal, Joseph Goldstein, Shodo Harada Roshi, Tony Hoagland, Marie Howe, Fernando Kawai, Michael Kearney, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Stanley Kunitz, Stephen and Ondrea Levine, Judy Lief, Betsy MacGregor, Diane E. Meier, W. S. Merwin, Naomi Shihab Nye, Frank Ostaseski, Rachel NaomiRemen, Larry Rosenberg, Rumi, Cicely Saunders, Senryu, Jason Shinder, Derek Walcott, Radhule B. Weininger.

Index

A

absence:

not being present, 92

“… some absence about myself…,” 137

“Your absence has gone through me,” 203

acceptance of dying, 23, 166, 259–60, 288

See also readiness to die

accepting things as they are, 195

accepting who you are, 181–82, 288

“Acknowledging the Shadow” (Smith), 111–21

acting. See doing

adaptation to suffering, 284

administration of opioids/morphine, 239–40

affairs. See worldly affairs/responsibilities

“After the chemo…” (Shinder), 138–39

“Afterbody” (Shinder), 138–39

aging as a divine messenger, 73–76, 275

AIDS, 209

Angel’s story, 209–11

“Because the road to our house,” 248–51

dementia, 35

Steven and Rick, 244–45

“You weren’t well or really ill yet either,” 252–53

Alan (Fischer’s friend), 141–43

“… alive or dead?,” 275–76

all beings, liberating, 278–79

Allen, Richard: poem, 55

Alzheimer’s patient’s dying words, 263–64

Analects (Confucius), 277, 283

Angel’s story, 209–11

anger (rage), 42, 114

contemplation on, 65–66

externalizing, 51

Animal Planet show with Jeff Corwin, 294–96

anticipating death as an adventure, 290–91

Anyen Rinpoche: article, 57–68

“Appointment” (Shinder), 136–37

arising: insight into, 101–2

“Arriving late…” (Campo), 87

art:

communication by drawing, 44–45, 46, 47

in hospice care, 25–26

the ascetic as a divine messenger, 73, 75

“ask and it will be given…,” 39

asking for what you want, 47–48

asking the right question, 16–17, 18, 43, 51–52, 54

asking what the patient wants, 42–43

aspiration prayer, 63

Atisha, 217

atmosphere. See environment

attachment to self...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword His Holiness the Karmapa
• Preface Koshin Paley Ellison
• Introduction Koshin Paley Ellison and Matt Weingast
• POEM: Kozan Ichikyo
• ONE: Transforming the Care of Serious Illness Diane Meier
• TWO: Watch with Me Dame Cicely Saunders
• POEM: The Promise Marie Howe
• POEM: The Gate Marie Howe
• POEM: For Three Days Marie Howe
• POEM: The Last Time Marie Howe
• POEM: What the Living Do Marie Howe
• THREE: Mindfulness Is Not a Part-Time Job: Dementia, Flowers, and Attention Issan Dorsey
• FOUR: Unfinished Business and How You Know That You Know Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
• FIVE: Creating a Dharma Vision Anyen Rinpoche
• POEM: Lucky Tony Hoagland
• POEM: Medicine Tony Hoagland
• SIX: Meeting the Divine Messengers Bhikkhu Bodhi
• SEVEN: The Healing Encounter: Meeting One Another in the Space Between Judy Lief
• POEM: Hospital Song Rafael Campo
• POEM: Hospital Writing Workshop Rafael Campo
• EIGHT: Taking the Precepts as Your Guide: How to Approach Difficult Decisions, Accept the Consequences, and Not Keep Yourself Up All Night Craig D. Blinderman
• NINE: Meditation Practice: A Practice of Dying Joseph Goldstein
• POEM: The Washing of the Body Nick Flynn
• TEN: Redefining the Metaphor for Dying Ram Dass
• ELEVEN: Acknowledging the Shadow Rodney Smith
• POEM: Senryu
• TWELVE: Becoming (and Sustaining) the Bodhisattvas We Already Are Michael Kearney and Radhule Weininger
• POEM: Appointment Jason Shinder
• POEM: Afterbody Jason Shinder
• POEM: Untitled Jason Shinder
• THIRTEEN: The Raw Spot Norman Fischer
• POEM: Love After Love Derek Walcott
• FOURTEEN: A Good Enough Death Joshua Bright
• FIFTEEN: A Theravada Approach to Spiritual Care of the Dying and Deceased Gil Fronsdal
• POEM: Touch Me Stanley Kunitz
• POEM: Passing Through Stanley Kunitz
• POEM: The Layers Stanley Kunitz
• SIXTEEN: More Than Just a Medical Event Kirsten DeLeo
• SEVENTEEN: Our Real Home Ajahn Chah
• POEM: For the Anniversary of My Death W. S. Merwin
• POEM: Separation W. S. Merwin
• EIGHTEEN: Don’t Wait for Tomorrow: Six Meditations on Death and Dying Stephen and Ondrea Levine
• POEM: Sunao
• NINETEEN: A Lesson in Compassion Betsy MacGregor
• POEM: A Bowl Rumi
• POEM: Bird Wings Rumi
• POEM: The Guest House Rumi
• TWENTY: The Third Messenger: Death Is Unavoidable Larry Rosenberg
• TWENTY-ONE: The Last Kiss Fernando Kogen Kawai
• TWENTY-TWO: Attunement: Meditations on Compassion Frank Ostaseski
• POEM: Turtle, Swan Mark Doty
• POEM: The Embrace Mark Doty
• TWENTY-THREE: In the Silence of Leaving Robert Chodo Campbell
• TWENTY-FOUR: Four Stories about Seeing Around the Corner Rachel Naomi Remen
• POEM: Kindness Naomi Shihab Nye
• TWENTY-FIVE: Finding What Life Is Shodo Harada
• TWENTY-SIX: Imagining People Well Ira Byock
• Acknowledgments
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Contributors
• About the Editors
• About the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care
• Copyright