THE JOY OF LIVING AND DYING IN PEACE

Book excerpt: His Holiness the Dalai Lama's teaching-a beautiful and accessible presentation of the time-honored path to enlightenment–is one of the world's great spiritual treasures. The Joy of Living and Dying in Peace underscores the importance of "practice"-of awareness through meditation, compassion, patience, and effort—in lending rich and joyous meaning to this lifetime, and so to our passage to the next. His Holiness the Dalai Lama offers his thoughts on achieving a meaningful life and death. At the heart of his eloquent presentation is this lesson: by cultivating compassion, wisdom, and positive thought and action-in short, by living a good life-we can approach death without fear or regret, and welcome our passage and rebirth. He teaches that the way to a peaceful death is to live a meaningful life by practicing love and compassion. The book also provide straightforward lessons on how to embrace death and impermanence, which ultimately leads to a life of peace, joy and spiritual fulfillment.