As in life itself, death is an ongoing progression and transition. It is one that can be approached with awareness, preparation, and presence.

This daylong program will introduce the Vajrayāna view on the end-of-life process and the methods traditionally put into practice to arrive at the threshold of transition with clarity, certainty, and ease.

The first part of the day is designed to introduce the relative or secular aspects that support end-of-life care in both personal and communal settings, ethical sensibilities, preparedness, and contemplative foundations. Emphasis will be given to practical guidance, with open questions and conversations on how to overcome our fears and prepare with confidence.

The second part of the day will go deeper to explore the wisdom methods and practices in the Vajrayāna tradition that prepare us to ‘die professionally,’ a term often used by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche, referring to the main aim of Vajrayāna practitioners. We will field questions and review various scenarios to strengthen our dharma guidance, stabilize our confidence, and gain clarity in preparing for the moment of transition.

This program is open to all.  The recording will be available for later review and study.   

Lama Freddie is an Interfaith Spiritual Care Provider at Stanford Healthcare and a former Chaplain with the Hospice of Santa Cruz. He has trained in Tibetan Buddhism for over thirty years and completed extensive Vajrayāna retreats, including two traditional three-year retreats under the guidance of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche. Lama Freddie is the Retreat Teacher (Drubpon) for the Three-Year Retreat Drub Nyiy Döjö Gatsal, founded by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche in 1992, a lead ritual chanter (umdze), and a mentor in the Ngondro Program of the Vajrayāna Foundation. An acupuncturist and a physical therapist in his native country of Brazil and a keen researcher of ancestral forms of healing, Lama Freddie’s activities have expanded to serve communities in the US and worldwide through authentic dharma and unique healing methods. He is the co-founder of Lhamen Foundation.

(flier art by Pema Tintin Tsehring)