After Death & Care of the Body [Online]

In this session, Chaplain Alley Smith & Death Doula Meli-Tashi Happy will explore attended deaths, best practices and what to do in the first 72 hours after a person dies. We also examine after death care: common rituals, rites and practices in Buddhism. 

This live session will include:

• What happens when I die?
• What happens to my body after I die?
• How do I Maintain the Body in State?
• How do I care for a dead body?
• What attitudes and behaviors should I keep around the deceased’s body? 
  
• Q&A with Chaplain Alley and Death Doula, Meli-Tashi Happy
• Resources and more

What to Bring to the Session:

• Bring a journal for writing and reflecting
• Bring your mala beads 

Prerequisites: 
Open to all levels of experience.

Donations are welcome! Offer an amount of your choosing at registration.

Recommended Reading Material (not required):

• Peaceful Death: Joyful Rebirth: A Tibetan Buddhist Guidebook by Tulku Thondup [Chapter 8. How to Help the Dying and the Dead: Some Important Observances]
• Preparing to Die: Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition - A guide for those facing death and for their caregivers, including teachings from the great masters and useful advice on navigating end-of-life issues by Andrew Holeck

Shambhala Online Resource (recommended, not required):
Death & Dying: Practice & Ceremony Protocols
[Note you must be logged into your Shambhala Online account to access the resource]

Forthcoming  
In a future session we will explore unattended deaths.

Privacy:
We respect your privacy. This program will not be recorded to protect the privacy of individuals who want to share their deep and heartfelt experiences of dying and death.

About the Teachers:  

Alley Smith is an ordained Buddhist Minister of Religion (Chaplain) in the Shambhala Lineage. She also holds precepts in Zen Buddhism. She specializes in spiritual care, mortuary affairs and as a funeral clergy. Alley has been a student of Shambhala Buddhism and Zen since 1999.  She currently hosts, “Making Friends with Death & Dying: Support Group” with Shambhala Online. Email: [email protected] 
Teacher Bio on Shambhala Online

Meli-Tashi Happy is the End-of-Life Coordinator for Seattle Shambhala Center, a death doula, and somatic educator. Her Buddhist path began in 1997 in the Zen tradition, and in 2007 she found the Shambhala teachings. She’s taken Refuge and Bodhisattva Vows, and is a vajrayana student. She helps foster ‘community death care’ education and connections. 

Questions? Email Meli-Tashi Happy at [email protected]