The Joy-Sorrow of Death

As we advance in age, death becomes less and less an abstraction. It becomes a reality that we have to honestly reckon with.

Some of my friends are having a difficult time. They have aging parents who are either sick or dying. Being good children, they dedicate their time to take care of their parents at their last stage of their lives. I find this very admirable and touching. Last month, I was invited to give a Zen talk to an audience of patients under hospice care. That speaking engagement did not materialize. But death is an important topic. The art of dying is an integral part of the…