Death is not waiting for us at the end of a long road. Death is always with us, in the marrow of every passing moment. She is the secret teacher hiding in plain sight, helping us to discover what matters most.
Life and death are a package deal. They cannot be pulled apart and we cannot truly live unless we are aware of death. The Five Invitations is an exhilarating meditation on the meaning of life and how maintaining an ever-present consciousness of death can bring us closer to our truest selves.
An internationally respected Buddhist teacher, Frank Ostaseski is the visionary cofounder of the Zen Hospice Project and Metta Institute. He has sat on the precipice of death with more than a thousand people. He has trained countless clinicians and caregivers in the art of mindful and compassionate care. In The Five Invitations, he distills the lessons gleaned over decades of selfless service offering an evocative and stirring guide that points to a radical path to transformation.
The Five Invitations:
- Don’t Wait
- Welcome Everything, Push Away Nothing
- Bring Your Whole Self to the Experience
- Find a Place of Rest in the Middle of Things
- Cultivate Don’t Know Mind
The Five Invitations are mutually supportive principles, permeated with love that are reliable guides for being with dying. And, as it turns out, they have a relevance for all of us in living a life of integrity, meaning and purpose. They can be understood as best practices for anyone navigating a life transition, coping with loss or serious illness or a personal crisis. They guide us toward appreciating life’s preciousness. The Five Invitations is a powerful and inspiring exploration of the essential wisdom dying has to show about waking up fully to our lives.
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