Skillful Transitions: A Discussion on Death & Dying With Rhonda LoPresti and Graham Sunstein
With Rhonda LoPresti and Graham Sunstein
April 11 - 25, 2024
Planning for end of life is an act of kindness for ourselves, our loved ones, and our community. Gomde California is offering a three-part community conversation on planning for end of life as a practitioner. These open and supportive gatherings will be led by sangha members Rhonda LoPresti and Graham Sunstein via Zoom.
1st Session – Writing a Spiritual Care Directive: This hour will focus on how we can ready ourselves through organizing our supports and instructions for the time of dying in one document. We will share the Liberation Upon Hearing Instructions and encourage reading The Bardo Guidebook.
2nd Session – Contacting your Teacher at End of Life: This hour will be dedicated to sharing resources and information with our community on how to request the practices of phowa, jangchok (name burning ceremony), sur, and other prayers from our teachers, nuns, and monks at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling through Monlam.org.
3rd Session – Legacy Giving and Planned Gifts – This hour will be an opportunity to discuss generosity and legacy giving at end of life. We will share the details of Gomde’s new endowment fund and provide templates and language for how to leave a gift to Gomde or your preferred spiritual center through estate planning (will, trust, real estate, charitable funds, etc), so that one’s assets will continuously benefit their Dharma community
We hope you can join us for these three discussions, each one hour long, during which we will share ideas, resources, and supports for end of life care. This will be a space for open and safe conversation; questions are welcome.
Workshop Schedule & Format:
Dates: Thursday April 11th, 18th, and 25th
Time: 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. PDT
Format: Online (Zoom)
Registrants will gain access to a recording of the session.
Leaders
As an End of Life Coach, Rhonda is passionate in holding and creating sacred space, personal ritual, spiritual practice and creative choices through dying and deathcare. She believes we can learn to die and in learning to die we actually awaken to life itself. In serving the dying and grieving, Rhonda favors conversations in the art of saying good-bye, exploring what death asks of us and deserves, how to prepare oneself consciously for the dying process, the compassionate merits of home family directed funerals, green burial awareness, and the welcoming and witnessing of grief. Founder of Peacefully Prepared, Rhonda has evolved…
Learn more about Rhonda LoPresti
Graham met the Wishfulfilling Jewel, the 16th Karmapa, at Rumtek Monastery in 1979 and began practicing Dharma. Graham received transmissions and teachings from many realized Tibetan Buddhist Masters. Foremost among those is Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, as well as Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche’s sons. He spent many years at Nagi Gompa in Nepal practicing under the guidance of Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. He was the meditation instructor at Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Nepal for 5 years and was a founding member of Rangjung Yeshe Gomde California where he worked for 10 years. Graham has spent…
Learn more about Graham Sunstein