Contemplative End of Life Care: A Seventeen-Week Certificate Program for Health Care Professionals
"This course of study,
more than any other
in my life, has shifted
my deep internal
understanding of
what it means to be
courageously and
authentically present
with people in crisis,
whether it be in the ICU, ER, or in moments at
the end of life. I am forever grateful for its
teachings."
--Joanie Webster, MD
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Bringing together the ancient wisdom of the Buddhist
tradition as presented in Sogyal Rinpoche's
The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying with the knowledge,
skills and best practices of hospice and palliative care.
Rigpa's Spiritual Care Education Program, in partnership with Naropa University Center for Contemplative End of Life Care,
presents a professional certificate program for healthcare professionals providing in-depth
training in spiritually-grounded and compassionate
approaches to the full spectrum of end of life care practice, and offering
the opportunity to fully integrate spirituality and caregiving.The program is
presented in a unique seventeen-week, low-residency format that includes two,
week-long residential training intensives and fifteen weeks of online instruction.
About contemplative caregiving
From the Buddhist perspective, the moment of death is an extraordinary
spiritual opportunity, and the environment one dies in is crucial. As
health care workers, we have a vital role to play in creating a special
environment for the dying and their families. Through learning how to
inspire oneself with a daily meditation practice, a sense of confidence
and deep love naturally grows.
Then, by integrating meditation practice with caregiving work, we
can create a sacred environment in which our patients can die in
a state of peace and even inspiration. It is the compassionate, clear,
inspired presence we bring to the ill or dying that brings hope in
the face of suffering and death.
In a remarkable way, the Buddhist teachings reveal universal spiritual
principles that resonate with people of any faith or none. The training
emphasizes very skillful ways that the compassion and wisdom of these
teachings can be applied in any caregiving setting.
Remarks from past participants
"As a physician who has practiced radiation
oncology, this program provided me with a
comprehensive framework for end-of-life care
through its didactic and experiential
components. Much of medicine is intellectual,
but this program gave me the personal
experience and the tools to meet people on their own ground,
which is critical, and to continue working in a heartfelt way with
patients and staff. In addition, it has propelled me on a path of
inquiry that continues to enrich my life and allows me to care for
family members as well as my patients."
-Carole Milligan, MD
This program may be the most important program I have ever
taken. The depth it has developed in my caregiving as a
chaplain came subtly but steadily throughout the course. It is a
beautifully balanced, well thought out and profound
experience. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to
skillfully bring a deeper dimension of spiritual life to their
caregiving."
-Dennis McCann, Director of Pastoral Care, St. Vincentās Medical Center
"This has been a great period of
reflection, experience, personal
healing and getting in touch with
my essential nature. I felt it has
given me new skills and practices,
which I feel will empower me with
greater confidence in my care of the
dying."
-Sister Brigid Murphy, Hospice Chaplain
