When we face the death of a loved one, the Dharma asks us to turn our calm focus on the good deeds of the deceased. It also asks us to meditate on the impermanence of our own lives… But as a person faces the intense emotions that may arise at this time, this may be difficult to do. Our community is designed to give you online help and consolation.

The discussions on our bulletin board create a community of mourners — a place where you can share your feelings about death and take comfort in the words of others. If you'd like to post a prayer here for a lost loved one, please do so. You can also find articles by some of today's best writers to inspire, guide, and give solace.

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For the Soul’s Safekeeping edited by W.Y. Evans-Wentz 

The most famous Tibetan Buddhist text is the Bardo Thödol or The Tibetan Book of the Dead. It gives guidance to the souls of the recently deceased so that they might attain enlightenment. Here is part of a prayer for the safekeeping of the soul from this text. The bardo is the intermediate state the soul passes through between death and rebirth. Dakinis are female spirits. The Trikaya is the subtle body of enlightened beings.

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Sickness and Healing by Jane Hope 

Health is far more than the absence of disease. In its fullest sense it means "wholeness."

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Confronting Death by Jane Hope 

Although in modern times we avoid remembering death, facing it is an essential part of the spiritual path.

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Closing the Circle by Joan Furman, M.S.N., R.N. and David McNabb 

Classical tragedy teaches us to experience suffering and use it to transform our lives. How can we apply this idea to the tragedy that is death?

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A Woman’s Thoughts on Grieving by Nessa Rapoport 

After attending five funerals in 18 months, author Nessa Rapoport wrote the book she could not find. Here are her passionate meditations on suffering, consolation, and the paradox of God.

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Prayer by Jane Hope 

Prayer is universal. Ultimately it’s a way of communing with the divine.

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Unanswered Prayers & Spiritual Dry Spells by Helen Ciaravino 

Frustrations naturally occur when prayers don’t seem to yield the desired results. Furthermore, there are times when the spiritual drive, which may be so passionate and energetic at one moment, simply stalls. All of a sudden, the presence of God may feel like a distant memory, if not a work of the imagination. You find yourself resisting prayer. How can you overcome these situations if and when they occur? What do they mean?

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Buddhist Meditation: A Brief History by Helene Ciaravino 

Under the tenets of Buddhism, meditation is one of the processes through which an individual moves away from ignorance and suffering, and therefore toward enlightenment—the ultimate goal of all Buddhist practice.

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