In Lessons from the Dying, Rodney Smith makes a meaningful offering to all of us interested in freedom. Drawing on an unusually rich array of experience, Rodney clearly elucidates the wisdom drawn from both his years as a Buddhist practitioner and monk and his long involvement in the hospice movement. Each of these deep wellsprings of his life enriches the other and finds expression in this helpful and inspiring book. Rodney skillfully guides us through the subtleties and nuances of our own assumptions, hopes and fears. He shows the possibility of living and dying with an open heart. Lessons from the Dying is a wise and gentle reminder of what faces us all, a reminder that death is the great mystery that illuminates life.

Lessons from the Dying, Rodney Smith, Wisdom Publications, 207 pages, $16.95

Rodney Smith is a retired Insight Meditation Society guiding teacher and retired founding and guiding teacher of the Seattle Insight Meditation Society. A former Buddhist monk and hospice director, he has taught meditation for over 30 years and is the author of Lessons from the Dying; Stepping Out of Self-Deception: The Buddha�s Liberating Teaching of No-Self; Awakening: A Paradigm Shift of the Heart; and Touching the Infinite: A New Perspective on the Buddha�s Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Oct 2017).