The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully - Softcover

Ostaseski, Frank

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1509801847 ISBN 13: 9781509801848

Publisher: Bluebird, 2017

Synopsis

'This is a wise, lucid, beautiful book that will help you be less afraid and more alive. Read it as soon as you can; it will change you.' Dr Lucy Kalanithi

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, a secret teacher hiding in plain sight, helping us to discover what matters most in life.

So begins Frank Ostaseski's stirring book, The Five Invitations, an exhilarating meditation on the meaning of life and how maintaining an ever-present awareness of death can bring us closer to our truest selves. In his thirty-plus years as a companion to the dying, Frank Ostaseski has sat on the precipice of death with more than a thousand people. A renowned teacher of compassionate care-giving, Ostaseski has distilled the lessons gleaned over the course of his career into a powerful and inspiring exploration of the essential wisdom dying has to impart to all of us about how to forge rich and meaningful lives. The 'Five Invitations' - Welcome Everything, Push Away Nothing; Bring Your Whole Self to the Experience; Don't Wait; Find a Place of Rest in the Middle of Things; and Cultivate a Don't Know Mind - show how death can be the guide we need to wake up fully to our lives. This stunning, unforgettable book offers a radical path to transformation.

About this title

About the Author

Frank Ostaseski, co-founder of the Zen Hospice Project and the Metta Institute, is a Buddhist teacher, international lecturer and a leading voice in contemplative end-of-life care. He has been honoured by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and named one of America’s 50 Most Innovative People. He teaches at healthcare and spiritual institutions, like the Mayo Clinic and Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and his work has been featured on programmes such as the Bill Moyers PBS series On Our Own Terms and The Oprah Winfrey Show, among others.

From the Back Cover

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―a secret teacher hiding in plain sight and helping us to discover what matters most.

The Five Invitations shows us how maintaining an ever-present consciousness of death can bring us closer to our truest selves. As a renowned teacher of compassionate care-giving and the co-founder of the Zen Hospice Project, Frank Ostaseski distils lessons gleaned over the course of his career, offering an evocative and stirring call to action.

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

These invitations can be understood as practices for anyone coping with death or navigating any sort of transition or crisis; they guide us towards appreciating life’s preciousness.

‘This book is a loving, compassionate reminder that the best preparation for death is a life fully lived’ Ram Dass, author of the bestseller Be Here Now

‘As a physician and neurosurgeon, I have learned that those who have truly lived are those that understand death as an integral part of life. In Frank Ostaseski’s profound book, The Five Invitations, he shares this reality, giving us insights and wisdom on the nature of dying but more importantly on how to truly live’ James R. Doty, MD, Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford University and New York Times bestselling author

Jacket design © Keith Hayes
Jacket photography © Getty Images/John_Woodcock

Edition details

• Publisher: Bluebird
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1509801847
• ISBN 13: 9781509801848
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304