How to Live So You Can Die Without Fear - by Dale Borglum (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From a pioneer in the conscious dying movement and founder of the Living/Dying Project comes an inclusive, nonsectarian spiritual perspective on living and dying, written for caregivers, the aging, the bereaved, and anyone yearning to live more fully.

Caretakers for the sick and dying, people facing a terminal diagnosis, and all those seeking higher truths will discover in this powerful book a gateway to not just conscious dying but to living so fully that they can, when the moment arrives, die without fear. In this clear-eyed and revelatory guide, Dale Borglum, a decades-long meditation teacher and pioneer in conscious dying, teaches us to compassionately work with our fears and our old wounds, tend to the darkness within, and recognize the wholeness of who we are so we can begin to heal.

With an eclectic background including a doctorate in mathematical statistics and a lifetime of cross-traditional spiritual study, Borglum presents a unique healing path that integrates Western psychology, 12-step programs, energy and somatic healing, devotional practices, the chakra system, ego dissolution, meditation, and more. Through a threefold process of embodied mindfulness, compassion, and transmutation, he teaches us to experience suffering and wholeness simultaneously, treat grief as an invitation to deeper love, and use simple yet profound tools to meet life's most challenging moments with grace.

With this wise guidance, we can see how caretaking of ourselves and others is, in itself, a spiritual practice. Borglum invites us to tend to acute and chronic grief by cultivating forgiveness and self-love, conveying what he has learned through his years of study: "Grief dares us to love again."

Review Quotes

"No one has done more profound work with people who are facing their death, and their families, than Dale Borglum. He is a guide, a therapist, a best friend, a birth coach. This book is brilliant and welcoming, with the potential to change the life of anyone who reads it."
-- Anne Lamott

"This book reflects many decades of brave and sensitive work with those who are dying. This will be a companion to those who care for the dying and also those who are meeting death imminently."
-- Roshi Joan Halifax

"A profound gift of freedom comes when someone offers a presence that is not afraid of death and not afraid of life. Dale Borglum has done this in his living, loving, dying work for decades. Now with the same spirit, he offers his story, his wisdom, and his blessings for all to share."
-- Jack Kornfield

"How to Live So You Can Die Without Fear is an antidote to our culture's stigma around death and dying. It is an unapologetic call to embrace the mystery of death as a catalyst for awakening, rather than a problem to be solved. It offers a reliable guide for caregivers, a tender hand to grievers, a life-giving refuge for the dying, and an inspiration for all seekers of truth."
-- from the foreword by Mirabai Starr

"Dale Borglum was there, together with Ram Dass and Stephen [Levine], at the beginning of the conscious dying movement here in the West. This wonderful book, with great clarity, compassion, and humor, continues this work and brings it to life in a way that is inspirational, accessible, and practical."
-- Ondrea Levine

About the Author

RamDev Dale Borglum is the founder and executive director of the Living/Dying Project in the San Francisco Bay Area. A pioneer in the conscious dying movement, he has worked directly with thousands of people with life-threatening illnesses and their families. In 1981, Borglum founded the Dying Center, the first residential facility in the United States for people who wished to die consciously. For over forty years, he has been immersed in the practices of devotion, meditation, and contemplative prayer, studying with many of the greatest masters of the past century, including Neem Karoli Baba, Suzuki Roshi, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He lives in Fairfax, California. Foreword author Mirabai Starr is a certified bereavement counselor, translator of sacred literature, and world-renowned teacher of contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialogue.