In their new book, Walking Each Other Home: Conversations on Loving and Dying, spiritual teachers Ram Dass and Mirabai Bush share intimate dialogues on the topics of dying, grieving, change and acceptance.
Such conversations will continue on Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Peter Simon Gallery in Vineyard Haven. Ms. Bush will read excerpts from the book, set to release on Sept. 4. Mr. Dass, the author of Be Here Now, will join, health permitting, via Skype.
Having suffered a stroke 20 years ago that left him with expressive aphasia, Mr. Dass, at times, experiences difficulty with verbal and written communication. Rather than succumbing to his condition, Mr. Dass co-authored a book.
“This was one of the things he wanted to do before he leaves,” Ms. Bush said. “We thought we would put together his various teachings on dying.”
Walking Each Other Home reads as less of a narrative and more as a series of heart-to-heart talks between friends. The two have known each other for more than 50 years, spending many summers together on the Vineyard. The conversations penned in the book, however, took place on another island.
“I would go to visit him at his residence in Maui,” Ms. Bush said. “I would go up to his room and we would just talk about dying, grief, and what he’s learned from old friends about dying.”
While most of the conversations focus, in one way or another, on death, Ms. Bush emphasized that one does not need to be close to their dying day to learn from the book or Sunday’s discussion.
“There’s such a taboo in the culture at large about death and dying, but by being in these conversations I hope that it will become more familiar,” Ms. Bush said. “The younger you are when you let go of that sense of taboo about it, the lighter you will become.”
Ram Dass and Mirabai Bush will speak on Sunday, Sept. 2, from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Simon Gallery, 54 Main street, Vineyard Haven. For more information visit petersimon.com.
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