Who is Afraid of Death?

Pretty much all of us, is the answer to this question. Facing the unknown is a terrifying prospect for most. The Sammasati Project, a new organisation which aims to provide psycho-spiritual support for inner growth, is running a new 4-day retreat on 6-10 March in Dorset which explores the use of meditation to gain an understanding of death and dying.

Maneesha James, meditation facilitator and co-founder of The Sammasati Project, focuses on the similarities between death and meditation. James’ work uses the meditative techniques recommended by the Indian mystic Osho who says "...meditation is a kind of death, a sort of death. Consciously, voluntarily, you are merging yourself into the whole. You are dying as an individual, as an ego, and becoming one with the egoless existence.... If you know your real self you will never be afraid of death-there is no question."

James ascertains that it is only by facing our mortality and addressing the issues which may arise during sickness and dying that we can be prepared when the time comes for own death or that of our loved ones. Her retreat is designed to give participants the experiencing of ‘Dying before you die’ ( a term also used by luminaries such as Eckhart Tolle, C S Lewis, the poet Rumi and within Buddhism and Sufism). By helping participants to understand the qualities associated with meditation - letting go, relaxation, dropping the identity with the body and mind, surrender – she shows how these qualities are also what happens with death.

Australian born James and her co-facilitator Sudheer Niet (Netherlands), both internationally-known meditation facilitators, therapists (and ex-nurses) are currently giving trainings in India before coming to the UK to run the retreat called "An Experiential Enquiry into Death & Dying".

Whilst this is a new course, participants on a similar programme have found that confronting the issue of death is hugely rewarding and enriches their experience of living life. "...in my daily life it is making me bolder in that I am asking for what I want/need, very well knowing that this is the time ... that there might not be other chances, that there is no space for stupid fears or polite limitations. I ask more, I care less, I move faster or more decisively." says Spanish participant , Priya Alvarez. "Never have I been on such an alive training!"

The ‘Experiential Enquiry into Death & Dying’ retreat will be held at the residential venue Monkton Wyld Court in Dorset 6 – 10 March and costs £595 per person. Anyone interested should email info@thesammasatiproject.co.uk or call 07816 035719. The retreat can also be taken as the first of five modules of a longer training called The Sammasati Support-Person Training which is designed for those wishing to offer psycho-spiritual support to the seriously ill and dying.

Press contact: Sidika Petterson 07742 053198 – images available.
online@thesammasatiproject.co.uk www.thesammasatiproject.co.uk

Further information
Available on the Project’s website www.thesammasatiproject.co.uk
Additional media resources include:
YouTube interviews with the facilitators and previous participants: https://www.youtube.com/user/thesammasatiproject
Introductory webinar replay and slides: http://vimeo.com/55666460 http://www.slideshare.net/SammasatiProject/dying-doing-it-differently
Radio interview: http://bit.ly/XpoW1n
Articles by Maneesha James – see www.maneeshajames.com website