It is impossible to live with loss without walking with grief. Some suffering is unavoidable and necessary to survive being broken open. But when we try to ignore or minimize our most tender losses, we suffer needless and more destructive pain. Naming grief, surrendering to it, owning it – these are the powerful ways we take what is hardest and turn it to strength and wisdom.
It was a true honor to be asked to write an essay on grief for Preparing to Die: Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition, by spiritual teacher Andrew Holecek.