Welcome to our foundational course series:
The Heart of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
Rigpa US is pleased to offer an exciting series of online courses exploring “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying” by Sogyal Rinpoche, the groundbreaking book that has helped millions of people find wellbeing in their lives and the possibility of ultimate freedom from suffering through their experience of the Buddhist tradition of wisdom and compassion. You are welcome to join at the beginning of each course, whether you have taken the previous course or not.
In each of the courses, we focus on a few chapters of the book, immersing ourselves in their profound wisdom and practical advice. This is an opportunity for deep study, contemplation, and meditation that will serve to guide you on a unique journey of personal transformation.
Fall 2025 : (Course 1)
The Heart of the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: The Hidden Treasure of Impermanence
A 9-session course combining meditation, reflection, and practical tools for navigating change
What if uncertainty didn't have to feel so overwhelming?
Life keeps changing. People we love get sick. Jobs end. Relationships shift. Plans fall apart. And somewhere in the middle of it all, we find ourselves asking: How do we find solid ground when everything feels so unstable?
This course offers a different way of looking at life's constant changes—not as something to fear or resist, but as a doorway to deeper peace and understanding. Drawing from the profound wisdom of the Tibetan Buddhist teachings as shared in the acclaimed book The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche, we'll explore how accepting uncertainty can actually become a source of strength.
What You'll Discover
Together we'll explore some of life's biggest questions. You don't need any background in Buddhism or meditation—just curiosity and a willingness to look at things from a fresh perspective.
We'll start with the foundations: You'll learn a simple but powerful meditation practice called "calm abiding" that helps quiet the mental chatter and creates space for clarity. We'll also explore three time-tested methods that engage both your analytical mind and your intuitive wisdom, known as The Three Wisdom Tools. These aren't just intellectual concepts—they're practical tools designed to create real shifts in how you understand yourself and navigate daily life.
Then we'll go deeper: We'll look honestly at change and loss—not to become morbid, but to discover how accepting life's impermanent nature can actually free us from constant anxiety about the future. You'll explore how everything in life is interconnected, and how this understanding can shift your relationship with both joy and difficulty. Together we’ll learn how honest investigation of change and mortality can lead to a greater feeling of aliveness.
By the end: You'll have practical tools for finding peace in the midst of life's inevitable changes, and a deeper appreciation for the remarkable capacity of your own mind to remain steady and compassionate, even when circumstances feel chaotic. Our investigations of death and change will give you a richer understanding of interdependence. Understanding one of life's most profound realities—that everything is constantly shifting and interconnected then leads us to the ultimate view of what is changeless within us, “something boundless and infinitely spacious, something in which the dance of change and impermanence takes place”.
This Course Is For You If:
You feel anxious about the future or overwhelmed by life's unpredictability
You're dealing with loss, transition, or major life changes
You're curious about meditation but don't know where to start
You want practical wisdom for everyday challenges, not just theory
You're open to exploring how ancient teachings might speak to modern struggles
The teachings we'll explore have helped people find peace for over a thousand years. They're not about escaping life's difficulties, but about discovering a different way to be with them—one that brings more ease, compassion, and genuine confidence in your ability to handle whatever comes your way.
Wednesdays, October 15 - December 17, 2025 (9 sessions)
4pm PT/ 7pm ET
Duration: 2h
(Note: there will be no course on November 6, 2025)
FUTURE COURSES IN SERIES
Winter 2026 : (Course 2)
The Heart of the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: The Deathless Unending Nature of Mind & The Art of Meditation
Course description coming soon
Wednesday January 7th - March 11th (10 sessions)
4pm PT/ 7pm ET
Duration: 2h
Spring 2026 : (Course 3)
The Heart of the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: Rebirth, Karma and Our Life on the Spiritual Path
Course description coming soon
Wednesday March 25th - June 10th (12 sessions)
4pm PT/ 7pm ET
Duration: 2h
In each session we will provide space to connect with the profound teachings in the book through:
Brief video clippings from renouned Tibetan and Western Buddhist teachers
Step-by-step meditation guidance
Time for contemplation
Ample space for Group discussions and Q&A, offering you the opportunity to explore the teachings and practices in an open supportive environment.
Audience
This course series, and each course, is suitable for everyone. Each class is 1:45 minutes in length. Classes are offered via Zoom.
“In this book, I endeavored to share something of the wisdom of the tradition I grew up in. I sought to show the practical nature of its ancient teachings and how they can help us at every stage of living and dying. Many people, over the years, had urged me to write this book. They said that it would help relieve some of the intense sufferings that so many of us go through in the modern world.”
-Sogyal Rinpoche
In each course, we will examine:
How to meditate
How an acceptance of impermanence can help us understand death and change our attitude towards life
How meditation can transform our perception, increase our confidence and fully connect us to the world around us
That mind is much more than just thoughts and emotions
Reflective exercises that help you apply these insights to your own circumstances.
How understanding the interdependency of all things and the principle of karma (that every action has an effect) gives us a logical basis for ethics and personal responsibility
How compassion can be nurtured in our hearts in a way that profoundly changes our own minds and our relationships.
Course Instructors
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Pat Best
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Linda Forrester
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Jeff Middelton
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Hanne Riegg-Luedge
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Cam Tran
THE INSTRUCTORS TEAM
Pat Best: A deep longing developed in Pat’s heart to ease the suffering of beings after a young daughter of a co-worker was diagnosed with an incurable illness. She found The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying showed the causes of all suffering and gave practical ways to deal with suffering. Decades later, she continues to use these techniques and finds these teachings are more relevant than ever and wishes to share them with the world.
Linda Forrester first read and fell in love with the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying in 2001 and started going to weekly meditation sessions. Retired now, Linda Forrester taught ESL at the City University of New York for over 25 years. Her work with immigrant and international students was constantly inspired by Sogyal Rinpoche’s teachings, and she feels deep gratitude to him.
Jeff Middelton initially connected through the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying while traveling in India. He has found that the brilliant clarity in the teachings and the practice have provided an accessible refuge so essential in today’s modern world. He particularly enjoys interacting with students who are drawn to the Buddhist path.
Hanne Riegg-Luedge has been an instructor since the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying was published in 1992. After living in Santa Cruz for over 30 years, she moved to Southern Oregon in 2020 with her husband to live close to her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. Hanne is a retired psychologist.
Cam Tran was at a very low point in her life when she first met Sogyal Rinpoche in the Bay Area in 1994. Consumed by suffering, she read the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying and fell in love with the book, especially the chapters on Loving Kindness, The Spiritual Path and the Innermost Essence. Rinpoche’s teaching and compassion helped her to heal, and learn to let go and forgive. By continuing to study and follow the spiritual path, she gained a newfound sense of purpose and aspires to benefit others.