The Art of Conscious Dying
Tibetan Buddhist & Medical Teachings on Death & Liberation

With Dr. Nida Chenagtsang
October 16 - 21, 2026

In Person at Pure Land Farms + Online Livestream

Death is the most profound transition a human being will make — and, according to both Sowa Rigpa and Vajrayana Buddhism, one for which we can and should consciously prepare.

This five-day retreat brings together the medical and spiritual dimensions of the Tibetan tradition to address one of the most neglected areas of modern life: how to die well, how to support those who are dying, and how to move through grief with clarity and compassion.

Drawing on classical medical and Buddhist teachings on the dying process — including the dissolution of the five elements, the withdrawal of the subtle winds and channels, and the signs that accompany death — as well as the traditional instructions on how to traverse the bardo (the "in between" states), Dr. Nida Chenagtsang will guide practitioners through a comprehensive study of death as both a physiological and a spiritual event.

According to both the medical and Buddhist understanding, learning to die well is an extension of learning to live well. Death, if properly understood and prepared for, can become not an ending to be feared but an opportunity for liberation. The inquiry into death does not diminish life. It opens it and becomes a source of genuine joy and freedom.

The retreat is designed both for practitioners who wish to prepare for their own death through bardo practice and meditation, as well as those who are caring for, or have lost, a loved one, and who wish to understand how to offer genuine support at the threshold of life and beyond.

Retreat teachings include:

• The Sowa Rigpa and Buddhist understanding of the dying process: elemental dissolution, signs and stages of death

• Introduction to the six bardo states: birth, dream, meditation, death, dharmata, and becoming

• Preparing for the bardo of death through Buddhist meditations

• How to support a dying person: presence, speech, touch, and spiritual support according to the Tibetan tradition

• The medical and contemplative understanding of grief: how it manifests in the body-mind and how the tradition addresses it

• Rituals for the dead: prayers, offerings, and practices that benefit those who have passed

• How daily life practice lays the ground for a conscious death

Dr. Nida will offer teachings that are practical, grounded in lineage, and applicable immediately. The retreat will include practical guided meditations and time for questions and discussion. Sowa Rigpa healing therapies will be available during the retreat by appointment with Pure Land Farms practitioners.

REGISTRATION DETAILS

• SCHEDULE

  FRIDAY OCTOBER 16
  Check in 3 - 6pm for residential guests
  6:30pm: Welcome dinner and orientation (no teachings on first evening)

  SATURDAY - TUESDAY OCTOBER 17 - 20

  8am: Breakfast for residential guests

  9 - 12pm: Teachings (Livestreamed)

  12:30pm: Lunch, rest and opportunity for Sowa Rigpa healing sessions

  3 - 6pm: Guided practices and discussion (Livestreamed)

  6:30pm: Dinner

  8 - 9pm: Evening Meditation (Livestreamed)

  WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 21

  9am - 12pm: Concluding Teachings (Livestreamed)

  12:30 Lunch and check out

• IN PERSON (RESIDENTIAL OR NON-RESIDENTIAL)

  $900 Commuter

  Includes: All teachings and guided practices and two meals a day

  $1075 - $1525 Residential (LIMITED)

  Includes: All teachings and guided practices, three meals a day and five nights accommodations of your choice

  Check in:
  Friday October 16th 3 - 6pm

  Check out:
  Wednesday October 21st

  REGISTER

• ONLINE LIVESTREAM

  All sessions of this program will be livestreamed. Livestream registration includes one year access to all video recordings hosted on the Sowa Rigpa Institute learning platform.

  Tuition: $490 Suggested

  Supporting Range $450 - $600
  This tier covers the full cost of offering the program and sustains our ability to offer accessible pricing to others. If you're able, choosing an amount above the suggested contribution directly supports that access.

  Accessible Range: $275 - $425
  For students, seniors, and those experiencing financial difficulty. Choose the amount that reflects your circumstances.

  REGISTER

  Please write to info@purelandfarms.com if you require further financial assistance for the livestream

DR. NIDA CHENAGTSANG

Dr. Nida Chenagtsang is a traditional Tibetan physician, author, and lineage holder of the Yuthok Nyingthig, the spiritual heart of Tibetan medicine. Born in northeastern Tibet, he trained at Lhasa Tibetan Medical University, completed his clinical work at the Tibetan Medicine hospitals in Lhasa and Lhoka. Alongside this rigorous medical training, Dr. Nida immersed himself in Vajrayana Buddhism with teachers from all the major Tibetan traditions and spent extensive periods in meditation retreat in Tibet.

A pioneering researcher and teacher of Sowa Rigpa, he is the founder and academic director of the Sowa Rigpa Institute and trains students in over forty countries worldwide. His life’s mission is to make the Medicine Buddha’s lineage and the wisdom of Tibetan medicine accessible and alive for people today.