When you speak with twelve wise teachers about death and Buddhism, you receive the wisdom of many years of practice, and you have access to a variety of life experiences. You begin to observe areas where we each have different perspectives. You gain insight into the common experiences that we share around death and dying and grief.

A sense of common themes begins to emerge. At first, some of these themes seem obvious, like "Death is difficult for each of us."  From these common themes come a sense of unity and understanding. Shared humanity. And if there is ever a time when you need to know that you are not alone, it is when you are staring loss and heartbreak right in the face.