Enso House
This book, by David Daiku Trowbridge, relates the journey of a group of people striving to create a community rooted in spiritual practice and focused on caring for people at the end of life. Through Enso House—the home for end-of-life care they founded on Whidbey Island—patients and caregivers have been able to confront the realities of sickness, aging, and death. It is a story about spiritual openness—how seemingly miraculous outcomes spring from letting go of control and knowing. It is a story of community—neighbors who discover that in being connected with Enso House, they receive even greater gifts of than they give. It is the story of the life-giving power of death.
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“What a unique and richly inspiring book—a fascinating and heartwarming adventure into realms not usually explored: What is it like to be dying? What is it like to be up front and close to that experience, caring for someone in that condition? Some surprising insights…reading it one finds oneself humbled and unexpectedly opened in deeply moving ways.”
—Ven. Mitra Bishop, Abbot, Mountain Gate Zen Temple and Spiritual Director, Hidden Valley Zen Center
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“This marvelous book is a story of courage and vision, as a small group of people, following the inspiration of a remarkable Zen teacher, establishes a ‘house’ where dying people can be cared for in a very special way. Reading this book, I am reminded of how great is the human spirit, how wide and deep the human heart.”
—Joan Halifax, Founding Abbot, Upaya Zen Center, and author of Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death
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“ENSO HOUSE tells the story of the founding of a small Zen hospice on Whidbey Island north of Seattle. The hospice was envisioned by a great Zen teacher, Shodo Harada Roshi. Roshi saw care for the dying as integral to the training of his students at the nearby Tahoma One Drop Zen Monastery. The author, David Daiku Trowbridge, and his wife Cynthia, have played a central role at Enso House. This is a beautiful story, simply and convincingly told.”
—Michael Lerner, President, Commonweal
What is Enso House?
Excerpt from the Preface: Enso House, a home in the Pacific Northwest, takes as its sole purpose providing care for people at the end of life.…