After a long spiritual search, Caroline committed to a Buddhist mindfulness practice in 1990 and has since become a Lay Buddhist Minister in the Soto Zen tradition. In 1995, she began working towards a greater understanding of the death and dying process when she discovered her own fears around the transition and journey that each of us will take. It wasn’t long before she was asked to research this topic to help her spiritual community be prepared for their own deaths. She discovered that most of us are unaware of our choices and rights. In addition to the services of Hospice and our local funeral home, there are alternatives to tending our loved one during the dying and death processes and beyond.
Caroline offers workshops and retreats for her spiritual community and the local Western North Carolina community on the subjects of Dying, Death and After-Death Care. She has guided families through the process of home funerals, tending their loved one after death in their own home. Caroline facilitates individuals and groups in the process of making their end-of-life decisions and completing their end-of-life documents. Memorial services and weddings balance out her offerings to the community. “I feel blessed to participate in the life transitions of families and individuals, moments that have deeply touched my heart.”
Center For End Of Life Transitions page
TEDxAshville Speaker Q&A:
TEDxAsheville: In your own words tell the TEDxAsheville readers who you are and what you do.
I am Caroline Yongue, Buddhist Minister, Director of Center for End of Life Transitions and Death Midwife.
TEDxAsheville: Why are you so passionate about your work? What is it about your work that really turns you on and gets you out of bed in the morning?
My work allows me to connect with people (and animals) with an open heart. This kind of intimacy rarely happens in our daily lives.
TEDxAsheville: Tell us a little about what you’re going to be talking about at TEDxAsheville.
American culture is unlike any other in the world in its denial of it. We don’t want to talk about it, think about it or plan for it and we are on the look-out for a “medical miracle” that will help us avoid it: I’ll be talking about death.
TEDxAsheville: Why should we care about this topic?
Death is the one thing that is guaranteed to happen to every one of us, to every living, breathing thing that we can name. By being prepared for our death, we lessen it’s impact in many ways: financially, environmentally, emotionally, and mentally… We offer our loved ones a gift, the information they will need to fulfill our wishes.
TEDxAsheville: What is the coolest thing that’s ever happened to you or that you’ve been able to do or contribute to as a result of your work?
Within my spiritual practice, I strive to be “in the moment”. My mind says “Ha, yeah, right!” to that. In stepping into a sensitive and vulnerable time, my mind quiets and there is only the present moment and what there is to do before me. It is a gift that I truly cherish.
TEDxAsheville: Share something really cool, funny or otherwise interesting thing about yourself, NOT related to your work, that most people don’t know.
I love water-color painting, worm composting, and making ice cream.
Video
TEDxAsheville speaker audition video
Soni Pitts, a TEDxAsheville Organizer
This event is not being organized by the TED conferences — this is an independently organized TED event.
