Alive Until You’re Dead
Poignant and humorous insights on fully embracing our lives as we age from Susan Moon, beloved Buddhist teacher and author.
Aging isn’t easy. But it can still be filled with joy—maybe even more joy than we expect. Described by the New York Journal of Books as “a Buddhist Anne Lamott,” Zen teacher and writer Susan Moon persuades us that as we notice we are impermanent, we get to come alive in new ways.
Joining levity with tenderness, Moon shares stories from her own life on topics including knee replacements, Zoom chats with grandchildren, ongoing companionship with a close friend who is moving deeper into dementia, and a season as a Zen monk in the wilderness.
Moon illustrates the strength that can come from within, sometimes unexpectedly, even as our bodies fail. Our radiant aliveness can be discovered and rediscovered any time up to the last moment.
Alive Until You’re Dead offers a Zen approach to facing our impermanence. Moon’s stories explore being present with what is, not turning away from what’s difficult, wishing for and working for the wellbeing of others, and being willing not to know what’s next. These field notes from an old human being invite us to feel more alive in the final stretch, whatever it holds.
About the Author
Susan Moon is a writer, editor, and Buddhist teacher in the Soto Zen tradition. Ever since she set out from her childhood home to get lost on purpose at the age of 10, she has been searching far and wide for the meaning of life and sharing what she learns with others. Her books include This Is Getting Old: Zen Thoughts on Aging with Humor and Dignity; the groundbreaking collection, The Hidden Lamp: Stories from Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women, with Florence Caplow; and What Is Zen? with Norman Fischer. Her most recent book, Alive Until You’re Dead: Notes on the Home Stretch, is a collection of essays about the surprising perks of mortality. Susan is a contributor to Lion’s Roar, Tricycle, and other publications. She lives in Berkeley, California, and practices at the Berkeley Zen Center and with the Everyday Zen Sangha. For many years she has taught and led Zen retreats in California, elsewhere in the U.S., and internationally.
