Mission of Love: A Physician's Spiritual Journey Toward a Life Beyond - Softcover

Cole, Roger

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1587611309 ISBN 13: 9781587611308

Publisher: Celestial Arts, 2004

Synopsis

At the height of his career as an oncologist, Dr. Roger Cole realized he needed to reconnect with the passion that first attracted him to medicine. Dr. Cole elected to work exclusively with terminally ill patients to understand the deeply emotional experiences his dying patients were going through, and discovered that talking with them brought comfort to their final days and gave him a sense of enlightenment. In MISSION OF LOVE, Dr. Cole reflects on the remarkable lessons he’s learned, weaving a spiritual tapestry from the lives of his patients, their families, and his own life. Offering knowledge and insight as well as a route to compassion and peace, MISSION OF LOVE will inspire feelings of hope and acceptance, whether you are facing the loss of a loved one or seeking guidance for your own life’s journey.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Roger Cole has worked exclusively as a palliative care physician since 1987, but was originally trained as a cancer specialist. He has published numerous articles on spiritual care of the dying and the use of meditation for greater effectiveness in the health profession. He lives in Australia.

From Publishers Weekly

In 1984, while attending an Elisabeth K bler-Ross seminar for professionals, Cole experienced what he describes as enlightenment. This catharsis inspired him to leave his successful career as an oncologist and focus instead on palliative care. Rather than writing a straightforward memoir of his life since then, he blends the genres of autobiography and primer in this emotionally and spiritually powerful book. The autobiographical segments feature several extraordinary encounters, some of them supernatural, that Cole has had with dying patients. In most cases, these patients, once freed from besetting pain, began to feel peace, joy and detachment from worldly worries. Cole believes that such people, by way of dying, have reached enlightenment, or what he refers to as "soul-consciousness," and that they understand that death is a passage, not an end. Cole's autobiography segues into a primer as he describes his own spiritual journey from atheist to practitioner of Raja Yoga meditation. As Cole uses the principles and concepts of Raja Yoga to explain what he has witnessed in many hospices, he urges readers to embrace the lessons of this dharma in order to experience enlightenment before getting to their own death beds. In particular, he instructs readers to free themselves from "body-consciousness," a state that leads to all human strife, and to embrace the disciplines that lead to soul-consciousness. One need not share Cole's theology to appreciate the moving stories and uplifting message of this book.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Celestial Arts
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1587611309
• ISBN 13: 9781587611308
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160