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We all want to be happy, but it sometimes seems that the more we struggle to achieve happiness, the more we encounter pain. How, then, can we live in a manner that is full and rich—a life in which we express all that is best about being human?

by Paul Keddy
ISBN9780921165484

Paul Keddy recorded (initially for his young sons and now for a wider audience) his thoughts on how to live a meaningful life and die without regret. If I Should Die Before You Wake illustrates how our often-frustrating, day-to-day lives can be aligned onto a spiritual path, not by hoping for a holiday, praying for a miracle or planning for early retirement, but by waking up to appreciate who we are.

About the Author

Paul Keddy was born in London, Ontario, but since his father was in the military, he traveled around Canada, living for a time as far west as Edmonton and as far east as Halifax. Later he lived in Louisiana. Thus he thoroughly appreciates the North American outlook. He is a well-known biologist, with many scholarly articles and books published on wetland ecology and conservation biology. With his wife Cathy, his home is now deep in the deciduous forests of Lanark County, Ontario. Dr. Keddy has also taken vows in both the Buddhist and Shambhala traditions, and taught at the Ottawa Shambhala Centre for several years. The path introduced in this book provides a means for us to reconnect with the inherent spirituality in everyday life without rejecting western civilization and without fearing our day-to-day life circumstances.

Dr. Keddy began the study and practice of the Buddhist path in the late 1970s. He was impressed by its logical consistency, its deep concern for the problem of human suffering, and its emphasis upon personal experience rather than faith. In 1982, when he moved to Ottawa, he became a student of the Tibetan Buddhist meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, being attracted not only by the clarity of his teaching, but by Chogyam Trungpa's courage in living an unconventional and yet thoroughly western lifestyle. The foundation of this book lies in the Shambhala teachings he received from Chogyam Trungpa, which present a traditional spiritual path in a context that is contemporary. The emphasis is upon appreciating, rather than rejecting, our day-to-day experiences as they arise. Noticing how we are imprisoned by our hopes and fears gives us our first glimpse of something more spacious in the human condition. This book further draws upon examples from Dr. Keddy's Christian upbringing, from Zen, and from his further study with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and Sonam Rinpoche, meditation masters now living in Canada.

The more difficult the times become, the more need there is for such teachings, and the more powerful they become. We can use adversity as well as pleasure as a means to wake up -- which, Dr. Keddy adds, is just as well, since life seems to bring everyone more than their fair share of adversity.

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