Justin’s Unyielding Spirit: Teaching and Living to the End

Justin kept teaching all the way to the ‘end.’ Quite a few months before his death, his caretakers decided he needed more rest and fewer visitors as he prepared to die. We were asked to stop coming to his house. As you can imagine, there were some private discussions between community members about this. I am not aware that anyone told Justin about this decision, but I am positive that he was utterly conscious of the conversation (and consternation) surrounding this.

I was among those who continued to go to his house for meditation and to share a meal with him. One day upon arrival to his house, Justin was just returning (with Carmen and a caretaker) from an outing – to buy some magazines at a local cafe. Justin ‘never’ bought magazines. But today he just wanted to get out and get some things. He was impeccably dressed, with his sunglasses on, cardboard shade nearby, a big smile on his face and a slight spring in his shuffle. As if to say: I know what’s going on here. I’m not dead yet. I’m still calling the shots. A “good” meditation followed