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PANEL: When Buddhist and NDE Understandings of Consciousness Meet
Sat. Aug. 29th at 3:15 pm PT
Session Description
In what may be a global first, two near-death experiencers and two Buddhist monastics will come together for a panel conversation on death, consciousness, and what may lie beyond.
The panelists will explore striking parallels between Buddhist teachings and near-death experience accounts, including the view that death is not simply an ending, but a transition into another dimension or stage of consciousness. Both perspectives raise profound questions about whether consciousness is limited to the physical brain or extends beyond bodily death.
The discussion will also examine apparent differences. For example, how do NDE reports of meeting deceased loved ones fit with Buddhist teachings on rebirth? And how might Buddhists understand the radiant being of light and love so often described by NDE experiencers, especially when the idea of God is not central to Buddhist realization?
Most importantly, the panel will ask what these perspectives can teach us about how to live, exploring what Buddhist practice and NDE testimony reveal about meditation, compassion, love, and preparing for death—not only at the end of life, but in the way we meet each moment now.
The Speakers
Ven. Sangye Khadro
Ven. Sangye Khadro ordained as a Buddhist nun at Kopan Monastery in 1974. She took the full (bhikshuni) ordination in 1988. While studying at Nalanda Monastery in France in the 1980s, she helped to start the Dorje Pamo Nunnery, along with Ven. Chodron.
Ven. Sangye Khadro has studied Buddhism with many great masters including Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lama Yeshe, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, and Khensur Jampa Tegchok. She began teaching in 1979 and was a resident teacher at Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore for 11 years. She followed the Masters Program at Lama Tsong Khapa Institute in Italy from 2008 – 2013, and was resident teacher at the FPMT center in Denmark from 2016-2017.
Some of her courses and retreats include a Meditative Concentration retreat; courses on Good Grief, Awakening a Kind Heart, and Peaceful Living, Peaceful Dying; and leading Green Tara and Chenrezig Retreats.
Ajahn Nisabho
After finishing college in 2012, Ajahn Nisabho left his native Washington to go forth as a Buddhist monk in Thailand. He received full ordination the following spring under Ajahn Anan, a senior disciple of renowned meditation master, Ajahn Chah, and spent the following years training in forest monasteries around the world with contemporary masters such as Ajahn Anan, Ajahn Pasanno, and Ajahn Jayasaro. Over these years, he came to believe the tradition represented a faithful embodiment of the original Buddhist path able to yield great fruit even amidst the complexities of modern life. In the summer of 2021, he returned to Seattle to plant the first seeds of Clear Mountain Monastery.
Christine Clawley, MA, LPC-S
Christine Clawley, MA, LPC-S is Jungian/Depth Psychotherapist and group practice owner of Lucid Awakening, LLC, which provides holistic and trauma-informed counseling to individuals struggling with PTSD, depression, anxiety, grief, and other trauma-related diagnosis. She also supports individuals coping with chronic illness, end-of-life issues, near-death experiences, spiritually transformative experiences or emergencies, and psychedelic integration. Her work focuses on normalizing and de-stigmatizing subjective experiences and phenomena related to NDEs and STEs in the mental health field.
Christine is also a coma-survivor and near-death experience who survived the flesh-eating bacteria at age 24, which set her on a path of self-discovery, exploration, and healing. In her journey, she has drawn strength from and studied with Indigenous elders and ceremonies, ancient dreaming practices, yoga, and shamanic journeying.
Jonathan “Jonah” Van Valin
Jonathan – “Jonah” – grew up in the suburbs of Seattle living what looked like an ordinary life — while quietly wrestling with life’s biggest questions. After several unexpected life experiences and spiritual experiences, including an NDE at 29, everything shifted in 2011, opening into a period of profound inner awakening and reflection.
In the years that followed, Jonathan discovered a natural capacity for subtle healing and an increasing call to share what he had learned. Today, through talks, retreats, and individual sessions, he helps people reconnect with their deeper awareness, gently release long-held patterns, and live with greater peace, clarity, and authenticity. His approach blends spiritual depth with grounded practicality — and a light touch that reminds us of awakening can be both meaningful and deeply human.
Panel Moderator: Steve Wilhelm
Steve Wilhelm will be moderator of the panel. He has been meditating since 1968, and engaged in Buddhist practice since 1987. He has studied and practiced in the Tibetan and Vipassana traditions, including extended retreats in both, although his practice is now primarily Vipassana. Steve has facilitated Eastside Insight Meditation since 2000, and serves on the boards of the Tibetan Nuns Project and Friends of Clear Mountain Monastery. He retired in mid-2016 from a 34-year career as a journalist, currently edits Northwest Dharma News, and is now editing a seventh dharma book. In 2017 Steve graduated from the fifth Community Dharma Leaders program, offered through Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. He also is an IANDS member, attended the Phoenix and Chicago conferences, and has been drawn to bring together complementary understanding from Buddhist tradition and NDE awakening and research.
The Live Stream – Aug. 29th
(at 3:15 pm PT — 4:15 pm MT — 5:15 pm CT — 6:15 pm ET
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Please return to this page on August 29th at 3:10 PM PT to view this insightful panel session.
