Making Friends with Death by Judith L. Lief Summary
Overview of Making Friends with Death
In "Making Friends with Death," Buddhist teacher Judith L. Lief transforms our greatest fear into a profound teacher. This workbook-style guide has helped readers confront mortality with humor and grace. Ever wonder why facing death might be the key to truly living?
Similar books to Making Friends with Death
Feel the book through the author's voice
Turn knowledge into engaging, example-rich insights
Capture key ideas in a flash for fast learning
Enjoy the book in a fun and engaging way
Key takeaways
When Life Hands You a Deadline You Can't Negotiate
What if the greatest teacher you'll ever meet is the one thing you've spent your entire life avoiding? Death sits at the edge of every moment, yet we treat it like an awkward relative we hope won't show up to the party. We scroll past news of tragedy, change the subject when illness arises, and warehouse our elderly in places we rarely visit. But this avoidance comes at a steep cost: when we push death away, we inadvertently push away life itself. Buddhist teacher Judith Lief offers a radically different approach-not through platitudes or spiritual bypassing, but through clear-eyed investigation of what we spend so much energy avoiding. Her work draws from years of sitting with dying people, watching consciousness make its final transition, and discovering that befriending death doesn't make us morbid. It makes us awake. When Oprah highlighted this perspective on mindful living, she noted how confronting mortality transformed her relationship with each ordinary day. The question isn't whether we'll face death-we will. The question is whether we'll wait until the last possible moment or start learning from it now. You didn't ask to be born, yet here you are-reading these words, breathing this breath, inhabiting this particular moment in an unfolding journey you joined without permission. Try to trace your existence backward: you remember yesterday, perhaps your childhood, maybe fragments of your earliest years. But before that? Mystery. A boundary you cannot penetrate. Now look forward: somewhere ahead lies an equally impenetrable boundary. Between these two unknowns, you're suspended in a temporary arrangement that feels permanent until suddenly it isn't. We live as if we have endless time, filling our days with trivial concerns while the truly important questions sit untouched. Where did you come from? Where are you going? What is this strange experience of being alive? These aren't abstract philosophical puzzles-they're the actual texture of your existence right now.
The Vanishing Present and the Art of Letting Go
Transitions as Doorways to Transformation
The Process of Death and What Consciousness Reveals
The Stories We Tell Ourselves About Ending
The Nature of Suffering and How We Create It
Embracing the Whole Catastrophe
Quick Summary Mode - Read or listen to Making Friends with Death Summary in 10 Minutes
Break down key ideas from Making Friends with Death into bite-sized takeaways to understand how innovative teams create, collaborate, and grow.
Flash Card Mode - Top 7 Insights from Making Friends with Death in a Nutshell
Distill Making Friends with Death into rapid-fire memory cues that highlight Pixar’s principles of candor, teamwork, and creative resilience.
Fun Mode - Making Friends with Death Lessons Told Through 20-Min Stories
Experience Making Friends with Death through vivid storytelling that turns Pixar’s innovation lessons into moments you’ll remember and apply.
Personalize Mode - Read or listen to Making Friends with Death Summary in 0 Minutes
Ask anything, pick the voice, and co-create insights that truly resonate with you.
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
Get the Making Friends with Death summary as a free PDF or EPUB. Print it or read offline anytime.