The three Tenets are not-knowing, bearing witness, and compassionate action. These three reflect the kind of experiences I have had with dying people, those who are grieving, and caregivers. The tenets have become guidelines for me as I practice being with dying.

The first tenet, not-knowing, invites us to give up fixed ideas about others and ourselves and to open the spontaneous mind of the beginner. The second tenet, bearing witness, calls us to be present with the suffering and joy in the world, as it is, without judgment or any attachment to outcome. The third tenet, compassionate action, calls us to turn or return to the world with the commitment to free others and ourselves from suffering.

Joan Halifax, Being with Dying