Jiddu Krishnamurti, one of the most revered spiritual teachers of this century, once asked a small group of listeners what they would say to a close friend who is about to die. Their answers dealt with assurances, words about beginnings and endings, and various gestures of compassion. Krishnamurti stopped them short. "There is only one thing you can say to give the deepest comfort," he said. "Tell him that in his death a part of you dies and goes with him. Wherever he goes, you go also. He will not be alone.

—Larry Dossey