Buddhist teacher, activist, and end-of-life pioneer

Frank Ostaseski, an internationally respected Buddhist teacher and pioneer in end-of-life care, has accompanied over 1,000 people through their dying process. In 1987, he cofounded the first Buddhist hospice in America—the Zen Hospice Project. He guided that groundbreaking work for almost 20 years, establishing a longstanding model for mindful and compassionate care.

In 2005, Frank founded the Metta Institute®, through which he has trained countless healthcare clinicians and caregivers, building a national network of educators, advocates, and guides for those facing life-threatening illness. Distilling hard-won lessons from his own life journey, Frank inspires and engages diverse audiences around the globe, speaking and teaching at Harvard Medical School, the Mayo Clinic, Wisdom 2.0, and spiritual retreats.

Frank has dedicated his life to service. His fusion of spiritual insight and practical social action manifests in caring for the homeless, serving on the early front lines of the AIDS epidemic, lobbying congress, teaching meditation, and most daunting of all, raising four teenagers at the same time.

He is the author of The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully. His groundbreaking work has been honored by the Dalai Lama, featured on the Bill Moyers PBS series On Our Own Terms, and highlighted on the Oprah Winfrey Show.