The chief aim of this book is to provide a collection of passages taken from the Buddha's early discourses that provide guidance for facing disease and death. The present anthology focuses on the theme of compassion, and is concerned with anukampa: compassion as the underlying motivation in altruistic action. The author draws on his own translations from the Chinese Agama collection, presented here for the first time, alongside their counterparts from the Pali texts, enabling readers to compare the parallel versions in English translation. Taken together with Analayo's practical commentary we gain a first-hand impression of what early Buddhism had to say about disease and death.