Recently we are seeing an uptick in interest in death and dying teachings and especially in the concept of the between lives state which our culture has ignored for several hundred years. Fortunately the Tibetans have kept the knowledge about the Bardos – the core teachings about the nature of the whole of existence – alive and accessible to us.
The Bardo Guidebook postulates: “Existence is an endless cycle of experience called the four bardos. These four periods include our present life, the process of dying, the after-death experience, and the quest for a new rebirth. Drawing from his intimate knowledge of the innermost Vajrayana teachings, the Tibetan master Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche presents in The Bardo Guidebook straightforward, direct instructions on how to deal with the four bardos.”
According to the Buddhist teachings we can use our valuable time in this life to prepare for our death. “The Buddha…gave many teachings…but they can be condensed into a single sentence: Train right now in the path luminosity so that at the moment of dying you can dissolve confusion into the ground luminosity.”p128
Many excellent books about the Bardo teachings are available and this one stands out for the straightforward, incredibly clear nature of its exposition. Available in ebook and paperback. Highly recommended! Here are some other highly recommended texts: Luminous Emptiness by Francesca Fremantle is comprehensive and scholarly. Mind Beyond Death by Dzogchen Ponlop, is very important. The American Book of the Dead by EJ Gold, the Tibetan Book of the Dead interpreted by Chogyam Trungpa and the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche all give the practical instructions on how to do practices and readings for others.
