Having studied the bardo teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, I find them a most profound and precious contribution to the spiritual heritage belonging to all humans.
These teachings teach one (1) how to approach the temporariness of this life and (2) how to understand and navigate the process of dying and rebirth.
Since it is the mind that continues beyond death, to recognize the nature of the mind is a vital part of the bardo teachings.
In summary, the bardo teachings help one (1) to reflect on the reality of death, (2) to discover the radiant purity of awareness, and (3) to incorporate it with every aspect of one’s life. This prepares one for dying and also provides a most meaningful path for living.
The following outline captures the main lessons that I have learnt.
Bardo of Birth and Life
(1) In daily life, our minds are easily distracted and become scattered.
(2) Needed is a meditation that will help toward settling down our minds – this is shamatha meditation – or, “calm abiding”, and is also translated as “peacefully remaining” or “tranquillity meditation”.
(3) From a settled mind, insights will emerge which will help to transform our life and to discover the true nature of reality.
Bardo of the Dream State
(1) Lucid dreaming is where we are able to recognize a dream as a dream while it is occurring. This practice can help us to understand that both waking and sleeping life are, in reality, illusory – that is, insubstantial, like a dream.
(2) In the bardos that follow death, there are dreamlike states – and so lucid dreaming will help us to prepare for these states.
(3) The “luminosity of sleep” is where one can maintain lucid awareness into deep sleep – that is, to first maintain awareness as one falls asleep and then, if possible, to stay aware into deep sleep. This practice prepares a person to recognize their true nature at the moment of death.
Bardo of Meditation
(1) Based on the stabilization of the mind from shamatha practice, one can look into the nature of awareness and the nature of one’s mind through vipassana meditation.
(2) We gain insight into how (a) patterns of thought, emotion, and perception perpetuate suffering, and how (4) these patterns are based on a misperception of our true nature.
(3) By (a) recognizing who we truly are, and by (b) discovering that our awareness is innately pure, clear and empty, we begin to experience inner freedom.
Bardo of Dying
(1) The dying process itself involves the dissolving of the elements –earth, water, fire, air, and space – with specific physical and mental experiences occurring.
(2) Through training gained in sleep and dream meditation, one comes to understand this part of the process of dying.
(3) At the time of death, through awareness, an opportunity arises to fully realize the true nature of one’s mind – and at that moment a person becomes enlightened (and one’s bardo journey stops progressing).
Bardo of the Luminosity of the True Nature
(1) If one does not recognize the true nature of one’s mind in the bardo of dying, one loses consciousness for a period of time – and then to awaken in the dreamlike bardo of dharmata.
(2) To prepare for this bardo, a person should use dream yoga – at first, the mind will remain relatively nonconceptual and nondual, and realization of its true nature continues to be possible.
(3) However, as this bardo continues (as well as in the next bardo of becoming), the dualistic, conceptual mind slowly begins to return – and the possibility of realizing one’s true nature increasingly diminishes.
Bardo of Becoming
(1) If one does not recognize the true nature of mind in the bardo of dharmata, one enters the bardo of becoming with awareness that has now become more conceptual and dualistic, and with a body that seems more solid – and the first important task is to realize that one is dead.
(2) In the first part of the bardo of becoming, there is a dreamy stage similar to the bardo of dharmata – and it is recommended that one actively engages in the practices one has connected with during life (thereby continuing to transform one’s mind with love, compassion, and awareness).
(3) In the second part of this bardo, one’s karma pushes one to take the next birth. With awareness of the process, one can actively choose one’s next birth.
Sources: In addition to several excellent Buddhist texts that I have purchased and that deal with the bardo teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, I can also recommend an online course developed by Tergar E-Learning dealing with the same topic in two parts:
(1) Awakening in Daily Life: The Bardos of This Life.
This course helps one to cultivate the skills of shamatha, vipashyana, and dream yoga that serve as the foundation for the course. It also covers the most important principles and practices of the first three bardos, the bardos of this life:
(a) The Bardo of Living
(b) The Bardo of Sleep and Dreams
(c) The Bardo of Meditation
(2) Dying and Awakening: The Bardos of Death and Dying.
The most important principles and practices of the latter three bardos – the bardos of death and dying – are presented:
(a) Module 1: The Bardo of Dying
(b) Module 2: The Bardo of Dharmata
(c) Module 3: The Bardo of Becoming
Both courses draw from the text, Natural Liberation: Padmasambhava’s Teachings on the Six Bardos, as well as Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche’s commentary, Mind Beyond Death.
Website: https://learning.tergar.org/course_library/vajrayana-online/
Program Overview
The Vajrayana Online program began in early 2016 with a gradual progression through the Buddhist path in the Three Yanas course. Courses are continually added to the program and include teachings from Mingyur Rinpoche, webinars with Rinpoche and the Tergar Instructors, as well as readings, audio/visual material, discussion forums, and opportunities for one-on-one interviews with the instructors. Each course is delivered in one or more modules that are published on a monthly basis.
Alexander Peck
July 9, 2020
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