In whatever way we have met the moment of our death, the journey of mind continues. We leave behind our physical body and all the appearances of this life and move on to our next stopping place and our next set of experiences.

All that we have gone through up to this point, including the dissolution of the elements and of consciousness itself, belongs to the bardos of this life.

Now we enter the luminous bardo of dharmata, which is the beginning of reaching the destination known as our next life.

At this time, we have a perfect opportunity to achieve enlightenment and so we should look forward to these experiences.

Rather than feeling, “Oh no, I don’t want to be here,” we should be full of enthusiasm and curiosity. We should resolve to remain calm and to be courageous. It is like exploring any new place. While there is a sense of anticipation, there are also strong feelings of hope and fear.

The luminous bardo of dharmata begins when the element of space dissolves into luminosity, or dharmata.

It ends after the various appearances of this bardo are not recognized and one faints or goes unconscious.

According to the Dzogchen or Nyingma tradition of presenting these teachings, this bardo arises in two stages.

In the first stage we experience the “ground luminosity,” or the “luminosity of no appearance.”

In the second stage we experience the “spontaneously arising luminosity,” or the “luminosity of appearance.”

It is in the second stage that the various displays of forms, sounds and lights are experienced. These appearances are explained as unfolding in a series of three distinct phases.

Source: Based on Ponlop, Dzogchen. Mind Beyond Death. Shambhala Publications. Kindle Edition.

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