1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:05,639 Speaker 1: Okay, let's unpack this. What if what if everything you 2 00:00:05,679 --> 00:00:09,480 thought you knew about death, well, what if this is 3 00:00:09,519 --> 00:00:14,000 a carefully constructed illusion. Imagine finding an ancient text, one 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,320 hidden away for centuries, that actually claims to map out 5 00:00:17,359 --> 00:00:20,640 exactly what happens the moment you draw your last breath. Yeah, 6 00:00:20,839 --> 00:00:23,000 not just you know, vaguely talking about an afterlife, but 7 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:27,839 guiding you through it, step by profound step, like a 8 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:30,079 kind of atlas for the ultimate journey. 9 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:32,560 Speaker 2: It's a pretty staggering claim, absolutely right. 10 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:37,000 Speaker 1: It really challenges our whole understanding of life, consciousness, everything. 11 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 2: It truly does. And it's remarkable, isn't it. How with 12 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:44,280 all our modern science, all our technology, dazzling stuff, this 13 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:46,600 one question, what happens after we die? It just remains 14 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:49,520 as elusive as ever. We can map genomes, explore space, 15 00:00:49,759 --> 00:00:52,719 but this is still a big mystery exactly. And maybe 16 00:00:52,759 --> 00:00:54,920 that's precisely why a text like this, the Tibetan Book 17 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,679 of the Dead, still holds such power, why it captures 18 00:00:57,679 --> 00:00:59,960 imaginations across the world even now. 19 00:01:00,039 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: It just steps right into that void it dares to. 20 00:01:03,039 --> 00:01:06,159 Speaker 2: It offers not just like a theory, but a practical 21 00:01:06,239 --> 00:01:09,040 guidebook for what it calls life's biggest transition. 22 00:01:09,359 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 1: So today we're doing a deep dive into something really extraordinary, 23 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:16,799 the Tibetan Book of the Dead, or the Bardo Total 24 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:18,040 as it's known to Dettan. 25 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:22,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, Bardo Tootal meaning liberation through hearing in the intermediate. 26 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:26,400 Speaker 1: State, crafted over a thousand years ago, apparently by the 27 00:01:26,439 --> 00:01:29,319 master Padma Sanpava, then hidden away. 28 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:31,439 Speaker 2: To be found later a term Attex. 29 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:35,159 Speaker 1: Right, and it makes this truly revolutionary claim. Consciousness doesn't 30 00:01:35,239 --> 00:01:38,000 just switch off when our bodies stop. 31 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:40,040 Speaker 2: Working, No, it says it goes on a journey, an 32 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:42,719 intricate one, through different states, different realms. 33 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:46,680 Speaker 1: And here's where it gets really really interesting. These ancient descriptions, 34 00:01:47,079 --> 00:01:50,879 they line up remarkably well with modern accounts of near 35 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:52,760 death experiences Dase. 36 00:01:53,439 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 2: The parallels are striking. 37 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:56,519 Speaker 1: You think about all the stories people tell after being 38 00:01:56,560 --> 00:02:00,719 clinically dead, seeing a brilliant light, maybe meeting being feeling 39 00:02:00,719 --> 00:02:02,200 this overwhelming piece. 40 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 2: That sense of interconnectedness too. It comes up again and again. 41 00:02:05,439 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: Could that just be a coincidence or are we actually 42 00:02:08,479 --> 00:02:12,840 glimpsing something fundamental here, something about consciousness itself, maybe like 43 00:02:12,879 --> 00:02:16,439 a blueprint for existence that goes beyond culture or time. 44 00:02:16,599 --> 00:02:20,639 Speaker 2: It certainly makes you wonder, aren't these ancient texts describing 45 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:22,719 a universal process? 46 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,960 Speaker 1: And the implication is this isn't just some dusty old 47 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,560 guide for the dying. It's framed as a wake up 48 00:02:28,599 --> 00:02:30,800 call for us for the living. 49 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,599 Speaker 2: Absolutely, it fundamentally reframes death not as an end, but 50 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,080 as a transition that informs life. 51 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: So what does understanding this ancient map mean for you? 52 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,000 For how you live your life, how you think about death, 53 00:02:43,039 --> 00:02:46,080 what you believe about reality itself? Get ready, because I 54 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:47,360 think once you really start to. 55 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 2: See this, well there's probably no going back to the 56 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:52,240 old way of looking at things now. A lot of 57 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:53,919 us when we hear to Betten Book of the Dead, 58 00:02:54,199 --> 00:02:57,199 we immediately think, Okay, it's about dying, the final moments. 59 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: That's the common perception. Yes, sort of a grim annual 60 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:00,879 for the end. 61 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,039 Speaker 2: But what if I told you it's core teaching this 62 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:05,719 whole concept of the Bardo. What if it's not just 63 00:03:05,719 --> 00:03:08,240 about the afterlife? What if it's actually a roadmap for 64 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:11,479 anyone navigating the big transitions in life. That's such a 65 00:03:11,479 --> 00:03:14,240 crucial point. It shifts the whole perspective. 66 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: It really does, from end of life care to well 67 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:18,479 every day living. 68 00:03:18,479 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 2: Exactly if we connect this to the bigger picture into 69 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:27,159 bed and Buddhism, a bardo isn't only the state between 70 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:30,360 death and rebirth, that's maybe the most famous one, but 71 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:34,560 it really encompasses any transitional phase, anytime where everything familiar 72 00:03:34,599 --> 00:03:37,960 just dissolves, where the ground shifts beneath. 73 00:03:37,719 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 1: Your feet and the unknown opens up. 74 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,759 Speaker 2: Precisely, it opens a doorway, a really potent one for 75 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:47,800 profound transformation. Think about that space between being asleep and 76 00:03:48,039 --> 00:03:51,960 fully awake, that gaggy steage. Yeah, that hazy, disoriented space 77 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:55,080 where dreams still linger but reality hasn't quite clicked in. 78 00:03:55,919 --> 00:03:58,719 That's a kind of mini bardo. Or you know, standing 79 00:03:58,759 --> 00:04:02,680 at a major life crossroom, changing careers, ending a relationship, 80 00:04:02,719 --> 00:04:03,719 moving somewhere new. 81 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: Those moments of huge uncertainty. 82 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 2: That suspension between what was and what's coming next, That 83 00:04:08,639 --> 00:04:12,560 liminal space filled with uncertainty but also potential. That is 84 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:12,960 a burdo. 85 00:04:13,199 --> 00:04:16,519 Speaker 1: Fundamentally, it's a state where change is almost inevitable. 86 00:04:16,199 --> 00:04:18,759 Speaker 2: Yes, and it invites us, really demands us to be 87 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:21,680 fully present and aware within it. 88 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:23,759 Speaker 1: It's fascinating, isn't it. When you put it like that, 89 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:27,000 you realize just how many bordos we actually navigate all 90 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:30,319 the time, maybe without even realizing. Constantly Beyond those big 91 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:35,160 life changes, what about smaller moments like the instant before 92 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:38,920 you step on stage or start a really important presentation. 93 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:40,839 Speaker 2: Yeah, that feeling there's. 94 00:04:40,639 --> 00:04:43,439 Speaker 1: That little dissolution of your ordinary self, right, Yeah, and 95 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:45,439 then the performer you emerges. 96 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 2: That's a great example. A definite shift in state. 97 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:51,720 Speaker 1: Or those times when you're totally lost in creating something, art, 98 00:04:52,199 --> 00:04:55,480 solving a problem, even just being completely present out in 99 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:58,720 nature flow states maybe kind of like that, Yeah, where 100 00:04:58,759 --> 00:05:00,959 the usual sense of self and time just seems to 101 00:05:01,519 --> 00:05:04,240 fade away. You're touching the edge of something different, a 102 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:05,720 different kind of consciousness. 103 00:05:05,879 --> 00:05:08,720 Speaker 2: And the text suggests these moments are potent, right. 104 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,519 Speaker 1: So the big question then becomes, if these are all opportunities, 105 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:15,600 these bardoes, how do we learn to navigate them with intention, 106 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,279 with wisdom instead of just being swept along by the changes? 107 00:05:19,639 --> 00:05:22,959 Speaker 2: Exactly? And that's where the Bartow photo goes deeper. It 108 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:26,720 doesn't just give us the general concept. It meticulously maps 109 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:29,319 out not one, but three major. 110 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 1: Bardoes, three man ones, yes, each. 111 00:05:30,959 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 2: Representing a critical stage in this journey of consciousness, and 112 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,480 each one brings unique challenges, but also crucially you need 113 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:41,839 opportunities for growth, not just in death, but potentially mirrored 114 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:45,000 in the transitions of our daily lives too, quite profound. 115 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:48,879 We're about to unpack these hidden realms and hopefully reveal 116 00:05:48,959 --> 00:05:53,160 how understanding them can really transform your perspective on well everything. 117 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,480 The first morto the moment of death chikai bardow. 118 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,439 Speaker 1: Okay, brace yourself. We're stepping right into the heart of 119 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:02,759 the first part. Now the moment of death itself, the 120 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:03,240 che hi. 121 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:04,959 Speaker 2: Bard, the bard of the moment of death. 122 00:06:05,079 --> 00:06:08,399 Speaker 1: This isn't described as just you know, a medical events, 123 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,480 a biological shut down. It's painted as this incredible, almost 124 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:16,560 mind bending doorway. Imagine standing right at the edge of 125 00:06:16,639 --> 00:06:19,319 everything you've ever known. The life you just lived is fading, 126 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:21,079 dissolving like smoke. 127 00:06:21,199 --> 00:06:22,600 Speaker 2: Your senses are shutting down. 128 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:26,639 Speaker 1: Exactly sight, sound, touch, tastes, smell, They all go silent. 129 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:30,639 But your consciousness, now supposedly free from the body, It's said. 130 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:33,839 Speaker 2: To be more alive, more aware, more vast than ever before. 131 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:37,120 Speaker 1: And then in front of you a light appears. 132 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:37,959 Speaker 2: Ah. 133 00:06:38,439 --> 00:06:41,439 Speaker 1: The light not just any light. It's described as being 134 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:44,720 so brilliant, so all encompassing, like it holds the secrets 135 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:48,920 of existence itself, the gateway, yeah, a gateway to profound possibilities, 136 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:51,199 a state of ultimate clarity potentially. 137 00:06:51,759 --> 00:06:55,800 Speaker 2: So the immediate question is what is this light? Exactly right? 138 00:06:55,839 --> 00:06:59,240 The ancient texts call it the clear light, a dazzling 139 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:04,839 brilliants described as the purest essence of mind itself, unconditioned, 140 00:07:05,079 --> 00:07:09,480 pure awareness, pure primordial awareness, completely free from concepts, from 141 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:12,199 the usual split between subject and object. It is the 142 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:16,319 fundamental reality, the ground of all being. Experiences both empty 143 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:17,360 yet luminous. 144 00:07:17,399 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 1: Blinding not because it hurts, but because it's just so pure, 145 00:07:20,879 --> 00:07:23,319 how overwhelming for our usual way of seeing things. 146 00:07:23,759 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 2: Exactly it overwhelms the conditioned mind that's used to separateness 147 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:32,000 form duality. And what's truly remarkable here, as you mentioned, 148 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:35,879 is how closely these ancient descriptions match up with modern 149 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:37,120 end accounts. 150 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:38,199 Speaker 1: It's uncanny. 151 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:43,759 Speaker 2: Researchers like doctor Bruce Grayson, doctor Samparnia, They've documented thousands 152 00:07:43,759 --> 00:07:47,199 of cases people coming back from clinical death describing this 153 00:07:47,399 --> 00:07:51,120 brilliant light profound piece, often a life review. 154 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:52,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, the life review comes up a lot too. 155 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,040 Speaker 2: And the Tibetan wisdom says this clear light isn't an illusion, 156 00:07:56,439 --> 00:07:59,399 it's not a hallucination caused by a dying brain. It's 157 00:07:59,439 --> 00:08:03,480 the truest reality, the ultimate nature of everything. Wow, it's 158 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:06,639 a state beyond life and death, offering this immediate path 159 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:08,800 to liberation if you can recognize it. 160 00:08:08,959 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 1: So it's where this ancient wisdom and modern research seem 161 00:08:11,639 --> 00:08:13,040 to point towards the same thing. 162 00:08:13,199 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 2: It really does seem like a convergence hinting at something 163 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:17,279 universal about consciousness. 164 00:08:17,319 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 1: The stakes sound incredibly high. Then in that moment, and 165 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:27,079 if recognizing that clear light is the ultimate opportunity, what 166 00:08:27,199 --> 00:08:30,240 happens if you don't recognize it, Because you're saying, in 167 00:08:30,279 --> 00:08:33,080 that instant you get this rare chance to see the 168 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:36,519 universe as it really is, without the filters of everyday life, 169 00:08:36,519 --> 00:08:39,919 without conceptual thought stripped bear. And if you can just 170 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:44,120 recognize that light as your own true nature, your own awareness, 171 00:08:44,159 --> 00:08:49,240 your own mind essentially, then you achieve liberation enlightenment instantly. 172 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 2: That's the teaching, going beyond suffering, breaking free from the 173 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:56,679 cycle of conditioned existence, attaining absolute freedom. 174 00:08:56,759 --> 00:08:58,440 Speaker 1: Wow. Just like that. 175 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:01,279 Speaker 2: Imagine it's the ultimate test of awareness, the moment that 176 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:04,399 advanced practitioners train their whole lives for to face it 177 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:08,200 with presence, unwavering recognition. But this is a big butt. 178 00:09:08,399 --> 00:09:11,000 The moment is incredibly fleeting, doesn't last long. 179 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:11,320 Speaker 1: Now. 180 00:09:11,639 --> 00:09:13,679 Speaker 2: The experience of the clear light is often described as 181 00:09:13,759 --> 00:09:16,840 lasting just an instant, a flash, and then it starts. 182 00:09:16,519 --> 00:09:18,440 Speaker 1: To fade, like a dream when you wake up, very 183 00:09:18,519 --> 00:09:19,080 much like that. 184 00:09:19,159 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 2: For many, perhaps most people, this opportunity just slips away. 185 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:26,519 And for those who are unprepared, who haven't cultivated awareness 186 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:30,159 of their mind's true nature during life, the light can 187 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:33,080 feel overwhelming, even frightening. 188 00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:35,480 Speaker 1: Because it's so different, so vast. 189 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:41,320 Speaker 2: Yes, their conditioned mind, used to separation, sees this boundless, 190 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:46,279 formless light as something external, unknown, maybe even threatening, instead 191 00:09:46,279 --> 00:09:49,200 of recognizing it as their own deepest self. 192 00:09:49,039 --> 00:09:52,519 Speaker 1: And that fear, that misidentification. 193 00:09:51,799 --> 00:09:55,279 Speaker 2: Causes consciousness to recoil, to pull back, and that pulls 194 00:09:55,279 --> 00:09:58,159 it deeper into the next stages, the more illusory realms 195 00:09:58,159 --> 00:10:01,759 of the subsequent bordoes immediate enlightenment and back towards the 196 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:05,000 cycle of rebirth, conditioned by all the unresolved stuff from 197 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:05,360 the past. 198 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:08,320 Speaker 1: Okay, this definitely sounds like something you want to prepare for, absolutely, 199 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:10,120 But if that final moment didn't have to be about 200 00:10:10,159 --> 00:10:14,679 fear of confusion. What if it could be about clarity, liberation. 201 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 2: That's the whole point of the preparation practices. 202 00:10:17,519 --> 00:10:23,360 Speaker 1: Tibetan masters teach that through deep meditation, through sustained spiritual practice, 203 00:10:23,879 --> 00:10:27,000 you can actually get glimpses of this clear light even 204 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:27,799 while you're alive. 205 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:31,799 Speaker 2: Yes, those rare moments of profound clarity, maybe when you're 206 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:34,559 deep in meditation or even just walking in nature. 207 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: The feeling of sudden peace or timelessness. 208 00:10:37,279 --> 00:10:40,399 Speaker 2: Exactly, those moments where the world seems to just drop away. 209 00:10:41,039 --> 00:10:44,879 They're described as like training sessions, little windows into the true, 210 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:47,000 unconditioned nature of reality. 211 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:49,679 Speaker 1: So you're preparing yourself to recognize it when the real 212 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:50,399 moment comes. 213 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 2: You're tuning your mind to that ultimate reality, training yourself 214 00:10:54,279 --> 00:10:56,559 to see it, to be comfortable with it. So when 215 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:59,120 you face the clear light at death, you can meet 216 00:10:59,159 --> 00:11:02,159 it with strength, with recognition, not fear. 217 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:06,840 Speaker 1: Transforming death from something terrifying into well an opportunity for. 218 00:11:06,799 --> 00:11:10,399 Speaker 2: Freedom and empowering journey towards awakening. That's the ideal. The 219 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:13,200 Second Bardo, the Bardo of visions, Jony Bardo. 220 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:16,879 Speaker 1: Okay, so for many people, the journey continues past that 221 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:18,519 fleeting glimpse of the clear light. 222 00:11:18,679 --> 00:11:21,080 Speaker 2: Right for those who aren't ready to fully recognize it. 223 00:11:21,159 --> 00:11:25,120 Speaker 1: Or merge with it, Consciousness doesn't just stop. It plunges 224 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:31,159 deeper into realms of really vivid, sometimes overwhelming experiences. 225 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:33,840 Speaker 2: M the tony Bardo, often called the Bardow of visions 226 00:11:33,919 --> 00:11:36,120 or the Bardo of Dermata, the reality Bardo. 227 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:40,720 Speaker 1: Imagine stepping deeper into the unknown. And now you're in 228 00:11:40,759 --> 00:11:46,120 this vast, almost divine theater, surrounded by incredible visions. 229 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:47,440 Speaker 2: Both beautiful and terrifying. 230 00:11:47,519 --> 00:11:52,279 Speaker 1: Yeah, radiant beings of light, but also fearsome, wrathful figures 231 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:56,200 swirling around in this constantly shifting surreal dance. 232 00:11:56,279 --> 00:11:59,000 Speaker 2: And here's the crucial twist, the absolute core truth of 233 00:11:59,039 --> 00:12:03,080 this Bardo. Okay, these beings, these amazing or scary visions, 234 00:12:03,759 --> 00:12:04,960 they aren't separate from you. 235 00:12:05,039 --> 00:12:06,960 Speaker 1: They're not out there, they're not no. 236 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:11,080 Speaker 2: They are described as powerful, unfiltered projections of your own mind. 237 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:13,240 Speaker 1: Wow, so like reflection. 238 00:12:12,919 --> 00:12:16,320 Speaker 2: Reflections of everything hidden inside you, every fear you've carried, 239 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:19,120 every longing you've suppressed, every wound you haven't healed, every 240 00:12:19,399 --> 00:12:20,799 karmic imprint you've made. 241 00:12:20,919 --> 00:12:23,559 Speaker 1: So it's a journey through your own subconscious basically. 242 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:27,759 Speaker 2: Yeah, but amplified, massively, amplified a cosmic mirror showing you 243 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:31,279 the totality of your inner world. And the fundamental challenge 244 00:12:31,279 --> 00:12:34,000 the question you face here is can you confront that? 245 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:38,279 Can you recognize these intense visions as a direct reflection 246 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:41,240 of you rather than seeing them as external threats or 247 00:12:41,279 --> 00:12:42,480 separate gods and demons. 248 00:12:42,919 --> 00:12:45,799 Speaker 1: And the Book of the Dead describes this in stages right, 249 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:47,080 almost like acts in a play. 250 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:49,080 Speaker 2: Yes, it unfolds systematically. 251 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:54,240 Speaker 1: First, you might encounter these luminous, calm, peaceful beities, beings 252 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:56,559 radiating compassion, wisdom. 253 00:12:56,360 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 2: Piece figures like Amitaba, the Buddha of infinite light, presenting 254 00:13:00,399 --> 00:13:03,879 pure awareness, or Vadrisatva embodying purification. 255 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:06,720 Speaker 1: Their presence is overwhelming, but in a good way, full 256 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:07,000 of all. 257 00:13:07,279 --> 00:13:10,320 Speaker 2: Yes, incredibly beautiful. But the challenge, the critical test, is 258 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:13,000 to recognize these beings as reflections of your own mind's 259 00:13:13,039 --> 00:13:17,080 highest potential, your own inherent compassion, your own innate wisdom. 260 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:19,080 Speaker 1: So see them as parts of yourself. 261 00:13:19,559 --> 00:13:22,120 Speaker 2: Exactly if you can do that, if you can merge 262 00:13:22,159 --> 00:13:25,960 with these peaceful emanations realizing they are you, the journey 263 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,200 to liberation can happen. Right there, you've recognized your true 264 00:13:29,279 --> 00:13:33,159 nature in its pure form. But for many even this 265 00:13:33,279 --> 00:13:37,080 encounter with their own divine brilliance is too much, too overwhelming. 266 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:38,720 Speaker 1: Why why would that be scary? 267 00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:43,120 Speaker 2: Because the mind isn't prepared, It's conditioned by lifetimes of 268 00:13:43,159 --> 00:13:47,080 thinking in terms of me and other, recognizing that pure 269 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:52,480 radiance as one's self shatters that duality, So the mind recoils. 270 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:54,279 Speaker 1: It retreats, and as it retreats. 271 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:57,279 Speaker 2: The gentle light seems to dim. The peaceful forms start 272 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:01,120 to shift, to morph. The scene gets darker, more. 273 00:14:00,919 --> 00:14:02,919 Speaker 1: Intense, and now come the wrathful ones. 274 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:05,879 Speaker 2: Now you're surrounded by the wrathful deities. Fear spirits, yeah, 275 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:09,080 powerful formidable beings, faces of fire, wielding weapons. 276 00:14:09,159 --> 00:14:11,159 Speaker 1: Okay, that sounds terrifying. 277 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:13,440 Speaker 2: It can be, But again the crucial insight here, These 278 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:16,879 are not external demons sent to punish you. They're also projections, yes, 279 00:14:17,279 --> 00:14:21,399 manifestations of everything unresolved within you. Your anger, your fear, 280 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:23,919 your envy, your attachments, your judgments, all the parts of 281 00:14:23,919 --> 00:14:25,360 yourself you've denied or repressed. 282 00:14:25,639 --> 00:14:28,919 Speaker 1: So a figure like Mahakala, the really fierce looking one. 283 00:14:28,679 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 2: He's not there to hurt you. He's there to force 284 00:14:30,919 --> 00:14:33,799 you to confront what you've buried, to face the raw 285 00:14:33,879 --> 00:14:37,720 truth of your own mind. The purpose isn't punishment, it's purification. 286 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:41,240 It's an urgent invitation to see these forces for what 287 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:44,360 they are, a mind stuff, and cut through lifetimes of 288 00:14:44,399 --> 00:14:46,080 baggage by facing them without fear. 289 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:47,559 Speaker 1: How do you face them without fear? 290 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:52,200 Speaker 2: The teaching is about non resistance, recognizing them, seeing them clearly, 291 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:55,240 but not getting hooked by them, not fighting them, not 292 00:14:55,360 --> 00:14:58,639 running from them, just seeing them as expressions of consciousness, 293 00:14:58,639 --> 00:14:59,960 like clouds passing in the sky. 294 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:02,600 Speaker 1: If you can do that, they lose their power. 295 00:15:02,639 --> 00:15:07,399 Speaker 2: Exactly, they dissolve back into emptiness. This recognition, cultivated in 296 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:10,600 life through mindfulness and self awareness, allows you to meet 297 00:15:10,639 --> 00:15:12,840 them in the bardo not with terror, but with a 298 00:15:12,919 --> 00:15:14,399 kind of liberating detachment. 299 00:15:14,919 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 1: So okay, if these visions are just projections, what does 300 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:21,840 this mean for us right now in our daily lives? 301 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:23,600 Why should this matter today? 302 00:15:23,919 --> 00:15:26,519 Speaker 2: Because these visions aren't just for the dead. There are 303 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:30,159 reflections of the psychological and emotional forces living inside. 304 00:15:29,919 --> 00:15:31,960 Speaker 1: You right now, the same forces. 305 00:15:31,799 --> 00:15:35,799 Speaker 2: The very same subtly shaping your choices, influencing your actions 306 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:40,039 coloring your perceptions every single day. The anger, the fear, 307 00:15:40,159 --> 00:15:43,159 the compassion, the peace swirling within you today are the 308 00:15:43,279 --> 00:15:46,639 energy as you will meet magnified in the Chony Bardo. 309 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:49,919 Speaker 1: So this Bardo is basically challenging us to confront those 310 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:51,559 forces now while. 311 00:15:51,399 --> 00:15:53,960 Speaker 2: We still can, precisely while you have the chance to 312 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,639 work with them, to understand them, to transform them. Imagine 313 00:15:57,639 --> 00:16:01,480 seeing every surge of anxiety, every flash of anger, every 314 00:16:01,519 --> 00:16:04,039 moment of deep peace in your life as one of 315 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:07,799 these deities, internal messengers, showing you exactly what needs healing 316 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:08,679 or integration. 317 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:11,120 Speaker 1: That's a radical way to look at everyday emotions, it 318 00:16:11,159 --> 00:16:11,519 really is. 319 00:16:11,559 --> 00:16:15,919 Speaker 2: It reframes everything. And interestingly, if we look broader, psychologists 320 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:19,759 like Carl Jung saw incredible parallels here. You did, Oh yes, 321 00:16:19,919 --> 00:16:23,720 He wrote extensively about archetypes, the collective unconscious. He basically 322 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:26,480 said that gods and demons are projections of the unconscious, 323 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:30,360 powerful and inescapable until understood as parts of ourselves. 324 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: Wow. So he was in the same thing. We lived 325 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:33,639 with these forces already. 326 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:37,320 Speaker 2: Pretty much, whether we recognize them or not. These archetypal energies, 327 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:43,039 these personified emotions, are active within us constantly, influencing our reality, 328 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:47,240 waiting to be understood, integrated. The Bardo just provides this 329 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:50,919 incredibly dramatic, high definition mirror of that inner world. 330 00:16:51,039 --> 00:16:55,279 Speaker 1: So the second Bardo, the Choney Bardo, it's fundamentally about integration, 331 00:16:55,679 --> 00:16:58,360 bringing all the parts of your wind together, the light 332 00:16:58,440 --> 00:16:59,039 and the dark. 333 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:02,960 Speaker 2: Yes, can you look at your shadow aspects, your fears, 334 00:17:03,039 --> 00:17:08,359 your anger, your insecurities with compassion, with clarity, without letting 335 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:08,920 them run the. 336 00:17:08,839 --> 00:17:10,839 Speaker 1: Show, and without getting caught up in their drama. 337 00:17:11,039 --> 00:17:15,640 Speaker 2: Exactly, that's the path to liberation described here. Recognizing all 338 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:20,119 these forces, beautiful or terrifying, as just projections, empty reflections 339 00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:22,279 of your own mind, constantly arising and dissolving. 340 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:24,599 Speaker 1: What if you fail, what if you can't recognize them 341 00:17:24,599 --> 00:17:25,640 as projection, then. 342 00:17:25,519 --> 00:17:29,079 Speaker 2: The experience can become horrifyingly real. The mind gets trapped 343 00:17:29,119 --> 00:17:33,559 in its own creations. It mistakes its internal landscape for external. 344 00:17:33,079 --> 00:17:35,559 Speaker 1: Threats, like being stuck in a nightmare you can't wake. 345 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:38,839 Speaker 2: Up from precisely, And that's where the stakes get even higher. 346 00:17:39,319 --> 00:17:42,799 You risk descending further into cycles of fear, delusion, and 347 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:46,319 inevitably another rebirth, bound by the very patterns you couldn't face. 348 00:17:46,559 --> 00:17:51,039 Speaker 1: So this Bardo is this huge opportunity to confront yourself, 349 00:17:51,079 --> 00:17:53,839 transform yourself, see yourself without any filters, and. 350 00:17:53,799 --> 00:17:56,680 Speaker 2: Truly understand the incredible power of your own mind at 351 00:17:56,720 --> 00:18:01,039 its most raw and intense. The third Bardow, the Bardow 352 00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:02,720 of rebirth sid Bibardo. 353 00:18:03,359 --> 00:18:07,119 Speaker 1: Okay, so moving on, Imagine you've passed through those intense 354 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:10,039 visions of the second Bardo. Maybe you recognize that maybe 355 00:18:10,079 --> 00:18:11,160 you didn't fully. 356 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:12,079 Speaker 2: For those still on the journey. 357 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:16,880 Speaker 1: Those visions fade away, and now you find yourself drifting 358 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:19,519 in a kind of formless space. 359 00:18:19,599 --> 00:18:22,599 Speaker 2: A vast formless sea is how it's often described. The 360 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:26,039 life you knew is gone. The previous Bardo experiences have faded. 361 00:18:26,519 --> 00:18:29,640 Yet there's this pull something drawing you forward. Yes, a 362 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:32,279 force like gravity, pulling you towards a new reality, a 363 00:18:32,319 --> 00:18:35,839 new existence. You've entered the Bardow of rebirth, the sid Pibardo, 364 00:18:36,119 --> 00:18:37,920 the third and final main stage. 365 00:18:38,119 --> 00:18:41,319 Speaker 1: The void meets creation, past meets future. 366 00:18:41,319 --> 00:18:44,799 Speaker 2: Something like that, a critical transition point. And what's truly 367 00:18:44,839 --> 00:18:49,000 profound here is that in this realm, everything matters. Every 368 00:18:49,039 --> 00:18:53,079 thought you had, every unresolved emotion, every single karmic imprint 369 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:55,119 you've ever accumulated. 370 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:55,640 Speaker 1: It all comes into play. 371 00:18:55,759 --> 00:18:59,680 Speaker 2: It becomes the guiding force, the determinant for your next life. 372 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:03,799 Consciousness stripped beaar now of a physical form and those 373 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:07,720 vivid Bardo visions. It's like a pure magnet. 374 00:19:07,359 --> 00:19:09,160 Speaker 1: Pulling in the elements for the next. 375 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:13,079 Speaker 2: Life, exactly, pulling in the specific conditions, the circumstances, the body, 376 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:16,519 the environment that will shape your future existence. It's not 377 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:21,839 passive drifting. It's described as an intense, active, even chaotic 378 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:23,359 process of creation. 379 00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:24,759 Speaker 1: Where you're both the artist and the painting. 380 00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:29,000 Speaker 2: Perfectly put, you are simultaneously creating your destiny and becoming 381 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:31,519 the result of it. There are no filters left, no 382 00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:35,240 escaping the weight of your past actions, intentions, desires. This 383 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:37,759 is where karma becomes incredibly tangible. 384 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:41,319 Speaker 1: Like resonance, your past actions create a frequency that attracts 385 00:19:41,359 --> 00:19:42,200 a similar future. 386 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:46,039 Speaker 2: That's a great analogy. Your every thought word, indeed, creates 387 00:19:46,039 --> 00:19:50,839 a kind of energetic pattern, a vibrational signature. Generosity, clarity, 388 00:19:50,839 --> 00:19:56,519 compassion resonate at one frequency, drawing you toward positive conditions. Attachment, anger, 389 00:19:56,640 --> 00:20:00,920 confusion resonate differently, pulling you towards circums stances that mirror 390 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:05,119 those energies. You literally tune into the world that matches 391 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:06,160 your internal state. 392 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:11,160 Speaker 1: And as you're drifting in this, this karmic current, you're 393 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:14,119 surrounded by visions again, but different ones. 394 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:19,480 Speaker 2: Yes, visions of potential futures, a swirling kaleidoscope of images, faces, landscapes, 395 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:22,839 entire worlds, each one a possible path, a glimpse of 396 00:20:22,839 --> 00:20:23,720 a life you could enter. 397 00:20:23,799 --> 00:20:25,319 Speaker 1: And these aren't random, not at all. 398 00:20:25,319 --> 00:20:27,359 Speaker 2: They are the sum total of your interstate, a kind 399 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:32,920 of hyperreal preview of possible rebirths. If you cultivated kindness, wisdom, 400 00:20:33,279 --> 00:20:36,279 the visions might be bright, inviting, leading toward a life 401 00:20:36,319 --> 00:20:38,000 with opportunities for growth. 402 00:20:37,759 --> 00:20:40,799 Speaker 1: But a fear anger attachment were dominant, then. 403 00:20:40,759 --> 00:20:44,799 Speaker 2: The visions take on a darker, more turbulent quality, reflecting 404 00:20:44,839 --> 00:20:49,039 those unresolved energies and attracting conditions that match them. Each 405 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:52,079 potential rebirth exerts a pull, tugging on the threads of 406 00:20:52,079 --> 00:20:55,400 your karma, drawing you towards the life you're most strongly 407 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:58,640 aligned with, the life that will provide the necessary lessons. 408 00:20:59,079 --> 00:21:01,839 And it's important to remem this isn't a judgment from outside, 409 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:04,480 it's not a test imposed by a god. It's just 410 00:21:04,519 --> 00:21:07,359 the mirror, the ultimate mirror, of your own mind, showing 411 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:11,640 you the direct results of your accumulated actions, intentions, desires. 412 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:15,960 Your karma acts like this powerful gravitational force guiding you 413 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:19,319 toward a life that precisely matches your soul's current frequency. 414 00:21:19,799 --> 00:21:23,599 Speaker 1: Is there still any choice even now or is it 415 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:24,759 completely determined? 416 00:21:24,839 --> 00:21:27,160 Speaker 2: That's the crucial question, and the teaching says yes, a 417 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:31,359 glimmer of choice remains a subtle but significant opening. If 418 00:21:31,359 --> 00:21:35,279 you can somehow maintain clarity, maintain a calm, non reactive 419 00:21:35,279 --> 00:21:39,079 awareness amidst all those swirling visions and pulls. If you 420 00:21:39,079 --> 00:21:42,160 can avoid getting hooked by strong attachment or a version. 421 00:21:42,039 --> 00:21:43,680 Speaker 1: You might be able to influence the outcome. 422 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:46,559 Speaker 2: You might you might be able to steer your consciousness 423 00:21:46,599 --> 00:21:51,359 towards a more favorable rebirth, or, with ultimate detachment, perhaps 424 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:55,160 even transcend the pull altogether and avoid rebirth entirely. It's 425 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:57,559 about finding that calm center in the storm. 426 00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:01,640 Speaker 1: Okay, So, given this whole intricate dance of cause and effect, 427 00:22:02,119 --> 00:22:04,720 what does this mean for us right now today? 428 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:08,559 Speaker 2: Well, Intobetan Buddhism, this isn't just some abstract belief about 429 00:22:08,599 --> 00:22:11,720 what happens after you die. It's a deeply practical reminder 430 00:22:12,039 --> 00:22:15,559 of how everything we do, think and intend now in 431 00:22:15,599 --> 00:22:17,519 this life matters profoundly. 432 00:22:17,799 --> 00:22:20,599 Speaker 1: It underscores the power of conscious living absolutely. 433 00:22:20,839 --> 00:22:23,319 Speaker 2: What if every single act of kindness, every moment you 434 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:26,319 choose mindfulness over distraction, every time you consciously work with 435 00:22:26,359 --> 00:22:29,079 your anger instead of just reacting, what if that's shaping 436 00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:31,680 not just this life, but potentially countless lives to. 437 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:34,759 Speaker 1: Come, setting the conditions for your future exactly. 438 00:22:35,039 --> 00:22:38,119 Speaker 2: The third Bardow forces us to confront that we are 439 00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:42,240 constantly actively creating the karma that shapes our journey. Every 440 00:22:42,279 --> 00:22:45,680 decision ripples outwards, affecting not just today, but potentially our 441 00:22:45,839 --> 00:22:49,400 entire future trajectory. So the challenge becomes, if you see 442 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:53,319 yourself caught in patterns fear, anger, clinging, how do you 443 00:22:53,359 --> 00:22:56,319 break free? How do you stop creating the causes for 444 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:57,160 future suffering? 445 00:22:57,319 --> 00:23:00,240 Speaker 1: Right? How do you change that karmic momentum button. 446 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:05,240 Speaker 2: Buddhism offers practices like mindfulness, meditation, ethical conduct, compassion practices. 447 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:08,319 These aren't just about being good in a superficial way. 448 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:10,640 Speaker 1: They're about transforming the underlying energy. 449 00:23:10,759 --> 00:23:14,599 Speaker 2: Precisely, it's about understanding your mind deeply, seeing the roots 450 00:23:14,599 --> 00:23:18,880 of your actions and reactions, addressing them with clarity, with wisdom. 451 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:21,319 The more awareness you bring to each thought, word, and 452 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:22,400 deed now, the. 453 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:24,599 Speaker 1: Less likely you are to be swept away helplessly in 454 00:23:24,599 --> 00:23:25,839 the bardow of rebirth later. 455 00:23:26,039 --> 00:23:29,759 Speaker 2: That's the idea. This bardo reveals the ultimate lesson the 456 00:23:29,799 --> 00:23:31,799 power of your mind to create reality isn't just a 457 00:23:31,799 --> 00:23:36,440 philosophical concept. It's happening every second, shaped by every choice, 458 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:39,880 culminating the very world you inhabit life after life. 459 00:23:40,039 --> 00:23:42,400 Speaker 1: It really puts the responsibility back on us, doesn't it. 460 00:23:42,519 --> 00:23:46,359 Speaker 2: Fundamentally every moment is a chance to influence your destiny. 461 00:23:47,119 --> 00:23:50,960 Speaker 1: Okay, so let's talk about preparation. Imagine preparing for death. 462 00:23:52,119 --> 00:23:54,839 Not is this dreaded end, but is the most important 463 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:57,920 journey you'll ever take, like training for the Olympics of 464 00:23:57,920 --> 00:23:58,279 the soul. 465 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:00,160 Speaker 2: Huh, that's one way to put it. 466 00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:03,279 Speaker 1: This isn't just a poetic idea in Tibetan Buddhism, is it. 467 00:24:03,279 --> 00:24:07,119 It's a core practice. Life is the training ground. 468 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:10,559 Speaker 2: Absolutely, every moment, every thought, every action is seen as 469 00:24:10,599 --> 00:24:13,119 actively preparing you for that ultimate transition. 470 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:16,599 Speaker 1: So what if you could learn to navigate death with skill, 471 00:24:17,279 --> 00:24:20,039 with grace, with the same awareness you try to bring 472 00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:22,880 to living, approaching it not with fear but as this 473 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:27,039 this empowering journey towards freedom, awakening. 474 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:29,599 Speaker 2: That's the goal to make death not a failure or 475 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:32,799 an ending, but a culmination of a life lived with awareness. 476 00:24:33,039 --> 00:24:36,359 And one of the most powerful, maybe most distinctive practices 477 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:39,680 for this is called consciousness transference. 478 00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:41,759 Speaker 1: Poua consciousness transformence. What does that involve? 479 00:24:42,039 --> 00:24:45,240 Speaker 2: Well, the truly remarkable aspect here is the idea of 480 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:49,680 consciously directing your awareness beyond this world, even as you're 481 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:51,079 letting go of the body. 482 00:24:50,839 --> 00:24:52,799 Speaker 1: So aiming your consciousness. 483 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:55,599 Speaker 2: Exactly like an arrow at the moment of death, training 484 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:59,079 your mind project itself towards a state of enlightenment or 485 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:02,079 a pure land, rather than just being blown about by 486 00:25:02,119 --> 00:25:02,960 karmic winds. 487 00:25:03,039 --> 00:25:06,160 Speaker 1: Wow. So it's not about clinging to life or escaping death. 488 00:25:06,319 --> 00:25:09,359 Speaker 2: No, it's about skillfully moving your awareness away from the 489 00:25:09,359 --> 00:25:12,720 dissolving physical form and its limitations and directing it with 490 00:25:12,759 --> 00:25:16,279 intention towards a higher, pure state of being. It often 491 00:25:16,279 --> 00:25:20,640 involves specific meditations, visualizations. 492 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,920 Speaker 1: Training the mind to recognize its own clear light nature 493 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:24,519 and project it precisely. 494 00:25:25,039 --> 00:25:28,640 Speaker 2: And the question this raises is huge. Could this ancient 495 00:25:28,759 --> 00:25:31,599 rigorous technique be a key to finding peace and freedom 496 00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:35,519 no matter what happens, by cultivating this ultimate sense of innerdirection. 497 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:38,200 Speaker 1: So how does somebody even begin that kind of training 498 00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:40,519 in daily life? It sounds pretty advanced. 499 00:25:40,519 --> 00:25:43,480 Speaker 2: It can be, but there are foundational practices anyone can 500 00:25:43,559 --> 00:25:48,200 do well. A surprisingly simple, but incredibly powerful place to 501 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:51,400 start is just meditating on impermanence. 502 00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:54,440 Speaker 1: Daily, thinking about death every day. Doesn't that sound morbid? 503 00:25:54,799 --> 00:25:58,200 Speaker 2: It might sound it, but it's actually incredibly liberating. Spend 504 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:01,839 just a few minutes each morning reflecting life is precious, 505 00:26:02,039 --> 00:26:05,079 life is fleeting, This moment is a gift. 506 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:06,200 Speaker 1: How does that help? 507 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:11,759 Speaker 2: That simple awareness changes everything? It makes each moment more vivid, 508 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:15,960 every interaction potentially more meaningful, every choice more intentional. You 509 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:18,359 start seeing life from a different perspective, almost like from 510 00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:20,119 the perspective of eternity. 511 00:26:19,759 --> 00:26:22,000 Speaker 1: Living each day like it's invaluable. 512 00:26:21,559 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 2: Exactly, appreciating it fully. It builds resilience, clarity, So when 513 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:28,680 that final moment does come, you're not shopped or terrified. 514 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:32,519 You're prepared, calm, ready to let go with grace because 515 00:26:32,519 --> 00:26:35,079 you've been practicing letting go of attachment to permanence all 516 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:40,119 along and looking broader. Another absolutely essential practice is tonglin' tonglin. 517 00:26:40,279 --> 00:26:41,799 Speaker 1: That's the compassion practice. 518 00:26:41,519 --> 00:26:45,559 Speaker 2: Right, Yes, a profound technique for cultivating boundless compassion. Imagine this, 519 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:49,559 You consciously breathe in the suffering, the pain, the fear 520 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:51,960 of others. You really try to feel it. You take 521 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:54,680 it on, you visualize taking it on, yes, and then 522 00:26:54,799 --> 00:26:59,160 on the outbreath you breathe out love, healing, well being, 523 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:01,720 relief to everyone. 524 00:27:02,119 --> 00:27:04,880 Speaker 1: That sounds intense, almost counterintuitive. 525 00:27:05,279 --> 00:27:08,759 Speaker 2: It can feel that way at first, but it's incredibly transformative. 526 00:27:08,799 --> 00:27:12,160 It expands your heart. It dissolves the walls of self centeredness, 527 00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:12,880 that feeling of. 528 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:15,839 Speaker 1: Me versus them, breaking down the separation. 529 00:27:15,599 --> 00:27:20,839 Speaker 2: Fundamentally seeing the interconnectedness of all beings. And in Tibetan Buddhism, 530 00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:25,079 developing this genuine, wide ranging compassion isn't just, you know, 531 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:26,559 a nice ethical thing to do. 532 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:28,960 Speaker 1: It's essential for the Bardoes, absolutely. 533 00:27:28,599 --> 00:27:32,119 Speaker 2: Essential, because when you face those intense, maybe terrifying visions 534 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:35,759 later on, a heart trained in compassion can transmut fear. 535 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:39,200 It sees the wrathful deities not as threats, but perhaps 536 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:43,920 as manifestations of suffering needing compassion. It turns potential suffering 537 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:45,160 into a path of awakening. 538 00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:47,000 Speaker 1: Okay, and what about mantras? Where do they fit in? 539 00:27:47,359 --> 00:27:51,160 Speaker 2: Mantras are huge, these ancient sound vibrations. They're scene as 540 00:27:51,279 --> 00:27:54,599 much more than just words or chance. They're like frequencies, 541 00:27:54,799 --> 00:27:58,400 powerful living frequencies that align your mind with higher states 542 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:01,880 of awareness, like divine tuning forks, calibrating your mind to 543 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:04,319 the subtle rhythms of the universe, or maybe like a 544 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:06,359 mental pathway to deeper states. 545 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:11,240 Speaker 1: So repeating them creates calm focus, deep. 546 00:28:11,079 --> 00:28:17,960 Speaker 2: Calm, unwavering focus, profound clarity. Yes, each repetition isn't just sound. 547 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:21,160 It's seen as an energetic imprint, training your consciousness for 548 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:22,839 the subtle transitions of the bardo. 549 00:28:23,519 --> 00:28:26,319 Speaker 1: So they're used to prepare for death, but also just 550 00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:27,119 for living better. 551 00:28:27,319 --> 00:28:31,160 Speaker 2: Absolutely, to live with more intention, find stillness amidst chaos, 552 00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:34,720 connect deeply with the present. By practicing mantras daily, you're 553 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:38,319 building mental habits, creating an inner sanctuary, a reservoir of 554 00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:42,480 peace and fearlessness to face life's challenges and ultimately death itself. 555 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:45,279 What becomes really clear is that these practices meditating on 556 00:28:45,319 --> 00:28:49,119 impermanence Tonglan mantras, they're more than just spiritual exercises. 557 00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:53,000 Speaker 1: The tools for reshaping your whole outlook exactly potent tools. 558 00:28:53,319 --> 00:28:56,519 Speaker 2: When you start to genuinely see each moment as precious, 559 00:28:56,799 --> 00:29:03,200 each action as significant, everything shifts. Petty worries fall away, purpose, focus, 560 00:29:03,319 --> 00:29:04,680 gratitude take their. 561 00:29:04,559 --> 00:29:08,039 Speaker 1: Place, and that's the real power. Preparing for death actually 562 00:29:08,079 --> 00:29:09,319 makes you live more fully. 563 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:13,720 Speaker 2: That's the transformative paradox. You're no longer run by fear 564 00:29:13,759 --> 00:29:17,799 of the unknown. You feel empowered, calmer, ready knowing you've 565 00:29:17,799 --> 00:29:20,640 cultivated the inner resources to face whatever comes. 566 00:29:20,759 --> 00:29:23,000 Speaker 1: Imagine if our whole society approach death this. 567 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:25,720 Speaker 2: Way right, instead of hiding from it, avoiding it, treating 568 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:29,200 it like a failure, what if we embraced it as 569 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:32,079 a natural teacher, allowing it to inform how we live. 570 00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:34,039 Speaker 1: Could that lead to less fear and more joy? 571 00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:37,640 Speaker 2: I truly believe it could fundamentally change our collective human experience. 572 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:40,920 It's about integrating death into life, not separating them. 573 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:43,279 Speaker 1: Now, let's go back to the deathbed scenario for a moment. 574 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:48,039 Imagine lying there, feeling the body letting go mm, and 575 00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:52,720 instead of silence or maybe just vague reassurances, a trained 576 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:56,640 sacred voice starts guiding you whispering the secrets of the 577 00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:58,559 journey ahead, the one nobody. 578 00:29:58,279 --> 00:30:00,039 Speaker 2: Else can see, offering precise and star. 579 00:30:00,359 --> 00:30:03,319 Speaker 1: Right, not just comforting words, but in the Tibetan tradition, 580 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:07,680 a literal map through the afterlife, giving a direction, purpose, 581 00:30:08,079 --> 00:30:09,440 and that chance to break free. 582 00:30:09,559 --> 00:30:12,839 Speaker 2: It's not fiction. It's the intended use of the Bardo thortle, 583 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:16,200 a tool for conscious dying, and the tradition around this 584 00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:19,400 is really quite profound. As someone near's death, a lama, 585 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:24,680 a highly trained spiritual guide, someone who's deeply studied and practiced. 586 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:26,079 Speaker 1: These teachings, it's right beside them. 587 00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:30,240 Speaker 2: Yes, intimately, and they don't just offer prayers. They meticulously 588 00:30:30,319 --> 00:30:34,559 read aloud from the Bardow total, describing in vivid, empathetic 589 00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:38,960 detail the stages, the experiences the consciousness will encounter after 590 00:30:39,079 --> 00:30:39,880 leaving the body. 591 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:41,640 Speaker 1: So it's like spiritual midway free. 592 00:30:41,799 --> 00:30:44,119 Speaker 2: That's a beautiful way to put it. These words are 593 00:30:44,279 --> 00:30:48,599 a direct, moment by moment orientation, a spiritual compass guiding 594 00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:50,559 the soul through uncharted territory. 595 00:30:50,599 --> 00:30:52,599 Speaker 1: And you have to contrast that with how death is 596 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:54,200 often handled in modern settings. 597 00:30:54,519 --> 00:30:58,559 Speaker 2: It's a stark contrast, often met with fear, silence, avoidance, 598 00:30:59,119 --> 00:31:02,119 treated primarily as a clinical event to be managed, rather 599 00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:05,400 than a sacred guided spiritual journey. It really challenges our 600 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:06,599 whole societal. 601 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:10,359 Speaker 1: Approach and the power of the Barto tootal in that moment. 602 00:31:11,759 --> 00:31:14,440 It's acting as this roadmap, right, an instruction manual to 603 00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:15,880 recognize the illusions that come. 604 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:18,880 Speaker 2: Up exactly, not just describing them, but actively guiding you 605 00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:23,240 to see beyond the intense visions, the peaceful deities, the fierce. 606 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:26,880 Speaker 1: Demon and realize their true nature as just projections. 607 00:31:26,359 --> 00:31:29,759 Speaker 2: Projections of your own mind, ultimately dissolving back into that 608 00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:33,200 clear light of awareness from the first bardo. The guide 609 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:37,799 the Lama is constantly gently reminding you recognize the light. 610 00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:41,039 Merge with the light. It is your own essence. 611 00:31:41,519 --> 00:31:45,119 Speaker 1: Imagine the impact having that guidance steering you towards liberation 612 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:48,240 instead of just getting lost in fear or confusion leading 613 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:49,160 to another rebirth. 614 00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:51,839 Speaker 2: It's just death isn't just an ending, but maybe the 615 00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:55,359 greatest opportunity for enlightenment, and the Guide is the anchor 616 00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:58,599 helping you navigate towards that freedom, and the instructions are 617 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:02,519 remarkably specific. If the dying person is told directly, don't 618 00:32:02,519 --> 00:32:05,200 fear the clear light embrace it. It is your mind. 619 00:32:05,359 --> 00:32:07,000 Speaker 1: Every step is explained. 620 00:32:06,839 --> 00:32:10,799 Speaker 2: Every step from the peaceful deities embodying your own compassion 621 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:14,799 and wisdom, to the wrathful figures reflecting your hidden fears 622 00:32:14,839 --> 00:32:19,640 and unresolved karma. Imagine facing each of those, but being prepared, 623 00:32:20,039 --> 00:32:23,200 being told this is just you. Recognize it, don't be afraid. 624 00:32:23,759 --> 00:32:25,079 How different would that feel? 625 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:26,039 Speaker 1: Completely different? 626 00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:29,000 Speaker 2: And again looking broader, This is such a profound challenge 627 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:32,440 to Western practices, where dying is often treated purely as 628 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:35,799 a medical, biological process, something to manage. 629 00:32:35,519 --> 00:32:38,839 Speaker 1: Or fight, whereas here it's understood is equally, if not 630 00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:41,400 more so, a spiritual and psychological journey. 631 00:32:41,519 --> 00:32:46,000 Speaker 2: Exactly, this ancient view pushes us to fundamentally reimagine our 632 00:32:46,039 --> 00:32:49,039 approach to end of life care, to infuse it with meaning, 633 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:51,079 purpose and skillful guidance. 634 00:32:51,359 --> 00:32:53,799 Speaker 1: So bringing it back to us listening, now, what does 635 00:32:53,839 --> 00:32:56,319 this all mean for you? Can these ancient teachings really 636 00:32:56,359 --> 00:32:59,880 apply in our modern world? Smartphones, deadlines, everything? 637 00:33:00,119 --> 00:33:02,920 Speaker 2: Is it just for monks and monasteries or people literally 638 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:03,680 on their deathbeds? 639 00:33:03,799 --> 00:33:07,119 Speaker 1: Right? Is it relevant? The transformative truth seems to be Yeah, 640 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:11,960 understanding these mysteries. Isn't some esoteric luxury. Anyone can benefit 641 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:15,000 from the lessons by choosing to live with more intention, 642 00:33:15,799 --> 00:33:20,400 by practicing mindfulness consistently, by consciously seeing every day of 643 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:23,119 life as preparation for that final journey. 644 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:25,599 Speaker 2: So instead of avoiding the thought of death. 645 00:33:25,680 --> 00:33:29,000 Speaker 1: Embrace it. Let it be your teacher, Let it illuminate 646 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:33,039 your present moments. Imagine living each day knowing you're actively 647 00:33:33,079 --> 00:33:36,839 preparing for that ultimate transition, feeling confident you can face 648 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:39,480 whatever comes with clarity, courage, and open heart. 649 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:43,559 Speaker 2: And it's truly fascinating, isn't it How this ancient text 650 00:33:43,599 --> 00:33:51,640 is now drawing serious interest from such diverse modern fields scientists, psychologists, philosophers, neuroscientists. 651 00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:52,599 Speaker 1: Is studying the bardothotal with. 652 00:33:52,680 --> 00:33:57,160 Speaker 2: Real intellectual rigor. Researchers and NDEs like Grayson and Moody 653 00:33:57,279 --> 00:33:59,960 keep finding these striking parallels we talked about the Life, 654 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:04,279 the Life Review, the Beings. Neuroscientists are exploring consciousness in 655 00:34:04,319 --> 00:34:07,319 altered states, finding things that challenge the idea that the 656 00:34:07,359 --> 00:34:09,599 brain is the only source of consciousness. 657 00:34:09,599 --> 00:34:13,719 Speaker 1: Some quantum physicists too right, exploring consciousness is fundamental. 658 00:34:13,519 --> 00:34:17,039 Speaker 2: Exactly ideas that resonate remarkably well with the Tibetan view 659 00:34:17,039 --> 00:34:20,880 of the mind's ultimate nature as clear light, existing independent 660 00:34:20,960 --> 00:34:23,800 of the body. So if the Bardow total was right, 661 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:27,960 if consciousness can transcend the body persist journey beyond. 662 00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:31,000 Speaker 1: What does that mean for everything? Yeah, for life, for reality, 663 00:34:31,320 --> 00:34:32,119 for being human. 664 00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:35,239 Speaker 2: We're just starting to grasp the possibilities. But one thing 665 00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:38,199 seems clear. The more we learn about these states, the 666 00:34:38,239 --> 00:34:40,840 more we realize they aren't just about dying. They're about 667 00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:44,360 accessing deeper layers of our own awareness. Right here, right now. 668 00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:46,960 Speaker 1: Ridging ancient wisdom and cutting edge science. 669 00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:50,760 Speaker 2: We are absolutely at a fascinating frontier of understanding. Hashtag 670 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:51,920 hashtag tag outracts over. 671 00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:55,239 Speaker 1: So as we wrap up this deep dive, what does 672 00:34:55,239 --> 00:34:57,840 it all really mean for us? We've journeyed through this 673 00:34:57,880 --> 00:35:00,719 incredible wisdom from the Tibetan Book of the Day, and 674 00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:03,639 we've uncovered some profound truths, haven't we. Death, maybe not 675 00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:06,199 the end we fear, but presented as our greatest teacher 676 00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:10,280 in the art of living, the Bardos these transitions not 677 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:13,960 just afterlife, but happening every single day, waking up, making 678 00:35:14,039 --> 00:35:17,880 a choice, shifting moods, all offering chances for transformation. 679 00:35:18,119 --> 00:35:22,360 Speaker 2: For waking up, many deaths and rebirths constantly. 680 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:26,119 Speaker 1: And ultimately maybe the most empowering thing, recognizing the incredible 681 00:35:26,119 --> 00:35:29,440 power of your own mind to create your reality in 682 00:35:29,480 --> 00:35:31,679 this life and whatever comes next. 683 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:34,760 Speaker 2: It's really compelling, isn't it? How this perspective offers such 684 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:38,400 a radical shift, a liberating one. I think, like trungpaw 685 00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:41,280 Rinposh said, it's about another way of looking at the 686 00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:46,119 psychological picture of ourselves in terms of a practical, meditative situation. 687 00:35:45,679 --> 00:35:47,920 Speaker 1: Seeing it practically, not just theoretically. 688 00:35:48,239 --> 00:35:51,960 Speaker 2: Exactly, by embracing these teachings, by seeing every change as 689 00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:55,039 a mini bardo, we can navigate life's ups and downs 690 00:35:55,039 --> 00:35:57,599 with more ease, more clarity, resilience. 691 00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:06,039 Speaker 1: Leads to that big question, what if facing your deepest 692 00:36:06,039 --> 00:36:09,159 fears about death? What if that could actually unlock a 693 00:36:09,199 --> 00:36:11,920 life filled with more meeting, more purpose, more beauty than 694 00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:15,639 you ever imagine, a life lived with real freedom, real presence. 695 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:18,639 Speaker 2: So as you let these ideas settle, maybe take a 696 00:36:18,639 --> 00:36:20,960 moment and genuinely ask yourself, how can I take this 697 00:36:21,159 --> 00:36:25,360 ancient wisdom and apply it deliberately to my decisions, my interactions, 698 00:36:25,440 --> 00:36:26,400 even just my breath? 699 00:36:26,599 --> 00:36:28,840 Speaker 1: How might your life fundamentally change if you saw it 700 00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:32,239 every single day not just as another day to get through, 701 00:36:32,639 --> 00:36:37,039 but is this precious, exquisite opportunity for awakening, a chance 702 00:36:37,079 --> 00:36:39,039 to live as if this were your last day with 703 00:36:39,159 --> 00:36:42,159 that kind of intensity, that awareness, that compassion. 704 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:43,719 Speaker 2: Approaching each moment as sacred. 705 00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:46,559 Speaker 1: Yeah, this journey into the unknown, Yeah, it really feels 706 00:36:46,639 --> 00:36:47,639 like it's just the beginning.