Episode 220 - Tibetan Book of the Dead for Beginners

“How we live is how we die” -- The Tibetan Book of the Dead for Beginners

The Tibetan Book of the Dead is the English translation of the Tibetan text known as Bardo Thodol. It serves as a guide for the soul of the deceased after it has left the body and before it is reborn. Lama Lhanang Rinpoche and Mordy Levine co-authored a recently published book, The Tibetan Book of the Dead for Beginners, which provides enduring and accessible advice for living with wisdom and compassion, and meeting the end of life with courage and peace.

Lama Lhanang Rinpoche was born in northeastern Tibet. At the age of eight he was chosen and invited into the monastery by a great Buddhist master. He studied there until he completed his training as a monastic. He has received teachings from a large number of teachers from the different lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, including from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Lama Lhanang Rinpoche is from the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. He is the founder and director of Jigme Lingpa Center, a non-profit organization with centers in the US, Canada and Mexico. His mission and teachings are to develop world peace through inner peace.

Mordy Levine, and accomplished entrepreneur, has been a Buddhist practitioner for over 40 years. He is the creator of the Meditation Pro Series, which teaches meditation for conditions that affect western civilization such as stress, insomnia, weight issues and smoking. He serves as president of the Jigme Lingpa Center.

In this episode we talk about:

· Lama Lhanang’s story of coming to America, his initial resistance

· Mordy’s first experience with karate which led to his journey with Buddhism and his initial resistance

· Our state of not knowing that we are unhappy

· Summary of the Tibetan Book of the Dead and its history (life and death, the six bardos, direction on how consciousness should proceed during death)

· Differences between western and Buddhist perspective on death and aging

· When you work with death, death is not death, it is liberation

· Fear of death is rooted in our fear of the unknown

· We can prepare for death now – training our mind today can bring a peaceful state of mind at death

· Chasing material things without appreciation keeps people hungry and unsatisfied; it’s Important to have happiness in our hearts and peace in our homes

· The benefits of a meditation practice to retrain our minds to be in the present moment

· Consider alternative views of the self to create positive karma

· Difficult confrontations are gifts to help us see who we really are, we all think we are good people until we are challenged

· Learning in wisdom through listening

· The only thing we know is our mind; we know nothing about the minds of other people

· How to support loved ones as they navigate death (last 10 minutes)

Jigme Lingpa Centers: https://www.buddhistsandiego.com/

Book: https://www.amazon.ca/Tibetan-Book-Dead-Beginners-Living/dp/1649631324/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Mordy’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGQb8ts_ORIbjigbSL9RoCw/featured

Complete transcription of this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15QsnenQnFqlDvHj9HM23RBN0BdIMCfza/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117420754387657503464&rtpof=true&sd=true