The Bardo Thodol (translated loosely as the liberation upon hearing while on the plane of death), is, in its most basic form, a guide to be read to people as they are dying and after they die.  It is referred to as the Tibetan Book of the Dead in Western culture.  It is believed to have been written in the 8th century by an enlightened buddhist.  It was discovered centuries later.  Much like in Bruce Moen's description of retrievals, the idea behind this is that the recently deceased can and do hear the words/thoughts of those still living.  

A "bardo" is a state of consciousness.  Essentially, Tibetan buddhism defines three common bardo states (though many more could be concerived).  They are: consciousness during waking life, consciousness during dreams, and consciousness during meditation.

In dying, three additional Bardos are encountered; the consciousness associated with the moment of death, consciousness associated with reality, and consciousness associated with rebirth.  

Interestingly enough, in this text, the Bardo or state of consciousness at the moment of death is the easiest place for a person to achieve enlightenment or nirvana.  According to Tibetan buddhist tradition, at the moment of death, we are all put into a moment where we experience a clear cut light of reality.  Those who harm others and have created bad consciousness may only experience this stage for a short time (likened to that of snapping one's fingers) prior to the next stage.  For most people, however this stage lasts several days.  If this state is recognized, a person continues to dwell in the state of pure reality  - the highest level of consciousness one can achieve.

One continues to move on to other stage or Bardos if one does not recognize one's death and the notion that the fear experienced in the afterlife comes about by creations of one's own mind.  There are many different points at which a person can free themselves from the bardo progression and the need for rebirth by recognizing the process of one's own death and applying one's intent to leave the cycle.

It is quite interesting that the person's friends and realtives are supposed to read the Bardo Thodol text to the person as they lie dying and then after they have died, to prevent the deceased from being distracted by the awe of the experience of death, and karmic illusions which distract a person from their true nature.  By applying rationality and remembering prior training, a person may focus and will himself to be removed from the cycle of birth and death.

There is no talk of vibrational level, or love here per se, as in New Age thought.  Rather, it is actually explicitly stated in the Bardo Thodol that a person of evil actions and intent may be instantly saved from this cycle of death and rebirth by the hearing of the text read by a living person.  The text, apparently allows the disembodied person to focus his or her intent and find his/her own heaven.

In one sense, I find this text fascinating as a source from more than 1300 years ago which references retrieving people immediatley after death.  This signifies that someone else recognized the need for retrievals centuries ago before New Age thought emerged.

What I find troubling, however is the notion that life incarnate is somehow the worst fate of tragic punishment - i.e. to reincarnate -  essentially it happens to many who die if they do not apply intent in the Bardos of the afterlife.  In this book of the dead, they track the soul down the bardos to their next womb and recommend several techniques of "closing the door to the womb," so as not to be incarnated into physical reality again.

All this somehow implies that life on earth is a mistake.  Man placing his consciousness willingly into these bodies, separating ourselves from the divine and then suffering through life.  But what of life's joys?  The triumphs while we are alive?  The love or grace people find while in the physical world?  Is it better somehow, to exist in a heaven, or a spirit bardo and express love, than to do it in the planet earth as an incarnated being?

These are questions that come up after reading the Tibetan Book of the dead.  How much of the text comes from experiences during meditation, and how much incorporated religious doctrine or teachings to make a cosmology match an afterlife experience, I don't know.  

But it is a fascinating read.   For those of you interested, there is a free E-book on it at:  http://www.summum.us/mummification/tbotd/


Matthew

Doc-

Cricket made one of the points I was going to make.  When life is brutal, it's no wonder that the prospect of being born again was not especially appealing.

In one sense, I find this text fascinating as a source from more than 1300 years ago which references retrieving people immediatley after death.  This signifies that someone else recognized the need for retrievals centuries ago before New Age thought emerged.

Generally speaking, the "new age" movement is traced to the late 60s and after.  However, the book I frequently cite, Lighted Passage, was written in the 1940s and describes what we consider to be retrievals.

It specifically mentions how the vibrations of the newly deceased are much more similar to physically alive humans than to the helpers on the other side.

The author points out that the similarity of the "frequencies" is why it's so important for humans to be engaged in the retrieval effort, since we can get the deceased's attention more easily than can helpers.

I also think the term retrieval is misleading.  The author of Lighted Passage uses the term rescue. We really aren't retrieving when we guide a deceased person to the light or to a helper.  Retrieving means bringing back, not guiding forward.  

And even around the turn of the last century (and probably before), there were what was called rescue circles, essentially groups of people who would get together for the express purpose of helping newly deceased find their way.

In short, there really is nothing new under the sun.

R

Hi

National Geographic or a related source has a film of a Tibetan man dying and receiving the Book of the Dead readings. I couldn't tell how much he was conscious of.  I expect that our Hostice programs have methods that are more appropriate for people now.

We already sense that we cross over more quickly. Perhaps our bodies are less resistant to death due to healthier foods, more comfortable homes etc --(?). Cricket already said that and I agree.

I think we can take the basic principles as true--different stages of consciousness seems a good way of explaining the focus levels; but how much of the Tibetan way we can borrow I'm not sure.

Bets

Nice site.

Nothing wrong with the physical world. It is amazingly beautiful. But there is a lot of illness and strife here on this planet. It is not a completely pleasant place, by even the most generous judgement. We can learn so much here, and experience life in 'time' differently than in a 'faster vibrating' area, as some like to call other dimensions.

There is something to be said for suffering, in that it teaches us how beautiful it is not to suffer. Perhaps that is the purpose of suffering, after all is said and done.

Who knows?

Of course, there have been many modern translations of, and books about, The Tibetan Book of the Dead.  I have a few, although I've only completely read one.

I am in the midst of reading, and participating in a book class about, a recent book by a Tibetan teacher, Ponlop Rinpoche,  called Mind Beyond Death.  It discusses in a very accessible way, the six bardos that Matthew describes.  I have been impressed by the overlap of the concepts expressed there with what Bruce Moen has described in his books.  Different terminology and focus, of course, but the views are not that hard to reconcile in large part.  I'm just into the chapter on the bardo of dying, so I haven't yet read about the post-dying bardos.  But the chapter on the bardo of dreams is written with  instructions on how to have lucid dreams, essentially.  Great stuff.

Part of the buddhist view (or at least in my understanding of it) is that even the physical world is not nearly so solid and fixed as we try to make it.  Much of our suffering arises from trying to hold onto a "solid" reality that isn't solid at all, whether from a purely physical, molecular level or any other level.

Forty-nine days after my daughter's death in October, the buddhist meditation center I belong to did a traditional Buddhist 49-Day Ceremony for her that included extremely vivid, powerful chants requesting that the Protectors (Helpers?) guide her through the bardos after death to her next birth.  I told a bit about this on the Retrievals Forum in an exchange that Bets and I had around Bets' retrieval of my daughter.  While my daughter wasn't a Buddhist and expressed little interest in my practice, after her death I discovered a piece of her artwork that she left in her studio with a verse on it that was right out of the Tibetan Book  of the Dead.  The universe is certainly an amazing place!

Pat

Thanks for understanding. Have you heard about the pure Holocaust, being planned by the civilization of Pleyades for Mankind and Orion in 2012-th? The teachings developing love, interest and tolerance to death help these cosmic nazies to prepare the victims for mass extermination. Exactly like the nazi did in concentration camps. "It's just a shower, desinfection." In fact these were gas cameras. As Mr. Moen describes "The Coordination Center" - I can guess they work for Pleyades. Masking under fake and stupid morality they just want to remove our race. They want our Planet - that's it. Orion fights back. The bravest and the most courageous of Humans will join. It will be the Apocaliptic clash, The Ragnarok. Then all will be Resurrected in Flesh. Some are being Resurrected already now. That's why at present time there are many reborn Atlanteans, who spread the Atlantean-Orionic Wisdom. One of them is Grigory Grabovoy, presently a political prisoner in Russia.

Grigory Grabovoy.

“Resurrection Of People And Eternal Life  - Since Now Is Our Reality!”.

Free download. English language.

http://uploading.com/files/F89Q0V7X/Resurrection_And_Eternal_Life.doc.html

Grigory Petrovich gave a public permission to distribute this Book for free. Because it’s the only way of Salvation and Liberation of Mankind, the only way to stop pain and suffering. The Book will impress you greatly even though you have read a lot of esoteric literature. It’s nothing to be even compared with.