Death and Dying
A Wake Up Call (featured in Lion’s Roar)
Full article is published in Lion's Roar. Andrew Holecek on bardo, one of the Six Dharmas of Naropa’s two practices for helping us find our way, when the time comes, through the death experience. It can help us in life, too. Of the six Dharmas of...
Is Death Just a Dream? Exploring the Mystery with Bardo Yoga
“Bardo” is finding its way into the modern world, from the experimental novel Lincoln in the Bardos, to the movie Bardo, to the best-selling book, In Love With the World: A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying. But what exactly is...
Pure Land Buddhism
In a conversation with the Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche, I had the opportunity to discuss death and dying. In the Tibetan tradition, the teachings on this topic are vast, so I asked Rinpoche what should be emphasized in presenting this material to...
After Death States: The Bardos in Tibetan Buddhism
What are the Bardos? The central orienting view in the Tibetan tradition of "thanatology" (the study of death and dying) is that of the bardos. This Tibetan word “Bardo” is translated as “gap, interval, intermediate state, transitional process, or...
What Is the Best Way to Prepare for Death?
Advice from 8 Buddhist Masters In the process of writing my book, “Preparing to Die: Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom from a Tibetan Buddhist Tradition”I had the great opportunity to interview a number of Buddhist meditation masters. One of...
What’s The Best Way to Help Others As They Die? Advice From Buddhist Masters
I previously asked the question "What Is The Best Way To Prepare For Death?" during a divine experience interviewing Buddhist meditation masters. A follow-up question I asked was "What is the best way to help others as they die?" I feel this...
Shamatha Meditation as a Preparation for Death
What Is Shamatha Meditation? Shamatha meditation is a fundamental form of mindfulness meditation. Shamatha means “peaceful abiding”.”Mindfulness is the meditation common to all schools of Buddhism. It is the ground meditation upon which all...
How Vipassana Meditation Helps Prepare for Death
Just as shamatha meditation prepares the mind for the after death states, we can also look at how vipassana meditation helps prepare for death. One of the main themes in The Tibetan Book of the Dead is “recognition and liberation are simultaneous.”...
Karmic Implications of Suicide
To address questions about the karmic implications of suicide, it helps to understand the four aspects of a fully established karma. What is a karmic action made of? How are the consequences of an act established? Even though the topic of karma has...
