Yeah. So those of you who may be new every once, a lot of people trickle in who haven't been here before. We're doing a reading of this book, preparing to die, spiritual advice, I'm sorry, practical advice and spiritual wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. And we're doing what's called an auto commentary, which is what it sounds like. I just read it, and I do a little spontaneous riff, which at the pace I've been doing this thing. Maybe we'll get through this book before I die. You never know. So we finished. We left off last time on page 133, at the bottom right. So we're in the section on the spiritual preparations, what to do for yourself after you die. So this is a lot of this information in this section comes quite explicitly from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which is, I mean, arguably the archetypal text in the whole bar to literature. And this book in itself is part of a massive corpus of teachings the guru garba Tantra. There's just so much here. But the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the great liberation through hearing and the between, is just rich with treasures. And so this is kind of what we're diving into. Okay, so choosing, choosing what to do. All right, when you're in this Bardo, the Bardo that we're in, the Bardo becoming look forward in the Bardo, never look back. Yeah. So this has, this has a interesting kind of analog in Greek mythology, Perseus, the myth, I think, of Perseus, right? Don't look back, otherwise you'll turn to stone. So, oh, yeah, the same thing in the Bible here, exactly. Yeah. So this, again, is why it's so helpful to know what you can look forward to in the Bible. When Lot's wife didn't follow the instruction, and look back, she turned into a pillar of salt. So whether you turn into a pillar of salt or a stone. The idea is, don't look through the rear view mirror. You know, look forward in Shambhala Buddhism. This is what was referred to as the kind of the narrative of the vision of the Great Eastern sun, where East is always just forward. You're going forward. Doesn't matter directionality, geographically, looking east. It's just a notion of always looking ahead looking forward. We may not turn to a pillar of salt or stone in the Bardo, but if we keep looking back, we'll probably turn into something we don't want. Oh, that's not clever. The dull rights? Yeah. So we're talking about, remember the what these famous soft lights and dull lights represent, right? So the bright lights, they represent, like we talked about last time, just the truth, the brightness of reality, and how we shy away with white lies, and all the things we do we shy away from facing truth. And so one way to practice for the bright lights on the Bardo the intensity of what's arising is to just look forward, look straight ahead and face whatever happening. The dough lights represent looking back to the old, comfortable and familiar. The bright lights represent looking forward to the new, possibly uncomfortable and unfamiliar. Bucha. Tundra. Bucha, so yeah. This is from his book, peaceful death to evil rebirth. While you are wandering in the Bardo, you must not think about your loved ones and your possessions back home, as these thoughts will only divert you from your right path. You must focus your mind on your chosen birthplace. Easier said than done, right? Easier said than done. This is one reason why doing advanced directives, doing your will, all these sorts of things, these, these are actually all forms of POA transmission, or movement of consciousness, which is what the word means. We often think of it in this kind of esoteric form, what's called no mana Kaya Poe, the ejection of consciousness. But standard polar principles here apply to just basically lightening your load, just literally moving forward, releasing your attachments. The bright lights also represent pure appearances in the Bardo. This is what to choose Trungpa Rinpoche, so this is from his book, Journey of the mind. The brilliant light paths are the paths to the pure realms, and the dull but familiar light paths are paths back into samsara. The way you prepare yourself for this, and this is extremely important, is to lessen your attachment to the familiar world of impure appearances, which will be experienced as the dull light paths in the Bardo, and to increase your familiarity and enthusiasm for pure appearances in general, and yet I'm deities in particular. We'll be talking more about deity principle later, when. Get to the dharmata stuff, which would be experienced as bright light paths in the Bardo. So again, just like in a dream, and this, remember, it's called the dream at the end of time, everything is just symbolic here. Everything that's take that's taking place here is pointing out these archetypal principles. So luck. Rinpoche. Trungpa, Rinpoche would always say, don't take these lights literally. Don't think you're going to be facing some big, bright street light or something like that. No, that's not what it is. It's just the light of of the present moment. Its intensity when it's a long remediated, obtunded by a physical body, everything just becomes so much more intense, so much literally, metaphorically, brighter. The instructions of blocking and choosing are the last chance the block or habitual urge to grasp, to contract. In this case, the grasping is after existence itself. Boy, this is huge. This is huge. This is where the teachings, again, on on emptiness. Everything in the Buddhist tradition circumambulates These teachings on emptiness. The whole journey of the Bardo is where this thing becomes really accentuated. And so the real message here is that we take on existence because we believe in existence. Let me say that again, we take on existence because we believe in existence. We take on a body because we believe we're somebody. So this is the, this archetypal challenge of reification, solidification, so grasping after existence itself, the habit for, I mean, I'm playing on these words, but the habit for habitation something to hold on to. If we're forced to take form due to the power of habit, at least we can choose the best possible form in which we pour our awareness. Yeah. So this is this, this, this classic narrative, right of think of it imagistically As like your mind, everything is a molten, I mean, doesn't matter what metaphor you're using, but your mind has melted so molten And so before it gets poured into the next form. It's malleable, it's formable, it's flexible. You can shape it into virtually anything you want. Hence the Bardo of becoming. You can become anything, just like in a dream, if you have enough lucidity and wherewithal. But if you don't, again, just like in a nighttime dream, what takes control if you don't in a dream, your habits, your karma, what takes control of the dream of at the end of time if you don't your habits, your karma, it's the same thing. Blocking the wound door is about what to reject, choosing the wound door is about what to accept. So again, think metaphorically, we can't stay in the Bartles forever. Eventually, our habits, our karma, will force us to take form, to take rebirth. The last thing we can do is choose the best rebirth, which, in order of desirability, would be number one into a pure land. So this is why I did, you know, a fair number of programs on the Pure Land teachings on sukaviddy, we I think we have one on file right. Alyssa, you can check in the academy, understanding that this is really for most of us, the quality, at least according to the Tibetan view, the best many of us will be able to do so an order of desirability, into a pure land, into a human realm, and then into a God Realm. Now, the reason some people ask, Well, don't we? Don't we want to be reborn as a god is a nice, wealthy Republican? Sorry, I have to, I have to bite my political tongue these days. Well, the teachings say, No, it's just, it's too blissful. There's too much, you know, milk and honey and there's if there's no tension, if there's no discord, why? Why mess it up? So the human realm, of the six cosmological realms, right from the God Realm to the jealous gods, the humans to the animals to the hungry ghosts, the hell realms. These are the human realm is is considered the most auspicious because it's the more the most porous. It's kind of nice, too tight, not too loot, not too loose. It's not too blissful as in the god realms, and it's not too challenging and dangerous and horrific as in the lower realms. And so therefore this human realm that we're in is considered actually the most auspicious outside of a pure land proper. Rebirth into the Pure land of sukavati is through the methods introduced earlier,
later in the Bardo. I'm sorry, late in the Bardo, the most important thing is to concentrate intensely on ambita. He is, of course, the Buddha of this particular pure land. And he's actually the Buddha of this dimension, really. And. A in a very real way, he's like the Overlord, so to speak dangerous word, but somewhat analogous. Maintain a deep longing to go to sukati and recite the mantra omami de wakri FRANCESCA Freemantle says, As soon as we think of our chosen Pure Land, chosen pure land with complete faith we shall instantly find ourselves there. So this is actually a worth a little commentary. So this is one of the great aspects characteristics of this Bardo, just like in a dream, is the promise and the peril that think about it. When you're in a dream, you can basically shape shift your mind in an instant, especially if the dream is lucid. There's so much flexibility. The environment is so empty, space, time, causality, as we know it, has not been formulated yet. So you're in this kind of plasma dimension. And so therefore the opportunity is you have tremendous capacities to basically shape yourself intentionally and to virtually any form you want. This is what the great beings do. Who maintain this complete archetypal lucidity, they have this capacity for them, they just they completely control the entire show. And so for us, if we attain lucidity in the Bardo, just like in a dream, these teachings say this is extraordinarily good news, just like Francesca saying here, at the speed of thought, one properly planted or a rising thought can direct you into these higher realms. Conversely, same thing works in the other end. You know, an inappropriate lower realm thought can then conversely hurl you down into the lower realms. So this is why all the teachings give this kind of admonition, slash warning that be particularly mindful, be very careful. Work with impulses. Again, you can do all this stuff now and choose, choose wisely. If this doesn't work and we're still wandering in the borrows, we will perceive a variety of different scenarios. So this is where the Tibet Book of the Dead. I wouldn't say it gets comical, but it gets almost comical, almost interesting, because it says over and over and over, if you've read it well, if you do this and this and this, you will surely attain enlightenment. But then in the next sentence, says, however, if you don't, then you do this. And then it goes on for a while, and it says, If you do this, you will surely attain awakening, but if you don't, then do this. And it's it's actually quite funny, if 345, times in the Bardo, it says the same thing over and over. So whatever the Tibetan Book of the Dead says, Oh, child of noble family, and now the signs and characteristics of the continent where you're going to be born will appear recognize them. Exam, when you are where you are going to be born, and choose the continent. End. Quote, these mindscapes will soon transform into landscapes, until we catch on to what's happening and take the appropriate action. The Tibetan Book of the Dead describes the features of the six realms in detail. This helps us learn what to accept and what to reject. To keep it simple and to avoid confusion, I will only describe where we should go, in other words, what to accept. Yeah, when I was reading this, I again, I found it actually somewhat curious, almost humorous, where, you know, it's almost like, don't think of a pink elephant, right? So they go, don't go here, don't go there, don't go there. And I'm going, okay, okay, okay, I gotta keep track of all this stuff. Why don't you just tell me where I should go? So that's what I've elected to do here, because otherwise it's like, no, don't do this, don't do that, don't go there. There's literally like, 567, things. And it's like, Hey, who's going to keep track of all this stuff? The Tibetan Book of the Dead describes the features of the six realms in detail. This helps us learn what to accept, what to reject. Yeah. Okay, so here we go. When the karmic ones are howling, we need to keep things clear and easy to take birth as a human, go again. I have no remember this. I have no memory of this. This is where I am, just being a mouthpiece. I'm just basically lip syncing what's written in the tradition. I have no recollection of this. To take rebirth as a human go towards visions of a grand and delightful mansion or luxurious, beautiful dwellings. Sally natsak ronto says one will attain a precious human body if one has the experience of arriving in a mansion or city or among many people. To Rinpoche says when headed for the human realm, we may receive, we may perceive ourselves to be in the midst of many people, or instead, we might feel that we are approaching a lake with swans, horses or cows, or entering a house city or crowd aimlessly chattering people or houses that are ordinary, precious or pleasant or also sign. Of a precious human birth. Okay, that's what they say. Cool. Polo Rinpoche says, again, echoes it. This is from his book, mind beyond death. If you seem to be entering a mist or you see a city with nice houses, that indicates rebirth on the southern continent, it's where you want to go. The mist is said to indicate a simple, simply a human birth, while a city with now nice houses indicates a precious human birth, one that will provide the opportunity to practice the Dharma. Then you will see a man and a woman engaged in sexual intercourse of your potential parents, if you continue follow this course, you will enter the womb of the female, and this couple will become your parents. Okay, there you have it. If you don't do that, then if you are to be reborn as a god, you will find yourself going towards delightful celestial palaces, many stories and composed of diverse jewels. So these are all. These are direct quotes from the book of the dead or beautiful. Many story temples made of various jewels. Even more fundamental than these visions are the lights that are the foundations for them. Choose the blue light that's interesting to be born in a human realm. Choose the white life for the God Realm. The Tibetan Book of the Dead offers haunting images about why it's important to know where to go in the Bardo and the intensity that builds the further you go into it. Yeah, and stuff is out there. I mean, now we are really deep, deep into the world of esoteric Tibetan tantric Buddhism. Take it or leave it, oh child of Bucha nature. Although you do not wish to move forward, you are powerless not to do so the avenging forces who are the executors, or the executors, or the unfailing laws of cause and effect will be pursuing you. So again, this is where you have to think myth of politically. Think think as the right hemisphere. Don't bring your logical, linear, rational logos mind into this. Think more mythologically, think imagistically. Because if you take, if you think literally, you're missing it. Basically they're talking about, you know, everything here is just drenched in symbolism and metaphor, like a dream. So the idea here is, take it seriously, but don't take it literally. You have no choice but to move forward before you the Avengers and executors. Executors will be leading the way. The experience will arise of trying to flee from these forces, or trying to flee from the darkness, from the most violent windstorms, from the thunderous tumult, the snow, the rain, the hail and the turbulent blizzards which swirl around you. Frightened, you will seek. You will set off to seek a refuge, and you will find protection inside an enclosed space or in rock shelters or holes in the ground or amongst trees or within the bud of a lotus flower hiding there. You will be very hesitant to come out, and you will think, I should not leave here now. You will be very reluctant to be separated from this protected place, and you will become utterly attached to it then, because you are so very hesitant to go outside, where you will be confronted by the fears and terrors of the intermediate state, you will, because of this fear, and all continue to hide. Thus you will assume a body however utterly that made bad that may be, and you will, in time, come to experience all manner of suffering. So again, think of this. Read it as like a poem. It's like Dante, just don't think literally. Otherwise, it's like, what, what? What are they talking about? Is the power of the imagination that's really being unloaded here. So again, very specific remeditate. Remember your meditation deity. If you have if you don't have one, don't worry about it. There's other things to do, but if you do this is what the Book of the Dead espouses. See the deity in a large and threatening form that pulverizes every form of obstructing force.
So remember, again, just to kind of interpret this just a wee bit, so it's not like Good lord, this is just so Tibetan. Is that? What does the deity represent? Well, the deity represents purity. Fundamentally, the deity represents emptiness. And so what it says here the deity pulverizing every form of obstructing force, mental, poetically, what this means is that if you can see into and through the reified nature of whatever appears that the nightmares appearances of your own unconscious mind. Mind, this kind of pure perception, the perception of emptiness. This is what pulverizes every form of obstructing force. Is realizing the empty nature of it. So this is really the way to read the whole book. Is in this in this kind is if you woke up from a dream and you were trying to understand it, you're trying to interpret it. That's the way to relate to this stuff. Protection from pursuing karma gives you the time you need to choose the proper boom. It provides refuge from the overwhelming fear. Because what's happening here the farther you go in, according according to the books, the the more challenging and perilous. It becomes why? Because they say the winds, the forces, the habit patterns just get stronger and stronger and stronger. And then eventually, as you try to run away from what yourself this is. This is what's so important here, and this is what I really discovered in my dark retreat. You know, when you're in there for X amount of time and you just want to run out screaming, just like in the Bardos, like, what are you getting away from? The darkness is harmless. The Darkness doesn't do anything. You're just trying to get away from yourself. And so this is exactly the same phenomenology that's being placed here. Fundamentally, what's going to happen here is your inability to withstand the onslaught of your own mind, and you're going to want to try. You're going to try to run away from yourself. And that's when it's going to kick you out of this bottle and into your next form. And then, of course, you just continue to run. You run away from the present moment. You run away from the bright lights of the of the of the of the present moment. And so this, this this narrative of distraction, running away. This is fundamentally what's happening here. You just you can't basically stand yourself. So those of you who are in a relationship, this is actually quite I say this all the time, think about this. You know, if you can't really, you're unable to stand being with yourself. How can you possibly expect anybody else to stand being with you? So give your spousal units, give your partners, give your pets a break. Gotta have a little humor with this. Otherwise, as always, it gets a little bit like goth. You can safely pause, reflect on what's happening and take the appropriate action. So this is, this is basically what impulse control, impulse control. So this is why I'm going to try to decode this, because otherwise it's like, gosh, what is this stuff about? So it's about working with impulses. Here. We're always taking rebirth into particular states of mind because we're being driven by our impulses. Impulse Control is birth control. So here Bardo yoga is what pause you feel, the impulsivity that's born of the winds, that's born of habit, that's born of karma. You capitulate to that, well, you're going to be reborn, habitually into a state of mind. The same thing's happening here. It's just happening in a more archetypal fashion, right? So this is a way to work with these principles right now. So it's not just the super esoteric like, what are they talking about here, right? Decode it. You're you're interpreting a dream here. What is it representing? You can you can safely pause Bardo yoga, rest on the gap, reflect on what's happening and take appropriate action. Instead of being reactive and making bad choices based on fear, be proactive and make good, good decisions based on wisdom. Your next life depends on it. So in the book, there are final warnings about making mistakes. Don't mistake a good one that's actually bad. Don't mistake a bad one that's actually good. I have to just chuckle. It's like, okay, like, like, how am I going to do this? Right? Well, this is something we can work with now. You know, just reflect, right, right. Where do you want to be reborn? Reflect, pause. What kind of states of mind do you want to take birth in, moment to moment to moment? That's the point here. The remedy is to remember the illusory nature of whatever appears. In other words, the dream, like nature, the empty nature, the Book of the Dead says, quote, The essential point of the profound and genuine instructions is that you enter the womb and a state of great equanimity, utterly free from the dichotomies of good and bad, acceptance and rejection, or attachment or aversion, With three poisons, these are what are leveled. Remember, these are the three chasms that appeared earlier. Remember the three Grand Canyons that appear in the Bardo? This is what they represent. These three Grand Canyons represent the three most inappropriate styles of relating to the world. Passion, I want it. Aggression. I. Don't want it ignorance, I could care less. And so equanimity or just flattens it, levels the playing field so that you don't fall into these cannons that you've created through your habitual patterns. You see, this starts to really become quite deep. You know, when you when you decode it and you understand what's taking place. Here, it takes a little bit of work, but just like interpreting a dream, translating a dream, once you do this work, then you realize, Wow, this is a really profound text. You know, how are you going to convey this stuff? Mathematically, logically, rationally, that's not going to go anywhere. No, you use your right hemisphere dream like mythopoetic, right back to the book. It's the combination of the conflicting emotions of passion and aggression that finally propels you into the world. Our lack of equanimity, our lack of equanimity, that's what gives birth to samsara, moment a moment, or life to life. So that's the take home message here relate to whatever arises in a balanced, equanimous way, even keeled, level headed, responsive and not reactive. As you make the final approach into the womb, focus your motivation on taking birth for the benefit of being so here again is the centrality of bodhichitta, right? Always, like Lama Zopa Rinpoche, remember Dalai Lama, this is what lays a red carpet for you. Always, always the heart of compassion bodhicitta. Consecrate the womb by seeing it as a Celestial Palace of deities. Fill your heart with devotion. This prevents you from entering the next life with a negative state of mind. The point is to give shape to wisdom, not to confusion. So this boy, this is a big deal. This is huge, because, again, what's fundamentally happening here, that's happening now is the formless dimension of your being, the Dharmakaya, dharmata, whatever you want to append to this label of the formless dimension of your being, it's always taking form. Whether it's at the level of thought or image or dream or body. Formless awareness is always birthing. It's always taking form. And so again, just like in a dream, this awareness is being formed into the dreamscape. If you don't wake up, become lucid and take control over that manifestation of form, what's gonna form you? It's the same thing that's forming you now, your habits, your habits. What is it that reincarnates? Remember Trungpa, Rinpoche, your bad habits? Just brilliant. Kenpo Carter quote, through the forces of through the force of love and compassion, and through the force of your aspiration for appropriate rebirth. You are able to stop inferior or inappropriate birth and choose a birth through which you can continue the path and be of benefit to others. You can choose your family as well as well as your gender, your race, your country, social circumstances and so on, whatever you want and decide is going to be, whatever you want to decide is going to be the best. The point here is you have gained the power of choice, and in order to employ this effectively, you need to apply the faculties of mindfulness and alertness. Okay, here we go. This is what you work with, slowing down, pausing, practicing shamatha mindfulness, practicing the alertness of a passionate insight, taking your time being mindful of what's happening in your mind, now, mindful of the way you're taking rebirth. Now mindful the way your mind shapes itself tonight when you dream, and then mindful of what happens at the dream at the end of time. So we're triangulating the thing again, right? Working with three iterations of the same process. Mind being shaped in a dream, mind being shaped moment to moment, mind being shaped in the Bardo at the end of this life. Back to the book. You have gained the power of choice because of your preparation, just as with blocking practice, choosing the best womb or now pause before you speak or act and say to yourself,
if I react with aggression, this will create a hellish state of mind. If I respond with equanimity, this will generate a pure state of mind. Practice conscious reincarnation. Now this is it. You're taking rebirth. Now, whether you know it or not, practice conscious birthing. Now, remember, the bodhisattvas control their thoughts and reactions and. And that's how they control their rebirths. Remember that line from tengo Rinpoche? So insomnia yoga, this is my silly it's not that's not silly. That is what I call it. My insomnia Yoga is a good equanimity practice. This isn't the same as Dream Yoga, but it's a way to use sleeplessness as a preparation for death, when you wake up and can't go back to sleep, transform your sleeplessness into meditation. Witness your speedy mind without getting sucked into it. This is similar to the reverse meditation of generating as many thoughts as possible. Notice the temptation to flesh out some thoughts and images, but don't go there. Let whatever arises melt into space like a harmless campfire spark dissolving into the night sky. All these instructions aren't meant to overwhelm us. Now we're in the Bardo, we can sure seem a bit overwhelming, as Francesca free metal says, again, this is from her seminal, beautiful book, luminous emptiness understanding the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The Bardo teachings are, quote, pointing out the multitude of possibilities continually present all around us as as potential gateways to awakening in life, just as in the after death state, not all opportunities are available to everybody, and we are not always able to respond to them. The point of giving all these details is to make sense of the bewildering experience the dead person goes through to provide some kind of map for this journey into unknown territory, where we are driven by karma toward the ripening of the seeds we have sown. Yeah, that's so great. This book is so great. Such, such a great book. Okay, summary advice from Tuku tundap, don't forget that you're in the Bardo, the transitional passage. Well, this comes about if you have lucidity. Most people, unfortunately will forget. They will go through the Bardo in a non lucid way, just like most people go through their dreams in a non lucid way. This is why you work with things like lucid dreaming, Dream Yoga, right? Remember to walk, keeping your head pointed upward. Pray by continuously reciting saying the names of the Buddha. Take refuge in them. Of the Buddhas take refuge in the Three Jewels, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. Pray to the compassionate ones such as Amitabha, the Bucha, infinite light in your own spiritual masters, let go of attachments to your loved ones and possessions as they will only divert you from your right path. Enter the path of the blue light of the human realm, or the white light of the God Realm. The Summary instruction for what you do. For me, this comes from my riff for what to do for yourself after you die, relax, recognize it's all the play of your mind. Don't react to what's happening. Practice equanimity. Think of your teacher, Amitabha or sukavadi with intense longing. Go toward the blue or white light. Okay, there you have it. Oh, man. This stuff is kind of trippy. This is pretty cool stuff, pretty trippy. Okay, how are we doing time wise? Okay, we'll go a little bit farther, and then we'll have some discussion what to do for others after they die. Cool. From Lao Tzu, seeing in the darkness is clarity, knowing how to yield his strength, use your own light and return to the source of light. This is called practicing eternity, the view people often feel helpless after someone has died, thinking there's nothing they can do. But this is actually the time when we can do the most, and when our help is needed the most. Unless the dead person is prepared, they're probably stumbling through bewildering terrain, just as bewildering as the material that we just read for the last 40 minutes. I are buffeted around by the storms of their own habit patterns, karma, facing the projections to their own mind and feeling confused, alone and afraid, the Bardot texts don't offer much consolation for those unprepared. Perhaps this is to inspire us to become prepared, or to instill the wholesome fear of our habits, our karma. Most people after death are as vulnerable as they were after birth. They need some level the same level of health. This is when those left behind should take advantage of a full. Force of Buddhist post death practices, as we have seen, when the mind is no longer restricted by the body, it becomes much clearer. So what do they say? Archetypally, seven to nine times more clear. Again, take it seriously, but don't take it literally. These are archetypal numbers. It also possesses temporary psychic powers, including the powers of clairvoyance and clear audience songs are kense Rinpoche says, Bardo beings have very refined minds, so the practice you do in the Bardo will be much more beneficial, much more powerful. So this, again, is the good news, right? Because you're in this fluid environment, this is the good news if you know how to swim a very fluid, empty environment. And so if you can ride these currents and swim these currents with your understanding, whoa, tremendous opportunity. But if you don't, you drown. It's too fluid, it's too groundless. And you go down back to the book, these powers can be used to benefit the Bardo being. We can invite it. We can invite the Bardo being into our mind space and then guide it. When the mind is anchored by the body. During life, it can be hard to get things moving. Spiritual progress takes time, but when the mind is set free in the Bardo, spiritual rapid spiritual progress is possible. It's like taking a huge tree stump, which even a dozen people couldn't budge on land, and putting it in water. In this fluid new environment is easy to move and guide. Yeah, that's a nice image. Actually, the Book of the Dead talks about why we should help and the abilities of the dead person to respond. The book asserts that it is impossible not to be liberated by these instructions. Yeah, this is, this is what they say over and over and over. That makes me chuckle. It is impossible not to be liberated by these instructions. And then a page later, however, if you are not liberated, then you do this. And then it says, it is impossible not to be liberated by these instructions. And it does this three, four or five times. It's a real hoot. Okay, from the book. This is because first consciousness in the intermediate state is endowed with an albeit corrupt, supernormal cognitive ability. Therefore whatever one says to the deceased is heard by the deceased second, even if the deceased was deaf or blind, while in the human world. Now in the intermediate state, all the sensory faculties will be complete, and therefore whatever is said will be apprehended, just like in a dream. You can have, you can have a complete sensory experience. All your sense faculties almost you're boring, congenitally blind and don't have that reference point. All the so called sense faculties operate in the dreamscape. Same thing happens in the Bardo third since the deceased is continuously being overwhelmed by fear and terror, there is an undistracted concentration on what to do, therefore what is said will be listened to. Fourth, since the consciousness has no physical support, it is easy to guide, and it can penetrate to the essence of whatever is focused upon. Excuse me. Additionally, since the power of retention is now many times clearer, even the mentally weak will have an intermediate state of lucid awareness by virtue of their past actions. Hence they will have the gift of knowing how to meditate on that which is taught, and the gift to assimilate such points of instruction, these are the reasons why the performance of rituals on behalf of the dead is beneficial. Yeah, this is definitely worth knowing, like you want to be a good midwife, right? Midwife into the Bardos. Okay? My commentary, this is all possible because habit, karma is temporarily suspended. That's the Bardo. It's a gap. Everything's unsuspend. Everything's out of hold. If we're prepared or properly guided, we can shape our mind into any imaginable form, just like in a dream. This is why the Bardo becoming is also called the Bardo possibility. So this is the very title of chemical characters book on the topic Bardo of possibility
or opportunity,
as one close to the deceased person, we can effectively guide the consciousness into a new form. The next slide can be shaped by what we do. Now. I the fluidity of the mental body is both a blessing and a curse. It's a curse and that the Bardo being is highly unstable, with nothing to secure it, right? With no body, no anchor, the mental body flickers about like the candle flame and the breeze again. Look at your dreams. How state. Are your dreams? How clear are your dreams? How durable are your dreams? The stability, clarity and durability of your mind. And without a physical body, the Bardo being can't retain new information as well. This is why the instructions have to be continuously repeated. So this is why the Book of the Dead itself says, Keep repeating it over and over and over, reading it again for 49 days straight. That's a big ask. But the blessing is that this fluidity allows those left behind to guide and eventually forcefully move. That's POA the Bardo being in the direction of a good rebirth, we can direct the karmic gusts to blow in the right direction. This is especially true for those who have the strongest karma connection to the dead person, the Bardo being, will naturally be drawn to you, so you are in a good position to help this stuff that I'm going to be riffing about here. I do this whenever someone I know transitions I have any kind of connection to them. This sort of thing is pretty standard fear for what I do because of the temporary psychic powers Bardo. Beings can see and hear you when you call out to them, they can also read your mind. This is kind of this clairvoyance, clairaudience thing, if you're holding them with loving thoughts that will settle their mind. Positive states of mind are contagious and become states of reality for them, delivering them into these higher realms. Conversely, if you're harboring harmful thoughts that can unsettle the Bardo being and create negative states of mind, this could deliver them into the lower realms. Here's yet another application of the power of holding environments discussed earlier. Remember, we talked about this, this Winnicott notion of holding environments. And then I think I told you that I late. Well, after I wrote this book, I was so struck by the word, you know, the etymology of the word dharma comes from root DHR, which means to hold isn't to maintain, to contain. The first way to help them, therefore, is to hold them in your heart and mind with love. Whenever you think of them automatically, add the mantra Om Manito, me hum, which frames your memories and reflections with meditation and actually the sound of compassion. So this is invoking the acoustic, Sonic form of the deity of compassion, chenrezia, in the bar of dying. We want to create the feeling of a warm, physical hug in the bar of becoming. We want to sustain that hug spiritually. Some teachers say that we should try not to cry, but rather rejoice in the life well lived. Yeah, easier said than done, right? If we can do this without placing undue pressure on ourselves, and this is interesting, this is an instance of cultural idiosyncrasy that doesn't really translate that so much into our culture. I mean, the Tibetans, I've spent a lot of time, and I adore this population of people. I spent a lot of time with them in Tibet, India, Nepal. They're wonderfully people, wonderful people, but they are not like us. They are so emotionally reserved, and I have to be a little careful here, I think, sometimes repressed, right? And so this whole, this, this kind of exhortation here, I think, is much more easy to swallow for someone from this particular culture and us in the West, especially, you know, we're much more emotional, we're much more expressive, but I think the basic idea here is to just not lose your stuff, trying to maintain some semblance of equanimity from your own side. But the loss of a loved one is perhaps the most painful experience in life. The added pressure of conducting the perfect post death emotional response can further add to our heartbreak. Yeah, so I saw this cartoon. This is cool in a golf kind of way. This guy, if I had it, I'd insert this in the next edition of the book. So this relates to the person who's dying. And so there, there's this, this guy's on the deathbed, and all these people are around him, and he, he says to them, basically, how's my dying? How's my dying? In other words, like, how am I doing? Am I dying spiritually? Am I dying lucidly? Am I having a conscious death? Aye, right? So you get the point, right? You want to have some instructions, and then eventually, like I said at the beginning of the book, just let it all go. Just let it all go. We should try to place their knees ahead of our own. But we should also remember that if we don't care for ourselves, we won't be able to care for them. Death is not an emergency. Let me say this again. Death is not an emergency unless somebody obviously has a cardiac arrest or something or a stroke, that's a different story. But when you're working with someone, an elderly person, like with my parents and they passed, it's not an emergency. Emergency. You know, you don't have to call 911 or even hospice. When my father died, I didn't reach out to hospice for 12 hours, 14 hours. I wanted to have that time with him more than a day or so. Maybe not so great. You know, then people get a little suspicious about why you're you're hanging out that long. But it's not like you have to rush out when somebody's dying and call 911, this, of course, is if they're already on their deathbed, so to speak. There's no need to rush and call anybody official. When my father passed on a Monday evening, I didn't contact hospice until the following morning. I didn't even call a funeral home to pick up the body till the afternoon, Tuesday afternoon, that gave me 18 hours to be with Him and to practice with him. It also allowed family and friends to be with him in an intimate and intense setting. Even though he died without pain, his breathing had become labored, which was hard for the family to witness. Yeah, for sure, Shane Stokes breathing syndrome, seeing him lie in repose put everybody at ease softening the difficult memories of his final hours. Every family member who expressed doubts about keeping the body for so long said that sitting with him after he died changed that view. They felt grateful for the opportunity to be with him. Okay, wonderful. Okay, well, let me bookmark this so like 20 is our 28th session. Boy, we got we knocked off almost 10 pages here. That's a record, neat. Okay, we'll pick it up. I'm around. I'm not going anywhere until I'm doing a retreat month on retreat in January, but I'm around. So there was a question that was piped in. Oh, you know, Alyssa did not bring my phone and I don't have my laptop with me. Oh, wait, I do hold on my phone. I'm taking this sucker with me into the Bardo. There's just no doubt. I'm gonna figure out a way to take this bad boy with me, right? I'm gonna disappear in the Bardo, then the next morning, people are gonna be looking for me, and my phone's gonna be gone, right? I'm taking it with me. Okay, here's the question, okay, Hi, Andrew, you have often stated that the multitude of practices you describe in the book preparing to die, or insurance policy, yeah, that's my languaging, and that the ultimate instruction of death is to open and relax. I did say that, and I stand by that. Can you please elaborate on the meaning of each of these words? Because I think they are more than just synonyms. Well, they're pretty synonymous to me. Obviously they're not. It's not exactly the same, but yeah, I'm not sure what to say here. Outside of these are the two penultimate instructions from the dzogchn and Mahamudra tradition that also apply to the penultimate instructions for these meditative traditions, even now that simply open and relax and that's it. Everything you're looking for is right in front of you. Everything you could possibly want is just right there. This is what's driven and this is one reason these teachings are embedded within the highest schools. Because I think I've said this before. You may have noticed it. The more advanced the teaching gets, the simpler they get, the less there, there's to say. So saying open and relaxed, that's pretty simple. Simple doesn't necessarily mean easy. So to me, they're quite, you know, they they're they're different, like facets of a diamond, you know, relaxation, not just the couch potato relaxation, but just basically sighing, you know, releasing, relaxing. In that regard, this, to me is, yeah, it's a little bit different from opening, but to me, they're very, very similar. So Laurie, if you're here and want to refine your question and help, you know, guide me through it. I'm happy to say more.
I'm just not sure what else I can say. It's just really, the idea here is simple. This is super simple. In fact, for many people in the West, it's too simple. It can't be this easy. It can't be that obvious. Well, yes, it is, really it is, but most people don't believe it. So then we have this whole thing called the path, but at the highest, highest levels, you know, just before, you don't say anything at all. You know, the paraphrasing of these two penultimate traditions is just open, relax. That's it. So you can drop the spiritual path, you can drop this book, you can drop every other instruction. If you can do those two things, the reality will unfold before you. All the non dualism traditions have variations on this, this teaching and this exhortation. So that's what comes to mind. So I'll check the chat column. I see Prem Das. I see delay. Prem Das, far away, my friend,
yes, sir, you mentioned that formless awareness is constantly taking form
it seems that way. So
my question is, do those appearances require karma of a sentient being for an appearance?
Yeah, that depends on who you ask. It depends on who you ask. So if you talk to karmic fundamentalists, karmic extremists. I say this lovingly and tongue in cheek, then they would say yes. But when I first came across the teachings that you've heard me say this from us, I think on the five niyamas, the orders of reality, this, to me, was like, Why didn't, why didn't somebody tell me about this earlier? And I have to say, when I mentioned this in in a public setting, to a couple pretty, pretty famous, advanced meditation masters in the Tibetan tradition, I was slightly startled that they didn't know what I was talking about. And so these these orders, and they come from the sutras, these five niyamas, basically are the other four factors out of karma, which is behavioral causation that come into play. And this just makes so much sense to me. So the first one is utu Niyama, which is the basically what we are talk today about, is, like physics, maybe chemistry. And then you have bijanayama, which would be bija means seed. This would be analogous to what we know as biology. Then you have what's called chittayama. So this would be the formative factors and orders that are associated with mind. Then you have karma Niyama, which is the formative factors that are associated with behavioral causation. And so everybody, this is to me. I mean, again, this is an open question. For me. I'm okay with the the power of an open question. But this is a, this is, to me, is the type of of Eastern reductionism in the non healthy way. You know, Western reductionism reduces everything to matter this, you know, flat land reductionist approach, which is just ridiculous. Well, I think it's possible. And again, I'm open to this, but I think it's possible that karmic reductionism is Eastern analog to that. Oh, it's all karma. I don't think so. It doesn't make sense to me. And here's where the conflation takes place, when the last let me say the last word, and then I'll come back to that. So you got to the Yama, bijanayama, Chitta Niyama, karma Niyama, and then Dharma Niyama. Dharma Niyama are the laws that are associated with the teachings of the Bucha. And so the conflation comes about in the following way, but everything arises basis, based on causes and conditions on causality. Karma is based on causality, causes and conditions, cause and effect. And so therefore it's very easy to conflate all arising with karmic arising. And so I think if you're talking about karma in terms of cause and effect, then you could say yes, but if you're talking about karma in the behavioral way which most people do, then that just doesn't make sense to me. I just don't get it to me that seems facile, it seems close minded, and it seems pathologically reductionist. But that's just my riff on it. Okay, my friend,
yeah, sure. A couple of concluding questions. Can you recommend a good source to read about this, and also in in the context of the three turnings, would this be in foundational or third turning, or,
This is foundational, this is Terra button. Oh, really, yeah, believe it or not, yeah. At least I think so. I don't I have to track this down the sutras. You know, some of them are Mahayana, some of them are Theravadin. So I can't answer that one with 100% assurance, but it's not third turning, to the best of my knowledge, because these third turning masters that I've talked to have never heard of it, and I was, like slightly startled. So there's, there's a book. Oh my gosh. Oh, where is it? Hold on. Give me one second in terms of References.
Yes, yeah, I just, I just, I've been trying to clean up my bookshelf. You probably can't hear me. I've been trying to clean up my bookshelf. And the minute I do that, of course, I lose the order of my books. There's a book by trolley Rinpoche, literally called karma with a subtitle like, like, what is it? Why is it important? That kind of thing. I do not believe he talks about the five orders there, because he's wonderful as he is. You know, he's, he's wonderfully classical kind of Tibetan exposition on karma, the book that I'm looking for. Maybe when the next question comes in, I can turn around see if I can find it has it. And then there's also, obviously, of course, when in doubt, ask guru Google. You know Google? Guru, literally just, just Google the niyamas now, yeah, yeah, the five niyamas. Is it in there? Barry, religious time, five niyamas? Yeah, literally, just look at literally, look up the five niyamas. Don't confuse them with Patanjali. And you know that kind of Hindu approach to the niyamas. But if you Google it, you'll find it, and you'll find the sutras that are connected to it. And then when the next question gets piped in, I'll see if I can find the book that the bigger book on karma that I have, but it could be upstairs. Okay, thank you. Welcome. Nice to hear from you. Okay, so I don't see anything in the chat column, any, any other kind of live Oh, there. Hey, Glenda. Fire away. I'm just going to turn my back to you, just so I can see if I can find this book. But unmute yourself and go ahead and ask a question, because I can't listen to it. Okay, sure.
Um, thank you for this so much. Oh, I love your book. I love this book, and I've got the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, like I bet everybody does, but now I've made a vow to be reborn in, I don't know what it's called, where I want to be reborn, where the enlightened beings are chanting and always trying to Help all the six realms wake up. And so what's that called?
Uh, well, I suspect. And again, I'm not sure, but usually when people make those aspirations, it's for for day watch and for sukavati, because do either of those names ring any bells to you?
No, no, see, I'm I'm kind of new. I've studied Xochi in about four years with Course in Miracles before then, no, but, but just say what that means. Yeah. Or,
well, you know. So, okay, so this is the, this is the Pure Land tradition is is a vast corpus of teaching. It's actually the largest form of Buddhism in the world, 100 million practitioners, I believe, something like that. And so of all the different types of pure lands, this is obviously, you know, quite a big topic. But of all the pure lands that are there, and defining what those are, and all that kind of things, a little bit outside of our scope, the most accessible one, the one that was actually, literally, according to the tradition, kind of design created by this monk, dharma Kara, who then became the Buddha Amitabha, who then created this, this pure land called their day watch and In Tibetan and the Sanskrit basically the land of great bliss. And so this is just the most accessible of all the pure lands. And so I'm going to pause because, again, I'm not sure this is the direction that you want me to go into. Maybe you can say a little bit more to me when you make these aspirations, where your mind goes with that. And what do you have a particular overt intentionality for where this is directing you, or is it more just kind of generalized?
When I meditate like I meditate with a zo chin group out of LA most every day I'll lean back and a cup a couple of I'm not enlightened, but a couple enlightened beings, we join minds, and we lean back, and I picture, I picture the original Karmapa. I don't know if this is true or not, because I see him with a black hat, and he's in front of all these beings, and they're chanting, and they're chanting through us to come in to help all these beings and all these realms. Because I when I lean back, I see the the old money, payment, whom, where that's going into the six realms, all those syllables and individual letters. So that's what I'm inquiring. About, because that's where I want to join and be with. Well, yeah.
Well, that's all mind. You put me at home. That's, that's the email address that gets you to COVID. What does it get you there? Yeah, so that that is the acoustic form of chandrase. So again, you have to kind of all these, like the Bible and all these cast of characters. So you have all. You have these, this lineage of these awakened beings, right? So you have Dharmakaya, Buddha Amitabha. He's the one that created the realm of Dewa Chen tsukavi.
How do you spell that word that you say, de, WA, B, E, W,
A, C, H, E, N, land of great. Thanks.
They were so brilliant at this. I want to thank you. Go ahead, yeah,
well, I appreciate the kind words. Day was bliss. Chan means great, so you have Amitabha Buddha. He's Dharmakaya Buddha. His emanation is Chen Raisi slash Farah. He's a sambokaya Buddha, so his email address is all money, Padme home. Oh, Amitabha is email address is all mommy day. Wah, free. So either way, these are the two. Oh, yes, sometimes
I add free on the end. Free on the end is that what you call money, payments, free, H R, I forget, H R, I H,
yeah, that's the seed syllable. So, so you have that, and then you have, you know, the nirmanakaya aspect of that is Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava. And then from that, you go, well, guess what? What a surprise. You have the Karmapa, as you have the Dalai Lama. So the Karmapa is, is in that Slipstream, so to speak. This is so cosmic. It's just so out there. I love it. If you're if you're already having a connection to do some campa, first Karmapa, if you have a connection to OM, Mani, Padme, hum, that's Chen, raise, ease. Far as that's the acoustic, Sonic form of that deity. And that is a marvelous, wonderful way to, kind of sonically grease your skids for rebirth into that land of grave lists. So, yeah, go for it, but you couldn't get your understanding. You know, the one book I might recommend is tukultunda rinpoche's book, you know, I mentioned it in this reading, peaceful death, joyful rebirth, one of the few Tibetan renderings of the Pure Land approach. They it's there's a pure land orientation in Tibetan Buddhism, but there's no overt Pure Land kind of sect. And so there aren't that many overt Tibetan commentaries, least translated yet, and so Tuko tundra rinpoche's book, peaceful death, joyful rebirth, I think will really help you conduct some of these dots.
Yes, I understand the significance of how wanting to help all beings awake. How significant that is in our practice and so but then it's natural. It's natural. I'm not doing it. I realize I'm not doing this for some motive. I just want to help, and I've realized that's important because I'm I'm not doing it for Well whatever, I know that I'm going to get some merit out of this, but, but I want to clarify, because this was so mind boggling to me, and it might help someone else. Here is I learned this from Mama Surya Das. Is to picture the still center of the turning axle of the cosmic wheel, and I'm in the presence the steel centers there and that turning axle, I put on money pay me Hoon each letter on different petals around that circulating rim in that cosmic wheel, and I'll see em just fly out, helping all the beings. You know, it's so cool that from him.
So anyway, LSD llama Surya Das, I love a guy,
yeah,
classic Jubilee. He's the best. Yeah, that's really great. Yeah, I would just say, continue what you're doing and maybe augment your understanding by looking at trukata purposes book. There's some references in there that you could track down if you're interested, but I think it will help just support what I'm hearing from you and what you're already doing, oh,
when I'm doing your dream yoga. Because, see, I lucid dreaming. That is so important, and I've not had a lucid dream, but what it's done, it's helped me be aware moment to moment during the day to be lucid. You are really on it, and I did not you're the last you're another key to my puzzle that's just so beautiful.
Appreciate the kind words. You're acting like a Bucha, I appreciate it. I believe it. Thank you. Okay, very generous. Okay, I can't tell if there's any other hands. Oh, there's Hamish, yeah, some reason. Oh, here we go. Now I can see okay. Thank
you so very much, sir. Hey buddy, thank you. So I have a, I have a practice that is just sort of spontaneously arrived after, really, during COVID, when I spent a long time alone. So, and I'm also very keen, as you know, in the lucid dreaming. So it's, it's pretty consistent that I wake up every night at three in the morning or 330 somewhere between three and 330 so I usually come out here in our large sitting room and I do prostrations, nice. And I love doing the prostrations, because for me, it's an active meditation. I love the feeling in my body going down and sharing the merit. When I finish doing my prostrations and I share the merit I was taught to do it in the Pali, nine times out of nine or 10 times out of 10, I just spontaneously weep. I weep on the floor through gratitude that if I'm not a very good meditator, at least I'm fortunate enough to be able to do this practice. So I was just I was just wondering that that hopefully this will give me a boost in becoming lucid, in dreaming, but also that when I do breathe my last and I go into the Bardo, that I won't be sucked into because of my passion for the dharma, that I won't be sucked into just a normal life, that I will be sucked into a life, or Make the choice to go into a life which will benefit others. And I just wanted to get your take on that. Well, I think that's spot
on. First of all, thank you for sharing that lovely story. That's really great. That's quite beautiful. Yeah. I mean, you know, you're spot on. I think your questions are just right there. And so that, that level of openness, that level of connectivity. You know, I heard a wonderful rabbi, Ted Falcon say something years ago at a ecumenical death and dying program. I represented a Buddhist thing. I was with ponder J there was a Jewish guy, there was Islamic guy, Hindu guy, who was so cool, and the Jewish guy, Ted Falcon said, reality is touched through tears and laughter. I thought that was really beautiful. Reality is touched through tears and laughter. And so I don't want to, like analyze it, because it's so beautiful. But of course, I can't help myself, whether it's breaking down or cracking up, it's the breaking and the cracking that's important. And so when you crack your heart open, break your heart open with prostrations or devotion like that. I mean, that's just fantastic. You know that that's a deep connection to reality, and so don't dismiss that honor, that respect, that and the intuition that you share, I think, is just spot on. I mean, this is the secret sauce in the in the Vajrayana, tantra traditions, compassion and devotion. That's what it's all about man. That's what it all comes down to. That's what makes the tantra so special. It's all about compassion and devotion. And so if you have the both of those going on with frustrations, cultivating the devotional aspects, surrendering, opening, and then the warmth of the compassionate thing, oh my gosh, like you're good to go, dude. You know you're super,
super Thank you. And I think I'm more than good to go, because, as you may remember, both my wife and I are medical clowns.
Well, I totally remember. Yeah, very fun. Nice to see you, my friend. Appreciate it
nice to you. Thank you so much, sir. Yeah, beautiful
story. Okay, Barry and Theresa, then maybe we'll call it for today. Hey, buddy, hi.
About this guy, Manjushri. Manjushri and I remember the first class I took with you, Dream Yoga, about five or six years ago. You spent a lot of time talking about Manjushri, and for me, and that was impressive, because my wife, who's Tibetan Buddhist, and she has a book that kind of talks about your death god, you know who you're supposed to based on your birth year, I think, and month, sort of astrologically, which deaf God is, is most the kind with the most affinity for you, and so for me, it was Manjushri, and I've been doing that ever since. And I was wondering, for you personally, was there a way that you chose. Shows your your Manjushri is kind of like your personal avatar, or is there something that we can all learn from that? Oh
my gosh, yeah. Well, there's a lot we can learn from it, right? So, you know, Manjushri, I mean, I have him up here. There he is. I'll show him to you. This is, like, this is, like, one of my most beautiful rupas.
So this guy, this one's pretty spectacular. So I had this one, I think in Kathmandu, yeah, it's just spectacular. So yeah, he's, you know, this is, as you know, Barry, this is one of the three archetypal principle bodhisattvas, right? So you have not necessarily an order priority, but we already talked about one, chenrezy, the bodhisattva of compassion, Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, and then Bucha pani, the Bodhisattva of power. These are the big the Holy Trinity. These are the big three in terms of the so called gods, or deities in the Tibetan arena. And so I was actually, in a certain way, given through Trungpa Rinpoche, who put me in my three year retreat. He gave me my Bodhisattva name, and then it was deeply connected to Manjushri. And so Manjushri has been my guy, as you know, for 40 years, I do a brief sadna Almost every single day I recite his mantra, you know, Omar patana di home like that's my go to mantra, in addition to Omani, Padme Hum. So just like with you and your wife, this is just, you know, my guy, my peep or, as I've been talking about now in Greek terms, my diamond, you know, this is, this is basically what I cultivate a relationship to that. So I'm not sure where else you want me to go with this Barry that it's, it's, you know, you're not going to go wrong, right? With any of these amazing Bodhisattvas. They're on a deep level, they're all the same. They're just, they're fundamentally different expressions facets of this awakened mind. There's tremendous power, there's tremendous compassion, there's tremendous wisdom in the awakened mind. And so these three archetypal bodies of bodhisattvas represent that. And so associating with with any of these three is of extraordinary benefit and importance. And depending on the kind of the astrological confluence, or whatever your wife may have studied and understood, whether it's through an empowerment, which is the way I got it, whether it's through just some intuitive, heartfelt connection to one of these, establishing a connection to a power greater than yourself. I mean, in the Pure Land traditions, this is really called tariqi, right? This is part of the tariqi approach, which literally means other power, as opposed to jiriki, which is self power. And so other powers is much more important than self power, because at a certain point you have to open, you have to surrender to forces that are greater than yourself. And this is where the great you know, we sometimes Buddhist tend to look down on the Abrahamic traditions and the theistic traditions, but we can learn a lot about the power of prayer, even from our Christian and Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters, you know, opening up to forces greater than ourselves, like, why not? So I'll pause there, Barry, because I'm not entirely sure that's addressing your question, but that's what comes to mind. I mean, you know, big deal for me.
Well, I was thinking in terms of alignment. You've been talking about alignment a lot, and I know my wife, there's about six or seven. I think of these deities and that, and that kind of aligning according to when you were born, or however, that is was so beneficial to me. She bought a Bucha because my daughter's birthday, or whatever it is, and so she bought a Buddha for her and and seems to be making a difference, you know. So whatever the the deity was for that particular time, seems to be an alignment choice. Absolutely. I like that. To me, that kind of adds to what you're talking about. Yeah,
totally, yeah. And again, you know these deities? I means it doesn't this in a big way. You know, these deity principles, and whether they're Greek or Roman gods or deities, you know, they're all cross dressers, to me, it's all the same, really, who cares how they are clothed. But this is, this is a big deal for me, because, yes, they represent. They can be represented, for sure, externally. You can invoke them. You can cultivate them. You can supplicate them through things like deity yoga, Guru Yoga, astrological principles are associated with deities. Gods, and you can align yourself to those forces externally that way. But really, just add a little bit of extra pop to this is these archetypes are also within us. The heavens are within us, the deities and the gods are within us. And so to me, this is just so fantastically beautiful. It's like I'm opening and surrendering to other powers, greater powers inside and outside of me and I, if I do that, I find myself being embraced in this kind of cosmic sandwich. It's so cool. Here I am, whoever I am, and both from within and both from without, because in a non new world, there is no within or without, that all crumbles. I just feel held and embraced and aligned in the resonance with these cosmic forces, and the more I open and surrender to them, and the more I basically just try to become a representative of them. I mean, I can tell you, the happier I am. You know, it's like my friend Bernardo kastrup always says, you know, and this is a big deal for me. You know, your life is not about you, right? First of all, because there isn't one. But if you think your life is about you, well, welcome to the world of suffering. And so he has this beautiful image of the neurotic Apple Blossom, which I just love, right? So you have this beautiful apple tree, and then in the spring, all the apple blossoms come out, and then there's one neurotic Apple Blossom that says this whole effing tree is about me, right? I don't think so, right. So don't be a neurotic Apple Blossom. Realize you're part of the tree of life. Surrender to these cosmic forces inside and outside. Align yourself to those forces. This is Grace. This is what grace is about. This is what Providence is about. This is what blessings is about. Resonance, happiness. You want to be happy act on behalf of these forces. I mean, that's what it's all about, on a very deep level for me. So yeah, thanks for seeding that little riff. It's pretty cool stuff. Okay, last one from Theresa.
Hi, kendrew, I'm your fairly new student, Theresa. I talked to you the other class about having a brain tumor out recently, and so I've had these months of sitting around contemplating deeply about a lot of things that you're teaching and trying to find my voice with you here, which is kind of hard because I've been really isolated for months in this deep, emotional dive. But here we are, and I just want to say thank you so much. I mean, there's so much this pinging about history and memories and experiences that are just right sizing and making more sense. And I wanted to just quickly share one of them. When I was like, six or seven, it was the 60s. You know, everybody was drunk, everybody was crazy. The kids are alone, doing their thing and and this, this kid said, Here, get in this trunk. And I'm like, okay, so I get in the trunk, and he sits on top of it, and he expects me to freak out, right? So, much to his bitter disappointment, I did not, because I like small, dark spaces, so I totally chilled out in there. And I'm like, Yeah, this is cool. Alright. He's like, I'm not letting you out. I'm like, okay, that's fine. And I hung out, and now I'm like, listen to you teach about that relaxation and that acceptance and that that breathing. And he finally let me out, and he was so disappointed. And I'm like, what? And I didn't realize till he let me out that he was trying to upset me, and it really backfired. And I'm like, having lots and lots of things like that that are just kind of making more sense now. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, that was cool, you know. And um, on a more intense level, I had this other experience where, um, you know, I've, I've learned to relax in these really unusual circumstances. And as a nurse, I became a nurse later, and I was alone in an office where another nurse had a war flashback and grabbed my trachea, and it was really frightening and but I relaxed again. I had this, like, it's spontaneous, just relaxation, because I learned from from trauma, a lot of trauma, that relaxing is the key. And that's really has, like you said, massaged into a cellular level in my body so I could breathe. And it freaked her out, because nobody she's ever grabbed has relaxed, so it snapped her out of it and literally saved me. And so I'm just, like I said, with what you're teaching and what you're saying, all these things are all kind of right sizing and making more sense, and going, Well, yeah, yeah, that does make sense. Instead of me going, what the hell was that? You know what I mean? So I just wanted to share those two stories that they were about relaxation and acceptance and being able to breathe and and and how meaningful all of this is. And I'm really been interested in people's ideas about their practices and what they're doing. Personally, I don't really want to come back. I'm kind of hoping that there's another choice, because I've always felt like, Yeah, I'm good. This was enough for me, but we did a little bit of show and tell, so I wanted to show you my Sarah Swati before we go, oh
yeah, isn't she wonderful? Beautiful? Yeah, that's so cool.
She's one of my favorites. So I've been spending 40 years hanging out with Quakers in silence, because I adore silence. And last six years I've been studying with a group on Cape Cod devotees of Yogananda. And so it's it's really been a great journey, and I've had the opportunity to teach yoga and tai chi and Nidra and that kind of thing. So being here is so much fun, and so that's my one to say. And like I said, it's hard to talk to you because I'm, like, so intimidated, but like I said, I've had a lot of silence for six months, so I'm trying to drive again and interact again. So thank you. Well,
good to have you with us, and thanks for stepping forward and sharing what you did is lovely. And what comes to mind is how this habit pattern is going to really come to your side when Yama right, who holds the wheel of life right now, you don't feel his vice like grip, because he's still like, back there. Maybe you feel a little cold breath on your neck, but he's there, and then, just like the throat thing, and just like the trunk thing when you die, that's when he puts the squeeze. And so because of your habit pattern of relaxing and opening when you start to feel that squeeze, well, guess what you're gonna say? Okay, I give me your best shot, man. It's not beginning worse than this guy sitting on the trunk. Right? You're going to be good to go. Wonderful, wonderful. Hey everybody. So nice to be back with you. Remember my riff, right? If what we're doing here is not a benefit to others, it's irrelevant. This is just New Age spiritual mumbo jumbo. But we're not about that. We're about helping beings and so merit, which is coming up in this book, to whatever extent it works for you, we dedicate it to all sentient beings. That's what life is all about. So much love to everybody. See you in a couple of weeks, and we'll continue our little journey through this Bardo business. Ciao. Ciao, take care. You.