The Bardo Retreat

The profound and inevitable encounter with death has been a subject addressed by great Buddhist philosophers for the last two thousand years. The pinnacle of those teachings were presented in the sacred books that came to be known as the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which was part of a larger tradition of Great Perfection (Dzogchen) manuscripts that addressed the bardos, the phases of change in a life. Those complete teachings describe the phases of change, dissolution, and rebirth. They identify the stages of dying, practices to extend the life force when possible, and practices to die well when possible. They also describe how to help others in their process of departure from a life. This weekend course, hosted by Pema Khandro investigates these moving and precious death, bardo, and rebirth teachings as taught by scholars, and Lamas of the Tibetan tradition. In a format of unprecedented accessibility, this series features self-paced and live classes with Pema Khandro, Lamas and scholars of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as Buddhist funeral ceremony to honor beloved friends, and family who have recently passed away. The course also includes a self-paced course on Buddhist funerary practice, to learn how to help for loved ones who have died in the forty-nine day period as they travel from one life to the next. The oral transmission initiation (lung) will be given by Pema Khandro on the third day of the course.