Mind Beyond Death

Description

An indispensable guidebook through the journey of life and death, Mind Beyond Death weaves a synthesis of wisdom remarkable in its scope. With warm informality and profound understanding of the Western mind, the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche makes the mysterious Tibetan teachings on the bardos-the intervals of life, death, and beyond-completely available to the modern reader. Drawing on a breathtaking range of material, Mind Beyond Death shows us how the bardos can be used to conquer death. Working with the bardos means taking hold of life and learning how to live with fearless abandon. Exploring all six bardos-not just the three bardos of death-Mind Beyond Death demonstrates that the secret to a good journey through and beyond death lies in how we live. Walking skillfully through the bardos of dream meditation and daily life, the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche takes us deep into the mysterious death intervals, introducing us to their dazzling mindscape. This tour de force gives us the knowledge to transform death, the greatest obstacle, into the most powerful opportunity for enlightenment. With both nuts-and-bolts meditation techniques and brilliant illumination, Mind Beyond Death offers a clear map and a sturdy vehicle that will safely transport the reader through the challenging transitions of this life and the perilous bardos beyond death.

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, born in 1965 in northeast India, was trained in the meditative and intellectual disciplines of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism under the guidance of many of the greatest masters from Tibet's pre-exile generation. He is a widely celebrated teacher, known for his skill in making the full richness of Buddhist wisdom accessible to modern minds, and devotes much of his energy to developing a vision of a genuine Western Buddhism. For more information, go to www.rebelbuddha.com.

"Mind Beyond Death picks up where the Tibetan Book of the Dead leaves off. . . . This stunning work will prepare the seeker of truth for the moments before during and beyond the material expiration of our body our vessel. . . . This reviewer has been reading esoteric spiritual texts since age seventeen and has never seen as clear and skillful a description. . . . Splendid."-New Age Retailer "This is the most significant work in English on the six bardos since the publication of transcripts of two seminars given many years ago by my guru Choegyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Now once again these wonderful teachings are illuminated by the deep wisdom and compassion of a genuine master."-Francesca Fremantle, author of Luminous Emptiness: A Guide to the Tibetan Book of the Dead "Mind Beyond Death goes a long way toward demystifying these teachings about the transition between one life and another and making them relevant to everyday life. The way to meet death fully, says Ponlop Rinpoche, is to die every day to every moment to everything. To our thoughts to our agony to our emotions to our loving relationships-even to our joy. At forty-one, Ponlop Rinpoche, who makes his home in Seattle, is at the forefront of a new generation of traditionally trained Tibetan Buddhist scholar-teachers. You're sure to hear more from him in the future."-Shambhala Sun