29 October – 5 November | Led by Prakasha, Vidyamala, Khemabandhu + Prajnanita
This human life is rare and precious. With great fortune we have been born into this ever-changing, fleeting world. But how should we make the most of it? What really matters in this life? What does the Buddhist tradition have to offer us in terms of living life to the full, as well as being willing to meet death with an open mind and heart?
On this retreat we will use the Bardo Thodol (The Tibetan Book of the Dead) and the Root Verses of the Six Bardos as our guiding texts as elucidated by Bhante Sangharakshita in his talk Psycho-Spiritual Symbolism in the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
Bardo literally means “in-between state” or “gap” – and we can see our life as a flow of bardo moments where we are continually presented with ‘choice points’ between states that are restricted, and others that are more creative, open and free. This choice is at the very heart of the liberative path offered by Buddhism.
We will explore the six traditional bardos – three relating to this life and three relating to death. The first three are the big transitions of consciousness that occur with birth, meditation and dreams. Then we will explore the ‘death’ bardos as outlined in the Bardo Thodol: the initial encounter with the “clear light” of reality at the moment of death, followed by visionary experiences of peaceful and wrathful deities, and eventually a drift toward rebirth as karmic tendencies reassert themselves.
The Bardo Thodol is a text that is traditionally recited to the dying person to help guide them through the bardos of death and rebirth. This points to the importance of relationship and friendship, which applies to our experience of life as well as death.
On this retreat we will consider friendship, community and spiritual practice in this radically expanded way. Join Prakasha, Vidyamala, Prajnanita and Khemabandhu, who all love this text and return to it year after year through this annual retreat. Together we’ll deepen our appreciation of this life and explore how the connections we create might endure beyond it – indeed beyond time and space!
Within the context of this retreat – hearing some of the text read aloud, discussion groups, talks, meditation and ritual – we’ll also mark the 9th anniversary of the death of our founder and teacher, Urgyen Sangharakshita.
The Bardo Thödol presents spiritual friendship in its purest form: a compassionate voice continually calling us back to awareness when we are lost in confusion, whether in life, meditation, death, or the states between. Bring your friends, bring your sangha, and we’ll explore how to make the most of this life and build ourselves the best conditions for the next.
Read more about our Combined Sanghas Retreats.
If you would like your Sangha to be included, contact your Chair and get in touch, otherwise book under the ‘Open’ option.