What is the Tibetan Book of the Dead?

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 พ.ค. 2024
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    The Tibetan Book of the Dead, or the Bardo Thodol, is arguably the most popular Buddhist text in Europe and the United States. Carl Jung loved it. So did John Lennon. But why? What is this text all about?
    Sources:
    Lopez, Donald S. Jr. The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Biography. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011.
    Coleman, Graham, and Thupten Jinpa, eds. The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete Translation. Translated by Gyurme Dorje. New York: Penguin Random House, 2005.

ความคิดเห็น • 765

  • @ReligionForBreakfast
    @ReligionForBreakfast  ปีที่แล้ว +59

    Thank you to Wondrium for sponsoring today’s video! Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: ow.ly/BBou50N4T0f

    • @christopherp.8868
      @christopherp.8868 ปีที่แล้ว

      Can you talk about Jung/Campbell/Peterson on archetypes? FYI I don't agree with those concepts because there is obviously way too much nuance/historical context. That perennialist way of thinking probably hurts religious studies. I'd love more content challenging those ideas they possess.

    • @rogerdodger8415
      @rogerdodger8415 ปีที่แล้ว

      Could you do a review of a fascinating book called "the Passover plot"?? I'd love to hear your take on it. Thanks!

    • @inceldetector6148
      @inceldetector6148 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      this guy doesnt even read the comments

    • @astitvakachiar
      @astitvakachiar ปีที่แล้ว

      It is not for dead or corpses to real aloud.
      It is for practicing death during meditation while living

    • @rogerdodger8415
      @rogerdodger8415 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@astitvakachiar It's always fun to practice death while living. Gets you ready for the real thing.

  • @danielx40
    @danielx40 ปีที่แล้ว +669

    My teacher’s teacher once told him: “when you die, look straight ahead. Do not be distracted by left or right. Or you will be sucked right back to this place.” After you die, things that scares you, disturbs you, attracts you, attached to you, turns you on the most will appear, if you don’t look straight ahead, you will be sucked back and become someone’s child. You will become the child of parents that embodies the qualities that stimulates/disturbs you the most. The only way to not be reborn, is to let go of everything and look straight ahead.

    • @donnafraenkel7852
      @donnafraenkel7852 ปีที่แล้ว +51

      Helpful information
      You are right and I recommend this in life pathways as well.... focus on the finish line and not the people next to you
      It's not for comparison and this is where people fail

    • @uwangchuk90
      @uwangchuk90 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      ❤🙏

    • @ralphhardie7492
      @ralphhardie7492 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      😂😂😂😂

    • @freeyourmind7538
      @freeyourmind7538 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      Meh...if this is the case, just look left/right, the first death, be born again, learn from your first experience and look up straight during the second death 🤷🏾‍♂️
      The issue i find with these rebirths is that you NEVER know your previous events so how can you know, you are being born again,?

    • @LovingRockDoula
      @LovingRockDoula ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Sounds like avoidance.

  • @stephenburgess5710
    @stephenburgess5710 ปีที่แล้ว +448

    I always find a text more interesting when framed in the context of the culture that produced it. The romanticizations of the east from the 60s, from orientalism, from theosophy, and the like are never as interesting as an exploration of those topics that involves the actual people and conditions from which they originated! Great video, thanks.

    • @stevenvaleriojr1177
      @stevenvaleriojr1177 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I agree. Out of curiosity, though, what is your opinion on western authors who are actually legitimate practitioners of an authentic lineage- I'm thinking along the lines of Robert Thurman, Robert Buswell, Bernie Glassman, or even Brad Warner?

    • @chitwansingh
      @chitwansingh ปีที่แล้ว +1

      +

    • @viljamtheninja
      @viljamtheninja ปีที่แล้ว +14

      What about the context of the culture that produced that romanticization? That is, after all, also a culture with its own context, its own reasoning, its own metaphysic search for truth and meaning which, to me, is just as interesting. And, it IS a way to understand other cultures, it was just a simplified, immature attempt at that. I think the typical presentation of Orientalism as somehow nefarious often rings a little hollow. People in the West, in their search for meaning and grappling with the eternal questions of death and suffering, finding inspiration in and fascination with foreign sources and ideas and somewhat turning them into their own thing is not much different from how cultures have always interacted and taken inspiration from elsewhere while reinterpreting through the context of their own cultural lens.
      The concept of Orientalism seems like a pretty natural result of Weber's demystification of the world through Western science and philosophy; it's an interesting cultural and philosophical phenomenon on its own.
      Now of course a video on the Tibetan Book of the Dead should probably primarily focus on the Tibetan context in which it originated, but I think its role in the West is equally interesting, just in a completely different way. It was, after all, an interest that arose due to some kind of spiritual need, something deeply human, and to present it as something negative just because it doesn't understand the entire context of the origins of its sources of inspiration seems either like academic elitism (but academics research these texts for reasons entirely different from why they become popular in the first place) or some kind of problematic cultural purism.

    • @benardman2665
      @benardman2665 ปีที่แล้ว

      Theosphy is Christian lol

    • @seadawg93
      @seadawg93 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Absolutely! I love so much the approach nowadays (well, you know, in some circles at least) of approaching texts and ideas IN context. Especially given the western tendency to privilege text over other forms of authority, which may or may not be appropriate to a given culture.

  • @hankinaz
    @hankinaz ปีที่แล้ว +385

    When I first read this book, I was confused by it's imagery (i.e. demons drinking blood from skulls??!!) However, a friend recommended also reading The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche as a way to provide graspable context. In a nutshell, what I took away was the practical learning that when confronted with someone who is dying (i.e. in a hospice or coming upon a very traumatic accident), you should try to put them at ease and let them know it is okay for them to move on ... the mindset with which they leave this world (i.e guilt, fear, calm, etc.) is the mindset with which they will enter the new world (kind of like how waking from a scary or peaceful dream can shape your state of mind for that day.) Just a thought ...

    • @furrycircuitry2378
      @furrycircuitry2378 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      It's ok, Mr.hanikaz, I accept your passing go forth into the light and feel joy and comfort knowing you left this realm and the people in it better than before.

    • @illsed
      @illsed ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Is just symbol n avatar

    • @bb9a
      @bb9a ปีที่แล้ว +4

      They're not demons, but they are entities of spirit

    • @LoahKiLynKd87
      @LoahKiLynKd87 ปีที่แล้ว

      Perfectly sumadup

    • @hellboundtruck123
      @hellboundtruck123 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      You’ve unlocked the gross level meaning, now you may delve deeper 🙏🏼

  • @simonpaterson9648
    @simonpaterson9648 ปีที่แล้ว +70

    5 months ago, I was lingering between life and death on life support with a usually lethal pneumonia. I was having these incredible mental projections for 13 days on life support. There were many projections, but one was of possessing a very small mental body, and others had very small mental bodies. I went searching, and after not being impressed with Christian experiences, I was finally in shock to find how similar these Bardos in Buddhism were to my direct experience. I have a psychiatrist, for post ICU,'' PTSD'', and he was fascinated with my description of what I experienced. Usually, he would diagnose someone as psychotic.

    • @altverse1
      @altverse1 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      So good to hear brother.The deity in the bardos are similar to Hindhu text such as yama which we call him as yamaraj, so for me religion has been more like derived from each other since padmasambahava took the teaching from india.Anyway may the god bless you to an eternity.

    • @DavidAKZ
      @DavidAKZ หลายเดือนก่อน

      Psychotic or awakening ?

  • @eyeofgnosis558
    @eyeofgnosis558 ปีที่แล้ว +89

    Weird thing: before I knew anything about Buddhism, Jung or theosophy, I had (unknowingly) been drawing 'mandalas' to help organise my mind when I was going through chronic depression and suicidal ideation. Then I had an experience not too dissimilar to that in the Tibetan Book of the Dead (which I only encountered a year after the experience) that completely turned my life around for the better ^_^

    • @L3onking
      @L3onking ปีที่แล้ว +10

      It's no coincidence, these are the signs of the lama mass awakening.

    • @donnafraenkel7852
      @donnafraenkel7852 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I've also had such experience. God greets you 😊

  • @Yourmomsassstinks
    @Yourmomsassstinks ปีที่แล้ว +276

    No way, this is freaking scary.
    I was literally looking this up LAST NIGHT and I was like “damn I wish RFB had a video about this, I know he would explain better. All well, I’m sure he’d do it eventually”

    • @ReligionForBreakfast
      @ReligionForBreakfast  ปีที่แล้ว +174

      This is why the RFB audience is so great. The type of people that research Buddhist texts in their spare time.

    • @stevemcgroob4446
      @stevemcgroob4446 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      ​ @ReligionForBreakfast I'm currently reading the Tenchi Hajimari no Koto, or the Beginning of Heaven and Earth in English. It was made by Japanese Christians from the Tokugawa period and although it doesn't seem to be an important text to them, I find it to be a fascinating mix of Buddhist, Shinto, and Catholic beliefs.

    • @the_neutral_container
      @the_neutral_container ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Hah! Carl Jung approves 😁

    • @schorpioen7466
      @schorpioen7466 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      ​@@the_neutral_container synchronicity?

    • @mldouglasjr
      @mldouglasjr ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@stevemcgroob4446 Wow. Never heard of it, but you've certainly piqued my interest in finding this text.

  • @maitreyajambhulkar
    @maitreyajambhulkar ปีที่แล้ว +123

    You made so many videos on Buddhism.
    ❤ From India.
    Thank you from the bottom of my heart, a Buddhist from India.

    • @chrisrichardson8988
      @chrisrichardson8988 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Since Buddhism was nearly wiped out of India, it is wonderful to see that the spread of teachings around the world is returning home.

    • @expressnigga
      @expressnigga ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Buddha wasn't a Buddhist. He didn't drop from the sky neither were his teachings. He and his teachings went nowhere. They were here and shall stay so until the end.

    • @dreamadventure8220
      @dreamadventure8220 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      ​@@chrisrichardson8988 yes Buddhism is the original civilisation, heritage of india

    • @tribaljukebox1773
      @tribaljukebox1773 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Jesus is King

    • @beaustur
      @beaustur 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Buddhism is evil, all religions are. Putting sophisticated consciousnesses into something with as limited capacity as a dog, frog, or whatever is SATANIC. These are things that aren't up for debate, they're facts.

  • @iguanajoe9329
    @iguanajoe9329 ปีที่แล้ว +38

    I read the Bardo Thodol as a teenager because I was fascinated by eastern "mysticism", but little did I know how much it carried on with me. I partake in psychedellic use, and DMT once brought me to a place of pure blackness, and in it, I forgot everything that made me, "me". I instantly felt terror, because I could not fathom the idea of "me" disappearing, but deep in the blackness I remembered some of the lines, and I was able to let go of everything as it pleased. That was the only way I could achieve peace of mind deep where I was, and I inmediately understood that everything is connected. This book is severely underrated and everyone should get to know it.

    • @theopenmouth9695
      @theopenmouth9695 ปีที่แล้ว

      U just did drugs.

    • @Suzume-Shimmer
      @Suzume-Shimmer ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Thats great you had such a tool to guide you at rhe right moment. 👍
      Yeah, Timothy Leary , the original LSD 'guru' of the 60s acid experiments, recommends 2 books to understand and help with the psychedelic terrain . And one of them is The Tibetan Book of rhe Dead

    • @Badficwriter
      @Badficwriter 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      You were better prepared than I was. During an acid trip, I got amnesia. It was terrifying and only a kind person in the house with me constantly reassuring me kept me calm. Telling me my memories had no effect, because my brain deleted them as soon as I heard the information. It wore off as the drug did. I have heard many stories of hallucinations in bad trips, but never knew you could get temporary amnesia.

  • @SudoSkitz
    @SudoSkitz ปีที่แล้ว +364

    Dude, your channel is awesome. You're always so succinct and on point. Keep these up. To me, your channel sets the standard for anyone speaking on religion.

    • @joshgwin8820
      @joshgwin8820 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Agreed

    • @skarrven
      @skarrven ปีที่แล้ว +5

      💯 Same

    • @contempris2383
      @contempris2383 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      He's a breath of fresh air. The internet discourse on religion is so toxic and not very academic. I can not stand Bible beaters or Debate Bro Atheists.

    • @samgamgee7384
      @samgamgee7384 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      What I like best is how eclectically agnostic he is. He can talk about Kabbalah, Chinese folk religion or the roots of anime with the same objectivity.

    • @Chamelionroses
      @Chamelionroses ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I just like that he is honest

  • @seadawg93
    @seadawg93 ปีที่แล้ว +282

    Excellent. Another American/western aspect of the “Tibetan Book of the Dead,” is the idea that it is for anyone or everyone. While some modern teachers would accept that, the traditional view is that this is a text specifically for vajrayana practitioners who have received the specific teachings while alive.
    I have specifically been warned against using it for non-initiated people, because things like the descriptions of the wrathful deities would be very upsetting. There are other funerary practices, such as phowa, Shitro or Chang Chod.
    John Reynolds has a large section in his book “self liberation through seeing with naked awareness” (from the same cycle as the bardo thodrol) describing how deeply wrong Wentz’s and Jung’s understanding of Tibetan Buddhism were.

    • @meesalikeu
      @meesalikeu ปีที่แล้ว +8

      they were not “deeply wrong” lol, that is just hyperbole - they were just misguided as it was a partial text pulled out of context that they felt was enough and ran with for their western audience.

    • @seadawg93
      @seadawg93 ปีที่แล้ว +57

      @@meesalikeu they were misguided, took texts out there historical context and opined on the meaning, sometimes even the “true” meaning (ie. Allegedly truer than actual Buddhist teachers), of Buddhism and influenced how westerners viewed Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism specifically, to this day.
      If you don’t think that that is deeply wrong, so be it. But they were pretty wrong, and pretty sure of themselves as well.

    • @bushit123456
      @bushit123456 ปีที่แล้ว

      could yoo quote some of his criticism?

    • @RJ-we1me
      @RJ-we1me ปีที่แล้ว +1

      What did jung got wrong?

    • @yrobtsvt
      @yrobtsvt ปีที่แล้ว +3

      "phowa" is a scary term to me as Aum Shinrikyo used that word as a euphemism for murdering their enemies

  • @3mindgame
    @3mindgame 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    Tibetan book of the Dead is one of the most profound book I ever read. It’s almost like it’s referring to everyday life on one level while simultaneously referring to a actual physical death process. Great read. Then check out the “ American Book of the Dead”

  • @NullStaticVoid
    @NullStaticVoid ปีที่แล้ว +40

    I started my journey into Buddhism with some books on Japanese Zen (Chan) Buddhism.
    Later when I was in college I realized that everything I read on Buddhism was written by European intellectuals. So I'd basically learned European existentialism with Buddhist window dressing.
    I moved on to Tibetan Buddhism, but again I messed up and read the "Book of the Dead" and a few other such texts which came to the west from European orientalists, who were were putting quite a lot of their own philosophy into their interpretation of Buddhism.
    Eventually I found a few books written by Tibetans with help from westerners. These were less sullied by the imposition of dualistic frameworks and philosophical baggage of Plato and the enlightenment (irony no?). The Dalai Lama has a few really good books on mindfulness meditation. And his discursive style is easy to follow.
    More recently I've been studying Theravada through the translations of Bhikku Bodhi. Though I got there strangely through Thích Nhất Hạnh. After I read a few of his books I mistakenly assumed he was Theravadan, though he is actually from the Vietnamese branch of Chan/Zen. Nevertheless I find Theravada more straightforward and less reliant on supernaturalism and deity worship.
    It's been pointed out that I am not the first westerner to find a home in Theravada for these reasons. A western preference for the secular I suppose?

    • @lexwaldorf5202
      @lexwaldorf5202 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      If it's not too much to ask, can you tell us your book recommendations that haven't been tainted by western philosophy? I honestly don't know where to shart

    • @yrobtsvt
      @yrobtsvt ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@lexwaldorf5202 This would have to be translations of sutras. It's impossible to have a modern text *about* Buddhism without Western influence, although academic scholars do their best....

    • @yaoliang1580
      @yaoliang1580 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      The road to better understanding of spirituality is long, difficult n filled with many pitfalls.
      Most important is understanding of the basics of life n keep our feet firmly on the ground n not be carried away with too much theories n philosophies, which is good for references but often do not work in real life n has cause many who seek such pursuits to fall into a state of disillusion, disenchantment, confusion n separation.

    • @dreamadventure8220
      @dreamadventure8220 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Woo, I thought thic nan to be thereavada too, thanks for clearing

    • @alex434343
      @alex434343 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I find secularism to be appealing to Western students in large part as a reaction to what we don't/didn't like in our own native religions (the many flavors of Christianity, mainly). Almost exclusively we've found our native religions to be wanting in some way and gone looking to the East for something that suits us better. Personally I think we can go too far in rejecting anything that even kinda-sorta-maybe looks like something Judeo-Christian. However to each his own, Theravada is wonderful as are Vajrajana/Mahayana which I personally prefer :)

  • @driphella4080
    @driphella4080 ปีที่แล้ว +45

    I never knew the Tibetan Book of the Dead was such a small part of such a large tradition, though it makes sense in hindsight
    Your commentary on the relationship between Western spiritualism and Eastern religions is highly insightful, especially so in this video
    I'm always happy I subscribed every time you show up in my feed. Always high quality stuff.

  • @ShadyCharacter97
    @ShadyCharacter97 ปีที่แล้ว +43

    Thanks for more Vajrayana & general Highland Mahayana Buddhist content! So underexplored in this TH-cam space.

  • @jeffreysousa1104
    @jeffreysousa1104 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    You provided so much necessary context to something I've been trying to understand for a while now, thank you so much

  • @madnessbydesign1415
    @madnessbydesign1415 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    Your academic, non-judgemental breakdowns always amaze me. Thank you so much for keeping knowledge alive... :)

  • @Eclipti_Faith
    @Eclipti_Faith ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Thank you for all the work you put into your videos, they are always so informative!

  • @marykayryan7891
    @marykayryan7891 ปีที่แล้ว +39

    You never cease to amaze me. Such high quality videos. Succinct. Clear. Accurate. Accessible. Respectful. Just fantastic. Thank you.

  • @luridus584
    @luridus584 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Yet again You provide some of the best mythological/cultural lectures on this platform, thank You for Your hard work, i could listen to You for hours

  • @dgeraldrunkle9304
    @dgeraldrunkle9304 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I have to say this is one of your best videos on this channel, nice job

  • @fraktaalimuoto
    @fraktaalimuoto ปีที่แล้ว +20

    A practitioner of a Buddhist terma tradition here: there are various bardo practices in various practice lineages - many of them practiced while alive.

    • @hexane8
      @hexane8 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      ICU psychosis happens a lot it doesn't mean that you're schizophrenic

    • @justjoe4390
      @justjoe4390 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Can you name some of the ones that are practiced while alive? I'd be very grateful.

    • @DavidAKZ
      @DavidAKZ หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@hexane8you could be wakening and this society cannot handle it.

  • @jessequimpo7354
    @jessequimpo7354 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    That helped so much! Thank you 🙏

  • @seanpatrick4155
    @seanpatrick4155 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I have seen many videos on this subject. I appreciate how concise and to the point your presentation was. ;)

  • @phillylifer
    @phillylifer 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    So well explained

  • @Grace-fb7jk
    @Grace-fb7jk หลายเดือนก่อน

    This video was amazing. Concise and highly informative. Thank you.

  • @vk3act
    @vk3act 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    I m. Student of Sogyal Rinpoche. Thank you for this video.

  • @secretshaman189
    @secretshaman189 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This review of the "Tibetan Book of the Dead" was great, and to the point. The narration material and delivery was so professional! Loved it!

  • @blixten2928
    @blixten2928 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    So much fun, so interesting, so well done. THANK YOU!

  • @pemaya4555
    @pemaya4555 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Ah, this is so, so good.👏🏽
    Last semester I taught our new study of religion students about the tibetan book of the dead after Prof. Jens Schlieter held his lecture on it for us, and I continue to be amazed by the academic quality of this channel. Big kudos to the team behind it!
    Also, I made my students watch quite a bunch of the other videos of RFB as I think they are wonderful teaching material with reliable information, especially for newer students 😄 Thank you for your work!

  • @Jaz-ml5jv
    @Jaz-ml5jv ปีที่แล้ว +20

    Love all the videos on Buddhism! I’m currently reading through the Tibetan Book of the Dead and it has been great to watch your videos to get a deeper understanding of it all 🌸

  • @bhante1345
    @bhante1345 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

    I find that the movie Enter The Void does a fantastic job and visualising the emotional intensity and confusion that the Bardo wanderer is expected to encounter.

    • @somerandomwords999
      @somerandomwords999 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I saw this movie, was very hyped by all kinds of "psychonauts" back in the day.. How do you know it "does a fantastic job and visualising the emotional intensity and confusion that the Bardo wanderer is expected to encounter"? Don't you have to have the experience of bardo(of dying) to know that it does?

  • @ThatsJustMyBabyDaddy
    @ThatsJustMyBabyDaddy 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Excellent commentary.

  • @tapishatrey6098
    @tapishatrey6098 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I'm gonna start my tibetian book of dead study soon. This video definitely build a overview and info was very descriptive.

  • @jcfal1708
    @jcfal1708 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I love your style. Your presentation is clinical, factual, but very engaging, making stupidly complicated texts and concepts understandable by far lesser minds ;)

  • @flamephlegm
    @flamephlegm ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I love your videos but especially the ones on Buddhism. Wish there was a whole course on here lol. Thanks for all of the videos. I deeply appreciate your labor.

  • @robertschlesinger1342
    @robertschlesinger1342 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Excellent video. Very interesting, informative and worthwhile video.

  • @777johnp
    @777johnp ปีที่แล้ว

    Great stuff. I have this book on my shelf and didn't know how to approach it. This gave me the context and framework on how to read and understand it, thank you.

  • @robertpenny7180
    @robertpenny7180 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Thank you. I appreciate the time you spend on these videos.
    I've also heard the translation as "Oh child of noble family." It's interesting how a few words makes a huge difference.

    • @QuasarEE
      @QuasarEE 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      That could probably be understood to refer to the Five Buddha families if it were accurate, and not a worldly lineage.

  • @zorgius
    @zorgius ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thank you! What a work of scholarship!!

  • @aimeemorgado8715
    @aimeemorgado8715 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Thank you for your scholarly, yet kind and human , analysis

  • @Slapsista
    @Slapsista ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thanks for the critical angle and placing this in the historical context of how the text was published.

  • @SunsetHoney615
    @SunsetHoney615 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    It is also a remarkable commentary on the modern idea of near death experiences. The parallels are remarkable indicating a rich tradition within Tibetan history of discussing the NDE experience.

    • @Tinil0
      @Tinil0 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      But this has nothing to do with NDE, this is intended to be read to the already dead. This isn't revealed information from people who have had near-death experiences.

    • @SunsetHoney615
      @SunsetHoney615 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@Tinil0 most likely the tradition that created this text is very much based on the stories told by people who “returned from death”. They are called Delogs.

  • @LaPlumapages101
    @LaPlumapages101 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Love your content!

  • @justinspicyrhino3075
    @justinspicyrhino3075 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I take the Tibeten book of the Dead literally. There are a lot of parallels to people with near death experiences. I try to prepare my mind for death as often as possible.

    • @catherinegrimes2308
      @catherinegrimes2308 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I noticed the similarity as well, maybe that is where the ideas come from?

  • @skatman339
    @skatman339 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Loved this video, thank you!
    Any chance we can get a video on The All-Pervading Melodious Drumbeat(or just on Ra Lotsawa in general)?
    It shows a side of Tibetan Buddhism rarely discussed in the west, and I think it would make for a great video

  • @mbass718
    @mbass718 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Still in the middle of the video but getting ready to go to sleep. I had what I can only describe as a Buddhist near death experience a year and a half ago. Almost died. Woke up after being in the Bardo. My Bardo experience was just my conscious being someplace where I was seeing what I can only say were strands of my DNA in building blocks swirling like Mandalas in a way. It was far beyond any psychedelic I've ever experienced. And at one point I said...Where am I. A voice that sure sounded god like replied.. "You're in the Bardo State of Dying and being reborn"' That was it. That's exactly what it felt like. It was so beautiful I wish I could remember it better. If I would have been reborn I think I would have been okay. It was almost sad coming back but I'm glad to be here

    • @mbass718
      @mbass718 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@mydreamsarecomingtrue No idea. It was infinite

    • @tenzinchokdup3466
      @tenzinchokdup3466 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@mbass718as a Tibetan I don’t know much about my religion. I recommend you vist India place called nalanda (origin of Buddhism), it’s a very important pilgrimage Indian and Tibetan make. I also recommend you visit Tibetan monastery in India because you will truly see what it’s about. Don’t vist Tibet in china because it’s very restricted to foreigners.

    • @BallBatteryReligion
      @BallBatteryReligion หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Well, that's interesting. It sounds similar to an intense psychedelic experience I had. I too saw DNA strands (though it wasn't clear that it was my own, felt more general) spinning in cycles, interconnecting like turning gears. The DNA would transform into two dimensional spiders and strange geometric patterns too. I had no concept of mandalas or Buddhism at the time beyond a very basic knowledge as something I'd heard about. The more I learn, the more the entire experience gets recontexulized in hindsight.
      Considering this, along with the other visuals like hieroglyphics and cave paintings of hunters and men marching, the weird insights I had about why humans build monolithic structures and the general theme of finite, cyclical time, mortality and the how I had been, and how so many humans waste their limited time on petty distractions; the overall meaning of it has become pretty clear.
      Thus here I am, former agnostic/atheist more and more drawn to Buddhism by the day lol.

    • @mbass718
      @mbass718 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@BallBatteryReligion I've definitely had my share of intense psychedelic experiences too. This was far beyond the strongest medicines I've worked with. The strongest being Bufo. Bufo would be the only medicine I could somewhat compare it to but this was really far beyond a complete ego death with Bufo. I've definitely had experiences with losing my body and being connected to Source /G_D as well as connected to family members who've passed on. I only had a little knowledge about the Bardo and I never really believed in reincarnation before this NDE. I've had to rethink all of that. I've done some of the strongest medicines on the planet but never had anything where I asked a question and got a clear answer by a voice that certainly sounded G_D like. The whole time it was just seeing or being part of what I mentioned.. Just a non stop deluge of strands of my DNA that I somehow knew was mine.. I can't remember where they were coming from but they were in blocks.. One after another swirling endlessly. I was in Total peace and was just consciousness. At some point I asked where I was and that clear message in a booming voice answered.. You're in the Bardo state of dying and being reborn. From there I didn't need to ask anything else and if I would have died at that moment I would have been fine. I've definitely had immense visuals on potent shrooms, K, Bufo, 5meo etc.. But this was really way beyond all the experiences I've had with psychedelics. I also literally saw my mom's soul /light leave this world the second she passed away. That's a whole other story and completely different from what I experienced. I'm not sure where our souls go when we transition but I think some souls have different outcomes. I'm pretty certain my mom went to heaven from what I saw. Or at least to a better place. I think I'm coming back when my time is up in this body. I'm not a Buddhist but I do really like Buddhism and have done alot of Buddhist mantra meditations. I have no idea what the rest of the Bardo is like but I do know I was at peace and other than seeing my mom's soul /light leave this world.. Which people can believe or not. I know what I saw and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and the biggest gift I've ever been given. Being in the Bardo and having Buddhist friends say they believe I was in it... Makes it equally the most incredible gift I've ever received.

    • @mbass718
      @mbass718 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@BallBatteryReligion lol and I hear ya about Buddhism. It's the only religion that truly preaches peace and respect for all life.

  • @majorphenom1
    @majorphenom1 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for sharing 🙏🏾

  • @aaliyahs6600
    @aaliyahs6600 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Beautiful knowledge thank you ❤

  • @hannahtunks411
    @hannahtunks411 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Great video, pumping out hits left and right

  • @LoudWaffle
    @LoudWaffle ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Very cool video! Fascinating to learn not only the "book's" contents, but its history as well. I also didn't even realise its significance in the West.

  • @Tekmirion
    @Tekmirion ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Nice vid, images and information Andrew

  • @canisronis2753
    @canisronis2753 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Worth a cup of coffee for sure, very useful!

  • @afpwarmodernizationarchive1320
    @afpwarmodernizationarchive1320 ปีที่แล้ว

    thank you for this enlightening video sensie

  • @aliseus3773
    @aliseus3773 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I love your channel! ❤️

  • @ekim000
    @ekim000 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Fascinating! Thank you.

  • @ImzelM
    @ImzelM ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great content!

  • @dason5408
    @dason5408 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This is the video I was looking for 🤗😇

  • @mjr_schneider
    @mjr_schneider ปีที่แล้ว +29

    I went to Tibet for about two weeks back in 2017 and learned so much about Tibetan religion and culture just from being there a short time, but was never able to learn about it in the depth that you go into in this video. I would be very interested in seeing you do a video on the Bon religion, because I haven't yet seen anyone do a really thorough explanation of it.

  • @_ClearConscious
    @_ClearConscious 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    We are truly limitless! Don’t let your mind rule you! Love yourself and keep moving forward! ❤

  • @HEROFrogman69
    @HEROFrogman69 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very glad I found this channel

  • @paradise1group
    @paradise1group ปีที่แล้ว +1

    awesome video ! good work

  • @jibranelbazi
    @jibranelbazi ปีที่แล้ว +5

    First step sounds exactly like an ego death/awakening experience. The dying “person” is the ego dying, and this text helps the Self (capital S) to “pass through” and be “reborn.” Realizing the ego is nonexistent and thus leaving samsara.

  • @plotinuswashere
    @plotinuswashere ปีที่แล้ว +2

    bought a copy of this years ago. great to see this covered by RFB! would also love to see something on the egyptian book of the dead at some point.

  • @eatalone6782
    @eatalone6782 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Informative video

  • @JonathanDavisKookaburra
    @JonathanDavisKookaburra ปีที่แล้ว +2

    great summary

  • @mldouglasjr
    @mldouglasjr ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Profoundly interesting. I just happen to be in a seminar that's discussing Westernization, Orientalism, and Buddhism this week. Thanks!

    • @trevorjennings720
      @trevorjennings720 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Hello Mel, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??

  • @shamanic_nostalgia
    @shamanic_nostalgia ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Coincidentally been listening to a lot of James Low talks on this and Vajrayana/Dzogchen in general...your videos on Buddhism are some of the best out there in my opinion and incredibly timely

  • @lethemyrsmith2847
    @lethemyrsmith2847 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    This is one of the best series on Buddhism on the internet! Keep it up! Very few popular videos on Buddhism portray the religion like it really is because of how many misconceptions there are.
    I’m excited for the Zen video you teased in another comment.

  • @PaulHaesler
    @PaulHaesler ปีที่แล้ว +9

    As far as I know, John Lennon only had access to Timothy Leary's "The Psychedelic Experience" which was loosely based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead - not the Bardo Thodol itself.
    (Certainly the opening line "Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream" is a quote from Leary's book)

    • @JunguianPhantom
      @JunguianPhantom ปีที่แล้ว

      It reminded me of "wade into the quiet of the stream" said by Hannibal in the eponymous series

  • @stevenvaleriojr1177
    @stevenvaleriojr1177 ปีที่แล้ว +34

    I've really been enjoying this series on Buddhism.
    Are you planning to do one on the Zen sects (or have you done one and I somwhow missed it)? As a Zen (well, technically Soen, it's a Korean lineage) teacher and amateur scholar, I'm very interested to hear your take on it.

    • @ReligionForBreakfast
      @ReligionForBreakfast  ปีที่แล้ว +29

      Yes, a video on Zen is in the works.

    • @stevenvaleriojr1177
      @stevenvaleriojr1177 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@ReligionForBreakfast Awesome!

    • @tenzin4997
      @tenzin4997 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      a tibetan monk helped create the written language script for koreans in the court of kublai the phags-pa script

    • @user-xg9ow1sl7b
      @user-xg9ow1sl7b ปีที่แล้ว

      What a pleasure to see a fellow Seon Buddhist here! 🌷

    • @fannyalbi9040
      @fannyalbi9040 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      i found a lot of people rather finding attachments or comfort for certain buddhist sect than achieving buddha hood within

  • @AnaspaceshipShow
    @AnaspaceshipShow ปีที่แล้ว +1

    ❤ this channel so much

  • @apollion888
    @apollion888 ปีที่แล้ว

    Videos like these are why I am glad I found you
    "I Found It" 🙂

  • @thelostone6981
    @thelostone6981 ปีที่แล้ว +26

    Another thorough, objective, and well-stated video!
    In my philosophical journey, I really latched on to Zen Buddhism as I had visited Japan back in the day. As I tried to read everything I could, I came across this in the early 90s so I bought it and it’s the Wentz version. Still on my bookshelf today. It was a very different feel to my familiarity to Zen and made me feel uncomfortable. But being uncomfortable in one’s skin can help us grow and I’m glad to have read it. (I was drawn to Buddhism because of the focus on one’s self and actions, not out of fear of a deity)
    So yeah, I was one of the people born in the US who looked into this and viewed it through a western lens. 😂

    • @sidmarx7276
      @sidmarx7276 ปีที่แล้ว

      Then you're maybe familiar with Ph. Kapleau's Three Pillars of Zen, in which he accredits the Bardo Thodol's origin to two tracts of Vasubindhu: the Vijnaptimatrasiddhi Shastra and the Abidharmakosa Shastra. (the only readable versions i could find were translations of De La Valee Poussin's, which were heavily edited and hence unsatisfactory)

  • @jgn1989
    @jgn1989 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This channel has been making me think a bit differently about religions, especially on how they work in practice for those who believe in it. I'd love to watch an essay on spiritualism under Allan Kardec's tradition since it's mostly seen as religion but fundamentally positioned itself as a science amidst the positivism of the 19th century.

  • @hunterpicker
    @hunterpicker ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Seems pretty similar to the buddhists chants at my Chinese grandpapa’s buddhist funeral.

  • @chronikhiles
    @chronikhiles ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Gotta say, you're the first Westerner I've heard pronounce guru correctly. Appreciate it.

  • @Kaiyanwang82
    @Kaiyanwang82 ปีที่แล้ว

    This was great. Thank you.
    Funny how I came to know about this years back - it was through a very well-made movie by Adrian Lyne.

  • @badsmilesorrisocattivo
    @badsmilesorrisocattivo ปีที่แล้ว +5

    "They have weapon of fire, but have no fear"
    "Easy to say!"

  • @MultiWeb23
    @MultiWeb23 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    As a zen buddhism practitioner, it is amazing to see how incredibly different tibetan buddhism is and how much it diverged and innovated in comparison to other schools! It's beautiful!

    • @Prasad_California
      @Prasad_California ปีที่แล้ว +1

      This definitely can not be true Buddha’s teachings. This is pure hallucination and imaginary. Funny enough to package it under name of Buddha who didn’t at all believe in deities like Yamdharma ( described here as drinking brain lol)

    • @i_love_tibet7001
      @i_love_tibet7001 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@Prasad_California
      You are quite the Ignorant and delusional one..... get the fact check right, even all informations are there.

    • @khayon4364
      @khayon4364 8 วันที่ผ่านมา

      @@Prasad_California Or perhaps your lineage lost something important, eh?

  • @ralphhardie7492
    @ralphhardie7492 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    🎉 thank you for your hard work. Informative and surprisingly revelatory. I tried to read this decades ago and found it awful but wondered why it had such an awesome reputation. The Egyptian book of the dead, I managed to see one in Tokyo some years ago was far more interesting and instructive for anyone interested in the foundations of religious thought, ideas, philosophy or marketing tools for a rip off zero product. Thanks again for your effort 😊.

  • @casparcoaster1936
    @casparcoaster1936 ปีที่แล้ว

    Really interesting, many thanks

  • @assassinweed5390
    @assassinweed5390 ปีที่แล้ว

    This was so interesting, like every video if you, thanks for the work

  • @freemanacount5609
    @freemanacount5609 ปีที่แล้ว +64

    If you want to read about Tibetan religious views on death and rebirth that's very accessible to a western audience, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying is a great modern read written by a Tibetan.

    • @BornR3STLESS
      @BornR3STLESS ปีที่แล้ว +8

      That book radically changed my perspective on life, death and spirituality. It is quite a thought provoking book.

    • @amberevol
      @amberevol ปีที่แล้ว

      I bought these at the same time bc I was under the impression they went together. I feel like they do even tho they weren't written that way to my knowledge

    • @facebookmary7502
      @facebookmary7502 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@BornR3STLESSthe author is a creepy guy that rapes women

    • @Jack-fs2im
      @Jack-fs2im ปีที่แล้ว

      Bhuddism is not a religion its a philosophy

    • @siddarth3955
      @siddarth3955 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      ​@@Jack-fs2im Buddhism is literally a religion with elaborate myths and after life. Saying it's just a philosophy is done by non Buddhists especially abrahamics adherents to not feel guilty for following another faith when their god especially prohibited them from doing so.

  • @TheRealShadowX
    @TheRealShadowX ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Great Tibetan Buddhism videos lately.

  • @tripx3033
    @tripx3033 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    First video I saw and did not had a problem, straight 💯 into the point , which is interesting

  • @briankleinschmidt3664
    @briankleinschmidt3664 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    It's not a guide to the dead. It is a description of the dying process. I read it (many years ago). It's not a life changing experience, but you can get some good out of it.

  • @Thescrubsliker
    @Thescrubsliker ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I think I experienced this when I was on lsd, even tho I didn’t know much to anything about these concepts except for maybe the name of the book. On one hand I find this really scary, on the other hand I’m relived that I found something that describes my expirence, so I don’t feel alone with it anymore.

  • @LangThoughts
    @LangThoughts ปีที่แล้ว +81

    I'm a linguistics student studying Tibetan, and in the Modern Language "Bardo" is pronounced "Pardo" The full name "Bardo Thodol" is pronounced something like "Pardo Toejoel"

    • @celsus7979
      @celsus7979 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      That reminds me of a fun video by NativLang - The Hardest Language to Spell
      A video about Tibetan by a language lover, who had quite a difficult time with it

    • @LangThoughts
      @LangThoughts ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@celsus7979 Actually "Bardo Thodol" is a fusion of the modern pronunciation and the Classical Spelling "Bar-do Thos-grol"

    • @LangThoughts
      @LangThoughts ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Note that the "oe" in "Toejoel" represents the sound that German spells as "ö" ie. o-umlaut.

    • @Iskbest
      @Iskbest ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@LangThoughts That's not how everyone says it! I personally haven't heard the Bardo spelled with "P". Can imagine a regional Kham (east Tibet) people saying it but have never heard that myself.

    • @LangThoughts
      @LangThoughts ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Iskbest Not in Khams, no, but if someone from the Western World mentions "Modern Tibetan", most of the time, we mean Lhasa Dialect, as that is the most studied Modern Dialect and IIRC, in that dialect བ་ is pronounced like ཕ་, unless there is a pre-initial consonant. Also, I made a mistake, I should have said "Perto" or "Peto", because in Lhasa Dialect, བར is pronounced as if it were ཕེར་ཐོ་ or ཕཻ་ཐོ་, except the tone is different.

  • @kylefenrick9168
    @kylefenrick9168 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Fascinating to meditate upon.

  • @prismgems
    @prismgems ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The part I like is a verse at the end, sort of in an appendix. It goes,
    O procrastinating one, who thinketh not of the coming of death,
    Spending your time in the useless doings of this world,
    Improvident art thou in dissipating thy great opportunity,
    If thou returneth empty handed from this life.
    That's more for someone who wants to prepare for death, than someone who hasn't prepared as you described.
    Lucid dreaming, meditation, both great ways to prepare for the after death experience.

  • @rrezonkrasniqi
    @rrezonkrasniqi ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Hey I am suggesting a series of videos about the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, you could do it in three parts, firstly the Masonic and the allegedly Rosicrucian origins, then in a second video you could talk about the prime of the Order, and lastly, you could talk about the downfall and the falling out with many schools being form from there.
    I think it would be in your style of work, and it would be very beneficial for the audience.
    I would really appreciate it if you would consider this!

  • @shervinmarsh2456
    @shervinmarsh2456 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    I appreciate your neutral analysis of religion. It speaks volumes. I live in Taiwan. I've been to both my in-laws' funerals, and they read from something. I'd be curious to know exactly what it is they are reading and what it means. I supposed it could be a Book of the Dead, but they are Mahayana Buddhists here, and I wasn't aware that they had a similar ceremony.

  • @theunknownfragment5473
    @theunknownfragment5473 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Don't know how I missed this video but glad I came through it now.

  • @Ken-mn2nh
    @Ken-mn2nh ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Amazing!

  • @chrisrichardson8988
    @chrisrichardson8988 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    There is a real connection to the ABHIDHAMMA that similarly describes the transmigration to rebirth linking. The Tibetan text is more poetic and personal, whereas the ABHIDAMMA is technical.
    Of course it’s always encouraging to see these teachings supported among various schools of Buddhist Teachings. Even Shinran Shonin of the Japanese school of Jodo Shinshu writes about ‘Transformed Lands’ which seemingly has to do with the descriptions of transmigration and rebirth linking.

  • @kevinnielsen1356
    @kevinnielsen1356 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    Bardo Thodol is only one of six methods to escape ignorance this is within the Terma left by Padmasmbhava. Liberation on seeing is my favorite.

  • @donnafraenkel7852
    @donnafraenkel7852 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I did the walk of the bardo....true story
    Every person should know these scripts

    • @donnafraenkel7852
      @donnafraenkel7852 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The five wisdoms is very similar as each direction is a different realm and links to character

    • @trevorjennings720
      @trevorjennings720 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@donnafraenkel7852 Hello Donna, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??

  • @River-ki7ug
    @River-ki7ug ปีที่แล้ว

    Wow! Centuries later we can find it on TH-cam! Nice!

  • @MSHNKTRL
    @MSHNKTRL ปีที่แล้ว +5

    *TERMA: "oh, of course I couldn't have made this up; it was like this when I found it"*