Of all things in life, what is the most amazing?
The sage Yadhisthira answers: “That man, seeing others die all around him, never thinks that he will die.”
~ Mahabharata
Of All things
Illusion
No Path
Ultimately, you must forget about technique. The further you progress, the fewer teachings there are. The Great Path is really No Path.
~ Monrihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace
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Deep within you
You know quite well.
deep within you,
that there is only
a single magic,
a single power,
a single salvation……….
and that is called loving.
Well then,
love your suffering.
Do not resist it, do not flee from it
It is only your aversion that hurts.
nothing else.
~ Herman Hesse
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Self Doubt
Self-doubt can riddle us with guilt and paralyze our actions.
We are all valuable people in different ways yet we sometimes forget. Opening the heart and focusing outward towards others brings confidence and courage to face adversity without drowning.
Even the thought, “we are all the same in wanting to be happy and not hurt” can elevate our mood, particularly if it is repeated like a mantra. Care brings care. It ripples outward and inward creating safety. Anxiety and fear are reduced. Meaning is cultivated. This leads to well being free of guilt.
As we mature we learn to recognize self-doubt as “old stuff” that is not functional any longer, not that is ever was functional. This is self-compassion and care of the highest order.
Emaho! ~ Dr Barry Kerzin
Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash
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Bardo ~ Part of the Journey
Photo by Ashley Batz on Unsplash
While beginning my study of ‘The Tibetan Book of The Dead,’ I came across the word, Bardo. Bardo means a gap or transition. A space between.
I think of Bardo as being like a moment when you step toward the edge of a precipice; such a moment, for example, is when a master introduces a disciple to the essential, original, and innermost nature of his or her mind. The greatest and most charged of these moments, however, is the moment of death. ~ “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying” by Sogyal Rinpoche.
There are many bardos. Our life is full of these junctures: bardos of sleep, bardos of dreams to name only a couple. The space or gap between death and rebirth is a bardo and probably the one most people think of first. It is vital to understand this word when we think of life and death.
When we see that death is a space between, a temporary place where we pass through, then the fear is lessened. What is within that space is of importance.
This small article is not an exhaustive study of the ‘gaps’. It is only a light touching of the meaning so we can move forward with some understanding as we dig deeper into Bardo Thodal.
Death is not the end but the beginning of another chapter. So let us live with love and compassion during this life and have no regrets when the bardo of dying arrives. We can and should make use of our life to find meaning now.
Books to further your interest:
The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete Translation (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
A Buddhist's Journey 