These teachings on the Four Bardos ist mainly based on Tsele Natsok Rangdrol’s book ‘The Mirror of Mindfulness‘. In part 4 Rinpoche quotes the “Short prayer of Bardo Thödol” from Rigshu Sangye Shaldam, from the “Mountain Retreat Instructions” by Karma Chagme Rinpoche.
Part 1: The natural bardo of this life
Life itself is a transition. It is our mind which experiences everything. Out of the six realms, human life has the most opportunities, it has the eight leisures, the eight freedoms and the ten assets.
Story of Milarepa going into the yak`s horn.
We need to develop our wisdom, our compassion and our positive qualities. The more understanding and experience we develop in this life, the more chances we have during the other bardos.
Q+A: brain vs. mind (sem), what continues after death, astro-projection, central channels
Part 2: The painful bardo of dying (begins at 3.30)
Those liberated in this lifetime need not go through the other bardos, rainbow bodies
Dissolution of the outer elements, disappearance of the winds
Inner dissolution, phowa practice, tsa, lung and tiglai, thought states ending
Different methods of phowa, story of Kamalashila getting a different body because of phowa
Q+A: organ donation, medication shortening life, suicide
Part 3: The lunimous bardo of Dharmata (begins at 15.30)
Q+A: Sources of Bardo Thödol, remembering past lives
This bardo is discussed in Vajrayana, not in Sutrayana
Different light experiences, sign luminosity and ground luminosity
Recognizing the true nature of our mind can break the chain of conditioned existence
Ground luminosity in deep sleep, the luminosity practice of Six Yogas
State of samadhi and signs that consciousness has left the body
Appearance of peaceful and wrathful deities, manifestations of your own mental factors
Most important practice in life and in death is understanding and control of your mind and emotions, to relax and deal with whatever comes.
Q+A: Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, Nirmanakaya
Part 4: The karmic bardo of becoming (begins at 20.00)
Q+A cont: tiglai – subtle essence, tsa and lung end with death
In the bardo state, you do not have a body, you only have a mind body, the subtle five aggregates
“Short Prayer of Bardo Thödol” from Rigshu Sangye Shaldam
teachings of being liberated by hearing
sur (smoke) offering blessed with mantras, because bardo beings can eat smell
you can hear what others say, but they cannot hear you
clear and sharp rays of light, paths towards the six worldly realms
many wrathful frightening appearances
Do not search for another human body, but of course there are karmic forces
Q+A: leading truth and actual truth, power of a mantra
Part 5: Q+A (18 min)
There exists a transcript of this teaching
Photo taken in France in 1996 by Maria Huendorf