Life in Death: Buddhism, Bardos & Beyond

In the Buddhist tradition, when the body dies the mind or consciousness continues, taking with it the karmic habits and instincts generated during that life and which shape experiences of intermediate states (bardos) and rebirth in the next life. The idea that there is a connection between our experiences in this life, in the intermediate state and in the next life follows from the Buddhist understanding of cause and effect (karma). On this understanding, life, death, the intermediate state and rebirth are simply different expressions or modes of the continuation of consciousness, endlessly shaped by our habits and dispositions – our karma.

The West was famously introduced to these notions of death, the intermediate states or bardos and rebirth through The Tibetan Book of the Dead where psychological experiences of after death intermediate states are described with great subtlety and bear astonishing similarities to contemporary “Near Death Experiences”.

This discussion, led by Ven Losang Tenpa (Dr Alex Bruce), is intended to provide a gentle overview of the Buddhist approach to death, the intermediate states and rebirth. We will explore practical methods for tapping into the rich psychological states, imagery and teachings in the Tibetan Book of the Dead so we can transform our thoughts and actions in every moment of this life while understanding how the life of the mind continues in death.

About Ven Losang Tenpa
Ven Losang Tenpa (Dr Alex Bruce) was ordained at Chenrezig Institute in 2003 and received gelong vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2022.  He teaches law at the University of Queensland and was the online teaching assistant for Nalanda Monastery between 2021 - 2023.  Tenpa has a PhD in Law and, with the support of His Holiness, recently completed a DPhil in Buddhist Philosophy and Christian Theology at the University of Oxford.  Tenpa has teaching and research interests in the relationship between Buddhism, Western Philosophy and Christianity and has been researching Near Death Experiences for many years.