Archive Course with Andrew Holecek & Robert A.F. Thurman
This seven-day program is the first in a series of four retreats designed to give you a complete preparation for death.
Each retreat is a stand-alone program but also develops the material from the previous retreat. This means that if you are interested in doing the entire series, you can enter any program at any time. If you are interested in just one of the four retreats, each one is crafted as an independent program all its own.
These programs are an in-depth exploration of the teachings and practices of the three death bardos: The Painful Bardo of Dying; The Luminous Bardo of Dharmata; and The Karmic Bardo of Becoming – perhaps the most sophisticated contemplative map describing the journey of the mind before, during, and after death.
The final retreat will explore the sutra and tantra pure lands. This Eastern body of wisdom will be augmented with Western medical, legal, and logistical approaches to the end of life.
The uniqueness of these retreats is their comprehensive nature – no stone is left unturned.Learn what to do before, during, and after death – for yourself and for others – from a spiritual and practical perspective. By the end of this program, you will discover the death of death, and how to step back into this world – and eventually the next – with unshakeable confidence for what lies ahead.This first retreat covers the Painful Bardo of Dying, and will show you how the bardo teachings apply not just to the end of life, but to all the small deaths that occur within life.
You will learn all the meditations that prepare for every phase of this bardo, including shamatha, formless meditations, reverse meditations, nocturnal meditations, tonglen, and an introduction to sutra-level dark retreat. Guided contemplations, discussion groups, videos, and printed material will supplement the lectures.
Streamed live May, 2020, Length: 16+ Hours.
Includes lifetime access to video stream and course materials.
Robert Thurman
Robert Thurman is Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University as well as Co-Founder and President of Tibet House US/Menla in service of HH Dalai Lama & the people of Tibet. A close friend of the Dalai Lama’s for over 50 years, he is a leading world-wide lecturer on Tibetan Buddhism, passionate activist for the plight of the Tibetan people, skilled translator of Buddhist texts, and inspiring writer of popular Buddhist books. His most recent book is the 300 page graphic novel, Man of Peace: the Illustrated Life Story of the Dalai Lama of Tibet.
In partnership with Nena Thurman and dedicated contributors, he now focuses on making Tibet House US and its Menla Retreat & Spa a global center for the promotion, study and practice of Tibetan Buddhist healing arts and sciences of body, mind, and spirit, dedicated as a complement to the vast life work of its patron, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Andrew Holecek
Andrew Holecek is an author, speaker, and humanitarian who offers seminars internationally on meditation, lucid dreaming, and the art of dying. He is the author of many books, including The Power and the Pain: Transforming Spiritual Hardship into Joy, and Preparing to Die: Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition.
Dr. Holecek is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and the coauthor of scientific papers on lucid dreaming. His work has appeared in Psychology Today, Parabola, Lion’s Roar, Tricycle, Utne Reader, Buddhadharma Magazine, Light of Consciousness, and many other periodicals. He also hosts the popular Edge of Mind podcast, conversations with leading-edge thinkers in the fields of science, philosophy, spirituality, psychology, integral studies, and the arts.
Andrew is the founder of the international Night Club community, a support platform for the nocturnal meditations, and the co-founder of Global Dental Relief, which provides free oral health care to children in developing countries. He holds degrees in classical music, biology, and a doctorate in dental surgery. Learn more at andrewholecek.com.