Andrew Holecek

ONLINE • Death and the Art of Dying: Deep Dive into the Luminous Bardo

Andrew Holecek

August 18–24, 2023

Price
  • $425.00 – Program Price
From a spiritual perspective, death is the crowning moment of life. The karma that brought you into this life is exhausted, and the karma (habits) that will propel you into the next one hasn’t yet formed. This gap (bardo) provides a golden opportunity for rapid spiritual progress – if you are prepared. This week-long program gets you prepared. The luminous bardo of dharmata is where the peaceful and wrathful deities appear, which represent the archetypal aspects of your own mind. How can you meet those deities now? “Dharmata” means “suchness, reality” and refers to the enlightened state. All of manifest reality arises out of this bardo, and returns to it. It is the womb and the tomb of existence. Because of the subtle nature of this bardo, this program is more advanced. Some familiarity with the bardo teachings is recommended. For those who did not attend the Bardo of Dharmata teachings at DMC in 2022, we recommend listening to the recordings from that retreat. (More info on that soon.)

Topics we will cover:

  • How to remove all fear of death
  • How to help others at the end of life
  • The Tibetan Book of the Dead
  • The phases of the Bardo of Dharmata
  • The Reverse Meditations that prepare you for it
  • What continues after death ­– where do you go?
  • What doesn’t continue
  • How the power of mantra protects you
  • Where near-death-experiences fit in
  • Contemplations and meditations that help you prepare
  • How dream yoga and sleep yoga help you prepare
  • The role of psychedelics in preparing to die
  • The problem of proof
  • How this bardo relates to nonduality and enlightenment
  • How this bardo manifests in daily life

Who Should Attend?

This program is for anyone seriously wanting to prepare for the end of life. It is a no-nonsense deep dive into the profound teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. While it describes the spiritual preparation from a Buddhist perspective, the teachings are for anyone interested in a non-materialistic approach to death. This retreat is for those interested in exploring meditations that prepare you for death, and to “die before you die” — to discover states of mind that do not dissolve at the end of life. This program is also for those wishing to help others during the dying process, either personally or professionally, from both a spiritual and practical perspective.
This is a hybrid program and you are on the registration page to attend at your home, online. If you prefer to attend in person, at DMC, you can find that registration page at this link.
Of course, you may join from any timezone.

Recording

The talks and program sessions will be recorded. Registered participants will have viewable access to the recordings for 14 days after the program concludes.

Registration

Registration closes two hours before the start of the program.

Attendance

For those attending online, we encourage you to participate in the way that works best for your schedule and time zone.

Presenter

Andrew Holecek

Andrew Holecek offers seminars internationally on meditation, lucid dreaming, and the art of dying. He is the author of many books, including Preparing to Die: Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition; Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep; Dreams of Light: The Profound Daytime Practice of Lucid Dreaming, and The Power and the Pain: Transforming Spiritual Hardship into Joy. Dr. Holecek is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the author of scientific papers on lucid dreaming. His work has appeared in Parabola, Lion’s Roar, Tricycle, Utne Reader, Buddhadharma Magazine, Light of Consciousness, and many other periodicals. He holds degrees in classical music, biology, and a doctorate in dental surgery.

Program Details

This is an online program that will be conducted on Zoom. After registration, you will receive an email with simple instructions for downloading and using Zoom on your computer, laptop, or other device. At least 24 hours before the start time, a link to join the retreat will be sent to you via email.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please be sure to add "onlineteam@dralamountain.org" to your email address book, to ensure that these emails don't get blocked as spam.