Description: Robert Thurman, PhD, passed on June 16 of this year. He was a shining light of love and joy, and a friend to the New Thinking Allowed family. We are grateful to have known him and to be touched by his warmth and passion.
He was professor emeritus at Columbia University where he was a teaching professor for 50 years on Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies. He was the first Westerner Tibetan Buddhist monk, ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
He authored many books, including Why the Dalai Lama Matters: His Act of Truth as the Solution for China, Tibet, and the Whole World and Infinite Life: Awakening to Bliss Within. His most recent book is Wisdom is Bliss: Four Friendly Fun Facts That Can Change Your Life. His website is bobthurman.com.
In this video, rebooted from 2023, Robert describes how to become liberated from suffering through understanding in the between of death and rebirth, known as the bardo in the Tibetan language. He describes other in-betweens and how to attain instant liberation.
Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:36 Mistranslation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead
00:04:56 The betweens or bardos
00:10:42 Near-death and death experiences
00:23:31 Deathlessness
00:35:11 Stages of liberation
00:45:51 Attachment
00:57:07 Interconnection
01:19:24 Instant liberation
01:21:02 Conclusion
00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:36 Mistranslation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead
00:04:56 The betweens or bardos
00:10:42 Near-death and death experiences
00:23:31 Deathlessness
00:35:11 Stages of liberation
00:45:51 Attachment
00:57:07 Interconnection
01:19:24 Instant liberation
01:21:02 Conclusion