Can one stay in Bardo State for years?

paperflower SG

is there a possibility that one could stay in the bardo state for a long time, as long as years before reborning.

i realised that during meditation, time flies past real swift (like time never exists) & in a deep state like bardo, it is unimaginable how many hours or days or months can past by....

i suddenly thought of this because i feel that there are some people i came across are people i closely know in my past life before & why the different number of years apart in age.

justdoit77 SG

I know in vajrayana, there is this practise called "zhong1 yin1 bi4 guan1", which allows one's conscious to stay in bardo for a period of time.
This bi4 guan1 can be done only be enlightened person, for a period let's say 1 year, they stay in an isolated room and practise, without communicating with other people.

bardo bi4 guan1 is a very different thing, only highly cultivated people able and should practise this.
You can find this in tibetan book of living and dead.

paperflower SG

i see....
i haven't touched those pages in the book yet, still hanging around in the first part of the book. thanks for telling me, i'll check it out.

i felt that in the bardo stage, may not necessarily be in 7 days or 14 days or 49 days. it varies somehow according to a person's practice & ability & maybe even the need to. that's why this question to clarify.

what ignited a curious question was the observation of time involved during meditation. there seemed to be no time exist at all when u sit down & stay in the flow. it's like a dream sometimes, in dreams u dream of a scene or any happenings but so many hours have passed....

in bardo state, perhaps if u could & gotten used to enough for some cases, maybe you could choose to leave to reborn in a hurry or stay in confusion or simple just remain for the sake of i don't know what. i am not enlightened. so i may be all wrong here too.

An Eternal Now SG

The most common case is that after 49 days, after each opportunity in each 7 days where there is a 'light' showing, one will enter into the ghost realm. Whether there are exceptional cases I'm not sure, I heard some Vajrayana masters say its possible to go beyond 49 days in bardo. And they consider spirit realm to be part of the bardo realm Question Need someone to confirm.

coolbluewater SG

Found a text on this :

http://www.spiritualtravel.org/OBE/afterdeath.html

sinweiy SG

Originally posted by coolbluewater:
Found a text on this :

http://www.spiritualtravel.org/OBE/afterdeath.html

interesting, it mentioned:

The average person is said to spend a period of about forty-five days in the second bardo. However, passionate souls with strong desires or those responsible for evil acts in their most recent life are said to reincarnate almost immediately. In some cases, the individual can stay in the bardo state for long periods, and be drawn into its currents awaiting rebirth.

If the individual does not reincarnate in the physical world, he or she will go to one of the other five worlds of rebirth. These are the heaven worlds, the hell worlds, the world of hungry ghosts, the asura (demigod) worlds, and the animal worlds. Each of these is believed to be limited and inferior to obtaining another body in the material world. This is because they exist mostly to receive good or bad karma (the results of previous actions), and are not considered places to create new karma.

paperflower SG

extremely interesting read...

longchen SG

It is important to familiarise ourselve with the afterlife/bardo through spiritual practices and meditation. Meditative states present to us similar afterlife scenario and offers good training.

Better to make dry runs now while in the physical than to fumble at death. Laughing

my 2 cents

paperflower SG

yeah i agree with longchen...

now matters most.
sometimes the present can be difficult to fully understand & in bardo states, its like don't know how many times more difficult...

_wanderer_ SG

Just nice that you asked this question. Smile

Dungse Garab Dorje Rinpoche will be giving a teaching "Six Kinds of Bardo".
Date: 10 September 2006 (Sunday)
Time: 8pm (can enter as early as 7.20pm)
Venue: Orchard Hotel, Seminar Room (Lavender Room) Go up by escalator to level 3

Dungse Garab Dorje Rinpoche is a Yogi-Rinpoche and is regarded as the lineage holder of the Dudjom New Treasure. The Dudjom New Treasure is considered as one of the Nyingmapa's sect and was founded by H.H Dudjom Rinpoche. Garab Dorje was recognized as the incarnation of Dudjom Lingpa (A.D.1835-1904). He is also the grandson of HH Dudjom Rinpoche and son of Dungse Trinley Norbu Rinpoche, who are both his root masters too. And yea, he's also brother to Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche.

For even more information on Garab Dorje Rinpoche, pls view http://www.lioncity.net/buddhism/lofiversion/index.php/t17612.html and
http://www.garabdorje.net/index.htm

He doesn't often teach in Singapore. Hope you are able to make it for the teaching. Smile

paperflower SG

oh... ok.
thanks very much.