Challenging times can be the best times to practice. Suffering is compelling, so you might find that resting awareness on your experience is easier than when things are going well. This episode has a longish riff on how to find a teacher and how you know when you've met a true teacher.

This is a brief guided meditation on the stages of dying or 'bardos.' In Buddhism, the term 'bardo' typically refers to the intermediate state between death and rebirth; though it can refer to any transition. The most well-known and elaborated upon teachings on the bardo come from texts like the Tibetan Book of the Dead (also known as the Bardo Thodol), which is a key text in the Nyingma tradition.

The Bardo teachings often outline various stages or phases that the consciousness of a deceased person passes through, providing guidance on how to navigate these states and ultimately attain a favorable rebirth or liberation from the cycle of existence (samsara). The meditations on the Bardo are designed to help practitioners prepare for death, navigate the intermediate state, and possibly attain enlightenment. This particular meditation is quite short and has just a few such details on each stage.

Why would I experiment of holding a view if I am not sure it's true? This experiment can cause you to learn something beyond your current knowing—through direct experience. No belief is required. Just hold a new view, and see how it impacts your thoughts, speech and actions. If you like the effects, continue holding the view. If not, you can always try it again later—or not!