The Bardos Immersion: Wisdom for Living, Dying, and Beyond with Mingyur Rinpoche

About the Course

These direct instructions are among the most essential teachings in the Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Vajrayana Buddhism. Passed down for centuries from masters such as Padmasambhava, Naropa, and Milarepa, this lineage guidance helps us contemplate the reality of death, recognize the radiant purity of awareness, and integrate this experience into every aspect of our lives. The course will draw directly from Padmasambhava’s core text on the bardos, Natural Liberation, and Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche’s commentary, Mind Beyond Death.

Throughout the 9-month exploration, you will receive teachings from Mingyur Rinpoche, Lama Trinley, Tergar guides, and special teachers. At the heart of this journey is a strong emphasis on community and integrating the teachings into our lives. You will be supported by monthly webinars with Lama Trinley and bi-weekly live sessions with Tergar guides Tim Olmsted and Kasumi Kato. These community sessions are designed to help you work through each lesson’s material, ask questions, and practice together.

LEADING BUDDHIST TEACHERS

Meet Your Teachers and Guides

Mingyur Rinpoche was born in 1975 in the border region between Tibet and Nepal. The son of the great Dzogchen master Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, he received nature of mind transmissions from his father, as well as from Tai Situ Rinpoche and Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, among other remarkable teachers. He entered his first three-year retreat at thirteen, and in 2011 embarked on a four-and-a-half-year wandering retreat. Today, Rinpoche leads all organizations in the Tergar mandala, oversees monasteries in Nepal and India, and guides students in more than thirty countries.

Lama Trinley has been the resident teacher at the Tergar Mingjue Phoenix Center since November, 2007. Lama Trinley began his education at Tergar Monastery, where he studied the rituals, prayers, and other traditional practices of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. He entered the traditional three-year retreat when he was seventeen years old, after which he spent six years training in the monastic college of Tergar Monastery, where he taught for three years as assistant professor. His humble and gentle demeanor make him easily accessible to newcomers and experienced meditators alike.

Dr. Joanne Cacciatore is a bereaved mother, grief counselor, researcher, and professor at Arizona State University, where she leads the Graduate Certificate in Trauma and Bereavement program. She is the founder of the MISS Foundation, which supports families grieving the death of a child, and Selah Carefarm, a restorative community for people experiencing traumatic grief. Her award-winning book, Bearing the Unbearable, explores love, loss, and the experience of grief. An ordained Zen priest, she also teaches meditation to students around the world.

Kasumi Kato holds two master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin. In 2011, she encountered Mingyur Rinpoche’s teachings and has been practicing under his guidance ever since. She has completed over a year in solitary meditation retreat, in addition to many group retreats in the Tergar community. Kasumi currently works full-time for Tergar International as a curriculum specialist and serves as a senior facilitator. She also oversees the activities of Tergar Japan. Kasumi lives with her husband Cortland in Madison, Wisconsin.

Cortland Dahl is a scientist, translator, author, and meditation teacher with over twenty-five years of meditation experience, including deep training in Vajrayana under Mingyur Rinpoche. Fluent in Tibetan, he has published twelve translations of classical Buddhist texts. He holds a PhD in Mind, Brain, and Contemplative Science from UW-Madison, where he was mentored by Dr. Richard Davidson. Cort is Executive Director of Tergar International and Chief Contemplative Officer at Healthy Minds Innovations.

LEARNING EVERY MOMENT

Video Teachings from Mingyur Rinpoche

Exclusive teachings from Rinpoche in his characteristically clear and playful style — with audio and transcripts

Guided Meditations

Step-by-step instructions to refresh your practice and deepen your experience on the cushion

Bi-Weekly Live Sessions

Live sessions with Vajrayana Online guides to ask questions, share experiences, and stay connected

Live Teachings from Lama Trinley

Monthly webinars on each one of the six bardos to explore the course material

Practices for Daily Life

Short times, many times — simple ways to bring the teachings into everyday moments, anytime, anywhere

Introductions from Tergar Guides

Lived insights and practical context to support your understanding and real-world application of the teachings

Journaling and Community Resources

Invitations for integrating the teachings through personal reflection and discussion groups

Webinars Recordings

Recordings of previous live sessions with Mingyur Rinpoche and Tergar lamas and guides

AWAKENING TOGETHER

Vajrayana Online Live Sessions

Recordings

We strongly encourage you to join us live.
If you’re unable to attend, the recordings will be made available
in The Bardos Immersion course.

If you are not a Vajrayana Online member, please join the community to access the courses and live sessions in this transmission.

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The book Natural Liberation: Padmasambhava's Teachings on the Six Bardos by Padmasambhava, featuring a commentary by Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche, will be referenced throughout the course.

THE JOURNEY AHEAD

Course Outline

LIVE WEBINARS

INCLUDED IN THIS COURSE

As a preview of the meditation instructions in this course, we’re sharing Mingyur Rinpoche’s instructions for practicing the bardo of meditation — a method for recognizing and resting with awareness in the experience of the “gap.”

Practicing the Bardo of This Life
Practicing the Bardo of Dying
Practicing the Bardo of Dreams
Practicing the Bardo of Dharmata
Practicing the Bardo of Meditation
Practicing the Bardo of Becoming

Choose this option if you have financial hardship or a currency exchange rate that makes the standard rate unaffordable.

10-day free trial
25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
Weekly live sessions
Vajrayana Online App

By choosing the standard rate, you keep Vajrayana Online alive and flourishing.

10-day free trial
25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
Weekly live sessions
Vajrayana Online App

By choosing the sponsor rate, you help us offer a reduced rate to someone who needs it.

10-day free trial
25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
Weekly live sessions
Vajrayana Online App
Includes free access to the Joy of Living online program

Choose this option if you have financial hardship or a currency exchange rate that makes the standard rate unaffordable.

10-day free trial
25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
Weekly live sessions
Vajrayana Online App

By choosing the standard rate, you keep Vajrayana Online alive and flourishing.

10-day free trial
25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
Weekly live sessions
Vajrayana Online App

By choosing the sponsor rate, you help us offer a reduced rate to someone who needs it.

10-day free trial
25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
Weekly live sessions
Vajrayana Online App
Includes free access to the Joy of Living online program

You will make the first payment after the free trial period. The membership will automatically be renewed in accordance to the frequency you have selected. You can cancel anytime, and no additional fees will be charged. For more questions about the membership, please visit our FAQs section.

Tergar is committed to making the benefits of Buddhist teachings and practices available to everyone. If the membership rate of $29 USD per month is a hindrance for you financially, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via [email protected] to ask for a further reduced rate. We offer financial assistance rates for certain countries, for students with limited budgets, and for the monastic community.

Study and Practice for Nine Months with Mingyur Rinpoche!

Receiving bardo instructions from Mingyur Rinpoche is a truly precious opportunity. This 9-month immersion is your chance to receive the complete transmission and to deepen your practice and study under Rinpoche’s guidance.

Bardo teachings may sound very fascinating and colorful, but the vital point is one’s individual practice right now. Why have medicine when sick, if one doesn’t use it? Without training, our studies become mere intellectual understanding. If study were sufficient, we could simply lean back and read a book about Dzogchen. In fact, there is no way around actual training. The whole reason for receiving bardo teachings has been traditionally described as that of “connecting a broken water pipe” — by training now, one will be able to continue the “flow” of practice through the bardo state to the following life. In the Dzogchen system bardo training is indispensable.

Yes! You can join at any time and access all the materials. You won’t miss anything.

Don’t worry, you will only need about one hour to complete each lesson, and you can take the course at your own pace.

There are no prerequisites for this course. It is appropriate for practitioners of all levels.

Mingyur Rinpoche’s teachings make it easy to integrate the bardo teachings into the practices you already do. Your daily practice will be enriched, and there’s no extra homework!

The Bardos Immersion:

Wisdom for Living, Dying, and Beyond with Mingyur Rinpoche

About the Course

Meet Your Teachers and Guides