A Sacred Compass: Navigating Life Through the Bardo Teachings

by Anam Thubten

The bardo teachings are like a sacred compass. Like all the sacred teachings, they are reminding us not to get too attached to anything in this world—to where we are, to our life, or to the affairs in our life. “Don’t get too attached to anything” is one of the main messages of the bardo teachings. They encourage us to be “in” the world but not “of” it, and they remind us that we don’t belong to this world absolutely or eternally. In this accessible book, Anam Thubten presents the wisdom of the six bardos from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, showing their utter necessity for living life in the modern world.

Genres: Buddhism

169 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2020

Reviews

[Mark Bourdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sacred Compass is a great introduction into the teaching of the bardo’s; how they apply to every day living as well as dying. I have found Anam Thubten books easy to read and understand, A Sacred Compass was no different. His ability to make a sometimes difficult text easy to understand was once again on display.

[Brian Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anam Thubten, as in his other books, in A Sacred Compass provides guidance from Buddhism easily assessable to non-Buddhists. His style is engaging and conveys a being intelligent and humble, seeking compassionately to serve all beings, not just Buddhists or those on a particular religious or spiritual path. Thubten employs Buddhism to reach out broadly to include anyone who chooses to receive prajna, or wisdom.

Here, Thubten shows how Buddhism has employed teachings about the interim stages of the dying process, from death to rebirth, yet showing how these phases correspond, also, to life transitions in this the human realm. He demonstrates how Buddhist teaching entails wisdom in how to engage this precious human life as preparation for its end, clarifying, also, how the bardo teachings can be engaged wisely by all, including persons who do not ascribe to reincarnation.

[Lily Holliday · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book. I am so glad to have discovered Anam Thubten.

[Andy Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent review of the Tibetan bardo teachings. Helpful for dealing with my brother’s recent death.