From a summary of the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Stanislav Grof:
"In stage two, the bardo of Luminous Mind, the departed encounters the hallucinations resulting from the karma created during life. Unless highly developed, the individual will feel that they are still in the body. The departed then encounters various apparitions, the "peaceful" and "wrathful" deities, that are actually personifications of human feelings and that, to successfully achieve nirvana, the deceased must encounter unflinchingly. Only the most evolved individuals can skip the bardo experience altogether and transit directly into a paradise realm. Stage three, the bardo of rebirth, is the process of reincarnation."
I wonder if you are familiar with the work of the Monroe Institute? The Tibetan Book of the Dead is meant to be read to the dying as they die, the Monroe Institute teaches people to interact with people who have already transitioned.
ReplyDeleteRobert Monroe's Ultimate Journey explores his personal experience with this.
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Journey-Robert-Monroe/dp/0385472080