For over forty years, Pema Chödrön has embraced our faults, our fears, and our failings, reflecting them back to us with compassion, insight, and the possibility of freedom.
And now, she is tackling the most challenging and universal source of fear: death and dying.
ABOUT THIS JOURNEY
As she entered the ninth decade of her life, Pema Chödrön spent a year in solitary retreat working deeply with traditional Tibetan Buddhist teachings on death, including teachings on the bardos from The Tibetan Book of the Dead. This interactive online retreat, recorded at her home monastery, Gampo Abbey, in front of a small audience of her close students and friends, brings the fruits of Pema’s study and practice to you.
Whether you’re a longtime practitioner, an enthusiastic beginner, or somewhere in between, this retreat will offer you teachings and tools for embracing the entirety of your human experience—including your death—as a sacred journey. These are teachings that you can listen to again and again over the coming years, returning to them for guidance and grounding as you navigate the ongoing journey of your life.
What if our greatest fear is leaving our loved ones behind?
What if we fear the unknown or no longer existing?
What if we fear having not fulfilled our purpose in this life?
What if we’re scared of pain or isolation while dying?
A RETREAT MADE FOR YOU
This online retreat includes a bounty of exclusive resources to support you in your retreat practice.
COURSE CURRICULUM
This online retreat includes a bounty of exclusive resources, many available only for this one-time special offering, to support you in your retreat experience.
RETREAT SUMMARY
This retreat was designed with your needs in mind and contains
all of the following:
ABOUT YOUR TEACHER
Beloved Buddhist teacher, author, nun and mother, Pema Chödrön has inspired millions of people from around the world who have been touched by her example and message of practicing peace in these turbulent times.
She has been teaching and writing extensively for many years, including authoring the best-selling books When Things Fall Apart and The Places That Scare You.
Pema first met her root teacher, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in 1972. Lama Chime encouraged her to work with Rinpoche, and it was with him that she ultimately made her most profound connection. At the request of the Sixteenth Karmapa, she received the full monastic ordination in the Tibetan lineage of Buddhism in 1981 in Hong Kong. She is resident teacher at Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery for westerners in North America.
“Pema Chödrön delivers the material in an extremely warm, understandable, and accessible way for westerners. I also appreciate her gentle humor and find myself smiling and laughing at many points during her talks. I [feel I am] in a more prepared and eager state to continue my study/practice and to take the next step of attending a meditation retreat in order to go further. To all responsible for putting this together, thank you so very much.”
“Even though I am an online participant I feel as though I am there. Pema and the participants are very ‘real’ and I can relate to the responses of those present. We all struggle with similar experiences.”
“I truly appreciate [Pema’s] manner of kindness and humor. She presents the material in a way that I can integrate into my daily life. I am a novice to many of the teachings but never feel overwhelmed or confused after a lesson. Thank you.”
“The quality of the videos was fantastic. I felt like I was attending the Yarne at the Abbey. The talks by Pema were absolutely wonderful and I'll watch them many times.”
“Pema is a relatable, delightful, and excellent communicator. The video is high quality and the support materials (e.g., talk transcript, notes, reading list, etc.) are helpful resources. I also appreciate that this course is available to those unable to take time away from work or family (at least at this particular time in life), as well as its self-paced nature.”
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In this six-week interactive online retreat, Pema Chödrön will be your guide in living purposefully and dying fearlessly by teaching you how to . . .
The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Audio)
Translated by Francesca Fremantle and Chögyam Trungpa
Read by Richard Gere
2 ¾ hours, unabridged
This translation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead emphasizes the practical advice that the book offers to the living.
BONUS #1
Watch Pema speak to her close students and friends in the main shrine room at Gampo Abbey, her home monastery
FOURTEEN HOURS OF POWERFUL TEACHINGS
* PLUS *
Special Program Bonuses
Touching Impermanence: The Bardo of Living
LESSON 1
This Lesson Will Help You . . .
- Become more familiar with the impermanence of all things
- Train to become more courageous, wise, and compassionate in your everyday life
- Understand why we study the bardo teachings and how they are relevant to every part of your life (not just your death)
Enjoyed the Excerpt?
14 HOURS OF VIDEO TEACHINGS
FACILITATED
DISCUSSION FORUMS
PRACTICE PROMPTS
SACRED REMINDERS
PRINTABLE TRANSCRIPTS
RECOMMENDED READING LISTS
UNLIMITED ACCESS
PRAISE FOR PEMA
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
As she entered the ninth decade of her life, Pema Chödrön spent a year in solitary retreat working deeply with traditional Tibetan Buddhist teachings on death, including teachings on the bardos from The Tibetan Book of the Dead. This interactive online retreat, recorded at her home monastery, Gampo Abbey, in front of a small audience of her close students and friends, brings the fruits of Pema’s study and practice to you.
Whether you’re a longtime practitioner, an enthusiastic beginner, or somewhere in between, this retreat will offer you teachings and tools for embracing the entirety of your human experience—including your death—as a sacred journey. These are teachings that you can listen to again and again over the coming years, returning to them for guidance and grounding as you navigate the ongoing journey of your life.
What if our greatest fear is leaving our loved ones behind?
What if we fear the unknown or no longer existing?
What if we fear having not fulfilled our purpose in this life?
What if we’re scared of pain or isolation while dying?
Embrace impermanence in everyday life and relationships
LOVE AND LET GO
RETAIL PRICE: $499
LAUNCH DISCOUNT: -$300
JOIN THE JOURNEY
Registration and Discount Available for a Limited Time
3-month payment plan option available
100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE
If you are not satisfied, e-mail us within 30 days of registering for the course, and we will promptly refund your purchase price.
SPECIAL PRICE: $199
COURSE EXCERPTS
14 HOURS OF VIDEO TEACHINGS
FACILITATED
DISCUSSION FORUMS
LIVE MEDITATION SESSIONS
RETREAT WORKBOOK
PRACTICE PROMPTS
RETREAT RESOURCES
SACRED REMINDERS
HOME PRACTICES & CONTEMPLATIONS
PRINTABLE TRANSCRIPTS
DOWNLOADABLE AUDIO FILES
RECOMMENDED READINGS LIST
UNLIMITED ACCESS
UNLIMITED ACCESS
* PLUS *
BONUS #1
The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Audio)
BONUS #2
The Five Buddha Families (Video)
BONUS #3
50% OFF Recommended Readings
Train your mind to stay relaxed and open in any situation
FACE THE UNEXPECTED
Embrace impermanence in everyday life and relationships
LOVE AND LET GO
Learn how to rest in the space of suffering and discomfort
EASE YOUR SUFFERING
Harness the inherent wisdom of your habitual patterns
FIND WISDOM IN NEUROSIS
Cultivate curiosity about what happens when you die
RELAX WITH THE UNKNOWN
Notice opportunities for enlightenment when they arise
RECOGNIZE THE GATEWAYS
Train your mind to stay relaxed and open in any situation
FACE THE UNEXPECTED
Harness the inherent wisdom of your habitual patterns
FIND WISDOM IN NEUROSIS
Learn how to rest in the space of suffering and discomfort
EASE YOUR SUFFERING
Notice opportunities for enlightenment when they arise
RECOGNIZE THE GATEWAYS
Cultivate curiosity about what happens when you die
RELAX WITH THE UNKNOWN
RETAIL PRICE: $499
LAUNCH DISCOUNT: -$300
JOIN THE JOURNEY
Registration and Discount Available for a Limited Time
3-month payment plan option available
Experience the profound effect of these teachings on your own life!
100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE
If for any reason you are not completely satisfied, please e-mail us within 30 days, and we will promptly refund your purchase price.
SPECIAL PRICE: $199
ABOUT THIS RETREAT
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
In this six-week interactive online retreat, Pema Chodron will be your guide in living purposefully and dying fearlessly by teaching you how to . . .
A RETREAT MADE FOR YOU
This online retreat includes a bounty of exclusive resources, many available only for this one-time special offering, to support you in your retreat practice.
THIS RETREAT INCLUDES:
RETREAT SUMMARY
For over forty years, Pema Chödrön has embraced our faults, our fears, and our failings, reflecting them back to us with compassion, insight, and the possibility of freedom.
And now, she is tackling the most challenging and universal source of fear: death and dying.
Sit with others in the retreat community in live meditation sessions via Zoom (Saturdays 2–2:30 p.m. EST between February 19 & March 26)
LIVE MEDITATION SESSIONS
An opportunity to receive guidance from a senior practitioner in Pema’s tradition along with the peer-to-peer support of fellow retreat participants
FACILITATED DISCUSSION FORUMS
Printable workshop with helpful notes and graphics for each lesson, as well as space for journaling and reflection
A RETREAT WORKBOOK
Twice weekly announcement e-mails reminding you of the practices for that week
WEEKLY PRACTICE PROMPTS
Video guide and printable resources for supporting your retreat at home, including suggested schedules and retreat guidelines
RETREAT RESOURCES
Printable slogans and phrases that you can use to create your sacred space at home
SACRED REMINDERS
Exercises to help you reflect and strengthen your understanding, bringing the dharma alive in your daily life
HOME PRACTICES & CONTEMPLATIONS
Printable transcripts of all video lessons so you can review the teachings at your own pace and highlight quotes or concepts for future reference
PRINTABLE TRANSCRIPTS
Listen on the go and take in this profound dharma where and when it works best for you—in the car, on a walk, or over the kitchen sink
DOWNLOADABLE
AUDIO FILES
A list of readings and books recommended by Pema for deepening your study and practice
RECOMMENDED READINGS LIST
Access the retreat on your device or computer again and again as new insights emerge on your own path
UNLIMITED ACCESS
Access the retreat on your device or computer again and again as new insights emerge on your own path
UNLIMITED ACCESS
Watch Pema speak to her close students and friends in the main shrine room at Gampo Abbey, her home monastery
FOURTEEN HOURS OF POWERFUL TEACHINGS
An opportunity to receive guidance from a senior practitioner in Pema’s tradition along with the peer-to-peer support of fellow retreat participants
FACILITATED DISCUSSION FORUMS
Live guided meditation sessions where once a week you can log in and sit with others in the retreat community via Zoom (Saturdays 2–2:30 p.m. EST between February 19 & March 26)
LIVE MEDITATION SESSIONS
Printable workshop with helpful notes and graphics for each lesson, as well as space for journaling and reflection
A RETREAT WORKBOOK
Twice weekly announcement e-mails reminding you of the practices for that week
WEEKLY PRACTICE PROMPTS
Video guide and printable resources for supporting your retreat at home, including suggested schedules and retreat guidelines
RETREAT RESOURCES
Printable slogans and phrases that you can use to create your sacred space at home
SACRED REMINDERS
Exercises to help you reflect and strengthen your understanding, bringing the dharma into your daily life
HOME PRACTICES & CONTEMPLATIONS
Printable transcripts of all video lessons so you can review the teachings at your own pace and highlight quotes or concepts for future reference
PRINTABLE TRANSCRIPTS
Listen on the go and take in this profound dharma where and when it works best for you—in the car, on a walk, or over the kitchen sink
DOWNLOADABLE
AUDIO FILES
A list of readings and books recommended by Pema for deepening your study and practice
RECOMMENDED READINGS LIST
Access the retreat on your device or computer again and again as new insights emerge on your own path
UNLIMITED ACCESS
Access the retreat on your device or computer again and again as new insights emerge on your own path
UNLIMITED ACCESS
The Five Buddha Families (Video)
Taught by Judith L. Lief
1 1/2 hours, unabridged
In this talk on the Five Buddha Families, Judy Lief explains how our inner world and the outer world are comprised of the same elemental forces.
BONUS #2
Coupon Code for 50% OFF the Entire Collection of Recommended Readings
Total Retail Value: $220 You Save: $110
Expand your library with 50% off the entire collection of recommended readings for this retreat.
BONUS #3
The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Audio)
Translated by Francesca Fremantle and Chögyam Trungpa
Read by Richard Gere
2 ¾ hours, unabridged
This translation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead emphasizes the practical advice that the book offers to the living.
The Five Buddha Families (Video)
Taught by Judith L. Lief
1 1/2 hours, unabridged
In this talk on the Five Buddha Families, Judy Lief explains how our inner world and the outer world are comprised of the same elemental forces.
BONUS #2
Coupon Code for 50% OFF the Entire Collection of Recommended Readings
Total Retail Value: $220 You Save: $110
BONUS #3
Expand your library with 50% off the entire collection of recommended readings for this retreat.
BONUS #1
Entering the Sacred World: The Bardo of Dying
LESSON 2
This Lesson Will Help You . . .
- Learn the two most important things to keep in mind when you’re dying and how to practice them now
- Engage the practice of tonglen, or sending and taking, for awakening love and compassion
- Understand the steps of dissolution that occur in the process of dying (according to the Tibetan Buddhist view)
Touching Impermanence: The Bardo of Living
LESSON 1
This Lesson Will Help You...
- Become more familiar with the impermanence of all things
- Train to become more courageous, wise, and compassionate in your everyday life
- Understand why we study the bardo teachings and how they are relevant to every part of your life (not just your death)
Entering the Sacred World: The Bardo of Dying
LESSON 2
This Lesson Will Help You...
- Learn the two most important things to keep in mind when you’re dying and how to practice them now
- Engage the practice of tonglen, or sending and taking, for awakening love and compassion
- Understand the steps of dissolution that occur in the process of dying (according to the Tibetan Buddhist view)
Gateways to Liberation: The Bardo of Dharmata
LESSON 3
This Lesson Will Help You . . .
- Recognize the gateways to enlightenment that arise in the bardo of dharmata
- Explore how habitual patterns and perceptions create your reality
- Understand the benefits of leaving your comfort zone, the risks of staying in it, and the danger of going too far out of it
Gateways to Liberation: The Bardo of Dharmata
LESSON 3
This Lesson Will Help You...
- Recognize the gateways to enlightenment that arise in the bardo of dharmata
- Explore how habitual patterns and perceptions create your reality
- Understand the benefits of leaving your comfort zone, the risks of staying in it, and the danger of going too far out of it
Styles of Imprisonment: The Six Realms
LESSON 4
This Lesson Will Help You . . .
- Recognize the six realms or habitual states of mind that trap you in unhelpful patterns
- Identify how these “styles of imprisonment” arise in your own experience
- Understand how to get unstuck when you find yourself in one of the six realms
Styles of Imprisonment: The Six Realms
LESSON 4
This Lesson Will Help You...
- Recognize the six realms or habitual states of mind that trap you in unhelpful patterns
- Identify how these “styles of imprisonment” arise in your own experience
- Understand how to get unstuck when you find yourself in one of the six realms
A Waking Dream: The Bardo of Becoming
LESSON 5
This Lesson Will Help You . . .
- Learn how to transform the patterns that don’t serve you so you can act in alignment with your intention
- Discover how to best support a person who has just died, according to the Tibetan Buddhist view
- Identify the qualities and scenarios you could experience in the bardo of becoming and understand how to prepare for them
A Waking Dream: The Bardo of Becoming
LESSON 5
This Lesson Will Help You...
- Learn how to transform the patterns that don’t serve you so you can act in alignment with your intention
- Discover how to best support a person who has just died, according to the Tibetan Buddhist view
- Identify the qualities and scenarios you could experience in the bardo of becoming and understand how to prepare for them
Co-emergent Wisdom: The Five Buddha Families
LESSON 6
This Lesson Will Help You . . .
- Understand the five categories of wisdom energy known as Buddha families
- Work with the wisdom of the Buddha families as they show up in your life
- Reflect on the meaning of bardo in your own life
Co-emergent Wisdom: The Five Buddha Families
LESSON 6
This Lesson Will Help You...
- Understand the five categories of wisdom energy known as Buddha families
- Work with the wisdom of the Buddha families as they show up in your life
- Reflect on the meaning of bardo in your own life
LIVE MEDITATION SESSIONS
RETREAT WORKBOOK
RETREAT RESOURCES
HOME PRACTICES & CONTEMPLATIONS
DOWNLOADABLE AUDIO FILES
UNLIMITED ACCESS
* PLUS *
BONUS #1
The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Audio)
BONUS #2
The Five Buddha Families (Video)
BONUS #3
50% OFF Recommended Readings
Enjoyed the Excerpt?
Enjoyed the Excerpt?
ABOUT YOUR TEACHER
PRAISE FOR PEMA
Over 10,000 people have studied with Pema Chödrön through Shambhala Publications and Prajna Studios.
Here’s some of what they’ve had to say . . .
This online retreat includes a bounty of exclusive resources to support you in your retreat practice.
RETAIL PRICE: $499
LAUNCH DISCOUNT: -$300
JOIN THE JOURNEY
Registration and Discount Available for a Limited Time
3-month payment plan option available
100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE
If you are not satisfied, e-mail us within 30 days of registering for the course, and we will promptly refund your purchase price.
SPECIAL PRICE: $199
RETAIL PRICE: $499
LAUNCH DISCOUNT: -$300
JOIN THE JOURNEY
Registration and Discount Available for a Limited Time
3-month payment plan option available
Experience the profound effect of these teachings on your own life!
100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE
If for any reason you are not completely satisfied, please e-mail us within 30 days, and we will promptly refund your purchase price.
SPECIAL PRICE: $199
When does the course begin?
The course is available as soon as you register, and with the exception of the live elements, it does not have a specific start date. All lessons are available and you may go through the course materials at your own pace. The facilitated discussion boards will be available starting on February 19, 2022 and will remain active through March 26, 2022. The weekly meditation sessions will begin on Saturday, February 19, 2022 and run through Saturday, March 26, 2022.
How long does it take to complete the course?
There are six lessons in the course and each lesson is designed to last a week. However, the course is flexible and you can work at your own pace as well, so you can benefit just as much from the course even if it takes you longer to go through it. We encourage you to download videos as you go through the course for your own personal use in the future. You will continue to have unlimited access to the course materials online as well.
How long will I have access to the course?
Your access to the course is unlimited. It will not expire.
How long will the discussion boards be available?
The discussion boards will remain open through August 19, 2022. However, the facilitators will only be available to respond to questions about the teachings until March 26, 2022.
When are the live meditation sessions?
The weekly meditation sessions will be held on Saturdays at 2–2:30 p.m. EST, beginning on February 19, 2022 and ending March 26, 2022.
Can I still take this training without a desktop/laptop computer (for example, if I only have an iPad)?
Yes, you can access this course using the browser on your device. However, please note that if you’d like to save any of the course materials, you will need to download to a computer first and then transfer the files to your device.
What if I have technical difficulties with the course?
We have a dedicated course support person who can help you with any issues you may encounter in navigating or accessing the course. Please email course-support@shambhala.com if you have any questions.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS