The Girl in the Bardo- Epilogue and Index
This tale was inspired by the Bardo Thodol or Tibetan Book of the Dead. This is an ancient and mysterious book that aims to guide the spirit/soul of the departed across the liminal spaces between life and death called the Bardos. Although, I speak of a spirit/soul, these are not quite the correct terms. Buddhists, as I understand, do not believe in these metaphysical concepts. Which begs the question: If there is no soul or spirit, then what passes on after biological death?
In essence, the Tibetan Book of the Dead posits that after death you will experience a bunch of weird sh!t, so you better chill the f@ck out. Words of wisdom to face the unknown.
To pass on their teachings, Buddhists use the communicative power of art. In many of their paintings, you will see various motifs that are used over and over. One repeating image is that of a male deep in rapturous meditation with his amorous consort, who is seated on his lotus lap. Although, this image is trying to show the balance between the female and male principles, the Teachings are sometimes slanted towards the male. So to bring a bit of balance, I decided to focus on the feminine instead of the masculine, hence the title of the story.
The precise number of Bardos is unknown, but in one system, they indicate that there are 6 Bardos. Thus, I divided the story into 6 parts. I hope you enjoy it!
Below, I am including an index for your convenience.
Thank you for visiting.
Stay lit!
The Girl in the Bardo
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
