Friday, May 9, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Ad:

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

The ancient text read to the dead in Tibetan culture aims to help people deal with their inevitable fate in the best possible way.

Published 19 March 2023
– By Editorial Staff
Left: Ancient mandala pattern from the Bardo Thodol collection. Tibetan monks at Drepung Temple in Lhasa on the right.

The original texts were probably written sometime in the 7th century, discovered in the 14th century, and translated into English in the 20th century by the American scholar and anthropologist Walter Evans-Wentz (1878-1965). The translation became the standard English version that most people today know as The Tibetan Book of the Dead and is the one that other authors tend to refer to.

Evans-Wentz’s popularization of the work, including by relating it to the psychologist Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), has established the book as a kind of guide to understanding and altering consciousness. Many people find that the texts can help them free themselves from misconceptions that keep them bound to repeated cycles of self-destructive or self-limiting behavior. However, this was not the original purpose of Bardo Thodol.

Bardo Thodol roughly means “liberation by hearing in the intermediate state” and was written to be read to the spirit of the deceased in the intermediate state (“bardo”) at the stage when the soul leaves the body and faces the process of either being reborn in another form or being liberated from the cycle of rebirth and death (“samsara”). According to the Tibetan Buddhist philosophy of life, the consciousness of the dead person is confronted, among other things, with the deeds done in life, which are personified in the form of either angry or peaceful spirits. These spirits are considered to be frightening to the soul, and so a lama (Tibetan Buddhist monk) reads the scripture aloud next to the body of the dead person, partly to help the soul understand what it is encountering, and partly because this understanding enables a more harmonious transition from the intermediate state to a new form of life.

At the same time, the mythical writings have had other applications in the encounter with other cultures and beliefs. The texts, however they are interpreted, are based on the existence of an afterlife, providing comfort to those facing death. The scriptures are even used today in some places as a healthcare tool for patients who do not have long to live, to help them face the fears of death.

History of the scriptures

According to legend, the Bardo Thodol arose in the 7th century when the Lotus Guru Padmasambhava was invited to Tibet by the Emperor Trisong Detsen (755 – 797) who requested his help in ridding the country of the dark spirits that were believed to be preventing the acceptance of Buddhist teachings. Padmasambhava thus transformed these spirits from selfish and fearful obstacles into guardians of the cosmic law, “dharma”.

Among the first to embrace the Buddhist philosophy of life was Yeshe Tsogyal in the mid-8th century, who was either the wife or consort of Trisong Detsen. She may have been an early follower of the goddess Tara, one of the principal figures in the esoteric Buddhism of Padmasambhava. Tsogyal, often called the mother of Tibetan Buddhism, dutifully studied with Padmasambhava and helped the guru write the texts, which they then hid in various places to be found later by those who would reveal them when needed.

In the 14th century, the texts were discovered by Karma Lingpa, who is traditionally considered a reincarnation of one of Padmasambhava’s disciples. Lingpa discovered several texts, not just the Bardo Thodol, as noted by scholar Bryan J. Cuevas, among others.

These texts were taught orally by masters to students in the 15th century and then passed between students in the same way. Cuevas notes how “the transmission of religious knowledge, whether in the form of texts or direct oral instruction, was actually a rather fluid process in Tibet” at this time, and earlier. The texts were only printed in the 18th century when they began to circulate more widely and made their way to Western societies around the world.

In 1919, British officer Major W. L. Campbell, stationed in Sikkim, India, travelled around Tibet and bought a number of these printed texts. Campbell had an interest in Tibetan Buddhism and on his return to Sikkim, he shared them with Dr Walter Evans-Wentz, an anthropologist in the region who was studying the religious and spiritual aspects of the culture in Tibet. Evans-Wentz had a very poor command of the language and therefore enlisted the help of Lama Kazi Dawa Samdup (1868 – 1922) who was the headmaster and teacher at a local school.

Dawa Samdup already had an impressive reputation as a translator, having worked with the famous travel writer and spiritualist Alexandra David-Neel to translate Tibetan into English. He agreed to help Evans-Wentz with the writings, and they met to translate and interpret the texts until Dawa Samdup’s death in 1922. At this point, only Bardo Thodol’s funeral text was mostly translated. Evans-Wentz filled in the missing parts with his own interpretation and published the writings in 1927 under the title The Tibetan Book of the Dead to resonate with the title The Egyptian Book of the Dead, published in English in 1867 by the British Museum.

Life as a shaper of the death experience

At the center of Bardo Thodol is the Buddhist philosophy that all living things are interconnected as a constant cycle of change; that all things come and go according to their nature, and that human suffering arises from trying to maintain permanent states in a world where death is inevitable. Researcher Fung Kei Cheng elaborates:

“For Buddhists, life is considered not only a process but, more importantly, a “great process of becoming” with an unceasing cycle of living and dying, which suggests that individuals experience death countless times…. Depending on the individual response to reality, transcending suffering and alleviating death anxiety becomes possible when a person successfully searches for meaning in life and then prepares to die well by letting go of death.”

According to the Buddhist philosophy of life, it is a person’s response to reality in life that shapes their experience after death. In the afterlife, both the positive and negative energies in one’s life manifest as spirits that try to block or open one’s path in the intermediate state after the body dies. The Bardo Thodol is therefore read to the soul to help it understand what it is facing and what to expect next.

Once the ritual of the reading of the Bardo Thodol is complete, the family of the deceased is considered to have done their duty in respecting the dead and can then move on with their lives. Although it seems that some rituals only last for a week or sometimes a few days, the act itself is believed to have helped the deceased and prevent their spirit from returning to haunt the living with bad luck, illness or retribution.

Guidance in life and in death

The ritual of reading aloud to help the soul of the dead is the sole purpose of the original Tibetan text, but once translated by Dawa Samdup and published by Evans-Wentz, its texts were promoted as a source of guidance for the living as well. Evans-Wentz was inspired by the theosophy of Helena Blavatsky (1831 – 1891), which was based on the idea that the divine and immortal absolute resides within each soul, and drew much of its philosophy from Buddhism, particularly esoteric Buddhism. Tibet, as Blavatsky claimed, was “a seat of ancient wisdom”.

Evans-Wentz’s interpretation of the Bardo Thodol was therefore influenced by his theosophical beliefs – not just as a funeral rite but with content that could also help one live a better life on this plane of reality. In his introduction to The Tibetan Book of the Dead, Evans-Wentz writes:

“It is very sensible of Bardo Thodol to clarify the primacy of the dead soul, because that is the one thing that life does not clarify for us. We are so hemmed in by things that crowd and oppress that we never get a chance, in the midst of all these ‘given’ things, to wonder by whom they are ‘given’. It is from this world of ‘given’ things that the dead man liberates himself; and the purpose of instruction is to help him towards this liberation. We, if we put ourselves in his place, will get no less reward from it, because we learn from the very first paragraphs that the ‘giver’ of all ‘given’ things lives within us.”

Evans-Wentz’s approach has highlighted the perspective that The Tibetan Book of the Dead can thus be as valuable to the living as to the dead, something also emphasised by the Tibetan lama Sogyal Rinpoche. It is clear that Bardo Thodol’s texts were written to provide comfort and guidance to the dead in the afterlife, encouraging them to “do something about” death by engaging with the dying process. Today, it may meet the psychological need mentioned by Jung for a belief in the survival of bodily death, helping people in the process to let go and move on – regardless of what personal beliefs or philosophies one relates to.

TNT is truly independent!

We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.

Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…

Trump wants 100% tariff on foreign films

Donald Trump's USA

Published today 7:02
– By Editorial Staff

Donald Trump has announced that he has initiated a process to impose a 100% tariff on all films produced outside the US that are then imported into the country. Critics warn of the consequences and argue that tariffs will worsen the situation for the American film industry.

The decision, which was announced on May 4, is intended, according to Trump, to protect the American film industry, which he believes is on the verge of “a very fast death”, reports industry publication Variety.

– This is a concerted effort by other nations and, therefore, a national security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda, Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social.

Trump said he has instructed the Department of Commerce and the US Trade Representative to quickly begin the process of imposing the tariffs.

Exact details on how the tariffs will be implemented, such as whether they will also cover streaming services or how the size of the tariffs will be calculated, have not yet been announced.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has confirmed that the authorities are working on the issue.

“Incredibly stupid”

Many American productions are currently filmed in several countries that offer financial incentives for film production, including Canada, the UK, and Australia, and industry representatives are now concerned about how the tariffs would affect ongoing projects and collaborations.

The chair of the Swedish Film and TV Producers Association, Eva Hamilton, called the proposal “incredibly stupid” and warned that it could isolate the US culturally and economically.

It just sounds incredibly stupid, and I find it hard to see how it could be implemented. He’s right that Hollywood hasn’t kept up, but stopping all foreign expertise sounds like shooting yourself in the foot, Eva Hamilton said in an interview with Schibsted owned TV4.

Trump has previously singled out Hollywood as a “very problematic place” and, in early 2025, appointed actors Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone as ambassadors to promote American film production.

The American film industry has already been affected by Trump’s trade war, and China, among others, has reduced its quota for American films allowed to be shown in response to the new American tariffs on the country.

Record number of Swedes read books last year

Published yesterday 7:21
– By Editorial Staff
Two thirds of Swedes read or listened to a book at least once a week last year.

In 2024, a record number of Swedes read or listened to books, a new survey shows. This is the highest level measured so far in the 21st century.

More than half, 51 percent, of Swedes between the ages of nine and 87 read or listened to a book on a typical day, according to the 2024 Media Barometer from Nordicom at the University of Gothenburg. A full 66 percent read weekly.

– This is the highest figure we have seen in the Media Barometer since the measurements started in the late 1970s, says Jonas Ohlsson, media researcher and director at Nordicom in a press release.

The printed book is still the most common format, with 38% using it daily. In comparison, audiobooks reach 15 percent and e-books only seven percent.

In terms of books sold last year, print books also remained at the top of the list, although sales declined. Audio books are also becoming more common to buy and listen to.

Older, highly educated women read the most

The Swedes who read the most, especially printed books, are highly educated women over 65. At the same time, reading is weakest among men without a university education. As a rule, women read more than men, but the gaps are not as great when it comes to listening to audio books.

– These patterns are not the same for audiobooks, however. The possibility to listen to books seems to lower the threshold to literature, which means that the audiobook reduces the socio-economic gaps that we see in traditional book reading, says Ohlsson.

The survey was conducted on 6000 randomly selected people aged nine to 85.

Swedish criminologist fired after linking genetics and ethnicity to crime on state TV

organized crime

Published 2 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Leif GW Persson in a discussion with the Liberals' Johan Pehrson.

Recently, Swedish criminologist Leif GW Persson stated that there is a very clear link between genetics, ethnic factors, and crime – a link that researchers and authorities have deliberately silenced.

Now he is suddenly being forced to leave the state television program Veckan – which is also being shut down completely without further explanation.

In an episode of SVT’s Veckan med Camilla och Leif GW (The Week with Camilla and Leif GW) just over a month ago, Persson caused quite a stir when he presented a not entirely politically correct explanation for the spiraling crime rate in Sweden – factors that the authorities choose to ignore completely.

– There is one factor that has been studiously avoided, or rather two. One is the genetic link, which is actually stronger than the social links. So what about genetics if you trace this young criminal back through his family?

– That’s one thing. The other is the ethnic factor. They have avoided that, he continued, describing the link between ethnicity and crime as “very strong when it comes to serious organized crime in marginalized suburbs”.

According to Persson, these explanatory models are something “people don’t like to talk about” – and he argued that researchers are well aware of the importance of genetics and ethnicity, but that they have avoided focusing on these factors for purely political reasons.

– Criminological research can, with some justification, be accused of not really aiming at the target. The reason for this is not because people have been unaware, but because they want to avoid anything that could cause problems for them.

“At any cost, I had to be here”

The criminologist also expressed harsh criticism of politicians and other people in power, saying that they have failed completely in building a functioning police organization, among other things.

The TV personality’s comments caused an uproar among left-wing activists and liberals on social media, and he has now been fired from the tax-funded channel.

– It came as a surprise when SVT called and said they were cancelling the program. I have a clear idea of why that is, he told Bonnier-owned Amelia.

– I was actually a bit surprised because they were very eager to get me here. And that was just about a year ago. At any cost, I had to be here. Then it turned out that it was basically just to do 20 programs, Persson continues.

He does not want to confirm at this time that it was his comments about ethnicity, genetics, and crime that led to his dismissal, but he promises to comment further on the matter at a later date.

“That’s for SVT’s managers to answer”

Persson also points out that the program had good ratings, was inexpensive to produce, and received positive feedback, but that SVT’s managers nevertheless chose to cancel it. Program host Camilla Kvartoft also declined to comment on why the program was suddenly canceled.

– That’s for SVT’s managers to answer, but we’ve had two really great seasons with very high viewership, and I’m proud of our programs, she says.

Sofia Dahlström, who is the “acting commissioner for society, documentaries, and minorities” at SVT, states that it was decided from the beginning that there would only be two seasons – something Leif GW Persson does not recognize.

Sweden’s Bohus Fortress gets digital twin for preservation

Published 13 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff

Using drones and laser scanning, a detailed digital replica of Bohus Fortress has been created. The aim is to facilitate maintenance, increase accessibility – and preserve an exact replica for future generations.

Founded in 1308 on the Göta River, Bohus Fortress has been besieged by Norwegians, Danes and Swedes throughout history – but never conquered in battle. Today it is a ruin and designated one of the seven wonders of Västra Götaland and a state building monument, which means that the state is responsible for its preservation.

To improve maintenance and accessibility, the castle architect Allan Ahlman was hired. However, the task proved challenging, with over 26,000 square meters of stone surfaces and walls stretching 22 meters into the air.

– The work was quite cumbersome and time-inefficient, while at the same time it was difficult to get an idea of the longer-term maintenance needs. To some extent, we were forced to react to things rather than prevent them. If something fell down or broke, I had to go through my albums and look for pictures to restore it, he says in a press release.

The solution was to work with Swescan to create a digital twin of the fortress. In 2022, an extensive laser scan was carried out using drones and wearable technology. The result was an interactive model in a digital portal, where users can explore the fortress in detail – from overview maps to high-resolution images, elevation data and measurements.

Digital replica to facilitate inspection

The portal not only provides an accurate picture of the current situation, but also makes it possible to plan maintenance, produce drawings and inspect hard-to-reach areas, such as the old dungeon.

– The fortress becomes very accessible in this way. Anyone with user credentials can use the portal to walk around the area and study the environment, even in hard-to-reach places like the old dungeon. In the future, it could become part of the tourist experience. There are many benefits, and we have discovered more uses than we first expected.

The digital copy is also kept as a souvenir for posterity in case the fortress suffers major damage. For example, when Notre-Dame burned down, the French cathedral was restored with the help of laser scanning in 2010.

– This is a reassurance and a reason to scan more cultural monuments. One day it may be the greatest value of the digital copy, but until then we can use it for many other things, says Ahlman.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly.
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Dont miss another article!

Sign up for our newsletter today!

Take part of uncensored news – free from industry interests and political correctness from the Polaris of Enlightenment – every week.