Chapter 8: "This Life: The Natural Bardo" Summary

Sogyal begins this discussion with an explanation of the fundamental state of the mind, or "the ground of the ordinary mind." This state is unenlightened, and neutral, and is the foundation for karma, samsara, and nirvana. This state is the storage facility for all negative emotions in past lives, which grow when accessed in this life. Since these negative emotions often stem from habitual negative tendencies, these negative emotions and actions will continuously resurface throughout this life and lives to come.

Individuals with similar visions of the world are said to share a karmic vision. Yet each individual also has his or her own karma, since each person leads a different life, with different experiences. In addition, Buddhists believe in six realms of existence, those of the gods, demigods, humans, animals...