A Gift of Liberation 23: Protection from Life and Death (2016, Arizona) Selected Meditations

Protection from Life (and Death) is a profound teaching which leads the practitioner through a progressive journey of recognizing how everything that we experience arises from seeds in the mind. Through contemplations on death, dissolution, refuge, rebirth, karma, and the presence of the teacher, we learn to see even the most intense inner experiences with clarity and potential. Along the way, compassion deepens naturally as we witness the suffering of beings in different realms and the immense potential within ourselves to transform those conditions. Together, these meditations train the practitioner to recognize the mind’s power, to cultivate joy as the basis for insight, and to move toward the identity of someone who can help countless beings.

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Teacher	Geshe Michael Roach
Last Update	12/18/2025
Completion Time	56 minutes
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A Gift of Liberation 23: Protection from Life and Death Meditation 8

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This meditation guides us through a vivid sequence of symbolic images in order to gradually quiet the mind. As each layer dissolves, we move closer to a clear, crystalline awareness that hints at the nature of emptiness. From this stillness, we imagine transforming into a being capable of helping countless worlds. We then shift to subtle energy work by locating the prana point in the forehead and breathing gently through it.

Death meditation Different realms Emptiness Enlightenment Lam rim

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A Gift of Liberation 23: Protection from Life and Death Meditation 7

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In this session, the meditator finds themselves reborn as a small bird, alert and frightened in a dangerous world. The practice explores the constant fear of predators, the urgency of hunger and thirst, and the instinctive vigilance required to survive in the wild. By contrasting these raw survival worries with typical human concerns, the meditation deepens compassion for all beings trapped in fear.

Death meditation Different realms Lam rim

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A Gift of Liberation 23: Protection from Life and Death Meditation 5

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This meditation begins with a contemplation on giving away our possessions before death which loosens attachment and prepares the mind for an unrestricted journey. We then move through the dissolution of the elements, the smoke and the sparks, and the appearance of an unmoving flame. Our mind shrinks smaller and smaller until we pass directly into the flame itself, entering into a space of dark red light followed by crystalline awareness where everything appears as pure emptiness. As we sit, we recognize moving into the body of a Buddha as our old identity dissolves.

Death meditation Enlightenment Happiness Peace of mind Purification Refuge Solving problems

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