Click here to register for a session.
practice for a clean bill of health
Lecture/Performance: Death in the Age of Bardo 11/20/11
“Die with Me"
Join us for an invigorating look at Buddhism, contemporary art and the inevitable, death.
As part of Pittsburgh Biennial – Gertrude’s/LOT, Lilith Bailey-Kroll and Tyler Phan will present “Death in the Age of Bardo.” This special event will take place on November 20th at the Andy Warhol Museum from 12-1:30PM. The goal of this event is to provide context for the artists’ work and to spark dialogue about the issues of death in America.
This event is sure to entertain and enlighten visitors, part lecture, part experiential performance. The event will begin with a one hour lecture by Tyler Phan. Working in hospitals throughout Asia with patients in the death process, practicing Buddhist and acupuncturist Tyler Phan will take audiences for a ride in the realm of bardo (“intermediary”) and the transition to death. Tyler will also crisscross Buddhist theory of dying and its intersections with Western continental philosophy, providing listeners with a contemporary perspective of death.
The lecture will be followed by a screening of, “Blow Out,” a film by Lilith Bailey-Kroll and Tyler Phan, which is currently on view at the Andy Warhol Museum as part of the Pittsburgh Biennial. After the screening audience members will have an opportunity to practice dying. Lilith who is an artist and yoga therapist living and working in Pittsburgh, PA will lead the audience through a test run of the death practice.
Since the awakening of Buddhism in the United States, many have invested time and research in interpreting Tibet’s 8th Century bodhisattva, Padmasambhava’s timeless work Bardo Thödol (Liberation Through Hearing). From its first English translation in 1927 by W.Y. Evans-Wentz, the social and cultural implications of Bardo Thödol have transitioned from a source of research to an actual practical guide for individuals coming to terms with the inevitable, death.