
Between-States
In Tibetan Buddhism, “bardo” is a between-state. The passage from death to rebirth is a bardo, as well as the journey from birth to death. “Between-States” is an interview series by writer Ann Tashi Slater that explores bardo concepts like acceptance, interconnectedness, and impermanence in relation to children and parents, marriage and friendship, and work and creativity, illuminating the possibilities for discovering new ways of seeing and finding lasting happiness as we travel through life.

Ann Tashi Slater talks with best-selling author Maggie Smith about finding possibility in intermediate states and the freedom of having your life implode.

Turning Toward Grief and Learning to Feel Again
Ann Tashi Slater talks with veteran CNN journalist Anderson Cooper about the precariousness of life and the questions he still wrestles with today.

Leaning into Change and Trusting the World
Ann Tashi Slater talks with best-selling author Katherine May about the gift of “winter” periods and the transformative power of attention.

Appreciating Life and Creating a Life Worth Appreciating
Ann Tashi Slater talks with best-selling author Bianca Bosker about how art helps us live more expansively and brings us closer together.

Moving Toward Peace, Truth, and Beauty
Ann Tashi Slater speaks with best-selling author Cheryl Strayed about the healing qualities of surrender and our power to be agents in our lives.

Why Change Shouldn’t Surprise Us
Ann Tashi Slater speaks with best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell about the possibility for dramatic reversals, how to deal with uncertainty, and what it means to belong to a community.

The Painful Beauty of Being Alive
Dominican American poet and novelist Julia Alvarez on living between cultures, her journey through the bardo of a health crisis, and how she’s making peace with the stories she hasn’t been able to tell

‘Don’t Miss Your Life’
Ann Tashi Slater speaks with Spirit Rock cofounder Sylvia Boorstein about losing those you love, the bardos of old age, and the daily practice of dwelling in the moment.

Living Between the Known and the Unknown
Ann Tashi Slater speaks with physicist and author Alan Lightman about happiness, hidden knowledge, and living our lives with an awareness of death.

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