Thanks for sharing joedirt!
I've read and re-read the Bardo Thodol several times. That passage you posted though.. does sound veryyy familiar.
There's alot of interesting similarities though between the Thodol and mystical/psychedelic experiences.
Not to veer off topic.. but on a similar note. The Bhagavad Gita and The Upanishads are so amazingly similar to peak psychedelic experiences and even the breakthrough DMT experiences moreso.
If your not familiar with the Gitas dialogue..it's between Arjuana (a mythical warrior) and Krishna which is a metaphorical representation of Arjuans "Higher Self"...but the entire dialogue throughout the book is between them. But anywho...what I was getting at is..near the end of the book there's a chapter where Arjuana asks to be granted the ultimate mystical vision of life/death/himself in turn to see Krishnas (Arjunas higher self) true self...so in a sense..arjuana is asking his higher self to reveal itself.
Here..i'll quote specific excerpts from the book which I feel speak strongly in line with some of what the Bardo Thodol presents:
"Behold, Arjuna, a million divine forms, with an infinite variety of color and shape. Behold the Gods of the natural world and many more wonders never revealed before. Behold the entire cosmos turning within your body. But these things cannot be seen with your physical eyes; therefore your granted spiritual vision to perceive your majestic power."
"If a thousand suns were to rise in the heavens at the same time, the blaze of their light would resemble the splendor of the supreme spirit."
"You are the supreme, changeless Reality, the one thing to be known. You are the refuge of all creation, the immortal spirit, the eternal guardian of eternal dharma."
"Arjuna, through my grace you have been united with me and have received this vision of my radiant, universal form, without beginning or end, which not many have seen."
Once again I apologize if this is slightly off topic but I felt these ancient writings have alot of common denominators and are speaking from these supra-states of being/consciousness and go in line with some of what the Thodol presents.