Rebirth – Tibetan Game of Liberation

(IN-PERSON) This is no ordinary game! The Tibetan game of liberation is a living Buddhist teaching, like a highly complex version of snakes and ladders. It’s possible to reach enlightenment by dinnertime – though getting enlightened takes quite a while! Each game has its own unique group ‘karma’ and flavour, and we play until someone completes the path and progresses through the 12 deeds to enlightenment.

In playing this game, we experience the vagaries of karma and rebirth in all their messy and terrifying glory. We travel through the various realms – hells, animals, humans, and sometimes back to the hells again – until a very genuine sense of renunciation arises, and we are liberated from cyclic existence.

The game contains all the teachings of the Buddhist path and is a powerful way to integrate the Dharma and gain a deep appreciation of our present life. It offers an immersive insight into the nature of cyclic existence and the way to freedom. Some paths to enlightenment are direct, while others are winding indeed!

This event forms part of our Discovering Buddhism assessment. Rather than public exams or debates, we encourage non-confrontational (and highly enjoyable!) ways to integrate Dharma study with lived experience.

The Game of Liberation has a long and meaningful history. It was created by a monk for his mother when she was too ill to study the Dharma. The odds have been karmically calculated to move about the board, and our next rebirth rests on the throw of a dice.

So come journey with us – and maybe it will be you who becomes enlightened!