Kathok Rigdzin Chenpo Rinpoche:
In history, there have been many accomplished individuals who entered the bardo (intermediate state) and documented their experiences. This is not mere talk; some people can remain in a state of deep meditation for seven days or even several weeks, appearing to have no breath and resembling death. Many examples of individuals appearing to die and then revive exist, with a majority being women, and fewer being men.
In the 1930s and 1940s in Tibet, there was a woman called Shejung Khandroma, a yogini who appeared dirty and would sleep on the streets every day alongside stray dogs. Though widely known as a Dakini, she did not accept offerings. When someone asked her about past lives, she would tell them. Sometimes, she gave teachings, but she did not accept any disciples. What I mean by not accepting disciples is that there was no fixed place or monastery for her to teach; she would do so spontaneously anywhere and anytime and disciples would then go back to practice, without a system of managing the sangha. She just lived sleeping on the streets. Nevertheless, she would often enter into deep meditation for seven days or more. Before entering meditation, she would instruct others not to disturb her body. It seemed as if she was asleep, and sometimes it felt like she had stopped breathing. However, upon awakening, she would share many experiences from the bardo.
Many people asked her about the whereabouts of their deceased ancestors, parents, and family members within the six realms, and she knew about every being in the six realms. She would describe the bodily characteristics, wishes, and secrets of those who had passed away, whether between father and son, husband and wife, or among siblings etc. She could clearly say the hidden family secrets. It was not through words but through telepathic communication. Therefore, many people had great faith in her. She documented her experiences in the bardo in a book. In the Dege region, there was also a laywoman named Lingsa Chokyi who wrote a similar book about the bardo, with experiences similar to Shejung Khandroma.
In recent years, one of my teacher, Pewar Tulku Rinpoche, had a female disciple who passed away also had such experiences. Although her time spent in meditation were not as long, sometimes lasting three days or at most seven days, during these periods of meditative equipoise, she would undergo experiences in the bardo, reaching the realms of hells and hungry ghosts.
The messages conveyed through their bardo experiences are a call for people to do more good deeds, engage in virtuous activities, and to recite specific mantras and prayers such as those of Amitabha Buddha, Akshobhya, and Guru Rinpoche regularly.
