BARDO THODRAL
Journey beyond life
© 2010, Taoshobuddha
Printed and Published by TAOSHOBUDDHA MEDITATIONS
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Cover design and graphics: Anand Neelamber
Photography: Taoshobuddha
The word Taoshobuddha comes from three words, ‘tao,’ ‘sho,’ and ‘Buddha’. The word Tao was coined by the Chinese master, Lau Tzu. It means that which is and cannot be put into words. It is unknown and unknowable. It can only be experienced and not expressed in words. Its magnanimity cannot be condensed into finiteness. The word Sho implies, that which is vast like the sky and deep like an ocean carries within its womb a treasure. It also means one on whom the existence showers its blessings. And lastly the word Buddha implies the Enlightened One; one who has arrived home.
Thus, Taoshobuddha implies one who is existential, on whom the existence showers its blessings and one who has arrived home. The Enlightened One!
The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Bardo is the interval between death and rebirth or precisely between two stages of consciousness. Bardo Thodral guides one through, the experiences that the consciousness has after death, during the interval between death and the next rebirth. This interval is known in Tibetan as the Bardo.
Preface
Beloved friends I love you. Therefore every word that I speak or overflow is to bring a new insight or awareness in you so that your inward journey continues unabated smoothly and blissfully. My effort is to make you aware of each step as it comes on the process of inward journey.
You are now entering into an uncharted realm. I have waited for so long to reveal the mysterious realm of Bardo Thodral – transmigration from one realm to another for those who are facing such a situation. And for those who seek to have an aware pattern of life.
I am therefore explaining the ancient Tibetan technique of Bardo Thodral or simply ‘The Tibetan Book of Dead’. Not only that I have also clearly specified techniques based on the experience of mystics from various paths that one need to follow on a day to day basis only then one can attain to Bardo of death.
Just as electricity although developed by a Christian mind; Theory of Relativity being developed by a Jewish mind yet still
all are bound by it and no one complains. So too to be with me you need to constantly aspire to lead your life beyond narrowness. I am not interested who invented a particular technique or it comes from my scriptures or not. For me what actually matters if the technique really works or not. Then its source is not important.
Just as when you are sick you do not need to know the religion of the doctor or that of the pharmacist who invented or now manufactures the medicines you consume to save your life so too you have to use these techniques and lead a life beyond religions and religious beliefs only then you can attain to bliss.
Therefore read this again and again until these techniques alter your level of consciousness and then you reach to a level when you need not carry the scripture with you instead it becomes a part of your awareness. Then you are it. You have learnt the six Bardos of death and existence.
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The Bardo Thodral has a positive message. Death or change is not to be feared, but to be handled calmly and gracefully. Life does not end after the physical body departs. It is a technique of how to enter from one realm to another consciously, gracefully, and lovingly.
Death is a door to life beyond. It is like you enter the tunnel from one end. As you are entering the tunnel there is utter darkness. This makes one afraid. In such a situation you need to carry your own light or the light of the guide and when you reach the other end of the tunnel you begin to see light again.
Dying is just a door to new and interesting experiences, which we are able to prepare for in this lifetime. ‘Do not be afraid of death’ is the message; it is just a transformation to another existence, like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.
This is one question that has baffled human being from the time man breathed first. This will continue to baffle human beings. Does soul really exist? And if it be so then what is the form – formfull or formless. All the religions accept the presence of soul as formfull or formless. Mind wobbles if soul has any form and shape. Can soul think, feel, see etc just as we do?
It is mind that thinks of soul. Mind is another sense organ. And therefore it can cognize only that which has form. Mind cannot conceive anything that is formless. Beyond mind is the realm of no mind. This is more subtle than mind. Therefore mind cannot cognize it. Iron metal is subtle than wood. Iron blade can cut wood but wood cannot cut iron. Soul is subtler than the body mind realm. Therefore mind cannot comprehend the realm of soul.
The soul or spirit is not separate from the whole. What is the relation between the part and the whole? Can there be any relation between the two? Mind divides everything. Therefore mind thinks that there can be a relation between the two.
Let me explain this with a few examples. I have heard once there was a merchant who used to manufacture wax toys. He made toys in wide range. He had a friend who cherished all the toys he uses to make. The friend will visit very often and help in the process of toy making. Then one day this friend went away because of his job. The two were separated from one another for more than a decade.
In the meantime there was a change in the business activities. The demand for wax toys diminished and then one day there was no demand at all. The merchant decided to venture into something else. He realized that there is big demand for candles. So he started making candles. The business flourished. He forgot all about the loss accrued out of toys. What he did actually was melt away all the toys and use the wax by beaching it and then using as the raw material for the candles.
While he was happy the way business went by his friend returned after fifteen years. So he visited the friend expecting him to be engaged still in toy making. However on reaching he came to know that he stopped making toys and instead started making candles. This disappointed the friend. So he enquired what he did with all the toys. The owner showed the beached wax balls that he obtained after melting the toys. The friend still living 15 years behind was seeing the trunk of elephant, tail of the horse, monkey face and thing like this in that mass of the ball. This was his imagination because much time has flowed but he was still living in the past that was no more. This is how we live our lives.
When the man dies the inner space that was enshrined within the body mind realm is freed. It is like the inner space inside the seed. When you cut open the seed you will not find any sign of the tree. There is nothing. The entire growth pattern of the tree remains invisible within the seed. However in the right environment the seed sprouts and blossoms into a tree. Inside the seed you will not find even the miniature plant. However there exists the possibility of the entire tree. Something like this is the nature of the soul.
It is like a space that covered by walls and the roof and the moment the walls and the roof is removed the bounded space is freed and becomes the part of the whole. You do not see the space that is now freed. It was invisible before however the possibility of growth existed. But the moment it is released and is unbounded and it remains invisible. So when someone asked Buddha where he will go after he dies, Buddha responded, ‘I come from nowhere and go nowhere. I will disappear in the whole.’ This is why Buddha is also known as ‘Tathagata’ – thus came thus gone. Before the drop dissolves in the ocean it has its separate identity and drop has its mass and it occupies a space. Soul too has its separate existence as long as it is bounded. But the moment it is freed it is no more visible. You see a candle lit. Its flame is ablaze. The moment you put off flame where does the flame disappear. It simply disappears in the vastness of the existence. And when match stick is rubbed against the surface flame reappears. From where does the flame come into existence? Have you ever introspected from where the flame comes and where it disappears? This is what Buddha means by the word ‘Tathagata’ – thus came and thus gone.
When the entire space on which the structure is created as house it has many separate spaces. Each space is designed for a specific purpose and is therefore identified by that name. The part of the space designed for kitchen is called as kitchen space and so on. The kitchen space is identified as kitchen space as long as it is used for this purpose. If you change this space for another use the same space will now be identified by another name.
When the man dies the boundaries of the body, mind and intellect are no more the individual inner space disappears into the wholeness of the space. No one sees this merger of the two spaces. However the mystics know this because the consciousness which is the inherent quality of this inner space just as the inner space of the seed can be called as the quality of plant growth.
This much happens when soul leaves the body and disappears in the whole. Soul does not travel because it comes from nowhere and goes nowhere. This realm is known as the realm of the being or soul. From the whole it comes into finite existence and at the end of the journey it dissolves in the whole. If you are able to connect to this space you can be part of this space. Enlightenment connects the individual to this space.
Through meditation one can slowly and slowly learn the art of withdrawing consciousness from the narrowness of the body mind realm. And Bardo is the techniques of doing this developed in Tibet. One can attain to this state of soul or consciousness as its field while being within the body. This is Enlightenment. And through Bardo can maintain the state even while alive.
Then what remain after death are the memories, sentiments and thoughts. These do not vanish unless these dissolve consciously. Meditation, spiritual discipline, and various techniques help in understanding and living a bodiless existence. Then you are in the body but the body is not in you. Then the duality and inertia that body mind creates will not inflict your inner harmony and bliss.
It is joy of its own living a life like as I speak on my own authority for the past 38 year since 1972 the body and mind has not created any inertia or obstruction even in most difficult situations the life has presented. All these situations have dissolved leaving no trace. And bliss remained the ultimate outcome. It is this bliss that I share with you all as insights when it assumes the form of words.
Bardo is the interval between death and rebirth. Bardo Thodral guides one through, the experiences that the consciousness has after death, during the interval between death and the next rebirth. This interval is known in Tibetan as the Bardo.
There is rebirth of character, but no transmigration of a self or soul or being. Thy thought-forms takes rebirth and reappear, but there is no ego-entity transferred. The stanza uttered by a teacher is reborn in the scholar who repeats the words. Only through ignorance and delusion do men indulge in the dream that their souls are separate and self-existent entities. Thy heart, O Brahman, is cleaving still to self; thou art anxious about heaven but thou seekest the pleasures of self in heaven, and thus thou canst not see the bliss of truth and the immortality of truth. -Buddha
While some believe it is impossible to know whether there is life after death. Still human belief in immortality is timeless. People of all times and places in history have believed that the human soul survives death. If there is no consciousness beyond the grave, then life has fooled almost everyone from the Pharaohs of Egypt to Jesus of Nazareth.
When we talk about rebirth or reincarnation, some people laugh at the idea. They consider such belief is outdated and obsolete. Others may think such question is in arena of religion. After all, it concerns what is after death.
THERE was an officer among the retinue of Simha who had heard of the discourses of the Blessed One, and there was some doubt left in his heart. This man came to the Blessed One and said: ‘It is said, O Lord, that the Gautam denies the existence of the soul. Those who say so really speak the truth, or do they bear false witness against the Blessed One
And the Blessed One said: ‘There is a way in which those who say so are speaking truly of me; on the other hand, there is a way in which those who say so do not speak truly of me. The Tathagata teaches that there is no self.
He who says that the soul is his self and that the self is the thinker of our thoughts and the actor of our deeds, teaches a wrong doctrine which leads to confusion and darkness. On the other hand, the Tathagata teaches that there is mind. He who understands by soul mind, and says that mind exists, teaches the truth which leads to clearness and enlightenment.’
The officer said: ‘Does, then, the Tathagata maintain that two things exist that which we perceive with our senses and that which is mental?’
The Blessed One said: ‘I say to thee, thy mind is spiritual, but neither is the sense-perceived void of spirituality. The bodhi is eternal and it dominates all existence as the good law guiding all beings in their search for truth. It changes brute nature into mind, and there is no being that cannot be transformed into a vessel of truth.’
When awareness is once freed from the body, it creates its own reality like that of a dream. This dream projection unfolds in predictable ways both frightening and beautiful. During the moment peaceful and wrathful visions appear. These visions can be overwhelming. Since the awareness is still in shock of no longer being attached to and shielded by a body, it needs guidance and forewarning so that key decisions that lead to enlightenment are made.
Bardo is the process the Dead teaches how one can attain heavenly realms by recognizing the enlightened realms as opposed to being drawn into the realms of seduction and duality that pull incorporeal awareness into cyclic suffering.
Historical Background
Before the Maoist regime’s invasion, Tibet was one of the most isolated, peaceful, and religious countries on earth. Tibet is the only country in the whole world that has spent its total energy in the development of human consciousness. A large percentage of the population was engaged in monasticism, and the ubiquity of Buddhism was to the extent that there was no word for ‘Buddhism’ in the Tibetan language.
There was a large number of huge monasteries, thousands of monks, and widespread practice of mantra and prostrations, where Buddhist practices unique to Tibet were developed.
The Bardo Thodral was first written down in Tibet by Padmasambhava, at a time when the country was not a religious haven. It was then written down by his primary student, Yeshe Tsogyal, buried in the Gampo hills in central Tibet and subsequently discovered by a Tibetan Karma Lingpa. There were variants of the book among different sects.
Tibetan people used to be warlike, comparable to the fierce Mongolian nomads who conquered half of the world. At one point, Tibet’s empire even took over parts of China. The Himalayan plateau was divided into many different warring factions, until Padmasambhava, who was adept at memorizing esoteric Buddhist texts, came from India and unified the people under Buddhism. While Tibetans revered Padmasambhava as a kind of deity, he was also a historical figure and a great religious teacher. According to Tibetan tradition, he brought Tantric Buddhism from India to Tibet and also tamed the warlike gods and spirits of the mountains with the teachings of Dharma. He wrote a number of texts and then hid them for discovery in future centuries. These are known as ‘terma’ or treasure in Tibet.
Thodral is one of these hidden treasures, which was discovered by the great practitioner Karma Lingpa six-hundred years later. Professor Robert Thurman speculates on why someone would hide a religious text for centuries. If it were really so beneficial, why would someone deprive generations of people from it? The reason, says Thurman, is because Tibet was not ready to confront death. In a war-like country, death is not allowed to be acknowledged, because then people stop fighting, producing, and driving the country economically. The sacred text was received at the right time for the Tibetans, when people were ready to contemplate and ‘live in the clear light of death’ as Thurman says (2005). As the Dalai Lama says on death, ‘it is not morbid to contemplate it, but rather liberating from fear, and even beneficial for the health of the living’ (Thurman 1994).
The Bardo Thodral also spelled Bardo Thodral, translated as The Tibetan Book of the Dead, for centuries it was passed down orally. This ancient text was first put into written form by the legendary Padmasambhava in the 8th century A.D. Translated, Bardo Thodral means ‘liberation by hearing on the after death plane’. The book acts as a guide for the dead during the state that intervenes death and the next rebirth.
This scripture (The Bardo Thodral) from Tibetan Buddhism was traditionally read aloud to the dying to help them attain liberation. It guides a person to use the moment of death to recognize the nature of mind and attain liberation.
It teaches that awareness once freed from the body, creates its own reality like that of a dream. This dream projection unfolds in predictable ways both frightening and beautiful. Peaceful and wrathful visions appear, and these visions can be overwhelming. Since the awareness is still in shock of no longer being attached to and shielded by a body, it needs guidance and forewarning so that key decisions that lead to enlightenment are made. The Tibetan Book of the Dead teaches how one can attain heavenly realms by recognizing the enlightened realms as opposed to being drawn into the realms of seduction that pull incorporeal awareness into cyclic suffering.
When soul leaves the body the attachment still continues with the body mind realm. And the soul remains hovering around the body. In such a case one who knows and understands this makes the soul see the body being cremated or burnt. The instructions are given to the soul to look carefully body being burnt. And with body being burnt there can be no possibility for soul to enter the same body mind realm again. In the absence of inner preparation and whenever a master is around this is what he does by using his energy and ‘Tawajzoh’ to make sure that soul understands this. Only then the soul can leave the body.
The Liberation ‘Through Hearing During’ the Intermediate State, sometimes translated as ‘Liberation Through Hearing’ or Bardo Thodral is a funerary text. It is often referred to in the West by the more casual title, ‘Tibetan Book of the Dead,’ a name which draws a parallel with the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, another funerary text.
The Tibetan text describes, and is intended to guide one through, the experiences that the consciousness has after death, during the interval between death and the next rebirth. This interval is known in Tibetan as the Bardo. The text also includes chapters on the signs of death, and rituals to undertake when death is closing in, or has taken place. It is the most internationally famous and widespread work of Tibetan Nyingma literature. Fremantle (2001: p. 20) states:
...there is in fact no single Tibetan title corresponding to the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The overall name given to the whole cycle is Profound Dharma of Self-Liberation through the Intention of the Peaceful and Wrathful Ones, and it is popularly known as Karma Lingpa’s Peaceful and Wrathful Ones. It has been handed down through the centuries in several versions containing varying numbers of sections and subsections, arranged in different orders, ranging from around ten to thirty – eight titles. These individual texts cover a wide range of subjects, including the dzogchen view..., meditation instructions, visualizations of deities, liturgies and prayers, lists of mantras, descriptions of the signs of death, and indications of future rebirth, as well as those that are actually concerned with the after – death state. The Tibetan Book of the Dead as we know it in English consists of two comparatively long texts on the Bardo of Dharmata (including The Bardo of Dying) and The Bardo of Existence.... They are called Great Liberation through Hearing: The Supplication of the Bardo of Dharmata and Great liberation through Hearing: The Supplication pointing out the Bardo of Existence. Within the texts themselves, the two combined are referred to as Liberation through Hearing in the Bardo, Great Liberation through Hearing, or just Liberation though Hearing....
The Liberation Through Hearing during the Intermediate State is recited by Tibetan Buddhist lamas over a dying or recently deceased person, or sometimes over an effigy of the deceased. The name means literally ‘liberation through hearing in the intermediate state.’
The Liberation through hearing during the intermediate State differentiates the intermediate state between lives into three Bardos:
1. The Chikhai Bardo or ‘Bardo of the moment of death,’ which features the experience of the ‘clear light of reality,’ or at least the nearest approximation of which one is spiritually capable.
2. The Chonyid Bardo or ‘Bardo of the experiencing of reality,’ which features the experience of visions of various Buddha forms or, again, the nearest approximations of which one is capable.
3. The Sidpa Bardo or ‘Bardo of rebirth,’ which features ‘karmically’ impelled hallucinations which eventually result in rebirth. Typically imagery of men and women passionately entwined.
The Liberation through hearing during the intermediate state also mentions three other Bardos: those of ‘life’ or ordinary waking consciousness; of ‘dhyana’ or meditation; and of ‘dream’ or the dream state during normal sleep.
Together these ‘six Bardos’ form a classification of states of consciousness into six broad types. Any state of consciousness can form a type of ‘intermediate state’, intermediate between other states of consciousness. Indeed, one can consider any momentary state of consciousness a Bardo, since it lies between our past and future existences. It provides us with the opportunity to experience reality, which is always present but obscured by the projections and confusions that are due to our previous unskillful actions.
Comparison with the Western experience of death
One can perhaps attempt to compare the descriptions of the Liberation Through Hearing During the Intermediate State with accounts of certain ‘out of the body’ near - death experiences described by people who have nearly died in accidents or on the operating table. These accounts sometimes mention a ‘white light,’ and helpful figures corresponding to that person’s religious tradition. According to the Buddhist teachings, there are four different steps and the ‘white light’ is most probably the last of them; then Mahaparinirvana eternal bliss. The divine beings are buddhas, dakkis and dakinis that people see as respective figures of their culture or religious belief.
In an introduction to Evans-Wentz’ version, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung summarizes his psychological commentary:
The Bardo Thödral [Tibetan Book of the Dead] began by being a ‘closed’ book, and so it has remained, no matter what kind of commentaries may be written upon it. For it is a book that will only open itself to spiritual understanding, and this is a capacity which no man is born with, but which he can only acquire through special training and special experience. It is good that such to all intents and purposes ‘useless’ books exist. They are meant for those ‘queer folk’ who no longer set much store by the uses, aims, and meaning of present-day ‘civilisation’.
— Carl Jung
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is actually a manual for the living. It details the journey each soul must make after death as reported back by meditators who used their lives to journey on other planes and bring back information about how reality is constructed. What can we expect after death?
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a guide for the soul, but also is related to everyday life. Once you realize that life and death are not separate, and then death becomes just a continuation of the journey. Here I have tried my best to summarize the great Tibetan classic.
Key words: The Tibetan Book of the Dead, Bardo Thodral, Dead, Tantric Buddhism, Tibet.
The Bardo Thodral, commonly known as ‘The Tibetan Book of the Dead’ or ‘Great Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States,’ is a text of spiritual magnitude. According to tradition, it was conceived in the 8th century by the Tibetan hero, Padmasambhava. The Bardo Thodral was hidden until the 14th century when it was found by Monk Karma Lingpa, the great ‘treasure discoverer.’ It was originally published in English in the 1927 by Annie Shapiro is a Professor at Naropa University and Dongguk University.
Evans-Wentz’s work is in an incomplete form. These days it is widely known, and often wildly misunderstood.
To grasp the significance of this sacred Tibetan text, one must alter their perspective. In modern Western thought, rationalism is the ruler. In most current paradigms, one has to see something to believe it, be able to pin it to cardboard, or keep it in a test tube. Granted, the West is not without its own achievements; people have travelled to the moon, created advanced modern medicine, and induced the industrial revolution.
However, Asia has been not dormant as Western technology flourished; many discoveries made in the East have been metaphysical. While the West revered great scientists and their achievements, the most celebrated discoverers of Tibet, India, and China were psychonauts. These people explored unseen energetic landscapes through the mastery of meditation and yoga. Yogis and yoginis delved into the mind and drew maps of other dimensions, which led to the creation of acupuncture charts, chakra diagrams, and such, like the first explorers made maps of the continents. Buddhist teachings became bedrock of this internal exploration because of the strong emphasis on meditation practice. In Tibet, which is relatively isolated from the rest of the world?
Buddhism developed as in no other place on earth. The Bardo Thodral represents one of the peak achievements in psychonautics, akin to the first telescopes that revealed the universe. It describes the journey after death that everyone must invariably make. Not just a description of the other world like Dante’s Inferno, it is also a guidebook, which everyone should take with them to the next world. The breadth of knowledge brought back by meditation practitioners and by Tibetan ‘delogs,’ people who die and then return to this world to share their experiences, is detailed and profound.
It can be used as a study guide for anyone living, can be read to a dying person, or can be recited to a recently deceased person to help them navigate through the next life. Ultimately, its purpose is to help people recognize their true nature in the afterlife. If that is not possible, the secondary goal is to guide them back to a favorable human birth. The basic International Journal of Buddhist Thought & Culture teachings within the text are also recommended for practice in daily living.
Tantric Buddhism
Tantra is called the left-handed path. Unlike most religious traditions which stress piety in order to keep negative emotions under control, Tantra suggests that one use the negative and passionate emotions as fuel to propel oneself to evolve quickly along the spiritual path. It is said that the left-handed path can be dangerous if someone approaches it without proper understanding. That is why there is need for a guide – someone who has travelled along the path and is familiar with the peaks and valleys . By welcoming the scariest feelings and emotions, one can actually harness their immense power as fuel for spiritual growth.
Buddhist teachings often utilize the metaphor of a peacock, a bird able to ingest poison. Instead of killing the bird, the poison serves to make its plumage even more brilliant. This means that no emotion, experience, or sensation is good or bad. ‘A good situation is actually a bad situation,’ quoted Zen teacher Hyon Gak Sunim (Quote from Seung Sahn). This means that even a situation that seems terrible can be used positively when seen from another angle―every phenomenon is actually pure awareness.
In Zen Buddhism, bright color themes are used to excite the emotions. In Zen Buddhism, one tries to calm the passionate emotions like water on a still lake. Tantra, on the other hand, is more comparable to surfing on the waves of mind. In Tantra, instead of asking oneself a question, devotion to the teacher or compassionate deities is the most important method. Zen has less to say on Death―“When you die, just die!” said Korean Zen master Seung Sahn Sunim when asked about death and dying (Ok Kwan 2007). Both Buddhist approaches are equally valid; the left and right hand are two sides of the same coin, and contain the same essence (Hyon Gak 2006-2007). Both are designed to discover the true nature of mind. I have heard Confucius telling his disciple Mencius in response to the question ‘What is life after death’ to forget all about such questions now. You can think about these when you are lying peacefully in your grave.
The use of peaceful and frightening images describe the human psyche in Tantra. Those deities are actually aspects of our own consciousness and shouldn’t be feared or idealized, but recognized as the true nature of our own minds. Even the frightening deities with skull necklaces and many heads are compassionately trying to wake us up; as they have something to teach. Another sacred image in Tantric Buddhism is two humans or deities in sexual embrace.
This might be confusing to a Judeo-Christian mind, but this image is meant to represent the essence of the universe, male and feminine energies coming together to create life. This image is actually one of the most sacred images in Tibetan Buddhism.
Buddhist philosophy does not acknowledge the existence of a ‘soul’ in the Judeo-Christian sense of the word. This is because consciousness has no essential nature separate from the rest of the universe. It is more like a continuous stream. Buddhist scholar Alan Watts describes the ‘soul’ as a rope made of many different materials. At the top it is silk, in the middle nylon, and then cotton below that (Watts 2005). There is a knot in the rope that slides down through the various materials. Is it still the same knot or a different knot? The world Tantra actually means ‘thread’ in Tibetan, which suggests a continuous awareness.
The Journey through the Bardos
Bardo means ‘between state,’ and there are many Bardos in this lifetime. For example, the state between sleeping and waking is a bardo in which we are neither asleep nor awake. Between this life and the next is the afterlife bardo. What follows is a description of how one can cope with this between state in order to relieve suffering, attain spiritual realization, and achieve a favorable rebirth. It is advice both for the departing person and those around him or her to facilitate a positive experience.
The Bardo Thodral describes the dying process; first the body breaks down into its constituent elements―earth to water, water to fire, fire to wind, and wind into consciousness. During this time, a dying person is instructed to imagine whatever compassionate deity they believe in about one foot above the head, whether it be Buddha, Allah, Jesus, or otherwise. Imagining the essence of compassion and goodness floating above the head is the goal. Devotion to any specific deity is not prescribed.
The purpose of the visualization is for the consciousness to leave from the top of the head, to project one’s awareness into the heavenly realms. A person present at that time can also put their fingers on the pressure points at the base of the skull to direct one’s consciousness out through top of the head. ‘The Tibetan Book of the Dead’ instructs one to remain calm and positive as the moment of transcendence approaches. Even just creating the intention to remain calm will help greatly. Also, it is suggested to recite mantras such as ‘Om Mani Padme Hung.’ To keep a loving mind in every moment is important, especially before dying, as the state at the time of death will set the trajectory into the Bardos.
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is a modern day master of Buddhist Tantra. In his book, ‘Mind Beyond Death,’ Rinpoche gives advice to the loved ones of the dying person. He says that one of the best things to do is to read the ‘Tibetan Book of the Dead’ to the dying person, and recite it again after consciousness has left the body. This way they can be guided through the Bardo states. He also notes, immediately after death, people should not cry or be depressed, as this can disturb the spirit of the departed. They should treat the possessions of the person respectfully, as not to cause any upset. Rather than crying and being depressed, we should maintain an atmosphere of support and loving kindness (Dzogchen Ponlop 2007: 125).
The Bardo Thodral tells us that immediately after death we experience ‘the luminosity’ or, ‘inner radiance of the first intermediate state’. The luminosity described appears right after the consciousness leaves the body, and lasts, according to Thurman, about as long as it takes to eat a meal. The naked luminosity is perhaps the ‘white light at the end of the tunnel,’ which so many people describe in near-death experiences. It could be called God, pure consciousness, or awareness. In Tibet, it is called ‘the nature of mind,’ among many other descriptors. What the Bardo Thodral points out is this clear luminosity is one and the same as our true nature. The luminous consciousness is our true essence. If one can recognize that, one can attain state of ‘rainbow body’ and move beyond ‘samsara’, or suffering, completely. The Tibetans see death as a great opportunity for this reason. It is easier to attain enlightenment in this state than in the afterlife.
After this state, if one does not recognize the pure luminosity, one moves into the ‘between stages,’ or bardos. After the luminosity stage, the consciousness of the being is able to perceive and move in the world without their body, like a ghost. At this point, the soul may see those people who are close to him or her in mourning. This may cause suffering for the being because they want their loved ones to know that they are not dead, but still alive. However, at this point, the soul should completely let go of attachment to the past life, the people and the places in it, in order to embark fully on a new journey. The Bardo Thodral reads:
O, Child of Buddha Nature that which is called death has now arrived. Therefore you should adopt an altruistic motivation and concentrate your thinking as follows: ‘I have arrived at the time of death, so now, relying on the process of death, I will single-mindedly cultivate an altruistic motivation. I will meditate on generation of loving kindness and compassion and altruistic intention to attain enlightenment. For the benefit of all sentient beings, who are all limitless as space, I must attain perfect buddhahood’.
As the consciousness releases attachments to this life, at this stage of the afterlife, one becomes extremely powerful. Consciousness can go anyplace in heaven or earth just by thinking about it. Because one has such power in this state, one should remember to keep an altruistic mind, because it is possible to accomplish feats that may have been impossible during life. The after – death process is said to take 49 earth days to complete, depending on the individual’s karma, though the way the soul experiences the passage of time is relative. The exception to the 49 days is if someone manages to attain enlightenment immediately after death. Then, they will be instantly reborn in the pure lands or another birth of their choosing. In the Bardo, both peaceful and wrathful apparitions begin to emerge.
Because there are so many deities in Tibetan tradition, the descriptions of who you may meet in the afterlife are quite colorful. For example, the Bardo Thodral reads:
The transcendent lord Ratnasambhava will dawn before you, his body yellow in color, holding in his right hand a jewel, seated on a horse throne and embraced by his supreme consort Mamaki. ... [A light] will emanate from the head of Ratnasambhava and his consort will shine piercingly before you at the level of your heart with such brilliance that your eyes cannot bear it.... At that time, abandon your fear of the yellow light and recognize it as pristine awareness. Relax and abide directly within it, in a state of non – activity. Again and again, have confidence in it! Be drawn to it with loving devotion.
The descriptions of these gods and goddesses span the range from compassionate pure land – beings to terrifying demons. Everything one encounters is basically a manifestation of one’s own mind. Without being caged in the body, the subconscious mind is projected completely, as in a dream. While a person of Tibetan upbringing may very well see the myriad of deities described. However one shouldn’t take these descriptions literally, but realize they are aspects of consciousness that we already know quite intimately. However, these states of mind will be much more vivid in the afterlife state (Dzogchen Ponlop 2007: 124).
It is said that the lord of death will appear and judge the soul for all good and bad deeds, but the Bardo Thodral reminds us, do not be afraid. There is nothing that can harm you because you are pure consciousness. On the subject of these appearances, it is said, they ‘have emerged from your own brain! Do not fear them! Do not be terrified! Do not hate them! Feel delight! Recognize them as an image of your own awareness’ (Thurman 1994: 156).
Basically, whatever appears after death is no different than your own mind’s projections. Be relaxed, do not be afraid, and try to recognize these creations as your own pure nature.
These appearances are all the karma, or mental patterns from the mind stream, from our deep unconscious minds. Unlike Christianity, which suggests that a person will either go to heaven or hell eternally depending on the individual’s good and bad deeds, in Buddhism, it is possible that both realms of heaven and hell will appear. These also are only temporary, so one should not get attached to any state, but just let them appear and experience them without loving or hating them. One should keep an altruistic mind, and keep the goal of attaining a precious human rebirth. In death, as in life, one should not give way to fear, hatred, or ignorance
The Six Realms
After the appearance of the various psychical manifestations run their course, the lights of the six realms appear. Here, the soul can choose the next rebirth. These lights are not as bright as the dazzling appearances before, but this is just as important as the spirit can choose its next rebirth.
According to Buddhism, everyone reincarnates unless they have become completely enlightened during the Bardo stage. Even enlightened masters choose to reincarnate, because they are Bodhisattvas who have vowed to be reborn until every being is saved.
For each realm, there is a different colored light. The grey smoky light represents the hell realm, where anger is the dominant emotion. The yellow light represents the realm of the hungry ghosts, which is characterized by craving, and the green light is that of the animal realm. The blue light is that of the human realm. The red light is the realm of the assuras, jealous gods who are more powerful than humans; the white light is that of the godly realm, which is said to be heavenly, but is characterized by pride. Although it may seem more desirable to be reborn in the gods’ realm, it is said that the human realm is the best one, because here exists a mix of pleasure and suffering to make one’s consciousness strive to evolve. (Dzogchen Ponlop 2007: 211-217)
Attaining a Human Rebirth
In order to attain a human rebirth, one is supposed to go towards the blue light. Another suggestion that could potentially help attain this rebirth is visualizing the guru and consort in union. As the spirit is drawn to a particular rebirth, it should look for a good situation, including loving parents and an environment where there is leisure time to practice meditation or contemplation. One will see a human couple copulating and will be drawn to them at the moment of conception. ‘They will be drawn to human parents like a magnet’ says Master Sheng-yen. This couple will become the person’s new parents.
While the Tibetan teaching on this subject can seem tremendously esoteric, with its ornate and complex pantheon, it also points to the fact that the mind is the most powerful in deciding one’s experience. Thus, a natural and relaxed stance is important. Also making positive aspirations, feeling compassion or devotion to loving kindness are perhaps more important than any information we can keep with
The Bardo Thodral and Everyday Life:
What relevance has the Bardo Thodral beyond just a guide book for the afterlife? While the descriptions of the bardos are lush and detailed, the instructions always point to a few simple ideas, like strength, courage, and devotion to compassion. If we have cultivated a positive, altruistic mind during this life time, and have acted kindly towards others, then the afterlife and next rebirth will reflect this. Cultivating the mind means being able to stay calm in a trying situation, to relax, and not give way to fear. To develop loving kindness, for others is actually the point of meditation practice. When we make friends with our intense emotions instead of running from them, we must embrace then. Then nothing can harm us.
The Bardo Thodral tells us it is possible to recognize that all phenomenon is actually none other than our true nature of mind; benevolent, compassionate, and luminous. All you have to do is just trust your own universal nature, which has been there all along. Every moment of life we have a choice; to remain asleep or to choose consciousness and finally wake up.
Preparation for Life beyond
The preparation for life beyond is very simple yet still very difficult to attain. If it is so simple then why is it so difficult? It is easy because it is your nature. It is difficult because man is not living in his nature. Human nature is inner oneness, harmony and bliss. Hindus call man is ‘Sat-Chit-Anand’.
People claim to be religious, and spiritual. Like anything else it has become a fad amidst Sunday morning religion. Religion is an understanding and spirituality is the experience of inner oneness which is the solitary truth, then awareness and living like this one attains to bliss.
Man lives in mind. Mind divides. Man has created different religions. There are nearly 300 religions in the world each conflicting with one another. There are so many diverse places of worship. All these are in conflict with one another. Man speaks of religious tolerance. But does not ‘tolerance’ really man. ‘Tolerance’ implies you do not agree but somehow you are tolerating it. There is no acceptance. This has caused so many atrocities, killings. Everyone thinks my religion is the best in the world. Each religion is trying to convert humanity to his religion because that is the only authentic religion. Is the way a religious person supposes to interact? In the name of this understanding there have been so many killings. This is the entire history of human consciousness.
With such understanding there can be no harmony and bliss. Instead of religious tolerance there has to be acceptance. And ‘acceptance’ is the first essential quality of religious person. God created man in his image but man created divisions. God created religions as the way to attain to Him man created religious intolerance.
Freedom is first criterion of a religious one. Just as the air that you breathe, the water that you drink, and the blood that flows in your veins knows no religion. These are just existential.
What are the essential qualities of a religious one? Let me explain one by one.
1. God is one. God created man in His image. This is truth – the solitary truth. Bible says in the beginning there was word. The word was ‘God’. And it was with ‘God’.
2. Hindus say in the beginning was sound. And everything evolved out of this existential sound.
3. Nanak says that which is – He is one and His very nature is that of the formless existential sound.
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