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General Buddhism => General Buddhism => Topic started by: Helena on December 04, 2010, 05:45:13 AM
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Here is something I found in the net and thought it to be very useful. So, I share it with everyone here.
Source: http://www.buddhanet.net/deathtib.htm
DEATH AND DYING IN THE TIBETAN BUDDHIST TRADITION
Compiled by: Ven. Pende Hawter
Contemplation and meditation on death and impermanence are regarded as very important in Buddhism for two reasons : (1) it is only by recognising how precious and how short life is that we are most likely to make it meaningful and to live it fully and (2) by understanding the death process and familiarizing ourself with it, we can remove fear at the time of death and ensure a good rebirth.
Because the way in which we live our lives and our state of mind at death directly influence our future lives, it is said that the aim or mark of a spiritual practitioner is to have no fear or regrets at the time of death. People who practice to the best of their abilities will die, it is said, in a state of great bliss. The mediocre practitioner will die happily. Even the initial practitioner will have neither fear nor dread at the time of death. So one should aim at achieving at least the smallest of these results.
There are two common meditations on death in the Tibetan tradition. The first looks at the certainty and imminence of death and what will be of benefit at the time of death, in order to motivate us to make the best use of our lives. The second is a simulation or rehearsal of the actual death process, which familiarizes us with death and takes away the fear of the unknown, thus allowing us to die skilfully. Traditionally, in Buddhist countries, one is also encouraged to go to a cemetery or burial ground to contemplate on death and become familiar with this inevitable event.
The first of these meditations is known as the nine-round death meditation, in which we contemplate the three roots, the nine reasonings, and the three convictions, as described below:
A. DEATH IS CERTAIN
1. There is no possible way to escape death. No-one ever has, not even Jesus, Buddha, etc. Of the current world population of over 5 billion people, almost none will be alive in 100 years time.
2. Life has a definite, inflexible limit and each moment brings us closer to the finality of this life. We are dying from the moment we are born.
3. Death comes in a moment and its time is unexpected. All that separates us from the next life is one breath.
Conviction: To practise the spiritual path and ripen our inner potential by cultivating positive mental qualities and abandoning disturbing mental qualities.
B. THE TIME OF DEATH IS UNCERTAIN
4. The duration of our lifespan is uncertain. The young can die before the old, the healthy before the sick, etc.
5. There are many causes and circumstances that lead to death, but few that favour the sustenance of life.
Even things that sustain life can kill us, for example food, motor vehicles, property.
6. The weakness and fragility of one's physical body contribute to life's uncertainty.
The body can be easily destroyed by disease or accident, for example cancer, AIDS, vehicle accidents, other disasters.
Conviction: To ripen our inner potential now, without delay.
C. THE ONLY THING THAT CAN HELP US AT THE TIME OF DEATH IS OUR MENTAL/SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT
(because all that goes on to the next life is our mind with its karmic (positive or negative) imprints.)
7. Worldly possessions such as wealth, position, money can't help
8. Relatives and friends can neither prevent death nor go with us.
9. Even our own precious body is of no help to us. We have to leave it behind like a shell, an empty husk, an overcoat.
Conviction: To ripen our inner potential purely, without staining our efforts with attachment to worldly concerns.
The second meditation simulates or rehearses the actual death process. Knowledge of this process is particularly important because advanced practitioners can engage in a series of yogas that are modelled on death, intermediate state (Tibetan: bar-do) and rebirth until they gain such control over them that they are no longer subject to ordinary uncontrolled death and rebirth.
It is therefore essential for the practitioner to know the stages of death and the mind-body relationship behind them. The description of this is based on a presentation of the winds, or currents of energy, that serve as foundations for various levels of consciousness, and the channels in which they flow. Upon the serial collapse of the ability of these winds to serve as bases of consciousness, the internal and external events of death unfold. Through the power of meditation, the yogi makes the coarse winds dissolve into the very subtle life-bearing wind at the heart. This yoga mirrors the process that occurs at death and involves concentration on the psychic channels and the channel-centres (chakras) inside the body.
At the channel-centres there are white and red drops, upon which physical and mental health are based. The white is predominant at the top of the head and the red at the solar plexus. These drops have their origin in a white and red drop at the heart centre, and this drop is the size of a small pea and has a white top and red bottom. It is called the indestructible drop, since it lasts until death. The very subtle life-bearing wind dwells inside it and, at death, all winds ultimately dissolve into it, whereupon the clear light vision of death dawns.
The physiology of death revolves around changes in the winds, channels and drops. Psychologically, due to the fact that consciousnesses of varying grossness and subtlety depend on the winds, like a rider on a horse, their dissolving or loss of ability to serve as bases of consciousness induces radical changes in conscious experience.
Death begins with the sequential dissolution of the winds associated with the four elements (earth, water, fire and air). "Earth" refers to the hard factors of the body such as bone, and the dissolution of the wind associated with it means that that wind is no longer capable of serving as a mount or basis for consciousness. As a consequence of its dissolution, the capacity of the wind associated with "water" (the fluid factors of the body) to act as a mount for consciousness becomes more manifest. The ceasing of this capacity in one element and its greater manifestation in another is called "dissolution" - it is not, therefore, a case of gross earth dissolving into water.
Simultaneously with the dissolution of the earth element, four other factors dissolve (see Chart 1), accompanied by external signs (generally visible to others) and an internal sign (the inner experience of the dying person). The same is repeated in serial order for the other three elements (see Charts 2-4), with corresponding external and internal signs.
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CHART 1: FIRST CYCLE OF SIMULTANEOUS DISSOLUTION
Factor dissolving External sign Internal sign
earth element body becomes very thin, limbs loose; sense that body is sinking under the earth
aggregate of forms
limbs become smaller, body becomes weak and powerless
basic mirror-like wisdom (our ordinary consciousness that clearly perceives many objects simultaneously)
sight becomes unclear and dark
appearance of mirages
eye sense
one cannot open or close eyes
colours and shapes
lustre of body diminishes; one's strength is consumed
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CHART 2: SECOND CYCLE OF SIMULTANEOUS DISSOLUTION
Factor dissolving External sign Internal sign
water element
saliva, sweat, urine, blood and regenerative fluid dry greatly
aggregate of feelings (pleasure, pain and neutrality)
body consciousness can no longer experience the three types of feelings that accompany sense consciousnesses
basic wisdom of equality (our ordinary consciousness mindful of pleasure, pain and neutral feelings as feelings)
one is no longer mindful of the feelings accompanying the mental consciousness
appearance of smoke
ear sense
one no longer hears external or internal sounds
sounds
'ur' sound in ears no longer arises
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CHART 3: THIRD CYCLE OF SIMULTANEOUS DISSOLUTION
Factor dissolving External sign Internal sign
fire element
one cannot digest food or drink
aggregate of discrimination
one is no longer mindful of affairs of close persons
basic wisdom of analysis (our ordinary consciousness mindful of the individual names, purposes and so forth of close persons)
one can no longer remember the names of close persons
appearance of fireflies or sparks within smoke
nose sense
inhalation weak, exhalation strong and lengthy
odours
one cannot smell
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CHART 4: FOURTH CYCLE OF SIMULTANEOUS DISSOLUTION
Factor dissolving External sign Internal sign
wind element
the ten winds move to heart; inhalation and exhalation ceases
aggregate of compositional factors
one cannot perform physical actions
basic wisdom of achieving activities (our ordinary consciousness mindful of external activities, purposes and so forth)
one is no longer mindful of external worldly activities, purposes and so forth
appearance of a sputtering butter-lamp about to go out
tongue sense
tongue becomes thick and short; root of tongue becomes blue
tastes
one cannot experience tastes
body sense and tangible objects
one cannot experience smoothness or roughness
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CHART 5: FIFTH TO EIGTH CYCLES OF DISSOLUTION
Factor dissolving Cause of appearance Internal sign
FIFTH CYCLE
eighty conceptions
winds in right and left channels above heart enter central channel at top of head
at first, burning butter-lamp; then, clear vacuity filled with white light
SIXTH CYCLE
mind of white appearance
winds in right and left channels below heart enter central channel at base of spine
very clear vacuity filled with red light
SEVENTH CYCLE
mind of red increase
upper and lower winds gather at heart; then winds enter drop at heart
at first, vacuity filled with thick darkness; then as if swooning unconsciously
EIGHTH CYCLE
mind of black near-attainment
all winds dissolve into the very subtle life-bearing wind in the indestructible drop at the heart
very clear vacuity free of the white, red and black appearances - the mind of clear light of death
(The above charts are taken from "Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth in Tibetan Buddhism" by Lati Rinbochay and Jeffrey Hopkins)
Upon the inception of the fifth cycle the mind begins to dissolve, in the sense that coarser types cease and subtler minds become manifest. First, conceptuality ceases, dissolving into a mind of white appearance. This subtler mind, to which only a vacuity filled by white light appears, is free from coarse conceptuality. It, in turn, dissolves into a heightened mind of red appearance, which then dissolves into a mind of black appearance. At this point all that appears is a vacuity filled by blackness, during which the person eventually becomes unconscious. In time this is cleared away, leaving a totally clear emptiness (the mind of clear light) free from the white, red and black appearances (see Chart 5). This is the final vision of death.
This description of the various internal visions correlates closely with the literature on the near-death experience. People who have had a near-death experience often describe moving from darkness (for example a black tunnel) towards a brilliant, peaceful, loving light. A comprehensive study comparing death and near-death experiences of Tibetans and Euro-Americans has shown many similarities between the two (Carr, 1993). Care must be taken though in such comparisons because the near-death experience is not actual death, that is, the consciousness permanently leaving the body.
Since the outer breath ceased some time before (in the fourth cycle), from this point of view the point of actual death is related not to the cessation of the outer breath but to the appearance of the mind of clear light. A person can remain in this state of lucid vacuity for up to three days, after which (if the body has not been ravaged by illness) the external sign of drops of red or white liquid emerging from the nose and sexual organ occur, indicating the departure of consciousness.
Other signs of the consciousness leaving the body are 1) when all heat has left the area of the heart centre (in the centre of the chest), 2) the body starts to smell or decompose, 3) a subtle awareness that the consciousness has left and the body has become like 'an empty shell', 4) a slumping of the body in a practitioner who has been sitting in meditation after the stopping of the breath. Buddhists generally prefer that the body not be removed for disposal before one or more of these signs occur, because until then the consciousness is still in the body and any violent handling of it may disturb the end processes of death. A Buddhist monk or nun or friend should ideally be called in before the body is moved in order for the appropriate prayers and procedures to be carried out.
When the clear light vision ceases, the consciousness leaves the body and passes through the other seven stages of dissolution (black near-attainment, red increase etc.) in reverse order. As soon as this reverse process begins the person is reborn into an intermediate state between lives, with a subtle body that can go instantly wherever it likes, move through solid objects etc., in its journey to the next place of rebirth.
The intermediate state can last from a moment to seven days, depending on whether or not a suitable birthplace is found. If one is not found the being undergoes a "small death", experiencing the eight signs of death as previously described (but very briefly). He/she then again experiences the eight signs of the reverse process and is reborn in a second intermediate state. This can happen for a total of seven births in the intermediate state (making a total of forty-nine days) during which a place of rebirth must be found.
The "small death" that occurs between intermediate states or just prior to taking rebirth is compared to experiencing the eight signs (from the mirage-like vision to the clear light) when going into deep sleep or when coming out of a dream. Similarly also, when entering a dream or when awakening from sleep the eight signs of the reverse process are experienced.
These states of increasing subtlety during death and of increasing grossness during rebirth are also experienced in fainting and orgasm as well as before and after sleeping and dreaming, although not in complete form. It is this great subtlety and clarity of the mind during the death process that makes it so valuable to use for advanced meditation practices, and why such emphasis is put on it in Buddhism. Advanced practitioners will often stay in the clear light meditation for several days after the breathing has stopped, engaging in these advanced meditations, and can achieve liberation at this time.
The Buddhist view is that each living being has a continuity or stream of consciousness that moves from one life to the next. Each being has had countless previous lives and will continue to be reborn again and again without control unless he/she develops his/her mind to the point where, like the yogis mentioned above, he/she gains control over this process. When the stream of consciousness or mind moves from one life to the next it brings with it the karmic imprints or potentialities from previous lives. Karma literally means "action", and all of the actions of body, speech and mind leave an imprint on the mind-stream. These karmas can be negative, positive or neutral, depending on the action. They can ripen at any time in the future, whenever conditions are suitable. These karmic seeds or imprints are never lost.
At the time of death (clear light stage) the consciousness (very subtle mind) leaves the body and the person takes the body of an intermediate state being. They are in the form that they will take in their next life (some texts say the previous life), but in a subtle rather than a gross form. As mentioned previously, it can take up to forty-nine days to find a suitable place of rebirth. This rebirth is propelled by karma and is uncontrolled. In effect the karma of the intermediate state being matches that of its future parents. The intermediate state being has the illusory appearance of its future parents copulating. It is drawn to this place by the force of attraction to its parent of the opposite sex, and it is this desire that causes the consciousness of the intermediate state being to enter the fertilized ovum. This happens at or near the time of conception and the new life has begun.
One will not necessarily be reborn as a human being. Buddhists describe six realms of existence that one can be reborn into, these being the hell realms, the preta (hungry ghost) realm, the animal realm, the human realm, the jealous god (asura) realm and the god (sura) realms. One's experience in these situations can range from intense suffering in the hell realms to unimaginable pleasures in the god realms. But all of these levels of existence are regarded as unsatisfactory by the spiritual practitioner because no matter how high one goes within this cyclic existence, one may one day fall down again to the lower realms of existence. So the aim of the spiritual practitioner is to develop his/her mind to the extent where a stop is put to this uncontrolled rebirth, as mentioned previously. The practitioner realises that all six levels of existence are ultimately in the nature of suffering, so wishes to be free of them forever.
The state of mind at the time of death is regarded as extremely important, because this plays a vital part in the situation one is reborn into. This is one reason why suicide is regarded in Buddhism as very unfortunate, because the state of mind of the person who commits suicide is usually depressed and negative and is likely to throw them into a lower rebirth. Also, it doesn't end the suffering, it just postpones it to another life.
When considering the spiritual care of the dying, it can be helpful to divide people into several different categories, because the category they are in will determine the most useful approach to use. These categories are: 1) whether the person is conscious or unconscious, and 2) whether they have a religious belief or not. In terms of the first category, if the person is conscious they can do the practices themselves or someone can assist them, but if they are unconscious someone has to do the practices for them. For the second category, if a person has specific religious beliefs, these can be utilised to help them. If they do not, they still need to be encouraged to have positive/virtuous thoughts at the time of death, such as reminding them of positive things they have done during their life.
For a spiritual practitioner, it is helpful to encourage them to have thoughts such as love, compassion, remembering their spiritual teacher. It is beneficial also to have an image in the room of Jesus, Mary, Buddha, or some other spiritual figure that may have meaning for the dying person. It may be helpful for those who are with the dying person to say some prayers, recite mantras etc. - this could be silent or aloud, whatever seems most appropriate.
However, one needs to be very sensitive to the needs of the dying person. The most important thing is to keep the mind of the person happy and calm. Nothing should be done (including certain spiritual practices) if this causes the person to be annoyed or irritated. There is a common conception that it is good to read "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" to the dying person, but if he/she is not familiar with the particular deities and practices contained in it, then this is not likely to prove very beneficial.
Because the death process is so important, it is best not to disturb the dying person with noise or shows of emotion. Expressing attachment and clinging to the dying person can disturb the mind and therefore the death process, so it is more helpful to mentally let the person go, to encourage them to move on to the next life without fear. It is important not to deny death or to push it away, just to be with the dying person as fully and openly as possible, trying to have an open and deep sharing of the person's fear, pain, joy, love, etc.
As mentioned previously, when a person is dying, their mind becomes much more subtle, and they are more open to receiving mental messages from those people close to them. So silent communication and prayer can be very helpful. It is not necessary to talk much. The dying person can be encouraged to let go into the light, into God's love etc. (again, this can be verbal or mental).
It can be very helpful to encourage the dying person to use breathing meditation - to let go of the thoughts and concentrate on the movement of the breath. This can be helpful for developing calmness, for pain control, for acceptance, for removing fear. It can help the dying person to get in touch with their inner stillness and peace and come to terms with their death. This breathing technique can be especially useful when combined with a mantra, prayer, or affirmation (i.e. half on the in-breath, half on the out-breath).
One of the Tibetan lamas, Sogyal Rinpoche, says that for up to about twenty-one days after a person dies they are more connected to the previous life than to the next one. So for this period in particular the loved ones can be encouraged to continue their (silent) communication with the deceased person - to say their good-byes, finish any unfinished business, reassure the dead person, encourage them to let go of their old life and to move on to the next one. It can be reassuring even just to talk to the dead person and at some level to know that they are probably receiving your message. The mind of the deceased person at this stage can still be subtle and receptive.
For the more adept practitioners there is also the method of transference of consciousness at the time of death (Tibetan: po-wa). With training, at the time of death, the practitioner can project his mind upwards from his heart centre through his crown directly to one of the Buddha pure realms, or at least to a higher rebirth. Someone who has perfected this training can also assist others at the time of death to project their mind to a good rebirth.
It is believed that if the consciousness leaves the body of the dead person through the crown or from a higher part of the body, it is likely to result in a good type of rebirth. Conversely, if the consciousness leaves from a lower part of the body this is likely to result in rebirth in one of the lower realms. For this reason, when a person dies it is believed that the first part of the body that should be touched is the crown. The crown is located about eight finger widths (of the person being measured) back from the (original) hairline. To rub or tap this area or gently pull the crown hair after a person dies is regarded as very beneficial and may well help the person to obtain a higher rebirth. Their are special blessed pills (po-wa pills) that can be placed on the crown after death which also facilitates this process.
Once the consciousness has left the body (which, as mentioned earlier, can take up to three days) it doesn't matter how the body is disposed of or handled (including the carrying out of a post-mortem examination) because in effect it has just become an empty shell. However, if the body is disposed of before the consciousness has left, this will obviously be very disturbing for the person who is going through the final stages of psychological dissolution.
This raises the question of whether or not it is advisable to donate one's organs after dying. The usual answer given by the Tibetan lamas to this question is that if the wish to donate one's organs is done with the motivation of compassion, then any disturbance to the death process that this causes is far outweighed by the positive karma that one is creating by this act of giving. It is another way in which one can die with a positive and compassionate mind.
A Tibetan tradition which is becoming more popular in the West is to get part of the remains of the deceased (e.g. ashes, hair, nails) blessed and then put into statues, tsa-tsas (Buddha images made of clay or plaster) or stupas (reliquary monuments representing the Buddha's body, speech and mind). These stupas for instance could be kept in the person's home, larger ones could be erected in a memorial garden. Making offerings to these or circumambulating them and so on is regarded as highly meritorious, both for the person who has died and for the loved ones.
There are also rituals for caring for the dead, for guiding the dead person through the intermediate state into a good rebirth. Such a ritual is "The Tibetan Book of the Dead", more correctly titled "Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo".
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It's when we get hung up or attached to our form being in a particular way that we suffer. "My body is tall / fat / skinny / wobbly / round...it must be like this, that and the other"...why must it be like anything? Death is coming, our body is going to change.
Above talks about the death of the physical body, but not about the death of the mind. If you look at some old people, the level of their development is very different. Why is it some older folk are really capable, and others are not? Just check out their mind and their practice. It really is incredible - have you ever seen an old monk suffering from dementia or senility? Even though their physical body may be tiring, their mind is not dying. And in fact, because they are not attached to their physical form, they are not suffering in that way either.
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Thank you for sharing, Dharma Defender.
Well written abou the death of the mind.
It is really our attachment that creates more suffering for ourselves.
And you are so right - I have not seen any old monk suffering from dementia or senility!
The Mind Transformation is the key to escape from samsara even when our bodies are trapped in samsara.
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It's when we get hung up or attached to our form being in a particular way that we suffer. "My body is tall / fat / skinny / wobbly / round...it must be like this, that and the other"...why must it be like anything? Death is coming, our body is going to change.
Above talks about the death of the physical body, but not about the death of the mind. If you look at some old people, the level of their development is very different. Why is it some older folk are really capable, and others are not? Just check out their mind and their practice. It really is incredible - have you ever seen an old monk suffering from dementia or senility? Even though their physical body may be tiring, their mind is not dying. And in fact, because they are not attached to their physical form, they are not suffering in that way either.
Very true DharmaDefender, it just proves again that everything we preceive is based on how our mind wants it to be. The only thing we need to work on in our life time is our monkey mind. I have known of a few older monks, their minds are sharp and it bears no resemblence to their physical body. it is aspiring to know that we can work towards a better mind that will bring us more happiness rather than sufferings.
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Death is an experience no one can deny...and fear is what comes to mind when we think about death. However, some sees it as a means to escape their present unfavorable condition. Either way, it is something all of us have experienced countless times but we do not have any recollection of it...and that is because we do not have control over it.
Just as Helena has shared, Tibetan Buddhism offers us step by step method to GAINING CONTROL over death! And not only that, there are countless who have gained mastery over the process and proven the results of the methods by returning again and again...
In the Lamrim, "Liberation in the Palm of your Hand", Pabongkha Rinpoche, death is :
1) Viewed as a gateway to continuity,..and not THE END as how i used to think!
2) Also, death teaches us impermanence, thus meditating on it and fearing the 3 lower realms, letting go of negative experiences instead of creating more becomes possible...
A great way to start the new year off by meditating on death...thus, we seize this precious human life we have, using it to bring some form of benefit to others...
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Thank you all for so kindly and generously sharing your thoughts on this particular subject.
Death has always been the most challenging and thorny subject for me. Almost to the point that it is, to this day, a real obstacle to my personal Dharma practice.
Because of death, and the fear of losing the ones I love at death, I had refused to get too close to anyone - even my own Guru. Hence, there is this safe respectful distance. Then when the separation comes at death, I would not be so devastated. This was how I used to think.
Now, with the understanding of Dharma and through constant practice, I am learning to be less afraid of truly caring for all around me - especially my Guru.
At the heart of Dharma is Bodhichitta - without Bodhichitta, we cannot truly exchange ourselves for others. Hence, how can we ever let go of our own self-cherishing?
Here, I would like to share a paragraph from Lama Zopa's Advice on How to Prepare for and Not Be Afraid of Death. It has helped me a great deal in my own practice. Hope it is useful to everyone here too.
"The purpose of my life is not only my own happiness, not only solving my own problems. The goal of my life is to free others from suffering and to cause all the happiness - temporal and ultimate - to benefit others.
I'm just one living being. My importance is nothing. How much I suffer or how much happiness I achieve is nothing. There are numberless other living beings who want happiness, who don't want suffering and who need my help. Every one of them is the source of all my past, present and future happiness. Each of them is the most precious one in my life.
How incredibly fortunate I am that I can let go of my self - from which all problems and all the undesirable things come - and instead cherish others and experience their death and all their problems for them. I can let them have all the temporal and ultimate happiness."
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A lot of people think that there is no need to put a lot of effort in daily spiritual practice, because when death comes, they can do the necessary practice and generate good thoughts, thus dying with a positive thought in order to have a positive rebirth.
This is far from the truth.
The daily practice is of utmost importance because it generates merits, and when we do practice from day to day, we accumulate merits along the way and when the moment of death is near, these merits will open up the positive karma for us to generate positive thoughts and be able to maintain it throughout the dying process till the next rebirth.
There is no such thing as "positive thoughts switch" and we can turn on as we like when we are dying, if there really is such switch, then the trigger must be the merits that we have accumulated over the years.
That is why day to day, moment to moment practice is so important while we still have the physial and environmental endowments to do so.
We cannot wait till the last moment to do practice, it simply doesn't work that way.
Mana
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Thank you, Mana for sharing that very important and useful information.
It is true - practice makes perfect. Above all, with practice everything becomes effortless and natural. So, when the time comes, it becomes our most natural reaction or response.
I especially liked what you wrote here -
That is why day to day, moment to moment practice is so important while we still have the physial and environmental endowments to do so.
We cannot wait till the last moment to do practice, it simply doesn't work that way.
Incorporating everything we have learnt and are learning into our living daily practice is the real key to transforming our minds and lives.
Thank you for this most valuable reminder.
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Birth, death, bardo & rebirth - that's the process our mind goes through repeatedly! It is due to our accumulations of countless positive and negative karma since beginningless time. Unless we have exhausted these accumulated karma and creates zero karma for the future, we will be going through again the whole process of birth, death, bardo and rebirth! Unless we realise emptiness directly, we will still repeatedly go through the same process above. How tiring! :-(
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Birth, death, bardo & rebirth - that's the process our mind goes through repeatedly! It is due to our accumulations of countless positive and negative karma since beginningless time. Unless we have exhausted these accumulated karma and creates zero karma for the future, we will be going through again the whole process of birth, death, bardo and rebirth! Unless we realise emptiness directly, we will still repeatedly go through the same process above. How tiring! :-(
... But all this is just the play of our mind ... everything manifests from our mind. Then why are we so caught up with this play???
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While we are in samsara, we will be inclined to be caught up with the plays.
Hence, the importance of our practice and integrating everything we have learnt into our daily life now.
In time, all of it will become natural and effortless.
In this way, we are always prepared and will know what to do in whatever situation or for anyone who needs help.
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While we are in samsara, we will be inclined to be caught up with the plays.
Hence, the importance of our practice and integrating everything we have learnt into our daily life now.
In time, all of it will become natural and effortless.
In this way, we are always prepared and will know what to do in whatever situation or for anyone who needs help.
Thanks Helena. Yes I agree.
We are so well conditioned by our habituations that we find it hard to break habits. We are fooled by our minds all the time. We have to be mindful, aware and be on guard every moment so that we won't be affected by every manifestation of our mind!
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Well said, Dondrup - we are constantly being fooled by the manifestations of our minds.
Being mindful at all times is a real challenge for me, but as long as I don't give up, I believe I will get better at it.
Have a wonderful weekend ahead. :)
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Actually, I heard that Death meditation is a very effective meditational practice for those who are very attached to their body or finds it hard to change and transform. When normal cultivation and meditational practice fail to make us change, death meditation would be one of the best ways to accustom our mind to our mortality and hence, make us cherish others more, increase our merits so we can change and transform. It is no wonder that death and impermanence is the first topic in the Lamrim after the prologue on Atisha.
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Yes, good points you brought up, Big Uncle.
Death Meditation is a very powerful practice.
I just want to add to what you have already explained that when we do the death meditation daily, we will also become familiar with the whole process when our time is up.
This will aid us greatly in doing the right things at the most crucial moments of our lives.
I have heard that any wrong thoughts will throw us into that realm instantly. For instance, if we still have a lot of anger and bitterness and we cannot seem to let that go, and that happens to be our very last thoughts at death - then we might be sent straight to a hell realm.
Perhaps, this could be the reason why my Guru had advised us to focus on our meditational Buddha or even just focus on the Guru.
Having said that, I do find Death Meditation very helpful in cutting out my need to argue and justify myself. When the time of death can descend upon us at any time, without warning, why waste all the precious time in arguing and justifying why something is not done or not right, or even not fulfilled? There are so many more positive and beneficial ways to go about our daily lives.
Contemplation on Death itself, especially my own, has helped me break through my inability to let go.
For that alone, I am very grateful.
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What would you share with people who thinks this life is the one and only?
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What would you share with people who thinks this life is the one and only?
It depends on their level of thought. For some people who are thinkers, talking to them about death and impermanence is the best thing to move them because these are both inevitable and irrefutable nature of our existence. Thinkers are usually easier to explain to if you present facts in a logical manner.
For some people, cause and effect is too subtle for them to comprehend and talking about death and impermanence is just too much. I would go all new age about it and talk about taking charge of our lives with tenets and facts that are logical and how spiritual practice opens our mind to change and transformation that makes for a happier living. There are many angles in Buddhism towards achieving happiness. One angle is to think and act for others is the source of all happiness while thinking and occupying all our effort and time towards ourselves is the source of all unhappiness.
For most people, when you talk of happiness and finding it will make it a very good way to talk to them about spirituality. It really depends on what they know and how much they know before you so one can approach the subject of death and impermanence without sounding too morbid.
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Those who firmly believe in this being the one and only life will definitely be the same people who buy life insurance.
They are really afraid of dying, falling sick and suffering.
Hence, they will also find ways to live life to the fullest but within the safety comfort zones.
So, Dharma Practice or collecting merits by doing some Dharma work or sponsoring Dharma work/projects can be 'marketed' t these types of people as their "life insurance" just incase they find out later that they are wrong and it is not just this one life.
There is no harm in buying more life insurance to protect those who feel that they need protection 24/7 because they have only one precious life to live.
Gradually, after doing a little more for Dharma, they will feel a sense of deep gratification and purpose. That sense of joy and purpose will come to mean more to them over time.
This has worked for some of my friends. That was how I began talking to them. But not everyone is the same. I guess, knowing what the individual fear most is always a good start. The fear of not wanting something to happen to them is usually strong enough to start them off doing something, however minor, for themselves.
It definitely got me started to do more Dharma and practice harder, that's for sure.
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After reading this thread I am thinking why we even bother to make such a huff and puff about celebrating birthdays! Every birthday, as ironical as it sounds, is a year closer to death. Of course many can rebut and say that we are celebrating being alive. Yes, I can entertain that but then I ask: Alive doing what?
Unless every year which passes we have done something to benefit many others and thinking about others and transforming our lives from selfish to giving, anger to compassion - what are we celebrating? And imagine we have industries which flourish from this whole birthday celebration fiasco...
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After reading this thread I am thinking why we even bother to make such a huff and puff about celebrating birthdays! Every birthday, as ironical as it sounds, is a year closer to death. Of course many can rebut and say that we are celebrating being alive. Yes, I can entertain that but then I ask: Alive doing what?
Unless every year which passes we have done something to benefit many others and thinking about others and transforming our lives from selfish to giving, anger to compassion - what are we celebrating? And imagine we have industries which flourish from this whole birthday celebration fiasco...
I personally do not feel there is anything wrong with "celebrating" birthdays. It is as you say, and should, be a celebration of life... what we have accomplished, bringing together friends, etc.
Birthdays are indeed a marker for a year gone by and a step closer to our grave. No denying that! However, if it can be used as an "excuse" to get people together to catch up and share on how our lives are at that point... sometimes we are able to share with certain friends and change their perceptions towards spirituality and that can be a positive thing.
In the past, my brithdays have always been having the most fabulous party and get together with mindless activities but recent years with a more spiritual mind set, I find it to be a great way to "use" my birthday as a get together to share good times AND to help others in need. Expensive presents and lavish gifts are now translated into donations or volunteer work to various charities that I help highlight. In this manner, celebrating a birthday becomes a real celebration of life and a brilliant opportunity to show by example the closest to oneself how we have changed for the better and that spirituality does indeed bring happiness!
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What would you share with people who thinks this life is the one and only?
From a Buddhist point of view, it is wrong view to think that this life is one and only. It is wrong view because it means that karma do not exist and everything done in this life whether good or bad ends in this life and does not carry any karmic repercussion beyond this life.
It is not easy to change the view of someone who has wrong views and sometimes it may not even be possible due to strong karmic imprint from the past.
However, since they only believe in this life, they would be more receptive to methods on how to achieve happiness in this life. For eg, initially we can share with them on the benefits of compassion and thinking about others that will bring happiness in this life, the disbenefit of anger, jealously and hatred that will cause immediate unhappiness in this life not to mention future lives. In this case, the cause and effect of application of these principles can be seen in this life alone.
When these principles are applied to their lives and when they can see the benefits from what has been shared with them, it would be easier to introduce them to the right view of past and future lives and the law of cause and effect.
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There is no such thing as "positive thoughts switch" and we can turn on as we like when we are dying, if there really is such switch, then the trigger must be the merits that we have accumulated over the years.
That is why day to day, moment to moment practice is so important while we still have the physial and environmental endowments to do so.
We cannot wait till the last moment to do practice, it simply doesn't work that way.
Mana
Mana is so right on.
I can certainly relate to the "positive thoughts switch".
Nobody can debate against the four noble truths but majority of the people, myself included,..live each day thinking I can handle the sufferings of sickness when it comes, thinking i can handle sufferings of old age and death when it comes, cos i have that positive thoughts switch to flick on. How wrong. There's constant fluctuations of emotions on a daily basis due to the smallest issues and how can one find that switch when bigger, inevitable sufferings hit us...
much appreciation for the reminder to practice day by day, moment by moment.
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There is no such thing as "positive thoughts switch" and we can turn on as we like when we are dying, if there really is such switch, then the trigger must be the merits that we have accumulated over the years.
That is why day to day, moment to moment practice is so important while we still have the physial and environmental endowments to do so.
We cannot wait till the last moment to do practice, it simply doesn't work that way.
Mana
I totally agreed with Mana with regards to there is no such thing as a "positive thought switch". We are all creatures of habituation. If we have consistently been having one mode of thinking throughout our lives, it is unlikely that we are going to think otherwise at our death bed. Every thought we have is being reinforced the more we think of it. By the time we are nearing death or at our death bed, our habitual thoughts would have such a strong hold on us that it would be almost impossible for other thoughts to take it place.
Therefore, like what Mana said consistent day to day practice is utmost important to re habituate our mind positively while we have the physical and environmental endowment.
There is no shortcut to "salvation". We have to put in the hardwork and we must do it before it is too late for us!
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I totally agreed with Mana with regards to there is no such thing as a "positive thought switch". We are all creatures of habituation. If we have consistently been having one mode of thinking throughout our lives, it is unlikely that we are going to think otherwise at our death bed. Every thought we have is being reinforced the more we think of it. By the time we are nearing death or at our death bed, our habitual thoughts would have such a strong hold on us that it would be almost impossible for other thoughts to take it place.
Therefore, like what Mana said consistent day to day practice is utmost important to re habituate our mind positively while we have the physical and environmental endowment.
There is no shortcut to "salvation". We have to put in the hardwork and we must do it before it is too late for us!
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WoselTenzin, I could not agree with you more. There is truly no shortcut if what we want is a better life with quality and purpose. Plus, to be able to bring the merits into our next life so that we have the karma to learn the Dharma and attain Enlightenment.
Many of us live life day to day and think that it is enough, without remotely connecting to the fact that we came from past lives and there are many more lives ahead of us. If we have been obsessed planning for better financial gains, business ventures, holidays, etc... Then I strongly ask that we put out the same, and more, into planning our better lives now and future.
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After reading this thread I am thinking why we even bother to make such a huff and puff about celebrating birthdays! Every birthday, as ironical as it sounds, is a year closer to death. Of course many can rebut and say that we are celebrating being alive. Yes, I can entertain that but then I ask: Alive doing what?
Unless every year which passes we have done something to benefit many others and thinking about others and transforming our lives from selfish to giving, anger to compassion - what are we celebrating? And imagine we have industries which flourish from this whole birthday celebration fiasco...
I personally do not feel there is anything wrong with "celebrating" birthdays. It is as you say, and should, be a celebration of life... what we have accomplished, bringing together friends, etc.
Birthdays are indeed a marker for a year gone by and a step closer to our grave. No denying that! However, if it can be used as an "excuse" to get people together to catch up and share on how our lives are at that point... sometimes we are able to share with certain friends and change their perceptions towards spirituality and that can be a positive thing.
In the past, my brithdays have always been having the most fabulous party and get together with mindless activities but recent years with a more spiritual mind set, I find it to be a great way to "use" my birthday as a get together to share good times AND to help others in need. Expensive presents and lavish gifts are now translated into donations or volunteer work to various charities that I help highlight. In this manner, celebrating a birthday becomes a real celebration of life and a brilliant opportunity to show by example the closest to oneself how we have changed for the better and that spirituality does indeed bring happiness!
I think in Buddhism the highlight of Birthdays is not there because anything that is in celebration of one self is considered ego stroking. We celebrate our lama's birthday because He/She totally benefits so many people and infact He/She dislikes Birthday celebrations but does so for the benefit of others, allowing people to make offerings, collect merits and get blessings from the lama. As for ourselves, most of the time, I think it is more self-indulgence. I guess we can use the 8 worldly concerns, hence it is yet another frivolous self-cherishing event because it actually enforces us to "cherish ourselves". If we have been celebrating our Birthdays as an excuse to get together and have fun and catch up and drink etc etc, probably when we are in Dharma, if we still celebrate... it would be for the same self preserving reasons... because like what Mana said there is no such thing as a "positive thought switch". This takes gradual time, training and life and life time of rehabituating our self-cherishing thoughts.
It is not that I am saying it is a big No NO to Birthdays but question to ask ourselves is, is it really to enforce our own ego or is it really meant to help others? If we can use our Birthdays to help others, then sure, why not.
Birthdays is a great time reflect how much have we done so far in our lives, and if not much, not much to celebrate or shout about I suppose. Taking time out to contemplate and make offerings on that day is always meritorious and this is what most Lamas advice on our Birthdays :) So in other words... everyday could be your "Birthday" if we do offering and contemplation daily hu? At the end of it all.... everything is just labels.
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After reading this thread I am thinking why we even bother to make such a huff and puff about celebrating birthdays! Every birthday, as ironical as it sounds, is a year closer to death. Of course many can rebut and say that we are celebrating being alive. Yes, I can entertain that but then I ask: Alive doing what?
Unless every year which passes we have done something to benefit many others and thinking about others and transforming our lives from selfish to giving, anger to compassion - what are we celebrating? And imagine we have industries which flourish from this whole birthday celebration fiasco...
I personally do not feel there is anything wrong with "celebrating" birthdays. It is as you say, and should, be a celebration of life... what we have accomplished, bringing together friends, etc.
Birthdays are indeed a marker for a year gone by and a step closer to our grave. No denying that! However, if it can be used as an "excuse" to get people together to catch up and share on how our lives are at that point... sometimes we are able to share with certain friends and change their perceptions towards spirituality and that can be a positive thing.
In the past, my brithdays have always been having the most fabulous party and get together with mindless activities but recent years with a more spiritual mind set, I find it to be a great way to "use" my birthday as a get together to share good times AND to help others in need. Expensive presents and lavish gifts are now translated into donations or volunteer work to various charities that I help highlight. In this manner, celebrating a birthday becomes a real celebration of life and a brilliant opportunity to show by example the closest to oneself how we have changed for the better and that spirituality does indeed bring happiness!
I think in Buddhism the highlight of Birthdays is not there because anything that is in celebration of one self is considered ego stroking. We celebrate our lama's birthday because He/She totally benefits so many people and infact He/She dislikes Birthday celebrations but does so for the benefit of others, allowing people to make offerings, collect merits and get blessings from the lama. As for ourselves, most of the time, I think it is more self-indulgence. I guess we can use the 8 worldly concerns, hence it is yet another frivolous self-cherishing event because it actually enforces us to "cherish ourselves". If we have been celebrating our Birthdays as an excuse to get together and have fun and catch up and drink etc etc, probably when we are in Dharma, if we still celebrate... it would be for the same self preserving reasons... because like what Mana said there is no such thing as a "positive thought switch". This takes gradual time, training and life and life time of rehabituating our self-cherishing thoughts.
It is not that I am saying it is a big No NO to Birthdays but question to ask ourselves is, is it really to enforce our own ego or is it really meant to help others? If we can use our Birthdays to help others, then sure, why not.
Birthdays is a great time reflect how much have we done so far in our lives, and if not much, not much to celebrate or shout about I suppose. Taking time out to contemplate and make offerings on that day is always meritorious and this is what most Lamas advice on our Birthdays :) So in other words... everyday could be your "Birthday" if we do offering and contemplation daily hu? At the end of it all.... everything is just labels.
Who are we all kidding? Since when do we lay such a massive guilt trip on our most favorite celebrations? I always believe that Buddhism is not about guilt trips, it is about finding the real source of happiness. Since, our problems have been consistently been a problem because of our egos, so we reverse the attention towards others. Birthdays are a typical celebration of me, myself and I, so we celebrate it by making an offering to our Lama or spend it in virtue by liberating animals, going vegetarian or some other virtuous actions. We need not mope and groan about our age being closer to death. Let's not kid ourselves, we can still celebrate it but just find a more meaningful way of doing so. That's how I would do it as recommended by my Lama.
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We expect to receive gifts from families and friends on our birthdays. If they forget to give a gift , we will sulk and be unhappy.
Since the practice of giving is the first of the Six Perfections, as Buddhist practitioners, we can celebrate our birthdays by giving instead of just taking.
The great Trijang Rinpoche in his autobiography had recorded that throughout his life (previous incarnation) he had been giving - give offerings, give teachings, give food , give care etc.
We are not like Trijang Rinpoche yet. We are not always mindful of creating the right causes everyday. But let's start by the sincere practice of giving on our birthdays - a day we seldom forget . This way we can celebrate birthdays in a meaningful way.
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Everyone who has ever lived has died. We are all dying - whether we have been diagnosed with a life threatening illness or not. Death can come at any time, at any age and in countless unexpected ways.
How will we handle it? How can we help others?
The following are some Buddhist teachings on death and helping the dying that you can download.
May all who read these teachings be blessed with easy, painless, peaceful deaths and be born in Amitabha Buddha's blissful pure land.
Buddha's Last Words from the Parinirvana Sutra
Caring for the Dying and Dead
Essential Advice from Ven. Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Death And Dying Module by Dr Nick Ribush in the Discovering Buddhism at Home series
Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth by His Holiness Dalai Lama
H.H. Dalai Lama discusses the importance of a virtuous mental attitude at the time of death and the effects after death.
How to Care for the Dying and Benefit the Deceased by Ven. Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Ven. Lama Zopa Rinpoche gives specific Buddhist practices that benefit a person's mind before and after death.
The Five Powers to Develop for a Happy, Successful Death by Ven. Lama Zopa Rinpoche
based on the thought transformation texts. This is the very essential advice for Buddhist practicioners.
Preparing for Death and Helping the Dying by Ven. Sangye Khadro Highlights include: the 8 Stages of the Death Process, How to Prepare for (Our) Death and How to Help Others (Buddhist and Non-Buddhist).
Zen and the Good Death by Frank Ostaseki (Founding Director: Zen Hospice Project) "In dying, spiritual support is every bit as important as good medical care."
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Death Meditation when done daily and with focus... we realised that a lot of things really does not matter except for the Dharma. Sometimes a death of someone close also could change your perspective of life, wakes you up to what truly matters and truly last and what does not.
Definitely all the silly grudges, anger, differences, chase for fame, fortune and that perfect little advertised life of happiness to consume more and more seems to be more and more a shame. All is but a deception which we choose to deceive ourselves in because the cold hard truth is death and most of us grew up with an imputed concept that "death" is a taboo and something bad. But in reality it is nothing bad nor good... it is part and parcel of life and it is inevitable... which can be scary when we don't believe in karma and taking any responsibility for any of our actions. This can be really something we ought to think about... what happens after your eyes closes and your 5 cognitive senses dissolves and you see the light... what happens next???
I find the process of death in the Lamrim really profound teachings and a way we can meditate upon to get us ready for when the time comes... we kinda sorta know what to expect.
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Death is certain as there is no possible way to escape death.Life has a definte limit and each moment brings us closer to the finality of this life.We are dying from the moment we are born.Death comes in a moment and it's time is unexpected.One breath separates us from the next life.This is the simplest,most obvious truth of our existence,and yet a few of us have really comes to terms with it.
The body can be easily destroyed by disease or accident,therefore we must ripen our our inner potential without delay.The only thing that can help us at the time of death is our mental/spiritual development.
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In every religion and cultural beliefs, Death is inevitable but yet it is so seldom that we are prepared for it. In many cultures, people do not even want to talk about death and some people do not even like to attend funerals.
So in ignorance we spend our lives indulging in self preservation and become selfish by nature. In Tibetan Buddhism, practitioners are taught to contemplate on death and rebirth. To live with focus out on others to create selflessness so that on death it is the beginning of a swift and good rebirth to be with the Dharma.
One contributor to this article even wrote of the death of the mind before the physical body. And that can happen without realisation except for periods of depression and sadness. All this suffering can be controlled by the study of the Great Dharma and realisation of the delusions of this short life.
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The duration of one’s life span is uncertain i.e. the young will die before the old or the healthy before the sick. Most of us, will eventually have fear and avoidance when the topic of death being brought into discussion. From the Buddhist point of view, our life will not end after death and eventually one will immediately reincarnate . There are three principal causes of death: the ending of the karmically determined life span, exhaustion of merit, and loss of power of the life force. Hence, without any further delay or ponder, we should be engaging in pure Dharma practice and to apply any methods we have learnt for extending our life span, such as the practices of Amitayus and White Tara.
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Only by fearing death; I mean really fearing death does one start to thing about doing something about it. Depending on ones background and affinity, one may start to be spiritual. To be spiritual to any religion, whether it is Islam, Chritianity, Hinduism or Buddhism...etc is good. Practice the basic tenets of the religion well we will meet with a good rebirth, whether it is Heaven or meeting God or in Buddhism, the best would be as Human with the 18 opportune condition.
My point is, "Fear Death" and do something about it.