Past, Present & Future Lives and Navigating the Bardo State (Part 5)

A. OPENING TEACHINGS

Geshe la first apologised that he had inadvertently forgotten to circulate the Zoom Details for the class earlier this week, and hoped that members of the Class would be able to disseminate these in future if, due to the increased workload during this period, he may be tardy in respect of disseminating details for the class. Geshe La reminded the Class that during the last class, we were introduced to the concept that a bardo entity’s realm of rebirth is dependent upon 5 factors, the first of which is the Cause of Death. This topic was dealt with during the last class on 1 Jan 2022.

Under that umbrella, we talked about the various causes, namely (1) when one’s merits (or resources) have run out – this can occur on the spiritual level such as exhaustion of one’s fortune to eat or drink, or can be understood on a more secular level such as when one has no money to pay medical fees (福尽而死), (2) when one’s karmic connection to this body has already reached its end (寿尽而死), where they may have merits to be able to continue this life, have money to pay medical bills etc, but time is up one’s life force based on one’s life weight is exhausted, (3) the third main reason would be death caused by people “carrying on regardless” despite knowing the dangers of certain perilous activities.

Being mindful of these things are important especially when we are alive and relatively healthy. Take the simple example of (1) above, which can quite easily be mitigated by purchasing medical insurance while we are still healthy. To take a cavalier attitude towards this would be tantamount also to making cause (3) i.e. carrying on regardless, a contributory cause of death.

In this class, Geshe la will concentrate on the 2nd factor, being the State of Mind at the Time of Death.

B. FACTORS AFFECTING REALM OF ONE’S REBIRTH – THE 2ND FACTOR – STATE OF MIND AT THE TIME OF DEATH

Death is inevitable, and death is when the consciousness separates from the body. This is when we have to separate from whatever was, prior to death, considered “ours”. This would include our loved ones, our possessions and material things, the things we used to enjoy etc.

As human beings, we are gifted with intellect and some wisdom. Yet, despite being intellectually aware of the above inevitability, people hardly ever reflect on or even think about this inevitability in their daily lives. This leads to a lot of fear, pain, anguish and suffering when one comes to realise that all these wordly things to which we have become attached, have to be left behind at the moment of death.

Because of this, it is important for us who believe in a next life, to train ourselves on a day to day basis, to remember our source of refuge, namely the Triple Gem, and if one is also is a tantric practitioner, one’s yidam (meditational deity) and one’s root guru. Taking refuge and belief in the Triple Gem will protect one from these fears to a great extent and mitigate those negative emotions significantly, and will also close the doors to rebirth in the three lower realms.If one departs this world with kindness and compassion in one’s mindstream, this leads one to higher rebirths. But if one harbours negative emotions such as attachment (desire) or aversion (hatred), then one creates the causes for rebirth in the lower realms.

Therefore, when one is healthy, it is far easier to cultivate (and inculcate) in oneself the habit of positive thoughts and avoid negative emotions. When this becomes a habit, it will become a lot easier for us to achieve that positive state at or around the time of death.

If someone who is about to die has developed the habit of causing harm to others, e.g. killing, when that person is about to die, the hatred harboured by his or her victims will invariably come to haunt him or her, and that will make it very difficult for that person to conjure and abide in positive thoughts at this crucial time.

In Lama Tsonkhapa’s Lam Rim Chenmo, we study the 12 Links of Dependent Origination, whereby Craving (爱) and Grasping/Clinging (取) are often described as what drives us to want things and cling on to things, which is actually very relevant when one’s consciousness is due to depart this body as they then lead us to the process of coming into existence yet again.This is a lesson for another day and it explains the 12 links that lead to us continuing in the vicious cycle of samsara. By way of introduction, they are (1) Primordial ignorance, (2) Conditioned or formative actions, (3) Consciousness, (4) Name and form, (5) the Five Senses and the Mind Consciousness, (6) Contact or touch (7) Sensation or desire giving to feelings of pleasure and pain, (8) Craving, (9) Grasping/ Clinging, (10) Becoming or maturing towards rebirth, (11) Birth leading to endless rebirth and (12) Ageing and death leading to the endless cycles of life and death.

Let’s take an analogy, at the risk of over-simplification. A person who is very fond of eating meat, will have a habit of ordering only meat dishes at a restaurant. The converse is true for a vegetarian, who will have a habit of only ordering vegetarian food. The person who is both, may order either one or the other, depending on his or her mood at the relevant time.

The state of mind of the person dying is likened to the person wishing to order food at the restaurant. Those with habitual tendencies one way or the other will invariably be led to think or feel as they would when they were alive and healthy. A person with a disposition somewhere in the middle, who has a bit of both positive and negative seeds in his or her karmic bank, the thought at the time of death is not guaranteed and that becomes crucial and determinative.

In our Monasteries when our learned Masters are about to depart, disciples will recite aloud, scriptural texts including The Way of the Bodhisattva by Shantideva. As their Masters hear these words, their minds will unify with these teachings, and this will help to place their consciousness into the right frame of mind. Some Masters who are about to die will request some of their closest disciples to be by their deathbeds, to remind them of their kind acts of the past, and to recite texts that were taught and extensively practised in the past. This goes a long way to create that right frame of mind when the consciousness leaves the body.

This practice is similarly effective for lay persons. There is a special ritual known as a phowa which can be administered to the dying to give the consciousness guidance as to what he or she will experience as he or she experiences the stages of death. It is like a Guideline or GPS/ Map to tell the traveler (the departing consciousness) of the various gateways and junctions one will see, where to turn and where to go when one reaches that relevant gateway/ junction etc. The background and science behind phowa is profound and would take months of exposition to fully explain, but this is just a brief introduction.

A practice based on the same principles is commonly seen in Chinese societies in Singapore and Taiwan – the recitation of the name of Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light and the Western Paradise during and after death (one often hears this at funerals), is also based on this same concept. The recitation of the name Namo Amitabha itself brings the individuals’ state of mind into calmness and positivity as aforesaid.

Of course, if we can have members of the ordained community to lead the rituals, that would be best, but if not, the playing of these Buddhist chants and hymns on audio devices will also have a calming effect on that individual’s state of mind.

C. THE STAGES OF DEATH

To understand the impact of one’s state of mind at the time of death, one must first understand what one experiences during death. In this regard, some understanding of the 4 elements of earth, water, fire and air (which are familiar terms from what we know of Traditional Chinese Medicine – TCM) is necessary.

Now, while we are now healthy, we all do get sick from time to time. Our bodies have the constituent elements of earth, water, fire and air (the same concepts exist in Tibetan medicine and our Buddhist teachings as they do in TCM) and when they get imbalanced, one becomes unwell. It is therefore important to achieve balance of these elements in order to keep healthy. We know how difficult it is to achieve the right conditions to have a crop or plant grow well. The same is therefore true for maintenance of balance of these elements that are conditions precedent for a healthy life.

With that in mind, let’s return to the issue of death.

It is important to know that death does not occur in an instant. It is a process, assuming we are talking about a natural death. At the time of death, the 4 elements will start to dissolve, one into each other. Geshe la explained the processes in simple terms as below: –

* Earth dissolves into Water – this is when the shine on one’s skin, will start to pale, and colour fades away from the skin. The person’s face and physical form will start to also shrink.

*Water collapses into fire – one’s lips will become dry and cracked

* Fire collapses into air – the body becomes cold

*Air itself dissolves – one’s breath becomes quicker, and then one ceases breathing.

The above observations from the Sutras and Tantras are consistent with the practices of modern medical science. A doctor examining a person’s vitals will examine his or her tongue, measure his or her temperatures, monitor the individuals’ breathing etc. Whilst not trained in medical science, Geshe la often observes how medical doctors examine patients, both the living and those terminally ill, and reflects on the amazing extent to which the medical indicia are consistent with the Buddha’s teachings on the issue of life and death.

As introduced in Part 2 of this series of Lectures on 11 Dec 2021, the Consciousness comprises of 6 constituent elements – the 5 senses, plus the Consciousness itself (the “6th sense”).

At the time of death, the 5 senses dissolve or collapse into the consciousness itself. The dying person will lose sight, sense of touch or ability to move, the ability to hear, and the ability smell. The 5 senses lose their functions and when that happens, the consciousness in its most subtle form, becomes most “alive” as it remains the only faculty functioning. This consciousness normally resides in the region of our solar plexus. This most subtle consciousness then prepares itself for its next journey, and that’s when it becomes a bardo entity transiting between two lives.

Once the 5 senses have coalesced into the consciousness, the individual has already reached clinical death. There is no longer any breathing, no longer any heartbeat, and all vitals are negative. However from a Buddhist perspective, the consciousness has yet to depart the body. Those amongst us who are trained can see that most people have their consciousness remain in the body for approximately 3 days. This is not an invariable rule, but in most cases, it will be 3 days. This is why we recommend that the body be left alone there for 3 days.

Unfortunately, we know that is not always possible. Upon clinical death, the body is placed in the cold of the mortuary immediately – this will cause the consciousness to experience suffering. Some people die a natural death in their homes – that is normally more conducive for allowing the dead body to rest as it is for 3 days and one should always try to have the body left alone for at least 3 days, if at all possible.

The phenomenon of the consciousness remaining in one’s body after clinical death, can be illustrated by many examples we know of in our tradition whereby learned masters enter into the state of “thukdam”. Scientists are now studying together the phenomenon of thukdam – some masters can remain in this interim state for up to a month.

Medical science shows that during this period, whilst there is no heartbeat, there are some traces of life in the individual including mild brain waves emanating still from that individual. It is akin to a very dim light that remains visible in pitch darkness. The individual’s body does not die, and his or her hair and nails continue to grow. These have been documented. This is why clinical death does not necessarily equate to death in the proper sense of the word, by Buddhist reckoning.

The above state of thukdam is ordinarily achieved only by advanced tantric practitioners. The maintenance of the state of thukdam is important for tantric practitioners who make use of the state of most subtle consciousness in deep meditative state, in order leap out of the wheel of samsara. The departure of the consciousness from an individual hitherto in a state of thukdam can be assessed from his or her facial complexion, and evidence of any decomposition from the body such as foul odour.

Another indicia would be bleeding from the nostrils and/or urine or excrement. In thukdam, the consciousness retains a last breath (qi) to remain in the body. When it leaves, the qi (the residual life force) which controls the last basic faculties, departs as well, leading to the above physical phenomenon.

C. RITUALS & PRACTICAL THINGS TO ASSIST THE CONSICOUSNESS DURING/ POST DEATH

In our tradition, there is a tantric practice called Phowa, which is relevant when the consciousness remains in the body after clinical death. A common one which we may hear of is the Amitabha Phowa. This ritual can only be performed by a Master who has the requisite empowerment and accomplished training.

The idea behind this ritual is to assist the consciousness to depart the body from the top of the crown chakra, which is ordinarily located at the top of one’s head.

The Master enters into a deep meditative state and to guide the consciousness from where it is in the body, to depart from the deceased’s crown chakra, to unite with the point of entry into Amitabha’s Western Paradise – which is why in some prayers, we say “unify with Amitabha in inseparable oneness” (愿得南无阿弥陀佛接引去西方极乐世界).

This practice, if successful, obviates the need for the consciousness to enter the bardo state. It allows the consciousness to be transferred directly to the Western Paradise (Tib: Dewachen, Skt: Sukhavati). This requires a Master who has been trained and accomplished in this practice, and presupposes that the consciousness has not yet departed the physical body.

This is why many practitioners in our tradition practise Phowa – it is not just for helping others, but for helping oneself. It is utilised to navigate out of the wheel of samsara in this way – an accomplished practitioner can move the consciousness from the heart chakra up to the throat chakra, to the chakra between the eyes, up until it departs from the crown chakra. We know of many accomplished practitioners are lay persons, not necessarily ordained members. Those who practice in this tradition are qualified assist dying individuals in the process, to lead them to take rebirth in Dewachen.

Geshe la relayed his own experience with an elderly lama, an accomplished Phowa practitioner, from his days as a young monk in his early days of ordination. One day, together with fellow young monks, they asked the elderly lama to show them the powers of the Amitabha Phowa.

The elderly lama, perhaps wishing to inspire confidence in the young monks, directed the Amitabha Phowa at a stray crow! Geshe la recalled how the crow immediately fell unconsciousness, only to later awake and fly away! This tantric practice is very powerful, and we have seen it being practised in our community with efficacy – the Phowa’s power has the ability to take the consciousness of an entity elsewhere.

Geshe la relayed another incident during the 1990s when His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama had been holding a Kalachakra Empowerment at Bodhgaya, India. The entourage en route to the event passed a road when they saw a dog which had been run over by a car and was writhing in immense pain but could not be relieved of its misery.

A master duly empowered and an accomplished practitioner of the Amitabha Phowa came by and administered the Phowa, upon which the poor animal’s consciousness departed immediately, and as we believe, into higher realms.

Geshe la reflected on the true greatness of the Buddha’s teachings, in comparison to the achievements of modern science and technology – we are able to create nuclear weapons, get on the moon and Mars, but yet, humanity are still in the endless cycle of suffering in samsara.

The teachings of the Buddha on the other hand, can lead us to Dewachen in another dimension/ parallel universe – such is true greatness made possible through the teachings of the kind and compassionate Buddha, which is a greatness shared by the teachings of all religions.

Geshe la then drew a distinction between the effects of Phowa and euthanasia, which is legalized in many countries. Yet, euthanasia is actually still killing, albeit mercy killing.

If one can administer the Amitabha Phowa, that will be most ideal, but that presupposes one can find a master who is trained and accomplished. That said, please note that these masters are capable of administering this practice via remote as well, to guide the individual to Dewachen. This would be a very different effect compared to euthanasia from a karmic perspective.

Because the state of mind of the deceased is important for rebirth, it is important not to have worldly issues discussed while the deceased is dying. For example, bickering about distribution of assets, or bringing one’s relatives one by one to see him or her, including his or her’s favourite cat or dog, these are ill advised from a Buddhist perspective.

This actually makes it more difficult for the departing consciousness as it will trigger the feelings of craving for what he or she had become attached to, and make the departure of the consciousness even more painful, especially if negative emotions and tears are involved.

One other way to assist the dying, in our tradition, would be to let him or her consume a “mani pill”, or if he or she cannot swallow, to dissolve it in water and smear the water on his or her lips. The “mani pill” is not easy to produce. It takes 1 month to make each batch, and involves practitioners who come from an unbroken tantric lineage from Gelongma Palmo (吉祥比丘尼), who accomplished Chenresig’s (观音菩萨） practice and who left behind for us practices such as the Eight Precepts Practice (八关斋).

The pills are infused with blessed substances from the time of Gelongma Palmo, which have been left as a legacy to us for over a thousand years. These pills have the ability to prevent the dying from being reborn in the 3 lower realms, at the very least. Many have seen miraculous aspects of this pill – the pills are known to increase in number (if placed in an offering jar on an altar) and these have been documented.

Another holy substance which can help the dying at the material time, is sand from dissolved mandalas. We place the sand in some butter, and smear it on the dying person’s crown chakra.

Further, upon clinical death, we should try as far as possible not to move the body for 2 to 3 hours at the first instance, so as to allow helpful rites to be administered, e.g. phowa, mani pill administering and/or applying mandala sand on the deceased’s crown chakra.

It is important to note also that for best effect, a divination should also be carried out by a qualified master upon death of an individual. The master will calculate for how long the body should be kept there before any burial or cremation. That master will also ascertain whether there are any individuals of particular zodiac signs who ought not to be touching the body, lest there are unnecessary conflicts from a karmic perspective – we acknowledge this can be challenging in modern society as the first step taken is always to call the funeral services who then apply their own procedures.

In our tradition, The master will also look into what practices will be most appropriate for the deceased, and which Buddhist deity or deities to invoke in order to assist the deceased and his or her family.

Through the divination process, we are also able to identify what would be the best date for the funeral. One can also see which relative can assist the deceased with practices that can imbue the consciousness with more merits during the crucial 49 days in the bardo, to achieve a better rebirth. The divination can also tell us when the consciousness is likely to take rebirth. Geshe la will introduce these in greater detail during the next class.

D. CONCLUSIONS

Therefore, it is important to keep dying persons in a calm state of mind.Some people die in wars or accidents. Those types of cases can be challenging but where in most cases, people die a natural death, we should always try keep the above principles in mind, and focus on the available ways to assist the departing consciousness.

Geshe la explained that this lesson was deemed important because he has found that in our community, there are few Buddhists who are aware of how best to protect and care for the dying or the deceased, and hopes that these general principles will give us a working knowledge of how best to best protect a Buddhist person’s consciousness when dying is imminent, and to have us remember and reflect on the impermanence of life and indeed, all conditioned-phenomenon.

Next week, Geshe la will delve further into the bardo entity’s experiences, and we look forward to seeing everyone again next week.

May the merits of this Dharmic activity extend to all sentient beings, particularly to those in the bardo state seeking rebirth. May all be well and happy.

The Maha Tare Team