How to Die?

We must acknowledge the impermanence of all conditioned things and especially that human life is fleeting. By doing so, we understand that it is crucial to prepare ourselves for death. What is it that dies at the moment of dying? It is our body and speech that die; the mind can never die. It is our mind that

continues to wander through samsaric existences, not our present body or voice. Only that which benefits our state of mind can be of help at the time of death. To concentrate on what is truly valuable when dying is considered intelligent, whereas to only worry about physical comfort is quite foolish. By all

means, make some preparation for the moment when your life has come to an end. The worst misfortune is to know how to take advantage of one's present situation but fail to do so. We all know that there is an end to this life, but no one knows the exact moment when it will happen. The time of death

arrives without warning. Of course, to have a guaranteed life-span of seventy years would be very convenient. We could plan to spend a certain number of years on mundane projects, thinking, "After that I will focus on Dharma practice and everything will work out very nicely." But we do not know when death will come. The time of death can catch up with us at any moment.

Usually we think that only old people with a lot of wrinkles and grey hair are close to death, while youngsters with sparkling eyes and radiant complexions will not die soon. There is actually no such guarantee. Sometimes just the opposite happens: people who are already old remain for a long time while young people suddenly die. What is of real value when we arrive at the moment of death? It is personal experience in Dharma practice: the practices of purifying

obscurations, gathering the two accumulations, and especially our insight into egolessness and emptiness, our training in the view free from mental constructs. Other than that, whatever benefits we acquire such as money, fame and worldly accomplishments, or anything else that is greatly valued during

this lifetime is totally useless at the moment of death. The chief support is our understanding of egolessness. We should ask ourselves, "What will help me when I die?" When we have difficulties now, we can turn for help to family and friends. When we are sick we can consult a doctor. But at the moment of death who can we see? Who can we turn to for help? We should ask ourselves these questions. When we honestly think about this it becomes clear only the results of our Dharma practice will help at that time. We should immediately prepare for the moment of death. We can spend years studying whatever religion or school of thought is of interest to us. Even within Buddhism different philosophies and different levels of teachings exist. But simply studying these teachings, thinking about them and clarifying them in our mind, is not enough to be of true value at the moment of death. Only the application of teachings in

personal experience through meditation practice will help; words and theories have no great value when faci~g death. Give thought to that now and know that only practical understanding and real meditation experience can help you at the time of death. A small child does not make long-term plans or look very far

ahead. If his immediate needs are attended to, then the child is happy and content. The attempt to avoid seeing what will come is childish. But many grownups act in this way, concentrating only on fulfilling immediate needs, fickle-mindedly running after whatever is in front of their noses and giving no thought to preparing for death. Then death arrives suddenly and it is too late. Even while engaging in so-called Dharma practice there are many ways in

which we can deceive ourselves. We can fool ourselves by spending our whole life gaining an intellectual comprehension of the structure of the Dharma teachings, memorizing all the stages of the path, the bodhisattva bhumis and the different levels of meditation experience. We can become very learned in the details of the Four Tantras, such as the complete structure of the tantric approach and all the rituals. However, this type of intellectual

understanding is of little value at the time of death. Furthermore, we may become very skilled in debate if we have a sharp mind and a good tongue. We can excel at challenging the different arguments, refuting objections to the teachings and so forth. But that kind of competence is also useless when it comes to dying. What is really important now is to practice in order to realize egolessness. Just being able to talk about egolessness without practical experience is to fool yourself.

Religious people might be very successful in gathering followers, building temples and representations of the enlightened body, speech and mind, taking care of many disciples and giving teachings. But if they lack personal conviction about the state of nonconceptual wakefulness, the very essence of Dharma practice, then at the moment of death they will still have doubts, regrets, grasping and attachment. Do not let that happen to you. When death approaches, abandon all attachment to spouse, children and parents, friends and relatives, possessions and property. To ensure liberation, completely cut all ties of clinging to these things. That does not mean that we should cut off love for other people such as close relatives. Love is genuine when it is compassionate

kindness embraced by bodhichitta and not strangled by attachment. Ordinary love that is mixed with attachment, anger and delusion is a cause for further entanglements and binds us to samsaric existence, whereas the love embraced by the great passion that is wisdom and compassion inseparable is a cause for liberation and enlightenment. This type of love is a million times more precious than ordinary affection for others. Ordinary love and affection is quite

fickle, whereas the love that is embraced by bodhichitta and insight into emptiness is unchanging. It does not matter what the object of attachment is. It can be attachment to ordinary things, even one's shoes; or attachment to one's body and life, country and home, or to gold and silver. Even attachment to religious objects such as one's statues and texts is still attachment. The main point here is to leave no object of attachment for your mind to fixate on at the time of death. It is better to give

away whatever you have, either to poor people, friends, relatives or to your teacher. Make sure no material thing remains to which your mind can be attached. We should be without possessions when we know that the time of death is near. It is best to give away everything. That will make it much easier

at the time of death as one of the main obstacles to resting in the composure of meditation will have been cleared away. At the time of death we should have exhausted all plans, whether virtuous or evil. For example, although we may not have succeeded in getting ahead of our competitors, we should not worry about that at the time of death. We should also give up any idea of seeing a particular relative or a close friend one last time. Maybe there is an

enemy we would like to see in order to have the last word; we should completely abandon such aims. There are stories of people who could not let go and die because they wanted to witness one last attack on their enemy. Even half dead, they still would not let themselves die out of anger, spite or a grudge. They wanted a last chance to take revenge. Only after hearing that the other party had died could they finally relax and pass away. We should not be like

that. Let absolutely nothing unfinished capture your thoughts. At the moment of death our frame of mind or the thought that we hold can become extremely intense, much stronger than usual. In ordinary life we have outer sense impressions that distract us from our feelings of anger. A person who is insane can become completely engrossed in one thought or emotion and magnify it to a tremendous degree. The same can happen at the moment of death. Because we may experience an intense degree of resentment

or regret, 1t 1s very important to clear the mind of anything that could cause remorse. For example, if one has broken the vows belonging to any of the three vehicles, it is important to admit and apologize either mentally or to an actual person. Rid your mind of any such regret so that nothing is left that can linger on. Do not be hindered by what you were unable to accomplish; then everything will be much easier. The best circumstance is if our master

can be physically present while we are passing away, because then we can take initiation or receive the pith instructions again, clarify any last point of uncertainty, and be totally confident about the correct view. Moreover, due to the link between the powerful blessings of the teacher's realized mind and

our own genuine faith and unfabricated devotion, it is much easier to recognize the view, the natural state of Mahamudra or Dzogchen. Understanding this correct view ensures liberation. Having the correct view at the moment of dying is a tremendous advantage; in fact, it is the very best of circumstances.

If your teacher cannot be physically present, the next-best situation is to have a close Dharma friend with whom you share pure samaya, someone with whom you have good relations and in whom you trust. Such a Dharma friend can remind you of the practice as you are passing away and can give reliable answers if you have questions. A Dharma friend who has deep understanding himself would be of tremendous benefit. Avoid any ordinary person who is only selfishly interested in your death, who has a grudge against you, or who will only talk about ordinary and deluded topics. Also avoid the presence of people fond of wailing and sobbing as that will dis

turb your meditation state at the time of leaving this life. People who are quite stable in their practice do not need this instruction. This advice is meant for those who have only a slight degree of stability. The company and the situation at the moment of death is crucial for practitioners who are

unstable and who are still influenced by outer circumstances. There have been some cases of great practitioners who pondered, "Tomorrow I am going to die, so why not die in some special, unusual way?" For them dying was a kind of game. They would dress up and sit in some funny posture so when their bodies

were found they would create a strong reaction in others. Other lamas with high realization when about to die said, "Ha! ha! It is time to die. How should I die? What was so and so's posture when he died? Crosslegged? Okay, then I think I will die lying down this time," and doing so, would simply pass away. For practitioners who possess the confidence of realization, dying and the bardos are like a game, a form of entertainment. But for those of us whose

confidence is not that stable, these same experiences may be dreadful. Furthermore, it is not always certain that the dissolution stages will happen in sequence. We cannot truly generalize about the manner in which a person will die or the experiences one will undergo. Sometimes the different dissolution s

tages of the elements occur in completely the opposite order. One aspect may be stronger or it may be very short. The dissolution stages depend upon the individual's physical constitution, the condition of his channels and the circumstances surrounding his death, i.e. whether it is due to illness, evil influences and so on.

It is good to become familiar with and memorize the different dissolution stages and the outer, inner and secret signs of death, so that when they occur we will know what is happening. We will then be able to focus on what is of real benefit at that time. Although there are different techniques, the greatest

benefit comes from simply resting in ordinary mind, in innate wakefulness. The reason we continue to roam about in samsaric existence is, first of all, because we have not recognized ordinary mind, this unconstructed wakefulness that is already present in us. Also, we have not trained or gained stability

in that recognition. The highest value during the different dissolution stages results from realization of ordinary mind. If we can simply rest in the nature of ordinary mind, it will make all the difference. At the time of death we can no longer rely on credit cards, money or friends. We can only rely on ourselves. Again, this selfreliance depends upon our ability to rest in ordinary mind. When the dissolution stages are finished, it is possible that

through resting in the state of ordinary mind, one can attain liberation during the event called the meeting of the luminosity of mother and child. What is the best physical posture to assume while passing away? It is best to sit up in the meditation posture. Next best is to recline in what is called the posture of the sleeping lion; holding the thumb at the base of the ring finger on each hand, and placing the left hand on the left thigh and the right hand under the chin in a particular manner. This has a special effect on the movement of subtle energy currents in the body. This posture also facilitates recog

nition of the luminosity of the path during the death process and improves meditation at that time. U sufilly it is said the person who has trained in the luminosity of the path during his life will be able to recognize the luminosity of the ground at the moment of death. This doesn't mean that there are two

different luminosities, one here and one there. But unless one has recognized the luminosity of the path and knows how to experience it during practice, one will have no idea about what the ground luminosity is when it manifests at the end of the dissolution stages. The experienced practitioner recognizes

the ground luminosity at that point simply by thinking, "Oh yes, that's it!" and then resting in equanimity. This is called the meeting of mother and child luminosities. No matter who your teacher was or which practice he did, at the point of death the vital importance lies in feeling complete trust in him and

confidence in your own practice. Mahamudra or Dzogchen use different terminologies to describe an identical experience. Innate wisdom can be called ordinary mind or it can be called the view of Trekcho. It is really the same; simply the recognition of the luminosity of the path. If we are able to

recognize the luminosity of the path at the moment of dying, then regardless of what appears in the dissolution stages we will be liberated into dharmakaya. The particular Dharma terminology we use to describe this does not really matter. The key point is our personal and practical understanding of Mahamudra or Dzogchen, our ability to simply relax and rest in the state which is empty yet cognizant- emptiness indivisible from cognizance. When simply resting like that, totally relaxed, free and easy,

whatever occurs during the dissolution stages does not really matter. The experiences just pass by. That is the key point. No technique or further instruction is needed. If we simply rest in this state of empty cognizance known as the luminosity of the path and are totally relaxed when the ground luminosity manifests, we are naturally liberated. There is no question, no doubt about this. We need not try to apply a special technique or trick. Liberation occurs automatically. "One should confidently resolve that the gradual manifestations . . . are all nothing but the luminous dharmakaya manifestation of self-cognizance" (p. !J6). Earlier, the unity of being cognizant and empty was stressed. Here, in the case of a practitioner of Togal, we

must resolve that whatever manifests, all the different experiences in the dissolution stages, are the display of our mind. Yet, the main practice is simply to rest in the view. One may have practiced the Six Doctrines of Naropa, the Mahamudra practice of bliss and emptiness, the Sakya system of Path and Result called Lamdrey or the Jordruk system of Kalachakra. Due to one's practical experience based on the channels, essences and energies, one will be able to recognize the subtle aspects of the dissolution stages as they occur. What are the chief differences between the practices of Trekcho, Togal and the Six Doctrines? In Trekcho and essence Mahamudra, the main point is to be able to rest in and sustain the continuity of the view. That is sufficient for achieving liberation. When practicing Togal while maintaining the view of Trekcho, one uses whatever manifests as an adornment in the sense of acknowledging that all the dif

ferent experiences that take place are actually the display or manifestation of innate wakefulness. One attains liberation through that recognition. According to the Six Doctrines, the key point is to acknowledge that our body, speech and mind are in essence the vajra body, vajra speech and vajra mind.

As such they become a support for different yogic techniques and we thereby recognize the pure natural aspects of our body, speech and mind. Through that we are able to realize the view of Mahamudra. Physical pain may arise during the process of passing away, especially at the moment called the interruption of the life-force. When the skilled practitioner is confronted with intense agony, he merely looks into the essence of the sensation of pain and the pain

is no longer an overwhelming problem. The important point for people who are not stable in practice is not to get too carried away, not to put too much importance on the sensation of pain or physical discomfort during this time. Simply relax in the view, right up to the experience that is called the ground luminosity of full attainment. If you are unable to do that, then visualize your root guru and with intense and deep-felt devotion make the aspiration to

recognize the nature of luminosity. By combining the power of devotion with the blessings of an enlightened teacher at this point, it is possible to recognize the luminosity of the path. Therefore, when the ground luminosity dawns, one will be liberated. The crucial point here is onepointed devotion. Unite your mind with that of your root teacher and develop powerful trust in order to realize the luminosity of the path. If you are unable to engender this confidence, one more chance remains which is the practice called phowa.

Phowa literally means to change place, to move from one place to another. Phowa can be explained under three headings: the type of person who practices it, the time to practice it and how to practice it. Practitioners who have a high degree of stability in Mahamudra, Dzogchen or Madhyamika practice and some

realization will have the confidence to be liberated simultaneously with the final exhalation of breath. No subsequent bardos appear for them. They simply rest in dharmadhatu. Such people need not worry about the practice of phowa because they do not conceive of a real entity to be transferred and do not hope for a place to be transferred to. Such practitioners are totally beyond these concepts. For practitioners of a lesser capacity who lack the confidence of

the view of the natural state, there are many instructions on how to practice phowa at the moment of dying. Masters like Nagarjuna in India and Marpa in Tibet acted as if they were practicing phowa at the moment of death in order to show this path to others. For example, The Mirror of Mindfulness describes how Marpa died. First he "transformed his consort Dagmema into light and dissolved her into his heart center. Straightening his body he said, 'Sons, if you

do phowa, do it like this!' Then a sphere of five-colored light the size of an egg ascended into the sky from a crack at the crown of his head" (p. 38). That is how Marpa passed away. Even though it appeared that he died while leaving a physical body, he attained what is called the unified level of a vajra holder. The great Dzogchen master Melong Dorje also passed away in a special manner. He gathered all of his disciples around him, sang songs and gave his last teaching amid a feast gathering. Then he said, "Now

I will die." He "sent a white light the size of a cooking pot up into the air from the crown of his head. Growing bigger and bigger, it filled the sky with rainbow lights and circles" (p. !JS). Although it appeared that both Marpa and Melong Dorje did phowa at the moment of death, there is actually no difference between what they manifested and the attainment of rainbow body. There have been many other such masters in the past. The success of our practice depends mainly upon our faith and devotion and on maintaining pure samayas. With strong devotion, the practice of phowa is certain to be successful. The one thing that definitely hinders successful phowa is broken samayas. We should train now, during this lifetime, in the practice of phowa

until we develop signs of result. One special sign in particular assures us that at the moment of death we are prepared to perform phowa successfully. However, someone not very proficient in the practice of phowa can do the practice with the help of a lama at the moment of death. With this combined effort it is quite easy to accomplish phowa. Phowa is defined as the ascent of the mind together with the prana principle. The combination of mind and prana are

sent to a good and worthwhile place. Departing from here to the destined place is the practice of phowa. A correspondence exists between the place of the next rebirth and the aperture in the body through which the consciousness leaves at the moment of death. For example, if the consciousness leaves through the body's lower openings one will be reborn in one of the lower realms as a hell being, hungry ghost or animal. If the consciousness exits through the upper openings, such as the ears, eyes,

nose and so forth, one will be reborn in the higher realms of humans, asuras or gods, yet still within samsara. Therefore, during the practice of phowa, one must first block all the openings in a special way so that only the aperture at the crown of the head remains open. When the mind leaves the body

through the crown of the head, one will be reborn in a pure land beyond samsaric existence where the conditions for practice are perfect. Someone performing phowa on behalf of another person must be absolutely sure that the person is dead. Otherwise a great sin is committed. An advanced practitioner who knows the death signs will check the nadis, the movement of prana and the body heat to see that the person is actually dead and then perform phowa. It

should never be done before the person has truly passed away. Moreover, when doing phowa for oneself one must be sure that one is actually dying, that it is really the end. If the consciousness is shot up out of the body prematurely it may not be able to return. Therefore be absolutely certain that the time of death has really come, that the situation is irreversible. The true measure for ascertaining the time of death is when the experiences of whiteness and

redness have occured. At that time one can safely practice phowa. There are different methods and levels of phowa. The dharmakaya phowa free from reference point is performed simply by resting in the nature of the view. In other words it is without concepts of a self to be transferred and a place to which one can be transferred. The advanced Dzogchen practitioner simply rests in the view of Trekcho and attains the dharmakaya phowa. For someone with true confi

dence in Dzogchen or Mahamudra practice, the word phowa, meaning 'transferrence,' is really no longer applicable. The second type of phowa, sambhogakaya phowa, is practiced when one has become adept in the development stage of visualizing oneself as a deity. Having perfected this practice, at the time of

death one can manifest in the form of the deity and thereby attain the sambhogakaya phowa. In the terminology of the Six Doctrines, this is equivalent to having some degree of stability in the practice called illusory body. At the time of death one simply applies the practice and attains sambhogakaya. The third kind, nirmanakaya phowa, means actually maintaining the concept of oneself as the traveller en route to a pure abode, an unmistaken pure land. The

key point in nirmanakaya phowa is to have complete devotion to one's teacher and compassion for all sentient beings. Then one focuses on the form of a seed syllable that shoots up the central channel. A certain sound accompanies the seed syllable, either HIK or PHAT, depending on which practice one is doing. We need not have great realization or hold a high view to do this practice successfully. We simply need devotion, compassion and the ability to visualize

the seed syllable. There was another phowa tradition which was lost centuries ago. It was literally called 'transference of consciousness,' drong-jug, as opposed to 'ejection of consciousness,' phowa. Marpa Lotsawa received this practice in India. He passed it on to his son who died prematurely and was unfortunately unable to transmit the lineage to others. A fourth kind of phowa is similar to the practice of guru yoga. In this phowa, instead of visualizing a

deity or a buddha like Amitabha, Vajrasattva or Guru Rinpoche, we imagine our root guru at the crown of our head. Apart from this, the details are the same. The fifth kind, khacho phowa, is performed when one has stability in dream yoga, in conjuring up apparitions during the dream state. It is not enough to learn phowa practice from a book. We must receive oral instructions from a spiritual teacher and then apply the practice. The first sign of a result in phowa practice is that a strong itch is felt at the top of the head. Later a tiny hole appears into which a straw of grass can actually be inserted. One

should continue the practice under competent supervision until this sign manifests. When we have received the teachings on phowa, trained and attained the signs, then we are somewhat independent. When in addition, we gain some mastery, we can then help others to practice phowa when they are dying. Moreover, we are always prepared to eject our own consciousness at the moment of death. When the actual time for phowa arrives, we must one-pointedly concentrate on

the practice and not be distracted by thoughts of taking care of relatives or making a last attack on our enemies. Focus your attention and be free from doubt. When doing phowa for the final time, eject the consciousness like a competent archer who shoots the arrow from his bow. It flies off beyond return and swiftly reaches the target. The word phowa is used quite often, but in essence it means to prevent our awareness, which is wisdom inseparable from emptiness, from falling into further confusion. By means of techniques such as visualizing seed syllables, mingling our mind with the

prana that shoots out and so forth, we dissolve conceptual mind into the sphere of dharmadhatu. The consciousness totally merges with the nature of dharmadhatu. To sum up, be sure that you do not spend your whole life pursuing the eight worldly concerns. Do not let Dharma practice remain as mere words and theory. When the time to die comes, if you have not already gained the confidence of realization, then you should at least be able to perform the practice of phowa. In that way, your life will not have been wasted.