THE BARDO OF BECOMING

Kyema! Now, as the bardo of becoming appears, I should, by striving with one-pointed mind, Urgently continue the progress of good karma And remember to turn away from entering the womb, shutting its door. This is a time calling for strength of mind and pure vision. Abandon jealousy and meditate on the lama in union.

Now, as the bardo o f becoming appears, I should, by striving with one-pointed mind

If the bardo of becoming appears, we should strive one- pointedly and develop strong trust. We have at last understood that we have died. We think: “I have arrived in the bardo of becoming”. As we grasp this fact, we strive for a new birth. One-pointed striving means that we must now direct our mind entirely towards taking a birth with good parents having the possibility to practise the dharma. Such a birth would open the possibility for us to meet a lama and spiritual friend. With this thought we direct our striving towards a new birth.

Urgently continue the progress of good karma

In our present life we possess a body with which we have experienced the buddha, dharma and sangha. In the bardo of becoming we should develop the following thought: “Previously I had such a body, now I should take on a body again that can experience the dharma.” In this way we make a connection to our good karma.

And remember to turn away from entering the womb, shutting its door.

If we see a couple in union, but these potential parents are parents through whom we could not attain a birth corresponding to our wishes, we must close the entrance to the womb. For this purpose we should visualise the couple as the lama in union. In this way we develop, with regard to the potential parents, neither clinging nor rejection, on the basis of which we would fall unconsciously into the gate of this womb. So the door to the womb is closed, and entry into I it is turned away.

This is a time calling for strength of m ind and pure vision.

To avoid an unfavourable rebirth we must develop the pure vision with which we recognise that all appearances are in essence pure. It is now important to take birth consciously.

Abandon jealousy and meditate on the lama in union.

Jealousy here means the clinging and aversion with regard to the father and mother. If we can stop these from arising in our minds, then even in this situation we can prevent ourselves from taking a rebirth in the lower realms. Giving up jealousy can bring us back to the bardo, so that we can take birth

consciously. If we recognise that the time to enter a womb has come, it is best to do so consciously. One visualises the parents as the lama in union and the womb as a buddha’s pure land. If we can hold on to this meditation during the entry, we can consciously take the desired kind of birth in accordance with our wishes.

Most people go through the bardo of becoming from the fifteenth day after death up until the forty-ninth. There are some beings who take birth even before the forty-ninth day.

As was explained at the beginning, in the bardo of becoming we possess a mental body. Because of our karma, it corresponds during the first half of this bardo to the appearance of our previous human body. During the second half it assumes the appearance of the next birth. If, for example, someone has to

remain one month in the bardo, he will maintain the appearance of a human body for fifteen days. If he has the karma to take the body of a fish in the next life, then after fifteen days he will take on the appearance of a fish. If, because of one’s karma, one must remain two months in the bardo, then for the

first month one possesses the bodily basis of a human, according to the previous karmic imprints. In the second month, because of the karma associated with the coming life and the karmic imprints, a body arises which corresponds to the realm of existence into

which one is going. From this point on the bardo being perceives the corresponding beings in the corresponding realm of existence.

The mental body which we possess as a result of our previous human life, is complete. All the organs and sense faculties are perfectly formed, even if this was not previously the case. There are no obstacles to our movement, which means we can travel to Mount Meru, pass through cliffs and much more.

In this phase we have the capacity to work karmic miracles. We can visit our parents, children, friends and all our acquaintances, go to them and hear all their conversations, although our friends cannot hear our own speech. They don’t understand us any more, and we recognise that we have died and are now in the bardo. This recognition causes great fear and suffering.

When we were still alive we could use our material possessions ourselves. Now our relatives and acquaintances use our estate. If we go to them and say: “That’s mine, it’s my money, it’s wrong what you’re doing with my possessions”, they don’t understand. We, however, understand everything that our relations say. So we realise that we have died, and we experience fear and fright.

Sometimes in this situation a bardo ritual is asked for on behalf of the deceased. If a qualified lama or spiritual friend carries out such a ritual, the bardo consciousness perceives this and recognises: “This lama is doing that ritual for me. My friends and relations have asked him to do it. He is giving me guidance. He is a lama with great qualities, he has compassion, strength and experience. That is very good.”

The bardo being is given strength and develops great trust and respect for this lama. It can even in some cases happen that, because of the force of especially strong trust and respect, the bardo being reaches in one moment the level of realisation of a buddha.

The bardo body cannot stay, it cannot remain in one spot. It is rather as if it is constantly blown around in all directions by the wind. It does not perceive any difference between day and night. Even though here in the world the sun shines during the day and the night is dark, the perception of a bardo being cannot distinguish between these two appearances.

In this phase we do not have anyone whom we could call a friend. We are dreadfully lonely. Deep sadness and great fear arise from this. Before we go into a new womb we are badly troubled by fears, sometimes by tremendous fires, sometimes by mighty mountains that are put in our way,

sometimes by surging rivers or powerful storms that pull us with them. This kind of illusory appearance is continuously arising as a result of our fears. We perceive appearances based on the element of wind as ghosts and demons. Through the appearances based on the element of fire we have perceptions of burning. Through the appearances based on the water element we have feelings of drowning.

All these appearances are based on our delusions and arise because of our karma wind. In this way we are sometimes driven forwards by strong winds. Frightening forms appear to us on all sides, some holding weapons in their hands. Terrifying animals such as tigers and lions approach us from all sides.

We are driven on and on by great fear, until deep abysses open up before us. A white, a red and a black abyss are the illusory forms of appearance of desirous attachment, anger and dullness in our mind. We have no further possibility of

avoiding these abysses. Our fear increases. The only thing that can help us in this phase is the experience of the dharma practice in the previous life. We develop the strong need to take on a new body. Our thoughts and hopes circle round and round the longing for a new body. We see couples in union more

and more often. The mental body of the bardo draws near to them and recognises their qualities as potential parents. It recognises whether they practise dharma or continuously perform negative actions. This is an example of the capacity to be able to perform karmic miracles.

In this situation it is important to maintain one-pointed striving by making it clear to ourselves: “Now that I’ve got to the bardo, I have to take a birth. I’d like to have parents who possess the dharma. In my later life it should be possible to meet a lama or a spiritual friend. Later it should be

possible for me to effect extensive benefit for all beings in this body. I must take such a body.” We should strongly develop our thoughts in this direction.

If the mental body in the bardo sees a couple through the power of its clairvoyance, and thinks: “It would not be good to take a birth with these parents”, then we have to abandon the feelings of clinging and aversion with regard to these parents, by visualising them as the form of appearance of the lama in

union and praying to him with trust and devotion. Then we will not have to enter into the womb. If on the other hand the bardo being thinks: “These two parents are in agreement with the dharma, I will take birth there”, it can enter into the womb. Having taken on a new body the cycle of existence is continued on this basis. We will experience once more the conditions of suffering and the fears of a new existence.

If with one-pointed striving we have chosen the door to a womb and are born into a family of good parents, then in the next life it will be possible for us to come into contact with the dharma, to practise it, and to create extensive benefits for all beings.