The Painful Bardo of Dying

What has been taught up till now? First we examined the bardo of. this life: what it actually means, how it appears to both ordinary people and to people who are practitioners. I also taught what we can do during this bardo, what instructions we must receive, and finally how to apply these teachings once

they are received. To understand these vital points of advice and what they entail is called developing the knowledge that results from learning. Thinking about them and becoming clear about the pertinent instructions is called developing the knowledge that results from reflection. Once you apply the

teachings in your own life and embody them in personal experience, you develop what is called the knowledge that results from meditation. The second topic is called the painful bardo of dying. The bardo of dying is said to be painful because the process of passing away usually involves pain and suffering. Although the death process might sometimes be very quick and we may think that nothing much is felt, some pain is certainly involved. Even if one dies in a coma or during a faint, the mind still experiences subtle pain during what is called the interruption of the life-force. This term

refers to the destruction of the life channel where the prana that supports the physical body dwells. When that circulation is destroyed, some degree of pain is felt. This second bardo, the painful bardo of dying, will again be explained under three headings: first, what it actually is, next, how it is

experienced, and finally, how to apply the instructions to deal with it. There are countless causes and numerous circumstances of death. Sometimes the circumstances of death are negative, but sometimes even positive circumstances such as medicine being improperly administered can result in death. According to the Buddhist medical tradition, illness arises due to imbalances between the three components, wind, phlegm and bile. In such cases an illness or a combination of diseases can strike the physical body, sometimes with fatal consequences. The three disturbing emotions of attachment, anger and

delusion can take on the form of evil influences that cause fear, discomfort and even death. Regardless of whether death results from an imbalance in the three basic components or the evil influences of the mind poisons, all these negativities are basically caused by ego-clinging, the tendency to hold on to the idea of self. There are two primary causes of death: either our time has run out or temporary circumstances result in death. When our life span has reached its end, nothing more can be done; death is unavoidable. However if a temporary circumstance threatens our life, we can resort to different remedies, such as following a medicinal cure or having special ceremonies performed. Through these we can sometimes avert death temporarily.

. Sometimes when we are very sick we may feel "Now I am going to die!" We might interpret the different experiences arising from the illness to mean that death is approaching. Actually, certain texts exactly describe the definite outer, inner and secret signs that indicate the proximity of death. Most people do not really like to study these texts because they explain very clearly the signs indicating whether one will die after exactly six years, after exactly three years, after six months, or even during the coming month. We cannot look far into the future, but the next six years can be known quite clearly. Certain outer, inner and secret signs indicate that death is imminent. First of all, since the body was formed by the five elements, a strong imbalance in these elements occurs at the onset of the death process and at this time no amount of medicine will help. Some death signs are clearer on certain days of the lunar month. For example, usually when we press our closed eyelids a tiny bit of light and color appears. If on the first day of the month that has disappeared, it is an indication that death is coming soon. Furthermore, there is normally a kind of very subtle ringing sound or resonance in our ears. If that is no longer heard, this is another indication that death is approaching. There are quite a few other signs as well. Examinations that presage death

can also be made based on examinations of menstrual blood or semen. Those are outer signs. Inner signs occur in one's dreams. Dreams are usually unreliable and beyond credibility, but death signs are fairly obvious. Sometimes particular inauspicious dreams will occur again and again in the early morning. For example, night after night one

may repeatedly dream of putting on black robes and traveling in a downward direction. One may dream of encountering and riding downhill on the back of a wild animal such as a tiger or leopard, or entering a dark area where everything becomes black. These dreams foretell one's death. Furthermore, if one is

very sick and dreams again and again that the sun and the moon are sinking in the sky, that is a sign that one will die. But to experience such dreams while in good health is a sign that one's root teacher is about to die or that an obstacle has arisen to threaten the root teacher's life. A secret sign of approaching death is that our disposition and character begin to change. Someone previously gentle and kind suddenly becomes very irritable and easily

angered. Neither acts of kindness nor admonishments from others seem to help in such a case. When such signs occur a practitioner will understand that death is near. If he or she has not yet been liberated in the bardo of this life, the practitioner should then concentrate one hundred percent on practice, knowing that the time is up. Supplicate your root teacher and all the lineage masters, mingle your mind with their wisdom mind, generate compassion for all

sentient beings, and then simply rest in the natural state. By doing so you will have a strong opportunity for liberation during the bardo of dying. This practice of mingling the mind of the teacher with one's own has a profound purpose. The mind of a qualified master abides uninterruptedly in the nonconceptual state of wakefulness that is naturally endowed with great compassion. With the openness of faith, make this supplication: "May the realized mind

of all the buddhas and the mind of my teacher right now clear away the disturbing emotions concealing my nature!" Having made such a supplication from the core of your heart, you can certainly attain some degree of realization. This is due to the connection between the blessings of the master's enlightened mind, your own openness of faith and the truth of dharmata which is the natural state of wakefulness. What is the painful bardo of dying? The first section

in the chapter is called identifying the essence. "It is the whole period from the time one is afflicted by the sickness that will cause one's death, whatever it may be, until the true luminosity of dharmata, the first bardo, has arisen" (p. 27). There is some discussion as to whether the true luminosity of the ground belongs at the end of the bardo of dying or at the beginning of the bardo of dharmata. In The Mirror of Mindfulness the author follows the Dzogchen system in which this luminosity occurs at the onset of the bardo of dharmata. Here, however, we will consider it as occurring at the end of the

bardo of dying. The superior type of person mentioned above who is liberated in this lifetime need not go through the other bardos. The Dzogchen teachings state: "As space within and without mingle together when a vase breaks, so body and mind dissolve into the emptiness of dharmakaya" (p. 27). In this

example, essentially there is no difference between the space within a vase and the space without, except for the degree of vastness. So if a practitioner has realized the view of simplicity, his physical body may very well be made up of flesh and blood, but in essence there is no difference between his realization and the state of enlightenment. It is only that the kayas and wisdoms are not yet fully mani

fest. When the vase breaks, meaning when the physical body disintegrates at the time of death, the wisdoms ancl kayas will manifest. The main point of a superior practitioner is that he need not undergo the dissolution stages. "The mediocre yogin has three ways of dying: like a small child, like a wandering

beggar and like a lion" (p. 28). Like a small child means that there is no concept of dying or not dying. Dying like a wandering beggar means that one does not care about the circumstances of death. Some people are extremely sad when passing away because they cannot bear to leave their relatives. Parents with small children especially feel like this. They are heartbroken because they are leaving their children forever, not just for a short time. The separation

is permanent. Therefore it is good to be like Milarepa and make aspirations as he did: "When I die, may I die alone without anybody to cry, without any relatives to mourn. May I die in solitude so that no one will see the corpse afterwards." Having cut attachments to circumstances is called dying like a lion. When the lion knows it is about to die, it goes into solitude to die alone. In the first two cases, superior practitioners and mediocre yogins have

recognized mind essence, have trained in it and have gained a full or partial degree of stability. When passing away they do not need anyone else. It is better for them to be without disturbances so that they can liberate their minds. But the least skillful kind of practitioner needs some reminder: at best, one's teacher should be present when we die so that he can say, "This and this is happening. Do not be attached; do not be distracted," and so forth. Next best is to be with a Dharma friend

with whom we have shared teachings and gotten along with very well. If someone we didn't like is reading the teachings aloud at our deathbed, we may become irritated and angry. Instead of benefiting, this will create an obstacle. It is better to have a person one has never met before read the teachings aloud.

According to the Nyingma lineage, there are many instructions to be read aloud to a dying person such as The Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo. When the best practitioners are passing away, they do not give others a chance to read the teachings aloud. They remain alone to attain rainbow body. There is no need to remind them of anything. The next-best practitioners may be reminded or not, it does not really matter. Nothing changes the fact that they will

be liberated. But the least skilled practitioner needs the benefit of instructions to remind them at the time of dying. These do not always have to be very elaborate. For some Dzogchen practitioners, it is enough to simply repeat the syllable AH in their presence. The Mirror of Mindfulness is aimed mainly at the inferior type of practitioner. The superior and the mediocre practitioners do not need this information. That does not mean that we must remain

inferior practitioners. Having studied these teachings, we can of course progress. Let nothing prevent that. But we must always start at the bottom of the staircase and climb one step at a time. "In general, the body of all beings is first formed by means of the five elements" (p. 28). As the powers of the five elements develop, the embryo takes shape in the mother's womb. From a small blob, the head, arms and so forth are slowly formed. After one is

born, one also subsists by means of the five elements. The reason why the physical body finally perishes is that ~he powers of the elements begin to subside. For example, if we lose a finger, the power or sensation that the finger once possessed has been withdrawn into the body. When the powers of the

elements have fully dissolved, the body dies and starts to decompose. The body possesses five main pranas or winds, as well as the different wheels or chakras in which these winds move. At death these pranas begin to disintegrate, one after the other. This process is accompanied by certain outer, inner and secret experiences. One of the five main winds is called the equalabiding wind. When that ceases to function, one is unable to digest food. At this

time one can only drink liquids. The warmth in one's body also starts to disappear. This means that the body heat withdraws from the feet and the hands and one gradually becomes colder and colder until finally, warmth remains only in the heart. Even though the feet and arms might be cold, as long as one's heart remains warm, one has not yet died. When the heart grows cold then this life is over. "The disappearance of the life-upholding wind makes one's mind

unclear and confused" (p. 29). When the life-wind begins to disappear one starts to have different kinds of hallucinations and to feel nervous and frightened. One is extremely uncomfortable. This can also happen during normal life when extra wind enters into the subtle nadi at one's heart. Tibetan doctors call this nying-lung meaning heart wind. It tends to make people neurotic or fearful. When the downward-moving wind begins to disappear, normal automatic body functions such as control over urination and defecation become diffi

cult. One can no longer choose when to let go or not let go. This can be quite unpleasant. "The disappearance of the upward-moving wind," another of the five main pranas, "makes one unable to swallow any food or drink." It becomes very difficult to consume liquids and one is short of breath. When people are

about to die the breathing grows irregular and shallow. Exhalations are very long but it is difficult to inhale. A gasp or rattle, like a very short breath, develops. When the pervading wind that gives the muscles power to move disappears, one's body becomes like a corpse even though one has not yet died. One cannot even lift an arm, and eventually not even one finger. One's body is paralyzed. "The beginning of the destruction of the nadi wheels is the

disintegration of the nadi wheel of the navel. After that, step by step, the disappearance of the supporting wind makes the earth element dissolve into the water element" (p. 29). The supporting wind is that which creates physical vigor. Its disappearance is the first step in the dissolution of the elements and is accompanied by outer, inner and secret signs. The outer sign is the loss of physical strength. One becomes very heavy and cannot move. The neck can no longer support the head. The legs can no longer support the body. The hand can no longer hold a plate of food, and the skin loses color and radiance. The face becomes pale and takes on an ugly, mouldy, colorless texture. Stains collect on the teeth. One cannot contain saliva and nasal mucus drips out. Another sign is that the nostrils draw inward and the face takes on a hollow appearance. The eyes that usually have some shine become lackluster.

The inner signs concern one's state of mind. The dying person becomes dull and feels mentally heavy and obscured. Thinking that this is caused by physical circumstances, he asks people, "Please take the blankets off. Remove some of my clothes. Lift me up a little." He feels as if he is sinking into the earth.

In short, the dying person grows pale and feels great anxiety. His voice changes and talking is difficult. His eyes lose focus and roll back in his head, showing the whites. People present start to feel uncomfortable just looking at his face. Practitioners watch for the secret signs, the visual experiences resembling smoke, mirages, fireflies and so on, and pay close attention to them, whereas ordinary people will not even notice. Although the secret signs of

luminosity are vague, like a mirage, a practitioner will recognize them. Focusing on the practice in which he has trained during this life, he will now be able to progress. The next nadi-wheel to disintegrate is that of the heart chakra. At the same time the radiance-producing wind makes the water element dissolve into the fire element. The outer signs of this are that one's mouth and tongue become dry. The mouth becomes clogged and the lips become pale,

white and shrunken. Usually when we stick out our tongue we can see the tip, but now that is impossible. Normally when we raise our hand in front of our face we can see a portion of our wrist, but at this time we will unable to see that. At this point death is quite near. "The inner signs are that one is bewildered and has various visions" (p. !JO). One's mind becomes very unclear and hazy. Sometimes one recognizes the people around one, but sometimes one blacks out and is unaware of what is going on. One feels "I am

still alive," but in the very next moment everything is vague and hazy. The various hallucinations are in accordance with one's basic character: evil-minded people will perceive terrifying visions and become frightened, while practitioners who have better karma and a purer frame of mind might have very

delightful visions. They might see beautiful scenery or their root teacher might appear before them as if in person and confer upon them the four empowerments so that they attain realization. Actually, this point indicates what kind of practitioner one has been during the bardo of this life. The Mirror of Mindfulness (p. 28-31) clearly describes the dissolution of the elements and their corresponding experiences. The dissolution of the gross and

subtle thoughts is a bit more complicated and warrants detailed explanation. To fully comprehend these experiences one needs to become familiar with the terms appearance, increase and attainment, which are usually called the three experiences of whiteness, redness and blackness. A practitioner should know what these experiences actually are. Whiteness or appearance is due to the descent of the white element, obtained from one's father at the moment of conception. At that time there is a white, shimmering light like moonshine. The outer sign is similar to the moon descending or rising. The inner sign is that one's consciousness feels hazy like a mirage. This should be acknowledged as the experience of whiteness. The experience of redness involving the ascent of the red element obtained from one's mother at conception is like sunshine in a place filled with dust so that the sun appears very red. The outer sign 1s a

red sun either rising or setting. The inner sign is scintillating sparks that appear and disappear like fireflies. The experience of blackness is like the darkness of the night sky. At this point, one's consciousness alternates between being clear and hazy.1 The three experiences, appearance, increase and

attainment initially take place when the consciousness is conceived, as the egg of our mother unites with the sperm of our father. When passing away, these are the last three experiences that occur before the consciousness detaches itself from the physical body. 1. According to the oral instructions of Tullm Urgyen Rinpoche: "The dissolution of the elements is before the real death takes place. There are gross,

subtle and very subtle dissolution stages. The gross ones are felt by everybody. It is before the breathing stops, the dissolution of the five elements. First the earth element starts to disintegrate. One feels very heavy. That's when people say "Please lift me up, raise me up. I feel like I'm sinking." When the water element dissolves then one feels very cold and says "Please warm me up. It's too cold in here." When the fire element dissolves one feels

very thirsty and wants water, one's lips are drying up. When the wind element dissolves one feels as if one is floating at the brink of an abyss, not anchored anywhere. When consciousness dissolves into space it means that everything grows very big and completely ungrounded. The outer breath has stopped but the inner breathing is still taking place. "The subtle dissolution stage is the three experiences of appearance, increase and attainment. They occur

after the outer breathing stops. The inner breathing, the inner circulation of prana hasn't ceased yet. For most people it doesn't take very long; it's just one, two, three. The redness experience is like the redness of a setting sun spreading throughout one's vision. The whiteness is like moonlight and

the blackness is like everything going completely dark. At the moment when the white and red elements converge in the heart center, the unity of bliss and emptiness, either one goes unconscious, or if one is a practitioner who has familiarity with the state of rigpa, there is the fourth moment of the ground

luminosity of full attainment which is the same as primordial purity. The rigpa is not unconscious, but for people not familiar with the state of rigpa then there is nothing but a blackout. For the yogi who has some stability in rigpa there is the great possibility of enlightenment right there. The fourth moment, the ground luminosity, is the same as primordial purity, dharmakaya. Attaining stability in that very moment is complete enlightenment." (Extracted from Repeating the Words of the Buddha, forthcoming from Rangjung Yeshe Publications).

At this moment, we should recognize the essential nature of these experiences. When we fail to recognize their essence, their manifestations are the three poisons, attachment, anger and delusion, through which we fall unconscious and take rebirth.2 Moreover, the nature of the five poisons in their pure aspect

is actually the five wisdoms. In essence, the white element can be equated with mirror-like wisdom. Tbe red element can be equated with the wisdom of equality. The consciousness is accompanied by the movement of prana or wind, which in essence is the discriminating wisdom. All of these can be combined

into one entity, the all-accomplishing wisdom. The complete body created through that is the dharmadhatu wisdom. Lacking understanding of this, consciousness takes on a physical form and enters another impure rebirth in samsaric existence. But with understanding, one takes pure rebirth within the manifestation of the five wisdoms and gains liberation. To realize the pure aspect of things is the main objective of Vajrayana.

2. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche continues: "The crucial point in the context of the two elements converging in the heart center, is the experience of the fourth moment, rigpa. The experience of the white and red elements joining together is the same experience that grabbed the consciousness out of the bardo and

into this life to begin with. It occurred when one was conceived into the womb at the time that the mother's and father's red and white elements joined together. In that moment of bliss-emptiness the consciousness faints and is then conceived. Therefore it's extremely important to not fall oblivious and to remain detached." (From Repeating the Words of the Buddha.)