Chapter 3 Chapter One In the Mirror of Death

My first experience with death was when I was about seven years old.At that time, we were about to leave the eastern plateau for central Tibet.My master had an attendant named Samten who was a good monk and loved me very much in my childhood.His face was bright, round and full, always ready to smile.Because he is easy-going, he is the most popular person in the temple.Every day, my guru will teach the Dharma, impart empowerment, lead the practice, and preside over the puja.At the end of each day, I would gather my companions to do a little show, imitating everything that happened in the morning.Santen would always lend me the robe my master had worn in the morning, and never refused. .

Later, Santen suddenly fell ill, and his condition immediately deteriorated.We had to delay our departure.The two weeks that followed were ones I will never forget.The stench of death hangs over everything like a dark cloud, and when I think of those days, I smell it unexpectedly.The entire temple was filled with the shadow of death, but there was no atmosphere of terror at all; with my guru present, Santen's death became particularly meaningful and became a lesson for each of us. In the small monastery where my master was stationed, Sang Ten was lying on a bed by the window.I knew he was going to die soon.From time to time I would go into that room and sit next to him, and he could not speak, and his face became haggard and shriveled, much to my amazement.I knew very well that he was going to leave us and never see him again.I feel very sad and lonely.Santen died very hard. We can hear his struggling breathing at any time, and we can smell his body is decomposing.The entire temple was silent, only the sound of his breathing remained.All attention was on Santen.Although Santon's death tortured him, we can see that he is at peace and confident in himself.I couldn't explain this at first, but then I knew where it came from: his beliefs, his training, and my guru being there.Even though I was sad, I knew that if only my Guru would be there, everything would be solved, because he would be able to liberate Samten.I later learned that every practitioner dreams of the blessing of dying in front of his guru, who will guide him through death.

As Jamyang Khyentse guided Samten peacefully towards death, he spoke to Samten about each process he was going through.I was amazed by the precision of my master's knowledge, confidence, and peace.In the Guru's presence, even the most anxious person can take reassurance from his serene confidence.Now, Jamyang Khyentse is telling us that he has no fear of death, which does not mean that he views death lightly; he often tells us that he is afraid of death, warning us not to approach death naively or complacently.However, what is it that makes my master so calm, calm, methodical and surprisingly carefree in the face of death?That question fascinates me and fascinates me.

Santen's death shook me.At the age of seven, I first saw the power of the tradition in which I was training, and I began to understand the purpose of practice.The practice allowed Santen to accept death, and it also gave him a clear understanding that suffering is part of a deep, natural process of purification.Practice has made my guru know death well and know how to guide people through death correctly. After Samten passed away, we set off for Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. It took three months and it was a hard journey on horseback.From there we continued our pilgrimage to central and southern Tibet, places of pilgrimage to the sages, kings and scholars who brought Buddhism to Tibet since the seventh century.My master is the incarnation of many traditional Tibetan masters, and his reputation is so high that he is warmly received wherever he goes.

I was so excited about that trip and still have fond memories of it.Tibetans get up very early in order to make full use of the natural light.We went to bed as soon as it got dark, and we got up before dawn; when the first light came, the yaks carrying the luggage came out.Everyone dismantled the tent, and the kitchen and my master's tent were the last to be dismantled.The scouts went ahead to find a good place to camp, and we stopped to camp around noon to rest.I like to camp by the river and listen to the babbling water, or sit in a tent and listen to the raindrops on the roof.Our team is not big, only twenty tents in total.During the day I ride on a golden horse, next to my guru.On the way, he kept teaching, telling stories, practicing, and specially designed a practice method for me.One day, when we were approaching the holy lake of Yamdrok Tso, we saw a jasper-like light reflecting from the lake. Another lama in the team, Lama Tseten, was threatened with death again. .

The death of Lama Zuo Tun taught me another strong lesson.He was my teacher's wife's teacher, and my teacher's wife is still alive today.Many consider her to be the most spiritual woman in Tibet.To me, she is an invisible guru, affable and reverent.Lama Zuo Dun is tall and big, just like our grandfather.He was in his sixties, tall, gray-haired, and exuded an unaffected gentlemanly demeanor.He is also a practitioner with deep meditation skills, as long as he is close to him, he will feel peaceful and solemn.Sometimes he would scold me and I would be afraid of him, but even in the occasional moment of seriousness he never lost his enthusiasm.

The death of Lama Zuo Tun was very special.Although there was a temple nearby, he refused to go, saying he didn't want to leave a body for them to clean up.So we camped as usual, pitching our tents in a circle.Lama Zuo Tun was nursed and looked after by his wife because he was her teacher.When he suddenly called her over, she and I were alone in the tent.He has a heart-warming address for his wife, calling her "Ami", which means "my child" in his native dialect. "Amy," he said softly, "come here. It's about to happen. I have nothing else to say to you. You're the same and I'm happy to have you around. You'll serve you like you used to Mr.

She turned around and ran out immediately, but he grabbed her sleeve. "Where are you going?" he asked. "I'm going to ask Rinpoche," she replied. "Don't bother him, there's no need." He smiled. "There is no distance between me and my master." As soon as he finished speaking, he stared at the sky and passed by. His wife broke free, ran out of the tent, and called my master.I froze there, unable to move, I was amazed that anyone could gaze so confidently into the face of death.Lama Zuo Tun could have called his lama to help him -- that's what everyone was looking forward to -- but he didn't need it at all.Now, I know the reason: he has already realized the presence of the guru in his heart.Jamyang Khyentse was with him, right in his heart, and not for a second did he feel separated from his master.

Master's wife really brought Jamyang Khyentse here.I still remember the way he stooped into the tent.He looked at Lama Zuo Tun's face, stared into his eyes, and giggled.He always called him "Lagen" and "Old Lama".This is his expression of enthusiasm. "Ragan," he said, "don't stop at that state!" I understand now that he saw that Lama Zolton was practicing a special kind of meditation, merging his own mind with the void of truth. "You know that, Ragan, when you do this kind of practice, occasionally obstacles arise. Come! Let me guide you."

I was stunned at the time. If I hadn't witnessed what happened next, I would never have believed it.Lama Zuo Dun actually came back to life!My guru sat beside him and took him through the practice of phowa, guiding his dying consciousness through death.There are many ways to practice Powa. The method he used at that time was the letter "A" recited three times by the master at the end.When my master recited the first word "A", we could hear Lama Zuo Dun chant aloud after him, the second sound was weaker, and the third time he could not make a sound, and he left. The death of Sang Teng taught me the purpose of practice; the death of Lama Zuo Tun taught me that practitioners of his ability often hide their extraordinary qualities when they are alive.In fact, sometimes they appear only once at the moment of death.Even when I was a child at that time, I already knew that the death of Samten was very different from the death of Lama Tso Tun; I knew that the difference was that one was a good monk who practiced for life, and the other was a practitioner with more experience.Sang Ten died in an ordinary way, although painful but full of confidence; the death of Lama Zuo Dun showed that he came and went freely.

Shortly after the funeral of Lama Zolten, we moved into Yangdro's monastery.As usual, I still slept next to the master, and I remember that night I watched the shadow of the butter lamp swaying on the wall with my eyes wide open.Everyone else was already sound asleep, only I couldn't sleep and cried all night.As I lay there, thinking about death and my own death, a deep acceptance slowly emerged in my grief, and once I accepted the fact of death, I resolved to dedicate my life to the practice. Therefore, at a very young age, I have already begun to face death and explore the meaning of death.At that time, I could never have imagined how many more deaths would follow.To lose my family and everything I own is a death.My family name is Lakar Tsang, and it has always been the richest family in Tibet.Since the fourteenth century, my family has been the most prominent family in supporting Buddhism, supporting the Dharma, and assisting the master in promoting the work of Dharma. The death that broke my heart the most happened shortly thereafter - that of my master Jamyang Khyentse.Losing him, I feel that I have lost the foundation of existence. death of the modern world When I first arrived in the West, I was struck by two completely different attitudes towards death: one was the Tibet I grew up in, and the other was the attitude I discovered in the West.Modern Western society, despite its brilliant technological achievements, lacks a real understanding of death, what happens before or after death. I find that education today denies death, that death is destruction and loss of everything.In other words, most people either deny death or fear it.Even mentioning death is a taboo, and it is even believed that talking about death will bring misfortune. Others look at death in a naive, ignorant mood, thinking that for some unknown reason death will solve all their problems, so that death is nothing to worry about.Thinking of this, I recall what a Tibetan master said: "People often make the mistake of underestimating death. They always think, 'Well, everyone dies. Death is not a big deal, death is most natural. It's okay. I'll be fine.' It's a beautiful theory, but it's not so good at the dying moment." Among these two death attitudes, one regards death as something to be avoided, and the other regards death as something that one can solve by oneself.How erroneous are both in their understanding of the true meaning of death! The world's greatest spiritual traditions, including of course Christianity, tell us clearly that death is not the end.They also leave behind visions of future lives, giving our lives a sacred meaning.Yet despite the teachings of so many religions, modern society is a spiritual desert, and most people imagine that there is only so much in this life.Without a true or sincere belief in an afterlife, most people's lives lack any ultimate meaning. I finally realized that the terrible influence of denying death is not limited to the individual level, it affects the entire planet.Since most people believe that life is only one life, modern people have lost the long-term vision.Therefore, they unscrupulously plunder the earth for their own immediate interests, and their lives are selfish enough to destroy the future.How much more warning do we need, as the former Brazilian environment minister who worked to save the Amazon rainforest said? Modern industrial society is a mad religion.We are uprooting, poisoning, and destroying every living system on Earth.We are overdrafting checks that our children and grandchildren will not be able to pay... We are acting as if we are the last generation on earth.If we don't make a radical change in our psychology, our hearts, our perspectives, the earth will turn into ashes and die like Venus. Fear of death combined with ignorance of the afterlife has further destroyed our environment and is threatening all of our lives.So if our education doesn't talk about what death is, or give people any hope after death, or uncover the truth about life, isn't it going to make things worse and worse?What could be more ironic than that young people receive all kinds of education, but are ignorant of the overall meaning of life and the topics that are closely related to survival? Some Buddhist masters I know ask people who come to ask for teachings a simple question: Do you believe in an afterlife after this one?I've often been curious about this phenomenon.In fact, they are not asking each other whether they believe in this philosophical proposition, but whether they feel that there is an afterlife from the bottom of their hearts.The masters knew that if people believed in an afterlife after this one, their whole life would change completely, and their sense of personal responsibility and morality would become clearer.What the masters must suspect is that if people do not believe deeply in this life and the next life, they will inevitably create a society that is based on short-term profit and does not think much about the consequences of their actions.Is this the main reason we have created a brutal world, one with very little genuine compassion? Sometimes I think that in the developed world, the richest and most powerful countries are like the heavens described in Buddhist scriptures.The gods lived in luxury and joy, never thinking about the spiritual aspect of life.All went well until death loomed and irreversible signs of decay occurred.At that time, the wives and concubines of the gods no longer dared to approach them, but threw flowers over from a distance, and occasionally prayed that they could be reincarnated as gods again.No amount of remembrance of their past happiness can save them from suffering; all they do is add fuel to the flames.Therefore, the dying gods all die alone in pain. The fate of the gods, reminds me of the way we treat the elderly, sick and dying today.Our society is obsessed with youth, sex and power, while avoiding old age and sickness.Is it not a terrible thing that we abandon the aged when they have done their life's work and are no longer of use?Isn't it baffling that we throw them into nursing homes and leave them to die alone? Isn't it time to re-examine how we view terminal illnesses like cancer or AIDS?I know many people who have died of AIDS. They are often treated as pariahs and shunned even by friends. They see AIDS as a shameful shame. In the eyes of the world, they are dead. Even when someone we know or love is dying, we are often at a loss as to how to help them through life; and when they pass away, we don't imagine where they will go or how we can continue to help them .In fact, if anyone thought so, they would be dismissed as absurd. All of this clearly tells us that now more than ever we need a radical change in our attitudes towards death and the dying. Happily, attitudes have begun to change.The hospice movement, for example, has had a great track record of providing both practical and emotional care.Still, physical and emotional care is not enough; dying people need love and care, but more than that, they need to discover meaning in death and in life, otherwise how can we give them ultimate comfort?Therefore, helping the dying must include spiritual care. Only with spiritual knowledge can we truly face and understand death. In recent years, I have been comforted by the research on death and dying by Western pioneers such as psychiatrists Elisabeth K¨1bler-Ross and Raymond Moody.Kübleros delves into how we should care for the dying, arguing that with unconditional love and a wiser attitude, death can be a peaceful, even transformative experience.Moody has done scientific research on many aspects of near-death experience, giving mankind a fresh and strong hope: life does not end at death, and there is indeed "life after death". Unfortunately, some people don't fully understand what these truths about death and dying mean.They are slanted and regard death as a kind of glory; in the tragic example of young people committing suicide, they believe that death is a beautiful thing and a release from the oppression of life.But whether we deny death out of fear or romanticize it, we play it like a joke.Both despair and intoxication about death are a form of escape.Death is neither depressing nor exciting, it is just a fact of life. How sad that most of us value life only at the moment of our death!I often think of Guru Rinpoche's words: "Those who believe they have plenty of time prepare to die at the very moment. Then, to their chagrin, isn't it too late?" Most people today die at no time. What could be more chilling than being unprepared and living unprepared? journey through life and death According to the wisdom of the Buddha, we can indeed use life to prepare for death.We don't have to wait for someone close to us to die a painful death or to be struck by a terminal illness to observe our lives.Nor do we have to face the unknown with our bare hands when we die.Here and now, we can begin to find meaning in our lives.We can wholeheartedly, accurately, and calmly use every second as an opportunity to change and prepare for death and eternity. Buddhism regards life and death as one, and death is just the beginning of another life.Death is a mirror that reflects the meaning of life as a whole. This view is at the heart of the teachings of the oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism.Many readers have heard of the book "The Bardo of the Dead" (or translated as "Tibetan Book of the Dead").This book intends to explain and supplement "The Bardo of Hearing and Teaching".In this extraordinary teaching we find the whole of birth and death conceived as a series of transitional entities in constant change called the bardos. The term "bardo" usually refers to the intermediate state between death and reincarnation. In fact, the bardo occurs throughout the life and death process, and it is the key point leading to liberation or enlightenment. The bardo is the best opportunity to achieve liberation. As Buddhism tells us, the bardo is extremely powerful and has great potential at certain moments. No matter what you do, it can have a huge and far-reaching impact.I think of the bardo as the moment when you come to the edge of a cliff; for example, the moment when the master introduces the most important, primordial and core nature of mind to the disciple.Of all these moments, however, the most powerful and the most potent is the moment of death. Thus, from a Tibetan Buddhist point of view, we can divide the whole of existence into four continuous and interrelated entities: ① birth, ② dying and death, ③ after death, and ④ reincarnation.They may be called the four bardos: ① the natural bardo of this life, ② the painful bardo of death, ③ the luminous bardo of dharmata, and ④ the karmic bardo of rebirth. Because the teachings of the bardo are vast and detailed, this book has carefully arranged to guide readers through the journey of life and death step by step.Our quest should begin with direct reflection on the meaning of death and the many dimensions of impermanence—reflection that allows us to make the most of our life while we are alive, and that allows us to die without regret or regret. Blaming myself for wasting my life.The famous Tibetan poet and sage Milarepa said it well: "My religion is life and death without regret." Contemplating deeply the secret message of impermanence, what is beyond impermanence and death, can lead us directly to the heart of ancient and powerful Tibetan Buddhism: the most fundamental nature of mind.The nature of mind is the deep essence of our hearts and the truth we are looking for; understanding the nature of mind is the key to understanding life and death.Because at the moment of death, the ordinary mind and its ignorance die with it, and in this gap, the mind, which is as boundless as the sky, appears in an instant.This fundamental nature of mind is the background of birth and death, just as the sky embraces the entire universe. The bardo teachings make it clear that if all we know about the mind is the mind that dissipates when we die, we will be ignorant of what happens after death, and unable to understand the new aspects of the deeper reality of the mind. .Therefore, while we are still alive, each of us should be familiar with the nature of mind.Only in this way, at the moment of our death, when it is powerfully and naturally revealed, can we be confident and see it as "natural", as the bardo teachings say, "like a child thrown into the arms of its mother. ’; and by abiding in that state, one can eventually be liberated. To describe the nature of mind, it is natural to introduce a whole set of meditation methods, because meditation is the only method that allows us to repeatedly reveal the nature of mind, and gradually realize and stabilize it.Therefore, we will explain the nature of human evolution, rebirth, and karma in order to give the reader a full understanding of what it means and what we are walking on the path of birth and death. You will then have enough knowledge to move confidently into the heart of the book: material drawn from many different sources, and a detailed account of the four bardos, of the different stages of death and dying.In order to help yourself or your loved ones through the stages of life, dying, death and after death, this book lists various explanations, practical advice, and methods of spiritual practice.Finally, the book will explain how the bardo teachings can help us understand the deepest nature of the human mind and the universe. My students often ask me: How do we know what these bardos really are?How can the bardo teachings be so astonishingly accurate?How can they speak so clearly about dying, death, and every stage of reincarnation?The answer may be difficult for many readers to understand at once, because the current concept of the heart in the West is very narrow.Despite major breakthroughs in recent years, especially in mind-body science and transpersonal psychology, most scientists still reduce the mind to a physiological process in the brain, in line with the mystics and meditators of all religions for thousands of years. Experience proves to be quite different. So what is such a book based on?As one American scholar put it, the Buddhist "inner science" is based on "a clear and complete knowledge of reality, a proven deep understanding of self and environment; Enlightenment.” The source of the bardo teachings is the enlightened mind, the fully awakened Buddha mind, which has been experienced, explained, and passed down by many masters since the primordial Buddha.Their careful and careful study of the mind and their systematic and detailed explanations of the mind over the centuries have given us the most complete picture of life and death, presented to you for the first time. After many years of thinking, teaching, and practicing, and clarifying issues with my teachers, I have written The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, which is the heart of all my teachers. The essence of the professor is a new "Bardo Hearing and Teaching Dedu" and a "Tibetan Book of Life".I want it to be a manual, guide, reference book, and source of divine revelation.I think the many layers of meaning in the book will only emerge if you read the book over and over again.You will find that the more you use this book, the more deeply you will feel its profound meaning, and the more you will realize the depth of wisdom conveyed to you by the bardo teachings. The bardo teachings tell us precisely what will happen if we prepare for death.What will happen if you are not prepared.How to choose, in fact, can not be more clear.If we refuse to die while we are alive, we will pay dearly throughout our lifetime, the moment of death, and after death.As a result of refusing to die, this life and future lifetimes will be ruined.We will not be able to make the most of this life and will be stuck with our mortal selves.This ignorance will rob us of the foundation of our journey to enlightenment and keep us forever chained to the realm of delusions, the involuntary cycle of birth and death that we Buddhists call samsara. However, the fundamental message of the Dharma is that if we prepare, we have great hope whether in life or in death.Buddhism teaches us that it is possible to achieve amazing and boundless freedom in this life.This freedom allows us to choose death, and then to choose rebirth.For those who have prepared and practiced, the coming of death is not a defeat but a victory, the most honorable and glorious moment in life.