Chapter 20 Chapter Eighteen

For most people, the experience of dying means entering a state of annihilation and disappearance at the end of the dying process.It is said that the three stages of internal decomposition can be as fast as three fingers.The white bodhi of the father and the red bodhi of the mother meet at the heart chakra, and a dark experience called "full realization" arises.The Earth Light manifests, but we fail to recognize it, and thus enter a comatose state of unconsciousness. As I said before, this is the first time that it has not been certified. It is also called the first stage of ignorance. It is called MaRigpa in Tibetan, which is the opposite state of primordial awareness.The cycle of reincarnation is interrupted a little at the moment of death, at which point we start another cycle.The bardo of dharmata arises immediately, fleetingly, without being recognized.This is the second failure of authentication and the second stage of ignorance.

The first thing we are aware of at this point is "as if heaven and earth are parting again", we suddenly enter the bardo between death and another new life.This is called the bardo of becoming, or sipabardo in Tibetan, the third bardo of death. By failing to recognize the light of the earth and the bardo of dharmata, all the seeds of our habitual tendencies are stimulated and revived.The bardo of conception is between the reawakening of these seeds and the embryonic entry into the next life. The sipa in the Tibetan sipabardo translates into Chinese as "being born" or "being", and it also means "possibility" and "existence".In the stage of the bardo of rebirth, because the mind is no longer restricted or hindered by the physical body in this life, the "opportunities" to "be reborn" to different states are unlimited.This bardo has the outer "existence" of the mental body and the inner "existence" of the mind.

The most striking feature of the bardo of becoming is that the "heart" plays the most important role, while the bardo of dharmata is manifested within the original awareness. Therefore, in the bardo of dharmata, we have a light body; In the bardo of birth, we intentionally give birth to a body. In the stage of the bardo of rebirth, the mind is very clear and has unlimited mobility, but the direction it moves depends entirely on the habits of past karma.It is the bardo of rebirth called karma, as Kalu Rinpoche says: "It is entirely the automatic or blind result of our past karma, and nothing that happens here is a conscious decision; The karmic shocks are tottering here and there.”

At this point, the mind has reached the next stage in its gradual unfolding: from its purest state (earth luminosity), through its light and energy (manifestation of the bardo of dharmata), into the bardo of rebirth, The mind takes on a more concrete form.What happens at this stage is exactly the reverse of the decomposition process: the air element reappears, and at the same time, the states of mind associated with greed, hatred, and delusion come with the air element.Then, because the memory of the past karmic body is still fresh in our mind, the "mental body" is formed. body The mental body of the bardo of conception has many characteristics.It has all sentience, it is quite light, transparent and mobile.Its perception is said to be seven times that of ours in life.It also has the most basic level of clear awareness, which is not awareness under the control of the mind, but the mind body can read the mind of another.

First of all, the shape of this kind of mental body is similar to the physical body in life, but it has no defects, and it is a beautiful physical body in youth.Even if you are disabled or sick in this life, you will still have a perfect mental body in the bardo of conception. An ancient practice of Dzogchen tells us that the mental body is about the size of an eight to ten-year-old child. Due to the power of conceptual thinking (aka "karma"), the mental body cannot remain still, not even for a moment.It is constantly moving, and as long as we think about it together, we can go anywhere without hindrance.Because the mental body has no physical body, it can pass through solid obstacles such as walls or mountains.

The mental body can see through objects in three-dimensional space.However, due to the lack of the physical body of the father Bai Bodhi and the mother Hong Bodhi, there is no longer the light of the sun and the moon, and only a faint light illuminates the front.The mental body can see other bardo beings, but cannot be seen by living beings, except those who have clairvoyance due to deep meditation skills. Therefore, we can be with many travelers in the bardo world, who died earlier than us. of people have brief meetings and conversations. Because the mental body has five major components, we will think it seems solid, and we will feel the torment of hunger.The bardo teachings say that the mind-body feeds on smells and takes nourishment from burning offerings, but it can only enjoy offerings specifically enshrined in its name.

Mind-body mental activity is extremely fast: thoughts come in succession at a high rate, and we can do many things at the same time.The mind continues to form fixed patterns and habits, especially the attachment to experience and the belief that experience is ultimately true. bardo experience In the first few weeks of the bardo, we still have the impression of being a man or a woman, just like in our previous lives.We don't know we are dead, we go home to meet family and loved ones.We tried talking to them, touching their shoulders, but they didn't answer and were completely unaware of our presence.Despite our best efforts, we couldn't get their attention.We can only watch helplessly as they weep over our deaths, or sit stunned.We tried to use our own items, but it didn't work at all.There is no place for us at the dinner table, and relatives and friends are dealing with our belongings.We feel angry, hurt, and defeated, "like fish suffering in hot sand," says The Bardo.

If we are so attached to our body, we may even try to re-enter it or linger around it, but in vain.In extreme cases, the mental body lingers around its object or physical body for weeks or even years, unaware that it is dead.Only when you know you have no shadow, no reflection in the mirror, no footprints on the ground, do you finally know that you are dead.The shock of admitting we're dead is enough to make us faint. In the bardo of being born, we will reenact all the experiences of the past life, re-experience various details of life long ago, and revisit all places, even places where "only a mouthful of phlegm" is said by the masters.Every seven days we are forced to go through the painful experience of death again.If he died peacefully, he will regain his peaceful state of mind; if he died in pain, he will also regain his painful state of mind.Remember that consciousness is now seven times stronger than it was in life, and in the rapid phase of the bardo of rebirth, the bad karma from previous lives all comes back in a very concentrated and chaotic way.

We drift restlessly and alone in the bardo world, as violent as a dream, and as in a dream, we believe that we have a body, that we really exist.But all experiences of the bardo of rebirth arise only from our minds, created by recurring karma and habitual tendencies. The wind of the four elements is blowing again, as Tuku Ugyen Rinpoche said: "We heard a huge sound caused by the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind. There was the sound of an avalanche falling continuously, The sound of a rushing river, the sound of a raging fire like a volcanic eruption, and the sound of a storm." It is said that when we try to escape these sounds in the terrifying darkness, three different abysses (white, red, black), and deep Terrible and riven in front of us. "The Bardo of Hearing and Teaching Dedu" tells us that these abysses are our own greed, anger, and ignorance.We were assailed by icy rains, hailstorms of pus and blood;

We were ruthlessly blown here and there by the karmic wind, unable to stay fixed on the ground. "The Bardo of Hearing and Teaching" says: "At this time, the terrible, unbearable, strong vortex, the huge tornado of karma drives you from behind." We are completely conquered by fear, just like the seeds of dandelion Blown about by the wind, we wander helplessly in the dark world of the bardo.Hungry and thirsty, miserable, we sought shelter everywhere.The thoughts in our mind are changing every second. "The Bardo of Hearing and Teaching Dedu" says: These thoughts project us out, "like being shot from a slingshot", and enter the state of concentration.The desire to have a physical body arises in our hearts, but we cannot find it, which makes us suffer even more.

This whole scene and environment is shaped by our karma, like a bardo world that can be inhabited by dream images created by our ignorance.If our habitual behavior in life is positive, our thoughts and experiences in the bardo body can be mixed with joy and happiness; on the contrary, if we have hurt others in life, our experience in the bardo body must be pain and sorrow and fear.Thus, the Tibetans say, fishermen, butchers, and hunters in the bardo are attacked by horrific images of those they killed in previous lives. Those who study the details of near-death experiences, and especially the phenomenon of "life review" common in near-death experiences, have asked themselves, "How can I imagine the horror of a drug lord, a dictator, or a Nazi thug in the bardo stage?" A "life review" seems to show that after death we experience "all" suffering that directly or indirectly concerns us. The length of the bardo of conception The average period of the bardo of conception is forty-nine days, and the shortest is one week.Circumstances are different, as if some people can live to be a hundred years old now, and some people die young.Some people even get stuck in it, becoming elves or ghosts.Dudjom Rinpoche often said that during the first twenty-one days of the bardo, the deceased will have strong impressions of past lives, so this is the most important time when the living can help the deceased.After this stage, the next life will slowly take shape and become the dominant influence. We have to wait in the bardo until we have a karmic relationship with our future parents.I sometimes think of the bardo as a transit room where you have to wait, sometimes as long as forty-nine days, before you go to the next life.But there are two kinds of people who don't have to wait in the bardo, because their karmic intensity can blow them into the next life immediately.The first type lived a life of great goodness and diligence, and their minds were well trained in practice, so their power of enlightenment could lead them directly to good rebirth.The second kind of people lived a life of great evil and depravity, and they will quickly fall into the three evil realms and reincarnate. trial Certain accounts of the bardo refer to a trial scene, a "life review" scene similar to post-mortem trials in many cultures around the world.Your good heart turns into a white guardian angel, acting as your defense consultant, recounting your good deeds during your lifetime; your bad heart turns into a black devil, filing a case for prosecution.Good and bad deeds are represented by white and black stones respectively.The "God of Death" who presides over the judgment consults the mirror of karma and makes a judgment. I think this kind of judgment scene has interesting similarities with the "life review" of near-death experience.Ultimately, all judgment takes place in our hearts.We are both the judges and the judges.Raymond Moody said, "What is interesting is that in the cases I have studied, the judgment does not come from the 'Life of Light' who fully accepts and loves these people, but from within the individual being judged." A woman who had a near-death experience told Kenneth Ringling, "Your life is being recreated before you, and you are judging yourself...you are judging yourself. All your sins are forgiven Yes, but can you forgive yourself for not doing what you should have done, or some small deception? Can you forgive yourself? This is judgment.” The trial scene also shows that, in the end of the analysis, what really matters is the motive behind every action, and we cannot escape the impact of past actions, words, and thoughts, and the traces and habits they have imprinted on our hearts.This means that we are fully responsible for all our deeds, speech and mind karma not only in this life, but also in the next life. heart power Because our mind is so light, free-flowing, and vulnerable during the bardo stage, any thought that arises, good or bad, has enormous power and influence.Since there is no physical body to hold on to, thoughts become very real.Imagine seeing our funerals so careless and perfunctory, or seeing greedy relatives vying for our possessions, or seeing friends we love and think love us, laughing and hurting How sad and angry it must be to speak of us with disdain!This situation can be dangerous because a violent reaction can drive us directly to a lower realm. Thus, the great power of thought is the main issue in the bardo of rebirth.At this critical moment, we will be completely exposed to the various habits that dominate our lives.If you don't pay attention to these tendencies while you're alive, and don't let them control your mind, then in the bardo of rebirth, you will become their helpless victim, being tossed here and there with their power. .For example, a slight irritation in the bardo of birth may have destructive consequences; therefore, traditionally, the person who reads and recites "The Bardo Hearing and Teaching for You" must be someone who has good karma with you, otherwise Their voices can irritate you with the most unfortunate consequences. There are many descriptions in the bardo teachings about the unformed state of the mind in the bardo of rebirth. The most amazing thing is that the mind in the bardo of rebirth is like a red-hot iron rod, which can be bent into any shape you want. As it begins to cool, it rapidly solidifies in its current shape.In the same way, in the bardo of rebirth, just one positive thought can lead us directly to enlightenment, and one negative thought is enough to plunge us into long-term and extreme suffering. There is no stronger warning to us in "Bardo Hearing and Teaching Dedu" than the following passage: Now is the time to be reborn in a good state or to fall into an evil state; now is the time to suffer forever if you just slack off a little; now is the time to enjoy eternal happiness if you just focus a little.Concentrate on finding ways to extend the rewards of good karma! "Bardo Hearing and Teaching Dedu" tries to recall the memories of the practice that the deceased may have had during his lifetime. It also encourages us to let go of our attachment to people and property, to give up the desire to have a physical body, not to succumb to greed or hatred, and to cultivate kindness instead of hostility , don't even think about negative actions.It reminds the dead that there is no need to be afraid: on the one hand, it tells the dead that those horrible mid-shadows are just projections of their own ignorance and are essentially empty; They are also empty. "So, Sora can't hurt Sora." The impermanent nature of the bardo of rebirth can also become a source of many opportunities for liberation, and the receptivity of the mind can also be used to help us at this time.The only thing we have to do is memorize a teaching; the only thing it requires is to have positive thoughts in the mind.If we can recall any teachings that have enlightened us on the nature of mind, if we have a little desire to practice, or have a deep connection with a certain practice, it is enough to set us free. In the bardo of rebirth, the buddha field does not appear spontaneously as it does in the bardo of dharmata.However, as long as you remember them, you can use your mind to send yourself directly to the Buddhafield, on the road to enlightenment.If you can invoke a Buddha, he can appear before you immediately.But remember, in this bardo, although there are infinite possibilities, there must be at least some control over our mind; and this is extremely difficult because the mind is so fragile and fragmented at this time. and uneasy. Therefore, in the bardo of rebirth, whenever you are able to awaken suddenly, even if only for a moment, immediately remember your connection with the practice, remember your guru or deity, and invoke them with all your strength. .If you were able to pray naturally and reflexively whenever things encountered difficulties, faced critical junctures, or got out of control in your life, then at this time you can immediately invoke or recall the enlightened ones, such as Buddha, Guru Rinpoche, Tara, Avalokitesvara, Christ or the Virgin Mary.If you can pay attention to them wholeheartedly, then through their blessing, your mind can be liberated and enter the space of their wisdom heart.Prayer may bring little fruit in this life, but its influence in the bardo is unprecedentedly powerful. The description of the bardo shows how difficult it is to keep the mind centered at this moment if we have no prior training.Think how impotent and powerless we feel, how difficult it is to remember our prayers, in sleep or nightmare!In the bardo stage of being born, it is even more difficult to concentrate the mind.Therefore, the repeated commandment of "The Bardo Hearing and Teaching Dedu" is: "Don't be confused." It says: Here is the dividing line between Buddhas and sentient beings... "In an instant they were separated, in an instant they were fully enlightened." regeneration In the bardo of rebirth, when the time of rebirth is getting closer, you are more eager for the support of the physical body and start looking for someone to reincarnate.Different signs will start to appear, foretelling which Tao you are about to incarnate in.Lights of various colors shoot out from the six realms, and you will feel drawn to one of them, depending on what is the most powerful affliction in your mind.Once you're drawn to one of these shades, it's hard to come back Then images and visions associated with the various Paths will arise.The more familiar you become with the bardo teachings, the more aware you will be of what they really mean.Different teachings describe these images in slightly different ways.Some people say that if you are about to be reincarnated as a god, you will see and enter a heavenly palace with many layers; If you are about to be reincarnated as an animal, you will find that you are in a cave, burrow, or bird's nest made of sage; if you see trees, dense forests, or weaving cloth, it means that you are about to be reborn as a hungry ghost; if you When you are about to be reincarnated in hell, you feel powerless and are being led into darkness, dark roads, dark places with black or red houses, or iron cities. In addition, there are many other signs, such as the way you gaze or move, that hint at where you are about to be reborn.If you are about to be reincarnated in the realm of heaven or humanity, your gaze is upward; if you are about to be reborn in the realm of animals, you will look straight ahead like a bird; if you are about to be reborn in the realm of hungry ghosts or hell, you will look down. As if diving in general. If any of these signs appear, you must be careful not to fall into the three lower realms. At the same time, you have a strong desire to be reborn in certain realms, and you are instinctively drawn to those realms.The bardo teachings warn us that at this moment there is a great danger that, due to your strong desire to be reborn, you will run to any place that seems to provide a sense of security.If your desires are thwarted, the resulting hatred will cause the bardo body to snap off, and you are driven by that defilement to take rebirth.So, as you can see, your next life is directly determined by greed, hatred, and delusion. Imagine that you are running to a place of shelter just to escape the carnage of the bardo experience.Then, if you are afraid of leaving, you may become attached to it, and if you have reincarnation, you can go to any path, the purpose is only to reincarnate. "The Bardo" explains that you can even get confused and mistake good birth states for bad ones, or bad birth states for good ones.Or hear your relatives calling you, or charming singing, you just follow these sounds, and finally find that you have been lured to the three lower realms. You have to be careful not to blindly enter the three lower realms.The best part, though, is that when you become aware of what's happening to you, you can still begin to influence and change your destiny. Swept by the wind of karma, you will arrive at the place where the parents-to-be are making love.Seeing them, your emotions are immediately pulled; you start to spontaneously feel intense attachment or aversion due to past karma.Yearning and love for the mother, and hatred or jealousy for the father will cause you to be reborn as a boy; otherwise, you will be reborn as a girl.If you succumb to such strong emotions, not only will you be reborn, but you may also be taken to the three lower realms because of that emotion. Now, is there any way we can avoid rebirth or choose the next life?The bardo teachings propose two special methods that can prevent rebirth and, if that fails, choose good rebirth.The first is a guide to closing the door to regeneration. The best way is to give up emotions such as greed, anger, and delusion, and to realize that the various bardo experiences have no ultimate reality.If you can realize this and rest your mind in its true emptiness, you can prevent rebirth. The Bardo Hearing and Teaching Dedu warns us here: what!Parents, storms, whirlwinds, thunderbolts, projections of terror, and manifest phenomena of all kinds, are all illusory in their nature.No matter how they appear, they are not real.Everything is false and unreal.They are like phantoms, they are not constant, they are not constant.What is the use of wishing for them?What good is fear?It's just taking what doesn't exist to exist. ... "Bardo Hearing and Teaching Dedu" continues to advise us: "All things are my mind, and this mind is empty, unarrived, and unobstructed." Thinking like this, keeping the mind natural and focused, dissolving in the self-nature is like pouring water into it. In the water, maintain your true colors, be free, open and relaxed.Allow the mind to settle naturally and comfortably, and you will surely be able to close all the womb doors of rebirth. The next best way to prevent rebirth is to visualize your potential future parents as a Buddha, guru or deity.At least you have to try to generate equanimity not to be dragged into craving, and at the same time think of the pure land of the Buddhas.This will prevent rebirth and may lead you to rebirth in a Buddhafield. If you cannot stabilize the mind enough to do this practice, there is another way to choose rebirth, and that is to recognize the landmarks and symbols of the six realms.If you have to reincarnate, or intend to reincarnate in order to continue to practice and benefit other beings, you cannot enter other realms except the human realm.Among the six realms, only the human realm is suitable for practice.The bardo teachings tell us that if you are about to reincarnate in a good environment in the human realm, you will feel like you are in a magnificent house, or you are in a city, or you are in a group of people, or you see a couple making love. Ordinarily, we have no choice but to be dragged toward our birthplace "like a bird lured into a cage, the hay caught on fire, or helpless like an animal thrown into a swamp. "The Bardo Hearing and Teaching Dedu" said: "Ah! The sons and daughters of the enlightened family, even if you don't want to go, you can't use your energy; you are helpless, and you are forced to go." Yes, the bardo teachings are always such an instructive reminder that there is always hope; now is the time to pray.Even if you just make your vows and focus your mind at this moment, you can still be reborn in a Buddhaland, or you can make a deep vow to be reborn in a family where you can hear the Dharma and practice the path of liberation.If you have strong karma that drives you to reincarnate in a certain realm, you may have no other choice; however, your past vows and prayers will help you reshape your destiny so that your rebirth will one day lead to liberation. Even if you have already incarnated into an embryo, you can still keep praying that this will happen in the future.Even now, you can visualize yourself as any enlightened sage, traditionally as Vajrasattva, according to the masters, to bless the womb you have entered as a sacred environment, "Holy the palace of the venerable,” and continue to practice. Now when the bardo of conception falls upon me I will take my mind, Trying to extend the fruit of good karma, Close the regeneration door and try not to regenerate. This is a time for perseverance and a pure heart. . Abandon troubles and visualize the guru. Ultimately, the desire of the mind to go to a certain path will drive us to rebirth, and the tendency of the mind to cling and solidify finally manifests itself in the rebirth of the physical body.In the entire bardo process, this is the next stage of manifestation. If you can successfully direct your mind towards the Human Way, you have come full circle.You are once again entering the natural bardo of this life.When you see your parents having sex, your heart is pulled involuntarily and you are born into a womb.This symbolizes the end of the bardo of rebirth, and your mind will quickly re-experience the process of dissolution and the presence of Earth Light.Then, the dark experience of full realization arises again and enters the new embryo at the same time. Therefore, life ends with the Earth Light and also begins with the Earth Light.