Journey beyond Life

BARDO THODRAL – Journey beyond Life

BARDO THODRAL
Journey beyond life

© 2010, Taoshobuddha

Printed and Published by TAOSHOBUDDHA

MEDITATIONSTM

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Cover design and graphics: Anand Neelamber

Photography: Taoshobuddha

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 BARDO THODRAL – Journey beyond Life

The word Taoshobuddha comes from three words, ‘tao,’ ‘sho,’

and ‘Buddha’. The word Tao was coined by the Chinese
master, Lau Tzu. It means that which is and cannot be put
into words. It is unknown and unknowable. It can only be
experienced and not expressed in words. Its magnanimity
cannot be condensed into finiteness. The word Sho implies,
that which is vast like the sky and deep like an ocean carries
within its womb a treasure. It also means one on whom the
existence showers its blessings. And lastly the word Buddha
implies the Enlightened One; one who has arrived home.

Thus, Taoshobuddha implies one who is existential, on whom

the existence showers its blessings and one who has arrived
home. The Enlightened One!

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The Tibetan Book of the

Dead

Bardo is the interval between death and rebirth or precisely

between two stages of consciousness. Bardo Thodral guides one
through, the experiences that the consciousness has after death,
during the interval between death and the next rebirth. This
interval is known in Tibetan as the Bardo.

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Preface
Beloved friends I love you. Therefore every word that I speak
or overflow is to bring a new insight or awareness in you so
that your inward journey continues unabated smoothly and
blissfully. My effort is to make you aware of each step as it
comes on the process of inward journey.

You are now entering into an uncharted realm. I have waited

for so long to reveal the mysterious realm of Bardo Thodral –
transmigration from one realm to another for those who are
facing such a situation. And for those who seek to have an
aware pattern of life.

I am therefore explaining the ancient Tibetan technique of

Bardo Thodral or simply ‘The Tibetan Book of Dead’. Not only
that I have also clearly specified techniques based on the
experience of mystics from various paths that one need to
follow on a day to day basis only then one can attain to Bardo
of death.

Just as electricity although developed by a Christian mind;

Theory of Relativity being developed by a Jewish mind yet still
all are bound by it and no one complains. So too to be with me
you need to constantly aspire to lead your life beyond

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narrowness. I am not interested who invented a particular

technique or it comes from my scriptures or not. For me what
actually matters if the technique really works or not. Then its
source is not important.

Just as when you are sick you do not need to know the religion
of the doctor or that of the pharmacist who invented or now
manufactures the medicines you consume to save your life so
too you have to use these techniques and lead a life beyond
religions and religious beliefs only then you can attain to bliss.

Therefore read this again and again until these techniques

alter your level of consciousness and then you reach to a level
when you need not carry the scripture with you instead it
becomes a part of your awareness. Then you are it. You have
learnt the six Bardos of death and existence.

Only this much for now! You can send me a message through
any of these accounts.

Love

Taoshobuddha

Scribd.Com/Taoshobuddha
Issuu.Com/Taoshonuddha
Docstoc.Com/Taoshobuddha

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The Bardo Thodral has a positive message. Death or change is

not to be feared, but to be handled calmly and gracefully. Life
does not end after the physical body departs. It is a technique of
how to enter from one realm to another consciously, gracefully,
and lovingly.

Death is a door to life beyond. It is like you enter the tunnel from
one end. As you are entering the tunnel there is utter darkness.
This makes one afraid. In such a situation you need to carry
your own light or the light of the guide and when you reach the
other end of the tunnel you begin to see light again.

Dying is just a door to new and interesting experiences, which

we are able to prepare for in this lifetime. ‘Do not be afraid of
death’ is the message; it is just a transformation to another
existence, like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.

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What is Soul?
This is one question that has baffled human being from the
time man breathed first. This will continue to baffle human
beings. Does soul really exist? And if it be so then what is the
form – formfull or formless. All the religions accept the
presence of soul as formfull or formless. Mind wobbles if soul
has any form and shape. Can soul think, feel, see etc just as we
do?

It is mind that thinks of soul. Mind is another sense organ. And

therefore it can cognize only that which has form. Mind
cannot conceive anything that is formless. Beyond mind is the
realm of no mind. This is more subtle than mind. Therefore
mind cannot cognize it. Iron metal is subtle than wood. Iron
blade can cut wood but wood cannot cut iron. Soul is subtler
than the body mind realm. Therefore mind cannot
comprehend the realm of soul.

The soul or spirit is not separate from the whole. What is the
relation between the part and the whole? Can there be any
relation between the two? Mind divides everything. Therefore
mind thinks that there can be a relation between the two.

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Let me explain this with a few examples. I have heard once

there was a merchant who used to manufacture wax toys. He
made toys in wide range. He had a friend who cherished all
the toys he uses to make. The friend will visit very often and
help in the process of toy making. Then one day this friend
went away because of his job. The two were separated from
one another for more than a decade.

In the meantime there was a change in the business activities.

The demand for wax toys diminished and then one day there
was no demand at all. The merchant decided to venture into
something else. He realized that there is big demand for
candles. So he started making candles. The business
flourished. He forgot all about the loss accrued out of toys.
What he did actually was melt away all the toys and use the
wax by beaching it and then using as the raw material for the
candles.

While he was happy the way business went by his friend

returned after fifteen years. So he visited the friend expecting
him to be engaged still in toy making. However on reaching he
came to know that he stopped making toys and instead
started making candles. This disappointed the friend. So he
enquired what he did with all the toys. The owner showed the
beached wax balls that he obtained after melting the toys. The
friend still living 15 years behind was seeing the trunk of
elephant, tail of the horse, monkey face and thing like this in
that mass of the ball. This was his imagination because much

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time has flowed but he was still living in the past that was no
more. This is how we live our lives.

When the man dies the inner space that was enshrined within
the body mind realm is freed. It is like the inner space inside
the seed. When you cut open the seed you will not find any
sign of the tree. There is nothing. The entire growth pattern of
the tree remains invisible within the seed. However in the
right environment the seed sprouts and blossoms into a tree.
Inside the seed you will not find even the miniature plant.
However there exists the possibility of the entire tree.
Something like this is the nature of the soul.

It is like a space that covered by walls and the roof and the
moment the walls and the roof is removed the bounded space
is freed and becomes the part of the whole. You do not see the
space that is now freed. It was invisible before however the
possibility of growth existed. But the moment it is released
and is unbounded and it remains invisible. So when someone
asked Buddha where he will go after he dies, Buddha
responded, ‘I come from nowhere and go nowhere. I will
disappear in the whole.’ This is why Buddha is also known as
‘Tathagata’ – thus came thus gone. Before the drop dissolves
in the ocean it has its separate identity and drop has its mass
and it occupies a space. Soul too has its separate existence as
long as it is bounded. But the moment it is freed it is no more
visible. You see a candle lit. Its flame is ablaze. The moment
you put off flame where does the flame disappear. It simply

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disappears in the vastness of the existence. And when match

stick is rubbed against the surface flame reappears. From
where does the flame come into existence? Have you ever
introspected from where the flame comes and where it
disappears? This is what Buddha means by the word
‘Tathagata’ – thus came and thus gone.

When the entire space on which the structure is created as

house it has many separate spaces. Each space is designed for
a specific purpose and is therefore identified by that name.
The part of the space designed for kitchen is called as kitchen
space and so on. The kitchen space is identified as kitchen
space as long as it is used for this purpose. If you change this
space for another use the same space will now be identified
by another name.

When the man dies the boundaries of the body, mind and
intellect are no more the individual inner space disappears
into the wholeness of the space. No one sees this merger of
the two spaces. However the mystics know this because the
consciousness which is the inherent quality of this inner space
just as the inner space of the seed can be called as the quality
of plant growth.

This much happens when soul leaves the body and disappears
in the whole. Soul does not travel because it comes from
nowhere and goes nowhere. This realm is known as the realm
of the being or soul. From the whole it comes into finite
existence and at the end of the journey it dissolves in the

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whole. If you are able to connect to this space you can be part
of this space. Enlightenment connects the individual to this
space.

Through meditation one can slowly and slowly learn the

art of withdrawing consciousness from the narrowness of
the body mind realm. And Bardo is the techniques of
doing this developed in Tibet. One can attain to this state
of soul or consciousness as its field while being within the
body. This is Enlightenment. And through Bardo can
maintain the state even while alive.

Then what remain after death are the memories, sentiments

and thoughts. These do not vanish unless these dissolve
consciously. Meditation, spiritual discipline, and various
techniques help in understanding and living a bodiless
existence. Then you are in the body but the body is not in you.
Then the duality and inertia that body mind creates will not
inflict your inner harmony and bliss.

It is joy of its own living a life like as I speak on my own

authority for the past 38 year since 1972 the body and mind
has not created any inertia or obstruction even in most
difficult situations the life has presented. All these situations
have dissolved leaving no trace. And bliss remained the
ultimate outcome. It is this bliss that I share with you all as
insights when it assumes the form of words.

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BARDO THODRAL
Bardo is the interval between death and rebirth. Bardo Thodral
guides one through, the experiences that the consciousness has
after death, during the interval between death and the next
rebirth. This interval is known in Tibetan as the Bardo.

There is rebirth of character, but no transmigration of a self or

soul or being. Thy thought-forms takes rebirth and reappear,
but there is no ego-entity transferred. The stanza uttered by a
teacher is reborn in the scholar who repeats the words. Only
through ignorance and delusion do men indulge in the dream
that their souls are separate and self-existent entities. Thy
heart, O Brahman, is cleaving still to self; thou art anxious
about heaven but thou seekest the pleasures of self in heaven,
and thus thou canst not see the bliss of truth and the
immortality of truth. -Buddha

While some believe it is impossible to know whether there is

life after death. Still human belief in immortality is timeless.

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People of all times and places in history have believed that the
human soul survives death. If there is no consciousness
beyond the grave, then life has fooled almost everyone from
the Pharaohs of Egypt to Jesus of Nazareth.

When we talk about rebirth or reincarnation, some people

laugh at the idea. They consider such belief is outdated and
obsolete. Others may think such question is in arena of
religion. After all, it concerns what is after death.

THERE was an officer among the retinue of Simha who had

heard of the discourses of the Blessed One, and there was
some doubt left in his heart. This man came to the Blessed
One and said: ‘It is said, O Lord, that the Gautam denies the
existence of the soul. Those who say so really speak the truth,
or do they bear false witness against the Blessed One

And the Blessed One said: ‘There is a way in which those who
say so are speaking truly of me; on the other hand, there is a
way in which those who say so do not speak truly of me. The
Tathagata teaches that there is no self.

He who says that the soul is his self and that the self is the
thinker of our thoughts and the actor of our deeds,
teaches a wrong doctrine which leads to confusion and
darkness. On the other hand, the Tathagata teaches that
there is mind. He who understands by soul mind, and says

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that mind exists, teaches the truth which leads to

clearness and enlightenment.’

The officer said: ‘Does, then, the Tathagata maintain that two
things exist that which we perceive with our senses and that
which is mental?’

The Blessed One said: ‘I say to thee, thy mind is spiritual, but
neither is the sense-perceived void of spirituality. The bodhi is
eternal and it dominates all existence as the good law guiding
all beings in their search for truth. It changes brute nature
into mind, and there is no being that cannot be transformed
into a vessel of truth.’

When awareness is once freed from the body, it creates its own
reality like that of a dream. This dream projection unfolds in
predictable ways both frightening and beautiful. During the
moment peaceful and wrathful visions appear. These visions can
be overwhelming. Since the awareness is still in shock of no
longer being attached to and shielded by a body, it needs guidance
and forewarning so that key decisions that lead to enlightenment
are made.

Bardo is the process the Dead teaches how one can attain
heavenly realms by recognizing the enlightened realms as
opposed to being drawn into the realms of seduction and
duality that pull incorporeal awareness into cyclic suffering.

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Historical Background

Before the Maoist regime’s invasion, Tibet was one of the

most isolated, peaceful, and religious countries on earth. Tibet
is the only country in the whole world that has spent its total
energy in the development of human consciousness. A large
percentage of the population was engaged in monasticism,
and the ubiquity of Buddhism was to the extent that there was
no word for ‘Buddhism’ in the Tibetan language.

There was a large number of huge monasteries, thousands of

monks, and widespread practice of mantra and prostrations,
where Buddhist practices unique to Tibet were developed.

The Bardo Thodral was first written down in Tibet by

Padmasambhava, at a time when the country was not a
religious haven. It was then written down by his primary
student, Yeshe Tsogyal, buried in the Gampo hills in central
Tibet and subsequently discovered by a Tibetan Karma
Lingpa. There were variants of the book among different
sects.

Tibetan people used to be warlike, comparable to the fierce

Mongolian nomads who conquered half of the world. At one
point, Tibet’s empire even took over parts of China. The
Himalayan plateau was divided into many different warring
factions, until Padmasambhava, who was adept at

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memorizing esoteric Buddhist texts, came from India and

unified the people under Buddhism. While Tibetans revered
Padmasambhava as a kind of deity, he was also a historical
figure and a great religious teacher. According to Tibetan
tradition, he brought Tantric Buddhism from India to Tibet
and also tamed the warlike gods and spirits of the mountains
with the teachings of Dharma. He wrote a number of texts and
then hid them for discovery in future centuries. These are
known as ‘terma’ or treasure in Tibet.

Thodral is one of these hidden treasures, which was

discovered by the great practitioner Karma Lingpa six-
hundred years later. Professor Robert Thurman speculates on
why someone would hide a religious text for centuries. If it
were really so beneficial, why would someone deprive
generations of people from it? The reason, says Thurman, is
because Tibet was not ready to confront death. In a war-like
country, death is not allowed to be acknowledged, because
then people stop fighting, producing, and driving the country
economically. The sacred text was received at the right time
for the Tibetans, when people were ready to contemplate and
‘live in the clear light of death’ as Thurman says (2005). As the
Dalai Lama says on death, ‘it is not morbid to contemplate it,
but rather liberating from fear, and even beneficial for the
health of the living’ (Thurman 1994).

The Bardo Thodral also spelled Bardo Thodral, translated as The

Tibetan Book of the Dead, for centuries it was passed down orally.

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This ancient text was first put into written form by the legendary
Padmasambhava in the 8th century A.D. Translated, Bardo Thodral
means ‘liberation by hearing on the after death plane’. The book
acts as a guide for the dead during the state that intervenes death
and the next rebirth.

This scripture (The Bardo Thodral) from Tibetan Buddhism

was traditionally read aloud to the dying to help them attain
liberation. It guides a person to use the moment of death to
recognize the nature of mind and attain liberation.

It teaches that awareness once freed from the body, creates its
own reality like that of a dream. This dream projection unfolds in
predictable ways both frightening and beautiful. Peaceful and
wrathful visions appear, and these visions can be overwhelming.
Since the awareness is still in shock of no longer being attached to
and shielded by a body, it needs guidance and forewarning so that
key decisions that lead to enlightenment are made. The Tibetan
Book of the Dead teaches how one can attain heavenly realms by
recognizing the enlightened realms as opposed to being drawn
into the realms of seduction that pull incorporeal awareness into
cyclic suffering.

When soul leaves the body the attachment still continues with the
body mind realm. And the soul remains hovering around the
body. In such a case one who knows and understands this makes
the soul see the body being cremated or burnt. The instructions
are given to the soul to look carefully body being burnt. And with
body being burnt there can be no possibility for soul to enter the

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same body mind realm again. In the absence of inner preparation

and whenever a master is around this is what he does by using his
energy and ‘Tawajzoh’ to make sure that soul understands this.
Only then the soul can leave the body.

The Liberation ‘Through Hearing During’ the Intermediate

State, sometimes translated as ‘Liberation Through Hearing’
or Bardo Thodral is a funerary text. It is often referred to in
the West by the more casual title, ‘Tibetan Book of the Dead,’ a
name which draws a parallel with the ancient Egyptian Book
of the Dead, another funerary text.

The Tibetan text describes, and is intended to guide one

through, the experiences that the consciousness has after
death, during the interval between death and the next
rebirth. This interval is known in Tibetan as the Bardo.
The text also includes chapters on the signs of death, and
rituals to undertake when death is closing in, or has taken
place. It is the most internationally famous and widespread
work of Tibetan Nyingma literature. Fremantle (2001: p. 20)
states:

...there is in fact no single Tibetan title corresponding to the

Tibetan Book of the Dead. The overall name given to the
whole cycle is Profound Dharma of Self-Liberation through
the Intention of the Peaceful and Wrathful Ones, and it is
popularly known as Karma Lingpa’s Peaceful and Wrathful
Ones. It has been handed down through the centuries in

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several versions containing varying numbers of sections and

subsections, arranged in different orders, ranging from
around ten to thirty – eight titles. These individual texts cover
a wide range of subjects, including the dzogchen view...,
meditation instructions, visualizations of deities, liturgies and
prayers, lists of mantras, descriptions of the signs of death,
and indications of future rebirth, as well as those that are
actually concerned with the after – death state. The Tibetan
Book of the Dead as we know it in English consists of two
comparatively long texts on the Bardo of Dharmata
(including The Bardo of Dying) and The Bardo of
Existence.... They are called Great Liberation through
Hearing: The Supplication of the Bardo of Dharmata and Great
liberation through Hearing: The Supplication pointing out the
Bardo of Existence. Within the texts themselves, the two
combined are referred to as Liberation through Hearing in the
Bardo, Great Liberation through Hearing, or just Liberation
though Hearing....

The Liberation Through Hearing during the Intermediate

State is recited by Tibetan Buddhist lamas over a dying or
recently deceased person, or sometimes over an effigy of the
deceased. The name means literally ‘liberation through
hearing in the intermediate state.’

The Liberation through hearing during the intermediate State

differentiates the intermediate state between lives into three
Bardos:

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1. The Chikhai Bardo or ‘Bardo of the moment of

death,’ which features the experience of the ‘clear
light of reality,’ or at least the nearest approximation
of which one is spiritually capable.

2. The Chonyid Bardo or ‘Bardo of the experiencing

of reality,’ which features the experience of visions of
various Buddha forms or, again, the nearest
approximations of which one is capable.

3. The Sidpa Bardo or ‘Bardo of rebirth,’ which

features ‘karmically’ impelled hallucinations which
eventually result in rebirth. Typically imagery of men
and women passionately entwined.

The Liberation through hearing during the intermediate state

also mentions three other Bardos: those of ‘life’ or ordinary
waking consciousness; of ‘dhyana’ or meditation; and of
‘dream’ or the dream state during normal sleep.

Together these ‘six Bardos’ form a classification of states of

consciousness into six broad types. Any state of consciousness
can form a type of ‘intermediate state’, intermediate between
other states of consciousness. Indeed, one can consider any
momentary state of consciousness a Bardo, since it lies
between our past and future existences. It provides us with
the opportunity to experience reality, which is always present

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but obscured by the projections and confusions that are due

to our previous unskillful actions.

Comparison with the Western

experience of death

One can perhaps attempt to compare the descriptions of the

Liberation Through Hearing During the Intermediate State
with accounts of certain ‘out of the body’ near - death
experiences described by people who have nearly died in
accidents or on the operating table. These accounts
sometimes mention a ‘white light,’ and helpful figures
corresponding to that person’s religious tradition. According
to the Buddhist teachings, there are four different steps and
the ‘white light’ is most probably the last of them; then
Mahaparinirvana eternal bliss. The divine beings are buddhas,
dakkis and dakinis that people see as respective figures of
their culture or religious belief.

In an introduction to Evans-Wentz’ version, Swiss psychiatrist

Carl Jung summarizes his psychological commentary:

The Bardo Thödral [Tibetan Book of the Dead] began by being

a ‘closed’ book, and so it has remained, no matter what kind of
commentaries may be written upon it. For it is a book that
will only open itself to spiritual understanding, and this is

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a capacity which no man is born with, but which he can

only acquire through special training and special
experience. It is good that such to all intents and purposes
‘useless’ books exist. They are meant for those ‘queer folk’
who no longer set much store by the uses, aims, and meaning
of present-day ‘civilisation’.
— Carl Jung

The Tibetan Book of the Dead is actually a manual for the

living. It details the journey each soul must make after death
as reported back by meditators who used their lives to
journey on other planes and bring back information about
how reality is constructed. What can we expect after death?

The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a guide for the soul, but also
is related to everyday life. Once you realize that life and death
are not separate, and then death becomes just a continuation
of the journey. Here I have tried my best to summarize the
great Tibetan classic.

Key words: The Tibetan Book of the Dead, Bardo Thodral,

Dead, Tantric Buddhism, Tibet.

The Bardo Thodral, commonly known as ‘The Tibetan Book

of the Dead’ or ‘Great Liberation by Hearing in the
Intermediate States,’ is a text of spiritual magnitude.
According to tradition, it was conceived in the 8th century by
the Tibetan hero, Padmasambhava. The Bardo Thodral was

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hidden until the 14th century when it was found by Monk

Karma Lingpa, the great ‘treasure discoverer.’ It was originally
published in English in the 1927 by Annie Shapiro is a
Professor at Naropa University and Dongguk University.

Evans-Wentz’s work is in an incomplete form. These days it is

widely known, and often wildly misunderstood.

To grasp the significance of this sacred Tibetan text, one must

alter their perspective. In modern Western thought,
rationalism is the ruler. In most current paradigms, one has to
see something to believe it, be able to pin it to cardboard, or
keep it in a test tube. Granted, the West is not without its own
achievements; people have travelled to the moon, created
advanced modern medicine, and induced the industrial
revolution.

However, Asia has been not dormant as Western technology

flourished; many discoveries made in the East have been
metaphysical. While the West revered great scientists and
their achievements, the most celebrated discoverers of Tibet,
India, and China were psychonauts. These people explored
unseen energetic landscapes through the mastery of
meditation and yoga. Yogis and yoginis delved into the mind
and drew maps of other dimensions, which led to the creation
of acupuncture charts, chakra diagrams, and such, like the
first explorers made maps of the continents. Buddhist
teachings became bedrock of this internal exploration

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because of the strong emphasis on meditation practice. In

Tibet, which is relatively isolated from the rest of the world?

Buddhism developed as in no other place on earth. The Bardo

Thodral represents one of the peak achievements in
psychonautics, akin to the first telescopes that revealed the
universe. It describes the journey after death that everyone
must invariably make. Not just a description of the other
world like Dante’s Inferno, it is also a guidebook, which
everyone should take with them to the next world. The
breadth of knowledge brought back by meditation
practitioners and by Tibetan ‘delogs,’ people who die and then
return to this world to share their experiences, is detailed and
profound.

It can be used as a study guide for anyone living, can be read

to a dying person, or can be recited to a recently deceased
person to help them navigate through the next life. Ultimately,
its purpose is to help people recognize their true nature in the
afterlife. If that is not possible, the secondary goal is to guide
them back to a favorable human birth. The basic
International Journal of Buddhist Thought & Culture
teachings within the text are also recommended for practice
in daily living.

Tantric Buddhism

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Tantra is called the left-handed path. Unlike most religious

traditions which stress piety in order to keep negative
emotions under control, Tantra suggests that one use the
negative and passionate emotions as fuel to propel oneself to
evolve quickly along the spiritual path. It is said that the left-
handed path can be dangerous if someone approaches it
without proper understanding. That is why there is need for a
guide – someone who has travelled along the path and is
familiar with the peaks and valleys . By welcoming the
scariest feelings and emotions, one can actually harness their
immense power as fuel for spiritual growth.

Buddhist teachings often utilize the metaphor of a peacock, a

bird able to ingest poison. Instead of killing the bird, the
poison serves to make its plumage even more brilliant. This
means that no emotion, experience, or sensation is good or
bad. ‘A good situation is actually a bad situation,’ quoted
Zen teacher Hyon Gak Sunim (Quote from Seung Sahn). This
means that even a situation that seems terrible can be used
positively when seen from another angle―every phenomenon
is actually pure awareness.

In Zen Buddhism, bright color themes are used to excite the

emotions. In Zen Buddhism, one tries to calm the passionate
emotions like water on a still lake. Tantra, on the other hand,
is more comparable to surfing on the waves of mind. In
Tantra, instead of asking oneself a question, devotion to the
teacher or compassionate deities is the most important

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method. Zen has less to say on Death―“When you die, just

die!” said Korean Zen master Seung Sahn Sunim when asked
about death and dying (Ok Kwan 2007). Both Buddhist
approaches are equally valid; the left and right hand are two
sides of the same coin, and contain the same essence (Hyon Gak
2006-2007). Both are designed to discover the true nature of
mind. I have heard Confucius telling his disciple Mencius in
response to the question ‘What is life after death’ to forget all
about such questions now. You can think about these when
you are lying peacefully in your grave.

The use of peaceful and frightening images describe the

human psyche in Tantra. Those deities are actually aspects of
our own consciousness and shouldn’t be feared or idealized,
but recognized as the true nature of our own minds. Even the
frightening deities with skull necklaces and many heads are
compassionately trying to wake us up; as they have something
to teach. Another sacred image in Tantric Buddhism is two
humans or deities in sexual embrace.

This might be confusing to a Judeo-Christian mind, but this

image is meant to represent the essence of the universe, male
and feminine energies coming together to create life. This
image is actually one of the most sacred images in Tibetan
Buddhism.

Buddhist philosophy does not acknowledge the existence of a

‘soul’ in the Judeo-Christian sense of the word. This is because

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consciousness has no essential nature separate from the rest

of the universe. It is more like a continuous stream. Buddhist
scholar Alan Watts describes the ‘soul’ as a rope made of
many different materials. At the top it is silk, in the middle
nylon, and then cotton below that (Watts 2005). There is a knot
in the rope that slides down through the various materials. Is
it still the same knot or a different knot? The world Tantra
actually means ‘thread’ in Tibetan, which suggests a
continuous awareness.

The Journey through the Bardos

Bardo means ‘between state,’ and there are many Bardos in

this lifetime. For example, the state between sleeping and
waking is a bardo in which we are neither asleep nor awake.
Between this life and the next is the afterlife bardo. What
follows is a description of how one can cope with this
between state in order to relieve suffering, attain spiritual
realization, and achieve a favorable rebirth. It is advice both
for the departing person and those around him or her to
facilitate a positive experience.

The Bardo Thodral describes the dying process; first the body
breaks down into its constituent elements―earth to water,
water to fire, fire to wind, and wind into consciousness.
During this time, a dying person is instructed to imagine
whatever compassionate deity they believe in about one foot

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above the head, whether it be Buddha, Allah, Jesus, or

otherwise. Imagining the essence of compassion and goodness
floating above the head is the goal. Devotion to any specific
deity is not prescribed.

The purpose of the visualization is for the consciousness to

leave from the top of the head, to project one’s awareness into
the heavenly realms. A person present at that time can also
put their fingers on the pressure points at the base of the skull
to direct one’s consciousness out through top of the head. ‘The
Tibetan Book of the Dead’ instructs one to remain calm and
positive as the moment of transcendence approaches. Even
just creating the intention to remain calm will help greatly.
Also, it is suggested to recite mantras such as ‘Om Mani
Padme Hung.’ To keep a loving mind in every moment is
important, especially before dying, as the state at the time of
death will set the trajectory into the Bardos.

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is a modern day master of

Buddhist Tantra. In his book, ‘Mind Beyond Death,’ Rinpoche
gives advice to the loved ones of the dying person. He says
that one of the best things to do is to read the ‘Tibetan Book of
the Dead’ to the dying person, and recite it again after
consciousness has left the body. This way they can be guided
through the Bardo states. He also notes, immediately after
death, people should not cry or be depressed, as this can
disturb the spirit of the departed. They should treat the
possessions of the person respectfully, as not to cause any

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upset. Rather than crying and being depressed, we should

maintain an atmosphere of support and loving kindness
(Dzogchen Ponlop 2007: 125).

The Bardo Thodral tells us that immediately after death we

experience ‘the luminosity’ or, ‘inner radiance of the first
intermediate state’. The luminosity described appears right
after the consciousness leaves the body, and lasts, according
to Thurman, about as long as it takes to eat a meal. The naked
luminosity is perhaps the ‘white light at the end of the tunnel,’
which so many people describe in near-death experiences. It
could be called God, pure consciousness, or awareness. In
Tibet, it is called ‘the nature of mind,’ among many other
descriptors. What the Bardo Thodral points out is this clear
luminosity is one and the same as our true nature. The
luminous consciousness is our true essence. If one can
recognize that, one can attain state of ‘rainbow body’ and
move beyond ‘samsara’, or suffering, completely. The Tibetans
see death as a great opportunity for this reason. It is easier to
attain enlightenment in this state than in the afterlife.

After this state, if one does not recognize the pure luminosity,
one moves into the ‘between stages,’ or bardos. After the
luminosity stage, the consciousness of the being is able to
perceive and move in the world without their body, like a
ghost. At this point, the soul may see those people who are
close to him or her in mourning. This may cause suffering for
the being because they want their loved ones to know that

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they are not dead, but still alive. However, at this point, the
soul should completely let go of attachment to the past life,
the people and the places in it, in order to embark fully on a
new journey. The Bardo Thodral reads:

O, Child of Buddha Nature that which is called death has now

arrived. Therefore you should adopt an altruistic motivation
and concentrate your thinking as follows: ‘I have arrived at
the time of death, so now, relying on the process of death, I
will single-mindedly cultivate an altruistic motivation. I will
meditate on generation of loving kindness and compassion
and altruistic intention to attain enlightenment. For the
benefit of all sentient beings, who are all limitless as space, I
must attain perfect buddhahood’.

As the consciousness releases attachments to this life, at this

stage of the afterlife, one becomes extremely powerful.
Consciousness can go anyplace in heaven or earth just by
thinking about it. Because one has such power in this state,
one should remember to keep an altruistic mind, because it is
possible to accomplish feats that may have been impossible
during life. The after – death process is said to take 49 earth
days to complete, depending on the individual’s karma,
though the way the soul experiences the passage of time is
relative. The exception to the 49 days is if someone manages
to attain enlightenment immediately after death. Then, they
will be instantly reborn in the pure lands or another birth of

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their choosing. In the Bardo, both peaceful and wrathful

apparitions begin to emerge.

Because there are so many deities in Tibetan tradition, the

descriptions of who you may meet in the afterlife are quite
colorful. For example, the Bardo Thodral reads:

The transcendent lord Ratnasambhava will dawn before you,

his body yellow in color, holding in his right hand a jewel,
seated on a horse throne and embraced by his supreme
consort Mamaki. ... [A light] will emanate from the head of
Ratnasambhava and his consort will shine piercingly before
you at the level of your heart with such brilliance that your
eyes cannot bear it.... At that time, abandon your fear of the
yellow light and recognize it as pristine awareness. Relax and
abide directly within it, in a state of non – activity. Again and
again, have confidence in it! Be drawn to it with loving
devotion.

The descriptions of these gods and goddesses span the range

from compassionate pure land – beings to terrifying demons.
Everything one encounters is basically a manifestation of
one’s own mind. Without being caged in the body, the
subconscious mind is projected completely, as in a dream.
While a person of Tibetan upbringing may very well see the
myriad of deities described. However one shouldn’t take these
descriptions literally, but realize they are aspects of
consciousness that we already know quite intimately.

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However, these states of mind will be much more vivid in the

afterlife state (Dzogchen Ponlop 2007: 124).

It is said that the lord of death will appear and judge the soul
for all good and bad deeds, but the Bardo Thodral reminds us,
do not be afraid. There is nothing that can harm you
because you are pure consciousness. On the subject of
these appearances, it is said, they ‘have emerged from your
own brain! Do not fear them! Do not be terrified! Do not hate
them! Feel delight! Recognize them as an image of your own
awareness’ (Thurman 1994: 156).
Basically, whatever appears after death is no different than
your own mind’s projections. Be relaxed, do not be afraid, and
try to recognize these creations as your own pure nature.

These appearances are all the karma, or mental patterns from

the mind stream, from our deep unconscious minds. Unlike
Christianity, which suggests that a person will either go to
heaven or hell eternally depending on the individual’s good
and bad deeds, in Buddhism, it is possible that both realms of
heaven and hell will appear. These also are only temporary, so
one should not get attached to any state, but just let them
appear and experience them without loving or hating them.
One should keep an altruistic mind, and keep the goal of
attaining a precious human rebirth. In death, as in life, one
should not give way to fear, hatred, or ignorance

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The Six Realms

After the appearance of the various psychical manifestations

run their course, the lights of the six realms appear. Here, the
soul can choose the next rebirth. These lights are not as bright
as the dazzling appearances before, but this is just as
important as the spirit can choose its next rebirth.

According to Buddhism, everyone reincarnates unless they

have become completely enlightened during the Bardo stage.
Even enlightened masters choose to reincarnate, because they
are Bodhisattvas who have vowed to be reborn until every
being is saved.

For each realm, there is a different colored light. The grey

smoky light represents the hell realm, where anger is the
dominant emotion. The yellow light represents the realm of
the hungry ghosts, which is characterized by craving, and the
green light is that of the animal realm. The blue light is that of
the human realm. The red light is the realm of the assuras,
jealous gods who are more powerful than humans; the white
light is that of the godly realm, which is said to be heavenly,
but is characterized by pride. Although it may seem more
desirable to be reborn in the gods’ realm, it is said that the
human realm is the best one, because here exists a mix of
pleasure and suffering to make one’s consciousness strive to
evolve.

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(Dzogchen Ponlop 2007: 211-217)

Attaining a Human Rebirth

In order to attain a human rebirth, one is supposed to go

towards the blue light. Another suggestion that could
potentially help attain this rebirth is visualizing the guru and
consort in union. As the spirit is drawn to a particular rebirth,
it should look for a good situation, including loving parents
and an environment where there is leisure time to practice
meditation or contemplation. One will see a human couple
copulating and will be drawn to them at the moment of
conception. ‘They will be drawn to human parents like a
magnet’ says Master Sheng-yen. This couple will become the
person’s new parents.

While the Tibetan teaching on this subject can seem

tremendously esoteric, with its ornate and complex pantheon,
it also points to the fact that the mind is the most powerful in
deciding one’s experience. Thus, a natural and relaxed stance
is important. Also making positive aspirations, feeling
compassion or devotion to loving kindness are perhaps more
important than any information we can keep with us.

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The Bardo Thodral and Everyday

Life:

What relevance has the Bardo Thodral beyond just a guide

book for the afterlife? While the descriptions of the bardos are
lush and detailed, the instructions always point to a few
simple ideas, like strength, courage, and devotion to
compassion. If we have cultivated a positive, altruistic mind
during this life time, and have acted kindly towards others,
then the afterlife and next rebirth will reflect this. Cultivating
the mind means being able to stay calm in a trying situation,
to relax, and not give way to fear. To develop loving kindness,
for others is actually the point of meditation practice. When
we make friends with our intense emotions instead of running
from them, we must embrace then. Then nothing can harm us.

The Bardo Thodral tells us it is possible to recognize that all

phenomenon is actually none other than our true nature of
mind; benevolent, compassionate, and luminous. All you have
to do is just trust your own universal nature, which has been
there all along. Every moment of life we have a choice; to
remain asleep or to choose consciousness and finally wake up.

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Preparation for Life beyond

The preparation for life beyond is very simple yet still very
difficult to attain. If it is so simple then why is it so difficult? It
is easy because it is your nature. It is difficult because man is
not living in his nature. Human nature is inner oneness,
harmony and bliss. Hindus call man is ‘Sat-Chit-Anand’.

People claim to be religious, and spiritual. Like anything else it

has become a fad amidst Sunday morning religion. Religion is
an understanding and spirituality is the experience of inner
oneness which is the solitary truth, then awareness and living
like this one attains to bliss.

Man lives in mind. Mind divides. Man has created different

religions. There are nearly 300 religions in the world each
conflicting with one another. There are so many diverse
places of worship. All these are in conflict with one another.
Man speaks of religious tolerance. But does not ‘tolerance’
really man. ‘Tolerance’ implies you do not agree but somehow
you are tolerating it. There is no acceptance. This has caused
so many atrocities, killings. Everyone thinks my religion is the
best in the world. Each religion is trying to convert humanity
to his religion because that is the only authentic religion. Is
the way a religious person supposes to interact? In the name

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of this understanding there have been so many killings. This is

the entire history of human consciousness.

With such understanding there can be no harmony and bliss.

Instead of religious tolerance there has to be acceptance. And
‘acceptance’ is the first essential quality of religious person.
God created man in his image but man created divisions. God
created religions as the way to attain to Him man created
religious intolerance.

Freedom is first criterion of a religious one. Just as the air that

you breathe, the water that you drink, and the blood that
flows in your veins knows no religion. These are just
existential.

What are the essential qualities of a religious one? Let me

explain one by one.

1. God is one. God created man in His image. This is truth –

the solitary truth. Bible says in the beginning there was
word. The word was ‘God’. And it was with ‘God’.
2. Hindus say in the beginning was sound. And everything
evolved out of this existential sound.
3. Nanak says that which is – He is one and His very nature is
that of the formless existential sound.

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