The following material consists of three ideas that may be incorporated as part of one’s spiritual practice.

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(1) A Contemplation/Meditation:

”Turning the Mind Away from Samsara”

Death comes without warning!

It may come today,

Parting me from all that is familiar

And all those I love.

Now is the time to think

Of what heart connections mean.

Now is the time to think

Of what goes beyond birth and death.

Now is the time to discover

And learn to trust

The Openness, Clarity, and Sensitivity

Of my being,

The Indestructible Heart Essence of all beings.

I have today to prepare.

Worldly attachments are useless,

As are anger and delusion.

Now is the time to let them go

And rest relaxed in my own true nature.

What use am I to others

If I am no use to myself?

How can I liberate them

If I cannot liberate myself?

May I and all beings be happy

And have the causes of happiness.

May I and all beings be free from suffering

And the causes of suffering.

May I and all beings have the happiness of complete Awakening

That will never diminish or fail.

Thus may we abide in great equanimity,

Unruffled by attachment and aversion

And with equal love for all beings. 

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Definitions

Awakened Heart (Sanskrit: bodhicitta) The innermost nature of all beings that underlies all our experience. This term is used particularly when talking about our ability to Awaken, and how this nature can stir and propel us to seek a path that leads us and all beings out of samsara.

Awakening (Sanskrit: bodhi) The goal of the Buddhist path, Enlightenment, liberation from samsara.

Clarity (Tibetan: salwa) One of the three inseparable qualities of the true nature of reality (especially in the Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā traditions). As such it is used synonymously with awareness and refers to the brightness of awareness that, like a mirror, has the power to make manifest the world of our experience.

Clear Light (Tibetan: ösel) Another way of referring to the essential nature of reality. This term is particularly used when talking about the fundamental nature of mind, awareness, or experience. It is revealed at death, when all else dissolves. ‘Clarity’ or ‘luminosity’ might possibly be better translations.

Dzogchen (Tibetan; Sanskrit Mahāsandhi or Atiyoga) Literally “great perfection”, “great completion”, or “great finishing”. A term from the Nyingma or old school of Tibetan Buddhism that arrived in Tibet with Guru Rinpoche, if not before. It is the highest possible realization beyond even the notion of Awakened and Unawakened, and another name for reality itself. It is often used as though it were the name of a practice, e.g. practising Dzogchen. This is a loose way of talking about practising in a way that will lead to the realization of Dzogchen. The Dzogchen tradition means the teachings from the lineage of teachers who have realized Dzogchen. It has its own traditions, techniques, terminology, transmissions, and so on. Although it is principally thought of as a Nyingma tradition, yogins from other lineages, especially the Kagyupas, also practise and transmit it.

Intermediate state (Tibetan: sipa bardo) An unstable state of existence entered into at death which lasts until entry into a stable rebirth. It is characterized by volatile experiences like dreaming, with no connection to a stable world to wake into, such as one has in life.

Karma (Sanskrit) Literally ‘action’. Although it refers to our volitional actions that have inevitable consequences for us in this and future lives, the term is commonly used to refer to the consequences themselves, especially in the way they manifest as happiness and suffering in this life. The consequences of actions performed in one life may lie dormant for lifetimes and “ripen” more or less at random. This means that none of us knows what actions are going to ripen next, so happiness and suffering unremittingly follow each other until we escape the trap of samsara.

Mahāmudrā (Sanskrit; Tibetan: Chagja Chenpo) Literally “Great Symbol or Seal” in Tibetan. Although this is a term used in the Dzogchen tradition for a level of realization that falls short of Dzogchen, it is used by the Kagyu tradition, synonymously with Dzogchen, to indicate reality or Awakening itself. This has led to endless discussions about whether or not Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā are the same. The third Karmapa (Rangjung Dorje, fourteenth century) unified the Kagyu Mahāmudrā and the Nyingma Dzogchen traditions into one system. So Kagyupas tend to hold that Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā are the same.

Mahāyāna (Sanskrit; Tibetan: tekpa chenpo) Literally “great vehicle”. The Buddhist teachings that lead to complete and perfect Buddhahood. Mahāyāna sūtras refer to themselves as Mahāyāna, and contrast these with teachings that lead to a goal short of complete and perfect Buddhahood. The main issue here is that it is possible to Awaken to a kind of Enlightenment that does not awaken to the subtlest and deepest meaning of the Awakened Heart that enables us to develop the full knowledge, love, and powers of Bodhisattvas and of complete and perfect Buddhas. These powers are of immense benefit to others, which is why the Bodhisattva vows to attain them.

Nirvana (Sanskrit) Nirvana is the opposite of samsara. It is the cessation of suffering. It is the reality that the Buddha Awakened to and therefore the true nature of reality, of the universe, of everything. It is often referred to as peace and as the heart’s release.

Openness One of the three inseparable qualities of the true nature of reality (especially in the Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā traditions). As such it is used synonymously with emptiness (Sanskrit: shunyata) It refers to the ungraspability of awareness which, like space, is changeless and indestructible.

Samsara (Sanskrit) Literally “the turning”. It refers to the turning or wandering round and round in an interminable succession of lives characterized by suffering. It is existence as experienced by unenlightened beings, whether it’s the treadmill of living from day to day, going nowhere except into old age and death, or the suffering of being trapped in delusion from one life to the next.

Sensitivity One of the three inseparable qualities of the true nature of reality (especially in the Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā traditions). As such it is used synonymously with responsiveness, and refers to the same inseparable quality that in Tibetan is called bliss, compassion, or unobstructed play. It refers to the living responsiveness inherent in awareness, such as a sense of well-being in the heart that gives value to experience.

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(2) Practising to Benefit the Dying or Deceased

When someone is dying, and after they have died, is a specially good time to do Dharma practice and dedicate it for their benefit.

Your practice at this time can really benefit them, in a way that goes beyond the psychological level of helping them be calm or have a good attitude as they are dying.

Whatever Dharma practice you do can be a comfort to the deceased person in the intermediate state, even if it is just the way you think about the Dharma as you go about your daily life.

The deceased is likely to be going through a time of great turmoil and confusion, not knowing where they are, where they are going, or what is going to happen next, so your calmness and clarity, full of love and concern, provide a stable place in which they can find peace and the courage to face whatever is happening to them.

It helps them to turn their own hearts and minds in the direction of truth and Awakening.

The consciousness in the intermediate state after death is very volatile, and possessed of rudimentary clairvoyance. So if you practise Dharma, the deceased person can strongly link into that, probably much more than in life. They might suddenly understand why you practise Dharma. It could even provide a positive connection for them that might lead them directly to a favourable rebirth.

Of course, it all depends on the person and their karma, but these possibilities really exist. We can even help people who have died years and years ago because time (in the way we think of it) is not ultimately real. So we need never feel that it is too late.

Our Dharma practice makes a connection with Awakening for the deceased person, through their connection with us. This is because heart connections are real and our heart has been touched by them.

That connection is inescapable and will draw them into our world, and our world is intimately connected to Awakening. The stronger their connection with us, the more powerful this can be.

But even simply to have heard someone’s name, or to have been part of a shared world (as when we hear about disasters) forms a connection with us and thus with Awakening (since we are connected to the path of Awakening).

If we dedicate our practice to those who have died, thinking of them as we do so, it helps make that connection stronger. It doesn’t matter whether the person believes in these connections or not; from the Buddhist perspective they are real and are a conduit for help to reach us.

The simplest way to help others who have died is to dedicate our regular Dharma practice to them, mentioning them by name. I keep a list of people who have recently died or who are in trouble, and when we are on retreat, I and my students read this list out at the end of the day. We dedicate our Dharma practice to the Awakening of all sentient beings, but especially to those people.

Obviously, as we do Dharma practices for the deceased, we try to be as present and as genuine as we can, but it is natural to experience all sorts of doubts and wonder if we are doing enough.

We have two options at this point. Either we decide to let such thoughts inspire us enthusiastically to do more, or we decide to treat them like any other thoughts that come and go.

The important thing is to remain as relaxed, confident, and simple as you can. Don’t be hard on yourself for having doubts and strong emotions.

Because we are likely to feel very disturbed at the time of a person’s death, and we may be very aware how disturbed they were, or are, as well as the people around them, it helps to remember that Dharma practice has power from its own side.

It helps the deceased in a way that is deeper than a mere psychological level. The power of the practice comes from the true nature of reality and from the power of our heart connection with the true nature of reality. So the most important thing is to rest in the heart and not to worry.

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(3) Talking to the Dead

According to Buddhist teachings, once we have left the body and are in the intermediate state before rebirth, we float freely and no longer suffer the physical limitations that prevent our knowing what others are thinking, and we are able to go anywhere we think of.

In other words, we just go to wherever we think of, and we know what is going on there. If you think how quickly and easily the mind moves, it is easy to understand how unstable and unsettling must be the experience of the intermediate state.

So if a dead person thinks of us, it would be very helpful for them if we were thinking about them in a reassuring and helpful way. Therefore, it is important to think well of them immediately after they die.

It is also taught that the dead person in the intermediate state often doesn’t realize they have died, so they hang around their home and old haunts as if they were still alive. They can feel unhappy, and even angry, to see people taking over their home and possessions.

So it is helpful to keep talking to them and telling them they have died, and that no offence is meant. This is particularly helpful in the case of a violent or sudden death, in which case, if possible, we talk to them at the place where they have died or where their body is. This can be done mentally or even out loud, telling them that they are dead and giving them good Dharma advice about not being afraid, letting go of attachment, not getting angry, trusting their deepest heart wish for happiness and truth, in whatever terms you think they will understand.

If they were Buddhist, remind them of the path to Awakening, Awakened beings, or whatever teaching or practice they had confidence in.

If they were not Buddhist, but very kind and compassionate, remind them how this will protect them and that they should continue to trust that way of being and let it guide them.

Since it is believed that the being in the intermediate state has the power of knowing what others are thinking, it is very important to take special care of your thoughts and emotions at the time of a person’s death.

Of course we cannot help having negative thoughts and emotions, but we can have a good attitude towards them, regretting the negative ones and fostering the positive ones, without clinging on to any of them, just recognizing thoughts are thoughts. This will help the dead person do the same.

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Source: Hookham, Lama Shenpen. There’s More to Dying than Death: A Buddhist Perspective. Cambridge, UK: Windhorse Publications, 2006.

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