Near Death

Guru Rinpoche said that human beings face two causes of death: premature death and death from exhaustion of natural lifespan. Premature death can be reversed by practicing life-prolonging methods. But if the cause of death is the exhaustion of your natural lifespan, you are like an exhausted lamp, there is no way to change it, you must be ready to go.

Exhaustion of Natural Lifespan

We all have a certain lifespan due to our karma; when it is exhausted, it is difficult to extend it. However, a person who has already practiced advanced yoga can overcome this limitation and prolong his life. There is a tradition in Tibet that the teacher of a guru sometimes tells his students how long his life is. However, they know that they can live longer through the strength of their own practice, the pure connection with their students and their practice, and the merit of their work.

Premature death

On the other hand, if it's just a disorder that's causing premature death, it's easier to change—provided, of course, that it's known in advance. In the bardo teachings and in Tibetan medical texts, signs are mentioned that warn of imminent death, sometimes within years or months, and sometimes within weeks or days. They include bodily phenomena, certain special dreams, and special studies of observing figures. Unfortunately, only a few people with specialized knowledge can interpret these signs. Their purpose is to forewarn the person that his life is in danger and to remind him of the need to practice life-prolonging practices before these symptoms develop. Any practice we do, because we are accumulating "merits", will help prolong life and bring health. In addition, there is also a special "life extension method", which can absorb the four elements of earth, water, fire, wind and the energy of the universe through the power of meditation and visualization. When our energies are weak and unbalanced, these practices strengthen and harmonize our Qi, which has the effect of prolonging life. There are many other ways to strengthen your life. One way of doing this is by saving animals that are about to be killed, by buying them and releasing them. Freeing fish is very common in Tibet and the Himalayas. People often go to the fish market to buy fish and then release them. This is based on the law of natural karma, taking the life of other beings or harming them will naturally shorten your lifespan; conversely, giving life will naturally prolong it.

The bardo of "suffering"

At the end of life is the so-called bardo of the end of life after we suffer from an incurable disease until the "inner breath" stops or some kind of death occurs. It is called "painful" because it can be a very painful experience if we are unprepared for the process. Even for a spiritual person, the whole death process can be painful because losing the body and this life is a very difficult experience. But if you have heard the bardo teachings and understood the meaning of death, you can know that at the moment of death, when the "earth light" appears, there is actually a huge hope. However, the key point is whether we can recognize it, which is why we should stabilize our recognition of the nature of mind through practice when we are alive. However, many people do not have the blessings to come into contact with the bardo teachings and are ignorant of the real circumstances of death. It's scary to suddenly know that your whole life, your whole reality is going to disappear: because you don't know what's going to happen, or where you're going. None of our previous experiences prepared us for death. Anyone who has cared for a dying person knows that their own anxiety can even exacerbate the experience of physical pain. We feel guilt, guilt and fear if we have not taken good care of our own lives, or if we have done harm and bad behavior to others. Therefore, as long as there is a certain degree of understanding of the bardo teachings, even without practice and enlightenment, it is enough to bring us some comfort, inspiration and hope.

Excellent practitioners know very clearly what will happen to death. For them, not only can the pain and fear of death be reduced, but this is the moment they are looking forward to; they face it with waiting and even joy. Death (because it's a great time to get achievements). But it is better for ordinary people to have their guru by their bedside, otherwise a fellow practitioner should also be present to remind them of the essentials of practice and inspire them to recognize the "see". No matter who we are, familiarity with the process of dying must be of great help to us. If we can understand the stages of death, we can know that these strange and strange experiences are all natural processes. When this process begins, it symbolizes the coming of death and reminds us to keep our minds clear. For practitioners, each stage of death is like a signpost, reminding us of the process that is taking place, and at the same time, we should practice the corresponding method.

The process of death

The process of death mainly includes two stages of decomposition: external decomposition and internal decomposition. The external decomposition is the decomposition of the five faculties and the five elements, and the internal decomposition is the decomposition of the coarse and fine thoughts and emotions. First we need to understand the components of body and mind, which dissipate at death. The existence of the human body is determined by the five elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and space. Through the five elements, our bodies are formed and maintained, and when they break down, we die. We're all familiar with these outer big five, the way we live our lives is determined by them, but here's what's interesting: how the outer five interacts with our inner five. The potentialities and qualities of the outer five also exist within our hearts. The ability of the mind to accommodate various experiences is the property of the earth element; its continuity and plasticity are the properties of the water element; its clarity and sensitivity are the properties of the fire element; its continuous movement is the property of the air element; Its boundlessness is the nature of emptiness.

An ancient Tibetan medical text says: Sensual consciousness arises from the mind. Flesh, bones, olfactory organs (nasal root) and incense dust are composed of the earth element. The blood, the taste organ (the base of the tongue), the taste dust and the liquid in the body are composed of the water element. Body temperature, clear color, visual organs (eye faculties) and color dust are composed of fire elements. The breath, the organ of touch (the faculties of the body) and the sense of touch are composed of the wind element. The cavities in the body, the auditory organs (ear bases) and sound objects are composed of empty elements. "In short," Kalu Rinpoche wrote, "the body is developed from the mind that houses the five elements. The body is filled with these five elements, and through this body-mind complex we are able to perceive the external world and to In the world, it is composed of the five elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and space."

The Tibetan master compared the human body to a city, the pulse is the road, the air is the horse, and the heart is the knight. There are 72,000 tiny channels in the body, but there are only three main channels: the central channel and the left and right channels; the central channel is parallel to the vertebrae, and the left and right channels are on both sides of the central channel. The left and right nadi coil around the central nadi, forming a series of "knots" at several points. There are several "chakras" distributed along the central channel, and many channels are also separated from the chakras, like the umbrella ribs of an umbrella. Qi flows through these veins. Qi can be divided into five root qi and five branch qi. Each root qi supports one of the five elements and is responsible for a function of the human body. The five qi make the five sense organs work. The qi flowing through the central channel is called "wisdom qi"; the qi flowing through other channels is said to be impure and will activate negative and opposing thinking patterns. There are two types of "Ming Dian" hidden in the veins: white Ming Dian and red Ming Dian (commonly known as white bodhi and red bodhi). The main center of the white drop is the crown chakra on the head, and the red drop is at the manipura.

In advanced yogis, the yogi visualizes this system very clearly. Through the power of meditation, one can directly realize the "clear light" of the mind by directing the Qi into the central channel and then decomposing it. This can only be achieved by controlling the consciousness above the qi. Therefore, when a practitioner focuses his mind on a certain point on the body, he can direct the Qi there. In this way, the yogi imitates the situation of death: once the knot of the left and right channels is untied, the air flows into the central channel, and the state of enlightenment can be experienced instantaneously. Once we have a body, we also have the five aggregates that make up our entire physical and mental existence. They are the building blocks of experience, the support of the ego, and the basis of samsaric suffering. The so-called five aggregates are form, feeling, thought, formation, and consciousness. "The five aggregates represent the continuous structure of the human psyche, the evolutionary pattern of the psyche, and the evolutionary pattern of the world. The five aggregates are also associated with various obstacles—spiritual obstacles, material obstacles, and emotional obstacles." Buddhist psychology has a great deal of respect for them. In-depth discussion. These elements all disintegrate when we die. The process of death is a complex and interrelated process in which related parts of body and mind disintegrate simultaneously. When qi disappears, so do bodily functions and sensations. When the chakras collapse, the qi they support is also absent, and the five elements are broken down one by one from coarse to fine. As a result, each stage of decomposition has a physical and psychological impact on the dying person, reflected in external, bodily signs, and inward experience.

Dying posture

Traditionally, the recommended dying posture is generally the "sleeping lion" posture lying on the right side, which is also the posture in which the Buddha entered Nirvana. Place your left hand on your left thigh, your right hand under your chin, and close your right nostril. Legs stretched, slightly bent. Certain channels on the right side of the body cause the "karmic qi" of ignorance. When taking the sleeping lion posture, lying on these Qi channels, together with closing the right nostril, can block these Qi channels. When death comes and the bright light appears, it will help the dying person to recognize it. This posture can also help the consciousness to leave the body from the brahman point of the crown chakra, because all other channels are blocked, and the consciousness has only one exit.

External decomposition

The external decomposition of the five faculties and the five elements is the decomposition of the five faculties and the five elements. When death comes, what kind of experience of external decomposition will there be? First you will be aware of how the faculties stop functioning. If the relatives and friends next to the bed are talking, and at a certain point, you can only hear their voices, but you can't tell what they are talking about, it means that the ear consciousness has stopped functioning. If you look at an object in front of you and you can only see its outline but not its details, it means that the sight consciousness is broken. The same happens with the nose, tongue, and body. When the sensations of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body are no longer fully experienced, it means that the first stage of the decomposition process has passed.

The next four stages are the disintegration of the four elements:

The earth element

Our body starts to lose all its strength, nothing at all. Can't sit up, straighten up, or hold anything. We couldn't hold our heads up and felt as if we were falling, sinking into the ground, or being crushed by gravity. Some traditional texts say that it is like the feeling of a mountain pressing down on us and we are being crushed flat. We feel heavy and uncomfortable in any position. Maybe asking someone to pull us up, raise a pillow, or remove the sheet. Our faces became pale, our cheeks sunken and our teeth were spotted. Eyes become more difficult to open or close. When the khandhas are dissolving, we become impotent. Our hearts are stirred, become confused, and then slip back into stupor. These are all signs of the earth element dissolving into the water element. This means that the qi related to the earth element is becoming less and less capable of providing the basis for consciousness, while the ability of the water element is becoming more and more obvious. So, the "secret sign" that arises in the mind is seeing sparkling visions.

The water element

We start to lose control of the fluids on our body. Runny nose, drooling, tears may flow, and incontinence may occur. Tongue could not move, eyes began to feel dry, lips drooped, pale and bloodless; mouth and throat became sticky, like a stuffed feeling; nasal cavity collapsed, became very thirsty. We tremble and cramp. The smell of death began to hang over. When the aggregates of feeling are decomposing, the physical sensations are weakened, and sensations of pain and pleasure, heat and cold appear alternately. Our minds become clouded, frustrated, irritable and tense. Some say we feel as if we are going to drown in the sea or be swept away by a great river. These are all signs of the water element dissolving into the fire element, which is replaced by the fire element to support consciousness. So, the "secret sign" that arises in the mind is the sight of fog, swirls of thin smoke.

The fire element

Our mouths and noses are completely dry. The temperature of the body begins to drop, usually the feet and hands, and finally the heart. Maybe there is steam like heat coming from crown chakra. When our breath passes through the mouth and nose, it is cold. We can no longer drink or digest anything. When perception aggregates are disintegrating, our mind is suddenly clear and suddenly confused. Can't remember the names of family members or friends, or even recognize who they are. Because the sound and sight have been blurred, it is becoming more and more difficult to recognize everything outside the body. Kalu Rinpoche writes: "For the dying person, the inner experience is like burning the body, as if being caught in a raging fire, or the whole world is burning." Symptoms, the function of fire element to support consciousness is getting weaker and weaker, and the function of wind element is more and more supporting consciousness. So, the "secret sign" that arises in the mind is to see sparkling red sparks jumping over a large open fire like fireflies.

The wind element

Breathing becomes more and more difficult due to the wind, and the air seems to escape in the throat; we begin to pant and make rough noises; the inhalation becomes short and laborious, and the exhalation becomes longer. Our eyes rolled up and we couldn't move at all. When the aggregates are dissolving, the mind becomes confused, ignorant of the external world, everything becomes blurred. Our last sense of contact with the physical environment is being lost. We start to hallucinate, see all kinds of phantoms: if we have done a lot of bad things in our life, maybe we will see horrible images. Some of the dreams and horror moments of our lives re-enacted, and we were so frightened that we wanted to cry. If we live a life of kindness and compassion, we may see happy heavenly scenes and "encounter" lovely friends or enlightened beings. For those who are good, is there only peace and no fear in death? Kalu Rinpoche wrote: "The inner experience of the dying person is that a strong wind sweeps through the dying person's entire world. It is an unimaginable whirlwind that is destroying the entire universe." These It is a sign of the wind element dissolving into consciousness. The Qi is all gathered in the "life breath" of the heart chakra. So, the "secret sign" that arises in the mind is seeing a burning torch or lamp emitting a red light. Our inhales continue to get shorter and shorter, and our exhales get longer and longer. At this time, the blood is concentrated and enters the "life vein" of the heart chakra. Three drops of blood come together, one drop after another, to produce three long, final exhalations. Then, suddenly our breathing stopped. Only the warmth remains in our hearts. All major signs of life have ceased, and this is what modern medical tests call "death". But the Tibetan masters mentioned that the inner process still goes on. Between the cessation of breathing and the end of "internal breathing", it is generally said to be about "eating a meal", about 20 minutes. But this is not absolute, and the whole process may pass quickly.

Inner decomposition

In the process of internal decomposition, gross and subtle thoughts and emotions are broken down one by one, and the dying person will encounter four increasingly finer levels of consciousness. At this time, the process of death is exactly the process of inverting conception. When the sperm and egg of our parents combine, our consciousness is driven by karma and enters the fertilized egg. During the development of the embryo, our father's white bodhi (white and joyful nucleus) is left in the crown chakra at the top of our midrib; our mother's red bodhi (red and warm nucleus) is left in our navel Four finger widths below the wheel. The evolution of the following decomposition stages is produced from both the white bodhi and the red bodhi. The white bodhi we inherited from our father descends to the heart chakra along the central channel after the Qi supporting it disappears. The external sign is the experience of "a vast expanse of whiteness," like a "clear sky illuminated by moonlight." The inner sign is that our awareness becomes very clear and all the thoughts generated by the thirty-three types of anger stop working. This stage is called "emergence". Then, the red bodhi we inherited from our mother ascends along the central channel after the qi supporting it disappears. The outer sign is the experience of "a patch of red," like the sun shining in a clear sky. The inner sign is an intense experience of happiness, because all thoughts arising from the forty greeds cease to function. This phase is called "growth". When the red bodhi and the white bodhi meet at the heart chakra, consciousness is surrounded by them. Tuku Urgyen Rinpoche, a great teacher living in Nepal, said: "The experience at this time is like the meeting of heaven and earth." The external sign is to experience "a blackness", as if shrouded in darkness. Sky. The inner sign is the experience of a state of mind without the slightest thought. The seven thoughts generated by delusion all cease to function. This stage is called "full realization". Then, when we recover a little bit of consciousness, the light of the earth will appear, just like a clear sky, without clouds, fog, or smoke. It is sometimes called the "heart of the radiance of death". Lama Gulu said: "This consciousness is the innermost subtle mind. We call it Buddha nature, which is the true source of all consciousness. This continuum of mind will continue even to Buddhahood."

The Dealth of "Three Poisons"

What exactly happens when we die? It's like going back to our original state; everything dissolves because body and mind have been unraveled. The three poisons of greed, anger, and delusion are dead, which means that all afflictions (the root of samsara) are no longer functioning, so there is a gap. Where does this process take us? When brought to the original foundation of mind, everything is pure, natural and simple. Now, everything that obscures our nature is removed, and our true nature is revealed. A similar revelation of the nature of mind occurs when we practice meditation and experience happiness, clarity, and thoughtlessness, in other words, when greed, anger, and delusion have been temporarily resolved.

When greed, anger, and delusion are dying away, we become more and more pure. Some masters say that, for Dzogchen practitioners, the stages of manifestation, growth, and full realization are signs of the gradual manifestation of Rigpa. When everything that obscures the nature of the mind gradually dies, the clarity of original awareness slowly begins to appear and increase. The whole process becomes the development of a state of light, related to the practitioner's recognition of the lucidity of Rigpa. In tantra, there are different methods for the practice in the decomposition process. In the yoga practice of channels, qi, and essence, tantric practitioners will prepare for the process of death in advance, simulate the change of consciousness in the process of decomposition, and finally achieve the experience of clear light. The yogi also practices while he sleeps, remaining aware of these changes in consciousness.

Because the important thing to remember is this: This sequence of progressively deepening states of consciousness doesn't just happen when we die. This also happens when we fall asleep, or when we pass from a coarser level of consciousness to a finer level of consciousness. Some masters even point out that it also occurs in the daily waking mental processes. When greed, anger, and delusion are dying away, we become more and more pure. Some masters say that, for Dzogchen practitioners, the stages of manifestation, growth, and full realization are signs of the gradual manifestation of Rigpa. When everything that obscures the nature of the mind gradually dies, the clarity of original awareness slowly begins to appear and increase. The whole process becomes the development of a state of light, related to the practitioner's recognition of the lucidity of Rigpa. In tantra, there are different methods for the practice in the decomposition process. In the yoga practice of channels, qi, and essence, tantric practitioners will prepare for the process of death in advance, simulate the change of consciousness in the process of decomposition, and finally achieve the experience of clear light. The yogi also practices while he sleeps, remaining aware of these changes in consciousness.