A Brief Teaching on Refuge
By His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa

I would like to present a brief teaching on Refuge. It is the understanding and observing of the Refuge vow, which defines one as a Buddhist. It is also said, "You are not a Mahayanist if you don't have Bodhicitta." It is the generation of Bodhicitta or the Bodhisattva aspiration to aid all sentient beings, which defines whether or not your practice is Mahayana.
It should be understood that the entire Buddhist path is included within the principles of Refuge and Bodhicitta. All the teachings given by the Buddha Shakyamuni come down to Refuge and Bodhicitta. Therefore we have teachings on the roots of Refuge, the general and particular precepts of Refuge, and many other instructions related to Refuge. The roots of Refuge are faith and compassion. First there is trust and confidence in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha (the Three Jewels). Also, there is compassion, wishing to liberate all sentient beings from suffering.
Faith in the Three Jewels consists of three types. Inspired faith is the positive inspiration you receive when visiting places of worship where there are many sacred objects, or when you meet great masters or attend sangha gatherings. Aspiration faith is when you wish to get rid of suffering and attain the peace of higher states of existence; you wish to practice good deeds and abandon negative deeds for that purpose, and have confidence in the possibility of achieving that goal. The faith of full confidence is to understand that the Three Jewels are your only and ultimate Refuge. One has heartfelt trust in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Compassion for all sentient beings is to want to liberate all sentient beings from all the kinds of problems and suffering in the ocean of Samsara. One should think, "All living beings have been my mothers (in past lives) and all have loved me and cared for me as my mother. Therefore, I would like to help them to become liberated from all their suffering." This is compassion. These are the roots of Refuge.
What is the essence of the refuge vows? It is that I have no other ultimate guide but the Buddha, I have no other true path but the Dharma and I have no other companions with whom to tread the path of dharma but the supreme Sangha. We need companions with whom to tread our path: If we want to cross the river we need a boatman; the boat will not move on it's own. If we rely on wrong companions or friends we can be led astray, so we want to find the right companions and travel together on the right path. That is the supreme sangha.
Clear and unchanging commitment to the Three Jewels of Refuge is necessary. The instructions on observing the Refuge commitments are many and can be categorized into the general, the particular and so on.
First of the general instructions is not to give up your Refuge vow even in exchange for your life, or for great awards. For example, even if someone might pile up the greatest amount of wealth on one side and tell you, "This could be yours if you would abandon your Refuge vow," one should not abandon the Refuge vow.
Second, whatever suffering and hardships you go through, you should not rely on anything but the Three Jewels.
Third, you should always make offerings to the Three Jewels and the sacred objects that represent the body, speech and mind of a Buddha.
Fourth, you should observe the Refuge vows and bring others to have confidence in the Three Jewels as much as possible. It is not enough that oneself alone should abide by the Refuge precepts, one should also bring others to the right direction; if somebody is going in a wrong way you should try to lead them on the right path.
Fifth, you should make prostrations to the Buddhas of the ten directions, to the Buddha of whichever direction in which you are heading. This simply means to have respect, recall the kindness of and pay homage to the Buddhas morning, noon and evening.
Tthere are the instructions on the particular precepts regarding the Three Jewels.
First, if we go for Refuge to the Buddha we do not ever take worldly deities and gods as an ultimate source of Refuge. Worldly gods are those like Brahma, Indra, Vishnu and Shiva, or Tsens and Gyalpo and other spirits. Since they themselves are in Samsara, how can they help you to become liberated from it? So, as it is said in the Thirty-seven Practices of a Bodhisattva (by Thogme Rinpoche), one should not go for Refuge to unenlightened and worldly beings.
Second, going for Refuge to the Dharma means giving up harming sentient beings. These living beings here include not just those with four legs and hair, but all those who have senses or a mind. One should give up killing and robbing, and should tread the path of non-violence.
Third, when you go for Refuge to the Sangha you should not spend time with negative companions; if you spend time with negative companions you will be led into negative ways and not into positive ways.
There are three precepts to observe with regard to paying respect to the Three Jewels.
First, regarding going for Refuge to the Buddha, you show reverence to the Buddhas and their representatives. This includes putting Buddha images in a place of respect, making prostrations and offerings, and so on.
Second, going for Refuge to the Dharma requires you to show reverence to the Dharma and its representations, even to a letter or a syllable by which the Dharma is written.
Third, taking refuge in the Sangha requires you to show respect to the sangha and the representatives of the Sangha, like those who are wearing the robes of the Sangha. Even if you find a piece of red robe on the street you should think that this is also a representation of the Sangha and should not treat it in a disrespectful way.
Now for the three instructions on accordance of the vows.
First, in going for Refuge to the Buddha, let your mind be in accord with the Dharma. If we claim to go for Refuge to the Buddha but our mind is completely in opposition to the Dharma it is not right. Let your mind be infused with the Dharma, and generate peace and humility in your mind.
Second, in going for Refuge to the Dharma, we should let our speech be in accord with the Dharma. If we claim to be taking Refuge in the Dharma but let our speech be totally contrary to the Dharma this is very wrong. Therefore we try to give up telling deceitful lies, slandering others, and speaking hurtful words; we try to infuse our speech with the Dharma in our daily life.
Third, in going for refuge to the Sangha we should let our body be in accord with the Dharma. We should try to live our life in accord with the Dharma and give up negative actions of the body, such as sexual misconduct and so on.
What are the benefits of observing the Refuge precepts? By going for Refuge we begin to practice the Buddha's Dharma, this generates numerous benefits. We create a favourable basis for all precepts and levels of ordination. Also, we are protected from the harm of negative humans and non-human beings; all obstacles and harmful influences are pacified. We will not be separated from the blessings of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha in all our lives to come. The effects of negative karma will be reduced. There are so many benefits that it is difficult to count them all.

Now we'll talk about Bodhicitta. All of the paths of a Bodhisattva must be completed within the context of Bodhicitta. First try to think of all those beings experiencing great suffering whom you have seen, like those people who are disabled or sick, and then think of all the other beings who are undergoing immeasurable sufferings. You think of this again and again until you feel real and great compassion for them. You feel as if one will personally dispel all their sufferings; I will do it even if I must do it alone.
When this kind of aspiration and courage arises in you, it is the beginning of becoming a Bodhisattva. Developing this kind of compassion and courage constitute the preparation and training of a Bodhisattva.
There are three kinds of aspiration for a Bodhisattva.
First is the king-like aspiration. A king has power and can give orders to help and benefit to his subjects. This means one aspires to become enlightened, in order to be able to help all other sentient beings attain enlightenment.
Second is the captain-like aspiration, which means you want to become enlightened alongside all other sentient beings. A boatman loads his boat with passengers and goes with them across the river.
Third is the shepherd-like aspiration, which is when one aspires, "May all beings become enlightened because of my positive deeds. I will become enlightened only after every one of them has attained enlightenment." A shepherd will take care of the sheep first, and only then will he go home. This is the most supreme type of courage and compassion.
Of these three, the most noble is the third. But you can choose whichever is more suitable for you; there is no difference. There are three precepts of the Bodhicitta vow: abstaining from negative actions, accumulating positive actions, and working for the benefit of others. Abstaining from negative actions can be elaborated into the eighteen root precepts, but the essence of all of them can be condensed into not abandoning sentient beings. To give up on any sentient being is worse than any other negative deed, therefore one must place emphasis on this.
The Refuge vow and Bodhicitta are not just preliminary practices, or something to be done in the beginning and then be left behind. We recite verses on Refuge and Bodhicitta at the beginning of our practices, but they are not only for the beginning. These two should always accompany you throughout the path. One should maintain compassion, not give up on any sentient being, and should keep a strong commitment to the Refuge vow. This is the most important basis for the Buddhist path and one should always think that "I will personally bring all sentient beings to Enlightenment."
One should try to generate a genuine aspiration of this kind and work on it as one would dig for gold. This means one should be genuine, and not false or hypocritical. For example if you are not drunk but act like a drunk to impress others, you are not being genuine. When someone is digging for gold, he or she is not thinking of anything else but that gold. Likewise, one should focus one's mind solely on the generation of Bodhicitta and not do it for fame.
If you do not place emphasis on Refuge you cannot even practice the Hinayana, let alone the Mahayana. If you do not have an inclination towards Bodhicitta you cannot practice Mahayana, let alone Vajrayana.
It is very important to understand this basic principle. If genuine Bodhicitta is established in your mind, you will enter the path of the Bodhisattvas and you will always meet genuine spiritual friends in your lives to come. One will receive the nectar of the Dharma teachings, and will actualize Enlightenment, the perfect Buddhahood, without much delay. Perfect here means the complete abandonment of all that is to be abandoned and the full accomplishment of all that is to be accomplished.
Buddha is translated into Tibetan as Sangye. 'Sang' means awaken: you awaken from all the afflictions. 'Gye' means blossom: the wisdom opens like the petals of a blossoming flower.
Now that we have laid the foundation for the ocean of Bodhisattva activities, we should say prayers such as the Zangpa Chopa Monlam, the prayers composed by Nagarjuna, etc. al. We should say them not just once or twice but every day, but as constantly as possible throughout our lives for the benefit of others. The reason why I talk about Refuge is that we should not waste this life of ours, which is endowed with the eight freedoms and ten opportunities. Of course there are many who are more learned than I am, but I have tried to say a few words on this. A fool like me doesn't know much, but if you keep it these words in mind I think there will be some benefits.

Teaching given at Tsurphu Monastery in 1998, translated by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche.
Redistributed by the Tsurphu Foundation

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Practices for Peace in the World,
June 28 2004

My dear Dharma brothers and sisters,

It looks like there could be a lot of violence happening in Iraq.
It comes out very beneficial if people read the Golden Light Sutra at least 1000 times and dedicate it for peace in Iraq and the rest of world. This will at least reduce the killing and suffering.

The holy Sutra of Golden Light is the king of the sutras (Ser.ö dam.päi do wang.gyi gyälpo). It is extremely powerful and fulfills the wishes, as well all the peace and happiness, of all sentient beings, up to enlightenment. It is also powerful for world peace, your own protection and the protection of your country and the world. Also, it has great healing power for people in the country, even if only one person reads it.

I am offering my suggestion for people who desire peace for themselves and for others. This is the spiritual, or dharma, way to bring peace that doesn't require you to harm others, doesn't require you to criticize others or even to demonstrate against others, yet can accomplish peace. So I hope some people will read this text, Buddhists and even non-Buddhists who desire world peace.

This also protects individuals and the country from what are labeled natural disasters-of the wind element, fire element, earth element and water element-such as earthquakes, floods, cyclones, fires, tornadoes, etc. They are not natural because they come from causes and conditions that make dangers happen. They come from past inner negative thoughts and actions of people, and external conditions. Their creation is not natural, it happens from our own side.

So here, I would like to make this request with my two palms together, to please recite the Sutra of Golden Light for world peace as much as you can.

Thank you very much.

With much love and prayers,

Lama Zopa

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Preparing For Death And Helping The Dying


A BUDDHIST PERSPECTIVE
PREFACE
This booklet is based on a handout used during a seminar that I have taught a number of times in Singapore and elsewhere, entitled "Preparing for Death and Helping the Dying." This seminar answers a genuine need in today's world, as expressed by one participant: "I am interested to know more about death and how to help dying people, but it's very difficult to find anyone willing to talk about these things."
The material for the seminar (which I usually teach over 3-4 sessions) is taken mainly from two sources: traditional Buddhist teachings, and contemporary writings in the field of caring for the dying. This booklet is meant as a brief introduction to the subject rather than a detailed explanation. My hope is that it will spark interest in the ideas presented. For those of you who wish to learn more, a list of recommended books is provided at the end. There is also a list of hospice care services in Singapore for those in need of such services for family members or friends, or for those who would like to serve as a volunteer. We also plan to continue working on this booklet to improve and expand it, and publish it for free distribution in the near future. Any ideas, feedback or suggestions will be gratefully accepted.
INTRODUCTION
Death is a subject that most people do not like to hear about, talk about, or even think about. Why is this? After all, whether we like it or not, each and every one of us will have to die one day. And even before we have to face our own death, we will most probably have to face the deaths of other people -- our family members, friends, colleagues, and so forth. Death is a reality, a fact of life, so wouldn't it be better to approach it with openness and acceptance, rather than fear and denial?
Perhaps the discomfort we have towards death is because we think it will be a terrible, painful and depressing experience. However, it doesn't have to be so. Dying can be a time of learning and growth; a time of deepening our love, our awareness of what is important in life, and our faith and commitment to spiritual beliefs and practices. Death can even be an opportunity to gain insight into the true nature of ourselves and all things, an insight which will enable us to become free from all suffering.
Let's take the example of Inta McKimm, the director of a Buddhist centre in Brisbane, Australia. Inta died of lung cancer in August, 1997. Two months before her death she wrote in a letter to her Spiritual Teacher, Lama Zopa Rinpoche: "Although I am dying, this is the happiest time of my life!…. For a long time life seemed so hard, so difficult. But when really recognizing death it turned into the greatest happiness. I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on their own death, the great happiness that comes with having recognized impermanence and death. This is quite surprising and unexpected, and extremely joyful. It is the greatest happiness of my whole life, the greatest adventure and the greatest party!"
Inta spent the last few months of her life dedicating herself to spiritual practice. At the time of her death her mind was peaceful, and she was surrounded by family and friends praying for her. There are many similar stories of Lamas, monks, nuns and spiritual practitioners who are able to face death with serenity and dignity, and in some cases are even able to remain in a state of meditation during and after their death. With the proper training and preparation, a peaceful and positive death is possible for each and every one of us.
First of all, let's look at how death is viewed in the Buddhist tradition.
BUDDHIST PERSPECTIVES ON DEATH
Death Is A Natural, Inevitable Part Of Life
People sometimes think of death as a punishment for bad things they have done, or as a failure or mistake, but it is none of these. It is a natural part of life. The sun rises and sets; the seasons come and go; beautiful flowers become withered and brown; people and other beings are born, live for some time, then die.
The Buddha imparted the teaching on the inevitability of death in a very skilful way to one of his disciples, Kisa Gotami. Kisa Gotami was married and had a child who was very dear to her heart. When the child was about one year old, he became ill and died. Overcome with grief and unable to accept the death of her child, Kisa Gotami took him in her arms and went in search of someone who could bring him back to life. Finally she met the Buddha, and begged Him to help her. The Buddha agreed, and asked her to bring Him four or five mustard seeds, but they had to be obtained from a house where no one had ever died
Kisa Gotami went from house to house in the village, and although everyone was willing to give her some mustard seeds, she was unable to find a house where death had not occurred. Gradually she realized that death happened to everyone, and returned to the Buddha, buried her child and become one of His followers. Under His guidance, she was able to attain Nirvana, complete freedom from the cycle of birth and death.
People may fear that accepting and thinking about death will make them morbid, or spoil their enjoyment of life's pleasures. But surprisingly, the opposite is true. Denying death makes us tense; accepting it brings peace. And it helps us become aware of what is really important in life - for example, being kind and loving to others, being honest and unselfish - so that we will put our energy into those things and avoid doing what would cause us to feel fear and regret in the face of death.
It Is Very Important To Accept And Be Aware Of Death
In the Great Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha said:

Of all ploughing, ploughing in the autumn is supreme.
Of all footprints, the elephant's is supreme.
Of all perceptions, remembering death and impermanence is supreme.
Awareness and remembrance of death are extremely important in Buddhism for two main reasons:
1) By realising that our life is transitory, we will be more likely to spend our time wisely, doing positive, beneficial, virtuous actions, and refraining from negative, non-virtuous actions. The result of this is that we will be able to die without regret, and will be born in fortunate circumstances in our next life.
2) Remembering death will induce a sense of the great need to prepare ourselves for death. There are various methods (e.g. prayer, meditation, working on our mind) that will enable us to overcome fear, attachment and other emotions that could arise at the time of death and cause our mind to be disturbed, unpeaceful, and even negative. Preparing for death will enable us to die peacefully, with a clear, positive state of mind.
Death Is Not The End Of Everything, But A Gateway Into Another Life

Each of us is made up of a body and a mind. The body consists of our physical parts - skin, bones, organs, etc. - and the mind consists of our thoughts, perceptions, emotions, etc. The mind is a continuous, ever-changing stream of experiences. It has no beginning and no end. When we die, our mind separates from our body and goes on to take a new life. The type of life we will be born into and the experiences we will have are determined by the way we live our life. Positive, beneficial, ethical actions will lead to a good rebirth and happy experiences, whereas negative, harmful actions will lead to an unfortunate rebirth and miserable experiences.
Another factor that is crucial in determining our next rebirth is the state of our mind at the time of death. We should aim to die with a positive, peaceful state of mind, to ensure a good rebirth. Dying with anger, attachment or other negative attitudes will cause us to be born in unfortunate circumstances in our next life. This is another reason why it is so important to prepare ourselves for death, because in order to have a positive state of mind at that time, we need to start now to learn how to keep our minds free from negative attitudes, and to familiarize ourselves with positive attitudes, as much as possible.
It Is Possible To Become Free From Death And Rebirth
Dying and taking rebirth are two of the symptoms of ordinary, cyclic existence (samsara), the state of continuously-recurring problems, dissatisfaction, and non-freedom which all of us are caught in. The reason we are in this situation is because of the presence in our mind of delusions - chiefly attachment, anger and ignorance - and the imprints of our actions (karma) performed under the influence of delusions.
The Buddha was once like us, caught in samsara, but He found a way to become free, and achieved the state of perfect, complete Enlightenment. He did this not just for His own sake, but for the sake of all other beings, because he realized that all beings have the potential to become enlightened - this is called our "Buddha nature", and it is the true, pure nature of our minds.
Buddha has the most perfect, pure compassion and love for all of us, all living beings, and taught us how we too could become free from suffering and attain enlightenment. That's what his teachings, the Dharma, are all about. The Dharma shows us how we can free our minds from delusions and karma - the causes of death, rebirth and all the other problems of samsara - and thus to become free from samsara and attain the ultimate state of enlightenment. Remembering death is one of the most powerful sources of the energy we need to practise the Buddha's teachings and thus attain their blissful results.
Now let's take a look at some of the ways in which we can begin preparing ourselves for death.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR DEATH
The Four Tasks Of Living And Dying
Christine Longaker, an American woman with over 20 years' experience working with the dying, has formulated four tasks which will help us to prepare for death, as well as to live our lives fully and meaningfully. The four are:
1) Understanding and transforming suffering. Basically this means coming to an acceptance of the various problems, difficulties and painful experiences which are an inevitable part of life, and learning to cope with them. If we can learn to cope with the smaller sufferings that we encounter as we go through life, we will be better able to cope with the bigger sufferings that we will face when we die.
2) Making a connection, healing relationships and letting go. This task refers to our relationships with others, particularly family and friends. The main points here are to learn to communicate honestly, compassionately and unselfishly, and to resolve any unresolved problems we may have with others.
3) Preparing spiritually for death. Christine writes: "Every religious tradition emphasizes that to prepare spiritually for death it is vital that we establish right now a daily spiritual practice, a practice so deeply ingrained that it becomes part of our flesh and bones, our reflexive response to every situation in life, including our experiences of suffering." A list of recommended spiritual practices from the Buddhist tradition can be found below.
4) Finding meaning in life. Many of us go through life without a clear idea as to what is the purpose and meaning of our existence. This lack of clarity can become a problem as we become older and closer to death because we become less capable and more dependent upon others. So it is important to explore such questions as "What is the purpose of my life? Why am I here? What is important and not important?"

These four tasks are fully explained in Facing Death and Finding Hope by Christine Longaker (London: Century, 1997) p. 37-157.
Live Ethically
Painful or frightening experiences that occur at the time of death and afterwards - in the intermediate state and the next rebirth - are the result of negative actions, or karma. To prevent such experiences, we need to refrain from negative actions and do as many positive actions as we can. For example, we can do our best to avoid the ten non-virtuous actions (killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, harsh speech, lying, slander, gossip, covetousness, ill-will and wrong views) and to practise the ten virtues (consciously refraining from killing, etc). It's also good to take vows or precepts, and do purification practices on a daily basis.
Another aspect of Buddhist ethics is working on our minds to reduce the very causes of negative actions: delusions, or disturbing emotions, such as anger, greed, pride, and so forth. And awareness of death itself is one of the most effective antidotes for delusions. For example, realizing that we and everyone else will die one day helps us to realize the futility of hating our enemies and clinging to loved ones. Thus we should try to resolve our conflicts with others as early as possible so that we do not die with those burdens on our mind. Also, as we approach death, it's good to start giving away our possessions, or at least make a will -- that will help reduce attachment and worry at the time of death.
Study Spiritual Teachings
Learning spiritual teachings such as those given by the Buddha will help us to overcome delusions and negative behaviour, and will help us to become more wise and compassionate. Also, the more we understand reality or truth -- the nature of our life, the universe, karma, our capacity for spiritual development and how to bring it about -- the less we will be afraid of death.
Cultivate A Spiritual Practice
As we are dying, we may find ourselves experiencing physical discomfort and pain. In addition to this, we will most probably also experience disturbing thoughts and emotions, such as regrets about the past, fears about the future, sadness about having to separate from our loved ones and possessions, and anger about the misfortunes that are happening to us. As mentioned above, it is very important to keep our mind free from such negative thoughts, and instead to have positive thoughts at the time of death. Examples of positive thoughts could include:
" keeping in mind an object of our faith such as Buddha or God,
" calm acceptance of our death and the problems associated with it,
" non-attachment to our loved ones and possessions,
" feeling positive about the way we have lived our life; remembering good things we have done;
" feeling loving-kindness and compassion for others.
In order to be able to invoke such thoughts or attitudes at the time of death, we need to be familiar with them. Familiarity with positive states of mind depends upon putting time effort into spiritual practice while we are alive. And the best time to start is now, since we have no way of knowing when death will happen.
Some recommended practices from the Buddhist tradition include:
1) Taking refuge
In Buddhism, taking refuge is an attitude of feeling faith in and relying upon the Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, accompanied by a sincere effort to learn and practice the Buddhist teachings in our life. It is said in the Buddhist teachings that taking refuge at the time of death will ensure that we will obtain a fortunate rebirth and avoid an unfortunate one in our next lifetime. Faith in one's personal spiritual teachers, or in a specific Buddha or bodhisattva such as Amitabha or Kuan Yin, will also have the same result and will bring great comfort to the mind at the time of death.
2) Pure Land practice
A popular practice, particularly in the Mahayana tradition, is to pray for rebirth in a Pure Land, such as the Pure Land of Bliss (Sukhavati) of Amitabha Buddha. Pure Lands are manifested by the Buddhas to aid those who wish to continue their spiritual practice in the next life, free of the distractions, hassles and interferences of the ordinary world.
Bokar Rinpoche mentions four essential conditions that need to be cultivated in order to take birth in Amitabha's Pure Land: 1) making ourselves familiar with the image of the Pure Land and meditating upon it; 2) having a sincere wish to be born there, and making regular prayers for such a rebirth; 3) purifying our negative actions and accumulating positive actions, and dedicating these to be born in the Pure Land; 4) having the motivation of bodhicitta-the aspiration to attain enlightenment (Buddhahood) to be able to help all beings - as the reason for wishing to be born in the Pure Land.
3) Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a meditative practice that involves become aware of whatever is
happening in our body and mind accompanied by equanimity, free of attachment to what is pleasant and aversion to what is unpleasant. Strong familiarity with this practice would enable one to cope with pain, discomfort and disturbing emotions, keep the mind free from disturbing emotions, and remain peaceful while dying.
4) Loving-kindness
This practice involves cultivating feelings of care, concern and kindness towards all other
beings. When we face difficulties or pain, our strong attachment to 'I' augments our suffering; being less concerned with ourselves and more concerned for others diminishes our suffering. At the time of death, thinking of other beings and wishing them to be happy and free from suffering would bring great peace to our mind. It is also a practice that purifies our negativities and accumulates positive potential, or merit, which would ensure a good rebirth in the next life.
Become Familiar With The Stages Of The Death Process
One reason why people tend to be afraid of death is because they do not know what will happen to them. However, in the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism, there is a clear and detailed explanation of the process of dying, which involves eight stages. The eight stages correspond to the gradual dissolution of various factors, such as the four elements: earth, water, fire and air. As one passes through the eight stages, there are various internal and external signs.
The four elements dissolve over the first four stages. In the first stage, where the earth element dissolves, the external signs are that one's body becomes thinner and weaker, and internally one sees mirages. The second stage involves the dissolution of the water element; the external sign is that one's bodily fluids dry up, and internally one has a vision of smoke. The fire element dissolves in the third stage; the external sign is that the heat and digestive power of the body decline, and internally one has a vision of sparks. In the fourth stage, where the wind or air element dissolves, the external sign is that breathing ceases, and internally one has a vision of a flame about to go out.
This is the point at which one would normally be declared clinically death. The gross physical elements have all dissolved, the breath has stopped, and there is no longer any movement in the brain or circulatory system. However, according to Buddhism death has not yet taken place because the mind or consciousness is still present in the body.
There are various levels of the mind: gross, subtle and very subtle. The gross mind or consciousness includes our six sense consciousnesses and eighty instinctive conceptions. The former dissolve over the first four stages, and the latter dissolves in the fifth stage, following which one experiences a white vision. In the sixth stage, the white vision dissolves and a red vision appears. In the seventh stage, the red vision dissolves and a vision of darkness appears. The white, red and dark visions constitute the subtle level of consciousness.
Finally, in the eighth stage, the dark vision dissolves and the very subtle mind of clear light becomes manifest. This is the most subtle and pure level of our mind, or consciousness, and experienced meditators are able to use this clear light mind to meditate and gain a realization of absolute truth, and even attain enlightenment. That is why such meditators are not afraid of death, and even look forward to death as if they were going on a holiday!
This is just a brief explanation of the eight stages. More detailed explanations can be found in a number of books (see the recommended reading list), such as The Tibetan Book of the Dead, translated by Robert Thurman, p.23-50. Since we are naturally more frightened of what is not known to us, becoming familiar with the stages of the death process would help ease some of our fear of death. And if we are able to practise the meditations on simulating the death process and awakening the clear light mind which are found in the Tibetan Vajrayana tradition, we might even be able to attain realizations as we die.
These are just a few recommended spiritual practices that we can learn and train ourselves in during the course of our life which will help us be more prepared for death. However, there are many other methods, which are suited to people of different temperaments. When it comes to choosing the method that is right for us, we can use our own intuition and wisdom, or consult reliable spiritual teachers with whom we have an affinity.
Now let's look at what we can do to help other people who are dying.
HELPING OTHERS WHO ARE DYING
It is said in the Buddhist teachings that helping another person to die with a peaceful, positive state of mind is one of the greatest acts of kindness we can offer. The reason for this is that the moment of death is so crucial for determining the rebirth to come, which in turn will affect subsequent rebirths.
However, helping a dying person is no easy task. When people die, they experience numerous difficulties and changes, and this would naturally give rise to confusion as well as painful emotions. They have physical needs - relief from pain and discomfort, assistance in performing the most basic tasks such as drinking, eating, bathing and so forth. They have emotional needs - to be treated with love, kindness and respect; to talk and be listened to; or, at certain times, to be left alone and in silence. They have spiritual needs - to make sense of their life, their suffering, their death; to have hope for what lies beyond death; to feel that they will be cared for and guided by someone or something wiser and more powerful than themselves.
Thus one of the most important skills in helping a dying person is to try to understand what their needs are, and do what we can to take care of these. We can best do this by putting aside our own needs and wishes whenever we visit them, and make up our mind to simply be there for them, ready to do whatever has to be done, whatever will help them to be more comfortable, happy and at peace.
There are many excellent books available on how to care for a dying person in terms of their physical and emotional needs (see the recommended reading list). Here we will focus on the spiritual needs and how to provide for these.
1. Working on our own emotions
As mentioned above, when people approach death they will at times experience disturbing emotions such as fear, regret, sadness, clinging to the people and things of this life, and even anger. They may have difficulty coping with these emotions, and may find themselves overwhelmed, as if drowning in them. What is helpful to them during these difficult times is to sit with them, listen compassionately and offer comforting words to calm their minds.
But to be able to do this effectively, we need to know how to cope with our own emotions. Being in the presence of death will most probably bring up the same disturbing emotions in our mind as in the dying person's mind - fear, sadness, attachment, a sense of helplessness, and so forth. Some of these emotions we may never have experienced before, and we may feel surprised and even confused to find them in our mind. Thus we need to know how to deal with them in ourselves before we can really help someone else to deal with them.
One of the best methods for dealing with emotions is mindfulness meditation (explained above). Another is reminding ourselves of impermanence: the fact that we ourselves, other people, our bodies and minds, and just about everything in the world around us, is constantly changing, never the same from one moment to the next. Awareness and acceptance of impermanence is one of the most powerful antidotes to clinging and attachment, as well as to fear, which is often a sense of resistance to change. Also, cultivating firm faith in the Three Jewels of Refuge is extremely useful in providing the strength and courage we need to face and deal with turbulent emotions.
If the dying person is a family member or friend, we will have the additional challenge of having to deal with the attachments and expectations we have towards that person. Although it is difficult, the best thing we can do is learn to let them go. Clinging to them is unrealistic, and will only cause more suffering for both of us. Again, remembering impermanence is the most effective remedy to attachment.
2. How to help someone who is a Buddhist
If the dying person is a Buddhist, ask questions to find out how much they know and understand, and that should give you a better idea about what to do to help them spiritually. For example, if the person has strong faith in Kuan Yin, then you should encourage them to keep that faith in their mind and pray to Kuan Yin as much as possible. Or if the person were a practitioner of mindfulness meditation, encourage them to do that practice as often as they can. In short, whatever teachings and practices they are familiar and comfortable with, remind them of these and do whatever you can to provide them with confidence and inspiration to do these practices. If they have difficulty practising on their own, due to pain or tiredness or a confused state of mind, do the practice with them.
If possible, place images of Buddha, Kuan Yin, Amitabha, and so forth within sight of the person. Speak to them, or read passages from books, about impermanence and other Buddhist teachings - but do this only if they are receptive, do not force it on them. Also, do not try to teach them something that would cause their mind to be confused or upset (for example, if the subject is too difficult for them to understand, or if it is new and unfamiliar). The most important thing is to help the person have a peaceful and positive state of mind before and during their death.
It may be that the dying person does not know how to meditate or pray. In that case you can meditate or do other prayers or practices in their presence, dedicating the merit of these that they have a peaceful mind at the time of death and a good rebirth. You can also teach them how to pray, by reciting standard Buddhist prayers, or by praying in their own words, in their own hearts. For example, they can pray to Buddha, Kuan Yin or whoever they can most easily feel faith in, to be with them during this difficult time, to help them find the strength and courage to deal with their suffering and to keep their minds peaceful, and to guide them to a good rebirth in the next life. Also, to help their minds be free of worry and anxiety, encourage them to not worry about their loved ones and their possessions, and to not be afraid of what lies ahead but to have faith in the Three Jewels. Do what you can to help them cultivate positive thoughts, such as faith, loving-kindness and compassion, and to avoid negative thoughts such as anger and attachment.
3. How to help someone who is not a Buddhist
If the dying person belongs to another religion, make an effort to understand what they know, understand and believe, and speak to them accordingly. For example, if they believe in God and heaven, encourage them to have faith in and pray to God, and to feel hopeful about being with God in heaven after they leave this life. And have a respectful attitude towards the person and their beliefs and practices. Remember, the most important thing is to help the person to have positive thoughts in their mind, in accordance with their religious beliefs and practices. Do NOT attempt to impose your own beliefs or try to convert them. That could cause them to become confused and disturbed.
If the person has no religion, use non-religious terminology to speak to them in ways that will help them to be free of negative thoughts such as anger and attachment, and develop positive thoughts and a peaceful state of mind. If they show interest in knowing what you believe in, you can tell them, but be careful not to preach. It might be more effective to have a discussion in which you openly share ideas with each other, For example, if the person asks you what happens after we die, instead of immediately launching into an explanation of rebirth, you might say something like "I'm not really sure. What do you think?" And take it from there.
If they genuinely wish to know about Buddhist beliefs and practices, it's perfectly OK to explain these to them. You can talk about the Buddha's life and teachings, the Four Noble Truths, impermanence, loving-kindness and compassion, and so forth. Just be sensitive to their response - be careful not to be pushy, otherwise the person could become negative. Remember, the bottom line is to help them remain free from negative thoughts as much as possible, and to have a positive, peaceful state of mind.
If the person is not a Buddhist and would not be comfortable hearing or seeing you do any Buddhist prayers or practices, you can still do these practices silently, without them knowing it. For example, you could sit beside them and meditate on loving-kindness and send the energy of loving kindness from your heart to fill them with peace. Or you could visualize Buddha or Kuan Yin above the person's head and silently recite prayers or mantras while visualizing a shower of light flowing from the Buddha into the person, purifying them and helping their mind to become more pure and peaceful. It is quite possible that the person will feel the effects of these practices even though they have no idea that they are being done on their behalf!
4. Helping by accumulating merit
After the person has passed away, we can continue to benefit them by doing positive, virtuous actions - such as saying prayers (or asking monks and nuns to say prayers), making offerings, releasing animals who are destined to be slaughtered, doing meditation, etc. - and dedicate the merits for the person to have a good rebirth, and to quickly become free from cyclic existence and attain enlightenment. It is perfectly all right to do these practices whether the person was a Buddhist or not.
It is good to use some of the person's own money to create merit, for example, making donations to charity. Also, merit accumulated by family members (direct relatives of the deceased person) is especially powerful and helpful. Doing virtuous actions and dedicating the merits to the deceased can help the person in the bardo (the intermediate state between death and the next life). However, once they have taken rebirth, the merit we dedicate may not help them in that life, but could help them in their subsequent rebirth, for example, by shortening the length of an unfortunate rebirth.
CONCLUSION
I hope that the ideas presented in this booklet will help you to be more accepting and less fearful of death, your own and others'. There is a great wealth of material - from ancient religious and spiritual traditions as well as from modern fields such as psychology, sociology and palliative care - that can guide us in living our lives in such a way as to be peaceful, calm and courageous in the face of death. And when someone we love is going through that experience, we can be a source of comfort, serenity and hope for them. May this small work inspire you to learn more on this subject. And may all beings become free from the sufferings of death, and attain the highest peace and happiness beyond the cycle of birth and death.
Christine Longaker, Facing Death and Finding Hope (London: Century, 1997), p. 113.
Pabongka Rinpoche, Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand (Boston: Wisdom, 1991), p. 422.
Bokar Rinpoche. Death and the Art of Dying in Tibetan Buddhism. San Francisco: ClearPoint Press, 1993; pps. 52-53.
RECOMMENDED READING
BUDDHIST TEACHINGS ON DEATH AND DYING
Bokar Rinpoche. Death and the Art of Dying in Tibetan Buddhsm. San Francisco: ClearPoint Press, 1993.
Kapleau, Philip, ed. The Wheel of Death. New York, Harper & Row, 1971.

Lama Lodo. Bardo Teachings. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion, 1987.
Lati Rinpochay and Jeffrey Hopkins. Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth. Ithaca, NY:
Snow Lion, 1985.
Mullin, Glen H. Death and Dying: The Tibetan Tradition. London: Arkana, 1986.
Sogyal Rinpoche. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1992.
Thurman, Robert A.F., trans. The Tibetan Book of the Dead. New York: Bantam Books, 1994.
Visuddhacara. Loving and Dying. Penang: Malaysian Buddhist Meditation Centre, 1993.
BUDDHIST MEDITATION
Goldstein, Joseph. The Experience of Insight. Boston: Shambhala.
Gunaratana, Venerable H. Mindfulness in Plain English. Boston: Wisdom.
Salzberg, Sharon. LovingKindness - the Revolutionay Art of Happiness. Boston: Shambhala, 1995.
Thich Nhat Hahn. The Miracle of Mindfulness. Berkeley: Parallax Press.
CARING FOR THE DYING
Buckman, Dr. Robert, I Don't Know What to Say: How to Help and Support Someone Who is Dying. London: Papermac, 1988.
Callanan, Maggie and Patricia Kelley. Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs and Communications of the Dying. New York: Bantam, 1992.
Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth. On Death and Dying. New York: Collier, 1970.
_______. To Live Until We Say Goodbye. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1978.
Levine, Stephen. Who Dies? An Investigation of Conscious Living and Conscious Dying.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1982.
Longaker, Christine. Facing Death and Finding Hope. London: Century, 1997.
Stoddard, Sandol. The Hospice Movement: A Better Way to Care for the Dying. New York: Random House, 1991.
WESTERN VIEWS ON DEATH
Nuland, Sherwin B. How We Die. London: Vintage, 1997.

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Reincarnation
Maitreya Institute, San Francisco

Our subject this evening is reincarnation. As you know, reincarnation is very important in Buddhism. I'd like to present a general outline of the subject first, and then go into some of the specifics.
Every moment is a continuation of the previous moment. This moment-by-moment continuation happens all the time. We don't say this officially, but we can say that today's myself is the incarnation of yesterday's myself. Or we can view it as a continuation of the mind and the process of thought. We don't usually say it this way because we're continuing this mind, this thought, in the same body. But except for that, reincarnation simply means the continuation of mind.
In Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism, Lord Buddha gave numerous examples of samsara and enlightenment. These examples clarify many of the complexities that prevent people from having a proper understanding of reincarnation. He said, "Since beginningless time until enlightenment is the longest dream. No matter what incarnation we take, that incarnation is always involved with the self. Therefore, the longest dream is the dream of self, the dream of samsara. We awaken from that dream when we attain enlightenment." That dream takes many forms, many conditions, many environments, many dimensions; whatever we wish to explore, we can explore in a limitless manner.
Then he said, "After that, the shorter dream is the dream from birth until death." He said, "From birth until death, a particular person dreams of a particular realm. If he is human, he dreams like a human. If he is animal, he dreams like an animal. That is life." That dream begins from the moment of birth and ends at the moment of death. When the next reincarnation occurs, the dream begins again.
It is our individual relative cause and condition that determines whether we manifest as a human being or animal or some other being in one or another of the six realms. But regardless of the particular realm into which we're born, we have a continuation that goes on until death.
Then Lord Buddha explains the third, the shortest, dream. This is the ordinary dream that we dream when we're sleeping. This dream is definitely related with the subconscious aspect of our mind. We dream about things that have something to do with us, something that involves our subconscious mind.
Lord Buddha explains that, ultimately speaking, nobody is dead and nobody is born, but relatively, everyone who is born has to die, and everyone who dies has to be born. That's how reincarnation is taught by Lord Buddha.
Levels of Reincarnation
Now let's be a little more specific. I've noticed that people tend to be confused about the difference between ordinary rebirth and the reincarnation of masters or bodhisattvas. Within my limited capability, I would like to try to make it clear.
We can look into reincarnation on four different levels. Let's start from the so-called lowest level and then go up, moving from the surface into the depth.
Ordinary Human Birth
By the time an ordinary sentient being is about to take rebirth, at that stage he or she is born without a choice. Earlier, everyone has a choice, but at that stage there isn't much choice. This is because of everything that came before. As I explained yesterday, every moment we recognize ourselves, but we miss it. For this reason, how we deal with ourselves affects everything else, including how we deal with others. Because of this cause and condition, when we take the next rebirth, that particular force forces us.
For example, if we're careless about our temperament and become aggressive, then, when somebody says something we don't like, our temper just manifests. It defeats our strength and takes over. Later we might feel regret, but at that point, we haven't much choice. In the same way, our next reincarnation is influenced by whatever cause and condition-in Buddhist terms we call it karma-we have. So we can say, although this word might be a little bit too strong, the rebirth of an ordinary sentient being who didn't develop wisdom is determined by the power of karma, without too much choice.
Rebirth of a More Developed Sentient Being
A second kind of rebirth involves people who developed a tremendous amount of pure compassion or pure devotion or good intention, and who put their pure intentions into action. Those people have tremendous power to overcome any negative influence. Let's say that a bad-tempered or hot-tempered person decides that their temperament is detrimental to themselves, or to their friends and colleagues, and they decide they want to improve, so they employ the necessary methods to overcome their temper. That person becomes a person with good self-control. When they face a negative situation, they can control their temper rather than their temper controlling them. In the same way, those people who developed tremendous pureness and strength will be able to overcome lots of karmic forces. This means that even if we have all the conditions for a negative rebirth, or a lower rebirth, our strength can transform that, and the next rebirth can be a better one. That is another type of reincarnation.
This also might include those who develop strong faith and who, in the moment of death, say "I want to be born as [whatever they think the best birth is]." If our life can end with that kind of pure inspiration, with no fear, and no greed-then it is possible that that particular rebirth might take place.
Rebirth of a Bodhisattva
The third category of reincarnation is what we call "reincarnation of a bodhisattva." It might be more appropriate to say "From the first-level bodhisattva until the tenth-level bodhisattva." The previous category might be those individuals who have developed some bodhicitta but have not yet attained the first-level bodhisattva.
According to the sutras taught by Lord Buddha, the first-level bodhisattva can reincarnate in one-hundred places, in one-hundred forms. A second-level bodhisattva can reincarnate ten times more than that, a third-level bodhisattva ten times more than that, etc., all the way to the tenth level.
How does a first-level bodhisattva manifest? Whatever manifestation that first-level bodhisattva takes, it is a reincarnation. A bodhisattva can reincarnate as fifty fully mature manifestations, and those fifty can simultaneously manifest another fifty. The first manifestation doesn't have to die before the second manifestation takes place, as long as it is within the one-hundred. It sounds technical, but I'm using this example to give you a better idea. Compared to our own level of consciousness, this is quite amazing-almost unimaginable. It seems unlimited. But for that particular bodhisattva, it is limited. That's why Buddha said one-hundred instead of limitless manifestations, And that's why it is first-level bodhisattva, not Buddha.
From that aspect of manifestation until just the moment before full enlightenment, all the manifestations are bodhisattva manifestations, bodhisattva incarnations. Bodhisattva incarnations only have one purpose-to serve sentient beings. There's no other purpose for manifesting into one-hundred. It's not for our own amusement, but to serve more sentient beings, in more places, with more hands and more eyes. Therefore, a great bodhisattva like Avalokitesvara has one-thousand arms, with one-thousand eyes in each palm, so that whenever he does something, he also sees it.
Rebirth of a Tulku
The fourth level of incarnation is translated as tulku in Tibetan. In Sanskrit it is nirmanakaya. I have found there is a great deal of confusion about the word tulku. Tulku simply means "emanated body." Incarnated lamas nowadays adopted the term "rinpoche." Rinpoches are not necessarily first-level bodhisattvas. They can be in the second category-a more developed sentient being-but definitely they are not Buddha nirmanakaya. Usually they are in the second or third category.
The word tulku usually means one of two things. It is the incarnation of a great master, a bodhisattva of the first level to tenth level, and then for the Buddha nirmanakaya. The Buddha nirmanakaya is limitless. The definition of Buddha nirmanakaya is very specific. Lord Buddha says, "How does Buddha manifest to individuals who are above first-level bodhisattva?" That is sambhogakaya. "How does Buddha manifest to ordinary sentient beings who are below first-level bodhisattva?" That is tulku, the nirmanakaya. No limit. Each of the numberless sentient beings in existence can have this same condition to encounter a Buddha nirmanakaya. If that is so, Buddha can manifest at the same time, and each manifestation can be ten different things. There's no limitation for the Buddha nirmanakaya.
These four categories roughly cover reincarnation. As you can see, the Buddha's reincarnation is very different from a bodhisattva's reincarnation. And a bodhisattva's reincarnation is very different from a strong, positive, well-developed person's reincarnation. And a strong, positive, well-developed person's reincarnation is very different from the reincarnation of an undeveloped, ordinary sentient being who has tremendous defilements. They are all different. But we must remember that these definitions are only relative. Ultimately there shouldn't be any definition, but relatively there is.
Reincarnation and Death
Reincarnation normally involves death. Except for the bodhisattva reincarnation, or Buddha nirmanakaya, every other reincarnation involves a kind of death. Without dying we can't be reborn. So the definition of reincarnation involves this body dying and this same mind going into the next body. Then it has to be reborn.
So now I would like to share some of the basic teachings about the bridge between this life and the next.
First Bardo State
Death simply means the death of the body. It has nothing to do with the mind. If we define death in medical terms, it might become very complicated. To make it simple we can say that death begins when the mind starts to leave the body. When the mind has totally left the body, death has already occurred. Again, it is the death of the body, not the mind. Mind can never die. Mind always continues. However, the death of the dualistic aspect of mind is enlightenment.
I have heard people say "I don't want to be reborn. I don't want to come back." I think I understand what they mean. I have to say that, as Buddhists, if that is really our wish, we should work very hard to overcome our defilements, our ego and the dualistic aspect of our mind. Then we will be free from all that we would like to be free from.
But I wouldn't worry too much about that. We might not like this body, or even this particular situation, but if we die naturally, when we're reborn we won't remember. Of course, if we do remember, we'll definitely have a problem. We'll say "Oh no, I'm back here! I'm in trouble again." (That's a bad joke. I shouldn't say these things!)
The reason I say death is very important is because, right now, we feel quite normal with this body, this mind and these five senses. It's not too complicated. There's nothing special or unusual about it because we're used to it. But if we really look beyond all of this, the way we are is quite amazing.
I'll try to briefly explain this simply and clearly. In Vajrayana, Lord Buddha explained how we came into this body. He said that our mind, which is limitless, is limited by the self. Just saying "I" limits everything. That I, that ego, the forces of karma, everything that is stored in that ego as a result of our desire, anger, jealousy and greed, etc., creates an energy. That energy is involved with the most subtle aspect of external universe. That subtleness is the connection between ourselves and our parents. That subtle energy enters into the most subtle part of our parents' emotions and their body. That's how we start to be in this physical body. That is what we call "liquid body."
From that time, everything is continued. According to the causes and conditions that are closely related with our ego, we take on a particular unborn form. That unborn form develops systems inside of it according to our parents and our connection with them. Then we are born. The rest we know.
Based upon this, we can now talk about death. The way we go out has to be similar to the way we came in. When we die, we have a big body, so the process is slightly different, but it can't be too different. Forward and backward. Rewind. (It shows that I listen to tapes.)
This process starts even before we die. It is taught in the tantras that if a person dies naturally-not as the result of an accident-we can predict that person's death up to six years before it happens, just by reading the physical signs relating with the five senses.
The last and most major sign of death is the absorption of our physical element into the elements of nature. It is said that the physical earth dissolves into the universal earth, the physical air dissolves into the universal air, the physical water dissolves into the universal water, and the physical fire dissolves into the universal fire. Many different signs are mentioned. When all of these things happen, we're at the last moment. And in that last moment, our mind is going back into our center.
This again relates to how we began. At the beginning, when our liquid body first enters our physical body, it is all over. Then, after 24 to 29 days, it develops the central channel, where all of the energy concentrates. According to tantric medicine, that is why the middle part of our body is so important. We can lose our hand but we're still alive. We can lose our leg and we're still alive. But if our head is gone, we'll die. If our heart is gone, we'll die. The central part, or what we refer to as the trunk of our body, is very important. From that central channel, everything else develops, like a tree trunk and its branches.
When we die, instead of going back to the liquid body, we go back to the center. There are many descriptions of this in the bardo texts. In one description, it is said to be like a big explosion, or collision, and the mind goes into the middle. Then, when the body and the mind separate, the mind faints. Even now, if someone walks up behind us and hits us on the head with something hard, we'll faint. It's the same thing. When all of the energies and connections between our mind and our body break, we go into the center. Then we faint. That is called the "first clear light," because it's the greatest explosion we can imagine. It is one of the reasons we forget everything. Even now, if someone hits us on our head and we suffer a shock, we may forget everything. And it might take us a long time to remember. When the body and mind separate, something similar happens, but greatly multiplied in intensity.
According to the bardo teaching, if we recognize that state, there is a great chance for enlightenment. Because of this, great masters like Milarepa say, "For a yogi, a natural death is the enlightenment." When our body and mind separate, in that moment we have an opportunity to recognize the nature of our mind more precisely, without the influence of the body. In that moment, we can recognize. But it should be without greed, without fear, without resentment-a proper, natural death. Fortunately we can practice for that final moment so that we don't waste our natural death.
After that comes the "second clear light." Actually, the bardo is described as first bardo, second bardo and third bardo. This involves the death aspect of bardo. The first bardo has the first clear light and second clear light. The second clear light is that when we awaken from this, there is one more thing that happens. Because of our karmic power, we have to come out of our body. This process has to take place, because why are we in this body? Why are we with our particular father and mother out of all the numberless sentient beings? There is a very strong cause and condition. So, leaving the body is the last thing we have to overcome.
The body is like a cave because of our karmic connection, and outside of the body is everything else. This is called second clear light, because it is total exposure to everything. This is a tremendous condition in which, if we have good development and strength, we can have great realization. Otherwise it can be the most frightening experience you can ever imagine.
The reason for this is mentioned very clearly in the bardo text. It says, "Right now, we are very limited. We can only see certain things. We can see only what we can see through our particular eyes." Our eye is here, so we have to look here. The eye has to be focused on something. If we want to look there, we have to turn our head and look. Listening is the same. We can hear only the particular type of sound that our ear can hear. But this is not every sound. Everything is like that. With touch, we actually have to go over there and reach for something with our hands.
When we leave our body, however, there is no limitation. It's like we're nothing but eyes, nothing but ears. It's like we're everywhere. This is the second greatest exposure, the second clear light. If we recognize that stage and have the awareness, that is another chance for great liberation, because there's nothing between ourselves and everything else. We become everything, everything becomes us. That's really how everything is, but if we don't know it, we'll be quite frightened.
I have a very stupid example that suits this situation, maybe 5%. Someone once asked me "What level of development must I attain to be able to attain this awareness?" I told him it would be like falling from an airplane 35,000 feet in the sky, without a parachute, and having to take a paper and pen and write the most meaningful, most beautiful four sentences of poetry on the way down.
Second Bardo State
The second bardo is called yid kyi lus in Tibetan, which means "mental body." Here things are slightly calmer. It says, "After that exposure, you'll slowly go into another stage that is involved with your past and your future-your past life and past karmic connections, and your future life and future karmic connections." It will be divided in the middle, as far as time is concerned. In the first half, you'll feel very much like your past life. In the last half, you'll feel very much like your future life.
This covers the main part of the bardo period. Here it says that we have no limitation, as we do now, but we still have thoughts and emotions. And because we are no longer limited by the physical body, we also have the power to think of something and be transported there immediately. If we think of the sun, we'll be in the middle of the sun right away. Without this physical body, there is no external, universal influence. If we can recognize in that stage, it is definitely another chance for enlightenment.
Let us take practitioners of Pure Land as an example. Most of the Far East-almost all of China-follows Pure Land Buddhism. That involves hundreds of millions of people. If they recognize at the time of death that they have died, and they remember that they want to be reborn in the Pure Land of Amitabha, in that instant they can be born into the Pure Land and their wishes fulfilled.
Third Bardo State
The third bardo takes us a little closer to rebirth. In this stage, almost the same thing happens as before. We have a very strong sense of our future incarnation, whatever we're going to be. For example, if I'm supposed to be born as a dog, in the last half of my bardo I'll feel like a dog. This will be close to the third bardo. At this stage, the dog thought is also gone again, just like before. Then we become totally involved with universal energy one more time, and feel as if we're nothing but eyes, ears, etc., as I said a little earlier.
In this stage, it's like trying to find a refuge, because there is a tremendous amount of light and sound from which we try to find escape. That's where the karmic power creates the energy that then involves our parents and a particular realm. Then we enter that particular realm. So this is the last part of the bardo.
In the bardo texts, this last part is also mentioned as chos-nyi-bardo. Chos-nyi-bardo explains all the manifestations of the peaceful and wrathful deities and the various lights, each representing the different realms. All of that falls under this particular aspect of bardo. In this stage, if we recognize, we can be enlightened and also choose our next incarnation. If we're not overwhelmed by exposure, we can choose the right realm, the right parents, everything. But that will be our last chance as far as the bardo is concerned. Then the bardo is over.
The time span of the bardo is specifically for the human beings of our planet, because the bardo teaching is given for the practice of human beings and taught to our type of human beings. I've never seen texts that mention whether or not it covers other realms. Great masters have commented on it and said it covers only the human beings of planet Earth, and it doesn't even cover animals of our planet. So, it was said by the masters but I've never seen it written as the direct words of Buddha. For a human being of our planet, the maximum period of bardo is 49 days. The minimum can be anything from just a split second, to one week or two weeks, but the longest is 49 days. That's how it's explained.
Since an understanding of bardo is essential to understanding reincarnation and how it happens, I'm sharing it with you. I hope you will find it meaningful.
Practice of Bardo
I'd like to say a few more things before we close. Many of us are doing our practices, and the result or fruition of all this practice will be in the future, in a future life. There's no question about it. But for those who wish to prepare for the bardo, there are a few practices that are specifically mentioned. I'd like to share some of these.
First, always remember impermanence. That is very important. We never know when we're going to die. Medically we might know, but many people die quite suddenly. We all know we're going to die, but we're not sure when. Because of that, to acknowledge impermanence will help tremendously. It will be less of a shock. When something happens, we will experience less fear and resentment. When it happens, it happens. Even if we resent it, it doesn't help, so it's better to accept it smoothly and handle it properly rather than be upset and become influenced by our emotions. So, to remember impermanence is very important.
Some people have expressed to me that remembering impermanence makes them feel disorganized, that it's bad for business. I don't think that's true. We can be a better businessman or businesswoman if we remember impermanence, as long as we remember it correctly.
Second, never overlook positive or negative deeds. Always take them seriously. That is also very important. If we see that we can do something good but we just forget about it, and because we don't take it seriously, we lose the opportunity, that's quite unnecessary. And if we see something negative that we can avoid, but we're lazy and we don't bother to avoid it, that's also unnecessary. We should take positive and negative things seriously. And if we can, we should avoid negativity as much as possible and practice positiveness as much as possible. Even if it's just somebody in the street who needs money, if we have fifty cents, we just give it. Fifty cents is not really very much. If we give it and the person can use it, that's good karma. So we shouldn't deny even a small thing.
For example, even if we see a fly jump into our glass, we shouldn't pour it into the sink. We can throw the fly out the window and then pour the water into the sink. It's simple. It doesn't take much, and it wouldn't make us fanatic. We shouldn't deny positive or negative deeds. Also, we shouldn't think, "What's the use in saving this fly? I eat meat." Don't think like that. We might be eating meat, but we might as well save this fly as well. What's wrong with that?
Third, the practice of dreaming is also considered helpful for the bardo stage, because bardo is a little bit like a dream. Of course, there is no comparison between the enormous reality of bardo and the small illusion of the dream, but some relation is there. Therefore, when we sleep, when we dream, we try to have mindfulness and awareness and recognize that we're dreaming in our dream. It won't disturb our rest. It might even help us rest better in our dream, because if a tiger chases us and we recognize that we're dreaming, we don't have to run and be exhausted when we wake up. We can just sit there and see what that tiger does. Even if he bites us and throws us around, nothing will happen. Maybe the tiger will talk to us, or we might become the tiger, or the tiger might even fall asleep!
Fourth, a practice like powa, the blessing of the transference of consciousness, will be very helpful. Participating in empowerments that involve bardo will also be very beneficial. Any dharma practice will be very beneficial, and any good thought, good inspiration or doing good deeds for others will be very beneficial. And if we can contemplate or meditate on the nature of the mind, and have some direct experience about the nature of our mind, that will be of tremendous benefit. That is one of the most important benefits of meditation, actually-the recognition of our buddha nature. Even if it is only a glimpse of recognition, it will really be worth it.
All of this will be great preparation for the bardo. Also, we can read the Bardo Tödröl carefully, and contemplate it. There's no need to become obsessed, but comfortably and sensibly reading through it and contemplating gently might be very helpful, because we'll know what to expect.
One last thing. I'm not sure how many times you've heard about this, but this is something we can relate to right now through our physical senses. We call it "sound of nature." This is an enormous noise that happens all the time and which we can hear when we're calm and our surroundings are quiet. But because we're always thinking, always occupied, we never hear that sound. So, if we really concentrate, and we're very calm, we can try to maintain that sound, at least when we're resting in our bedroom and reading books. This will help tremendously, because that is one of the sounds that we will encounter during the bardo.
I felt these couple of things might be helpful for you, especially for those of you who wish to do some practice related with bardo. Do you have any questions?
Rinpoche, why should we be concerned with choosing a particular rebirth, because if one was at that level where one only wanted to be of service to sentient beings, wouldn't that karmic force automatically put us where we're most needed? I guess I'm asking, why worry about it?
Okay. If that is how you feel, you can say that. Instead of saying "What should I be in my next life, a bodhisattva bird or a bodhisattva fish, or a bodhisattva monkey?" we can say "I want to be reborn in whatever way I'll be most beneficial." That's it. If we think that way, we say that. But if somebody thinks they want to be born in a particular place which is really troubled right now, and they want to help the sentient beings of that place, they can do that. There's nothing wrong with it. Both are excellent.
Would you say something more about that sound of the bardo? Is it an inner sound?
I'm sure everybody has heard it. It's not the ear ringing sound. How to describe it? When you hear it the first time, it's like a thread of sound that goes on and on and on, non-stop. It might sound like that. If you really want to hear it, you should go to a quiet place and try not to think too much. You can't stop thinking entirely, of course, but try not to think too much. And try not to worry. Just lay or sit down. But you have to be totally relaxed. Then you'll hear this sound. It's not in the ear, you know, it's in the middle.
At first you might hear it only intermittently because your thoughts might interrupt it. But after some time, it becomes very loud, and even when you think and read, you can still hear it. It's natural. We just don't usually think about it. And it's not a sound that makes people go crazy. By listening to this, you'll never go crazy!
If you can maintain this in your reading, in a quiet life, that can be very beneficial for your concentration, also, because you don't have to concentrate. It's just like breathing. It's a very natural presence. And don't worry that it will interrupt you. It won't disturb you. But I think it will be almost impossible for everybody to maintain that in all their action-eating, talking, being with people, driving. It might be too hard.
Rinpoche, you mentioned that there was tremendous amount of light and sound in the bardo. What is that light and sound?
The bardo's sound is that sound. The bardo's light and these things are very hard to describe, except it will be the same light and same color, but that one is the same thing. And you become one with it in the bardo. We don't necessarily say it's sacred or special. That's unnecessary. But it's a very intimate connection between ourselves and the universe. In Tibetan terms we call it chos-nyi-che-rang-da. There are many ways to explain it, but it is under that umbrella of chos-nyi-che-rang-da. Rang-da means self-sound. Chos-nyi means dharma nature, the essence of all phenomena. Che is a particle of grammar, equivalent to "of." So rang-da, self-sound, of all phenomena, essence, chos-nyi-che-rang-da.
A lot of writings talk about heaven and hell. If the bardo lasts no more than 49 days, when does that heaven and hell take place?
When they're reborn in hell.
So after the bardo? How long does it last?
Hell?
Or heaven.
Well, there is very particular life span for the realm of the gods, the realm of the titans, the realm of the animals, the realm of the humans, the realm of the hell, the realm of the hungry ghost. All of these realms are written about very precisely in abhidharma, which is one of the vast teachings of Buddha. In that teaching, he gives the number of years. And also the time is not exactly equivalent. I don't remember precisely, but he says something like "One day of the worst hell is hundreds of centuries for a human being." Something like that. And it's not because hell's cloud goes very slow, but because of the intense suffering and pain in that realm.
We have a saying that people here also say, that a day felt like a year. We also say that a year felt like a day. It's the same with all the other realms. But it's impossible to fix, because what is a human life span? Right now, according to the text, the average is supposed to be seventy-five, but many people live to be over one hundred and many people die one minute after they're born. So it's very hard to pin down.
And do these beings in heaven and hell come back and take a rebirth?
Of course. They die from there, absolutely. Otherwise we're done for. Animals becomes human. Hell beings can be reborn in the-heaven is the wrong word because if we think in Christian terms, heaven is like a Pure Land for us, and a Pure Land being will never be born in hell. So if we say beings who are born in heaven go to hell that has to be incorrect from their point of view. But it's like six realms-the highest is called the deva realm in the Sanskrit language. In Tibetan lha, and in English it is translated as gods-not God, but gods. So I don't know if that is the correct translation or not.
Can someone who lives in the deva realms be born as a human or in one of the other realms?
Yes, of course. Yes.
These days we hear of many near-death experiences. So many people die and then they're resuscitated and come back. They talk about going through a tunnel and seeing a clear light. There's some conversation with a clear light being, and they see others who have died before. Do you believe any of this?
I believe everything. That means I also can believe nothing. It's hard to say. Some of those people are really saying it honestly, and others just say it. Some of those people think they went through something like that, but maybe it's like a dream. We'll never know. So it's very hard to say believe or not believe. But I understand what you're saying. I heard a lot also. I read something as well.
Do you see the similarities between that and the bardo teachings?
Yes. They're very similar to the bardo teaching. It's absolutely like a support. But as far as a particular individual's word is concerned, it's very hard to say. Maybe that person read Bardo Tödröl!
How do we know about the bardo? Who found out about the bardo?
Buddha. Everything that is part of the teaching of Buddhism is based on the Buddha's teaching. Of course, your question also might be answered as some of the great masters in our history were called delug, which means those who die and come back. But we always follow the Buddha's teaching. Their explanation has always been the same. But that's also hard to say with one-hundred percent accuracy because some delugs can be real and some might just lock themselves up for one week and come back. I don't know what people do. So we always refer to the Buddha's teaching. Besides that, some of them are very highly respected by everyone, and some things are questioned by everyone.
If there is no such thing as ego, what is reincarnated, some sense of self or conglomeration of energies or personality from lifetime to lifetime?
Ultimately there is no ego. Ultimately nobody is born, nobody is dead. But relatively there is ego, relatively everybody is born and everybody dies. The evidence is that we're born here, and so many people die as well. So, you're right. Ultimately there is no ego. According to Lord Buddha's teaching, when we attain enlightenment, since beginningless time until death is not even a moment, because it is beyond time and any limitation. But for those of us who are not enlightened yet, our time is real, and every day has 24 hours. This is the connection between ultimate and relative which was very profoundly introduced by Lord Buddha. Otherwise it sounds like two opposite things. But it isn't. The ultimate is the ultimate of the relative, and the relative is the relative of the ultimate.
What if we become aware suddenly and everything is strange, like maybe we're in the bardo or we don't know where we are and we're consumed with fear-what should we do?
First, we must understand that nothing repeats itself exactly the same way. Everything is impermanent, everything changes, everything is the cause and condition of many things. Remembering this might keep us from being shocked if strange things happen. If you're talking about personal experience that's something. If you're talking about just theory, that's another thing. But one way or another, if somebody has that experience, if we can take it easy and don't worry about it, and observe what is happening, we might find the cause and condition, maybe a very simple one. Maybe there's a reason why that is happening to us at that stage, and in that place. If we see the cause and condition, the question can be solved right there. It might not be too complicated. If it is a theory, that's different. In theory, we can say anything. Like "If it is not like this and if it is that way then . . . " but if it is a personal experience, we can handle it by observing what causes it. There must be an immediate cause, and that can be simple.
When we meet someone and we immediately recognize them as though we've known them all our life-it could be anyone-I've heard it explained that that is tied to reincarnation. If that is so, how do we honor and how do we consider that relationship with this person who, the moment we meet them, we feel as if we've known them all our life?
It depends. This kind of thing happens to so many people, it's not really unusual. The result of those experiences we call friends. We agree with some people more easily than others, we get along and learn from each other. That's a very good sign for friendship. But if we take these things too seriously, we might worry about them, and it might worry our other friends. We don't just have one friend, we have many. It is the same with a teacher. If you have a sense of connection with a particular teacher, there is no reason to get obsessed by it, because that's a form of worrying about it. Nor is there a reason to deny it, because that's just another way of worrying about it. Therefore we handle it properly, skillfully. Skillfulness comes from mindfulness and awareness.
Rinpoche, I have heard that the behavior of the student can influence the rebirth of the teacher. But when I see people running all over doing things so their teacher will come back to them, it seems ego-centered to me, and it seems to emphasize the students' neediness. Could you say something about that?
Bodhisattvas should manifest for the benefit of all sentient beings. Bodhisattvas should manifest where a sentient being needs them most. If there is too much grease in your food, there's no reason to add another tablespoon of oil to it. The oil should go into the food that has nothing in it. So you shouldn't worry too much about that. True bodhisattvas will manifest to benefit sentient beings wherever sentient beings need help. But it doesn't mean we have to be intentionally bad so they will come and save us. That is unnecessary.
The technical Vajrayana samaya is very difficult to explain. In a most proper way, in a most pure way, it is very sacred. But in one way it is like a . . . I don't have a suitable word. Somehow they have such power that people who have taken empowerments, etc.-maybe those of you who know me for some time, I always tell people to learn what you can learn from me, but don't overdo all this magic, because it really affects each other. I don't think you should worry too much. I think I know what you're talking about.
Rinpoche, I don't understand how animals can gain enlightenment. They have very ignorant minds, and . . .
We shouldn't say that. In the ordinary six realms, animals are considered just below human. Just below. Not far below. Maybe you should read one of Buddha's teachings on his past lives. One particular text involves one-hundred of his past lives. Among those lifetimes, he was monkey, a rabbit-he was all of those things. Then maybe you'll understand that the animal realm is not a bad realm.
But can an animal be a bodhisattva?
Why not? I'd would like to meet a mosquito bodhisattva. I can serve him a very good lunch.
I'd like to ask about self-hatred. It seems very prevalent in our culture and it seems to be at the root of many serious problems.
I think I can say something about self-hatred, but I'm not sure it will be an exact response to your question. I'll try. It's certainly true that if you're a student and you fail your examination, you might feel bad that you didn't do a good job. But that doesn't mean you hate yourself. The most you can do is work harder the next time, or even to stop caring about it. Getting a low grade on your examination is supposed to be bad, but it doesn't really feel that bad, so you don't care.
Now, I can be wrong, but I feel that self-hatred is simply a misunderstanding. I don't believe it's a sickness, only a misunderstanding. We can fail in many ways. We can say we haven't done a good job and get depressed. But there's no reason to hate ourselves. It's such a tremendous duality, to hate ourselves for not doing well, or hate ourselves for not being what we think we should be. It's like double, triple, even quadruple, duality. I think it's basically a misunderstanding. And if we punish ourselves, that's another one. But I lost the connection between this and the non-self. Can you help me?
There are certain psychological states people get into that are called borderline psychotic states. A person in this state can look at a teaching of non-ego as a validation, for lack of a better term, for a pathological state of mind, a not healthy state of mind. There seems to be a tendency of people who have self-hatred to be drawn toward practices as a further way of denying or negating themselves. Can you say something about this?
Of course that's not a one-hundred percent wrong thing to do. If you want to sacrifice your life, it's better to do it that way than to shoot yourself. But as far as the real meaning of renunciation or selflessness is concerned, that's not what it really means. It's two different things.
It's very important for us to see the differences between renunciation, the real renunciation, or just considering ourselves as nothing, as garbage. Real renunciation is dropping all the samsaric activities. In the vinaya text, Buddha said, "Leaving everything behind, like leftovers." In the Indian culture, nobody touches leftover food; they throw it away. Even people who don't have food wouldn't normally eat leftovers, unless they were really dying. So he said, "Leaving all the samsaric activities behind, just like leftovers." It means we value our aim to attain enlightenment, therefore we're dropping all the hindrances to that. You're not dropping yourself, you're taking yourself more seriously and more precious. Therefore, these samsaric things are worthless. It's totally different. I think renunciation or selflessness should be understood in a healthier way.
For example, selflessness doesn't mean your self is nothing. It means the limitation of self, the I, is nothing. Your real essence is limitless. If we put it in other terms, we're saying that we're much better than this ego. We're limitless. We have the essence of Buddha. We are Buddha by nature. This ego that is just me as one single human being, with some history of success of the past ten or twenty years, or maybe some few generations of my great ancestors-this is nothing. That is how we should relate to selflessness and renunciation. You raised a very important point. I did not get that point clearly until today, so thank you, whoever you are.
[Dedication]

[Transcribed and edited by Stephanie Harolde]

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Samyutta Nikaya V.1
Avalika Sutta
Sister Avalika
For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma

At Savatthi. Then, early in the morning, Avalika the nun put on her robes and, taking her bowl & outer robe, went into Savatthi for alms. When she had gone for alms in Savatthi and had returned from her alms round, after her meal she went to the Grove of the Blind to spend the day. Having gone deep into the Grove of the Blind, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.
Then Mara the Evil One, wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in her, wanting to make her fall away from solitude, approached her & addressed her in verse:
"There's no
escape
in the world,
so what are you trying to do
with solitude?
Enjoy sensual delights.
Don't be someone
who later regrets."
Then the thought occurred to Avalika the nun: "Now who has recited this verse -- a human being or a non-human one?" Then it occurred to her: "This is Mara the Evil One, who has recited this verse wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in me, wanting to make me fall away from solitude."
Then, having understood that "This is Mara the Evil One," she replied to him in verses:
"There is
an escape in the world,
well touched by me
with discernment --
something that you,
you Evil One,
kinsman of the heedless,
don't know.
Sensual pleasures
are like swords & spears;
the aggregates,
their executioner's block.
What you call sensual delight
is no delight for me."
Then Mara the Evil One -- sad & dejected at realizing, "Avalika the nun knows me" -- vanished right there.

Samyutta Nikaya V.2
Soma Sutta
Sister Soma
For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma

At Savatthi. Then, early in the morning, Soma the nun put on her robes and, taking her bowl & outer robe, went into Savatthi for alms. When she had gone for alms in Savatthi and had returned from her alms round, after her meal she went to the Grove of the Blind to spend the day. Having gone deep into the Grove of the Blind, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.
Then Mara the Evil One, wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in her, wanting to make her fall away from concentration, approached her & addressed her in verse:
"That
which is
to be attained by seers
-- the place so very hard to reach --
women
can't
-- with their two-inch discernment --
attain."
Then the thought occurred to Soma the nun: "Now who has recited this verse -- a human being or a non-human one?" Then it occurred to her: "This is Mara the Evil One, who has recited this verse wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in me, wanting to make me fall away from concentration."
Then, having understood that "This is Mara the Evil One," she replied to him in verses:
"What
difference
does being a woman make
when the mind's well-centered,
when knowledge is progressing,
seeing clearly, rightly,
into the Dhamma.
Anyone who thinks
`I'm a woman'
or `a man'
or `Am I anything at all?' --
that's who Mara's
fit to address."
Then Mara the Evil One -- sad & dejected at realizing, "Soma the nun knows me" -- vanished right there.

Samyutta Nikaya V.3
Gotami Sutta
Sister Gotami
For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma

At Savatthi. Then, early in the morning, Kisa Gotami the nun put on her robes and, taking her bowl & outer robe, went into Savatthi for alms. When she had gone for alms in Savatthi and had returned from her alms round, after her meal she went to the Grove of the Blind to spend the day. Having gone deep into the Grove of the Blind, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.
Then Mara the Evil One, wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in her, wanting to make her fall away from concentration, approached her & addressed her in verse:
"Why,
with your sons killed,
do you sit all alone,
your face in tears?
All alone,
immersed in the midst of the forest,
are you looking
for a man?"
Then the thought occurred to Kisa Gotami the nun: "Now who has recited this verse -- a human being or a non-human one?" Then it occurred to her: "This is Mara the Evil One, who has recited this verse wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in me, wanting to make me fall away from concentration."
Then, having understood that "This is Mara the Evil One," she replied to him in verses:
"I've gotten past
the killing of sons,
have made that the end
to [my search for] men.
I don't grieve,
I don't weep --
and I'm not afraid of you,
my friend.
It's every where destroyed -- delight.
The mass of darkness is shattered.
Having defeated the army of death,
free
of fermentations
I dwell."
Then Mara the Evil One -- sad & dejected at realizing, "Kisa Gotami the nun knows me" -- vanished right there.

Samyutta Nikaya V.4
Vijaya Sutta
Sister Vijaya
For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma

At Savatthi. Then, early in the morning, Vijaya the nun put on her robes and, taking her bowl & outer robe, went into Savatthi for alms. When she had gone for alms in Savatthi and had returned from her alms round, after her meal she went to the Grove of the Blind to spend the day. Having gone deep into the Grove of the Blind, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.
Then Mara the Evil One, wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in her, wanting to make her fall away from concentration, approached her & addressed her in verse:
"You, a beautiful young woman.
I, a young man.
Come, my lady,
let's enjoy ourselves
to the music of a five-piece band."
Then the thought occurred to Vijaya the nun: "Now who has recited this verse -- a human being or a non-human one?" Then it occurred to her: "This is Mara the Evil One, who has recited this verse wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in me, wanting to make me fall away from concentration."
Then, having understood that "This is Mara the Evil One," she replied to him in verses:
"Lovely sights, sounds,
smells, tastes,
& tactile sensations
I leave to
you, Mara.
I
have no need
for them.
I'm disgusted, ashamed
of this putrid body --
disintegrating, dissolving.
Sensual craving
is rooted out.
Beings who have come to form,
& those with a share in the formless,
& the peaceful attainments:
their darkness
is completely destroyed."
Then Mara the Evil One -- sad & dejected at realizing, "Vijaya the nun knows me" -- vanished right there.

Samyutta Nikaya V.5
Uppalavanna Sutta
Sister Uppalavanna
For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma

At Savatthi. Then, early in the morning, Uppalavanna the nun put on her robes and, taking her bowl & outer robe, went into Savatthi for alms. When she had gone for alms in Savatthi and had returned from her alms round, after her meal she went to the Grove of the Blind to spend the day. Having gone deep into the Grove of the Blind, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.
Then Mara the Evil One, wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in her, wanting to make her fall away from concentration, approached her & addressed her in verse:
"You've come, nun,
to this sal-tree
with its fine flowering crest,
and stand alone
at its root,
with no one
to match you in beauty.
In your foolishness,
aren't you afraid
of rape?"
Then the thought occurred to Uppalavanna the nun: "Now who has recited this verse -- a human being or a non-human one?" Then it occurred to her: "This is Mara the Evil One, who has recited this verse wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in me, wanting to make me fall away from concentration."
Then, having understood that "This is Mara the Evil One," she replied to him in verses:
"If even a hundred-thousand rapists
came across me like this,
I wouldn't stir a hair.
I'd feel no terror,
and I'm not afraid of you, Mara,
even alone like this.
Here -- I disappear.
I slip into your belly
or stand between your eyebrows,
and you
don't see me.
I have mastery
over the mind,
have well-developed
the bases of power.
I'm released from all bonds,
and not afraid of you,
my friend."
Then Mara the Evil One -- sad & dejected at realizing, "Uppalavanna the nun knows me" -- vanished right there.

Samyutta Nikaya V.6
Cala Sutta
Sister Cala
For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma

At Savatthi. Then, early in the morning, Cala the nun put on her robes and, taking her bowl & outer robe, went into Savatthi for alms. When she had gone for alms in Savatthi and had returned from her alms round, after her meal she went to the Grove of the Blind to spend the day. Having gone deep into the Grove of the Blind, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.
Then Mara the Evil One, wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in her, wanting to make her fall from solitude, approached her & said, "What is it that you don't approve of, nun?"
"I don't approve of birth, my friend."
[Mara:]
"Why don't you approve of birth?
One who is born
enjoys sensual pleasures.
Who on earth
ever persuaded you:
`Nun, don't approve of birth'?"
[Sister Cala:]
"For one who is born
there's death.
One who is born
sees pain.
It's a binding, a flogging, a torment.
That's why one shouldn't approve
of birth.
The Awakened One taught me the Dhamma
-- the overcoming of birth --
for the abandoning of all pain,
he established me in
the truth.
But beings who have come to form
& those with a share in the formless,
if they don't discern cessation,
return to becoming-again."
Then Mara the Evil One -- sad & dejected at realizing, "Cala the nun knows me" -- vanished right there.

Samyutta Nikaya V.7
Upacala Sutta
Sister Upacala
For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma

At Savatthi. Then, early in the morning, Upacala the nun put on her robes and, taking her bowl & outer robe, went into Savatthi for alms. When she had gone for alms in Savatthi and had returned from her alms round, after her meal she went to the Grove of the Blind to spend the day. Having gone deep into the Grove of the Blind, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.
Then Mara the Evil One, wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in her, wanting to make her fall from solitude, approached her & said, "Where do you want to reappear [be reborn], nun?"
"I don't want to reappear anywhere, my friend."
[Mara:]
"The devas of the Thirty-three,
the Hours, the Contented,
those who delight in creation,
& those in control:
direct your mind there
and it will enjoy
delight."
[Sister Upacala:]
"The devas of the Thirty-three,
the Hours, the Contented,
those who delight in creation,
& those in control:
they are bound
with the bonds of sensuality;
they come again
under Mara's sway.
The whole world is burning.
The whole world is aflame.
The whole world is blazing.
The whole world is provoked.
The Unprovoked, Unblazing
-- that people run-of-the-mill
don't partake,
where Mara's
never been --
that's where my heart
truly delights."

Then Mara the Evil One -- sad & dejected at realizing, "Upacala the nun knows me" -- vanished right there.

Samyutta Nikaya V.8
Sisupacala Sutta
Sister Sisupacala
For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma

At Savatthi. Then, early in the morning, Sisupacala the nun put on her robes and, taking her bowl & outer robe, went into Savatthi for alms. When she had gone for alms in Savatthi and had returned from her alms round, after her meal she went to the Grove of the Blind to spend the day. Having gone deep into the Grove of the Blind, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.
Then Mara the Evil One, wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in her, wanting to make her fall from solitude, approached her & said, "Whose philosophy do you approve of, nun?"
"I don't approve of anyone's philosophy, my friend."
[Mara:]
"For whose sake
have you shaved your head?
You look like a contemplative
but don't approve of a philosophy,
so why are you wandering here
confused?"
[Sister Sisupacala:]
"Outside philosophers place
their confidence in views.
I don't approve
of their teaching.
They're not adept
in the Dhamma.
But there is
the Awakened One,
born in the Sakyan clan,
a person without peer:
all-conquering,
Mara's subduer,
everywhere undefeated,
everywhere freed, independent;
endowed with an Eye
all-seeing, reaching the end of
all kamma --
with the ending of acquisitions,
released.
He, that Blessed One,
is my teacher.
It's in his Dhamma
that I delight."
Then Mara the Evil One -- sad & dejected at realizing, "Sisupacala the nun knows me" -- vanished right there.

Bhikkhuni-samyutta -- The bhikkhunis (nuns). In these suttas Mara, the personification of doubt and evil, tries in vain to lure the nuns away from their meditation spots in the forest by asking them provocative questions. Without exception, these wise women conquer Mara decisively.

Samyutta Nikaya V.9
Sela Sutta
Sister Sela
For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma

At Savatthi. Then, early in the morning, Sela the nun put on her robes and, taking her bowl & outer robe, went into Savatthi for alms. When she had gone for alms in Savatthi and had returned from her alms round, after her meal she went to the Grove of the Blind to spend the day. Having gone deep into the Grove of the Blind, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.
Then Mara the Evil One, wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in her, wanting to make her fall away from concentration, approached her & addressed her in verse:
"By whom was this doll created?
Where is the doll's maker?
Where has the doll originated?
Where does it cease?"
Then the thought occurred to Sela the nun: "Now who has recited this verse -- a human being or a non-human one?" Then it occurred to her: "This is Mara the Evil One, who has recited this verse wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in me, wanting to make me fall away from concentration."
Then, having understood that "This is Mara the Evil One," she replied to him in verses:
"This doll isn't self-made,
nor is this misery made by another.1
In dependence on a cause
it comes into play.
With the dissolution of the cause
it ceases.
Just as a seed grows
-- when planted in a field --
because of the soil's savor
together with moisture;
in the same way, these
aggregates,
properties,
sense media
-- in dependence on a cause --
come into play.
With the dissolution of the cause
they cease."
Then Mara the Evil One -- sad & dejected at realizing, "Sela the nun knows me" -- vanished right there.

Note
1. Alternative reading:
This doll, this misery,
isn't created.

Samyutta Nikaya V.10
Vajira Sutta
Sister Vajira
For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma

Translator's note: This discourse dramatizes a problem that often arises in meditation practice -- a speculative question arises that, if followed, pulls one out of concentration. Sister Vajira shows how to deal with the situation: recognize that the terms in which the question is expressed are just that -- terms -- and that whatever reality there is in the issue raised by the question can be reduced to phenomena observable in the immediate present. In ultimate terms, this comes down to the arising and passing away of stress, which should be observed and comprehended to the point where one can see through to that which neither arises nor passes away.

At Savatthi. Then, early in the morning, Vajira the nun put on her robes and, taking her bowl & outer robe, went into Savatthi for alms. When she had gone for alms in Savatthi and had returned from her alms round, after her meal she went to the Grove of the Blind to spend the day. Having gone deep into the Grove of the Blind, she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.
Then Mara the Evil One, wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in her, wanting to make her fall away from concentration, approached her & addressed her in verse:
"By whom was this living being created?
Where is the living being's maker?
Where has the living being originated?
Where does the living being
cease?"
Then the thought occurred to Vajira the nun: "Now who has recited this verse -- a human being or a non-human one?" Then it occurred to her: "This is Mara the Evil One, who has recited this verse wanting to arouse fear, horripilation, & terror in me, wanting to make me fall away from concentration."
Then, having understood that "This is Mara the Evil One," she replied to him in verses:
"What? Do you assume a `living being,' Mara?
Do you take a position?
This is purely a pile of fabrications.
Here no living being
can be pinned down.
Just as when, with an assemblage of parts,
there's the word,
chariot,
even so when aggregates are present,
there's the convention of
living being.
For only stress is what comes to be;
stress, what remains & falls away.
Nothing but stress comes to be.
Nothing ceases but stress."
Then Mara the Evil One -- sad & dejected at realizing, "Vajira the nun knows me" -- vanished right there.

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Shinay Meditation
by Tai Situ Rinpoche

Good evening it is very nice to see you here once again.
We talk about shinay, the shinay is a kind of foundation for meditation practise because if we don't develop quietness somehow we can't really do any kind of meditation because if we want to make a good painting we must have a clean canvas so we can make the creation on top of it. Like that if our mind is complicated and disturbed it is very difficult to work until it so the first step for entire meditation practise is to develop the state of quietness, calmness the togetherness.
The term shinyata is from Sanskrit it is translated into Tibetan language as shinay. Shin Nay is two words put in to one. Shi means shiwa that means peaceful, the peacefulness, and the quietness that is shiwa. Nay means naypa. Naypa is not moving just being there remaining sitting so remaining in peace or being at peace that is what shinay means in our language.
I am not experienced in Sanskrit but we had great experience of Sanskrit in the past so they translated shinyata into shinay so in Sanskrit it must mean the same thing.
As you know with anything to accomplish one particular thing there will be many ways and means through which we can appear so for shinay there is a large number of methods that were experienced in the teachings but all of those methods are simple method because it got to be. We have all of these neurosis and they manifest in a form of complication so the first method have to be simple one so all the method that involve with shinay that I know of all of them are very simple very direct for example one part method is involved with breathing so when you follow this method you are aware of your breathing and somehow you follow it and that is the principle and it is simple because we don't have to look for any other methods of practise it is there. We breathe every moment of every day don't we so we somehow use what we always have to involve without much choice. So this is one part method and this is shinay method involve which involves, looking it involves using your sight you look at a part image or form and try to focus on it try to see it clearly and we do it with part image or form and try to focus on it try to see it clearly and we do it with part image like image of Buddha or even if we do it we looking at a small only it can be anything or this is one other kind of method which is used in Vajrayana tradition. is visualisation, we visualise certain letters character or certain colours and we concentrate on them we try to see them clearly that kind of method. One-way or other to bring together our potential the basic potential, which is right now infinitely for most of us, scattered. It is like we have 200 pencils but they are everywhere so to write something we don't have anything just like that we have such a potential but all of the parts of the potential are relatively scattered now there the method of shinay somehow bring together all of the method of these potentials and we are able to occupy sitting and at this point there the practise of dharma are able to attain enlightenment so the shinay thing it plays one of the most important role.
Now I cant really say this is a misunderstanding that I think it is a incomplete understanding maybe so most people think we have to do shinay at the beginning then we forget about it and do other things which is not true because although we call and on title particular method shinay method that every single method that involves meditation somehow involves shinay because if we do recitation it is always a means of shinay method you have to repeat each word clearly a possible not only once but twice three times and it goes on and on so in Vajrayana Buddhism you will find lots of counting 100,000 times million times 100 million times all of that counting goes on the recitation but that is also means of shinay and for example the entire practise or specific kind of life the monastic life the monks and nuns practise or rather extraordinary like people who will renounce everything even renounce the monastic life and just go for sort of exclusive retreat life for all of these individuals every single practise they involve begins with shinay. Without together with any type of family person how can that person be able to practise dharma both as a typical spiritual practise and in daily life practise. How a monk or nun can practise in monastery without shinay. I mean he or she have to begin all of their practise upon the foundation of togetherness foundation of clearness foundation of being one pointed you have to be clear with what you are doing and the same this with the yogis these individual who will live exclusive life they also have to begin everything upon shinay.
Although every single practise involves shinay still I personal experience that the practitioners should somehow do certain amount of of practise on specific method, which is quite, lets say seriously oriented around the shinay itself. You know there is particular shinay method. It is necessary because quiet few individuals go into more advanced practise (so called) without doing shinay practise. What I find is you are not able to concentrate on that particular method clear enough and as a result of that somehow you get certain kind of result out of your practise but it is not complete because the practise itself you are notable to complete. The reason is simple when you begin something your mind is there concentrated but after few minutes it is drifting around then after a few minutes it comes back and try to continue but then also you …… around so what happens is you don't get the whole thing you just get the bits and pieces and as a result of that it causes the bits and pieces the result will also be bits and pieces. It will not be complete I have seen this and when that happens people come up with sort of confusion. One of the most common things that happens is people come up to you and say since e I did this practise once I feel things are going wonderful but other side I feel very
Disturbed and very confused and it sounded to me at the beginning rather schizophrenic, kind of two personality but everybody cant be schizophrenic few people can be but not everyone.
So when reasonable amount of individuals come up with those kind of experience then it puzzles that they must be something which makes this kind of reaction happen so when I asked to those individuals most of them haven't done any kind of basic shinay practise they somehow get inspired and out of the inspiration the just of course we are supposed to say fortunately sp fortunately come across with a very special method and then somehow get quite an inspiration out of that so go ahead with the practise of that. And itself involves somewhat the foundation of shinay but that wasn't enough became there wasn't the beginning. It is like I think this is quite close example somebody learns a sentence without learning the alphabet. That will be quiet difficult because you have to figure out the alphabet out of the sentence. So it becomes like that. So you have to get the result of togetherness through the methods, which are based on the foundation of togetherness. So the second step and the first step have to go together and it is almost that you have to get the result of the first step out of the second step.
And most people cant manage that so somehow (of course it is a learning process) always we learn from that kind of situation, making small mistakes we learn from them but somehow if we begin with the shinay and spend reasonable amount of time and effort on the particular method of shinay then later if we do some method which is not only for shinay then we will have better preparation for that method to work. So that is something I have seen with quiet a few people and sometimes I have been it with myself. It is something which we should not ignore that the beginners must start with the shinay method.
Now for example in Mahamudra, practise people usually think when you talk about Mahamudra it is something which is a sort of concept that occurs but in Mahamudra practise there are four steps which were introduced. Out of the four steps the first step is entitled one point, the one pointed ness so that is what really shinay stands for. Because one point means your well being your entire well being is concentrated directly one pointedly. So you will be able to somehow have maximum effect in anything you attempt.
Now this is in Mahamudra practise. The first step is one pointed ness then of course Mahamudra with the one point method will not use visualisation or breathing or any of that sort of method not so much of them. But just follows through the principle of being aware of ones own true nature.
In another way we can say Buddha Nature; other people like to say "Buddha Within". The Buddha which lives within us, the Buddha Nature, the potential of the Buddha. In the Mahamudra method the one pointedness is, somehow you are able to see the Buddha Nature which is your ultimate essence in a clear and non dualistic way. You are able to have an experience of it; you are able to have a sense of it at the beginning. But later a deeper experience of it. So that is one pointedness. The first step the Mahamudra practise involves. This one of shinay is very advanced but still it is shinay.
Now I understand that in Tibet, lets say, when people practise Vajrayana, they practise shinay but not so much emphasis is placed on it. I can see the reason quite clearly because I went there.
In Tibet there isn't so much to make you confused, it is rather simple and healthy in a simple way. There is not so much going on that could make your mind confused. The air, the land, the things which are happening around you are very much like shinay. That is what I found there because I drove (well somebody drove me) for days and maybe all the way through I saw 200 houses. There aren't so many people, no cinemas, no television. I have not seen a single newspaper. I have never seen a single magazine; people don't even know what the word magazine means. None of these things are there even after more than 20 years of communist occupation; they still have none of these things there.
So I understood, in the practise why there isn't so much emphasis on shinay as it is really needed, in my experience, with the individuals who I have dealt with.
I have been dealing with Tibetans in India and Nepal, those westerners who came to India and now I am in England and I am dealing with individuals who came to me to learn meditation. But I see the shinay is one of the most important, definitely at the beginning. It is the most important thing. So before I went to Tibet I heard everything was simple. But still I was not sure why there was a difference. But when I went there I saw it.
But here, with all due respect, you need shinay. It does not mean you are bad, you are wonderful. Your minds are clear. You are very open. You are willing to understand. Willing to learn, which is quite rare in my country.
People not so much want to learn they are quite content with what is going on around them. So here all the people have such openness and inspiration to become a better person and to do something about it. They have real respect for their potential in a very nice way. Some people maybe take it too seriously!
When you take something too seriously it becomes something not serious at all. It becomes like a joke. Then it freezes so nothing happens, because you hold onto it too hard. You have to let go of a couple of things to be able to take a few steps.
So all of these wonderful things are here but then one thing that is noticeable to me is so much is happening in your head. You are so intelligent, sometimes too intelligent. So that makes you need shinay to start with.
It is quite interesting. In my country I have never heard anybody say "I hate myself". I have never heard this.
Maybe some really crazy really sick, mad people have said this otherwise if you say to someone "do you hate yourself?" the other person will not understand what you are talking about.
Because how can you hate yourself? They will never understand that, you are the most dearest thing to yourself, it is almost impossible.
But in the west I can find so many people who hate themselves, really hate themselves.
It's quite a shock to me at the beginning. Of course in Tibet people commit suicide but all of these are involved in a very serious matter. For example if they have done something really wrong and their enemy catches them, they could be cut into pieces or something like that. They don't want that to happen so they kill themselves.
Or certain pains are so unbearable, because of that they kill themselves. It is neurotic, but they kill themselves for that kind of reason.
But in the west, in Europe, in America, now in Japan and certain parts of south East Asia lots of people learn somehow to hate themselves. I really think it is because of thinking too much. People think too much. Somehow they see something and it gets twisted.
Methods like shinay are a remedy for it. The shinay will balance you and if you are intelligent and you have done shinay practise then your intelligence will become wise, not just wild.
Your intelligence is very important, but it can also go beyond the limit and make mistakes. So the practises like shinay will eliminate that danger or that process.
An example with peoples reaction toward particular things, like for example drugs. Drugs are very harmful and destroy people's lives. If someone is supposed to live for another 50 years and they take drugs maybe they live only 2 more years. That is kamikaze. Committing suicide, without honour of course.
So why do people do that? There is something - the confusion. The activity of the mind is so intense they can't take it so they take drugs. Because of the drugs their mind activity somehow changes. So for that temporary comfort they don't mind destroying their life. They destroy their life, most of them know that will happen, but they don't mind. They still go for it. Because people feel their pressure, they feel their confusion.
Now Transcendental Meditation (TM) this method was introduced not too long ago. And how it went to people and how it was developed is amazing, so fast. The method, the technique, the way it was taken by people is just like opium. People used it like aspirin.
When I went to the Philippines its amazing. I came across one TM organisation and the guru said this year (1986) they brought 2000 TM teachers from all over the world to the Philippines. One country. Each centre sponsored their expenses for one year and each person is then to train 10 people to be teachers. After one year there will be 20,000 teachers to teach TM. So that kind of demand is there. Maybe not so much in the UK I have not heard of it so much here.
Why does that happen? People need it. Developed countries like Europe and America and countries on the stage of developing like the Philippines and south East Asia countries; they need these teachers because the pressure, the confusion is so much.
When it comes to shamatha the method is the most effective way to deal with individuals' emotion. But not only that. It is the most effective way to deal with an individuals potential. When I introduce shamatha meditation to individuals I don't tell them that you have to sit 3 hours a day facing a wall, I say you can spend how much time you are able to spend. Half an hour, an hour, concentrating on a particular method. It can be l