bardo teaching-dezhung rinpoche

THE BARDO

An Oral Teaching by

The Venerable Dezhung Rinpoche

Translated by

J. Douglas Rhoton

Copyright . 1982 by Jetsun Sakya Center for Buddhist Studies and

Meditator, Inc.

All rights reserved.

I’ve been asked to speak today on the doctrine of the after death

experience which is known in Tibetan as the Bardo. I realize that

this is considered to be something of a special Buddhist doctrine.

First of all I would like to put it in its perspective. Lord Buddha, in

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his effort to communicate the teachings of Enlightenment to

beings, taught countless doctrines. It is said that there are 84,000

articles of doctrine expounded by Lord Buddha and that all 84,000

can be assumed into the first teachings he ever gave. That teaching

is known as the Four Noble Truths. These four truths are: the truth

of suffering, of the causes of suffering, of the cessation of

suffering, and of the path. These four truths are the quintessence of

all the manifold teachings, doctrines and expositions of Dharma

ever given by Lord Buddha.

To review them briefly ... the first, the truth of suffering, refers

to the pervasivesness of dissatisfaction, of unrest, of mental and

physical ‘die-case’, all of which is due to the erroneous belief in a

self. When unenlightened minds fall into the error of a belief in a

self and go to act on that belief, the mind becomes governed by

mental defilements such as desire, aversion, and delusion. Through

these mental poisons, as they are called, beings take action. These

actions compel them to take rebirth in one or another state of

existence upon the round of existence. Briefly this describes both

the fact of suffering that beings generate and experience as well as

the cause of that unhappiness which is rooted in a mistaken belie f

in a self when, in fact, there is nothing... no object of knowledge

...that corresponds to that erroneous belief. Lord Buddha then

taught the path which leads to liberation. The path consists in

training the body, the speech, and the mind in wholesome actions

that lead to eventual liberation from not only the experience of

pain but also the causes of pain. This path leads to the truth of the

cessation of suffering or Nirvana. this is liberation f rom all

suffering and its causes.

The teachings on the Bardo also can be correlated to the Four

Noble Truths expounded by Lord Buddha. The various fears, the

frightening appearances, the illusory experience that consciousness

encounters in the after death state can be said to correspond to the

first of the Four Noble Truths, the truth of suffering. These

appearances and the reactions to them that one subjectively

undergoes can be said to have originated in the mental defilements

such as the passions of desire, hatred, delusion, pride and the rest

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as well as from one’s own karmic actions, be they good bad or

indifferent.

In this way they correspond to the second truth, the truth of the

cause of suffering. To repeat that, the suffering of the experiences

of the Bardo also arise from karma and karmic activity and mental

defilements. Thus they correspond to the truth of the cause of

suffering. If one has been fortunate enough to have received the

right instructions for meditation, preparation and practice for the

after death experiences, those instructions and that meditative

preparation and practice can be equated with the third truth, the

truth of the path. Finally, if one is also able to practice effectively

during the Bardo, recognize those experiences and appearances for

what they are, put them on the path and win (through the

realization of oneself) that consciousness corresponding to the

Sambhogakaya, one can attain Buddhahood right through that

Bardo experience. That realization of Buddhahood during the

Bardo state corresponds to the fourth and final Noble Truth, the

truth of cessation or liberation from suffering.

Now we should try to ascertain the historical source of those

special teachings which are known as Bardo doctrine. We know

that there are references to the Bardo state, the antarabhave as it is

known in Sanskrit, in various Indian texts. We find these primarily

in the Abhidharma itself and its commentary, the

Abhidharmasamuccaya, as well as in certain of the tantras which

belong to the later propagation, the sarma propagation, such as

Chakrasamvara, the Hevajra Tantra and several others. But

generally speaking we can say that teachings on the Bardo can be

divided into two distinct Tibetan traditions : those of the early

propagation or Nyingma, and those of the later propagation. These

teachings on the Bardo also vary in that while some of them speak

of six Bardo states, others speak of four or even three Bardos. For

example, Jetsun Milarepa spoke of six Bardo states. Tlis is also

true of the Book of the Dead, well known to Westerners.

I realize that the Tibetan Book of the Dead has achieved a

certain amount of fame among Western Buddhists. It follows the

Nyingma tradition and is similar to another Kagyu tradition based

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upon a text written by Tashi Tseringma, a great yogi. Both texts

speak of six Bardo states. However the six states that both discuss

can also be subsumed into the more standard four Bardo states

described in sarma tantric literature. These four are: the birth place

Bardo, the Bardo of the death experience, the reality Bardo, and the

Bardo of becoming which is also called the Bardo of Karmic

propensities. In the Tibetan Book of the Dead which has been

translated into English and the other text by Tashi Tseringma there

are two other Bardos which are called the dream Bardo and the

Bardo of meditative absorption, the samten Bardo. These two can,

as we said, be subsumed into the first four.

Etymologically the word Bardo means the interval between two

points. Generally when we say the word Bardo, we think of it as

referring to that state in which consciousness finds itself between

death and rebirth. Really we are, right now, in this present life also

involved in the Bardo. We are undergoing the Bardo of experience

or the interval between our last birth and our future death. This is

the birth place Bardo. Many of us might not have known that.... it

isn’t a very popular way of looking at our present life.

It’s not surprising that we don’t recognize the present l ife as a

Bardo... after all, we are the ones in the habit of believing very

firmly in a self when actually no self exists and in seeing things as

substantial and real when they aren’t. So it is hardly surprising that

we do not recognize our present human life as being part of the

Bardo cycle. Now, understanding that this is the case, we should

consider what to do about it. What would be appropriate practice at

this stage of the Bardo? First we should be diligent in making the

most of the opportunity. We ca do this by learning the Dharma,

through receiving instructions from qualified teachers, seeking

tantric empowerments and guidance and instructions in meditation

(also under qualified teachers), and constantly exercising our

minds in mindfulness and recollection that “These are the teachings

of Buddhism which I have heard. These are the instructions that my

guru has given me for meditation. This is my trusted preceptor.

These are his teachings. This is my Yidam (my chosen deity) on

whom I am meditating.” Further we should develop ourselves in

constantly reminding ourselves that all sounds should be heard as

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the deity’s mantra, all thoughts that arise (good, bad and

indifferent) should be seen as manifestations of his transcendent

wisdom, and all forms should be viewed as the deity’s form. If we

train ourselves in these practices in this lifetime, our chances of

being prepared for the Bardo of becoming, the post-death

experience,a re very good. Also our chances of recognizing and of

knowing what should be done in that Bardo preceding and then

immediately following death, wherein the Bardo of the clear light

of reality shines forth, are much better. Further, even if one should

find oneself in the Bardo of becoming, one’s chances of

recognizing the situation and dealing with it appropriately are

much enhanced.

The second Bardo is that of the death experience. It is also

called the unhappy Bardo because, at the time death occurs and one

is wrenched away from the affairs of this world into a very

uncertain insecure state of consciousness, great fear as well as

uncertainty, anxiety and apprehension arises for those persons who

in their lives had unfortunately committed many unwholesome

actions. For those beings, however, who had devoted themselves to

wholesome ways of conduct, the process is not so terrifying.

Whereas a sinful mind would be greeted, for instance, by wrathful

deities and terrifying apparitions, a virtuous mind would find itself

welcomed by the benign experience of the person’s own Yidam or

protector deities in their benign aspect. It would be a time of great

joy....even enthusiasm...for such a person. But the process of death

itself comes about when a person’s life force separates from the

physical body. There are four elements from which the human

organism has arisen. At the time of death the elements of earth,

water, fire and air begin to become absorbed one into the other, or

so it appears to the subjective consciousness undergoing the

experience of death.

Death itself is usually accompanied by physical debility, pain

and helplessness to check the process by medicine or prayers or

any other means. It is also accompanied by great mental anxiety,

confusion and remorse. For these reasons the subjective experience

seems to be accompanied by terrifying apparitions and frightful

sounds, a din so noisy in fact that the consciousness finally just

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swoons away and becomes unconscious for a brief time. Generally

this is the way it happens for unprepared beings.

Again, as we said, those who are prepared for the Bardo know

how to recognize these possesses as they occur and are more or less

ready. Here we can see the great value of such preparations as

meditation and instruction for practice in the preceding birth place

Bardo in helping one’s consciousness with each experience as it

arises.

However the process of death might appear subjectively, from a

tantric point of view, what is happening is the red element and the

white element which are contained within one’s body are merging

or coming together. The red element is to have been acquired from

one’s mother and the white form one’ father. The red element is

said to reside in the region of the navel while the white is found at

the crown of one’s head. During the process of death, when the

mind is separating from the body, the red element begins to rise up

from the navel toward the heart. When that happens, one perceives

everything as if it were roseate or as if the sun were shining. One

becomes aware of the colour red and everything seems tinged with

red. As the white element begins to descend from the crown of the

head toward the heart, one similarly perceives everything as being

white or as if the moon were shining. These two processes are

called the red path and the white path. When these two meet in the

heart region, they are called the blackout because here the two have

met and merged and one has lost consciousness and entered into a

swoon. At that instant of their merging all thought constructs, all

attachment and aversion and delusion, all desire anger and

ignorance, are checked for a while. Then one enters the next Bardo,

the Bardo of the clear light of reality. Here one subjectively

perceives the clear light of reality which may also be called

ultimate reality. Beings who are unprepared and fail to recognize it

for what it is immediately fall unconscious. For a good meditator

who has spent a long time in right meditation, however, this

experience is a very propitious one. If he does recognize the clear

light of reality for what it is, he at once awakens into Buddhahood.

But if a being, either through ignorance or for want of sufficient

preparation for the clear light experience, falls to recognize this

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state for what it is, he passes on into the third Bardo: the Bardo of

becoming, which is also called the Bardo of karmic propensities.

Almost as if one were suddenly awakened, one next becomes

aware of many apparitions as decide in the Book of the Dead.

There appear apparitions of various deities, the herukas in their

wrathful aspect. Their wrathful forms are so terrifying that it is

very very difficult to be truly in possession of one’s senses and to

recognize them for what they are, let alone to have the courage to

pray to them. They are extremely fierce and terrifying. Some are as

large as mountains and those who are small are of human size.

They are of such wrathful aspect that it is very hard for a being to

recognize them as emanations or projections of his mind. It often

happens that beings pass on here also. If they can recognize these

apparitions of deities for what they are, they pass immediately into

one of the pure Buddha realms. If however this opportunity is

missed, one next becomes aware of the presence of the various

Dhyani Buddhas, the Buddha Amitabha and others. These Buddhas

appear to one with such tremendous luster that one has difficulty

gazing upon them in their radiance.

Simultaneously, there appear to one other dimmer lights which

are much softer, more inviting, and easier to look at. Often a being

will choose to turn toward the dimmer of the lights and away from

the brilliant manifestation of the Dhyani Buddhas. If he does this,

he will move towards rebirth in one of the realms of worldly

existence. Here are examples. If he turns toward the dimmer white

light, he will be reborn among the celestials. Moving toward the

black light results in rebirth in the hells and the red light, the realm

of hungry ghosts.

In the Bardo Thodol, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the various

apparitions are said to appear to the consciousness on the first,

second or seventh day. It speaks of different apparitions or

phenomena as coming on successive days. But it should be

understood that it is not speaking of human days of twenty-four

hours but rather of meditative days periods of time. They may be,

for a good meditator, of considerable length of time and much time

might be spent in each of these various stages of the process. If a

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person, however, is unprepared for the experience, they may be of

very short duration..... so short, in fact, that one hardly knows what

has happened. From here we pass into the next Bardo state.

In the fourth Bardo, the Bardo of becoming, one is now aware

that one is in the Bardo and one has separated from the former

physical existence and identity. One is faced with the prospects of

rebirth. Those whose unfortunate minds are governed by

unwholesome propensities and sinful inclinations now are filled

with great anxiety and apprehension about their lot in this state and

about where they are headed. they are now quite clear about what it

was they should have been doing. At this time great regret and

great remorse for the bad karma they have accumulated arises.

They feel themselves bereft of any hope and are quite helpless due

to what are known as the winds of karma which are now propelling

them along (due to the strength of their karmic inclinations) toward

one rebirth or another. Now they begin to have visions of various

places of rebirth. If, for example, he feels himself drawn toward an

iron house, then that being is on his way to rebirth in the hells.

Should he fancy himself entering a clump of grass, a thatched hut

or some sort of foliage or vegetation, he is headed for animal

rebirth. If his vision is one of soldiers marching and he moves to

join them, he will be reborn among the titans. But if he sees

himself entering a very fine mansion, his rebirth will be among the

gods or humans.

This has been a very brief description of the four Bardo states. It

should be stressed that the experience throughout this after death

state is very intense because one is no longer encumbered by the

faculties of sense organs, by the distractions of this world, or by

deluded notions of the self in a worldly context. All of these

distractions that diminish our awareness of our experience are gone

and the Bardo appears very stark, intense and clear. One’s mind is

also, of course, highly concentrated and sensitive to the entire

process. Because this is so, if one has the advantage of meditative

experience in preparation for the Bardo, it is much easier to

respond in a dharmic and meditative and concentrative way and

thus to act upon the instructions that one has learned in preparation

for the Bardo.

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This is why I have in my own practice throughout my life tried

to concentrate on and to teach the meditation of the Bodhisattva of

Great Compassion, Avalokiteshvara. I teach it to all my students

because it does provide the most excellent preparation for the

Bardo through its twin processes: the process of creation including

visualization, and the process of completion or learning the

meditation upon the nature of the mind. I also stress reinforcing

that daily practice of meditation with the non-sessional practice in

which one tries to recollect all things as manifestations of the

deity’s body, voice and mind and diligently to turn all the

experiences of this life, however mundane they appear, into the

path of meditation of great compassion. I feel quite confident that

this is the best way to prepare for those four states of the Bardo. I

am confident in the blessings of the Bodhisattva of Great

Compassion. I am very happy to have had this opportunity to share

with you this brief outline of the Bardo doctrine.

Question & Answer

Q1: What is the nature of the preparation for the Bardo and the

clear light Bardo? Is it mainly a practice we do in this life or

are there specific instructions which would be possible to

remember as we are experiencing the Bardo?

A1: Generally speaking, the practices described during the lecture,

for example meditation upon one’s deity and o ther regular

meditations are sufficient. There are particular practices such

as the six yogas which are taught by the Sakya order and are

also found in the teachings of the other Tibetan orders. They

are the dream yoga, the yoga of transference of consciousness,

the heat yoga, and so on. These are also quite good and helpful.

If you have received those instructions and the appropriate

major initiations which accompany them, it is very good if you

wish to practice them also. if you haven’t received those

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instructions and their initiations and wish to do so, that is

something you might consider.

Q2: The Tibetan Book of the Dead gives very specific instructions

for dealing with someone who has just died. The body is not to

be moved, etc. This may not be possible in the settings where

beings are not aware of the teachings such as modern hospitals.

With that in mind how should one do for someone who is dying

or has just died?

A2: In accord with the beliefs about the after death state Tibetan

Buddhists have the custom of not disposing of the body for a

number of days...three to seven days at the most. The reason

for this is that since Tibetans are loath to take the life of any

living being, they want to be sure, first of all, that the

consciousness will not return and the body revive. It is known

that among meditators it sometimes happens that, at the time of

what appears to others as his death, he enters into a state of

deep meditative absorption from which he might possibly

return. Or in any case he might not be fully dead. So until it is

quite certain that he has absolutely parted with his body and

entered into the Bardo, Tibetans want to be very careful in

disposing of the body. For non-meditators however it usually

happens that the consciousness parts from the body almost

immediately, even with the last breath that is exhaled. Here

there is a total separation of body and mind and that concern

does not apply. but even then usually for three days the corpse

is kept in the house. During that time blessings and prayers are

invoked to help the departed consciousness. the name of the

Buddha is recited over and over in the presence of the corpse,

prayers for his guidance and auspicious rebirth or liberation are

recited again and again. In these ways efforts are made to help

the being through the traumatic experiences in the Bardo states.

Where it is possible among non-Buddhists or in a non-Buddhist

environment to observe any of those, of course, it is desirable.

At least from our point of view any or all should be practiced.

Q3: What happens to someone who dies abruptly without warning

and with no chance to prepare for the Bardo?

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A3: Any of us can be hit by a car suddenly but it still remains the

case that a person who has prepared himself for the Bardo will

not find himself at a loss, whenever and however the

experience arises.

Q4: Rinpoche mentioned that throughout the after death experience

there is what you termed an intense texture to the

phenomenological thing there. Would Rinpoche tell us if there

is any way we could acquaint ourselves with this sensitive state

before leaving our bodies at death? Are there any gaps or

anything we could refer ourselves to? Would Rinpoche shed

some light on this?

A4: There too, meditation is the answer because it is still the mind

whether it is an allegedly more intense or less intense

experience in this life or in the post-death experience. It is still

mind which undergoes the experience. So the more you

meditate and learn right meditation in this life, the more you

will be prepared for any eventuality in the Bardo. As we

mentioned earlier, this present state is also a Bardo.

Q5: What can we do to be able to recognize the clear light

experience when it dawns ?

A5: Again, you should meditate very diligently and should daily

practice the stages of meditation, first concentration and then

insight meditation. If you do these, you ill proceed with no

problem and will be quite prepared for the dawning of the clear

light.

Q6: Does Rinpoche recognize psychedelic experiences as being

analogus to or at least capable of producing Bardo experiences

?

* * * * * * * * *

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This discourse was delivered by the Venerable Dezhung Rinpoche

at the request of Jetsun Sakya Center on 19 November 1977 at the

American Buddhist Academy in New York City. It was translated by

Ngawang Sonam Tenzin, transcribed by the American Buddhist

Kunga Tendzin and prepared for publication by Dechen Zangmo.

bardo teaching-dezhung rinpoche

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