February 23, 2012: Tibetan Book of the Dead

     One of our members presented The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The English translation that is edited by W. Y> Evans-Wentz. This translation was first published in 1927, but a later edition from 1960s contains an Introduction by Carl Jung which in itself is an interesting article demonstrating the application of this book to a psychology for more modern times in the Western world.

     The title of the Tibetan death text was originally The Great Liberation upon Hearing in the Intermediate State. It is also known as the Bardo Thodol which means "liberation by hearing on the after death plane." Origninally written in about the 8th century, attributed to Padma Sambhava, an Indian mystic who history suggests introduced Buddhism to Tibet. The story goes that Padma did not think Tibetans were ready for these texts so he hid various copies of these writings in remote places so that they would be found later when Tibetan spirituality had evolved to understan the message in these texts. Karma Lingpa (1350) found several hidden texts when he was 15 years old. Contained within these findings were the now famous Great Liberation upon Hearing in the Bardo. Dr. Walter Y. Evans-Wentz, ,a Theosophist and devotee to Neo-Vedantic Hinduism, edited and commented on the translation fro Oxford University Press in the 1927 edition.

      These writings were meant to be read to those who have died but are still passing through the Planes of Bardo, a supposed time spent in transition from the current life to some sort of interlife and then for getting ready for the next reincarnation.

     Since the Tibetan Book of the Dead, or at least The Great Liberation upon Hearing in the Intermediate State is in the public domain, it can be found online at various sites for free. I have found this site where the entire book can be found. There are also videos with commentary that might be of interest for anyone wishing to study these writings further. They are not easy and the commentary perhaps helps our Western mind proceed through the readings better.
http://www.summum.us/mummification/tbotd/#summumtv

      It was suggested at our discussion that these readings be used as meditations. A few members of the groups have used them in that fashion, reading a section every day. Also two members of the group have read the text to someone who was dying or at least very very ill. All thought that this would be a loving tribute for a loved one -- to read the text to them as they became ill unto death. Our session leader this time suggested reading these days meditations as a tantric ritual. Tantric means a 'being' practice. It is an experiential practice, not an intellectual practice.You visualize deeply -- inside yourself. The goal is to get past duality and become one. Jamie commented that the Tibetan method suited her monkey mind. Tibetan visualizations were so busy that they kept her monkey mind busy. It is noted that we all have trouble understanding our absence of individual consciousness. We can not conceive of our own non existence. From there we create fantasies. We make ourselves exist in a relational way. What would it be like to have a non relational existence. The mind is just a phenomenon of a sensory existence.

 

A Bonus: Consideration of Tonglen

     I found this single page of guidance in the practice of Tonglen, lying around our home meeting place, the Mindfulness Center of Milwaukee. I would suspect that it was written by Paul N.

     Tonglen, The Practice of sending and taking.

     Tonglen is an old Tibetan practice for the development of compassion. It basically consists of a visualization of other's suffering and learning to transform it.  There are many good authors who talk extensively about tonglen. Pema Chodron is one of my favorite teachers who explores this method. It is a bit presumptuous to try to summarize this practice in just a few words, but I will try. If you find this useful, I strongly recommend you read further.

     The important part of tonglen is the wide open bodhicitta heart. If our hearts are small, then when we experience discomforts, we are unable to handle it, like a glass of water becoming undrinkable with a handful of salt in it. If our hearts are large, we are like the river that flows along unphased by the handful of salt, open to accepting. How do we get there?  Practice, Practice, Practice.

     There are four parts:

     First we open our minds and hearts as wide a we can, what is sometimes called bodhicitta. By being centered and calm, we do our best to open up to the wide world of sentient beings around us.

     Secondly, we work with the visualization of breathing. We see ourselves breathing in a hot, gritty, dark, smelly substance. We exhale something cool, fresh, light and sweet smelling.

     Thirdly, we imagine ourselves being with a person who is suffering, be it physical, emotional, or whatever. Using the great vehicle of our breath, along with our wide open heart, we take in their suffering and breathe out comfort, compassion, and lovingkindness.

     Fourthly, we extend this compassionate heart. We can give our comfort to those like the single person we visualized, i.e., if that person had AIDS, we might visualize and try to transform the suffering of all people with AIDS. If we feel adventurous, we might extend our thoughts and energy to all who suffer.

     Tonglen is certainly a daunting practice. it takes some courage and some patience. It does not usually feel as easy as metta practice. But it can be very powerful.

     Tonglen can be done for oneself as well. If you feel uncomfortable, or don't feel you are grounded enough to do this well, you might start with tonglen for yourself.

     Tonglen and Anger:
     When confronted with an angry person, it is useful, if you can, to extend kindness to that person. This is where gounding in tonglen may help. Imagine that you are breathing in that person's distress and energy, and breathing out calmness. If nothing else, you might feel calmer and more ready to make the right decisions, without being hijacked by emotions.