The Moment of Death

You mentioned in your letter that you and your students care for dying people and that you are teaching your students how to provide a peaceful, compassionate and supportive presence for these patients.

I gave some teachings at a Dharma center about how to take care of a dying person, when I led the retreat on the Four Kadampa Deities: the founder of the teachings–Shakyamuni Buddha; all the Buddha’s action–Tara; all the Buddha’s compassion–Chenrezig, and the deity for eliminating obstacles–Miyowa.

The reason why the few days’ talk also includes how to prepare oneself and what to do at the time of death is because a student’s father died suddenly and she didn't know how to help. It became a great question. I was shocked, so I did the talk on how to help a dying person, so students can help their parents or anybody.

The most important thing is, in general, that Western people do not know the Dharma, so they don't know about karma and reincarnation. There are only two choices, either rebirth in the lower realms, with the body of a suffering migratory being, hell, preta or animal, or the body of a happy migratory being, deva or human being. So, the virtuous thought to generate at the time of death is compassion towards sentient beings, and devotion towards Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

If the person is a Christian, then he or she has devotion and faith in Jesus, holy beings, saints, people who are compassionate to others, taking the suffering of others and experiencing it. If the person has difficulty generating compassion for others, then he or she can develop devotion to God as somebody who has compassion for all sentient beings, including him or herself, and who has omniscience, perfect power, to help. You can place Buddha's qualities on God, even though you don't hear that explanation in Christianity, so that you don't have to use the label Buddha. In this way, the person makes his or her refuge and reliance most worthwhile, very secure, and reliable. This way there are no mistakes in the object of refuge and they are taking refuge in an enlightened being. This is one way to do it.

The other way is that the person’s heart is one with God, which means the nature of compassion for all beings. The person's mind becomes this, the nature of this, and meditates on this, on loving all living beings. This might be difficult for people to do. Also, the person can think one’s mind becomes God or the holy mind, seeing the ultimate reality of all phenomena, including oneself, that death is also empty, fear is also empty, suffering is empty, nothing exists in them, there is nothing inherently existent there.

The other thing is to stop thinking of the past and future, just look at the present mind (the mind looking at the mind). When you do that, the mind is calm, and sometimes you can see the clarity of the mind, for oneself and others. This is one technique to use at the time of death. An example of the clarity is like clear space or very clear water. In some other Tibetan Buddhist traditions or for some meditators, seeing the clarity of the mind is regarded as seeing the Dharmakaya. However it is a nice meditation, it helps the mind to be neutral; even if it doesn't become virtue, it doesn't become non-virtue.

Of course, for a meditation like this to become virtue, the motivation has to become virtue. As Kyabje Choden Rinpoche mentioned during lamrim teachings, at the time of death, even if the mind doesn't become virtue, at least neutral is good, because it does not become a cause for the lower realms.

The other very profound thing to do is to think that your mind is one with the Guru Deity's holy mind, that one which you are practicing. Just focus on that and keep on thinking that. As long as the mind has this object as its focus, other things can’t come in, so that also helps to keep the mind away from fear and worries. If one is able to do this meditation, it is extremely profound. There is some similarity with Dharmakaya meditation.

Some people suggest thinking of heaven, but that is nothing special. Maybe the person will be reborn in the deva realm, with that attachment. My point of view is, even if the person has no idea of Buddha’s pure land, I think it is extremely important to mention the specific name of the pure land. There are so many, like Amitabha's pure land, where it is easy for ordinary people to be reborn by the power of bodhicitta. Amitabha's pure land is called Dewa Chen, or Sukhavati, the Blissful Pure Land. It’s very important for the person to hold on to the name as a refuge. That wish enables the person to be born in that pure land. For example, wishing for Shambhala, thinking of that, enables one to be born in Kalachakra's pure land. It is similar with other Buddhas’ pure lands. Mention the name and ask the person to generate the wish to be born there, to think of that pure land. For example, Amitabha's pure land–describe how beautiful it is, so that it inspires the person and causes the person to be born there. If the person dies with that thought, it is positive, and the person is saved from the lower realms. You should particularly mention those things that were the person’s favorite things in life, whether it is a boyfriend, girlfriend, ice cream, whatever. Tell the person those things are hundreds and billions of times better in the pure land.

You can tell the story of the monk who knew the technique for transferring consciousness to the pure land, but at the time of death his mind was attached to the leftover butter from Tibetan butter tea, called 'shag', in his wooden bowl. His guru knew he was having difficulty, so he sent a message with a young monk, for the dying monk, saying that there is much better shag, leftover butter, from Tibetan butter tea, in Tushita pure land. The minute the old monk heard this message immediately he was able to transfer his consciousness to Tushita pure land.

Depending on the person dying, you can also ask him or her to generate compassion for numberless beings who are suffering while dying. You are not the only one dying. Ask the person to generate compassion, wishing all sentient beings to be free of the suffering of death and to cause that oneself. This can be a very good bodhicitta practice at the time of death. The best things at the time of death are bodhicitta and tonglen practice, taking other sentient beings’ suffering and its causes and giving one’s happiness and merit to others.

You mentioned not having fear at the time of death. There is one more practice for preparing for death, so as not to have fear at the time of death. This is from the Kangyur, Buddha's teaching:

In the Indian language:

ARYA AVARANA VISHKHAM BINA MAHA RANI NAMA DHARANI

In Tibetan: Zung that is called "The Exalted Totally Eliminating Obscurations."

I prostrate to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. By having prostrated to them, I am expressing here the Zung "The Exalted Totally Eliminating Obscuration."

If you recite this heart (mantra) seven times, the Destroyer, Qualified, Gone Beyond, Goes As It Is, the One Having Destroyed the Enemy, the Fully Perfected Enlightened One, the Exalted Totally Eliminating Obscuration, it purifies all the negative karma of continuity of the body (generations) at the time of death, and one will die only in happiness.

OM SHAVADE VARA BISA LINE SVAHA

If you recite the Bodhisattva Great Sattva Totally Eliminating Obscurations seven times a day and seven times a night, it purifies all the negative karma collected continuously, and at the time of death intensive torturous suffering won't occur and one will die in happiness.

OM SARVA AH PARANA VISHKAM BINI SVAHA

To the Buddhas and Sons (bodhisattvas, male and female bodhisattvas): If one makes clean food offerings and so forth purely and continuously to the buddhas and their sons (bodhisattvas, male and female bodhisattvas), that person will die free from sickness and pain and only in happiness and be reborn in the deva realms such the Realm of the Thirty-three, the Realm Free from Fighting or Tushita. One can say this will be true for bhikshus and bhikshunis and upasakas and upasikas, without doing astrology, checking the time, day, and stars, without washing and keeping clean, by abiding in the innate mind. Those who do not do this won't have this achievement. Therefore, one should devote to and respect this, thinking this is very precious.

Here, the Zung (“Zung” means with remembrance and awareness, unforgetful wisdom, abandoning non-virtue and engaging in virtue) "The Exalted Totally Eliminating Obscuration" is completed.

This practice and reciting the mantra is good for people doing hospice work, because they can teach those who are dying, like people who have cancer and AIDS, and the people doing the hospice work can also make preparations for their own death. They should be a hospice for themselves and recite this mantra for their own happy death too.

In conclusion, the practical preparation for death is how you live your daily life. Even if you don’t practice patience many times, when anger arises, that one time you are able to practice patience, to stop the anger arising, you create one less negative karma, which destroys your merit. The more one is able to practice patience, the less negative karma is created to be born in the lower realms, in the hell, hungry ghost, and animal realms, which is the most unbearable suffering and also for an unimaginable length of time. You create one less negative karma, which destroys your merit, the cause of full enlightenment, to enlighten other sentient beings, the cause of liberation from samsara for oneself and of happiness in future lives, besides the happiness of this life. Anger destroys your peace and happiness, day to day, moment to moment, in your daily life.

This is one example; the other is living life with as much sincerity and good heart as possible. For that purpose, learning about karma and remembering and protecting karma is essential, and then to practice kindness in everyday life towards other human beings and animals.

Being aware that they are suffering, knowing this, is useful. Through just this knowledge, this reason, you have to help them by practicing kindness. Others also do not want suffering, they want happiness just like you. So, practice joy, that others may have even small comforts and happiness. Practice kindness in daily life. Another thing is rejoicing in whatever good thing happens to others. Do that in your daily life.

Practice contentment in daily life, not contentment with regard to compassion and wisdom, such as Dharma knowledge. That is the wrong practice of contentment. Practice contentment with the mind of desire, which brings long term pain in life and which creates life’s disasters, such as tsunamis.

The other thing is to immediately offer an apology when you commit some hurt or make a mistake with others. Also, forgive others when they harm you; offer forgiveness immediately.

This is not only preparation for your own death, but it helps others to not create negative karma, and inspires them to collect virtue. You become the model for others by engaging in this practice. You rescue not only yourself, but so many countless sentient beings, from your family, office, from the lower realms, from samsara, the deva realm, human realm, from falling into lower nirvana, from the Lesser Vehicle path, and nirvana of the Lower Vehicle path, and bring them to full enlightenment, great liberation.

These are the most practical things to bring peace and happiness for yourself, your family, office, wherever you are in the whole world.

What you said was very helpful. I think this was excellent, what you did. Also, it actually fits with who you and your friend are. You are both ex-hippy, useful guys. Wow – what the ex-hippy, useful guy did at the end of his friend’s life! I think it was very good.

Now you should do this all over your country, with those who are dying, including the animals around the center.

You should put your hand on the animals’ feet, when they are dying, and sing your song: “Let go, let go, let go, let go, let go.” Maybe they don’t understand about the pure land, but you can tell them they just need to think about coming back to the center, that is the pure land, to come back to the center and to study and meditate there. This is their pure land.

Now, your hand is so precious, so you need to protect it, put a glove on it, and keep the glove on at all times. When you pass away your hand should be gold-leafed and kept on the altar at the center. This would be the first holy hand in your country, maybe the first holy hand in the world!

So I, Zopa, applaud you with huge clapping hands (not with your hand) and with feet clapping also, for you and also for your friend.

Recite this mantra every day to not have obstacles at the time of death, like heavy pain, incontinence, heavy karmic torment, and the sickness of terrifying karmic visions so you can't meditate.

This is the heart mantra of Eliminating Obscurations (Skt: Sarvanivaranaviskhambhin; Tib: Dribpa Namsel.)

OM SVETAVARA VIJALINE SVAHA

[Visit the FPMT Catalogue to find links to The Exalted Zung Called "Eliminating Obscurations" practice, and the audio file Recitations for Alleviating Pain.]

My most dear, kindest brother,
Please look at this mantra quite often. Especially look at this mantra when you are leaving this old body. Dear one, please don’t cling to anything, and let yourself be completely free. This is the most important moment of your life.

You don’t need to be afraid at all of being born in the lower realms. I give all my merits of the past, present, and future to you, for you to have a happy journey and a happy wonderful sun-shining future, and I give big love to you. All the buddhas and bodhisattvas love you, and you are under their care.

May anyone who sees this mantra immediately be reborn in a pure land where they can become enlightened. Or may they receive a perfect human body by quickly actualizing the causal vehicle (the three principles of the path) and the result vehicle (the secret mantra Vajrayana), based on correctly devoting to and only pleasing their own holy guru.

You can also pray this way: “May I take rebirth in whatever place is most beneficial for sentient beings, no matter where it is.” To think this thought again and again is extremely good.

The other choice is to think: “May I be born in Amitabha’s blissful field, to quickly benefit all sentient beings.”

Here is Buddha’s name mantra – Protecting from the Three Lower Realms:

CHOM DÄN DÄ DE ZHIN SHEG PA DRA CHOM PA YANG DAG PAR DZOG PÄI SAN GYÄ RINCHHEN TSUG TOR CHEN LA CHHAG TSHÄL LO

By hearing this mantra, one will never be reborn in the lower realms, and one will be liberated and will be able to enlighten all sentient beings from the oceans of samsara.

Thank you.
With much love and prayers...

Generally speaking, bodhicitta. That’s the safest one. But, for somebody who has good concentration, there’s meditation on emptiness. If they have realized emptiness, then anything that appears real from its own side, and appears not to be merely labeled by the mind, they are able to see as a hallucination, as false. That helps. How? Because whether you try to look at it as empty or not, when you see it as false, and understand that it is false, that makes you realize there is no reason to cling or get angry. That’s how meditation on emptiness protects the mind from delusions and from creating negative karma. You don’t die with anger or attachment, and that ’s how it helps.

But, of course, ultimately, in order not to be reborn in the lower realms, and not to be reborn at all, eventually you have to cut the root of samsara.

[Note: Find links to more extensive advice in the booklet Practicing the Five Powers Near the Time of Death in the FPMT Catalogue. Go to the "Teachings, Advice & Commentaries" subcategory to find this booklet.]

There are five powers to be practiced near the time of death. They are very important. That is what we need to train in now. We have to remember what they are, at least their names and the meanings. Then we have the possibility of putting them into practice.

The Power of the White Seed
The power of the white seed means to be detached from your family, your possessions, and even from your own body, by thinking, “When I am attached to these things, they cause me to be reborn in samsara, and to die and be reborn countless times. This has happened from past lives up until now, and samsara and these aggregates are only in the nature of suffering. What has kept me in samsara is this.”

By thinking in this way, try to be detached from all these things. The benefit of being detached is that, even though these things have not yet disappeared, but are still present in the room with you, already in your mind you have decided to offer them as charity to other sentient beings, or as an offering to the Triple Gem. If your mind has already decided to give all of this away, it’s very good, because once you have that plan, your mind becomes detached. When you have offered your body as charity to others, it helps you not to cling to it.

Otherwise, when your mind is attached to your body, to sense pleasures, to your present family members, and to possessions, then even though you know meditation techniques, that attachment can still arise and harm you.

The power of the white seed is very important to generate detachment. Also, making offerings or charity to others helps you collect merit. The first power, letting go of everything, is very important.

The Power of Intention
This power involves making a plan. Think, “From now on, I will never allow myself to be under the control of the self-cherishing thought.” Make a strong plan like this, “I will never separate from bodhicitta even for one second, from now on, up until my death, and especially today. Until enlightenment, and especially today, I will never separate from bodhicitta.” It is very important to do this. It means you always keep your mind in the state of bodhicitta, of cherishing others.

The Power of Blaming the One
What is the power of blaming the one? It is blaming the ego, the self-cherishing thought. Think, “The reason why I have not become enlightened so far, did not achieve liberation from samsara, didn’t achieve any realizations, and the reason why I have been suffering in samsara so far is ego, this great demon ego. If I keep following this, it will continuously do me the same harm. It will never allow me to be enlightened, or to be free from samsara. It won’t allow me to have any realizations. Whatever unfavorable situations, obstacles, unpleasantness, or discomfort happens, this all comes from ego. All of this was done to me by ego.”

Look at the ego as your enemy. Keep separate from it. Keep away from the self-cherishing thought by seeing at it as your enemy. Then, any time an unfavorable or unpleasant situation occurs, you give it to the ego. You use it like a weapon, like an atomic bomb, to explode the ego. Instead of taking it on yourself, give it to the ego, and destroy the ego completely, so it becomes non-existent. Put the blame for all the problems and undesirable things that happen in day-to-day life and all the suffering in samsara from beginningless rebirths until now on the ego. Knowing that all this is caused by ego, you split from the ego. You don’t follow ego, and then there is space for the mind to be able to cherish others, and to be able to practice bodhicitta.

By having the realization of bodhicitta, we enter into the Mahayana path. Then, by realizing emptiness, all the gross and subtle defilements cease, and we achieve enlightenment. Then, we can enlighten all living beings. We can liberate countless living beings from all suffering and its causes, and bring them to enlightenment. Even before we have the realization of bodhicitta, we will feel the good heart, cherishing and benefiting others, and collect good karma or merit as vast as the sky. Whatever actions we do become virtue; they become a cause of enlightenment.

The Power of Prayer
Dedicate your merits in this way, “Due to the past, present, and future merits collected by me and the merits of the three times collected by others, may I never be separated from bodhicitta during the time of death, during the intermediate stage, during rebirth, and at any time. May I never ever be separate from bodhicitta, and may I have the quickest realization of bodhicitta.” Pray in this way. You can do this while thinking of Lama Yeshe, who is one with Tara.

The Power of Habituation
When you know that the moment of death has come, lie down. Many meditators die in the meditation state while sitting, but many meditators also lie down to die. They pass away in the meditation on death while lying down. So, the power of training is to lie down on your right side in what is called the position of a lion lying down, which is the position in which the Buddha passed away. At this time you recall how the Buddha passed away in the same position. You do this because if you remember Buddha, it leaves a positive imprint on the mind, which helps the mind to become virtue. That helps to have a good rebirth.

While lying in that posture, you can block your right nostril with your right finger, because the breath coming in there is the breath of attachment. Blocking it helps to not be reborn in the lower realms. However, whether you can do that or not, if you are just able to lie down in this way, spirits cannot harm you, due to this position. You can also remember the Buddha, how Buddha passed away, and lie down in this way when you go to sleep, then you won’t have interference from spirits and nightmares.