rocking gently
sinks in a deep slumber
lull of the water
between sudden arrests
slips in the shimmering abyss
© Tournesol’16/02/19
What happens exactly as you die? In the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying Sogyal Rinpoche explains it through the idea/ thought of bardo. “Bardo” means “inbetween” and its a kind of transition-mode. Let us look further in the depth of the meaning of bardo, maybe than we can understand it 100%.
Through the chinks comes the light
The original meaning of bardo is, the space between the moment of dying and reincarnation / rebirth. As we ‘dive’ deeper into this matter than we discover more than one bardo. Let’s go …
First there is the bardo of living and dying. This is a painful bardo, but also the moment that the nature of spirit / soul becomes real and in a way breaks through the armor of the body. This we can see in, for example, the story of Easter as Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane and asks His Father, God, to take away the cup of poison. Than He is arrested and indures the pain of 39 lashes and the crucifixion. As He dies He commands His Spirit to His Father. This is what we can call the bardo of living and dying.
What follows is the bardo which is called the shining bardo or dharmata, the state of consciousness / mind after death. To explain this shining bardo, wasn’t easy, because I could not find something to explain it with. Than I got a revelation. This shining bardo you can see as a bright light, the radiation of the pure nature of spirit / mind. It’s a state of pure happiness. In a way this you can see as what is happening as you (someone) has a Near Death Experience (NDE). I ran into a few stories about NDE when I was preparing these episodes. As you read the reports about NDE than everyone sees a bright light in which shadows are moving, ancestors mostly, but angels too.
This shining bardo doesn’t stay forever. Sometimes it takes / endures seven days, but it can also take seven weeks.
The next bardo is called the bardo of becoming. The consciousness / mind finds a new place, in a new body and a new life gets started. This we can also see in the story of Easter. After three days, and taht’s very fast as we compare this with the Tibetan idea about living and dying, Jesus rises from the grave. He conquered dead and became an enlightened being who walks a short time on this earth and than rises to Heaven making the Holy Spirit, a kind of reborn energy, avalable to the world. With His ressurection and entering Heaven He broke the Circle of Bardo, as did Buddha.
In Tibetan tradition of bardo the songs from The Book of the Dead were recited by the monks to lead the spirit. Rinpoche goes further in this idea and describes his ideas in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. In his book he sees life as it is as a bardo. The bardo between birth and the moment of sying, life in itself is a transition. It’s a time in which we learn, contemplate, meditate and prepare on death.
Rinpoche goes even further, a period of uncertainty can also be a bardo. For example, the moment you come home and see that there has been a burglary while you were away. Or that moment between “I have bad news” and “I have to tell you …” At that moment the concrete of your reality breaks and you feel that the ground is disappearing beneath your feet. Than the realization comes … you see the essence. No more time for futilities. It’s a moment of truth … you can see what really is important.
This is what this Insight means … discover the truth by tearing down the veil. This is what happened as Jesus died at the cross. The veil that hid the Holy of Holies was torn apart exposing the holiest place in the temple and the revelation that Jesus really was the Son of God.
Our host’s response
To write a haiku, tanka or another Japanese poetry form about this 2nd Insight isn’t easy I think, but I had to try it myself (of course) and this is what came in mind, a haiku from my archives:
phoenix spreads its wings
after the dark cold winter night
finally spring
© Chèvrefeuille
if your poem is what dying is like than there is nothing to be afraid of. It sounds like a peaceful end.
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Well I was not considering any physical pain. But I remember my grandfather smiling looking at his 7 children kneeling around his bed the day he died…seconds before passing he whisper the light was so beautiful. I was 6 then and I guess that stuck with me.
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I want to die like that–surrounded by love and family and light 🙂
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I want that too. I told my best friend, I wanted her with me …she volunteers in palliative care. She is my soul sister.
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Oh wow, I would want someone with me when I died. Someone I loved.
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Being the compassionate person you are…you will never be alone.
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I wish that were true; I am always alone.
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Oh, dear, I`m sorry to hear that. Do you find writing and reading stops you from going out?
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yes and no, I stay in to write and read yes, but I also need time to recharge on my own. Work drains me to the dregs and being on my own replenishes my energy.
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I hear what you mean! I seem to have withdrawn a lot from friends as my work (although I love it) takes up my energy. Reading and writing gives me energy and relives all tension from my work.
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yes reading and writing is a wonderful balm! I’m glad you love your work. I’m feeling a bit burnt out on the work front. Hoping that will subside and that this week will be easier.
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I hope you enjoy your work, Melinda. I was your age when I made a huge career change and went back to university. It took me 9 years part time but I enjoyed the journey as much as reaching my destination.
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I enjoy some parts of my work. We all have parts we dislike. I’m pursuing my dream and hoping to find someway of earning an income from it. 🙂
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Good for you. I wanted to write since I was a young child and be a counsellor or teacher since I was about 12. It all happened later in life but I still made it happen. Never give up on your dreams, once they take shape more dreams will appear. It is what gives one drive to live and not just survive.
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you are so right about that 🙂 dreams are what gives life spice
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…and space to breathe
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yes! How could I have forgotten that?
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Haha, there is a line by John Kabbat Zinn in Mindfulness that says something like this: if we were actually in control of our breath it wouldn’t take too long before we would get distracted and die. So true!!
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oh my God yes that is true! I am very glad I don’t have to remember to breathe!
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With my distracted mind … Me too !! 😉
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😀
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