Earlier I posted the Tibetan Book of the Dead. I hope that the following little that I have read about will be helpful.
I must declare that what is written below are just a summary (and a very brief one at that) of my own readings. Some would be my own assumptions and simplifications. How real it is I do not really know. Perhaps the truth of it can only be realized by the individual. The more fortunate would ‘bump’ into a teacher who has realizations of what is taught in the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
The Book (of the dead) describes the process of dying into eight stages. I observed that it is in two major processes.
These two processes are:
1 the dissolution of the gross physical body
2 the dissolution of the consciousness winds
The Gross Physical Body
This is what we see walking around. Our physical body that we identify as ourselves is comprised of five elements: earth, water, fire, wind, space.
The other way of relating to these five elements is to think like this:
Earth = our cells, the solid organic matter that eventually decay to become earth or dust
Water = the liwuid part of us, the water in our cells and blood
Fire = the warmth or heat energy of our bodies
Wind = the cavities, the spaces between all cellular structures
Space = the gross consciousness (because there is also the subtle consciousness) which a part of the composition of us as a living thing.
The Consciousness winds
The critical part of the art of dying lies in the fact that there is that part of us that we cannot see. This is the subtle winds.
Before talking about winds, perhaps we need to know that there are 80 instinct patterns that comprise our makeup. A little technical but knowing this helps us to accept that these 80 patterns are driven by winds. These winds are the subject of the next stage of dissolution when we die.
As mentioned before in the earlier article, the winds, just like the gross physical body also dissolves in 4 stages.
The 8 stages of Dying
To sum it up, there are 8 processes to be aware of in the process of dying. These are:
1 earth dissolves (our cells die or lose its vitality) – things become blur . An image like water flowing down a highway is perceived
2 water dissolves – our body fluids dries up or stagnates. The image of being enveloped in smoke is perceived. We no longer hear well.
3 fire dissolves – our body heat subsides. The feeling of cold arises. An image of fireflies or bursts of sparks is perceived.
4 wind dissolves – breathing stops. Taste disappears. Body sense disappears. An image of being in the middle of a dying candle flame is perceived.
This is the point of being clinically dead.
The next 4 stages also gives rise to perceptions which arises from the dissolution of the winds and the ‘flying out’ of the indestructible “subtle clear-light consciousness”. After this point we are truly dead.
Here are the next 4 stages and experiences which arises from the dissolution of the winds into the central channel.
5 gross consciousness dissolves. The male essence descends to the heart complex. An experience of a vast sky filled with white moonlight is perceived.
6 the luminance dissolves. The female essence rises to the heart complex. One experience a vast sky of orange sunlight.
7 radiance dissolves. The male and female essences meet at the heart and envelope the consciousness. One perceives pure darkness.
At this point one loses consciousness. Most will not know what happens after the next stage as it is too subtle to be perceived unless one has adequate training. The 8th or last stage of dissolution is characterized by its non-dual nature and perceiving and making use of this stage offers the opportunity for enlightenment, ultimate wisdom and transcending the rounds of birth and death.
What often happens, it seems, is that most will not even know this last stage, going in and out of the 7th stage of darkness as the reverse process of taking gross form takes its course – all driven by our karmic winds or imprints of past volitional actions.
The in-between state
While one is in the in-between state, one is embodied in ghostlike body effected by the imagery of the mind.
The important lesson I find most useful is to train our mind to go through these process in our meditation and to sharpen our awareness of them and to remain fully aware as they occur.
If this is of any help, visualizing the process and developing mindfulness and lucidity of our dream state is a good suggestion for practice. The Dalai Lama said that he practices this dissolution and generation 6 times daily.
Dream practice appears to be most useful and is a very useful tool. The process of sleep, it is said, contains all the experiences of death and being lucid of these stages helps one to understand the dying process.
It is a conjecture on my part but I believe that the traditional vipassana or awareness meditation also works in the same direction. The deeper levels of calm and awareness practices offers us opportunities of being familiar with our mind states as we go through the meditative states besides honing our insight into the Buddha’s four noble truths.
All errors are mine.
