The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol) is traditionally believed to be the work of the legendary Padma Sambhava in the 8th century A.D. The Bardo Thodol teaches that once awareness is freed from the body, it creates its own reality as one would experience in a dream. This dream occurs in various phases (bardos) in ways both wonderful and terrifying. Overwhelming peaceful and wrathful visions and deities appear. Since the deceased’s awareness is in confusion, it needs help and guidance in order for enlightenment and liberation to occur. The Bardo Thodol acts as the guide that helps the individual recognize the true nature of mind and thus attain Nirvana – liberation from the cycle of rebirth. This lecture will draw from two of Lama Glenn’s books: Living in the Face of Death: The Tibetan Tradition, and The Tibetan Book of the Dead: An Illustrated Edition.
For many years, since 1974, the first time a reading from the American Book of the Dead was offered to help another being “in transit” or passing, we have been collecting stories about the often remarkable events and results surrounding the practice of reading for the benefit of another. Indeed, an entire discipline now called Labyrinth Reading has grown around this practice which was borrowed and continues to advance the ancient Tibetan Buddhist tradition of reading from the Bardo Thodol or Book of the Dead. In our upcoming book, tentatively titled “Each Word a Universe,” we will endeavor to share some of these stories and show how the practice of doing readings has guided and enlivened the space around the passing of many individuals.
Over the years we have found that one remarkable thing about labyrinth reading is that it does not matter what sacred text is being read to the person who is dying. The instruction itself can be selected by the voyager (the one in crisis or who is dying) or can be aligned with his or her favored religion. For example, the Lord’s Prayer, Rosary, Last Rites or any passage from the Bible could be read 3 to 7 times for someone of the Christian faith who is passing. The reading should never be foreign or in any way uncomfortable for the listener (voyager). In cases where the voyager has no religious preference, the Clear Light reading from the American Book of the Dead serves well as a non denominational offering.
The purpose of the labyrinth reading is to center the voyager on being present in his or her own voyage. We remind him or her again and again that this is completely her own experience in the here and now and she does not have to get caught up in visions or distractions.
When my time has comeand impermanence and death have caught up with me,When the breath ceases, and the body and mind go their separate ways,May I not experience delusion, attachment, and clinging,But remain in the natural state of ultimate reality.tibetan nyingma master - longchenpa rabjampa - 14th century - www.worldprayers.org
Reading does not involve any philosophical or religious system of belief, but, as mentioned above, if a particular spiritual belief system is favored by the voyager it can be used with good effect. It is very important even in these instances, where the voyager has a strong religious belief, that the reader must be sure not to “religiousize” the reading space.
The reader’s purpose is basically one of non-participation, a simple, clear, untainted delivery of the instructions. It is a fundamentally more technical than spiritual. The reader is adjured to focus on getting the instructions through to the voyager, nothing more. An entire course has developed for readers to develop clear reading skills – The Labyrinth Reader’s Course. A big part of this course is learning how to read under various distracting conditions and one of the first tenets is that any effects or changes in the reading space should be discounted.
This is the same as in any real practice. The details matter, the attention matters, but not any “spiritual” effects. The Tai chi teacher emphatically says “Simply and with full attention concentrate on doing the form. Do not focus on the chi and its effects on you. Ignore the chi.”
It’s very important to note this up front. In our book we do not wish to sensationalize the Labyrinth Reading process at all. We read or convey instructions to the voyager to help them to stay undistracted in the present moment. Whatever personal affinity or practice they’ve had in this life that can help with connecting to them we are willing to use.
Especially in times of ill health circumstances can get completely overwhelming at times. An unexpected situation can appear as a crisis, which, just from the label itself makes it seem to accelerate and appear unsolvable. But we have to step back. Very often crises are transitions, times of change from one stable state to another. If you view them as such, it will help you to stay focused on the details of what is actually happening. By staying present and steady in a crisis situation, you actually change it. Try this affirmation: “I realize that this crisis is a transition. I will stay present during this transition with loving kindness and attention.”
It is said that on a lifeboat filled with overwrought people moving through waves away from a shipwreck if only one person stays calm, the boat will have a much better chance of survival. You can imagine it to be so. If you keep calm, you steady everyone in the boat. Things are going to happen. Stay focused on the details. You can stay present and alert in the lifeboat passing through the stormy seas of transition and you will steady the entire boat with your equanimity.
The Places Of Change
Ancient and traditional cultures, like the Native American and Tibetan, have elegant ways of dealing with crises as cultural traditions. The older cultures recognize that transitions are an integral part of life. They have classified and named certain universal transitions. They have studied them and passed along proven ways of moving through them using ceremony and rituals which have very detailed ways of doing things requiring the participants full attention.
For example, rites of passage for adolescent males to manhood give these individuals clearly defined and healthy ways of dealing with unconscious forces that arise at this time. Directions are very specific, and not only that, they are time honored…ancient. Other transition times are also handled in traditional, relatively formalized ways: weddings, births, family restructuring, transitions into old age, and, of course, death.
Giuseppi Maria Crespi The Death of St. Peter, Italy ca 1712
In your life you experience many pleasant and not so pleasant transitions between (seemingly) solid and predictable realities. When everything is okay you are not aware of them. Eventually something triggers a crisis and you have to do something or make some choices. Howyou do this is just as important as what you do. Keep equanimity as your guiding principle, your pole star. If you have a cultural framework, that might help. It will give you prescribed ways to act and guidelines as to how to proceed. But many of us don’t have this. We are outside formal religions or traditions. The number one rule for those of us without a cultural framework is: DON’T PANIC. Don’t make any impulsive sudden moves. If you stay focused on detail, there is a part of you that knows what to do. In this chapter we will help you to understand this. Try not to lose your attention, your good intentions or your equilibrium. You and your loved one will certainly be okay.
Entering The Transitional
Space
Though nothing looks small when you
are going through it, the “smaller” life crises are precious
opportunities where we can “practice” how we will act when faced
with larger, more dramatic transitions in our lives.
Bardos (these times of transition) are also opportunities. Because they are periods of transition, each bardo is an opening or gap in our seemingly solid reality, presenting us with the potential to change; to transform our attitude, choose a fresh direction, or, through meditation, to release our grasp on the material world and discover, when we turn inward, the innermost essence of our being, which is unchanging and deathless, our true nature of mind. (Christine Longaker Facing Death and Finding Hope: A Guide to the Emotional and Spiritual Care of the Dying p29)
When you enter someone’s space,
whether in crisis or not, the first thing to do is assess the
situation. Try to blend with the tone and mood of the room. If you
make a conscious effort to do this, you’ll be surprised how much you
instantly learn. Try to match the manner, voice, pitch, subject and
tone of those who are in the room so there is very little observable
difference made by your presence. Don’t make too big a deal about
this…don’t make yourself look morose; just fit in seamlessly.
Often we will enter a room where
someone is upset, the situation is emotionally charged or there is
conflict. Here are some questions that might be helpful at this time,
addressed to those in the room as appropriate.
What do you think is
happening right now?
How does it seem to you?
If this were happening to
you, what would you like to have happen right now?
Did you talk about what
could happen?
Do you know of anything he
would like you to do or say?
Is there anything that you
would like me to do?
Is there anything you would
like to ask or say?
Is there anything that I
can do for you?
This set of questions will draw the attention of the participants away from emotional manifestations to focus on the details of what is actually happening. You (and they) won’t be immune to the emotions, but you’ll be able to stay focused on the questions in spite of what you’re feeling. Let the answers guide your responses. You may find that things are not as bad as they seem. You may hear a hidden message from someone in the room about what he or she really wants. This is not unusual in these situations, so make sure that you listen to the actual answers!
I keep a list of these questions printed up (small and laminated) in my wallet for day to day use. This gives me some direction in a modern day ritual for dealing with crisis.
This may be a good way to “start the conversation” a phrase taken from a groundbreaking, highly recommended book that was written by Ganga Stone in the 1990s: Start the Conversation.
“Combining Eastern spiritualism with Western science, the founder of the national charity God’s Love We Deliver creates an inspiring, practical, and hopeful approach to facing death. Uplifting without being sentimental, Stone explores such important issues as fear and grief, near-death experiences, survival, and preparation for death.”(Grandcentralpublishing.com). Thank you Doug Truth for posting the above article.
