Table Of Content“A remarkably lucid distillation of Tibetan Buddhist teachings on how
the state of our minds in life affects the nature and quality of our
experiences in death. The result is a provocative and surprisingly
compelling work that will appeal to beginners and advanced
practitioners alike.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A healing treasure from Tulku Thondup: a clear, complete, and
compassionate guidebook to the journey through life, dying, death, and
beyond. Drawing on an extraordinary range of sources, including the
Tibetan near-death experiences, he shows to what extent the quality of
our life, death, and rebirth all depend upon the mind.”
—Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
“Tulku Thondup has opened this vast treasury of knowledge in a clear,
simple, and powerful way for the modern audience.”
—Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, author of Turning the Mind into an
Ally
“Tulku Thondup explains fully and clearly each stage of the process
that leads from this life to the next. The book contains a valuable
section devoted to the care and support of those who are approaching
death, and includes a selection of meditations and rituals that may be
used to help the dying and the dead, which will be of great benefit to
many people.”
—Francesca Fremantle, author of Luminous Emptiness:
Understanding the Tibetan Book of the Dead
ABOUT THE BOOK
Buddhism teaches that death can be a springboard to enlightenment—
yet for all but the most advanced meditators, it will be the gateway to
countless future lives of suffering in samsara. Tulku Thondup wrote
this guide to help us heal our fear and confusion about death and
strengthen our practice in anticipation of this transition, and to help us
realize the enlightened goal of ultimate peace and joy—not only for
death and rebirth, but for this very lifetime. In simple language, he
distills a vast range of sources, including scriptures, classic
commentaries, oral teachings, and firsthand accounts. The book
includes:
An audio program of guided meditations
An overview of the dying process, the afterdeath bardo states, and teachings
on why, where, and how we take rebirth
Accounts by Tibetan “near-death experiencers” (delogs), who returned from
death with amazing reports of their visions
Ways to train our minds during life, so that at death, all the phenomena
before us will arise as a world of peace, joy, and enlightenment
Simple meditations, prayers, and rituals to benefit the dead and dying
Advice for caregivers, helpers, and survivors of the dying
This edition includes an audio program providing guided
instructions by the author on how to visualize Amitabha Buddha in the
Pure Realm; how to receive his blessings; how to visualize
transforming your body into light and sound at the time of death; how
to share the blessings with compassion for all sentient beings; and how
to rest in oneness. By becoming intimate with this practice while we're
alive, we can alleviate our fear of death, improve our appreciation of
this life, and prepare for death in a very practical way, while planting
the seeds for rebirth in the Pure Land.
TULKU THONDUP RINPOCHE was born in East Tibet and was
recognized to be a tulku at age five. He studied at Tibet’s famed
Dodrupchen Monastery, settling in India in 1958, and teaching for
many years in its universities. He came to the United States in 1980 as
a visiting scholar at Harvard University. For the past three decades he
has lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he writes, translates,
and teaches under the auspices of the Buddhayana Foundation. His
numerous books include The Healing Power of Mind, which has now
been published in eighteen languages, and Boundless Healing, which
has been published in eleven languages.
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Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth
A Tibetan Buddhist Guidebook
Tulku Thondup
Edited by Harold Talbott
SHAMBHALA
Boston & London
2012
SHAMBHALA PUBLICATIONS, INC.
Horticultural Hall
300 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
www.shambhala.com
© 2005 by Tulku Thondup Rinpoche
The Buddhayana Foundation Series X. Audio post-production of guided-meditation recording by Heart
Punch Studio, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.
The Library of Congress catalogues the previous edition of this book as follows:
Thondup, Tulku.
Peaceful death, joyful rebirth: a Tibetan Buddhist guidebook / Tulku Thondup; edited by Harold Talbott.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
eISBN 978-0-8348-2498-0
ISBN 978-1-59030-182-1 (hardcover: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-59030-385-6 (paperback)
1. Death—Religious aspects—Buddhism. 2. Funeral rites and ceremonies, Buddhist—China—Tibet. 3.
Intermediate state—Buddhism.
I. Talbott, Harold. II. Title.
BQ4487.T56 2005
294.3′423—dc22
2004017594
The true nature of life and death is peaceful and joyful.
The true world of peace and joy is the Blissful Pure Land.
The true source of bliss and blessing is the Infinite Light.
The true heart of you and me is the blessing light.
Contents
Acknowledgments
About This Book
INTRODUCTION: DEATH IS NOT THE END
What Happens at Death?
Karma, the Natural Law of Causality
The Cycle of Life, Death, and Afterdeath
Glimpses of the Bardo
Taking Rebirth
Transforming Our Future
Ceremonies for the Dead and Dying
The Death of a Great Teacher
1. HUMAN LIFE: OUR PRECIOUS DAYS
What Is Our Real Nature?
Why Meditate?
Precious Human Life Is Rare
Life Is Impermanent
Using Impermanence to Dissolve Negative Emotions
Life Is Created by Karmic Causality
The Root of Karma Is Grasping at “Self”
How Does Karma Form?
Going Beyond Karmic Causality
Is Life an Illusion?
The Importance of Understanding Karma
Life Is Full of Miseries
Suffering: The First Noble Truth
The Great Potential of Life
2. DYING: THE CRUCIAL HOUR OF LIFE
The Process of Dying
The Elements and Energies of the Human Body
The Dissolution of the Elements
Three Inner Dissolutions
What Should We Do When Dying?
Delog Accounts of the Experience of Dying
Dissolving Energies: The Experience of Karma Wangdzin
Make Merits for Me: The Experience of Lingza Chokyi
Have the Lords of Death Come to Fetch Me?: The
Experience of Denma Sangye Seng-ge
Cloudless Sky–Like Luminosity: The Experience of Dagpo
Trashi Namgyal
Perceptions of Dying: The Experience of Samten Chotso
Unique Among Delogs: The Experience of Dawa Drolma
Mind Traveling without Hindrance: The Experience of
Gyalwa Yungtrung
Intrinsic Awareness: The Experience of Tsophu Dorlo
Her Wisdom-Mind Became Clear: The Experience of
Shugseb Jetsun Lochen
The Dark Demon Departs: The Experience of Tagla
Konchog Gyaltsen
Don’t Panic!: The Experience of Changchub Seng-ge
Don’t Be Afraid—Be Prepared
3. THE ULTIMATE NATURE: GLIMPSES OF THE LUMINOSITY
The Ultimate Nature Experienced at Death
Delog Accounts of the Passage of Ultimate Nature
Spontaneously Present Light: The Experience of Lingza
Chokyi
A Bodiless Body of Light: The Experience of Dagpo Trashi
Namgyal
Visions of Ultimate Nature: The Experience of Tsophu Dorlo
In the Womb of a Body of Light: The Experience of Samten
Chotso
Instructions to Helpers: The Experience of Changchub Seng-
ge
Description:Buddhism teaches that death can be a springboard to enlightenment—yet for all but the most advanced meditators, it will be the gateway to countless future lives of suffering in samsara. Tulku Thondup wrote this guide to help us heal our fear and confusion about death and strengthen our practice in
