BUDDHISM & PARANORMAL IN RELATION TO DEATH
In the coming months I will be researching the correlation with the Paranormal and Buddhism. In other words, I will find all the related material that will help us (the paranormal investigators) to understand the afterlife and have a better perspective and to be able to recognize the signs given by the Tibetan Buddhists teachers throughout the years with respect to death and transition.
For more paranormal information please visit www.paranormalawarenesssociety.org
Glossary
Bardo: In Tibetan Buddhism, an intermediate state of existence, usually referring to the state between life and rebirth.
"The Buddhist view is that each living being has a continuity or stream of consciousness that moves from one life to the next. Each being has had countless previous lives and will continue to be reborn again and again without control unless he/she develops his/her mind to the point where, like the yogis mentioned above, he/she gains control over this process. When the stream of consciousness or mind moves from one life to the next it brings with it the karmic imprints or potentialities from previous lives. Karma literally means "action", and all of the actions of body, speech and mind leave an imprint on the mind-stream. These karmas can be negative, positive or neutral, depending on the action. They can ripen at any time in the future, whenever conditions are suitable. These karmic seeds or imprints are never lost.
At the time of death (clear light stage) the consciousness (very subtle mind) leaves the body and the person takes the body of an intermediate state being. They are in the form that they will take in their next life (some texts say the previous life), but in a subtle rather than a gross form. As mentioned previously, it can take up to forty-nine days to find a suitable place of rebirth. This rebirth is propelled by karma and is uncontrolled. In effect the karma of the intermediate state being matches that of its future parents. The intermediate state being has the illusory appearance of its future parents copulating. It is drawn to this place by the force of attraction to its parent of the opposite sex, and it is this desire that causes the consciousness of the intermediate state being to enter the fertilized ovum. This happens at or near the time of conception and the new life has begun." Read more on: http://www.buddhanet.net/deathtib.htm
Hungry Ghosts or Petras: In the Buddhist religion, hungry ghosts are beings who experience continuous frustration and unsatisfied hunger. They seem to be attached to their worldly material possessions they once had, including their homes and other places, and when they pass away their suffering continues and no matter how much they have or they eat they are never satisfied.
Peaceful and Wrathful Deity
Departing from this world is a fact that all living beings will have to face sooner or later. In other words, death is certain. In spite of its certainty, most people would rather not think about it because death is considered inauspicious. However, Buddhists view it differently.
Buddhism teaches that when there is birth, there will be death. When the body dies, the consciousness lives on. The process of death can be a terrifying experience to those unprepared. It can also be a blissful opportunity for the consciousness to attain liberation from sufferings, provided that the consciousness can recognise the experiences at the Bardo (Intermediate) stages that occur between the moment of death and the beginning of another existence at a higher plane.
Therefore, one should be adequately prepared to recognize and seize the opportunity of liberation when it appears in the Bardo stages.
There are three (3) ways by which the consciousness can attain Liberation during the Bardo stages.
The three ways are ;
1. hearing the Bardo teaching and mantra;
2. touching the Bardo Mandala; and
3. seeing the Bardo deities: Amitabha Buddha and the many Bodisattvas who are loving and compassionate (above Thanka).
| In the Tibetan traditions, when a person dies, it is common to request lamas to perform the Phowa or read the Bardo text for the consciousness of the deceased to hear. A Mandala blanket is also placed on the body. (The first and the second ways) |
surrounded by the 100 peaceful
and wrathful deities of the Bardo
In the event that Lamas are not available, the best option is to place a Mandala blanket containing Mandalas, charkas and mantras on the body so that the different Mandalas on the blanket come into contact with the different vital points on the body. The Mandala blanket, thus used, helps the consciousness to attain liberation by touch. (The second way)
| To Tibetan Buddhists, Mandala blanket is an absolutely necessary item. A Mandala Blanket is made for every newborn. Tibetan Buddhists believe that by acknowledging and owning a Blanket in their lifetime, they form a link with the deities they will face during death. Tibetan Buddhists further believe that owning a Mandala blanket brings about longevity and good fortune during life. The blanket is normally kept under the Shrine table or in any clean place and is revered almost like a deity.
There is a common Tibetan saying that the only possession that one takes along when one dies is the Mandala blanket and nothing else. |
It is said that when the body is covered with the Mandala blanket, the consciousness will be at peace and will pass through the process of death peacefully. When all the conditions are correct, it gives the consciousness an opportunity to be liberated. The fear that is associated with the dying process is removed.
of the Bardo after death (Nyingma)
Credit: http://www.geocities.com/tdspj/project/blanket.html
More information on the Bardo
(Please click on desired link below)
Deth and Dying in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition
Videos
Tibetan Book of the Dead - Part 1
Tibetan Book of the Dead - Part 2
The Tibetan Book of the Dead - A Way of Life, Part I
The Tibetan Book of the Dead - A Way of Life, Part II
The Tibetan Book of the Dead - A Way of Life, Part III
The Tibetan Book of the Dead - A Way of Life, Part IV
The Tibetan Book of the Dead - A Way of Life, Part V
Books
BOOKS ON BARDO TEACHINGS FROM AMAZON.COM
| Bardo guidebook | Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche |
| Bardo teachings | Ven. Lama Lodru |
| The Tibetan Book of the Dead | Chogyam Trungpa |
| Bardo | Krandall Kraus |
| Bardo | Suzanne Paola |
| The Tibetan Book of the Dead | Karma-Glin-Pa |
| The Tibetan Book of the Dead | Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup |
| The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying | Sogyal Rinpoche |
HUNGRY GHOSTS
The Realm of the Hungry Ghosts
Next to the realm of hell are groups of ungainly creatures huddled together. Their distended bodies are the color of smoke, and they appear insubstantial as if made of mist. Their arms and legs are spindly and frail and their heads are carried on long, thin necks, while their bellies are bloated, sagging masses which their legs can barely support. Tiny mouths, no thicker than a needle, are topped by wide, staring eyes, filled with pain and longing signified by their red color.
These pathetic creatures are obsessed with perpetual hunger and an unquenchable thirst. They stagger on their feeble limbs in search of sustenance. Driven by their overwhelming hunger and thirst, the hungry ghosts live out their lives for no other purpose than food and drink. Their weak limbs and pinhole mouths make it almost impossible for them to gain any sustenance. No matter what they acquire it is not sufficient for them, and leaves them unsatisfied, panting for more. Even if they get what they want it gives them little pleasure. No matter what they possess, they always feel that there is something missing. Thus this realm is the personification of the mind in which craving predominates. The human hungry ghost is the miser who lives for his money, the collector who is never content with what he has but must have more.
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