MIND BEYOND DEATH

by Dzogchen Ponlop

SNOW
ITHACA, NEW YORK'

LION

PUBLICATIONS
COLORADO

BOULDER,

Table of Contents

Foreword by Khenpo Tsiiltrim Gyamtso Rinpoche Foreword by Venerable Alak Zenkar Rinpoche Tibetan English Editor's Note Introduction: Gambling with the Lord of Death
1. THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

xv
XVll XXlll
XXIX

9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 23 25
BARDO OF THIS LIFE

The Bardo Teachings What Is Bardo? Conceptual and Essence Bardos The Fork in the Road Trapped in Time Neither Here nor There Day-to-day Business Overwhelming Emotions Message From the Lineage Classifications of the Bardos

Sources of the Bardo Teachings The Six Root Verses of the Six Bardos
2. PURE DELUSION: THE NATURAL

27 28 30 32 34

The Dance of Appearances Pure and Impure Appearances Embodied Mind The Three Stages of the Path

viii

Mind Beyond Death

The Stage of StUdy The Stage of Contemplation Practicesfor the Stage of Contemplation Befriending Intense Emotions The Stage of Meditation Foundational Practices: Training and Purification Settling the Mind: The Three Postures The Actual Practice: Padmasambhava's Instructions for Shamatha Shamatha with External Object Shamatha with White Bindu Visualization Shamatha with Red Bindu Visualization Shamatha without Object Deity raga Setting a Specific Intention For Only So Long 3. WAKING THE DREAMER: THE BARDO OF DREAM Appearance-Emptiness Impure and Pure Dreams Entering the Dream State Continuation of ConfUsion Waking Up in the Dream Training in the Illusory Body Training in Dream raga Training in Luminosity raga Fruition of Training Dreams and Dreamers Looking at the Dream Looking at the Dreamer Looking at the Time Span Lighting a Torch in the Darkness
4. MASTERING THE MIND: THE BARDO OF MEDITATION

36 38 39 42 43 45 46 49 50 51 51 52 54 56 58 61 62 65 65 66 67 68 77 86 87 89 89 90 90 92 95 96

for Our Practice

Meditation as Bardo

Contents

ix

Vipashyana Domesticating Wild Mind Stages of Training in Selflessness Pointing-out Mind's Nature Looking Directly at Mind Gaining Certainty in Liberation Three Words That Strike the Vital Point Dzogchen's Four Great Modes of Liberation Taking the Message of Liberation Accepting and Rejecting Self-existing Wisdom Letting Go of Freedom The Nature of All Guarding Awareness to Heart

97 99 100 103 104 107 107 108 110 111 113 114 115 116 117 118
BARDO OF DYING

Path of Skillful Means Connecting the Bardos of Life and Death

5. EVAPORATING REALITY: THE PAINFUL

119 121 122 125 126 126 129 134 139 141 141 142 143 147 153 154 155 156

Attachment

to This Life

Three Capacities of Practitioners Preparing For Death Dissolving of the Elements Coarse and Subtle Bodies The Coarse Dissolution Process The Subtle Dissolution Process The Stages of Luminosity Practices For Dying Path of Devotion Recognizing a Last Chance The Practice of Phowa Methods of Transformation Sudden Death All Practices Are Phowa Planning our Last Thought Looking Ahead Aiming for the Highest

157

Mind Beyond Death

6. EGO LESS JOURNEY: THE LUMINOUS BARDO OF DHARMATA Exploring New Experiences

161 162 163 163 166 168 169 169 173 174 183 184 185 187 187 187 188 190 191 193 194 195 195 195 196

Dharmakaya Luminosity: The Luminosity of No Appearance Ground Luminosity: The Wisdom of Dharmata Meeting of Mother and Child Luminosities Searching for Home Auspicious Causes and Conditions Generating Samadhi Mind Sambhogakaya Luminosity: The Luminosity Spontaneously Arising Luminosity The Four Wisdom Lights The Light of Buddha Activity Visions of Spontaneous Presence of Appearance

Taking the Bardo of Dharmata onto the Path Looking at the Nature of Mind Visualization of the Hundred Deities Taking Taking Taking Taking Taking Knowing Light as the Path Sound as the Path Pain and Sickness as the Path Delight and Misery as the Path Emotions as the Path the Territory

The Two Kayas of the Bardo of Dharmata Over in an Instant Arriving at the Next Destination 7. To BE OR NOT To BE: THE KARMIC BARDO OF BECOMING Nirmanakaya Luminosity Unceasing Appearances Reemergence of ConfUsion The Miraculous Power of Karmic Mind Creating Auspicious Connections Dawning of the Six Realms Becoming: Qualities of the Six Realms

199 200 201 203 204 205 208 210

Contents

Xl

Practices for Becoming

Creation Stage Practices Completion Stage Practices Transforming Through Renunciation Plan A and Plan B Vajrayana View of Practice View of Creation Stage View of Completion Stage Mind Beyond Death

217 218 222 224 225 226 228 232 233 237

Editors' Acknowledgments Appendix I: The Sutra on Wisdom for the Time of Death Tibetan English
Appendix II: Vajra Songs of Realization All These Forms The Eight Cases of Basic Goodness Not To Be Shunned Guru Rinpoche Prayer Seven Delights Dedication The Six Bardos by Rechungpa Appendix III: Two Poems by Dzogchen A Reminder To Myself Heaven Ponlop Rinpoche

239 241 243 243 244 246 248 250 251 253 253 254 255 256 257 259 261 263 267

Appendix IV: Looking Back: The Purpose of N gondro The VajrayanaRoller Coaster Purposeof Ngondro The Four TctntraNgondro Practices An Important Point Appendix V: The Stages of Dissolution Appendix VI: The Hundred Peaceful and Wrathful Deities Notes Glossary

271 275

xii

Mind Beyond Death

Suggested Reading TraditionalTexts ContemporaryCommentaries Audio and Video Tapes Nalandabodhi Centers Illustration Credits

297 297 297 298 299

303 305

Index

List of Illustrations

Reclining Buddha: The Sleeping Lion Posture Diagram of Channels and Chakras of the Subtle Body
Syllables HAM and ASHE

78 127 138

Color illustration insert following page I6o: Guru Padmasambhava

Plate 1

Samantabhadra and Samantabhadri: Peaceful Manifestation of the Primordial Buddha Mahottara Heruka and Krodheshvari: Wrathful Manifestation of the Primordial Buddha Shitro Thangka: Peaceful and Wrathful Deities

Plate 2

Plate 3

Plate 4

Foreword
KHENPO TSULTRIM GYAMTSO RINPOCHE

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1q~'~~'q~'q~'~'d-1~'qQ,'o,~~'q~~11

THERE IS NOTHING IN BETWEEN, SO THE BARDO DOES NOT EXIST-A VERSE

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~~~.~t;.~~~.~.t;'~'~~'~Q,'~~1 ~.~~~.~~.t13t;'~'i!~'~~'s~'~~1

Birth and death have no essence, So in between those two is merely the unborn, free from fabrication. Self and other have no essence, So in between those two is merely the unborn, free from fabrication.
~ .ov-''' -:t:f." .ov-';:' .-!~f~~~'~'~~'~~~'~'~d:)'~~'~'d:)~'~~'1~'~~'
.ov-'

i!.ov-'.ov-' ~.~~~.~~.t;1~.~t;.~.

t!~'~11
Spoken extemporaneously by Khenpo Tsitltrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, Karma Drubdey Gonpa, Bhutan, October 9, 2006.

Translated by Ari Goldfield.