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    Life in Relation to Death: Second Edition
    Life in Relation to Death: Second Edition
    Life in Relation to Death: Second Edition
    Ebook60 pages1 hour

    Life in Relation to Death: Second Edition

    By Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche

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    About this ebook

    Since its original publication in 1987, this book has fulfilled the wish of Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche that it provide brief but profound instructions on preparing for death. Because it is short and accessible, it has been read by a wide range of people, many of whom have commented that it is a book they feel comfortable giving to their elderly parents or to friends who are dealing with life-threatening illnesses.

    A rich array of literature about the transitions of death is now available from Buddhists and teachers in other traditions, as well as from hospice workers, counselors, and memoir writers. Life in Relation to Death maintains its place among these writings by the practicality of its advice and by the powerful, beneficial intention of Chagdud Rinpoche.

    The publication of this second edition created an opportunity to include some additional practical information. To that end, although the original text remains essentially unchanged, four appendixes containing sample documents have been added. The first is a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, the second a Living Will for life-support treatment, the third miscellaneous statements related to the two preceding documents, and the fourth a letter of instructions from a Buddhist practitioner regarding final arrangements.

    Working through the decisions about life-support treatment in order to write a living will allows us to rehearse possible scenarios of dying and transform them into a powerful recognition of impermanence. Our compassion turns to those who die in a coma with their choices left unexpressed, helpless if their preferences are violated. Once we have written our instructions for life-support treatment, we can face the possibilities of the dying process—including medical emergencies or coma states—with greater confidence. We know we have done what we can, and even if our instructions were not followed precisely, it would not be because of our own lack of foresight.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateJan 10, 2000
    ISBN9781881847502
    Life in Relation to Death: Second Edition

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      Book preview

      Life in Relation to Death - Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche

      Published by Padma Publishing

      P.O. Box 279, Junction City, CA 96048-0279

      www.tibetantreasures.com

      © Padma Publishing 1987

      Second edition 2000; Reprinted 2006; eBook 2015

      Printed in the United States of America

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

      Library of Congress catalog card number: 99-044722

      ISBN: 978-1-881847-11-3 (Softcover, 94 pages)

      ISBN: 978-1-881847-50-2 (eBook)

      Contents

      Preface to the First Edition

      Introduction

      The Twofold Truth: Relative and Absolute

      Karma and Death

      The Dying Process

      Daily Meditation on Death

      The Transition from Death to Rebirth

      P’howa: Transference of Consciousness at the Moment of Death

      Conclusion

      Afterword to the Second Edition

      Appendixes: Documenting Your Wishes

      Preface to the First Edition

      THIS BOOK IS BASED ON A LECTURE given in Salem, Oregon, under the sponsorship of the Growth Place. Those who attended that lecture came from a variety of spiritual and intellectual disciplines to explore the topic of death from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective.

      Every religion has its own teachings on the nature of death and its own methods for dealing with the death transition. My teachings come from an unbroken lineage of Buddhist meditation masters that extends back more than 2,500 years to Shakyamuni Buddha. The teachings of these masters have enduring relevance, because they are based on actual meditative insights into the passage of death and because they consistently relate death to life.

      Buddhist masters see death not as an isolated event but as one more change in a never-ending cycle of changes. Those who hear Tibetan Buddhist teachings on death have the fortunate opportunity to learn to use their mind’s power to direct these changes and to gain control over their lives—and over death. Death is a potent reminder to use life well.

      The original lecture transcript has been reworked to clarify and expand certain points. A number of my students have helped in the preparation of this book, but special acknowledgment goes to Tsering Everest, who translated the original lecture.

      Just as I hope that those at the lecture took home something of value that they could integrate into their own disciplines, so it is my heartfelt wish that you, likewise, will find this book useful in thinking about your life and preparing for your death. Beyond this, it is my wish that any positive influence these teachings may have on your mind expand outwardly as pure waves of compassion toward all others.

      — Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche

      Cottage Grove, Oregon

      Spring 1987

      Introduction

      DEATH AND DYING IS A SUBJECT that evokes such deep and disturbing emotions that we usually try to live in denial of death. Yet we could die tomorrow, completely unprepared and helpless. The time of death is uncertain but the truth of death is not. All who are born will certainly die.

      People often make the mistake of being frivolous about death and think, Oh, well, death happens to everybody. It’s not a big deal, it’s natural. I’ll be fine.

      This is a nice theory until one is dying. Then experience and theory differ. Then one is powerless and everything familiar is lost. One is overwhelmed by a great turbulence of fear, disorientation, and confusion. For this reason it is essential to prepare well in advance for the moment when the mind and body separate.

      There are many methods, extraordinary and ordinary, to prepare for the transformation of death. The greatest of these results in enlightenment in one’s lifetime. In enlightenment,

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