The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

Samsara, in Buddhist philosophy, denotes the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, a perpetual wandering through existences characterized by suffering and driven by ignorance, desire, and aversion. In The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, samsara is the existential backdrop against which the journey of the soul is articulated. The work explores the ways in which understanding and ultimately liberating oneself from samsara can lead to a state beyond suffering—nirvana.

Bardos is a term derived from Tibetan Buddhism. It appears in the title of the seminal work Bardo Thodol (The Tibetan Book of the Dead). Bardos refer to the intermediate states between death and rebirth. Within Rinpoche’s The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, bardos are pivotal phases of transition, offering the opportunity for spiritual realization and liberation. Through detailed guidance on navigating the bardos provided in the Bardo Thodol, Rinpoche encouraging a more careful approach to death and to the potential for enlightenment inherent in every moment of existence.

Rigpa is a central term in Dzogchen (a system of meditations in Tibetan Buddhism aimed at reaching enlightenment) referring to the innate, pure awareness at the heart of consciousness. Rigpa is contrasted with the nature of the ordinary mind. In The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Rigpa is presented as the foundational nature of the mind, the ultimate state of being that transcends the cycle of samsara. Rinpoche emphasizes the importance of recognizing and cultivating Rigpa through meditation and spiritual practice during one’s life so that one can prepare for the death process, when liberation through Rigpa becomes possible.

Tonglen is the Tibetan term for “giving and receiving” (197). In Chapter 12 of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Rinpoche teaches that Tonglen is a compassion-centered meditative practice where one mentally takes on the suffering of others through the inhalation and sends them happiness through the exhalation. The practice of Tonglen is used as a method to cultivate compassion and provide aid during life’s challenging moments, particularly during the dying process. Tonglen also helps those who assist the dying in coming to terms with their own emotions and to transcend the focus on their own ego in order to approach the dying with compassion.

Ground Luminosity or Clear Light in Tibetan Buddhism is the essential nature of everything. It is a state of being that underlies everything, including human experience, thoughts, and emotions. Ground Luminosity appears to the dying as a bright light after the moment of death. In The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, recognizing this luminosity at the moment of death is crucial for liberation, as it presents an opportunity to merge the innate nature of reality with our conscious experience. This recognition and merging are pivotal practices for transcending the delusion of samsara and embracing the continuous presence of Rigpa, the ultimate awareness.

Dzogchen, often referred to as the “Great Perfection” in Tibetan Buddhism (155), is the direct realization of the mind’s inherent nature, Rigpa, as the path to enlightenment. Dzogchen is a state as well as a system of meditation which focuses on recognizing and maintaining the natural, primordial state of being beyond conceptual understanding. In The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Rinpoche presents Dzogchen as a method for understanding the nature of mind and reality, especially relevant in navigating the bardos, or transitional states.