Here I share some basic information and resources about the Tibetan Buddhist view of death as a unique spiritual opportunity. I have personally found this information to be helpful, and so offer it to anyone who may also find it beneficial.

Tibetan Buddhist teachings offer guidance about the unique circumstances that death provides to free oneself from suffering and realize the most subtle, profound and innate nature of consciousness. This is because when the solid elements of the body are no longer animated, it becomes easier to rest awareness in the most subtle level of consciousness that is usually ignored or obscured due to more concrete experiences of the sense organs and brain. Specifically it is said that when awareness separates from the inanimate body, there naturally occurs an experience of pure awareness, devoid of phenomena and primordially pure. Recognizing this primordial purity can lead to liberation from confusion, suffering and involuntary rebirth.

Clearly these teachings assume that subtle aspects of awareness and consciousness do exist in living beings and continue after death. They also assume that whatever continues through death then takes some kind of form again in rebirth, unless there is recognition of this most subtle level of the nature of phenomena. Whether or how one recognizes the special opportunity death provides when bodily elements dissolve – or whether one is able to take advantage of it at the time of death and during the 49 days afterwards – depends entirely upon the individual, her/his karma and training of mind and heart.

It is believed, however, that there can be benefit to familiarizing oneself while alive with this potential opportunity, so as to be more prepared to recognize what happens during and after death. This information may also allow one to be of greater benefit when accompanying those who are dying. Below are links to some resources and materials that provide more detail.

The Tibetan Buddhist view of death – how do I learn more about it?

The Bardo Thodol (often translated as Tibetan Book of the Dead or Tibetan Book of Liberation Upon Hearing) is the profound, revered and authoritative source of traditional Tibetan Buddhist teachings about what happens before, during and after one dies. There are many good translations in English. Below are listed one complete and one short and summarized version that I have found helpful. The second also has some introductory explanations for non-Buddhists.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead, First Complete Translation (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition), Edited by Graham Coleman and Thupten Jinpa, Translated by Gyurme Dorje, Commentaries by H. H. Dalai Lama

Meditations on Living, Dying, and Loss: The Essential Tibetan Book of the Dead, Introduction by Graham Coleman, Edited by Graham Coleman and Thupten Jinpa, Translated by Gyurme Dorje

As an example of the extraordinary guidance from the Bardo Thodol about what happens at various moments during and after death, here is the quotation offering instruction to the dying person before respiration ceases: “Oh Child of Buddha Nature (call the name of the dying person), the time has now come for you to seek a path. As soon as your respiration ceases, the luminosity known as the “inner radiance of the first intermediate state”, which your spiritual teacher previously introduced to you, will arise. Immediately your respiration ceases, all phenomena will become empty and utterly naked like space. At the same time, a naked awareness will arise, not extraneous to yourself, but radiant, empty, and without horizon or centre. At that moment you should personally recognize this intrinsic nature and rest in the state of that experience. I, too, will introduce it to you at that time.” (p. 228, The Tibetan Book of the Dead translated by Gyurme Dorje, edited by Graham Coleman with Thupten Jinpa, Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition, 2007).

Transitional Life Care is a very accessible website with a wealth of information about the Tibetan Buddhist view of death. It is a Vajrayana Buddhist education and support program offering spiritual resources for the end of life transition. Here are links to just a few of the excellent resources from their website: a) Stages of dissolution of elements in the body at the time of death; b) Talk by Tsoknyi Rinpoche about recognizing the nature of mind at the time of death: The Bardo of Luminosity – A Teaching by Tsoknyi Rinpoche; and an excellent list of c) suggested reading.

Another resource is this beautiful handout from Tibetan Buddhist master H. E. Dza Kilung Rinpoche and the Pema Kilaya Death and Dying Project: FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Information to Help Your Loved One Who is Dying or Dead . It can be found within this larger free booklet from the same source: Inspiration and Guidance for Death and Dying.

In my personal effort to understand the profound Bardo Thodol text, I have summarized 4 key instructions for myself, so that I can remember them more easily. These also may be helpful to say to those who are dying or dead. HERE are the 4 points in a document I wrote that also offers some other reflections, as well as quotations from the Bardo Thodol that can be read to the dying or recently dead.

Another helpful book based on the Tibetan Buddhist perspective, written for non-Buddhists and Buddhist alike, is Preparing to Die by Andrew Holecek

Do you have a Spiritual Will or Advance Spiritual Directive – how to make one?

Whether or not you find the Tibetan Buddhist view of death helpful or resonant, please consider what kind of spiritual support you would ideally like for yourself at the time of death, support that is in keeping with your spiritual beliefs. Just as we can write a financial will or make an advance directive about healthcare choices, we can also write spiritual requests regarding our dying and share it with our family, friends and caregivers. Sometimes this is called a “spiritual will” or “advance spiritual directive.” It might include: —requests about which prayers, readings, mantras or spiritual practices you may wish to hear or have done before, during, and/or after your death; —who to contact and request to be with you as your spiritual counsel or spiritual friends when you are dying; —what type of environment, pictures, music or silence you want around you to support your transition from this life in keeping with your spiritual beliefs.

Here is a link to a 15 min talk I gave about this topic in 2022: Ideas for making a Spiritual Will