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The issue of facing death in a peaceful manner is a very difficult one. According to common sense, there seems to be two ways of dealing with the problem and the suffering. The first is simply to try to avoid the problem, to put it out of your mind, even though the reality of that problem is still there and it is not minimized. Another way of dealing with this issue is to look directly at the problem and analyse it, make it familiar to you and make it clear that it is a part of all our lives.

I have already touched on the topic of the body and illness. Illness happens. It is not something exceptional; it is part of nature and a fact of life. It happens because the body is there. Of course we have every right to avoid illness and pain, but in spite of that effort, when illness happens it is better to accept it. While you should make every effort to cure it as soon as possible, you should have no extra mental burden. As the great Indian scholar Shantideva has said: ‘If there is a way to overcome the suffering, then there is no need to worry; if there is no way to overcome the suffering, then there is no use in worrying.’ That kind of rational attitude is quite useful.

Now I want to speak about death. Death is a part of all our lives. Whether we like it or not, it is bound to happen. Instead of avoiding thinking about it, it is better to understand its meaning. On the news we often see murders and death, but some people seem to think that death happens only to others, not to themselves. That kind of attitude is wrong. We all have the same body, the same human flesh, and therefore we will all die. There is a big difference, of course, between natural death and accidental death, but basically death will come sooner or later. If from the beginning your attitude is, ‘Yes, death is part of our lives’, then it may be easier to face.

So there are two distinct approaches to dealing with a problem. One is to simply avoid it by not thinking about it. The other, which is much more effective, is to face it directly so that you are already conscious of it. Generally, there are two types of problem or suffering: with one type, it is possible that, by adopting a certain attitude, one will be able to actually reduce the force and level of suffering and anxiety. However, there could be other types of problem and suffering for which adopting a certain type of attitude and way of thinking may not necessarily reduce the level of suffering, but which would still prepare you to face it.

When unfortunate things happen in our lives there are two possible results. One possibility is mental unrest, anxiety, fear, doubt, frustration and eventually depression, and, in the worst case, even suicide. That’s one way. The other possibility is that because of that tragic experience you become more realistic, you become closer to reality. With the power of investigation, the tragic experience may make you stronger and increase your self-confidence and self-reliance. The unfortunate event can be a source of inner strength.

The success of our lives and our futures, as I have said, depends on our individual motivation and determination or self-confidence. Through difficult experiences, life sometimes becomes more meaningful. If you look at people who, from the beginning of their lives, have had everything, you may see that when small things happen they soon lose hope or grow irritated. Others, like the generation of people in England who experienced World War II, have developed stronger mental attitudes as a result of their hardships. I think the person who has had more experience of hardships can stand more firmly in the face of problems than the person who has never experienced suffering. From this angle then, some suffering can be a good lesson for life.

Now is this attitude just a way of deceiving oneself? Personally, I have lost my country and, worse still, in my country there has been a lot of destruction, suffering and unhappiness. I have spent not only the majority of my life but also the best part of my life outside Tibet. If you think of this from that angle alone, there is hardly anything that is positive. But from another angle, you can see that because of these unfortunate things I have had another type of freedom, such as the opportunity of meeting different people from different traditions and also of meeting scientists from different fields. From those experiences my life has been enriched and I have learned many valuable things. So my tragic experiences have also had some valuable aspects.

Looking at problems from these different angles actually lessens the mental burden or mental frustration. From the Buddhist viewpoint, every event has many aspects and naturally one event can be viewed from many, many different angles. It is very rare or almost impossible that an event can be negative from all points of view. Therefore, it is useful when something happens to try to look at it from different angles and then you can see the positive or beneficial aspects. Moreover, if something happens, it is very useful immediately to make a comparison with some other event or with the events of other people or other nations. This is also very helpful in sustaining your peace of mind.

I will now explain, as a Buddhist monk, how to deal with death. Buddha taught the principles of the Four Noble Truths, the first of which is the Truth of Suffering. The Truth of Suffering is taught within the context of three characteristics of existence, the first being impermanence. When talking about the nature of impermanence we must bear in mind that there are two levels. One is the coarse level, which is quite obvious and is the cessation of the continuation of a life or an event. But the impermanent nature which is being taught in relation to the Four Noble Truths refers to the more subtle aspect of impermanence, which is the transitory nature of existence.

Buddha’s teaching of the more subtle aspects of the impermanent nature of existence aims at establishing an appreciation of the basic unsatisfactory nature of our existence. If you understand the nature of impermanence correctly, you will understand that it reveals that any existents which are causally produced, that is, which come about as a result of causes and conditions, entirely depend on causes and conditions for their existence.

Not only that, but the very causes and conditions which have produced them also bring about the disintegration and cessation of those very entities. So, within the seed of the cause of events is the seed for their cessation and disintegration. When this is related to the understanding of the impermanent nature of our own aggregates, the body and mind, then here the cause refers to our own ignorant state of mind, which is the root of our existence, and this reveals that our very physical existence, our bodily existence, is very much governed by the force of an ignorant state of mind.

But it is by first reflecting upon the coarser levels of impermanence that one is eventually led to an appreciation of the subtle levels of impermanence. And by this, one will be able to confront and counteract grasping at permanence or eternal existence of one’s own identity or self, because it is this grasping at permanence that forces us to cling onto this very ‘now-ness’ or matters of one’s lifetime alone. By releasing the grip of this grasping and enduring within us, we will be in a better position to appreciate the value of working for our future lifetimes.

One of the reasons why awareness of death and impermanence is so crucial in the Buddhist religious practice is that it is considered that your state of mind at the time of death has a very great effect on determining what form of rebirth you might take. Whether it is a positive state of mind or a negative one will have a great effect. Therefore, Buddhist religious practice greatly emphasizes the importance of the awareness of death and impermanence.

Although the main purpose of a high degree of awareness of impermanence is to train oneself so that at the time of death one will be in a virtuous and positive state of mind and will be assured of a positive rebirth, there are other benefits. One of the positive side-effects of maintaining a very high degree of awareness of death is that it will prepare the individual to such an extent that, when the individual actually faces death, he or she will be in a better position to maintain his or her presence of mind. Especially in Tantric Buddhism, it is considered that the state of mind which one experiences at the point of death is extremely subtle and, because of the subtlety of the level of that consciousness, it also has a great power and impact upon one’s mental continuum. So in Tantric practices we find a lot of emphasis placed on deathrelated meditations and also reflections upon the process of death, so that the individual at the time of death not only retains his or her presence of mind, but also is in a position to utilize that subtle state of consciousness effectively towards the realization of the path.

It is because of this that we find many Tantric meditations, technically known as the ‘deity yoga meditations’ because they are meditations on deities, involve the dissolution process, reflecting upon the dissolution of elements which the individual experiences at the point of death. In fact, from the Tantric perspective, the entire process of existence is explained in terms of the three stages known as ‘death’, ‘the intermediate state’ and ‘rebirth’. All of these three stages of existence are seen as states or manifestations of the consciousness and the energies that accompany or propel the consciousness, so that the intermediate state and rebirth are nothing other than various levels of the subtle consciousness and energy. An example of such fluctuating states can be found in our daily existence, when during the 24-hour day we go through a cycle of deep sleep, the waking period and the dream state. Our daily existence is in fact characterized by these three stages.

When talking about the distinctions that are made in the Tantric literature between the subtle and gross levels of consciousness and mind, I think it is important to bear in mind what exactly we mean by ‘mental consciousness’. Often people get the impression that when we talk about the sixth mental consciousness there is some kind of autonomous type of consciousness which is totally independent from the bodily states and which is, in a way, the equivalent of the soul. But this is a misunderstanding. I personally think that if we were to examine our mental world we would find that most of our mental states and mental functions have direct physical correlates. Not only the sensory consciousness, but also much of what we would call mental consciousness has physiological bases and is intimately linked with the bodily states, just as scientists would say that the brain and nervous system are the primary physiological bases of much of our conscious experience. Therefore, when the bodily states cease, these mental functions also cease.

But the question really is: what makes it possible for certain physical substances or physiological states to give rise to a mental event or a state of awareness? The Buddhist, particularly the Tantric, explanation points towards what is known as the subtle Clear Light state, which can be seen as independent from a physiological base. And it is this Clear Light state of mind which is the most subtle level of consciousness and which, when it interacts with the physiological base, gives rise to all our conscious and cognitive events.

There are certain indications of the existence of what we call the Clear Light state of mind. There are incidents which generally tend to be more possible for religious practitioners. For instance, among the Tibetan community in exile there have been cases where people have been pronounced clinically dead, that is, their brain function has ceased and the brain is dead but the decomposition of the body has not begun, and they remain in that state for days on end. For instance, my own late tutor, Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, remained in that state for 13 days. He was pronounced clinically dead and he had already experienced the death of the brain, but his body remained fresh and did not decompose for 13 days.

Now there must be some explanation for this. The Buddhist explanation is that, during that state, the individual is not actually dead but rather in the process of dying. Buddhists would explain that although the mind-body relationship may have ceased at the grosser, coarse level, it has not ceased at the subtle level. According to particular Tantric literature known as the Guhyasamaja Tantra, when an individual goes through the process of death, there is a certain process of dissolution. From that dissolution into the Clear Light state there is a reversal cycle and when that cycle reaches a certain stage, a new life begins that is called the rebirth. Then that rebirth remains and the individual again goes through a process of dissolution. In a way, death is at the intervening stage when the elements dissolve into the Clear Light and from there re-arise in another form. So death is nothing other than these intervening points when the individual’s various physiological elements dissolve into the Clear Light point.

As regards the actual dissolution process of the various elements, the literature mentions different stages of dissolution and their accompanying signs. For instance, in the case of the dissolution of the coarser levels of elements, there are both internal and external signs and indications that mark the dissolution. When it comes to the subtle elements, there are only internal signs such as visions and so forth. There has been a growing interest among scientists who are doing research on death in these descriptions of the dissolution processes, particularly the internal and external signs. As a Buddhist, I think it is very important for us to be aware of the scientific investigations that are being undertaken. However, we must be able to distinguish between phenomena which still remain beyond the verification of existing scientific methodology and phenomena which can be seen as being disproved by existing scientific methods and investigation. I would say that if certain phenomena can be seen as being disproved by science, through scientific investigation and scientific methods, I think as Buddhists we will have to respect those conclusions.

As death becomes something familiar to you, as you have some knowledge of its processes and can recognize its external and internal indications, you are prepared for it. According to my own experience, I still have no confidence that at the moment of death I will really implement all these practices for which I have prepared. I have no guarantee! However, sometimes when I think about death I get some kind of excitement. Instead of fear, I have a feeling of curiosity and this makes it much easier for me to accept death. I wonder to what extent I can implement these practices. Of course, my only burden if I die today is, ‘Oh, what will happen to Tibet? What about Tibetan culture? What about the six million Tibetan people’s rights?’ This is my main concern. Otherwise, I feel almost no fear of death. Perhaps I have some kind of blind confidence! So it is good to reduce the fear of death. In my daily practice of prayer I visualize eight different deity yogas and eight different deaths. Perhaps when death comes all my preparation may fail. I hope not!

Anyway, I think that way is mentally very helpful in dealing with death. Even if there is no next life, there is some benefit if it relieves fear. And because there is less fear, one can be more fully prepared. Just as for battle, without preparation there is a good chance you will lose, but if you are fully prepared, there is more chance of defence. If you are fully prepared then, at the moment of death, you can retain your peace of mind. It is peace of mind at the time of death which is the foundation for cultivating the proper motivation and that is the immediate guarantee of a good rebirth, of a better life to come. Particularly for the practitioner of the Mahaanuttarayoga Tantrayana, death is one of the rare opportunities to transform the subtle mind into wisdom.

As to what is in store for us after death, Buddhists talk about three realms of existence, technically known as ‘the form realm’, ‘the formless realm’ and ‘the desire realm’. Both the form realm and the desire realm have an intervening stage before you take rebirth, known as ‘the intermediate state’. What all of this points towards is that although the occasion of death provides us with the best opportunity to utilize our most subtle level of consciousness, transforming it into a path of wisdom, even if we are not able to seize that opportunity effectively, there is an intermediate state which, though grosser than at the time of death, is a lot more subtle than the consciousness at the time of rebirth. So there is another opportunity. And even if we are unable to seize this opportunity, there is rebirth and a continuing cycle.

So in order to seize the wonderful opportunity accorded at the time of death and, after that, during the intermediate state, we need first to train ourselves to be able to utilize those moments. For that, Buddhism teaches various techniques to enable the individual to apply certain meditative techniques during each of the dream, deep sleep and waking states.

In conclusion, I think at the time of death a peaceful mind is essential no matter what you believe in, whether it is Buddhism or some other religion. At the moment of death, the individual should not seek to develop anger, hatred and so on. That is very important at the conventional level. I think even non-believers see that it is better to pass away in a peaceful manner. It is much happier. Also, for those who believe in heaven or some other concept, it is also best to pass away peacefully with the thought of one’s own God or belief in higher forces. For Buddhists and also other ancient Indian traditions which accept the rebirth or karma theory, naturally at the time of death a virtuous state of mind is beneficial.