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2 Beginnings: Funeral Ritual in Ancient Tibet
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Published:March 2003
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Abstract
Tibetan Buddhism has for centuries maintained that crucial moments of transition are charged with great transformative potential, particulary the intervening moments between death and rebirth. The Tibetan expression for this postmortem interval is “bardo.” This Tibetan word and the concept to which it refers are by now quite familiar to western readers. In Tibetan the term has come to refer to any state of suspended reality in which a being-in-transition confronts the nature of “reality-as-such” (chos-nyid). In the specific case of passage after death, it is proclaimed that the dead are presented with a series of opportunities for recognizing the actual “truth” (de-bzhin-nyid) of that moment. Accordingly, in some circles it is held that if the deceased at certain times is capable of perceiving correctly the confusing and often terrifying bardo visions as simply mental projections reflective of the previous life’s thoughts and deeds, then it is said that buddhahood will be attained. Failure to recognize these visions, however, leads eventually to rebirth and further suffering in the cycle of existence (sal’{lsiira). Traditionally, to help the de ceased travelers (re)gain insight into their ambiguous situation, a monk or skilled layperson will recite guiding instructions and inspirational prayers from special funeral texts, the so-called Tibetan Books of the Dead.
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