The Sacred Art of Dying
By Kenneth Kramer
The concept of Tibetan attitudes towards death left me with a clearer picture than did Zen. As stated in the book, death in the eyes of Tibetan Buddhism, “It is the reverse of the process of birth” (76). When an individual is at the moment of death, the individual must dwell with proper thoughts as it is believed that mental condition of a person at death (angry, stressed, happy, cheerful, etc.)has a great probability of being retained after death. At the moment of death, according to the Book of the Dead, the individual must practice the “ ‘Ejection of Consciousness’ in which the dying person: (a)keeps a pure mind, clear of earth-bound distractions, (b) visualizes a seated Buddha over her or his head, surrounded by a rainbow arch, (c) feel the self in the presence of an enlightened being, (d) visualizes consciousness as a ball of fire in the abdomen which then rises up the spine until it leaves the top of the head, and (e) experiences self-consciousness mixing with the mind of the enlightened being like water mixing with water(75-77). This process of dying surrounds the moment of death with peace and beauty, discouraging a negative outlook of the passing of a life.
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