The Bardo of the Natural Place of Birth

Kyema!

Now, as the bardo of the place of birth appears,

I should not waste any time in this life, but by giving up laziness

Should walk the path of undistracted listening, reflecting and meditating, and

Carrying appearances and mind onto the path, reveal the three kayas.

Now, as I have on this one occasion obtained a human body,

Is not the time to dwell on the path of distractions.

The first bardo existence is the bardo of the natural place of birth. It is related to the body that we have taken on in this life. In whichever of the six realms of existence it may be that we lived, the body of the last life has been put aside. The future depends upon our present activity (karma) and upon

our karmic imprints. When we have reached the level of realisation of a buddha we no longer need a body. If we do not reach this goal, then in our next life we will have to take on a body which we do not yet possess. In between having the bodies of the previous and forthcoming lives we have the body of this life, the bardo of the natural place of birth.

There are two different ways of taking birth:

The first is the birth of buddhas and bodhisattvas. They manifest themselves bodily for the benefit of all other beings out of great compassion. In this case one speaks of ‘taking birth according to intention’. Bodhisattvas can consciously determine their birth in accordance with their intentions. They think: “I will be reborn in this or that land, and lead its inhabitants and all those to be tamed onto the path of dharma.” - “I will have precisely those

parents, since they are in harmony with the dharma.” - “If I take that birth I will be able to meet my lama and spiritual friend.” Bodhisattvas control their thoughts and in this way determine their birth.

The second way of taking birth is the ordinary way. In this case one speaks of ‘taking birth on the basis of karma and of karmic imprints’. How does it come about that we collect karma? We have certain ideas in our mind, the afflictions, such as desirous attachment, anger, ignorance, pride or jealousy. These ideas manifest themselves, we give way to them, and commit unvirtuous acts with body and speech. This is the way in which we collect our karma. What are karmic imprints? From the absolute point of view, no so-called ‘self exists, no so-called ‘I’ exists. But we don’t

recognise this. Instead, we assume an I in the absence of an I and take the absence of a self for the self. Those are the karmic imprints, on the basis of which we move incessantly in the cycle of samsara.

Once karma and karmic imprints have got a hold in our mind, then after we have been through the bardo we will enter a womb and take on a body. The way in which we enter the womb depends on the aversion and clinging that we experience during the union of our future parents. If, for example, we are

going to be born in a male body on the basis of our karma we will develop a clinging to our mother and in regard to the father a tendency to aversion or the manifestation of anger. This clinging and aversion towards the mother and father come together when the red and white elements of the parents mix with the bardo consciousness. At this moment the entry to the womb occurs.

If we are to take up a female body, clinging to the father and a tendency for aversion toward the mother manifest. T h e F orm ation o f th e H uman Bo d y The first bardo existence, the bardo of the natural place of birth, is our body. Therefore the way in which the formation of our body becomes completed will first be presented here5.

The bardo consciousness driven by karma and karmic imprints, the white aspect of the father and the red aspect of the mother have mixed together after the union. The ‘great life-force wind’ then pulls these two aspects a little apart for the first 29 days. It pushes the white aspect of the father a little upwards and the red aspect of the mother a litde

s For this, Kinpoche bases his explanation on the text We Profound Inner Meaning, by Rangjung Dorje, the third Karmapa.

downwards. The central channel forms between the white and red aspects of the parents.

Generally speaking the life-force wind refers to the true nature of the mind, which can be described from three different standpoints:

- In an explanation of the winds (Skt.: prana) the true nature of the mind is called the ‘life-force wind’.

- In an explanation of the channels (Skt.: nadi) the true nature of the mind is called the ‘central channel’.

- In an explanation of the drops (Skt.: bindu) the nature of the mind is called the ‘bindu free from mental projections’.

The white bindu of the father stays at the upper end of the central channel in the human body, while the red bindu of the mother stays at the lower end. If we practise tummo in this body we develop a great heat, which arises on the basis of the red element of the mother as its cause. Fundamentally, our bodily warmth is based on the red element of the mother. If at one time or another one experiences bodily or mental bliss, it derives from the white element of the father.

In the course of the second month the ‘downwards eliminating wind’ arises from the nature of the mind, in other words from the life-force or life-force wind. Based on this wind, the energy centre (Skt.: cakra) of the heart with its eight nadi branches, the navel cakra with its sixty-four nadi branches and the secret cakra with its thirty-two nadi branches develop.

In the third month a new wind, the ‘upwards flowing wind’ arises from the great life-force wind. The function of this wind is to form the limbs of the body. It determines the visible form of the body, forming head, arms and legs.

In the fourth month a further wind, the ‘penetrating wind’ arises from the great life-force wind. This wind forms the right side-channel (Skt.: ida) and the left side-channel (Skt.: pingala). With this, the three most important channels in the body have been formed. The penetrating wind has the effect of causing all the sub-channels in the body, head, arms and legs to spread out. In addition it creates the crown cakra with its thirty-two nadis and the throat cakra with its sixteen nadis.

It is in general said that in the human body, both in women and in men, there are three main nadis and six cakras. It should however be noted that in various tantras the branching of the cakras is counted differently. In the Kalacakratantra, for instance, the counting differs from that in the Vajra Catuhpithatantra explained above.

The ‘fire like wind’ arises from our life-force wind during the fifth month. In the womb it develops our inner organs such as lungs, heart and intestines. It also builds the joints of our bones, both in the upper half as well as in the lower half of the body.

In the sixth month the great life-force wind develops the ‘naga wind’ which allows the channels of the two eyes to develop, and thereby the faculty of seeing.

In the seventh month the ‘turtle wind’ develops out of the life-force wind. This allows the channels in both the ears to arise, and thereby the faculty of sight.

In the eighth month the ‘lizard wind’ develops out of the life- force wind, which allows the channels in both the nostrils to arise, and thereby the faculty of smell.

In the ninth month the ‘wind of divine giving’ develops out of the life-force wind. This develops all the channels of the tongue, and thereby the faculty of taste and all corresponding functions.

At the end of the ninth month the body is fully formed and ready for birth. The time at which the child is born depends now upon the nadis and winds of the mother, in particular upon her downwards eliminating wind. For this reason children are sometimes born before the end of the ninth month. Then again, others are not yet born in spite of the nine months. Whether the birth takes place earlier or later depends on the constitution, the nadis and the winds of the mother.

Although a body, which in the ninth month is capable of being born, can already experience feeling of joy and suffering, it is only in the tenth month that the great life-force wind develops the ‘wind victorious over possession’ which intensifies and completes bodily feeling.

After the passing of ten months we are born with fully developed channels. There are now in our body 24,000 subchannels developed from each of the central channel, right side-channel and left side-channel, in other words a total of 72,000 channels. In this connection it is taught that in the course of a day and a night we draw breath 21,000 times.

With this process the body is fully developed. It is the body with which we have taken on a new birth. As long as we possess this body, we remain until our death in the intermediate existence that was first described, the bardo of the natural place of birth.

With this body of the natural place of birth we can experience joy or happiness, but also suffering or fear. Sometimes we meet pleasant outer objects of this relative world, and thus experience happiness. Sometimes we meet unpleasant, frightening or painful objects in this relative

world, and therefore develop great fear or mental suffering. If we analyse and investigate all these outer objects and the feelings to which they give rise we establish that, on an absolute level, none of these outer objects truly exists. But if none of the outer objects from the absolute point of view truly exists, then also the feelings arising from them — suffering, fear, happiness and joy — can not, absolutely speaking, truly exist.

If we think that, since we experience them as real, happiness, joy and suffering really do exist in our mind, this is only relatively true. All feelings are merely appearances in our mind based on delusion, but in the absolute sense they do not exist. If in this moment we experience suffering and fear, this

feeling can within a few moments transform into joy and complete happiness. If we suffer today, it can already be over tomorrow. If we are perfectly happy today, great suffering can appear tomorrow. All of these experiences are constantly changing. That is an indication that, in the absolute sense, they do not truly exist.

Although the mental feelings of happiness and suffering do not, in the absolute sense, truly exist, they, as objects of the relative world, possess

nevertheless a relative reality. On a relative level they possess an existence in that they appear to our deluded mind. A large mountain, for instance, exists as substance, it fulfils a function. Human beings all perceive it. It is an object of experience for their eyes. It seems to us that these objects

exist absolutely, and for this reason we also take them inwardly for absolutely true. As long as this mental taking-for-real of objects remains unresolved, they appear to us as truly existent and become essential components of our thinking. One of the Six Yogas of Naropa is the practice of the illusory body. It is practised in the daytime, and has as its goal the

recognition of all appearances, including all conditions of happiness and of suffering, as illusions. We recognise that all sensations are similar to sensations in a dream, being not truly existent and merely appearances of our deluded mind. With the help of the practice of the illusory body we can give

up the mental taking-for-real of the objects of the relative world. We recognise directly that they possess no real existence. All lamas who have attained siddhi, that is yogic abilities, on the basis of the practice of the illusory body are capable of turning fire into water or water into fire or of performing other extraordinary deeds. That is an indication that in the absolute sense things are not, from the point of view of their inner being, truly existent.

In the abhidharma the Buddha taught the structure of the world as follows: Mount Meru constitutes the centre of the world, and is surrounded in the four cardinal directions by the four continents. Our continent, Jambudvipa, lies to the south of Mount Meru. The foundation of this mountain consists of four

platform steps. Mount Meru has a quadratic shape. The eastern side is entirely made of white crystal, the southern side of dark blue lapis lazuli, the west side of red ruby and the north side of gold. The Buddha could teach these things in the abhidharma since this world picture does not truly exist. He taught this structure as a form in which relative phenomena appear.

On the other hand he taught in the Kalacakratantra that Mount Meru and the four platforms are round.

Scientists teach that our world is a ball, and therefore turns. The degree of truth is the same.

The Buddha taught the forms of appearance of the world on the basis of his clairvoyance. We on the other hand are these days able to directly observe the form of appearance of the world with the help of powerful machines, telescopes,

measuring instruments and numerous other aids. The scientists’ discovery that the earth, described by the Buddha as a great mountain, is a ball, is also a matter of relative truth.

This is all a description of the manner in which phenomena appear, but not of how they really are. Therefore what the Buddha taught and what we observe are both matters of relative truth, since relative phenomena possess no true existence on the absolute level. A sign of this is that they are perceived

differently by different individuals. In this way all phenomena of the relative world, which do not truly exist, give rise in us simultaneously to various individual feelings - sometimes happiness, sometimes suffering, sometimes joy, sometimes fear. These experiences are based on the body, so we speak in this connection of the body as the natural place of birth.

The Root Verses of the Six Bardos from the treasure text of the peaceful and wrathful deities rediscovered by Karma Lingpa contain instructions on how one meditates in the bardo of the natural state of birth:

Kyema!

Now, as the bardo o f the place o f birth appears, I should not waste any tim e in this life, hut by giving up laziness Should walk the path o f undistracted listening, reflecting and meditating, and Carrying appearances and m ind onto the path, reveal the three kayas. Now, as I have on this one occasion obtained a human body, Is not the tim e to dw ell on the path o f distractions.

Now, as the bardo of the place of birth appears

The basis of the bardo of the natural place of birth is the body, which has originated from the force of karma, of the afflictions and of karmic imprints.

This bardo begins at the time of birth and ends with death. It is the bardo of this life.

¡should not waste any time in this life, but by giving up laziness

This life has only a short duration, and is therefore not to be wasted. We cannot rely on a long life since it has no permanence, no continuation. Come what may, therefore, we should completely abandon laziness in the practice of dharma.

Should walk the path o f undistracted listening, reflecting and meditating, and

Once laziness has been abandoned one should step out on the path of undistracted listening, reflecting and meditating. This means dedicating oneself to the dharma, uninfluenced by worldly activities, by undistractedly listening, reflecting and meditating.

Carrying appearances and m ind onto the path, reveal the three kayas.

Appearances and mind are carried onto the path by mixing appearances and mind into one. If this is completely done, the three bodies (Skt.: kaya) of a buddha are revealed:

- dharmakaya, emptiness as the essential being of all appearances

- sambhogakaya, clarity as the specific nature of all appearances

- nirmanakaya, the emanation of appearances in various expressive forms

These three bodies are present in our mind and are revealed through the unification of appearances and mind. Now, as I have on this one occasion obtained a human body

Our human body as such does not remain available to us for long. What is more, we do not often attain a perfect human body. Now is the time that we have uniquely obtained one.

Is not the time to dwell on the path o f distractions.

Since the body is unique, we have no time in the bardo of the natural place of birth for acts based upon laziness, diversion or distraction.

Questions and Answers

QUESTION: Is it useful to recite the Tibetan Book o f the D ead for a deceased person who had no contact with the dharma, or would it rather be confusing for him or her?

ANSWER: It is said that the bardo of dharmata, in which the peaceful and wrathful deities appear, appears to anyone who had a human body. Every human body is endowed with nadis, prana and bindus. In their pure aspect they represent the peaceful and wrathful deities. They are contained within our mind since

the primordial beginning and can therefore appear to every human in the bardo, regardless of whether or not the person had contact with the dharma in that particular life. If you read the Tibetan Book o f the D ead while these appearances are manifesting to the deceased in the bardo, you point out their meaning in detail. In that way it has great value, even when previously there was no connection with the dharma.

QUESTION: Must the book of the dead be recited in Tibetan?

ANSWER: When somebody has died, and you read the Tibetan Book o f the D ead for him, it is by no means necessary to read it in Tibetan. It is best to read it in your own language, since that is the one with which you are most closely connected. If you read it in German or English, the deceased will understand it.

QUESTION: Exactly when is the book of the dead recited? As the person lies dying, or when he or she is already dead? Someone who is dying and who has had no connection with the dharma might be frightened if it was recited.

ANSWER: If the dying person had contact with the dharma and wishes that it be recited to them, and if they had trust in the dharma, then you can recite the book of the dead to them before death. But in general all the bardo rituals, including the reading of the book of the dead, are intended to be carried out

after death has definitively come, after the outer breath has ceased. It is from this moment that the appearances of the bardo begin. So therefore one should also begin from this moment with the recitation of the descriptions of the appearances from the book of the dead.

QUESTION: Is it necessary to read the book of the dead near to the deceased, or can it also be done at some other place? In hospitals it is often not possible, since the body is removed immediately after death. So you cannot stay sitting there reading for hours out of the book.

ANSWER: If somebody has died and you recite the book at home, that is all right. The consciousness can hear it all the same, regardless of where you are reading it.

QUESTION: How do animals experience the bardo? How can we help them?

ANSWER: The Buddha gave these bardo teachings of the book of the dead on the basis of the human body, since the

human body possesses the three main nadis and the six cakras. Prana, which carries the white and red elements of the father and of the mother, flows in the nadis. All the nadi regions of the body are penetrated by prana, and through that by the white and red elements. That is why the appearances arise in the

bardo. However the Buddha gave no teaching about animals, not even whether they experience a bardo existence or not. Generally the phowa ritual can be carried out for an animal that has died just as for a person. That is of great value.

QUESTION: What happens with children who are the result of extra-uterine fertilization? Isn’t that in contradiction to what has been explained?

ANSWER: There is no contradiction. If the energy of the white and red elements of the father and mother meet together, the entrance of consciousness is possible. Some consciousnesses can also take a body even though the energies of the white and red elements of the father and mother are not present.

If the consciousness has taken birth through the energy of warmth it is called ‘birth through warmth’. Taking on a body is also possible although no basis for it is present. That is called ‘birth through spontaneous arising’. All hell beings are born in this way.

Some consciousnesses form a body in an egg before their birth. The birth which follows is ‘birth from an egg’.

Some consciousnesses form a body in a womb and are then born. This is ‘birth from a womb’.

These are four examples of the many possibilities for a birth.

QUESTION: Science has established that chromosomes are the determining factor for gender. Isn’t that a contradiction?

ANSWER: It’s not a contradiction. It goes without saying that the father and the mother play their part in whether the child will be a boy or a girl. From the point of view of Buddhism, the karma of the bardo consciousness also comes into play. If, because of one’s karma, one is to be born as a boy, one will be born as a boy. Male and female beings also emerge in the case of births which are independent of parents, such as birth through spontaneous arising or birth through warmth.

QUESTION: Many old people are already mentally confused shortly before death. Is that the first dawning of the bardo?

ANSWER: It is not a sign that the bardo will soon begin. If we are mentally confused, that is, in general, the result of our karma. For some people the nadis and the wind are somewhat constricted, so that the wind cannot flow in harmony. Confusions can result if the elements of the body are blocked. It is only in our present situation, based on this body, that we have ‘craziness’, since the body has a connection with the mind. When we are finally dead, there is no more craziness.