A book that changed my life

[Vajra Fist]

I recently finished reading a book called 'Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth' by Tulku Thondup. Both the content of the book and the guided meditation that comes with it have radically changed the focus of my practice and will likely influence me the remainder of my life.

 

The first half of the book is filled with accounts from delogs, people who have returned from the world after death, the bardo. The tales are all remarkably similar despite being written centuries apart. It paints a pretty bleak picture of the chances of a rebirth outside of the six realms, even for experienced meditators.

 

It includes guidance on how to use the death process to attain Buddhahood or else rebirth in one of a Buddha's pure lands.

 

It also comes with a visualisation meditation on Amitabha and his pure land. The first time I did it, when it comes to receiving blessings from the Buddha, I felt waves of powerful blissful energy flowing through my body and I was in tears. The second time it felt like a sun had risen inside my body. I have continued to do the meditation and each time the experience is both moving and intense.

 

I was curious about its effect so I requested a medical clairvoyant, Eric Isen, to test its energetic effects. He wrote:

 

Excellent. Very good. This practice really gets the Qi moving throughout the body and the brain. Purifying and opening meridians and chakras. Should deliver many benefits.

 

I came from a Japanese Pure Land background and this was my first experience of vajrayana.

 

It's opened my eyes not only to the reality of the bardo, but the effort that is required in this life to purify the seeds of rebirth in the six realms: hatred, the seed of rebirth in the hell realms; greed for rebirth in the hungry ghost realm; ignorance for rebirth in the animal realm; jealously for rebirth in the demi-god realm; desire for rebirth in the human realm; and arrogance for rebirth in the god realm.

 

It is my wish that all beings have the opportunity to escape the suffering of the six realms.

 

Om Amitabha Hrih.

[taoguy]

Om Ami Dewa Hrih!  It is actually a practice that leads to Phowa!