The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead Quotes

“These spiraling rainbows of light take on the shapes of various divine beings, initially in peaceful groups but later in terrifying images of wrath. These become embodiments of the deceased's spiritual energies, and array themselves in mandalalike patterns that reveal the spiritual structure of the universe and form the great mandala of primordial enlightenment. They are like the facets of a diamond, each unique in itself yet all belonging to the whole.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“If we constantly apply ourselves to meditation practice during the course of our lives, we may be able, though with some difficulty, to strip away all the supports that maintain the illusion of the ego-self. However, the material fabric of the ego's support-bot the world and the physical body-is destroyed by death and all contact with its "friends" is severed. Now the mind is truly left to its own devices and its experience of reality is much more direct and immediate. The worldly concerns which formerly served as the support of the ego have all been stripped away and the insubstantial nature of its condition has been exposed in all its falsity. It was never really real at all, and the awesome power of this truth may strike the consciousness like a bombshell!”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“When your mind parts from your body, the visions of pure reality will shine forth, shimmering like a summer mirage on the plains. They are subtle yet clear; distinctly experienced, they will fill you with fear and anxiety. Do not be fearful or afraid of them! Do not be anxious! They are the glowing radiance of your reality so recognize them as such!

A great roar of noise will reverberate forth from within the light, like the sound of a thousand crashes of thunder rumbling at the same time. This is the natural sound of your reality so do not be fearful or afraid of it! Do not be anxious! You now have an astral body generated by the energy of your habitual tendencies, not a physical one of flesh and blood. No matter what sounds, dazzling colors, or radiant luminosity occur, they cannot hurt you or cause your death. Just recognize them as your own projections and all will be well. Know that this is the reality phase of death.

No matter what religious practices you did during your life, if you have not received these instructions and do not recognize these experiences to be your own projections, then you will be terrified by the luminosity, alarmed by the sounds and frightened by the dazzling colors. If you don't comprehend the essential point of this instruction, you will wander lost in cyclical existence, no having understood the luminosity, the sounds, and dazzling colors for what they are.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“Nothing in life stands still. Movement and change are the very essence of life and yet our normal tendency is to believe that everything is fixed and solid. We wish to believe that all we see is real and secure, even though our ordinary experience tells us that nothing remains unchanged and nothing lasts forever. On the contrary, everything in the world around us is constantly falling apart and requires a great deal of maintenance on our part if we wish to hold it together. What happens during this process of change is the great mystery revealed in symbolic form within this book. The state called here the "transitional phase" (Tibetan: "bardo") is the actual moment of change, occurring at the end of one phase and the beginning of the next. It is the state of flux itself, the only state that can really be called "real." It is a condition of great power and potential within which anything could happen. It is the moment between moments. It may seem to span an entire lifetime, like the moment between being born and dying, or it may be imperceptibly short and fleeting, like the moment between one thought and the next. Whatever its duration, however, it is a moment of great opportunity for those who perceive it. Anyone who can do this is called a yogin. Such a person has the power of destiny in their hands. He or she has no need of a priest to guide him towards the clear light of truth, for he sees already the clear light of truth in the intermediate phases that occur between all other states. Refusing to become trapped in the false belief that all about him is fixed and solid, the yogin moves with calm and graceful ease through life, confident that changes are now under his own direction. He becomes the master of change instead of its slave.....Similarly, between any encounter and one's reaction to it, there is an intermediate space that offers choice to those who can see it. One is not obliged to react on the basis of habit or prejudice. The opportunity for a fresh approach is always there in the intermediate state for those who have learned to recognize it. Such recognition is the essential message of this ancient and profound book.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“Once, in an age long passed, there were two friends who went together to study religion at the feet of a master. When it was explained to them both that the essence of innermost reality is truly spontaneous awareness, they each went off separately to practice what they had been taught. One of them relaxed his mind through meditation and yoga and allowed all negative emotions to simply float away like clouds in the sky until his consciousness was clear, open, and bright. The other began to assert his ego through murder and theft. Using his skill and intelligence to organize a criminal network, he quickly set up a chain of brothels and gambling houses so that he became very rich and powerful indeed.

When the tow friends met again some time later, each was surprised to see how the other had understood the teachings they had received together. Returning to the teacher for advice about who was right and who was wrong, they were told that the goal of freedom is freedom from the ego. Hearing this, the one who had spent so much time and energy boosting his ego became very angry indeed and killed the master on the spot. Consequently, in subsequent incarnations, the student who was dominated by the evil ego was born repeatedly in the form of various wild animals and fell down into the lowest of the hell-realms.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“At this level of dissolution, as body and mind are fast decaying and there is almost nothing left of the former personality to cling to, the ego-self goes into a state of intense paranoia. Formerly, it held firm to the mistaken belief that itself and its world were permanent, stable entities. Now, however, all basis for that belief has been destroyed through the process of death, and the ego experiences overwhelming fear and panic in the form of terrifying hallucinations. Always fearful of being caught out, this false ego-self has had to struggle constantly to maintain its conceit in the face of the natural openness of the world. The forces of nature have always run counter to it and this is why so many people seek to conquer nature and strive to overthrow its rule. In order to protect their fragile egos, they have no wish to cooperate with nature and live with it in harmony and peace. Instead, they choose to fight against it and subjugate nature to the rule of ego.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“The root cause of suffering is explained as the second of the Buddha's truths. Quite simply, it is our own desire for sensual pleasure and our attachment to the objects of the senses that cause us so much pain. Being deluded concerning the reality of this world, we react to the phantoms of our perceptions with lust or anger. We are filled with desire or hatred, pride or jealousy, and all such conceits cause us to act in a way that gives pain to ourselves and others.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“The whole of existences is permeated by suffering, frustration, and dissatisfaction to such an extent that, when the pain subsides just a little, we mistakenly imagine that we are experiencing happiness. Desiring to keep the things we have, we suffer when these are taken away by thieves or force of circumstance. Thus, as a result of impermanence and change, there is suffering in loss, degeneration, breakdown, and decay. Being hot, the desire for cold arises in the mind but, being cold, we wish for heat. Wishing to avoid suffering, we flee from its perceived causes but these perceptions only serve to increase anxiety so that further sufferings follow. Having little control over our circumstances, misfortunes arise despite our best efforts to keep them at bay. Even our very bodies act as a magnet for pain. Tormented by hunger, thirst, sickness, and accidental injury, no-one escapes suffering for long.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“During our own lifetimes we should seek out a true spiritual friend from whom we may learn the way of traveling the spiritual path. Having found such a person, we should serve him or her with devotion. Having listened to his or her teachings and discerned their meaning, it is very beneficial if we retire to a solitary place and live in simplicity. We should constantly engage in meditation until true realization arises in our minds. Such a practice is good, but in this life we are easily distracted by worldly concerns and, if our perseverance is weak, the quest for knowledge of reality is difficult to see through to the end.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“Bewildered by the dazzling display of lights, the deceased may fail to recognize them as manifestations of his or her own spiritual energy. Overwhelmed by their intensity, he or she may not be able to make any sense of them. In fact, they are the projections arising from his or her own chaotic mind. The guide, therefore, should offer the deceased person counsel and assistance to enable him or her to recognize these visions for what they are.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“Whirling around and around, these feelings are all centered upon our notion of self. Yet Buddhism teaches that our so-called self, the ego, is a parasitical illusion without and substantial existence, something that has been constructed as a defense mechanism to deal with the experience of impermanence. It is the illusory self that suffers the full onslaught of our emotional turmoil. As it strives to create itself out of empty space and become solid, the ego-self always feels paranoid that it will be discovered for what it is-a hollow illusion. It works hard to maintain its status of "self importance" and suffers greatly as the all-encompassing reality of great space continuously dissolves the fabric of its being. Having no basis in reality, the ego-self keeps crumbling away and must be constantly reinvented. It reacts with delight when it meets with a situation that seems to protect it from damage.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“As we go through life, the experiences we encounter depend largely upon our own minds. Tibetan Buddhism teaches that the mind does not passively receive images of the world but actually creates and projects them onto the sense impressions of bare reality, using its store of memories and habitual traits. For this reason, few of us ever experience reality as it is in actuality, but instead overlay it with a host of our own projections. These projections are usually negative in nature.

According to our level of inner growth, we may be able to modify these self-created visions into forms and images that are more conducive to our spiritual health and growth. Their hallucinatory nature becomes more apparent at the time of death as well as when we become more accomplished in meditation.

In only we can let go of our needs and fears, then we can come to terms with such projections. If we can let go, we will come to rest in the natural state of the mind. For this profound experience to occur, our confused minds must be soothed and all our fears pacified by the compassion and skill of our spiritual friends and guides.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“At the time of death, those who have led thoroughly evil lives will have a vision of the terrifying Lord of Death and his henchmen in whatever form they have been culturally conditioned to expect. The guide must try hard at this time to reassure those who are frightened that these terrible apparitions are merely projections of his or her own mind. He should remind the dying person to have faith in the goodness that surrounds him or her and not to be afraid.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“If we have not bothered with our spiritual development, from time to time we will encounter particularly unpleasant experiences during our lives. Yet such experiences have their roots within our own attitudes and behavior. If we continually indulge in negative deeds and have allowed our minds to become dominated by aggression, greed, and stupidity, we are likely to encounter projections of this unwholesomeness. We may feel that the whole world is a hostile place and its inhabitants are our enemies trying to destroy us. Through meditation it is possible for us to analyze such unpleasant experiences, and identify the negative patterns of thought and behavior which give rise to theme. By identifying the underlying causes, we can then work on our inner selves and gradually rid ourselves of such negative traits.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“In all the great religions of the world, compassion and love are thought to form part of the supreme being, be it God, Allah or the Buddha. This compassion is often seen to manifest in particular forms, and so it is helpful for us to bring to mind whatever image of compassion and love we find most congenial. This will help to calm and reassure us as well as providing us with inspiration for our own spiritual growth. When experiencing death or just facing life's difficulties, a sincere belief and trust in the power and kindness of such a being will be beneficial, and increase the chances of emerging safely from those experiences.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“These two aspects of your awareness: unformed emptiness and radiant vibrancy are indivisible in their presence. They form the embodiment of reality as enlightenment.

This indivisible radiance and emptiness of your awareness is present as a mass of luminosity. Herein there is no birth or death, for this is the awakened state of unchanging light.
To know just this is enough.

Knowing this pure aspect of your awareness is to know yourself as an enlightened being; for you thus to behold your own awareness is to establish yourself in the realized mind state of enlightenment.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“The easiest time to practice the path of renunciation is at the point of death. Then the illusion of solid reality has melted away, and the habitual memory patterns of the dying person have not yet arisen to confuse him or her with their dreamlike spectres of a solid world in which they can immerse themselves and lose their way once more. This point, when the subtle mind encounters radiant light, is a moment of greatest opportunity. All connection with the previous life has been completely cut off and the mind of the dying person is, for a brief while only, naked and free.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“When the buddha began his ministry in India, the first thing that he taught was the truth of suffering - that our lives are dominated by frustration, dissatisfaction, and misery. Even when we feel that we are experiencing joy, the few fleeting joys we encounter while trapped in the prison of negative emotions are worthless compared to the bliss of true awakening. It is difficult, however, to break out of that prison while the objects of desire and aversion are at hand, taunting us with their seeming reality.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“People are said to have a kind of spiritual physiology that comprises a structure of energy pathways or channels and the subtle energies that flow through them. As consciousness itself begins to weaken, the subtle energies abiding in the upper parts of the right and left channels merge at the crown of the head. They enter the central channel and dislodge a white bead like drop of energy that was received from the father at the time of conception. This falls downward and a vision of whiteness is experienced. It is called "appearance" because it appears like bright moonlight, and it is also called "empty" because consciousness is now very weak.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“The dying person should be helped to lie in the optimal position for death, the so-called "sleeping lion's posture." It is thought that this posture naturally calms the erratic flow of an agitated mind and thus it may be helpful to the dying person by allowing him to concentrate more easily.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“When we encounter spiritual realities for the first time, whether just starting to meditate or at the time of death, our minds are usually inflexible with ingrained self-interest and belief in the reality of the everyday world. It is good to be as comfortable as possible for it is painful to witness the disintegration of our world as the senses upon which it was based crumble and dissolve.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“Yet literal or figurative, only the human state, the mode that is balanced without too much suffering and too much comfort, is said to be conducive to future spiritual growth. An excess of suffering prevents people from ever giving thought to anything else since their minds are overwhelmed by pain, while an excess of comfort and happiness dulls the mind and gives no motivation for change.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“There are traditionally six modes of existence that are not conducive to spiritual growth. It is said that a predominance of any one particular type of negativity results in rebirth in the most appropriate mode. Thus, pride leads to rebirth as a god, jealousy as a demi-god, attachment as a human being, stupidity as an animal, greed as a hungry ghost and hatred as a hell denizen. If we choose, we do not have to understand these modes of existence solely in literal terms. Figuratively speaking, these modes can be seen as psychological states, given the Buddhist idea that all things are shaped and formed by the mind.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“It is the Tibetan Buddhist view that all living beings, including animals, experience this radiant light just at the moment of true death. This experience occurs regardless of the particular faith or religious beliefs of the person involved. There is a certain amount of corroboration for this in the reports of those in the West and elsewhere who have returned from near-death experiences. However, one should be cautious in equating the two experiences since, from a Buddhist point of view, such individuals have not truly died. Perhaps they are just experiencing the phenomena described earlier that precede actual death. Death itself is said to have occurred only when blood and lymph begin to trickle from the nostrils of the corpse.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“A thought that is ignored soon goes away. And there it is! The space between thoughts. How wonderful to see!”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“Unfortunately this primordial mind remains buried deep within our being for most of the time, unseen and unnoticed. Due to a dense overlay of spiritual ignorance, the various facets of enlightenment that are present in that mind, such as compassion, insight, tolerance and so forth, can only reveal themselves in a perverted and distorted manner. Thus, love becomes attachment and jealousy, compassion becomes hatred and anger, insight becomes opinionatedness and stupidity. These and other negative emotions then become the driving force for ever-greater egoism and spiritual poverty.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul

“From the earliest times until the recent past, the vast majority of people have believed in some form of survival after death. It is only in modern times that uncertainty about an afterlife or even complete disbelief in one has gained common consideration. Yet we are all faced by the same dilemma that tormented Hamlet as he contemplated suicide. Most of us really do not know what to believe anymore. Life itself can be bad enough but what if still worse awaits us after we have died? Inevitably, all religions, from the great world religions such as Christianity and Buddhism down to the myriads of small local cults, attempt to give answers to this mystery. They all claim to describe the events which will follow the moment of death and what the outcome will be according to our fate. Even if we ourselves adhere to one of these religions, most of us would rather not think too much about our own deaths. It is not surprising, therefore, that any spiritual teachings our particular religion might offer generally remain unheeded and unused.”
― Stephen Hodge, The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead: A New Reference Manual for the Soul