Into the Jaws of Yama, Lord of Death Quotes

“Only one who has practiced intensively in preparation for the transition that occurs at death and gained sufficient mental control is capable of exerting an influence on its future state of existence or avoiding rebirth altogether by achieving liberation.”
― Karma Lekshe Tsomo, Into the Jaws of Yama, Lord of Death: Buddhism, Bioethics, & Death

“...afflictions arise from identifying with a false sense of self, whereas great contentment arises from seeing the true nature of things. If one believes that the self exists solidly and independently, as it appears, then the dissolution of the self at death is a disaster. But if the self is understood to be illusory from the beginning, the dissolution of the self at death is simply another opportunity for awakening. The conventional self is simply a convenient designation for the everyday collection of transitory aggregates: body, feelings, recognitions, karmic formations, and consciousness. Ultimately, the self as a permanent entity is an illusion and all attempts to elevate the self merely compound the illusion. The stronger one grasps at the illusory self, the more one suffers when the illusion shatters.”
― Karma Lekshe Tsomo, Into the Jaws of Yama, Lord of Death: Buddhism, Bioethics, & Death

“The belief in an independently existent self is a mistaken perception with serious consequences, for all afflictions are rooted in a fundamental misconception about the nature of the self. Grasping at the mistaken perceptions of oneself and other phenomena leads to constant frustrations, anxieties, and unhappiness. Understanding the illusory nature of the self allows one to experience things 'as they are,' without interference from conceptual constructs.”
― Karma Lekshe Tsomo, Into the Jaws of Yama, Lord of Death: Buddhism, Bioethics, & Death

“The illusory self, which exists conventionally and dependently, on the basis of its component parts, simply ceases to exist when those parts are rent asunder.”
― Karma Lekshe Tsomo, Into the Jaws of Yama, Lord of Death: Buddhism, Bioethics, & Death

“As Buddhagosa explained in the Visuddhimagga, nothing solid continues after death, yet one moment of consciousness gives rise to the next. After the physical elements disintegrate, unless one has achieved a very high level of spiritual attainment and can consciously determine one's next state of existence, rebirth takes place as a result of karma and delusions. In line with the earlier Buddhist teachings, Tibetan scholars rejected the idea of a self that continues after death, yet they accepted the idea of a very subtle consciousness that continues into an intermediate state between death and the next life.”
― Karma Lekshe Tsomo, Into the Jaws of Yama, Lord of Death: Buddhism, Bioethics, & Death

“In the early Buddhist texts, the continuity of consciousness is likened to a flame that lights a candle, though nothing is transmitted from one to the other. No two moments of an individual's stream of consciousness are the same, yet actions give rise to consequences...even without an underlying soul or self, an individual's actions in one lifetime may have consequences in another. Although the stream of consciousness in one life is neither the same nor different than the stream that continues into the next, the imprints or potencies of actions imbue successive moments of consciousness with specific psychological tendencies.”
― Karma Lekshe Tsomo, Into the Jaws of Yama, Lord of Death: Buddhism, Bioethics, and Death