The Death of Crazy Uncle
Today we received news that Crazy Uncle, an old hermit that lived in a cave not far from our village has died. Like me, he was very old. I did not know the man myself and it seems like nobody in the village had heard from, or seen him in recent years. I’ve heard tell of rumors that he was a tantric practitioner but that is uncertain due to the lack of contact he’s had with anyone in the village. Even if was, nobody knows of his level of attainment. Now, of course there is great discussion circulating as to what should be done with his body and without any of the facts it is hard to say. It is not even clear how far along he is in the process of dying, presumably his breath has ceased but we do not know if his consciousness has left yet.
Luckily, I have my copy of the Tibetan Book of the Dead to turn to for advice on this matter. Since he was a loner, he has no immediate friends or family in the village to stay with his body. Sad though this might be, he certainly has less to be attached to and with luck, perhaps he will be able to attain Nirvana. I think it is of utter importance that a monk or nun go to his cave to help guide him along the dying process. It needs to be determined as best possible how far along he is in this process. Has there been any decomposition, did he die sitting up in meditation? If so has he fallen over now? I am not sure what kind of decorations had in his cave, but perhaps the monk or nun should bring along a statue of the Buddha to aid in the rituals.
A number of prayers should be recited in the presence of the body, quietly yet clearly, these prayers should be spoken directly into Crazy Uncle’s ear. One ought to start with the “Inspiration-Prayer Calling on the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for rescue” either seven or three times. Afterwards the monk or nun should move on to the “Inspiration Prayer for Deliverance from the Dangerous Pathway of the Bardo” and the “Main Verses from the Bardo.” Finally, “The Great Liberation through Hearing,” again, seven or three times. If I understand all this correctly, which, is of course quite unlikely…these prayers should be recited after breath has left his body but before it has lost all its warmth. I hope news of his death reached us in time for this to take place properly. It is said that this interval of time is not very long, only as long as it takes to eat a meal. That being said, some people take much longer to eat than others so this seems a rather imprecise descriptor.
It is possible, that if he was highly skilled in the tantric arts then he may have recognized his own imminent death. If so, he must have begun meditation in order to project his consciousness upwards into Nirvana and may have been able to avoid a new rebirth altogether. This is certainly the ideal situation but we do not know his level of attainment, so it is futile to make such assumptions. This is why it is important that a monk or nun is present, to help guide him through. I have heard that it may help to have his head tapped gently, or his hair pulled gently upwards to help guide his consciousness upwards and out of his body. Alternatively, perhaps the doctors in the village have the proper pills that can be placed on his head to the same ends. This is to be done as he enters into the radiant white light, the first Bardo. That is, after he has left his body but has not yet begun to find his new body. If he was a skilled practitioner we will be lucky and he will be able to remain in this state, meditating after his breath has left him for a long duration. We will know if he has gone past this stage if he has begun to exhibit bodily secretions. My Book of the Dead says this time can last up to four and a half days. All these differing opinions on how long different phases of death last have me rather confused.
In any case the monk or nun should remind him, gently and quietly not to let his thoughts wander, to stay focused. Ideally, we would know what deity he was working with to visualize after his breath stopped. Unfortunately, we do not know this information. Is is said that going into the Bardo can be very disturbing and alarming, with bright light and no physical boundaries or center to keep one oriented. So, a deity ought to be visualized, but not in any solid form. Rather, the deity should be visualized without physical substance…”like the moon in water,” my Book says. Since we do not know what deity he was focused on, the monk or nun ought to encourage him to meditate on “The Lord of Great Compassion.” Whether he was a skilled yogi or simply a novice, this is an appropriate mediation for everyone. Even if he was very skilled, we do not know why he died, perhaps it was due to an illness that clouded his mind and confused him. This is why it is doubly important to have a monk or nu present and that they encourage this specific meditation.
In this way, if he passes onto the second Bardo without comprehending his death then the guided meditation will help him as the Book of the Dead says that in the second Bardo his consciousness will be able to hear again. Does this mean he will be able to hear the recitations? Perhaps someone more adept in our traditions can clarify this for me.
After all these recitations are said and done, after days or weeks…however long the monks and nuns deem necessary, his body must be properly disposed of. Here, I am more confident in knowing what to do but perhaps that is due to the traditions handed down by my parents. Crazy Uncle’s body must be burned as our ancestors always practiced. We should hold a funeral for him in which the villagers shall bring offerings to the monks. These offerings will help generate positive will and karma that will-if it still lingers- help his spirit onwards. With any luck Crazy Uncle was a very skilled practitioner and he would have surpassed the Bardo altogether and attained enlightenment…making these all empty rituals in a sense, at least empty for him as they may still hold much meaning for myself and the other villagers. Hopefully he entered the Bardo clearly- if at all- without confusion and he faced death awake, with his eyes open and his spirit forging upwards.
