How would
you like to define ‘life’?
In Tibetan Buddhism,
the definition of life is simply:
Life = body + consciousness + light
This is an
important equation as it is used extensively in traditional medicine and the ‘Bardo Thotrol’ or better known as ‘Tibetan Book of the Dead’ or ‘中有聞教得度法’ in Chinese.
Body:
Our body is
comprised of five elements: earth, water, fire, wind and ether. Each is
manifested externally as flesh and muscle, body fluid, body heat, breathing and
aura.
When we are
alive and healthy, these five elements are in balance. When any of these
elemental forces are in excess or insufficient; we will fall sick.
When we
die, these elemental energies disintegrated.
If we are able
to purify these elemental energies, then we can perhaps achieve the legendary ‘rainbow
body’.
Consciousness:
This is our
so call ‘soul’ in modern times. This is known as the eighth or ‘alaya’
consciousness.
Light:
The light
source is hidden inside our body only to be perceived the ‘bardo’ or ‘in-between’
states of our lives:
When we are
alive:
·
The
bardo of living
o
Appear
between our thoughts
·
The
bardo of dream
o
Appear
before our dreams
·
The
bardo of meditation
When we are
dying or after death:
·
The
bardo of dying
o
Appear
during the dissolution of elemental forces
·
The
bardo of actual death
o
Appear
consecutively as 42 peaceful and 58 wrathful deities
·
The
bardo of reincarnation
o
Appear
before rebirth and after the last in-between state
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