Death and Consciousness

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A Ah Sha Sa Ma Ha
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Death and Consciousness

Post by A Ah Sha Sa Ma Ha »

What happens if your body is cremated or buried before consciousness leaves it ?
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Josef
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Re: Death and Consciousness

Post by Josef »

Kunga Lhadzom wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 4:02 am What happens if your body is cremated or buried before consciousness leaves it ?
It depends on the level of consciousness that remains and how much one practiced.
If one isnt prepared being cremated too soon will make recognizing the bardo of dharmata much more difficult than it already is.
"All phenomena of samsara depend on the mind, so when the essence of mind is purified, samsara is purified. Since the phenomena of nirvana depend on the pristine consciousness of vidyā, because one remains in the immediacy of vidyā, buddhahood arises on its own. All critical points are summarized with those two." - Longchenpa
A Ah Sha Sa Ma Ha
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Re: Death and Consciousness

Post by A Ah Sha Sa Ma Ha »

Josef wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 4:22 pm
Kunga Lhadzom wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 4:02 am What happens if your body is cremated or buried before consciousness leaves it ?
It depends on the level of consciousness that remains and how much one practiced.
If one isnt prepared being cremated too soon will make recognizing the bardo of dharmata much more difficult than it already is.
Thank you Josef_/\_

There should be more awareness of this in Western culture & whatever other cultures that do not observe this, (as they do in Tibetan culture ).

:crying:

I wonder if it's even legal to keep a loved one for 49 days in the United State$....to give the persons consciousness time to move on...?

I guess I will have to investigate this.....

Reguardless. ...the laws should be changed .

I know someone that is dying now...not a Buddhist. ....
jet.urgyen
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Re: Death and Consciousness

Post by jet.urgyen »

Kunga Lhadzom wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 5:29 pm
Josef wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 4:22 pm
Kunga Lhadzom wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 4:02 am What happens if your body is cremated or buried before consciousness leaves it ?
It depends on the level of consciousness that remains and how much one practiced.
If one isnt prepared being cremated too soon will make recognizing the bardo of dharmata much more difficult than it already is.
Thank you Josef_/\_

There should be more awareness of this in Western culture & whatever other cultures that do not observe this, (as they do in Tibetan culture ).

:crying:

I wonder if it's even legal to keep a loved one for 49 days in the United State$....to give the persons consciousness time to move on...?

I guess I will have to investigate this.....

Reguardless. ...the laws should be changed .

I know someone that is dying now...not a Buddhist. ....
afaik, only the 3 days are enough for the first bardo to occur. Everyone can have the first bardo experience, it doesn't depend on religion, devotion, etc. it depends more if we are relaxed and such stuff.
true dharma is inexpressible.

The bodhisattva nourishes from bodhicitta, through whatever method the Buddha has given him. Oh joy.
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climb-up
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Re: Death and Consciousness

Post by climb-up »

Kunga Lhadzom wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 5:29 pm
I wonder if it's even legal to keep a loved one for 49 days in the United State$....to give the persons consciousness time to move on...?
Absolutely not.
Firstly, if the individual dies in the hospital or with an medical crew (like an ambulance came to the house or something) you get almost no time. My Grandfather passed in a hospital last year, and they were very understanding and let us keep his body in the room for several hours so my Aunt could get there to see him, but the body had to be moved relatively soon after she got there (I assume that if things had been busier we might not have had that time, but I don't know).

My grandmother died in her house several years ago. She was in hospice and had a hospital bed and everything. That was absolutely an ideal situation, and we were able to keep the body in the house for a while, but there was a limit. I think it was up to 24 hours, but it definitely not more than 48 (almost positive it was less).
"Death's second name is 'omnipresent.' On the relative truth it seems we become separate. But on the absolute there is no separation." Lama Dawa
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Josef
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Re: Death and Consciousness

Post by Josef »

Kunga Lhadzom wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 5:29 pm
Josef wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 4:22 pm
Kunga Lhadzom wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 4:02 am What happens if your body is cremated or buried before consciousness leaves it ?
It depends on the level of consciousness that remains and how much one practiced.
If one isnt prepared being cremated too soon will make recognizing the bardo of dharmata much more difficult than it already is.
Thank you Josef_/\_

There should be more awareness of this in Western culture & whatever other cultures that do not observe this, (as they do in Tibetan culture ).

:crying:

I wonder if it's even legal to keep a loved one for 49 days in the United State$....to give the persons consciousness time to move on...?

I guess I will have to investigate this.....

Reguardless. ...the laws should be changed .

I know someone that is dying now...not a Buddhist. ....
As practitioners it is important that we spiritually and logistically prepare for our own death.
Personally, I am already making plans that will allow me to die on my own terms without any intervention from the "authorities". My loved ones will be able to treat my body according to my wishes at the time of death (for as long as is necessary).

For non-practitioners we can dedicate practice to them and cultivate bodhicitta with the aspiration that all beings adopt that supreme outlook.
"All phenomena of samsara depend on the mind, so when the essence of mind is purified, samsara is purified. Since the phenomena of nirvana depend on the pristine consciousness of vidyā, because one remains in the immediacy of vidyā, buddhahood arises on its own. All critical points are summarized with those two." - Longchenpa
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climb-up
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Re: Death and Consciousness

Post by climb-up »

Josef wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 6:17 pm
Kunga Lhadzom wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 5:29 pm
Josef wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 4:22 pm

It depends on the level of consciousness that remains and how much one practiced.
If one isnt prepared being cremated too soon will make recognizing the bardo of dharmata much more difficult than it already is.
Thank you Josef_/\_

There should be more awareness of this in Western culture & whatever other cultures that do not observe this, (as they do in Tibetan culture ).

:crying:

I wonder if it's even legal to keep a loved one for 49 days in the United State$....to give the persons consciousness time to move on...?

I guess I will have to investigate this.....

Reguardless. ...the laws should be changed .

I know someone that is dying now...not a Buddhist. ....
As practitioners it is important that we spiritually and logistically prepare for our own death.
Personally, I am already making plans that will allow me to die on my own terms without any intervention from the "authorities". My loved ones will be able to treat my body according to my wishes at the time of death (for as long as is necessary).

For non-practitioners we can dedicate practice to them and cultivate bodhicitta with the aspiration that all beings adopt that supreme outlook.
Are you in the USA?
What type of plans are you making?
"Death's second name is 'omnipresent.' On the relative truth it seems we become separate. But on the absolute there is no separation." Lama Dawa
XXIlluminatingVoid72
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Re: Death and Consciousness

Post by XXIlluminatingVoid72 »

I went through this as well in Washington state with my friends mum. We wanted to keep her body to read to her from the Bardo Thodol for three days after she passed.
We had a fair amount of conflict with authorities, but in the end we found out the rule of law is that we could keep the body if it was refrigerated with dry ice.
A Ah Sha Sa Ma Ha
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Re: Death and Consciousness

Post by A Ah Sha Sa Ma Ha »

XXIlluminatingVoid72 wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 10:26 pm I went through this as well in Washington state with my friends mum. We wanted to keep her body to read to her from the Bardo Thodol for three days after she passed.
We had a fair amount of conflict with authorities, but in the end we found out the rule of law is that we could keep the body if it was refrigerated with dry ice.

Did you do it ? How did you do it ? I wonder if you can just be in the morgue with them...
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Josef
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Re: Death and Consciousness

Post by Josef »

climb-up wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 7:59 pm
Josef wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 6:17 pm
Kunga Lhadzom wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 5:29 pm

Thank you Josef_/\_

There should be more awareness of this in Western culture & whatever other cultures that do not observe this, (as they do in Tibetan culture ).

:crying:

I wonder if it's even legal to keep a loved one for 49 days in the United State$....to give the persons consciousness time to move on...?

I guess I will have to investigate this.....

Reguardless. ...the laws should be changed .

I know someone that is dying now...not a Buddhist. ....
As practitioners it is important that we spiritually and logistically prepare for our own death.
Personally, I am already making plans that will allow me to die on my own terms without any intervention from the "authorities". My loved ones will be able to treat my body according to my wishes at the time of death (for as long as is necessary).

For non-practitioners we can dedicate practice to them and cultivate bodhicitta with the aspiration that all beings adopt that supreme outlook.
Are you in the USA?
What type of plans are you making?
Yes. I am in the process of creating an off-grid (or at least mostly off grid) homestead in the farthest corner of the collapsing American empire.
My property will hopefully become a retreat land and sanctuary for serious dharma practitioners. I will eventually be able to live and die there without interference due to the culture here and our remoteness in relation to major American cities.
"All phenomena of samsara depend on the mind, so when the essence of mind is purified, samsara is purified. Since the phenomena of nirvana depend on the pristine consciousness of vidyā, because one remains in the immediacy of vidyā, buddhahood arises on its own. All critical points are summarized with those two." - Longchenpa
XXIlluminatingVoid72
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Re: Death and Consciousness

Post by XXIlluminatingVoid72 »

Kunga Lhadzom wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 10:45 pm
XXIlluminatingVoid72 wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 10:26 pm I went through this as well in Washington state with my friends mum. We wanted to keep her body to read to her from the Bardo Thodol for three days after she passed.
We had a fair amount of conflict with authorities, but in the end we found out the rule of law is that we could keep the body if it was refrigerated with dry ice.

Did you do it ? How did you do it ? I wonder if you can just be in the morgue with them...
Yes we did. We contacted a funeral home who knew the laws, and was sympathetic to our request because they had lost a family member, wanted to keep the body for someone travelling to see, and were told they weren’t allowed to. Only later did they find out the actual law and that caused them to take up a funerary profession to help people who wanted this.

She died in her home, we kept her body with dry ice, covered with blankets for three days, and continually burned incenses. We read to her from the bardo thodol, and had all night prayer vigils around her, and then had her carried out to bag pipes three days later. It was very special.
Last edited by XXIlluminatingVoid72 on Tue May 22, 2018 12:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
amanitamusc
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Re: Death and Consciousness

Post by amanitamusc »

There is a Tibetan Lama living in the united states and in the back of the book he
wrote are the instructions for keeping the body for 3 days legally.
I have it as an ebook and will try to find it and post his name and the title of the book.
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climb-up
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Re: Death and Consciousness

Post by climb-up »

XXIlluminatingVoid72 wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 11:54 pm
Kunga Lhadzom wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 10:45 pm
XXIlluminatingVoid72 wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 10:26 pm I went through this as well in Washington state with my friends mum. We wanted to keep her body to read to her from the Bardo Thodol for three days after she passed.
We had a fair amount of conflict with authorities, but in the end we found out the rule of law is that we could keep the body if it was refrigerated with dry ice.

Did you do it ? How did you do it ? I wonder if you can just be in the morgue with them...
Yes we did. We contacted a funeral home who knew the laws, and was sympathetic to our request because they had lost a family member, wanted to keep the body for someone travelling to see, and were told they weren’t allowed to. Only later did they find out the actual law and that caused them to take up a funerary profession to help people who wanted this.

She died in her home, we kept her body with dry ice, covered with blankets for three days, and continually burned incenses. We read to her from the bardo thodol, and had all night prayer vigils around her, and then had her carried out to bag pipes three days later. It was very special.
Beautiful
"Death's second name is 'omnipresent.' On the relative truth it seems we become separate. But on the absolute there is no separation." Lama Dawa
A Ah Sha Sa Ma Ha
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Re: Death and Consciousness

Post by A Ah Sha Sa Ma Ha »

Well...I'm doing hospice care now (for a relative) ....i have never done this before...she gets meds every 4 hours...sleeping a lot now...breathing seems pretty normal so far....she is an atheist and of Jewish decent. ...so I've been chanting to myself...but played some Tibetan chanting earlier...(OM MANI PADME HUM) and other Tibetan chants for dispelling distress...it's very peaceful now.....please say a little prayer for CHAR (her nick name)....

Thank you :heart:
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