SIX BETWEENS OR INTERMEDIATE STATES

The Great Archarya Vasubhandu has said, “ There are two kinds of Buddha Dharma: 1) What has been told and 2? What has been realized. The Dharma that has been told are the teachings that one listens to, studies and contemplates. That Dharma that has been realized are these same teachings, fully understood and experienced through meditation.

Buddha has taught us 84,000 Heaps of Dharma which are vast and profound. All these teachings are meant to be practiced. It is not easy to practice what he taught us. Our ultimate aim of spiritual practice is to attain Enligtenment. We all must experience six betweens or intermediate states. To begin with, what is intermediate state? It is called Bardo in Tibetan. Between or intermediate state means neither here nor there but existing in between. Traditionally, there are said to be six different Bardos or intermediate states:

1. The intermediate state of the place of birth
2. The intermediate state of dream
3. The intermediate state of meditation
4. The intermediate state of the moment of death
5. The intermediate state of Dharmata or the essence of reality
6. The intermediate state of becoming or existence

The Root Verses of the six intermediate states or betweens. These Root verses summarize the six intermediate states.

1. The Intermediate state of the place of birth
Alas! Now when the life between dawns upon me,
I will give up sloth, as my life is running out,
Unwavering, enter the path of learning, thinking and meditating,
And taking perceptions and mind as path,
I will realize the Three Bodies of Enlightenment,
As I have the opportunity of obtaining human life.
Is not the time to wander on the path of distractions.

This intermediate state or between lasts from womb to tomb or from birth to death. This intermediate state has downed upon us all. This is the time for serious reflection and introspection. We must count how many years have gone since we were born in this world. We must also ask ourselves how many more years we are going to live. Nothing is permanent. Our life is also not permanent. Whether we like or not we must die one day. Death is a reality. We cannot escape from it. When we die we must leave everyone and everything behind. We can’t carry our worldly possessions with us. What we can carry with us is our virtues and vices. In order to lead a meaningful life, we must ignore numerous earthly distractions and focus our attention on spiritual practice, which will only come to our rescue in our next life. Therefore we must try to accumulate merits and abandon vices. We must lead a meaningful life. If we can do this, we need not regret even if we die all of a sudden.

2. The Intermediate state of dream

Alas! Now when the dream between dawns upon me,
I will abandon corpse like slumber in delusion,
And mindfully enter unwavering the experience of reality,
Aware of dreaming, I will enjoy the changes as clear light,
Not remaining idle like an animal,
I will cherish the practice merging sleep and realization!

The intermediate state of dream starts when we sleep and ends when we wake up.
We sleep for a short period. Except for duration, sleeping is like death. When we are asleep, we are in total darkness and our body lies on our bed like a corpse. When we are asleep, all our senses such as sight, taste, sound, smell and feeling remain passive and dead, When we see dreams at night, neither our body becomes the scene of our dream nor our should leaves our body and wanders outside. Dreams are dreams. They are illusions and have no meaning. Whatever we see, hear, taste, smell or feel when we are awake are real but whatever we see, hear, smell, taste or feel when we are asleep are delusions. In Buddhism, we usually use dreams, lightning, bubbles and clouds as symbols of impermanence. Thus dreams have no meaning and significance. We live in a fool’s paradise if we attach importance to dreams.

We all are mortal beings. Is there any person who has not died? Everything is subject to death and decay. This is a fact. But we fail to understand this and act as if everything is permanent. The “I” feeling in us is very powerful. We take great care of our worldly possession. This is nothing but self-deception. Such is the root cause of our cyclic existence. Dreams are the expression of our sub-conscious mind. We see dreams about those people and things, which dominate our mind when we are awake. We must invoke to our Three Jewels and recognize that dreams are illusions. If we think of Buddha Dharma and keep ourselves busy with spiritual practice, we might see dreams of our religious activities. If this happens, our obstacles and hindrances may be prevented.

3. The Intermediate state of meditation

Alas! Now when I experience the intermediate state of meditation,
I will leave the host of distracting errors,
Focus in middle path experience, without releasing or Controlling
And Attain stability in the creation and perfect stages,
Giving up business, single-minded in meditation,
I won’t bow to the power of erroneous addictions!

The intermediate state of meditation starts when we meditate or concentrate on something and ends when we break our meditation. When we are in perfect meditation, we won’t see, hear, smell and feel anything. Our meditation ceases the moment we think about something else or the moment we divert our attention. Real meditation is like clear sky and quiet sea. Meditation is not easy. Its success is determined by the power of concentration. In order to achieve perfect concentration, we must tame our mind. We must not allow our mind to wander everywhere. There should not be any kind of interruption when we are meditating. Such disturbances are like the arrival of robbers. They destroy our concentration and mental equilibrium. Sometimes our meditation is marred by utter confusion like tangled threads. Such a state of mind does not constitute concentration. Thus a person who has gained mastery over concentration can meditate. The intermediate state of the place of birth, the intermediate state of dream and the intermediate state of meditation are the parts of intermediate state of life. In reality these three states are almost one and the same thing.

4. The Intermediate state of the moment of death

Alas! Now when the death point between dawns upon me,
I will give up the preoccupation of the all-desiring mind,
Enter unwavering the experience of the clarity of the Precepts,
And transmigrate into the birthless space of inner awareness,
About to lose this created body of flesh and blood,
I will consider it to be impermanent illusion!

Somebody falls sick. Despite the performance of puja for his recovery and all kinds of medical treatment, there is no hope of his recovery from this illness. Death is certain for him or her. When Death stares into the patient’s face, the dying man’s mind is filled with fear. He has done all kinds of work in his lifetime. Whatever he has done or accumulated since his birth has now no meaning.
Whatever wealth he has can’t save his life. We don’t have the freedom to his body. What he can now carry is his merits and sins he has accumulated in his lifetime. If somebody has got oral instruction from his lama about the practice and skill of transmigration of his own soul, such a person need not worry about his death.
If an individual has the capacity and freedom to take birth in a celestial realm of his own choice, it is the fruit of his life long spiritual practice. Thus this is the best way of dying.
Whether we are ordinary human beings or good spiritual practitioners, when the time of death comes, we should not have attachment of any kind with our near and dear ones and our worldly possessions. Such attachment should be eliminated for our spiritual well being. When we are breathing our last, we should be very decisive. We should invoke our Three Jewels and pray that we need not experience the sufferings of Three Lower Realms after our death. If someone makes resolution to take birth in his own choice of celestial realm, it is the best way to die. If this is not possible, another spiritual master or his own spiritual companions offer prayer for his soul and he can take rebirth in higher realms due to such good co-incidence. However, in such critical situation, one’s own confidence in his own spiritual practice can come to his rescue.

The next question is: How do we die? Our body is formed when five elements get combined (earth, water, fire and air or wind and space). Now when we are dying, these four or five elements gets separated and lost in something else. The warmth of our body gets dissolved into the element of fire, our flesh into the element of earth, blood into the element of water. After this we breathe our last or pass away. This is the first state of death. Now the second or the last state of death is about to emerge. Our father’s semen virile lies in our brain and our mother’s blood lies inside our navel. When the semen and the blood mingle with each other in our heart, a kind of collision takes place there. After this collision, the soul leaves the body. This is the last stage of death. Those people who lack spiritual practice, their souls split and remain as it is for a very long period.

However, spiritual practitioners’ soul merge with the sky and vanishes into thin air the moment his father’s semen and mother’s blood comes into contact with each other. Finally such an accomplished person attains liberation from human misery and sufferings. Sometimes we hear about an enlightened master meditating after his expiry. This is a wonderful spiritual achievement demonstrated by a few holy men. Such saints regard everything as illusion and recognize the nature of his own mind and the significance of his spiritual practice. Such persons need not experience the remaining intermediate states. He has the liberty to take rebirth wherever he wishes. On the other hand, those people who have never bothered to do any spiritual practice in his lifetime get startled when they are dying and they find themselves in total darkness after their death. However they come to their senses and experience fear and panic. They are neither able to recognize the nature of their own mind nor control their thought. They have the feeling that now the intermediate state of the essence of reality has dawned upon them.
There are some people who are neither sinners nor very good spiritual practitioners. They have unwavering faith in Buddha Dharma and their root gurus. These people do not hold wrong views (The view held by some people that there are neither Triple Gems nor life after death. They also do not believe in the theory of cause and effect). Before their death, their mind is free from attachment of any kind. When they are lying on their deathbed, they sincerely invoke Three Jewels or their root gurus with single-minded dedication and devotion. They confess, repent and regret of the sins they have committed due to sheer ignorance. They have a strong wish to be reborn in the celestial realm of Amitabha and other Buddhas of Ten Directions. If they die with such feelings and strong desires, they are likely to be reborn in Higher Realms. But one thing is almost sure. They won’t be reborn in three lower realms such as hell, realm of the Hungry Ghost and the realm of the animals.
Sometimes there are patients who have no hope of recovery. The patient who must die should be given spiritual solace by his root guru and his spiritual companions. When he is breathing his last, they can advise him to think of Three Jewels. They can also help him by chanting Intermediate state prayers and verses. This is like supporting an old man whose body is rolling down the steps. However the best thing is self-reliance. Some one who has experienced the intermediate state of the place of birth and the intermediate state of meditation dies. After about two minutes of his death, the white awareness drop or male essence and the red awareness drop or female essence come into contact with each other, one experiences total darkness and forgetfulness. His soul vanishes into thin air. If a deceased person’s soul fails to recognize the supernatural enlightening of the enlightened beings, he would experience the intermediate state of Dharmata or the essence of reality. How does he experience this intermediate state?
The supernatural enlightening of the holy men (spontaneous, luminous aspect of the nature of the mind or awareness) merges with practical mysticism (the forcing of the mind into the principal artery in order to prevent distraction. Then he hears three rays of noise or soul and sees both mild and fierce deities in all the Three Worlds. At that time, he also feels that he is experiencing the intermediate state of meditation. Finally due to habits or propensities of his previous life, he fails to recognize the essence of reality and wanders in the intermediate state of becoming or existence. At the end of every week, he hears horrible and terrifying sounds or noise and he has a feeling that he is helplessly heading towards a deep cavern or a precipice where fear and despair lurk. If the person is able to recognize these sights and sounds as delusions and if he can remember his guru’s oral instruction, after at least three weeks, there is no doubt that he will be reborn in a celestial realm of his own choice. However, if a person lacks spiritual practice and confidence, he loses his consciousness and then regains it. After regaining consciousness, he fails to recognize this spontaneous, luminous aspect of the nature of his mind and awareness. As a result, he starts experiencing the intermediate state of the essence of reality.

5. The Intermediate state of the essence of reality

Alas! Now when the reality between downs upon me,
I will let go of the hallucinations of the instinctive terror,
Enter the recognition of all objects as mind’s own visions,
And understand this as the pattern of perception in the betweens,
Come to this moment, arrived at this most critical cessation,
I will not fear my own visions of deities mild and fierce!

When a person experiences the intermediate state of the essence of reality, he hears horrible and terrifying sounds. Fear and panic pervades his whole being. He is not able to recognize the nature of his own mind, his faith in religion fades into oblivion. After this, his soul leaves his body. At this moment, the soul and the body get separated and life comes to an end. The body is no more but the soul has a vague feeling that his body is with him. Besides, all those persons whose souls are wandering in the intermediate state of becoming or existence can see one another walking and hear one another. Those persons whose souls are wandering in this intermediate state can reach anywhere except their mothers’ wombs and Bodh Gaya, where Buddha attained enlightenment. Bodh Gaya is considered the most sacred place on earth for Buddhists. These souls have a kind of higher perception. They can read the mind of other people. It is also believed that these souls can see how his relatives are using his property which he has left behind; what religious activities they are performing for him. It is believed that we can't see them as they don't have physical existence but they can see us. If we are not able to fare well in our earlier intermediate states, we are likely to have a tough time during the remaining intermediate states.

During the intermediate state of the moment of death and intermediate state of becoming or existence, there is much danger, tension and fear. All souls experience the misery of hunger, misery of intense heat and cold. The degree of their suffering is determined by the actions of their previous life. The souls of those people who have committed ordinary sins or virtues wander in these intermediate states. A person who is a great sinner need not pass through these intermediate states. The soul of such a person would reach lower realms the moment he breathes his last. Those persons who have accumulated significant virtues also need not pass these intermediate states. They can go to celestial realms the moment they pass away. Except those persons, the souls of all ordinary human beings must go through these intermediate states.

6. The Intermediate state of becoming or existence

Alas! Now when the existence between dawns upon me,
I will seize my will with mind one-pointed,
And increase forcefully the impulse of positive evolution,
Blocking the womb door, I will remember to be repulsed,
Now courage and positive perceptions are essential,
I will give up jealousy, and contemplate all couples
As my Spiritual Mentor, Father and Mother
“With mind distracted, never thinking, ‘Death is coming,”
To slave away on the pointless business of mundane life,
And then to return empty-handed, it is a fatal mistake.
Recognition of necessity is the genuine teaching of Dharma,
So won’t you practise Dharma from now on?”
These are the words of the great saints.
If you don’t put your master’ instruction in your mind,
Don’t you think that it is you who deceive yourself?

When this intermediate state down upon a person, there is nothing that he can do to escapte from it. It is filled with misery and sorrow. It would prove very useful and beneficial for the soul of the deceased if his family arranges all kinds of religious activities such as making offerings to the Three Jewels, giving alms to the poor and the needy people, getting the paintings of the assembly of mild and fierce deities made etc. Arranging these activities acts like pulling somebody who is slipping and falling down a deep cavern or a precipice. Therefore we must arrange numerous religious activities after the death of our near and dear ones.
However there is a way of arranging such religious activities, which we must know. Usually we perform traditional religious activities such as burning lamps and reciting prayers for seven weeks. However the first three weeks are most important and crucial. In the first three weeks the deceased falls into the error of believing that he has physical exisitence. After three weeks he comes to know that his life has ended and he wonders where he would be reborn. It is very important to perform religious activities for the deceased in the first three weeks. If we can do this, he would be saved from being reborn in lower realms. As mentioned above, if those 21 days have passed and the deceased has already taken birth in lower realms, nobody can change his fate and save him. He must reap the fruit of his own action. When the intermediate state of becoming or existence dawns upon a person who is acquainted with spiritual practice he would know that his physical existence has come to an end. He would also know that he is wandering in the between. If such a person invokes his root guru or his personal deity with single-minded dedication, he may be reborn in a celestial realm.
Sometimes if a spiritual qualified lama summons the soul of a dead man and gives religious instruction and provides him initiation and guidance, the person may take rebirth in higher realms. All these things depend on one’s karma or favorable conditions. To sum up, the intermediate state of the place of birth is the most important of all. During this state we can accumulate merits, give up non-virtuous actions. If we lead a meaningful life during this intermediate state, we need not experience other betweens. Thus my explanation and interpretation of the six intermediate states comes to an end with sincere prayers to Three Jewels or Triple Gems.

Further understanding on this topic will be discussed and explained in Venerable's next visit to Malaysia.

Note: There are different introductions, explanations and interpretations of Six Intermediate States given by lamas according to their own spiritual levels. My explanation and interpretation of it is based on the root verses of The Great Book of Natural Liberation Through Understanding in the Between (Bardo thos grol chenmo). It was written by the great master Padma Sambhava in the eighth or ninth century and later discovered by the renowned treasure-finder Karma Lingpa in the 14th century. I have consulted His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche’s explanation and instruction of Six Intermediate States. I also had the opportunity to go through Jigme Lingpa’s prayers of the same topic. In addition to this, I have also consulted various explanations provided by Tibetan Lamas, Tulkus and adepts in general and spiritual masters of the Himalayan regions of Nepal in particular.This book/article is not meant for scholars, spiritual masters and monks. It is primarily meant for all those people who are deeply religious-minded and who know the basic teachings of Buddha Dharma. I am bringing out this book for the propagation of Buddha Dharma all over the world. With single-minded devotion, I offer prayers for the liberation of all sentient beings from the ocean of sorrow of samsara or cyclic existence. TashiDelek. Dedication from TulkuAshakThutob Rinpoche jigmedorje

Sadhu!