The Buddhist Stages of Death
In Buddhism, there are eight steps to the process of Death. At each stage of Death, an aspect of the body, mind, and spirit dissolves.
The Buddhist Bardos of Death: The Process of Death in 8 Steps
If you want to be able to endure life, be ready to accept death. ~ Sigmund Freud
The Buddhist stages of death describe the process of dying from their point of view.
More specifically, they report how consciousness separates itself from the physical body during the death process. By being aware of the Buddhist stages, you will get comfort in your final moments. They also help one understand that death is also part of a much larger transformational process.
It will still be useful for you to guide people close to you on your goodbyes without giving in to fear and anxiety. The stages also describe the rebirth process and how we move from a life that ends to a new beginning.
Learn about the eight Buddhist stages of death in this article.
The Eight Buddhist Stages of Death and Rebirth
According to the Buddhist religion, there are distinct eight steps to the process of death. At each stage, an aspect of the body, mind, and spirit dissolves.
THE FIRST DISSOLUTION
The first dissolution of the Buddhist stages of death is a physical form, visual senses, and the earth element.
Your vision begins to disappear as you stop discerning shape and color. It ends with the inability to open and close your eyes. Physically, the body is dominated by the water element, losing the earth element and, consequently, vitality. The skin color is drained in a process that is experienced as “sinking into the ground.”
THE SECOND DISSOLUTION
In the second dissolution of the Buddhist stages of death, there is a loss of feelings, the water element, and the auditory senses. You stop feeling pleasure, pain, or any other sensation.
The concepts that make something pleasant or painful are no longer relevant to you. Hearing loss, kinesthesia, and loss of the sense of physical balance also occur.
Externally, the body begins to dry, stop sweating, urinating, and salivating as the water element dissolves. Internally, you will feel a cloud of smoke filling you with air.
THE THIRD DISSOLUTION
The third dissolution of the Buddhist stages of death is the loss of perception, smell, and fire element.
Externally, your body begins to lose heat, and your breathing takes on a different pattern. Inhalations are shallower and shorter, exhalation longer and more difficult. Breathing is accelerated. For the Buddhist tradition, the doctrine of rebirth has to do with universal responsibility. They believe we are influenced by all the currents of actions around us in the present and in the past. In the same way, by our actions, we influence the beings around us and those born in the future.
All beings are closely related through their actions. For the Buddhists, the world is like a tree, where individuals are the branches. Several branches are born from a single branch, neither identical to the original branch, nor totally different, but all are interconnected.
Perception will leave you with the ability to discern people and objects. At this stage, you will not remember who your loved ones are, what they are called, or any information about someone. The nose’s senses are cut off, and the sense of smell is removed.
THE FOURTH DISSOLUTION
The fourth dissolution of the Buddhist stages of death is usually considered to be the death of a person. You lose the ability to pay attention to anything. He loses all sense of motivation, willingness to act, or the ability to make a difference in the world. It is completely isolated from external stimuli.
Physically, it will look dead. Your breathing, pulse, and other vital signs will no longer be recorded. However, internally you are still there. To your perception, the image is of a flame struggling to stay lit until it finally burns. This is the air element dissolving. With the last of the four elements gone, you have separated yourself from your physical body.
THE FIFTH DISSOLUTION
The fifth dissolution of the Buddhist stages of death is that of “gross” consciousness. All that remains of your consciousness are subtle forms, the highest consciousness we can experience, often through meditation. Buddhists believe that you will experience this as a brilliant white sky, bathing you in a purifying light as you ascend to it. Your divine male will move from your crown to your heart, chakra.
THE SIXTH DISSOLUTION
At the sixth dissolution of the Buddhist stages of death, her vision turns red when her divine feminine rises from her navel to her heart. When you finish this stage, it will be like watching a sunset from all directions, with the reds getting deeper and deeper until they disappear.
THE SEVENTH DISSOLUTION
At the sixth dissolution of the Buddhist stages of death, your divine drops of male and female energy combine and merge in your heart, where Buddhists believe that consciousness ultimately resides. At that moment, you will see complete darkness, and all thoughts will stop. For an instant, you will be out of existence. You will become something you are not. You have returned your energy to Source, and nothing will exist in your mind.
EIGHTH DISSOLUTION
At the eighth dissolution of the Buddhist stages of death, your consciousness slowly returns, manifesting the bright light of death. In the beginning, you will experience what we can describe as a bright whiteness around you. You will be surrounded by emptiness, a complete vacuum, and devoid of anything that may exist except your conscience as you prepare for the crossing. You may remain in this stage for days if your body is not disturbed.
What Is the Exact Moment of Death in the Buddhist Stages of Death?
The Buddhist description of the death process does not specify the exact moment when you die. It is a point of view that must be seen as a unit. We can say that the fourth dissolution brings death because it takes life from the physical body. For all the people who stay, this is functional and correct. However, for you, we can say that it is at the seventh dissolution when your consciousness finally ceases to exist.
The Buddhist Doctrine of Rebirth
For the Buddhist tradition, the doctrine of rebirth has to do with universal responsibility. They believe we are influenced by all the currents of actions around us in the present and in the past. In the same way, by our actions, we influence the beings around us and those born in the future.
All beings are closely related through their actions. For the Buddhists, the world is like a tree, where individuals are the branches. Several branches sprout from a single branch, neither identical to the original branch, nor totally different, but all are interconnected.
Hence, for a Buddhist wanderer, the fundamental thing in the spiritual path is not to evolve into a better world but to be in tune with the Truth, with what it always is, unconditioned by circumstances.
When our capacities and actions are harmoniously expressed with what they always are, they become similar to the Truth. They become reflections of the Timeless and Unlimited in the world of conditions.
The Rebirth Process
To enter the rebirth process, your gross conscience, charged with desire, apprehension, and devotion, must activate one of the karmas. It is Karma that will determine which of the six types of migrant beings you will reincarnate. The energies of the air element will blow your consciousness into where your next form will appear.
Most people have no control over this process. However, some practically more qualified ones can choose their rebirth, remaining conscious during the process. With many lives of mastery, the most skilled practitioners will be able to end the cycle of rebirth and now forge their own destinies.
Start this awareness process as soon as possible. Learn from lucid dreams, see where your desires go. Then decide where you want to be. In the dream, you are in the form of a soul. Therefore, master your dreams to have control over your conscience.
Click HERE to Connect with your Daily Horoscope on OMTimes!
Visit Our Astrology Store for Personalized Reports
About the Author
Humanity Healing Network is an Ageless Wisdom education outreach of Humanity Healing International. https://humanityhealing.net
OMTimes is the first and only Spiritually Conscious Magazine. Follow Us On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, Pinterest, and Youtube
.
