Quotes from Stephen Hodge

These spiraling rainbows of light take on the shapes of various divine beings, initially in peaceful groups but later in terrifying images of wrath. These become embodiments of the deceased's spiritual energies, and array themselves in mandalalike patterns that reveal the spiritual structure of the universe and form the great mandala of primordial enlightenment. They are like the facets of a diamond, each unique in itself yet all belonging to the whole.

The root cause of suffering is explained as the second of the Buddha's truths. Quite simply, it is our own desire for sensual pleasure and our attachment to the objects of the senses that cause us so much pain. Being deluded concerning the reality of this world, we react to the phantoms of our perceptions with lust or anger. We are filled with desire or hatred, pride or jealousy, and all such conceits cause us to act in a way that gives pain to ourselves and others.

Bewildered by the dazzling display of lights, the deceased may fail to recognize them as manifestations of his or her own spiritual energy. Overwhelmed by their intensity, he or she may not be able to make any sense of them. In fact, they are the projections arising from his or her own chaotic mind. The guide, therefore, should offer the deceased person counsel and assistance to enable him or her to recognize these visions for what they are.

A thought that is ignored soon goes away. And there it is! The space between thoughts. How wonderful to see!

Yet literal or figurative, only the human state, the mode that is balanced without too much suffering and too much comfort, is said to be conducive to future spiritual growth. An excess of suffering prevents people from ever giving thought to anything else since their minds are overwhelmed by pain, while an excess of comfort and happiness dulls the mind and gives no motivation for change.

When we encounter spiritual realities for the first time, whether just starting to meditate or at the time of death, our minds are usually inflexible with ingrained self-interest and belief in the reality of the everyday world. It is good to be as comfortable as possible for it is painful to witness the disintegration of our world as the senses upon which it was based crumble and dissolve.

The dying person should be helped to lie in the optimal position for death, the so-called "sleeping lion's posture." It is thought that this posture naturally calms the erratic flow of an agitated mind and thus it may be helpful to the dying person by allowing him to concentrate more easily.

At the time of death, those who have led thoroughly evil lives will have a vision of the terrifying Lord of Death and his henchmen in whatever form they have been culturally conditioned to expect. The guide must try hard at this time to reassure those who are frightened that these terrible apparitions are merely projections of his or her own mind. He should remind the dying person to have faith in the goodness that surrounds him or her and not to be afraid.

If the deceased person has led a wholesome life of virtue, they will see themselves surrounded by hosts of divine beings who will call out to him or her by name and invite him or her to accompany them to paradise. Abandoning all attachment to their present body, they should relax their minds and then gather together all that remains of his or her consciousness and follow these heavenly messengers upward and out of the body to a pure realm of awareness and bliss.