Before Creation
Vast, beyond spacious wonder,
Infinite, beyond constraints of time,
Turbulent, beyond madness,
Our own explosive beginnings
Have never happened,
Have never been imagined
Realistically;
We cannot begin
If there is no beginning;
We cannot become
Created
If there is no space to find,
If there is no time to discover,
If there is no self, no self
No mind, no mind, no mind;
This illusion dances before our
Sensibilities
Our unique exposition,
Our unique
Reality, created,
Created in this dream
We think is real, this dream
This dream that has never been
Here or there, or anywhere
That we can
Fathom.
A poem by Robert Aho © 2024
When we die, we become exposed completely to what is, as it is. If we have not prepared to simply let go of our beliefs, all of our limited explanations, these little fantasies that we create, then we will be in for a great deal of suffering, a challenge beyond any expectation. This agitation, this frustration over reality itself, will propel us into another life. We won’t have any choice, simply because we were madly out of control, having all of our expectations completely shattered, having no way to hold onto a life that never really existed. We freak out because we don’t know what to do. We hadn’t prepared ourselves adequately for this turbulent madness that goes far beyond what we could ever adequately explain as mere humans.
Death exposes us in a way that everything becomes completely revealed. We have nothing whatsoever that can remain private or hidden in darkness, or unconfessed. All of our actions become a propellent of sorts, something that whisks us away at a terrifying velocity into the next lifetime. Once we arrive, all of our problems are completely new, completely unique to that lifetime. We remain in this life and that life, and an infinite array of lifetimes, busily fretting over the problems at hand, learning how to adapt and communicate, learning how to navigate and to get along. We forget our old lifetimes rather quickly, simply because they no longer have relevance to these immense difficulties we must now face.
The task of living sort of wears us out. We feel lulled into complacency, seeking a moment of peace, or of simple laziness. Lifetime after lifetime, we make no effort whatsoever to gain any spiritual abilities that might help us with transmigration. We can’t fathom the importance of awakening, even though it is the only thing that can bring lasting benefit. We squander eternal opportunities, then we lament when we suffer. We despair at our bad fortune. We wonder how everything can be so stacked against us, as we fantasize about escape.
My message has never really been about what we see when we die. Lots of people talk about that. It’s really been about empowering you when you inevitably will die. We have no need to be at the mercy of our own bad karma. Our life is not a punishment, and neither is our rebirth. I could say that our life is an incredible tragedy, merged into an unfortunate comedy. That would be insensitive; however, if we are given a lifesaver when the ship is sinking, and we refuse, what else could that be?
We have this incredible ability to remain at ease in the death bardo. This alone allows us to traverse things greater than what we had thought could ever be possible. This empowerment that is at hand can give us complete control of the situation. We can conquer death. We can escape cyclic existence. We can awaken.
So, in order to do this, in order to go beyond our constraints, in order to awaken, we must see all of our beliefs and concepts for what they are. We must see that our existence is an illusion. It feels real, there is no doubt about that; however, this turbulent dream is merely something we imagine to be true. We fabricate and create all meaning. Every thought is just us grasping at some explanation; and, none of these explanations are true.
We create self. We create heavens and hells. We create gods and demons. We work very hard at this, and we’ve done it forever.
When we let go, when we stop being so serious about it all, then we feel lighter. We feel empowered to face everything and anything. We find ourselves at the cusp of this bright light, this amazing awareness that arises when we realize that we are not actually separate. Duality falls apart as we see things as they are. This bright brilliant power flows through us, through every moment. We feel eternal love and compassion, if only for a brief moment.
That’s a glimpse of awakening. We unlock this power with Bodhicitta. Through meditation, we become accustomed to enlightenment mind. We learn to go beyond all constraints.
If you prepare for the death bardo with a genuine aspiration to awaken, then death will not be so serious. You may be reborn amid rainbows, laughing, rather than crying. If you conquer death, then the power of all and beyond flows naturally from you. Bodhicitta becomes effortless.
So, as dualistic beings, we’ve latched onto a fantasy, created ego. We’re confused and exhausted. We must awaken.
Blessings in Light,
Robert Aho