Student and Teacher

Together on the Path

As students on the Tibetan Bön Buddhist path, we offer our teachers a range of simple and difficult questions. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche has a wonderful ability to understand human nature, cut to the truth and share his wisdom in his response to these questions. Here is one question from a student attending the 2018 Fall Retreat at Serenity Ridge. What follows is an edited excerpt from the oral teachings given in reply by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.

Student: I want to ask you how can one deal better with the fear of dying? This is a very prominent feeling that I have. 

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche: There are many different ways of dealing with fear. According to the dzogchen cycle of teachings, the emotion of fear, and particularly the fear of death, is basically a fear of losing something. Even though we feel like we are losing something, in a way we're not really losing anything at death, because in a way we never really had anything to begin with. It’s not logic or rationality that can really work with that fear. Rather, it is our bringing the light – the awareness – to the emotion of fear itself. It is bringing presence to the emotion, hosting it, accommodating it, being with it and not being separate from it. Looking at it as something separate and then trying to shut it down doesn't work. That has never succeeded.

If you come closer to the fear, are aware of it and accommodate it, rest in it – being kind, gentle, connecting, quiet, peaceful, restful, no voices – then suddenly it's gone. It's no longer there. And when it's no longer there, then recognize that space, the space absent of the fear of death. Recognize that it is eternal. When you're there, you know that this will never die, this will never be destroyed, this will never change. All of these qualities are fully present here. Feel that. Recognize nothing's going to change that. Changelessness is what we say. So, more of a familiarity and awareness with that will definitely be of help.