Dead Masters

[Michael]

Have there been recorded instances in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of living individuals who encountered a master 0r teacher and that master was dead?

[Taeguk]

Hi! :)

Alpha Auriage, you asked:

Have there been recorded instances in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of living individuals who encountered a master 0r teacher and that master was dead?

That's a really good question!

Off hand, I can only think of one documented example: this account (http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/about/author/relationship_spiritual_teacher_2_lives.html) given by Alexander Berzin, a noted Buddhist scholar focusing on the Tibetan Buddhist traditions. What's interesting here is that apparently Dr. Berzin encountered the same lama in two different lifetimes. He was taught by Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, who then passed away, and was reborn. They continued their relationship as soon as the "new" Serkong was old enough.

Although this certainly isn't a definitive proof of reincarnation, I think it's interesting that a European academic is clearly very much convinced of the truth of reincarnation based on his personal experiences.

[Michael]

I was not asking in terms of reincarnation.

But your response does indeed provide direction. Thank you.

Regarding reincarnation, on several occasions I have had experiences that could be be regarded as 'past life' experiences. These have varied greatly both in content and the circumstances in which they arose. It is most difficult to know what to think of them or how to regard them, except possibly with caution. <_<

[Thomas Knierim]

AlphaAurigae: Have there been recorded instances in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of living individuals who encountered a master 0r teacher and that master was dead?

Yes, there are plenty of such accounts. You probably know that the Tibetans believe in rebirth, and that if an important Rinpoche or Lama dies, former disciples and associates search and often identify the reincarnation of that teacher. The Tibetans also believe that samsara consists of a circular progression of transitional states, which they call "bardos", the bardos of death being part of these states, and that ground consciousness (not sense consciousness!) survives through these progressions. During the death bardos, living people cannot normally see or contact the deceased person. However, the Tibetans also consider meditation and dream separate bardos. It is considered possible (and in fact quite common) to communicate with deceased persons during meditation and dream states. Thus the encounter with deceased persons occurs in bardos which are separate from ordinary waking consciousness.

While the "bardo hypothesis" is specifically Tibetan, there are accounts of contacting either deceased or unborn people all over the Buddhist world. For example, it is very common here in Thailand. I have heard many accounts people in my immediate surrounding who have contacted either dead or unborn people in their dreams.

Cheers, Thomas