It is an honor to receive this month in "Psychology and Meditation" Philippe Cornu, Buddhist teacher, Tibetologist, author of many books including the indispensable Encyclopedic Dictionary of Buddhism (Threshold). He has published in Buchet-Chastel the result of many years of work: the first complete translation of the Bardo Thödol, The Tibetan Book of the Dead directly from the root texts in Tibetan. This cycle of teaching belongs to the Nyingma school, initiated by Padmasambhava in the eighth century. The tradition traces back to the illustrious founding inspiration Bardo Thödol, written by the discoverer Treasure (tertön) Karma Lingpa in the late fourteenth century under the title of The Great Liberation by hearing in the intermediate states . Philippe Cornu illuminates for us the meaning of this work and forging links between understanding of mind in the East and West. Your new translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead is based on Tibetan versions more reliable, and it gives the true perspective of this text, returning his doctrinal background from the Dzogchen tradition.
The main idea of this work was to re-translate directly from Tibetan, because so far the text translated from English was not adequate vocabulary. It was not related to Dzogchen while the text is Nyingma. By combining the Tantric and Dzogchen as those of the Bardo Thödol presents itself as a kind of complete kit to work with his spirit in life, to prepare for the moment of death and learn from the experiences post-mortem in order to collect the liberating side. All this does not seem clear in previous editions, so I wanted to give all the texts and explain them one by one. He had to leave the actual text, preferably fixed, which was possible thanks to Dudjom Rinpoche, who made a critical edition in Tibetan where he restored the accuracy of the text. He then had to return the book in its tradition. Otherwise, it is a text that floats in an aura of fantasy that is open to all projections fantasy of the West. The presentations on the nature of mind are nonetheless part of the core Thödol Bardo, and without them we are left with descriptive texts that speak to us and spectacular visions of deities, etc.. It sounds exotic or psychedelic, which led to delusions of Timothy Leary on the use of the Book of the dead while traveling at LSD, although this has nothing to do. This false understanding because LSD or not, as the visions are seen in dualistic terms, they are not and do not bring liberation to the true nature of mind.
also explains how Jung did not understand the East and in particular this text?
What is interesting is to see why Jung did not understand meditation from Western categories. Psychology, Jung and with it, depends on the philosophical thought of Descartes, that mind is a thinking substance and not an extended substance. This circumscribed mind as a closed space, with objects in this inner spirit, mental representations. With Freudian psychology, this spirit is again divided between the conscious and unconscious and with Jung between individual and collective unconscious. Jung has brought his understanding of Buddhism and meditation classes at his own, he made a royal road to the unconscious with all the dangers that entails. That's why he recommends the Westerners do not venture into meditation. This comes from a premise that access would be provided through meditation that of the unconscious, while this is not the case for Buddhism where there is no mention of that. Admittedly, things are underlying consciousness is what is called karmic tendencies. Karma is action motivated by a desire to perpetuate the sense of self. This self is illusory, never really made all the time to rebuild, but we assign a solidity that would be the fixed core of our individuality. In Buddhism there is a stream of consciousness in perpetual transformation. Our intentions egocentric produce karmic impregnations which leave a trace in consciousness. They are the underlying causes and until conditions are met to give birth to a new existential situation. It's an endless cycle, but there is not the idea of an unconscious separated.
What is consciousness in Buddhism?
There are eight types of consciousness according to the school of "one mind" (Sanskrit Vijnanavada, Cittamatra or Yogacara). This approach, taken by the Dzogchen, describes the mind at its functional level and on the conditioned mind that turns to false, which does not understand what is happening and the performer, creating a sense of ego and a world outside. This epiphenomenon takes all the room and hides the fact that in this spirit is the non-dual, unconditioned, open: the enlightened nature. First are the five active consciousness of the senses and the mental consciousness, which with the help of representations orders a coherent worldview. Then defined two consciousnesses that reflect the continuity of the spirit in times where the six consciousnesses active stop, in deep sleep for example. Is then raised the idea of a consciousness behind that would link various points of consciousness or even between several lives. It is the consciousness "universal base" Alayavijnana. It is a neutral place where lay the impregnation of karmas created under the influence of the ego. The seventh consciousness is the mind passionate or soiled klistamanas is one aspect of the mind that is looking for a solid and stable support. He then takes the Alayavijnana, the eighth consciousness, for me. This is the HQ of ignorance, which maintains the sense of self by constant cogitation. As everything is fleeting, that mind is trying to rebuild the ego constantly. The seventh consciousness can not judge the objects of sense that so emotional, so that awareness of the senses are in themselves innocent.
How to do?
In meditation, we will disconnect the passionate mind. By slowing the mind can clearly analyze what are the phenomena that surround us in insight. It slows the flow of thoughts and opens space, that most frightens the ego. Meditation is so difficult, and we train as we fight, because the mind is not passionate about letting go. It focuses on the content of emotions or thoughts, rather than seeing them as mere movements in the mind. Quite a difference with the West, where the term meditation refers to a kind of rumination on the mind of a conceptual theme. It is a misunderstanding about meditation. The psychology of fear is the loss of self. We think that if there is more of me this existence, he is nothing left, no structure. But Buddhism is a mistake because the ego is not our true nature is spirit not manufactured at the base of the ordinary mind. It is the mind empty and bright, that is to say knowing; non-dualistic, it is beyond the distinction between subject and object.
(more)
Interview by Nicolas Inca
Buddhism News, No. 122, March 2010. On newsstands now.
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