Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 96-minute teaching, Kyabje Rinpoche presents powa, the Buddhist practice of consciousness transference at death, opening with the vivid origin story of Chenrezig’s eleven faces, born when the bodhisattva wept at endless suffering. He outlines two methods: the common approach using the five powers (non-attachment, aspiration, rejection of afflictions, intention, meditation), which yields higher rebirth, and the uncommon Vajrayāna method aiming for transference to Amitābha’s pure realm through visualization of the central channel and lama on the crown. A central theme: powa is trained while alive but applied only when death is imminent—training during health shortens one’s life. Rinpoche instructs how to recognize genuine death omens, especially the subtle breath patterns through left and right nostrils, and walks through each practice element: bodily posture, visualization, and the precise mental attitudes at the moment of dying.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1994-11-03 – Pho Wa – KR.mp3
UUID: b6a3d3f5-e73d-4141-ba42-9efb2546d922
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Powa
Date: 1994-11-03
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~5,938
One place that he would not manifest as the Buddha in that pure realm until the entirety of the retinue sentient beings have kind thought, good heart, and virtuous state of mind. And as the Buddha has earlier made that vow aspiration, accordingly, all sentient beings in that realm has ripened in that quality, and that’s how it is. So you can ask questions. So that’s an interlocking. No worries.
We’ll leave some time for questions. Yeah. If Christ or whoever one is trying to visualize has the actual capability to rescue towards that realm, then then it’s fine to visualize. If we use the there’s two two ways of using power. One with Common and un.
Common. If if we use the uncommon — sorry. The common, might have to think well, he probably will recall it. So Jampa will get a serious answer, and then your answer will come in a minute. Yeah. But but but your your question hasn’t been put yet.
In the Vinaya discipline teachings, there are mentioned in the past during the time of Buddha that when monks gather for their purification of whatever for the day or for the month, things have been done non virtuously, then one might try to recall to the other person, oh, you have done such mischief the other day, and then the other person would say, oh, I don’t remember. And then the one who says I don’t remember would be put into a special cell a house to give time to think over it and try to recall it. I see that. That was that day. Said, okay.
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So that’s That is fine, that would be the point.
And that is fine, but to that way one can be led up towards pure realm and lifted up, But the additional part to need to push the drop upward, is more excellent, additional to make it more effective. So the term is branch or it’s an accessory of more excellence, accessory of excellence, as you might say. And the example is like, we can just eat a bread and have our feel of hunger gone, that is fine. And that’s where the latter part of the day can be spent just eating bread, that’s fine. But to have additional feelings inside with salad and vegetable, that’s like excellent accessories to go on top of it.
Good lunch. Have a good lunch. So the actual pure land of bliss is from our Tibetan perspective of geographical location, it seemed to be towards north or towards west. West from there. Pänchen Rinpoche, one of the two most highly two highest lamas in Tibet is considered Amitābha Buddha in human form.
Dalai Lama is considered Chenrezig in human form. And the two have great connections. Amitābha is like the parent and Chenrezig is like the child. So we have therefore Chenrezig as the deity of compassion being the offspring in the sense of a disciple of Amitābha Buddha. Chenrezig 11-faced, has special historical narration or incident about it, or how it went was in the past.
The past, Chenrezig continued to work for sentient beings and lead so many sentient beings, countless of them, towards enlightenment and then later on when Chenrezig looked from the pure realm down towards sentient beings, then it was found that there are far more sentient beings still unenlightened, still wandering in the cycle. And again Chenrezig continued to work towards bringing sentient beings towards enlightenment and again looking down would find so many sentient beings still left and out of that felt Chenrezig felt that I cannot, I cannot stick with my pledge to work for sentient beings. It’s like unending work. So out of such losing of dedication slightly to one’s vow or pledge, instantly at that moment Chenrezig’s head split into so many pieces. Already before the heads being split into pieces, Chenrezig continued to cry for a long time and the tears flowed down in continued flow of stream.
And out of this stream of tears there came out Buddha of assistance, Tara, the female Buddha. And Tārā made request to Chenrezig, you don’t need to feel so discouraged. That was the request made. And Tārā came out in that way, therefore in 21 Praises to Tārā, we have the line, You who has born out from the tears of the lotus of the protector of the three realms, that is where the line says, meaning the protector of three realms being Chenrezig and manner of being birthed or born in the form of a lotus corolla or a lotus is just another way of describing figuratively the birth from the tears of Chenrezig. And then the heads split into so many pieces and those pieces of heads were later on collected together by Amitābha Buddha and put together which then become 11 heads, 11 faces of Chenrezig.
Then Amitābha Buddha mentioned to Chenrezig, you don’t need to be depressed about your place, I would assist you. So that is how the Amitābha Buddha is depicted being on top of Chenrezig which is of 11 headed aspect. So it is like the lama up on Chenrezig’s crown to be visualized and meditated upon. And then from earlier, the purification part of the three part completion, ripening and purification, So the early part, the purification part of the completion, ripening and purification, the purification part is where Amitābha Buddha earlier made the prayer until where: if I am going to be the sentient beings’ protector or guide, if that environment does not become a blissful environment, I would not assume enlightenment. And exactly as according to the prayer, the blissful realm where Amitābha Buddha resides is an environment where there is not unpleasant feeling at all.
There is not even a neutral feeling. Instead, everyone up there in that environment all the time experiences blissful feeling, pleasant feeling and that then completes the purification part of the three part practice done by Amitābha. Briefly covered concern the part where we train on Powa as a preparation to get used to the method, whereas the actual use or application of power comes at the time when one is about to die. And that’s how it stands and therefore the next part of the instruction concerns how actually to apply the Powa method at the time about to die. Firstly, to go into that, we need, as gone over this morning, need to develop the right motive of bringing our mind to the state of precious mind of enlightenment, where we think, you know, I must remove the sufferings of all beings and bring them happiness.
To be able to do that, I must attain the state of Buddhahood at any rate. That part of thinking as well includes meditation on loving kindness and compassion. To think of removing others’ suffering and to think of bringing them happiness itself is simply, presently in the state of aspiration. Therefore, near aspiration is not actually going to help as far as that is concerned in its own context. Therefore, on top of that, one needs to develop the superior thinking, the exalted thought, universal responsibility.
Thinking, I myself alone will take the responsibility to accomplish them. So one needs to develop that as well. So although one may develop that universal responsibility, when one analyzes oneself, Do I have the means to accomplish them? One would find, I don’t have. So it is only when one attains enlightenment, Buddhahood, that it is possible to accomplish those.
Or when will one have the capability to accomplish them? It is only when one attains enlightenment where one has overcome the present afflictions of the mind, the impure thoughts, the lacking part of the mind, and actualize all excellent perfections of the mind that that is possible. So the potential by which one can accomplish others’ welfare comes only when one has improved one’s mind in that way of training. How then can we actually attain enlightenment where we overcome all weaknesses of mind and attain all perfections of mind? Well, exactly to be able to do that, one needs to train on the virtuous aspects of mind such as definite exit based, or renunciation-based, compassion, loving kindness, precious mind of enlightenment, realization of emptiness.
Through this way, one can gradually, gradually overcome all shortcomings of mind and gradually, gradually attain all perfections of mind. It would be similar to when we are to wash an extremely dirty piece of cloth, then it not only needs washing once, but it needs to be washed again and again, again and again. So that way firstly the gross dirt come out and then the more subtle and in that way finally even the subtlest dirt do also come out there through repeated washing plus with pure water and strong detergent and all that, that is possible. So in that way here as well, our purification and attaining this pure realized state of mind, we need to have repeated training on multitude of virtues, perfections of mind, and again to emphasize the point, to train on renunciation based compassion, loving kindness, precious mind of enlightenment, and realization of emptiness. In the case of cloth to be washed, the dirt is not one with the fabric itself.
The dirt has not entered into the fabric to become one with it. Therefore, the dirt can be removed and be separated from the cloth fabric. In a similar way, our mind has regards its shortcomings in the form of impure thoughts or thoughts which bring about afflictions or suffering, therefore afflictive thoughts. As regards then, the afflictive thoughts, impure thoughts, they have not entered into the very core of the mind to be inseparably one with the mind. Instead, the impure thoughts are around the mind as if wrapping over the mind and not one with the mind.
In that way, the impure thoughts, the shortcomings with the mind can be separated, purified, removed, and so forth. And like in the case of fabric, which becomes, when purified of dirt, becomes so clean. Like that, the mind as well it can become very pure. When purity of mind is attained, one perfects in entire compassion and knowledge perfections with the mind. In that state which has those qualities, the mind has the capability to manifest at the same time in many hundreds and thousands of emanations or manifestations and go to countless numbers of universes at the same time and be of service and help to countless sentient beings.
And in that way one has such a limitless and incredible capability to benefit and help others. Also in this way, whenever a person as practitioner makes the determination In order to help all beings, I must purify all my mental shortcomings and attain all perfections of mine, then that is precisely what is called the precious mind of enlightenment. Not only that, later on when a person, not just occasionally, but through repeatedly training on such thought, when such thought always arises spontaneously, then it is described that the person has generated the precious mind of enlightenment, and at that point the person comes to be called as bodhisattva. So whoever has developed such kind thought becomes to be called as a bodhisattva. By the same qualification whoever don’t have, no matter even the person claims to be following the Mahāyāna or great vehicle part, does not become a bodhisattva.
It is only on the basis of having that quality of mind. And as far as who can develop such kind thought as mind of enlightenment, Well, anyone can develop that female, male, whether they are monk or nun, or whether they have different levels of present circumstances and whatever social standing that they equally can be able to generate their thought on the basis if the trainings are done. And in some cases it is possible that as an animal that one in certain cases bodhicitta, the precious mind of enlightenment could be generated where it would be looked as the animal in previous life had so much trained on such line of thinking. And due to having the imprint upon its mind that it has some basis and through certain circumstances of triggering the factor of that imprint that they could develop it. And if they do happen to develop, then that animal would be called as a bodhisattva, although externally it might be seen as just an animal.
So the actual practice of training on the transference had three parts of which the preliminary or preparatory part we covered yesterday afternoon’s session and the actual preparatory training part we covered this morning, where you first having sat visualize the interior of the body with the central channel and one’s lama up on one’s crown top and then with the mind in the form of drop light by saying ‘hik’ goes up and by saying ‘phat’, bring it down. So in that way, it needs to be done that in a session about 21 times and train well on it. And the emphasis at the end is it would mean that one definitely need to train for a fair bit of time, doing the same thing again and again for a good enough time. In this way when one has trained quite well extending to many weeks or few months then one would probably feel itchiness on the crown top or up there there would be certain sore feeling that there is infection or there could be bursting out from their blister liquid and so forth and when these happen then they indicate that one’s training has been quite good.
Also within the actual practice, we might say it has concluding part, although that is not what is spelled out in the text or teaching here. But looking it in that way that the actual session has conclusion, then we might say the conclusion part is where having done the bringing up and down of the mind, then towards the end the Amitābha Buddha on one’s crown transforms into Buddha limitless light, Amitāyus, who later on visualized having nectars flowing from its body and the vase and filling one’s entire body, receiving all the blessings and so forth. Following that, Amita Buddha becomes smaller and smaller and later on becomes a light, tiny light of which one portion seals the crown opening and the other part or portion of the light merge with one’s mind and becoming one with Buddha Amitāyus. So that’s the conclusion part within the actual text. So when that goes well, for time being there would be no need to train any further.
One might have to keep minimum continuity of training not to forget it, but not necessarily keep training intensively. Now as regard to the actual time, when should one be doing trainings on this practice, meaning on the transference of consciousness? Well, it seemed very advisable that normal time is not the time to train on it, meaning when one is alive and well and so forth, it’s not the time. Instead, there are certain omens that one can infer being omens of one’s possible death and they are called death omens. So one needs to be very expert in detecting certain symptoms, omens, of one’s possible death.
And when these omens do arise and one detects them, then firstly one should try to prolong one’s life by means of life prolonging methods such as reciting certain long life prayers and mantras or doing certain practices. And if one’s life still seems not to be prolonged and death omens are appearing, then one needs to train on this practice, the Powa, the transference of consciousness. So that, exactly speaking, would be the appropriate time for a person to train on this method. Because generally without any death omen, death symptoms, death or omen appearing if one is trained while one is well and alive, that is quite detrimental in shortening our life or detrimental and would shorten our life. Or else, generally, if one is alive and everything is well and no dead omens appearing, if one does the training on such method, then it is a case where one is already making the move to go where the time has not arrived yet.
So, time of move. Not only that, if one is doing the practice of transference of consciousness based on deity visualization method where one has meditated upon one’s, let’s say, deity, then there is the negative karma of having murdered a deity. And if a person is doing the transference, the power practice without deity visualization, but as a normal human tends to and does the practice, then there will be bad karma of murdering a human. So there would be such, strictly speaking, such grave consequences. My father.
So in such case, instead of going upward, you might end going downward. In this way, this is not about this, but generally any practices, one really have to be skillful with the circumstance and the timing. Well well then, what are the omens of death? What are the symptoms of possible death? Well, there are so many explained generally about the different symptoms of dying, different symptoms of possible death, such as the omen of death concerning body, concerning speech, concerning mind.
In that way, there are a lot. So to go with one, say, if one remains underneath sunshine or moonlight for a while standing there and observes one’s shadow for a while, and then suddenly, when one looks upward to the sky, if one sees image with beheaded human and so forth, that is one symptom of possible dying. Now when the nails turn yellow, completely lacking any blood at all, then that is explained to be possible death within six months. When there’s no warmth with the dirt, then that is possible that in one month’s time. So dirt is the word for feces, shit.
So if there’s no warmth with one’s dirt, then it’s a symptom that one might die within one month. So that’s another way of saying one’s feces hasn’t got any warmth with it heat. There are so many in this way explain about symptoms of death, so many. Now amongst them, let’s say one quite principal one, which is to do with the space, with the breathing in and breathing out, and that is explained to be quite a good detection of possible dying. Now in twenty four hours period, a human average breathes in and out about 21,900 rounds breathing in and out.
Now in the morning, say, there are that many breathing in and out. Now in the morning, say, when one is breathing in and out, one needs to check the flow of the air being breathing in and out. This obviously means one has to have a good, clear nostrils. For people with blocked nostril, it won’t be that good. So it has to be a very clear and good passage of a clean nostril.
And by then observing the flow of the air, being breathing in and out through right and left nostril, if one finds that there is quite a balance amount of breathing in and out happening through both nostrils, then that is things are going fine. If opposite to that, if the breathing in and out seem to be so fluctuating that once just ahead it’s going it was breathing in through right and just momentarily it changes, breathing in through left or the vice versa. In that way, if there is an unreliable shift of the flow, then that is an indication of possible dying soon. There is normally quite a difference in the flow of air into the two nostrils especially in the morning time. If one observes well, one would find that for a while the air goes more dominantly through right or to stop it, then one would find when it’s going round that the air continues to flow dominantly through right nostril for about a couple of hours, while at that time the left nostril seems to be blocked.
And later after a couple of hours, then somehow by its own circulation, the right seemed to be blocked and then air dominantly flow in the left nostril. So in that way, there is definitely a balanced way of flow in some consistent rhythm of the air through the nostrils. And you would find it quite effective if like, you do some checking in the morning. But anyway, with regards to the precise detection, to speak third person, Rinpoche himself has not yet done the checking yet. We’ll have to do the checking.
I don’t know. So that’s being modest. And then the symptoms of possible death concerning mind can be such as where previously being at residence at one location, Previously, being at residence at one location, one would have enjoyed staying there so much, but later on one feels going, one feels like disgusted about the place previously which one has enjoyed so much and one somehow so strong urge to go to another place thinking that is extremely good and wonderful, enjoyable and so forth. So when that happens then there is a symptom of possible dying. And then the post trip delivery, laughter was here the urge to go somewhere else has to be without any reasons because otherwise, normally people have all sorts of funny reasons wanting to go somewhere else.
And if a person normally is very kind hearted, tolerant, bold minded, but suddenly if the person becomes short-tempered, angry, easily frustatable, then that means there is mental symptom omen of the person’s possible dying soon. And then generally if a person is short-tempered, easily irritable, angry, and roomless in the mind. So that’s the Tibetan expression, roomless in the mind, a person who just doesn’t have any space of tolerance and patience at all, and easily stressed, so roomless in mind, and all that. Whereas somehow, suddenly, that’s the person normally is. Then somehow, suddenly, if the person turns out to be kind hearted, tolerant, patient, and showing all sorts of good virtue of the mind, all of a sudden, then that would mean a mental symptom of possible dying soon.
But here it doesn’t mean the person changing to become spiritual, doing spiritual practices and so forth because that is different case. That wouldn’t be symptom of death. So to interpret that would mean a person just all of a sudden on surface level turning out to be so nice and kind and all that, then that would mean that. So there are so many of such symptoms of possible dying explained so thoroughly. Nevertheless, by roughly detecting any possible symptoms if one feels that one is going to die based on possible accurate detection, then first before going into transference practice, there are so many methods explained in Buddhist instructions to prolong life not prolong life in that way and not need to die that soon.
It can be possible. And yet through those methods somehow one would be dying soon, only then one can pick up the practice of transference of consciousness. So one then needs to choose the training part already before at the time of dying and when one is really about to die then that is the time to apply the actual instruction and the time So already one need to have done all those trainings and then applied only at the time about to die. And the time about to die can be of various symptoms further degradation of the bodily vigor and so forth, such as breathing out can be difficulty with obstructions. It’s sort of an animation sound.
So it’s like the air is blocked out. And the breathing out is still relatively stronger than breathing in. So one is less able to breathe in, and one’s eyes always gazes upward with the more portion of the eyeball becoming white and body lost or losing. So this can be the immediate dying possibly happening soon. Therefore, it can be seen as a symptom of dying within one day or two days.
And then one needs to apply the actual training which one has trained earlier. So the latter part was there was retraction of cardinal elaborate instructions just before, so that’s not necessary. And that’s why the withdrawing, the retraction part was the laughter. So then at the time about to die, one needs to apply all the instructions and the training one one has done. The common method to transfer one’s consciousness is what comes from the Kadampa instructions.
And uncommon method to transfer consciousness is explained in the specific Vajrayāna method, specifically called as Powa or the transference instructions. So these two combined instructions and training need to be applied at this point when one is about to die. So if one is going to apply both methods together then one first needs to apply the instructions of the thought training or the common method where the lines from the main text on page 22 says, The instructions of the great vehicle, consciousness transference, are the very five powers cherish to guard one’s conduct. So that means in the great vehicle thought training instructions there are certain practice of mind called the five powers which one at this point needs to apply. The first power is called the power of wholesome seed.
At this point of about when one is supplying the five powers starting with power of wholesome seed, If it is a case of a single person on her or his own dying without any connections or a link, then it is quite compact convenient way to go about. But if it is otherwise, there are so many things to concern. Where laughter part was, so many things to be concerned. And this might mean if a person of a family with children and so forth, the parents, then it is not that simple, there are certain other things from one’s attitude that needs to be built at that time. In brief, mainly this point means one has to stop attachment towards anything because if there is attachment then that is an obstacle to power, transfer and soft demand upward.
Now if it is a case of the dying person being a single person without any immediate concern of those living behind, such as if it’s a monk or a nun or a single person, then whatever material possessions one have, one dispenses with them by way of making offerings to the Three Jewels or by giving away in generosity to others. So in that way one makes clear, one doesn’t have any object of material or material object to become attached at that time of about to die and things have become very clear, clean issue. In the same mind, if there is anything to be received from others, one receives them, anything to be given to others one needs to give them, so that would mean in terms of credit and debt. And then in that way when things are clear, issue ends, everything is clear, then that becomes a very sound foundation through which one is likely to have no attachment at all towards material things. Even if it is a case of a family person, as long as there is no attachment at that time about to die, then that is fine.
Main thing is the attachment to be stopped. Otherwise, if there is attachment then that hinders the person from going upward towards pure realm or higher rebirth, it brings the person drags downward. So that very preparation at the time about to die to be free of attachment is what the first power is called the power of wholesome seed. The second is called the power of aspiration prayer, which means at that time about to die, one thinks of, in the present case, Amitābha Buddha and the pure realm, the blissful realm, and one develops a strong urge and wish to go up towards Amitābha Buddha’s realm and to be in the presence of Amitābha Buddha. And then having developed that wish, then one offers seven limb practice offering, mandala offering and so forth, and that becomes the power of prayer.
One needs to strongly pray at that time. And then the real things about our present imperfect mind which would hinder our possible journey, voyage upward, would be the three poisonous states of mind: attachment, hatred, ignorance. So they are the real factors which stop us from going upward. Therefore, at this point, to apply awareness of mind, not to let one’s mind go towards them, and in that way to expel these impure thoughts are called the next power, the power of rejection. And then one repeatedly thinks about the whole training and wish to have all excellent rebirth and all that, so that repeated training becomes the next power, the power of intention which alternatively can be called the power of familiarization.
And then one actually applied the means by which to go up towards the pure realm and to attain enlightenment and so forth, and strongly wish along with the application of the practice, and that becomes the fifth power, the power of actual meditation, the previous being the power of intention. So the next part is the bodily conduct at the time about to die when applying the instructions, but here the bodily conduct we need to see as applicable more in the case of the common instruction about transference by means of five powers and not with the other the drop being exit out because in that case one in that method one needs to have straightened spine and standing upright. So that perhaps would not apply there. So here, with that method, then one lie down on one’s right side and then have the index finger, the index finger or ring finger of right hand blocking the right nostril in the fashion of Buddha Śākyamūni when passing away reclined in that way, and the legs fully stretched with left hand on the left leg. And that would be a good remembrance as one of Buddha’s meaning to go beyond sorrow, nirvana.
Blocking the right nostril with the right index or ring finger of the right hand is significant because it is blocking the wind through the right nostril which is associated with triggering of hatred and anger. So the anger is stopped and instead the air or wind through the left nostril is let flow clearly, where the wind is associated with being a factor to develop bodhicitta, the supreme altruism, precious mind of enlightenment. So in that way, the very position is significant even in terms of that to help train better on both each other the precious mind of enlightenment. Also there is the significance when one goes to die in that manner, it makes one’s mind to think of Buddha Śākyamūni, how the Buddha passed away in that fashion. So if the person by remembering and being aware of Buddha Śākyamūni, then that means the person’s state of mind at the time of dying is a mind focused on enlightened aspect, Buddha Śākyamūni.
So in that way, it is impossible for such person with that state of mind thinking of Buddha Śākyamūni to fall to bad rebirth. It is definite that the person will have a better, higher rebirth. So this is here talking from the exclusive point not power context, but generally, commonly, in anyone’s case, when dying, if the person is able to recall enlightened aspect in that way in one’s mind, one will have higher rebirth. So the reason why that is so is when one recalls that way to think of Buddha Śākyamūni, then what one is recalling is one is recalling a being who has completely overcome all imperfections of mind and have completely attained all perfections of mind an enlightened being. So when the mind of a dying person thinks of that way, then the nature of the mind has become a good karma.
So out of such it is definite that the person will not fall to bad rebirth and will have higher rebirth. But in the case of exclusive context meaning when proper transference power methods are applied then it would be good not to recline down but to remain upright, because in that case one’s body is straight and one would have more likelihood of being able to meditate on these channels straight and the visualization of the lama, the deity and so forth, and be able to do the rest of the upward bringing visualization quite well. So it would be suggestible that would be a good way to do. If one does the common method of simply applying the lojong instructions, the thought training instruction, is applying the five powers, with that the transference would not become proper, proper transference of consciousness up to pure realm, instead it would just become transference, where through that method the most one would be able to attain would be higher rebirth and not upward to pure realm. So it would just be transference, but not proper transference upward to pure realm.
But of course, we might say there would be exception to that if a person has already trained so much on the five powers of the thought training method, more especially on the precious mind of enlightenment, then because of the preciousness and the very strong potency of mind of enlightenment that it is possible a person may be born or a person may be able to transfer its consciousness towards pure realm instead of merely a higher rebirth as human or celestial. So there can be that exception, but on average it would just be mere transference to a happy rebirth. In the case of a great teacher who specialized in the training of precious mind of enlightenment bodhicitta, the teacher by the name of Chekhawa, then it is possible in such cases by merely lying in that position and applying the five powers, especially bodhicitta state of mind, that by that power one would be able to transfer one’s mind up to pure realm. And it is explained that such possibility of transferring one’s mind to pure realm by the power of so much training on bodhicitta is possible. Because in the case of that teacher to explain Chekhawa’s case, what happened was by training on thought training, thought transformation, lojong instruction, his life he meditated on sending his own happiness and virtues and merits to all sentient beings and taking upon himself all the sufferings and negativities in meditation and mental training upon himself.
And all the time he prayed that for the welfare of all sentient beings, may I be born in the lowest realm, the hells, the extremely tormented realm, and may all sentient beings experience freedom from the tormented realm. May I, on their behalf, substitute their suffering and may they all have happiness, bliss and pure surrounding. So in this way, all his life, the teacher trained on thought training, thought training in that line of practice, and with the basis of the training on precious mind of enlightenment. So out of such power of training in such good way, at the time of his death when he was about to die, instead of seeing visions of extremely tormented realm around, there appeared visions of pure and