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Books such as ''Death and Rebirth in Tibetan Buddhism'' by ] and ],{{sfnp|Lati Rinpoche|Hopkins|1979}} and ''Mind Beyond Death'' by ],{{sfnp|Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche|2006}} further explore the spiritual and philosophical underpinnings of tukdam, detailing the processes and significance of post-mortem meditation. Additionally, scholarly research and personal accounts of tukdam, as compiled in ''Testimonies of Tibetan Tulkus: A Research Among Reincarnate Buddhist Masters in Exile'' by Dieter Bärlocher,{{sfnp|Bärlocher|1982}} document the lived experiences and teachings of those who claim to have attained this state. Books such as ''Death and Rebirth in Tibetan Buddhism'' by ] and ],{{sfnp|Lati Rinpoche|Hopkins|1979}} and ''Mind Beyond Death'' by ],{{sfnp|Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche|2006}} further explore the spiritual and philosophical underpinnings of tukdam, detailing the processes and significance of post-mortem meditation. Additionally, scholarly research and personal accounts of tukdam, as compiled in ''Testimonies of Tibetan Tulkus: A Research Among Reincarnate Buddhist Masters in Exile'' by Dieter Bärlocher,{{sfnp|Bärlocher|1982}} document the lived experiences and teachings of those who claim to have attained this state.

⚫ ==Field study==
⚫ Western scientific interest in tukdam has grown, leading to a study examining this phenomenon. Instigated by the ], the ''Field Study of Long-term Meditation Practitioners and the Tukdam Post-death Meditative State'' aims to scientifically investigate the tukdam state. This study began in 1995 after a discussion between neuroscientist ] and the Dalai Lama about the meditative death of ], who remained in tukdam for 13 days. Renewed interest in 2006 led to the formal start of the project in 2007, with collaborations involving the Office of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Medical and Astro-Science Institute, Delek Hospital, and the Center for Healthy Minds at the ].<ref name="Field Study">{{cite web |url=https://centerhealthyminds.org/science/studies/the-field-study-of-long-term-meditation-practitioners |title=The Field Study of Long-term Meditation Practitioners and the Tukdam Post-death Meditative State |website=Center for Healthy Minds |publisher=] |year=2024 |access-date=2024-07-12}}</ref>

⚫ The primary objectives of the study are to document and analyze the physical and physiological signs of tukdam, explore potential correlations between meditation practices and the preservation of the body, and understand the consciousness and brain activity during the tukdam state. Methods include ] (EEG) to detect any residual brain activity after clinical death, thermal imaging to monitor body temperature, and medical examinations by Tibetan doctors.<ref name="Field Study"/> A notable research effort led by neuroscientist Richard Davidson investigates the physiological and neurological aspects of tukdam. Despite the challenges posed by differing paradigms, these studies aim to understand the relationship between meditation, consciousness, and physical signs of tukdam.<ref name="Field Study"/>{{sfnp|Tricycle|2024}}

⚫ A 2021 study using ] (EEG) to investigate whether tukdam corresponds to some residual brain activity after the ] did not detect any brain activity in clinically dead tukdam. The study noted a number of problems with studying claimed tukdam cases, including the typical three day wait after clinical death for the tukdam state to be declared among Tibetan Buddhists, and belief by some Buddhists that the bodies of Tukdam should not be touched soon after death. Such issues mean that the bodies can generally only be studied many hours to days after clinical death, if at all.{{sfn | Lott | Yeshi | Norchung | Dolma | 2021 | p=}}


==See also== ==See also==
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* at the ]. The study explores how advanced Tibetan Buddhist meditators in the tukdam state resist bodily decay post-death. * at the ]. The study explores how advanced Tibetan Buddhist meditators in the tukdam state resist bodily decay post-death.
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q119156222|id=tt21945758|title=Tukdam: Between Worlds}}, a documentary on the University of Wisconsin's ''Tukdam Project'', featuring the ] and neuroscientist ]. Filmmaker Donough Coleman discusses the making of the documentary in  at the website of ]. * {{IMDb title|qid=Q119156222|id=tt21945758|title=Tukdam: Between Worlds}}, a documentary on the University of Wisconsin's ''Tukdam Project'', featuring the ] and neuroscientist ]. Filmmaker Donough Coleman discusses the making of the documentary in  at the website of ].

⚫ ==Field study==
⚫ Western scientific interest in tukdam has grown, leading to a study examining this phenomenon. Instigated by the ], the ''Field Study of Long-term Meditation Practitioners and the Tukdam Post-death Meditative State'' aims to scientifically investigate the tukdam state. This study began in 1995 after a discussion between neuroscientist ] and the Dalai Lama about the meditative death of ], who remained in tukdam for 13 days. Renewed interest in 2006 led to the formal start of the project in 2007, with collaborations involving the Office of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Medical and Astro-Science Institute, Delek Hospital, and the Center for Healthy Minds at the ].<ref name="Field Study">{{cite web |url=https://centerhealthyminds.org/science/studies/the-field-study-of-long-term-meditation-practitioners |title=The Field Study of Long-term Meditation Practitioners and the Tukdam Post-death Meditative State |website=Center for Healthy Minds |publisher=] |year=2024 |access-date=2024-07-12}}</ref>

⚫ The primary objectives of the study are to document and analyze the physical and physiological signs of tukdam, explore potential correlations between meditation practices and the preservation of the body, and understand the consciousness and brain activity during the tukdam state. Methods include ] (EEG) to detect any residual brain activity after clinical death, thermal imaging to monitor body temperature, and medical examinations by Tibetan doctors.<ref name="Field Study"/> A notable research effort led by neuroscientist Richard Davidson investigates the physiological and neurological aspects of tukdam. Despite the challenges posed by differing paradigms, these studies aim to understand the relationship between meditation, consciousness, and physical signs of tukdam.<ref name="Field Study"/>{{sfnp|Tricycle|2024}}

⚫ A 2021 study using ] (EEG) to investigate whether tukdam corresponds to some residual brain activity after the ] did not detect any brain activity in clinically dead tukdam. The study noted a number of problems with studying claimed tukdam cases, including the typical three day wait after clinical death for the tukdam state to be declared among Tibetan Buddhists, and belief by some Buddhists that the bodies of Tukdam should not be touched soon after death. Such issues mean that the bodies can generally only be studied many hours to days after clinical death, if at all.{{sfn | Lott | Yeshi | Norchung | Dolma | 2021 | p=}}


{{Death}} {{Death}}

Revision as of 12:32, 1 October 2024

Buddhist post-mortem meditation

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In the Vajrayana tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, tukdam (Tibetan: ཐུགས་དམ, Wylie: thugs dam་) is a meditative state said to occur after clinical death, and in which the body shows apparent minimal signs of decomposition, retaining a lifelike appearance for days or even weeks. Practitioners are believed by Buddhists to be in a profound state of meditation, merging their consciousness with the Clear Light, a fundamental concept in Tibetan Buddhism signifying the primordial nature of mind and reality. Buddhist tradition considers that the tukdam is available to all people, but only the expert practitioners of meditation, when dying, can recognize it and use for spiritual purposes. The tradition became more popular among Tibetan exiles after the 14th Dalai Lama's call for the scientific research of the matter.

Description

Practitioners believe that one's consciousness can remain in a meditative state known as the "Clear Light Stage" after death, a process of inner dissolution of the five elements and consciousness back into the Primordial Light. A person might spend in this state anywhere from a minute to weeks, depending on the level of their realization, but only the expert practitioners of meditation, when dying, can recognize it and use for spiritual purposes. As Sogyal Rinpoche describes it in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying:

A realized practitioner continues to abide by the recognition of the nature of mind at the moment of death, and awakens into the Ground Luminosity when it manifests. He or she may even remain in that state for a number of days. Some practitioners and masters die sitting upright in that state for a number of days. Some practitioners and masters die sitting upright in meditation posture, and others in the "posture of the sleeping lion". Besides their perfect poise, there will be other signs that show they are resting in the state of the Ground Luminosity: There is still a certain color and glow in their face, the nose does not sink inward, the skin remains soft and flexible, the body does not become stiff, the eyes are said to keep a soft and compassionate glow, and there is still a warmth at the heart. Great care is taken that the master's body is not touched, and silence is maintained until he or she has arisen from this state of meditation.

The appearance of people that entered tukdam, in tantric view, is described as "radiant", with the skin maintaining its softness and elasticity. Exit is manifested by the body beginning to decompose.

Cultural and religious significance

Tukdam holds profound cultural and religious significance within Tibetan Buddhism, symbolizing the pinnacle of meditative practice and spiritual realization. It is viewed as a manifestation of a practitioner's mastery over the mind and the death process, reflecting their deep understanding and experience of the nature of consciousness and reality.

In Tibetan Buddhism, death is not seen as an end but a transition. The state of tukdam represents an advanced level of spiritual attainment where the practitioner's consciousness remains in meditation after clinical death, merging into the Clear Light or Ground Luminosity. This concept is extensively discussed in Tibetan texts such as The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche. The book describes how a realized practitioner recognizes the nature of mind at the moment of death and awakens into the Ground Luminosity, remaining in that state for several days.

Tukdam is considered by believers to be a sacred and awe-inspiring state that demonstrates the potential of Buddhist meditation practices. Moreover, the cultural practices surrounding tukdam support the belief that the deceased practitioner's is in a meditative state. The body is typically not disturbed or moved until signs of tukdam have ceased, reflecting the belief that the consciousness is still present and active.

Books such as Death and Rebirth in Tibetan Buddhism by Lati Rinpoche and Jeffrey Hopkins, and Mind Beyond Death by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, further explore the spiritual and philosophical underpinnings of tukdam, detailing the processes and significance of post-mortem meditation. Additionally, scholarly research and personal accounts of tukdam, as compiled in Testimonies of Tibetan Tulkus: A Research Among Reincarnate Buddhist Masters in Exile by Dieter Bärlocher, document the lived experiences and teachings of those who claim to have attained this state.

Field study

Western scientific interest in tukdam has grown, leading to a study examining this phenomenon. Instigated by the 14th Dalai Lama, the Field Study of Long-term Meditation Practitioners and the Tukdam Post-death Meditative State aims to scientifically investigate the tukdam state. This study began in 1995 after a discussion between neuroscientist Richard Davidson and the Dalai Lama about the meditative death of Kyabje Yongzin Ling Rinpoche, who remained in tukdam for 13 days. Renewed interest in 2006 led to the formal start of the project in 2007, with collaborations involving the Office of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Medical and Astro-Science Institute, Delek Hospital, and the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

The primary objectives of the study are to document and analyze the physical and physiological signs of tukdam, explore potential correlations between meditation practices and the preservation of the body, and understand the consciousness and brain activity during the tukdam state. Methods include electroencephalography (EEG) to detect any residual brain activity after clinical death, thermal imaging to monitor body temperature, and medical examinations by Tibetan doctors. A notable research effort led by neuroscientist Richard Davidson investigates the physiological and neurological aspects of tukdam. Despite the challenges posed by differing paradigms, these studies aim to understand the relationship between meditation, consciousness, and physical signs of tukdam.

A 2021 study using electroencephalogram (EEG) to investigate whether tukdam corresponds to some residual brain activity after the clinical death did not detect any brain activity in clinically dead tukdam. The study noted a number of problems with studying claimed tukdam cases, including the typical three day wait after clinical death for the tukdam state to be declared among Tibetan Buddhists, and belief by some Buddhists that the bodies of Tukdam should not be touched soon after death. Such issues mean that the bodies can generally only be studied many hours to days after clinical death, if at all.

See also

References

  1. ^ Lott 2023.
  2. ^ Lott et al. 2021.
  3. Donough Coleman, interviewed in Tricycle (2024).
  4. "Crossing Over: How Science Is Redefining Life and Death". National Geographic. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  5. "Former Ganden Tripa Stays on 'Thukdam' for 18 Days". Phayul.com. 7 October 2008. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018.
  6. Sogyal Rinpoche (2002), p. 266.
  7. Phuntsho (n.d.).
  8. ^ Sogyal Rinpoche (2002).
  9. Lati Rinpoche & Hopkins (1979).
  10. Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche (2006).
  11. Bärlocher (1982).
  12. ^ "The Field Study of Long-term Meditation Practitioners and the Tukdam Post-death Meditative State". Center for Healthy Minds. University of Wisconsin–Madison. 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  13. Tricycle (2024).

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