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Lama Yeshe in Stockholm, Sweden, September 1983. Photo courtesy of Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.
Lama Thubten Yeshe, who founded the FPMT organization with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, is fondly remembered for his ability to communicate the essence of Buddhist teachings in a way that connected with Western students. In September 1983, Lama Yeshe gave a public talk in Sweden, where he discussed why we should not be afraid of death. In the following excerpt of the talk, Lama Yeshe explains what we can do now to improve this life and the next.
Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, you do know that you have a body and a mind. You also know that your mind is the main problem, not your nose. Since you understand that clean clear, it’s good to develop your understanding of the mind. This is very important for your life and for gaining the happiness you seek. And that’s what Buddhism talks about: human problems and how to deal with them and the fact that each of us is individually responsible for our own happiness and misery.
The way to liberate yourself from the uncontrolled mind is to put an end to your small, narrow, nonsensical way of thinking and to recognize that you can change it and think something else. It’s so natural. You don’t have to grasp at belief in God or Buddha; it’s just a humanistic thing. Even Western children know this. I once asked a young Italian boy what he did when he had problems. He said, “When I have problems I think about something else.” If you ask adults that question, they’ll have difficulty answering: “I wouldn’t know what to do.” I was very happy with the boy’s reply. It was such a natural answer. Adults would be like, “Oh, Lama, it’s so hard!”
OK, now, I don’t like problems myself, so maybe I should talk about good things. The good thing is, if you have a pure attitude, loving kindness for others, you’ll have no problems when you die. If you can recognize that any confusion you experience is just some kind of mental projection, you’ll have no fear. If you see that it’s just a trip and are able to deal with reality, there’s no way that your dying experience will be dangerous.
Many people, consciously or unconsciously, are scared of what comes after death. If your mind is clean clear, if you have loving kindness for others and no self-cherishing, concrete concepts, you have nothing to worry about. Your future lives will get better and better.
Of course, if at death your mind becomes a crazy chicken or a crazy pig, or a crazy snake, it’s possible that you’ll be reborn as a chicken, pig, or snake. Unfortunately. But that’s difficult for the Western mind. If you’re born a young boy or girl—intelligent, clean clear—but as you get older you take drugs and get drunk a lot, your mind can become worse than bananas. This is not something made up by Tibetans or Buddhists. It’s part of your culture. Don’t think, “I’m beautiful. How can I become an ugly pig?” You might have been a beautiful teenager, but in your old age, your good looks get completely destroyed. You can see that. It’s the same with the mind. It can degenerate in the same way and then finish up entering such an undesirable body. It’s very flexible.
Excerpted from “We Should Not Be Afraid of Death,” published in Mandala July–December 2015, which is taken from a public lecture given by Lama Yeshe at the Ethnographic Museum, Stockholm, Sweden, September 8, 1983. It was edited from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive by Nicholas Ribush.
Through timely advice, news stories, and updates, FPMT.org and Mandala Publications share the wisdom culture inspired and guided by the teachings of FPMT founders Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche.