The-Tibetan-Book-of-Living-and-Dying

230 THE TIBETAN BOOK OF LIVING AND DYINGmasters of her time, especially with Jamyang Khyentse, and heblessed her by writing for her a special "heart advice." Shewas sturdy and round, very much the boss of our household,with a beautiful and noble face and a yogin's uninhibited,even temperamental, nature. She seemed to be a very practicalwoman, and she took direct charge of administering the family'saffairs. Yet a month before she died she changed completely,in the most moving way. She who had been so busylet everything drop, with a calm and carefree abandon. Sheseemed to be continually in a state of meditation, and keptsinging out her favorite passages from the writings ofLongchenpa, the Dzogchen saint. She had enjoyed eatingmeat; yet just before she died, she didn't want to touch meatat all. She had been the queen of her world, and few peoplehad thought of her as a yoginl In her dying she showed whoshe really was, and I shall never forget the profound peacethat radiated from her in those days.Ani Pelu, in many ways, was my guardian angel; I thinkshe loved me specially because she had no children of herown. My father was always very busy being JamyangKhyentse's administrator, and my mother was also busy withher huge household; she did not think of things that Ani Pelunever forgot. Ani Pelu would often ask my master: "What'sgoing to happen to this boy when he grows up? Is he goingto be all right? Is he going to have obstacles?" and sometimeshe would reply to her and say things he would never havesaid about my future if she had not been there to badger him.At the end of her life, Ani Pelu had tremendous serenity inher being and stability in her spiritual practice, yet even she,when she was at the point of death, made a request that Ishould not be present, just in case her love for me might causeher an instant's attachment. This shows how seriously shetook her beloved master Jamyang Khyentse's heart advice: "Atthe moment of death, abandon all thoughts of attachment andaversion."ENTERING THE CLEAR AWARENESSHer sister Ani Rilu had also spent her whole life practicing,and had met the same great masters. She had a thick volumeof prayers, and she would recite prayers and practice all daylong. From time to time she would doze off, and when shewoke up again she would carry on practicing from where shehad left off. All day and all night she did the same thing, so