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

4 THE TIBETAN BOOK OF LIVING AND DYINGalthough there was so much suffering in Samten's prolongeddying, we could all see that deep down he had a peace andinner confidence about him. At first I could not explain this,but then I realized what it came from: his faith and his training,and the presence of our master. And though I felt sad, Iknew then that if our master was there, everything wouldturn out all right, because he would be able to help Samtentoward liberation. Later I came to know that it is the dream ofany practitioner to die before his master and have the goodfortune to be guided by him through death.As Jamyang Khyentse guided Samten calmly through hisdying, he introduced him to all the stages of the process hewas going through, one by one. I was astonished by the precisionof my master's knowledge, and by his confidence andpeace. When my master was there, his peaceful confidencewould reassure even the most anxious person. Now JamyangKhyentse was revealing to us his fearlessness of death. Notthat he ever treated death lightly: He often told us that he wasafraid of it, and warned us against taking it naively or complacently.Yet what was it that allowed my master to face deathin a way that was at once so sober and so lighthearted, sopractical yet so mysteriously carefree? That question fascinatedand absorbed me.Samten's death shook me. At the age of seven, I had myfirst glimpse of the vast power of the tradition I was beingmade part of, and I began to understand the purpose of spiritualpractice. Practice had given Samten an acceptance ofdeath, as well as a clear understanding that suffering and paincan be part of a deep, natural process of purification. Practicehad given my master a complete knowledge of what death is,and a precise technology for guiding individuals through it.After Samten died we set off for Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, atortuous three-month journey on horseback. From there wecontinued our pilgrimage to the sacred sites of central andsouthern Tibet. These are the holy places of the saints, kings,and scholars who brought Buddhism to Tibet from the seventhcentury onward. My master was the emanation of manymasters of all traditions, and because of his reputation he wasgiven a tumultuous reception everywhere we went.For me that journey was extremely exciting, and hasremained full of beautiful memories. Tibetans rise early, inorder to make use of all the natural light. We would go to bed