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A Clear, Cloudless Sky

Spoken by Tsoknyi Rinpoche

What I am going to tell here is the story of how Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche passed away, and I will do so in a simple and straightforward manner, which is in accordance with the Dharma - telling things as they are.

The first thing I would like to say is that in mundane terms, my three brothers and I, - Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Chokling Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche - are of course Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's sons, but that wasn't our main relationship with him. The predominant thought I had of him was that he was my spiritual teacher, my root guru, and I believe I am speaking for the others as well.

While alive and well Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche gave instructions on his main practice, Dzogchen and Mahamudra, to innumerable people,. We also received teachings from him; we regarded him as our guru. Honestly however, even though we knew that he would die one day, that everything comes to an end, I personally never pictured the day it would really happen. I was really struck when he actually passed away by one simple fact. Even such a great Dzogchen yogi dies - a realized practitioner, said by many other realized beings to have reached the 'culmination of awareness'. If even such a precious master, the guru for so many other great teachers, still departs having stopped breathing and leaving a material body behind - then what about ourselves?

When Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche expired both Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and I were present. If I had been somewhere else and only heard about it, I may have felt differently. Yet being right there, present and witnessing it - the passing of such a great master - how can I help but think, "What about someone like myself? I haven't spent so many years in retreat; I haven't undergone so much intensive meditation training. Now I really have to practice! When even great masters pass away, I too really have to practice a lot! I must reach the level at which all delusion dissolves!" This kind of thought stayed acutely on my mind. Later Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche expressed that he also felt this way.

After Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche passed away, the Kagyu master Tenga Rinpoche came and offered the 'samadhi reminder.' After having expired, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche remained in tukdam, in samadhi, for about 15 hours. The end of tukdam is marked by the appearance of the white and red bodhichitta liquid. I don't have much experience with lamas remaining in tukdam. I haven't seen it much so I don't really know the difference between the presence and absence of tukdam. But this is what I saw: Rinpoche sat all the while as if he was just asleep, totally relaxed. Others also noticed this. During this time I presumed, and someone like me can only presume, that he must have been in the tukdam state.

The most remarkable thing for me personally, is what followed. Up until the white and red bodhichitta liquid began to gently flow out of his nostrils he had sat in exactly the same way - no change in skin color or position, no smell or the like, no stiffness, no swelling. I saw that within no more than 5 to 10 minutes after the liquids appeared, the body totally changed; both shape and color; the stiffening and signs of death appeared almost all of a sudden. This made me understand that there is indeed something called tukdam and that Rinpoche had remained in samadhi until that point. Otherwise there is no reason why his body wouldn't have undergone a gradual change, as is usually the case. What was obvious to all was that the body had remained unchanged for 15 hours and suddenly began to change.

What I wished to express above is that even a master as great as he still passes away and my experience of how he remained in tukdam. I will now explain something Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche had earlier told all of us several times. He said that the passing of great Dzogchen yogis shows itself in the weather outside. The sign of being liberated into the state of dharmakaya is a clear, cloudless sky.

Immediately prior to passing away Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche did not say or do anything spectacular - he simply relaxed into death. Besides sitting up several times within his last 15 minutes in a somewhat cross-legged posture, he didn't shout 'phat' or announce "Now I am dying," or anything of that sort. He departed in a very relaxed and gentle way.

In the early morning after he had passed away, I walked outside. There wasn't a cloud to be seen anywhere, not even a single, tiny cloud on the distant horizon. As I stood and looked out over the valley, which during a winter morning is often covered in fog, I saw no fog or mist. There was no pollution from dust particles; not even the slightest haze covered the sky over the valley. I saw only an utterly clear, brilliant sky. This sparkling pristine weather then lasted for several days.

On seeing this, I thought, "Our Rinpoche has passed away. Although his passing away only takes place on the relative plane, his state of realization is like this sky. Rinpoche's realization is like unobscured space, crystal clear. When all of us train in meditation, this is the state we should train in. This sky today is a perfect example to use as an illustration for Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's realization, for the state of primordial purity." On thinking this my admiration and appreciation for him and my trust and confidence grew even further.

The sign of realization that showed itself as an utterly clear sky, just like Rinpoche himself had said so often, gave me more appetite for meditation practice. I felt the confidence that we too can reach the result of realization that is unobscured like this sky.

I would like to remind everyone, and especially all those who received teachings from Rinpoche, that all of us sooner or later will have to leave this material body. We are not beyond that, no matter who we are, and there is a vast difference whether we have practiced or not. Let's assume that we are Buddhist practitioners, and that we wish to realize Rinpoche's awakened state of mind, the realization of primordial purity. When we supplicate Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and try to mingle our mind with his, indivisibly, we can then use the external sky as an example, thinking, "His realized mind is like pure space." It is this sky-like state of realization that we should bring into our practice.

I would like it if all his disciples in the future would take unobscured space as their reminder for mingling their minds with Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. In this way a clear, cloudless sky becomes the symbol of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Please continue your practice so as to fulfill his wishes to the highest degree. Throughout all his teachings over the years, he has told us and all his other disciples, time and time again, that we should apply ourselves to the training. He repeatedly said that nothing lasts, least of all a human life.

One of the last topics we discussed with him was in connection with the yearly prayer meeting in Lumbhini. This year the Lumbhini Development Committee wanted to give us, meaning Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and his sons connected to Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery, a large piece of land. So we asked him whether it would be wise to accept it, knowing about the obligation to build a temple. We were wondering whether a small temple would be enough. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's reply was, "Lumbhini was the first place at which our teacher, Buddha Shakyamuni appeared. It would be good to build a monastery with a shrine hall no less than 100 feet across, housing a large statue of the Buddha, the Tripitaka and the commentaries, and a substantial sangha." This was the last question of wider importance we raised before Rinpoche and this was his reply. Therefore, headed by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, all four of us brothers with the assistance of the entire sangha will continue Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's activities, and fulfill his wishes, just as if he were still alive.

Concerning meditation practice, the teachings he gave us don't change whether or not he is among us. All of his disciples, please remember this: use the sky outside as a symbol for the primordially pure awakened state of mind, the realization of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Practice well. Motivate yourself with renunciation; for just like Rinpoche's, our material bodies must all die. It is not enough merely to chant words like 'primordial purity' - we still die.

One last thing, five days before he passed away I told him, "Rinpoche, you look so well these days! I think you will be fine for a while." He replied, "Really? Maybe that isn't such a great thing. My father and three uncles all looked very well their last few months, with radiant faces and a youthful complexion. In particular Samten Gyatso's white hair turned almost black before he died, and his teeth and nails had more luster and radiance. Maybe that was in their genes, or maybe it was a sign of good practice." Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche then continued to tell the story about how Samten Gyatso had instructed them to chant Jamgon Kongtrul's Calling The Guru from Afar when he passed away. He told how Samten Gyatso passed away with his eyes gazing into the sky. I asked, "Did Samten Gyatso also remain in tukdam?" "He did," Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche replied, "but just remaining in tukdam is in itself not that astonishing. In the case of someone who has trained in a contrived or intellectually constructed state of meditative concentration, it is also possible to remain in tukdam for quite a while. The true, genuine way is like this, without any need for deliberate meditation, ..." Rinpoche clapped his hands together and then opened the palms up wide ... "the very moment the white and red bodhichitta essences join together at the heart, there is an immediate instant of unconsciousness. But that doesn't necessarily last, it can open up again right away, without remaining as a closed-in state. That is what is meant by the famous quote, 'In one instant the difference is made; in one instant complete enlightenment is attained.' This is the moment a true yogi is liberated. This is the one moment he can really show off his capacity. Such awakening is not necessarily accompanied by rainbow lights, thunder or other spectacular things. Liberation into the state of dharmakaya is shown as a clear, cloudless sky."