Bardo 2 - The 4 Stages of Dying

From “Mind Beyond Death” – Dzogchen Ponlop

We prepare ourselves mentally by becoming familiar with the stages of death, and then affirming our intention to remain calm and present, alert and mindful throughout these stages.

The 5 Elements of Life  

According to Buddhist teachings, our bodies are composed of five elements: earth, fire, water, air, and space. When we are born, these five elements come together and our bodies come into existence. At the time of death, these elements are departing, dissolving or falling apart as opposed to coming together.
 

Coarse and Subtle Bodies

According to some Buddhist teachings, our ordinary physical body, as composed of the five elements, is the “coarse body.” The “inner essential body,” also known as the “subtle body,” is not visible to the eye. The subtle body is composed of channels, or nadis, winds or energies, pranas, and essences of the physical body. The channels are pathways through which the subtle energies, or winds, move. The winds carry the essences of the physical body.

The inner essential body is in turn the basis for the development of the coarse body. Thus the physical body arises from mind. In terms of the elements, the body’s development follows a progression that originates with the element of space. From space, comes the element of consciousness; from consciousness, comes the element of wind; from wind, comes the element of fire; from fire, comes the element of water; and from water, comes the element of earth.

The flesh corresponds to the element of earth.
Bodily fluids correspond to the element of water.
Bodily warmth corresponds to the element of fire.
Breath corresponds to the element of air.
Mind consciousness corresponds to the element of space.

All these elements results in the complete formation of body and mind on both the coarse and subtle levels.

As each element dissolves, the sense consciousness and wisdom to which they correspond also ceases. Of course, wisdom itself does not cease, as it is the ultimate nature of the five wisdoms and is transcendent and changeless.

The Signs of Death

From a coarse perspective, the elements of the body dissolve in the following four stages:

1)    Earth dissolves into water,
2)    water dissolves into fire, 
3)    fire dissolves into wind and 
4)    wind dissolves into consciousness

As each element dissolves, we first experience an increase, and then a loss of its particular qualities.

Here are the stages, in brief:

 First Stage: As the earth element dissolves, we experience a loss of physical strength and agility; mentally, our perception becomes less clear. 

Second stage: As the water element dissolves, we experience a sense of dryness and increasing thirst; mind is more easily agitated and susceptible to confusion.  

Third stage: As the fire element dissolves, we begin to feel cold; our perceptions of external appearances alternate between being clear and unclear. 

Fourth stage: As the wind element dissolves, we experience difficulty breathing; our thoughts become vivid and we may feel disoriented.

First Dissolution : Earth Into Water

The first dissolution occurs when the chakra at the navel center starts to dissolve. This corresponds with the dissolving of the earth element into the water element. The outer sign manifests initially as an experience of growing heaviness. As the dissolution continues, we may begin to feel that our body is dissolving, or becoming less solid. At the same time, our physical strength, resilience and sense of balance show signs of diminishing. For example, a spoon might feel heavy in our hand, or we might find it difficult to lift our head or stand on our feet. At the same time, our bodies may appear to become smaller or thinner. There may also be leakage of some bodily fluids.

On the cognitive level, the inner sign is that our mind feels heavy and listless; our perception dims, and appearances become unclear or murky, as though they were not enough light in the room.

Second Dissolution : Water Into Fire

The second dissolution occurs when the heart chakra begins to dissolve. At this time, the water element begins to dissolve into the fire element. The outer sign manifests first as the sensation of being inundated by water. Subsequently, our bodies begin to dry out. For example, our mouth, nose and tongue may feel dry and uncomfortable as a body loses fluids. At this time, we may feel very thirsty. 

Our consciousness becomes vague and foggy as the heart chakra dissolves. At the same time, our mind may become restless and agitated. The emotions may be easily provoked, and we may become upset or angry quickly. We often see this reaction in people when they become ill. At the stage of death, experience is stronger and more intense.

Third Dissolution : Fire Into Wind

The third dissolution occurs when the throat chakra dissolves, and the fire element dissolves into the wind element. The outer sign is that first we experience an increase of warmth in our bodies, followed by a loss of bodily heat. The heat of our bodies escapes by means of the breath, which progressively becomes colder, and it is also lost through vapors released through the pores of our skin. This heat loss begins at the extremities and moves toward the heart; first, our hands and feet become chilled, and then our limbs start to feel stiff and uncomfortably cold. 

The inner sign is that the clarity of the mind fluctuates; it is alternately clear and unclear. We switch between the two states of clarity and dullness. It is as though we sometimes “wake up” and sometimes fall back into a state that is devoid of perception. At this point, it becomes very obvious to us that we are losing touch with conscious experience. This inner sign manifests outwardly in and occasionally inability to recognize people.

Fourth Dissolution : Wind Into Consciousness

The fourth dissolution occurs when the chakra at the genitals dissolves, and the wind element dissolves into consciousness. Again, at first the wind element intensifies, and then weakens. The outer sign is that the breath becomes markedly shorter. Breathing becomes more difficult and, eventually, the exhalation becomes longer than the inhalation and is sometimes accompanied by a rattling sound. At this time, the eyes start to roll upward. Each time this happens, they remain in that position longer. 

Eventually, breathing stops, and from the perspective of the coarse dissolution process, this is the time when death arrives.