In this interview I am once again joined by Lama Lhanang, a spiritual teacher of the Nyingma Longchen Nyingthig lineage of Tibetan Buddhism and an expert in meditation, geomancy, art, cultural and historical studies, and Tibetan medicine.

Lama Lhanang discusses the Tibetan Buddhist and traditional Tibetan medical beliefs about death, including a detailed description of the death process itself, physical signs of imminent death, and the system of divination and omens that can indicate that one’s life will soon end.

Lama Lhanang reveals the methods and mechanisms of the yogic death practices of phowa, tukdam, and rainbow body, and tells stories of his own role in guiding his students through the death process.

Lama Lhanang also gives his heart advice to those facing death and to those who are supporting the dying, and explains how to die well.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep236-art-of-dying-lama-lhanang-2

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

00:58 - What is the Tibetan Book of the Dead?

06:52 - Practice for the living and the dead

08:22 - A story of a Lama performing phowa for a woman

11:11 - Phowa, a magical meditation

12:24 - Who can perform phowa for others?

14:26 - Lama Lhanang performed phowa for a dying student

17:52 - How to perform phowa for others

21:49 - Omens of impending death

25:56 - The three energies of life and how to retrieve life force

27:01 - Asking a demon about death

29:25 - Predicting life and death

32:12 - Signs of imminent death

34:50 - The process of death

41:19 - Beyond the Western scientific point of death

48:18 - Advice for when being around dying people

51:19 - Fake tukdam

54:06 - What is tukdam?

56:32 - How to achieve tukdam

59:54 - The crazy yogi

01:01:10 - How to recognise a Buddha

01:03:40 - Tukdam vs rainbow body (jalu)

01:06:48 - Story about Lama Lhanang’s teacher who achieved rainbow body

01:09:15 - What it means to be a yogi

01:12:43 - Advice for facing death

01:19:42 - The secret to having peace at death

01:20:19 - A woman who died well

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Previous episode with Lama Lhanang:

- https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep226-nyingma-master-lama-lhanang

To find out more about Lama Lhanang, visit:

- https://www.buddhistsandiego.com/

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James