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Padma Sambhava told his disciples that although it was essential for these terma to be well hidden from any immediate threat of destruction, they would be revealed again when the world was ready to hear the truth contained therein, “for the benefit of future generations,” as he said. Centuries later, teachers whom Tibetans formally recognized as reincarnations of Padma Sambhava’s original twenty-five disciples began to discover these hidden treasures. This is not just ancient myth. Several of the lamas who unearthed these terma—including my teachers Dudjom Rinpoche, Kangyur Rinpoche, and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche—were able to transmit the precious teachings to Westerners.

Padma Sambhava introduced the practice of reciting the Bardo Thodol, known to Westerners as The Tibetan Book of the Dead, as a guide for conscious dying. The Bardo Thodol describes the death experience and the stages (bardos) through which one passes on the way to rebirth. The Bardo Thodol is among Padma Sambhava’s hidden treasures—rediscovered in the fourteenth century.

The Bardo Thodol was first published in English in 1927 as The Tibetan Book of the Dead by W. Y. Evans-Wentz. It introduced concepts such as karma, the bardo, the inner clear light, reincarnation, and rebirth. This provided Westerners with their first real exposure to a revolutionary new way of thinking about life, as well as shedding new light on the death experience. Carl Jung, who wrote an introduction to The Tibetan Book of the Dead, said, “For years, ever since it was first published, the Bardo Thodol has been my constant companion, and to it I owe not only many stimulating ideas and discoveries, but also many fundamental insights.” The steady interest generated by the English publication of The Tibetan Book of the Dead showed that many Westerners wanted to hear more about the secrets of Tibetan Buddhism.

DHARMA HEARTLAND

In all my future lives,

May I never fall under the influence of evilcompanions;

May I never harm even a single hair of any living being;

May I never be deprived of the sublime light of Dharma.

—TRADITIONAL TIBETAN PRAYER

In Tibet it’s considered a privilege to be born in a country where the Dharma is taught. The Dharma is the most abundant gift of wisdom and like all true gifts, it benefits both the giver and the receiver. The word Dharma is frequently used as a synonym for Buddha Dharma, the teachings of the compassionate enlightened Buddha, the founder of Buddhism who lived in the fifth century B.C. in northern India.

Dharma is a Sanskrit word with a complex meaning. It can be translated as teaching, truth, doctrine, religion, spirituality, or reality. Its literal meaning is “that which supports or upholds.” Dharma is thus often likened to truth itself—the ground we stand on—as well as the spiritual way, or the path that can be trusted to support, uphold, and embrace us all. Another, lesser-known meaning of Dharma is “that which remedies, alleviates, heals, and restores.” On the very deepest level, the truths embodied in Dharma teachings heal what ails us. Wherever truth or Dharma is taught, the possibility for enlightenment exists. Buddha called places where the Dharma is taught “central lands.” Most Westerners now live in central lands—places where this sublime light, the gift of the Dharma, is available to all. Here in the West, you can find references to the Dharma everywhere, even on the Internet:

“What did the Dalai Lama say to the New York hot dog vendor?”

“Make me one with everything.”

I first found this joke on America Online. The Dharma on the Internet is an example of the surge in interest in Buddhism in the West. As Westerners become more interested in developing their spiritual lives, Buddhism’s ideas are becoming a part of everyday experience. On a popular sitcom, a character tells the audience, “In my next life, it’s going to be very different,” reflecting the fact that few average Americans have not at one time or another, if only half-jokingly, made a reference to their past or some future life.