[Buddha-l] [Fwd: Kyabjé Pema Norbu Rinpoche Enters Parinirvana]

[jkirk]

> Speculating about the elaborate social rituals,  could these
codes 
> have been molded by and under elite Chinese (or possible older,

> Eurasian) influences, ...?

Joanna,
Actually this reminded me more of Jaina practices than anything
Chinese. In recent decades there have been several very
accomplished Jaina women who, following a long Jain tradition,
die by basically starving to death, i.e., entering meditation and
not moving until dead (creating no new karma that would incur
further samsaric consequences). Only very few people are given
dispensation for this type of demise, i.e., are considered
sufficiently spiritually accomplished to engage in this. This is
also attended by the same sort of attention and fanfare the
Tibetan announcement gave, only by the Jaina community. It is
interesting that, at least in the late 20th c, the only Jains
considered of sufficiently superior accomplishment to receive
dispensation to go out this way have been women.

Dan
--------
Sorry, I should have been more clear. I was referring to the
overall social rituals, hierarchies, elaborate robes, courts, and
so forth of Tibetan religious establishments in general, --not to
the Rinpoche's demise. 
(Some Hindu yogis are also known to have chosen this method of
dying while in samadhi.)
Joanna
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