Brahma-Upalabdhi, and Plant Gratitude

Last night, two weeks after her death, I dreamed about our loved one who has gone to the Pure Lands, to the precious mind of Clear Light.

We were standing and facing each other, our eyes very close. She was speaking holy words to me, but her voice was so soft, I could barely hear them. Yet I knew that she was speaking prayers. Her face was radiant and smiling, even though it still carried the ravages of her final illness here on Earth. When she was done speaking, she pulled me to her and pressed her cheek against mine. We held this physical connection for a while, and then she was gone.

This vision tells me that she has achieved Brahma-upalabdhi - perfect peace of mind and freedom from her identity with the material world – and is preparing for rebirth. The karmic forces are being activated, and she’ll soon transition to the next life.

Have you ever been with someone as they died? As the mind begins to dissolve, and the person eventually becomes unconscious and the mind totally empties, you can see, in the final vision of death, a radiance like a brilliant, peaceful light. Peace enters them and follows them to the end like a shadow that never leaves. His or her body has worn out, but there is a bliss all around that softens the agony of life and death.

I told my husband about this vision this morning, and it comforted him. We both miss her so much, but it’s clear that she’s transitioning to a rebirth.

Our garden arugula is now bushwhack-worthy. Yesterday, I went to cut some for a salad. It’s already at a size where it’s starting to get tough. The arugula bed as thick as a shag carpet. So, I picked a lot (today’s lunch includes an arugula salad), but it looks like we’ll need to plant another patch soon if we want tender young arugula through June.

Speaking of taking from your garden: I thank each plant as I harvest from it. You know my thoughts on plant consciousness. It’s just a simple act of gratitude and acknowledgment of how plants love and feed us all in so many ways. 

They give us oxygen, medicine, food, fuel, shelter, purified water, connection, and beauty. They give us pleasure, and an excuse to be in the wild, where we all belong. From the bottom of my heart - thank you, Mother Earth.

Live in peace.