The Tibetan Book of the Dead — ed. W. Y. Evans-Wentz

De-shing-sheg-pa) : Skt. Tathagata, meaning ‘{He] who hath gone that same way’, i.e. One who hath reached the Goal (Nirva@na)—a Buddha,

PART II] LIBERATION BY VAIROCHANA 107

dangerous ambuscade! of the Bardo. That light is the light of the grace of Vairochana.

Be not fond of the dull white light of the devas. Be not attached |to it]; be not weak. If thou be attached to it, thou wilt wander into the abodes of the devas and be drawn into the whirl of the Six Zokas. That is an interruption to obstruct thee on the Path of Liberation. Look not at it. Look at the bright blue light in deep faith. Put thy whole thought earnestly upon Vairochana and repeat after me this prayer:

‘Alas! when wandering in the Sazgsara, because of intense stupidity,

On the radiant light-path of the Dkarma-Dhatu Wisdom

May [I] be led by the Bhagavan Vairochana,

May the Divine Mother of Infinite Space be [my] rearguard ;

May |I] be led safely across the fearful ambush of the
Bardo;

May [I] be placed in the state of the All-Perfect Buddhahood.’ ?

Praying thus, in intense humble faith, [thou] wilt merge, in halo of rainbow light, into the heart of Vairochana, and obtain Buddhahood in the Sambhoga-K aya, in the Central Realm of the Densely-Packed.®

1 Text: hphrang (pron. htang): ‘narrow passage’, ‘ambush’.

2 Cf, the following instructions to the dying person and the prayer from The Craft to Know Well to Die, chap. IV, Comper’s ed. (p. 73): ‘ He ought afterwards, if he may, to call on the holy angels, in saying: ‘‘ Ye spirits of Heaven, Angels much glorious, I beseech you that ye will be assistant [i.e. present] with me that now beginneth to depart, and that ye deliver me mightily from the awaits and fallacies of mine adversaries; and that it please you to receive my soul into your company. The principal, my leader and my good angel, which by our Lord art deputed to be my warder and keeper, I pray and require thee that thou now aid and help me.”’’

3 Text: Stug-po-bkod-pahi shing-khams (pron. Tug-po-kod-pai shing-kham) : ‘Thickly-formed’ or ‘Densely-packed Realm’, i.e. the seed of all universal forces and things are densely packed together therein; also called in Tibetan ‘Og-min: lit, ‘No-down’, the realm whence there is no fall, the state leading into Nirvdua; it is pre-eminently the realm of the Buddhas,

108 BARDO OF KARMIC ILEWSIONS [BeeK!

[THE SECOND DAY]

But if, notwithstanding this setting-face-to-face, through power of anger or obscuring karma one should be startled at the glorious light and flee, or be overcome by illusions, despite the prayer, on the Second Day, Vajra-Sattva and his attendant deities, as well as one’s evil deeds [meriting] Hell, will come to receive one.

Thereupon the setting-face-to-face is, calling the deceased by name, thus:

Thereupon the setting-face-to-face is, calling the deceased by name, thus:

O nobly-born, listen undistractedly. On the Second Day the pure form of water will shine as a white light. At that time, from the deep blue Eastern Realm of Pre-eminent Happiness, the Bhagavan Akshobhya [as] Vajra-Sattva,’ blue in colour, holding in his hand a five-pronged dovze,? seated upon an elephant-throne, and embraced by the Mother Mamaki?, will appear to thee, attended by the Bodhisattvas Kshitigarbha* and Maitreya,® with the female Bodhisattvas, Lasema and Pushpema.® These six Bodhic deities will appear to thee.

1 Text: Rdorje-sems-dpah Mi-bskyod-pa (pron. Dorje-sems-pa Mi-kyod-pa) : Skt. Vajra-Sativa Akshobhya. Akshobhya (the ‘ Unagitated’ or ‘Immovable’), the Dhyani Buddha of the Eastern Direction, here, as throughout the text, appears as Vajra-Sattva (‘The Divine Heroic-Minded’, or ‘ Indestructible-Minded’), his Sambhoga-Kdaya, or adorned active reflex. WVajra-Dhara (‘The Indestructible or Steadfast Holder’ [see p. 13]) is, also, a reflex of Akshobhya; and both reflexes are very important deities of the Esoteric School.

2 The dorye is the lamatc sceptre, a type of the thunderbolt of Indra (Jupiter).

8 This is the Sanskrit form as incorporated in our Tibetan text. Here the Block-Print, evidently in error, contains, in Tibetan, Sangs-rgyas-spyan-ma (pron. Sang-yay Chan-ma), meaning ‘She of the Buddha Eye’, who, in our manuscript text, comes with Ratna-Sambhava on the Third Day. Mamaki is also one of the ro8 names given to Délma (Skt. Tara), the national goddess of Tibet. (See p, 116%.) In the Dharma Samgraha it is said that there are four Devis, namely, Rochani, Mamaki, Pandura, and Tara.

* Text: Sahi-snying-po (pron. Sayi-nying-po): Skt. Kshitigarbha: ‘Womb (or Matrix) of the Earth.’

5 Text: Byants-pa (pron. Cham-pa): Skt. Mattreya: ‘ Love’; the Buddha to come, who will reform mankind through the power of divine love.

® Lasema and Pushpema are corrupt Sanskrit forms incorporated in our manuscript. Their Tibetan equivalents are, respectively, Sgeg-mo-ma (Skt. Lasya), meaning ‘ Belle’ (or ‘ Dallying One’), and Me-tog-ma (Skt. Pushpa), ‘She who offers (or holds) Blossoms’. Pushpa, depicted holding a blossom in her hand, is a personification of blossoms. Ldsya, the Belle, depicted holding a mirror in a coquettish attitude, personifies beauty,

PART 1] DAWNING OF VAJRA-SATTVA 1cg

The aggregate of thy principle of consciousness,! being in its pure form—which is the Mirror-like Wisdom—will shine as a bright, radiant white light, from the heart of Vajra-Sattva, the Father-Mother,? with such dazzling brilliancy and transparency that thou wilt scarcely be able to look at it, [and] will strike against thee. And a dull, smoke-coloured light from Hell will shine alongside the light of the Mirror-like Wisdom and will [also] strike against thee.

with such dazzling brilliancy and transparency that thou wilt scarcely be able to look at it, [and] will strike against thee. And a dull, smoke-coloured light from Hell will shine alongside the light of the Mirror-like Wisdom and will [also] strike against thee.

Thereupon, through the power of anger, thou wilt beget fear and be startled at the dazzling white light and wilt [wish to] flee from it; thou wilt beget a feeling of fondness for the dull smoke-coloured light from Hell. Act then so that thou wilt not fear that bright, dazzling, transparent white light. Know it to be Wisdom. Put thy humble and earnest faith in it. That is the light of the grace of the Bhagavan Vajra- Sattva. Think, with faith, ‘I will take refuge in it’; and pray-

That is the Bhagavan Vajra-Sattva coming to receive thee and to save thee from the fear and terror of the ardo. Believe in it; for it is the hook of the rays of grace of Vajra- Sattva.?

Be not fond of the dull, smoke-coloured light from Hell. That is the path which openeth out to receive thee because of the power of accumulated evil karma from violent anger. If thou be attracted by it, thou wilt fall into the Hell-Worlds; and, falling therein, thou wilt have to endure unbearable misery, whence there is no certain time of getting out. That being an interruption to obstruct thee on the Path of Liberation, look not at it; and avoid anger.* Be not attracted by

1 Text: Ruampar-shes-paht-phung-po (pron. Nampar-she-pay-phung-po), ‘aggregate of consciousness-principle’, the Knower. The Block-Print contains, in place of this, Geugs-kyt-phung-po (pron. Zu-kyt-phung-po), ‘aggregate of the body’ or ‘ Bodily-aggregate’.

2 See p. 1063.

8 The rays of divine grace are a hook of salvation to catch hold of the deceased and drag him away from the dangers of the Bardo. Sometimes each ray is thought of as ending in a hook, just as each ray emanating from the sungod Ra, and descending as a grace ray upon a devotce, is depicted in ancient temples of Egypt as ending in a hand. Similarly, the Christian thinks of the saving grace of God.

4 The deceased is here thought of, perhaps, as being able to see his people

p. 110

it; be not weak. Believe in the dazzling bright white light ;
[and] putting thy whole heart earnestly upon the Bhagavan
Vajra-Sattva, pray thus :

‘Alas! when wandering in the Sangsdra because of the power of violent anger,

On the radiant light-path of the Mirror-like Wisdom,

May [I] be led by the Bhagavan Vajra-Sattva,

May the Divine Mother Mamaki be [my] rear-guard;

May [I] be led safely across the fearful ambush of the
Bardo;

And may [I] be placed in the state of the All-perfect
Buddhahood.’

Praying thus, in intense humble faith, thou wilt merge, in rainbow light, into the heart of the Bhagavan Vajra-Sattva and obtain Buddhahood in the Sambhoga-K aya, in the Eastern Realm called Pre-eminently Happy.

[THE THIRD DAY]