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

[THE THIRD DAY]

Yet, even when set face to face in this way, some persons, because of obscurations from bad karma, and from pride, although the hook of the rays of grace [striketh against them], flee from it. [If one be one of them], then, on the Third Day, the Bhagavan Ratna-Sambhava! and his accompanying deities, along with the light-path from the human world, will come to receive one simultaneously.

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

O nobly-born, listen undistractedly. On the Third Day the primal form of the element earth will shine forth asa yellow light. At that time, from the Southern Realm Endowed with on earth and as liable to anger should he see them disputing over the division of his property, or if he perceives avarice on the part of the Jama conducting the funeral rites. But the prohibition touching anger is essentially yogic, yogis of all religions recognizing that anger prevents spiritual progress; and it parallels the moral teaching against giving way to anger contained in the ancient Egyptian Precepts of Ptah-hotep.

1 Text: Rinchen-hbyung-ldan (pron, Rinchen-Jung-dan): Skt. Ratna-Sambhava, i.c. ‘Born of a Jewel’. He is the Beautifier, whence comes all that is precious ; a personified attribute of the Buddha.

PART 11] DAWNING OF RATNA-SAMBHAVA 111

Glory, the Bhagavan Ratna-Sambhava, yellow in colour, bearing a jewel in his hand, seated upon a horse-throne and embraced by the Divine Mother Sangyay-Chanma,! will shine upon thee.

The two Bodhisattvas, Akasha-Garbha? and Samanta- Bhadra,* attended by the two female Bodhisattvas, Mahlaima and Dhupema,*—in all, six Bodhic forms,—will come to shine from amidst a rainbow halo of light. The aggregate of touch in its primal form, as the yellow light of the Wisdom of Equality, dazzlingly yellow, glorified with orbs having satellite orbs of radiance, so clear and bright that the eye can scarcely look upon it, will strike against thee. Side by side with it, the dull bluish-yellow light from the human [world] will also strike against thy heart, along with the Wisdom light.

Thereupon, through the power of egotism, thou wilt beget a fear for the dazzling yellow light and wilt [wish to] flee from it. Thou wilt be fondly attracted towards the dull bluish-yellow light from the human [world].

At that time do not fear that bright, dazzling-yellow, transparent light, but know it to be Wisdom; in that state, keeping thy mind resigned, trust in it earnestly and humbly. If thou knowest it to be the radiance of thine own intellect—although thou exertest not thy humility and faith and prayer to it— the Divine Body and Light will merge into thee inseparably, and thou wilt obtain Buddhahood.

If thou dost not recognize the radiance of thine own intellect, think, with faith, ‘It is the radiance of the grace of the

1 Text: Sangs-reyas-spyan-ma (pron, Sang-yay Chan-ma): ‘She of the
Buddha Eye (or Eyes)’

If thou dost not recognize the radiance of thine own intellect, think, with faith, ‘It is the radiance of the grace of the

1 Text: Sangs-reyas-spyan-ma (pron, Sang-yay Chan-ma): ‘She of the
Buddha Eye (or Eyes)’

2 Text: Nam-mkhahi-snying-po (pron. Nam-khai-nying-po): Skt. Akasha- Garbha, ‘Womb (or Matrix) of the Sky’.

3 Text: Kuntu-byzang-po (pron. Kuntu-zang-po): Skt. Samanta-Bhadra,
‘All-Good’. This is not the Adi-Buddha Samanta-Bhadra (cf. p. 95°), but
the spiritual son of the Dhyani Buddha Vairochana.

4 Text: Mahlaima, ‘She Who Holds (or Bears) the Rosary’; and Dhupema, ‘She Who Holds (or Bears) the Incense’. These are corrupt forms, hybrids of Sanskrit and Tibetan, their Sanskrit equivalents being Ma/d and Dhipa, and their Tibetan equivalents Hphreng-ba-ma (pron. Phreng-ba-ma) and Bdug-spisma (pron. Dug-pd-ma). The colour of these goddesses, corresponding to that of the earth-light, is yellow.

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Bhagavan Ratna-Sambhava; I will take refuge in it’; and pray. It is the hook of the grace-rays of the Bhagavan Ratna-Sambhava; believe in it.

Be not fond of that dull bluish-yellow light from the human [world]. That is the path of thine accumulated propensities of violent egotism come to receive thee. If thou art attracted by it, thou wilt be born in the human world and have to suffer birth, age, sickness, and death; and thou wilt have no chance of getting out of the quagmire of worldly existence. That is an interruption to obstruct thy path of liberation. Therefore, look not upon it, and abandon egotism, abandon propensities; be not attracted towards it; be not weak. Act so as to trust in that bright dazzling light. Put thine earnest thought, one-pointedly, upon the Bhagavan Ratna-Sambhava; and pray thus:

‘Alas! when wandering in the Sanugsadra because of the power of violent egotism,

On the radiant light-path of the Wisdom of Equality,

May [I] be led by the Bhagavan Ratna-Sambhava ;

May the Divine Mother, She-of-the-Buddha-Eye, 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.’

By praying thus, with deep humility and faith, thou wilt merge into the heart of the Bhagavan Ratna-Sambhava, the Divine Father-Mother, in halo of rainbow light, and attain Buddhahood in the Sambhoga-K aya, in the Southern Realm Endowed with Glory.

[THE FOURTH DAY]

By thus being set face to face, however weak the mental faculties may be, there is no doubt of one’s gaining Liberation. Yet, though so often set face to face, there are classes of men who, having created much bad karma, or having failed in observance of vows, or, their lot [for higher development] being altogether lacking, prove unable to recognize: their obscurations

PART IT] DAWNING OF AMITABHA 113

Yet, though so often set face to face, there are classes of men who, having created much bad karma, or having failed in observance of vows, or, their lot [for higher development] being altogether lacking, prove unable to recognize: their obscurations

PART IT] DAWNING OF AMITABHA 113

and evil karma from covetousness and miserliness produce awe of the sounds and radiances, and they flee. [If one be of these classes], then, on the Fourth Day, the Bhagavan Amitabha' and his attendant deities, together with the lightpath from the Preta-loka, proceeding from miserliness and attachment, will come to receive one simultaneously.

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

O nobly-born, listen undistractedly. On the Fourth Day the red light, which is the primal form of the element fire, will shine. At that time, from the Red Western Realm of Happiness,? the Bhagavan Buddha Amitabha, red in colour, bearing a lotus in his hand, seated upon a peacock-throne and embraced by the Divine Mother Gékarmo,? will shine upon thee, [together with] the Bodhisattvas Chenrazee* and Jampal,* attended by the female Bodhisattvas Ghirdhima® and Aloke.° The six bodies of Enlightenment will shine upon thee from amidst a halo of rainbow light.

1 Text: Suang-va-mthah-yas (pron. Nang-wa-tha-yay): Skt. Amustabha, ‘Bound- Jess (or Incomprehensible) Light’, As an embodiment of one of the Buddhaattributes or Wisdoms, the All-discriminating Wisdom, Amitabha personifies life eternal.

2 Text: Gés-dkar-mo (pron. Gé-kar-mo), ‘ She-in-White-Raiment’.

3 Text: Spyan-ras-geigs (pron. Chen-rd-2t): Skt. Avalokiteshvara, ‘ Down- Looking One’, the embodiment of mercy or compassion. The Dalai Lamas are believed to be his incarnations ; Amitabha, with whom he here dawns, is his. spiritual father, whose incarnate representatives are the Tashi Lamas. He is often depicted with eleven heads and a thousand arms, each with an eye in the palm—as ‘The Great Pitier’—his thousand arms and eyes appropriately representing him as ever on the outlook to discover distress and to succour the troubled. In China, Avalokiteshvara becomes the Great Goddess of Mercy Kwanyin, represented by a female figure bearing a child in her arms.

* Text: Hgam-dpal (pron. Jam-pal): Skt. Matjushri, ‘Of Gentle Glory’. A fuller Tibetan form is Hgam-dpal-dvyangs (pron. Jam-pal-yang): Skt. Maiijughosha, ‘Glorious Gentle-Voiced One’. He is ‘The God of Mystic Wisdom’, the Buddhist Apollo, commonly depicted with the flaming sword of light held aloft in his right hand and the lotus-supported Book of Wisdom, the Prajza- Paramité, held in his left.