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

Fear that not. Recognize whatever shineth to be the thought-forms of thine own intellectual faculties. At this vitally important time, recollect the select teachings of the guru.

O nobly-born, [there will dawn] from the east the Dark- Brown Yak-Headed Rakshasa-Goddess, holding a dorje and a skull; and the Reddish-Ycllow Serpent-Headed Brahma- Goddess, holding a lotus in her hand; and the Greenish- Black Leopard-Headed Great-Goddess, holding a trident in her hand; and the Blue Monkey-Headed Goddess of Inquisitiveness, holding a wheel ; and the Red Snow-Bear-Headed Virgin-Goddess, bearing a short spear in the hand; and the White Bear-Headed Indra-Goddess, holding an intestine-noose in the hand: [these], the Six Yoginis of the East, issuing from within the [eastern quarter of thine own]? brain, will come to shine upon thee ; | ? fear that not.

O nobly-born, from the south [will dawn] the Yellow Bat- Headed Delight-Goddess, holding a shaving-knife in the hand ; and the Red Makara-Headed Peaceful-[ Goddess], holding an urn in the hand; andthe Red Scorpion-Headed Amrita-Goddess, holding a lotus in the hand ; and the White Kite- Headed Moon- Goddess, | holding a dorje in the hand ; and the Dark-Green Fox-Headed Baton-Goddess, flourishing a club in the hand ; and the Yellowish-Black Tiger-Headed Rakshasi, holding a skull [filled with] blood in the hand: [these] the Six

} This bracketed phrase here (and in the three corresponding passages following in this section) is incorporated from the text of the Block-Print, our MS. text omitting it.

* Between this bar and the bar after ‘ Moon-goddess’ in the sentence following is contained the translation of the Tibetan text of the lower folio (67%) of our Frontispiece.

PART II] THE MIGHTY GODDESSES 1s

Yoginis of the South, issuing from within the [southern quarter of thine own] brain, will come to shine upon thee; fear that not.

O nobly-born, from the west [will dawn] the Greenish- Black Vulture-Headed Eater-Goddess, holding a baton in the hand; and the Red Horse-Headed Delight-Goddess, holding a huge trunk of a corpse; and the White Eagle- Headed Mighty-Goddess, holding a club in the hand; and the Yellow Dog-Headed Rakshasi, holding a dorje in the hand and a shaving-knife and cutting [with this]; and the Red Hoopoo-Headed Desire-Goddess, holding a bow and arrow in the hand aimed; and the Green Stag-Headed Wealth-Guardian Goddess, holding an urn in the hand: [these], the Six Yoginis of the West, issuing from within the [western quarter of thine own] brain, will come to shine upon thee; fear that not.

O nobly-born, from the north [will dawn] the Blue Wolf- Headed Wind-Goddess, waving a pennant in the hand; and the Red Ibex-Headed Woman-Goddess, holding a pointed stake in the hand ; and the Black Sow-Headed Sow-Goddess, holding a noose of fangs in the hand; and the Red Crow- Headed Thunderbolt-Goddess, holding an infant corpse in the hand; and the Greenish-Black Elephant-Headed Big-Nosed Goddess,! holding in the hand a big corpse and drinking blood from a skull; and the Blue Serpent-Headed Water-Goddess, holding in the hand a serpent noose: [these], the Six Yoginis of the North, issuing from within [the northern quarter of] thine own brain, will come to shine upon thee; fear that not.

O nobly-born, the Four Yoginis of the Door, issuing from within the brain, will come to shine upon thee: from the east, the Black Cuckoo-Headed Mystic Goddess,? holding an iron hook in the hand; from the south, the Yellow Goat-Headed Mystic Goddess, holding a noose in the hand ; from the west, the Red Lion-Headed Mystic Goddess, holding an iron chain

1 Here the Block-Print gives only ‘the Big Elephant-Headed Goddess’.

2 Text: Rdor-je-ma (pron. Dor-je-ma): ‘She {called] the Dorje’, or ‘She [called] the Mystic One’; hence ‘ Mystic Goddess’. The Block-Print gives ‘White Cuckoo-Headed Mystic Goddess’.

3069 Up. 146 in the hand; and from the north, the Greenish-Black Serpent- Headed Mystic Goddess: [these], the Four Door-Keeping Yoginis, issuing from within the brain, will come to shine upon thee.

Since these Twenty-eight Mighty Goddesses emanate from the bodily powers of Ratna-Sambhava, [ He] of the Six Heruka Deities, recognize them.

O nobly-born, the Peaceful Deities emanate from the Voidness of the Dharma-Kdaya;* recognize them. From the Radiance of the Dharma-K aya*® emanate the Wrathful Deities ; recognize them.

At this time when the Fifty-eight Blood-Drinking Deities * emanating from thine own brain come to shine upon thee, if thou knowest them to be the radiances of thine own intellect, thou wilt merge, in the state of at-one-ment, into the body of the Blood-Drinking Ones there and then, and obtain Buddhahood.

O nobly-born, by not recognizing now, and by fleeing from the deities out of fear, again sufferings will come to overpower thee. If this be not known, fear being begotten of the Blood- Drinking Deitics, [one is] awed and terrified and fainteth away: one’s own thought-forms turn into illusory appearances, and one wandereth into the Sauzgsara; if one be not awed and terrified, one will not wander into the Saugsara.

Furthermore, the bodies of the largest of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities are equal [in vastness] to the limits of the heavens ; the intermediate, as big as Mt. Meru ;° the smallest,

Furthermore, the bodies of the largest of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities are equal [in vastness] to the limits of the heavens ; the intermediate, as big as Mt. Meru ;° the smallest,

1 In place of this, the Block-Print gives the following synonymous sentence: ‘Since these Twenty-eight Mighty Goddesses also are emanations from the power of the self-produced Wrathful Deities, recognize them.’

2 They are the emanations from the void, or primordial, tranquil, unshaped aspect of the Dharma-Kaya state, viewing man asthe microcosm ofthe macrocosm.

3 They are the emanations from the active radiant aspect of the Dharma- Kaya state,—the Clear Light shining in the primordial Voidness,—man, as the microcosm of the macrocosm, being inseparable therefrom.

4 The symbolism of the blood-drinking should here be kept in mind, (See p. 132%.)

5 Mt. Meru (Tib. Ri-vab) is the central mystical mountain of Buddhist cosmography. (See pp. 62 ff.) The spinal column, the central support of the human bodily structure, is, analogously, symbolized in the Yantras and in works on Yoga as the Mt. Meru of man the microcosm.

PART If] RECOGNITION OF THOUGHT-FORMS 147

equal to eighteen bodies such as thine own body, set one upon another. Be not terrified at that; be not awed. If all existing phenomena shining forth as divine shapes and radiances be recognized to be the emanations of one’s own intellect, Buddhahood will be obtained at that very instant of recognition. The saying, ‘Buddhahood will be obtained ina moment [of time]’ is that which applieth now. Bearing this in mind, one will obtain Buddhahood by merging, in at-one-ment, into the Radiances and the Kdyas.

O nobly-born, whatever fearful and terrifying visions thou mayst see, recognize them to be thine own thought-forms.

O nobly-born, if thou recognize not, and be frightened, then all the Peaceful Deities will shine forth in the shape of Maha-Kala;1 and all the Wrathful Deities will shine [forth] in the form of Dharma-Raja, the Lord of Death ;? and thine own thought-forms becoming Illusions [or Maras], thou wilt wander into the Saugsdara.

O nobly-born, if one recognize not one’s own thoughtforms, however learned one may be in the Scriptures—both Sitras and Tantras—although practising religion for a kalpa, one obtaineth not Buddhahood. If one recognize one’s own thought-forms, by one important art and by one word, Buddhahood is obtained.

If one’s thought-forms be not recognized as soon as one dieth, the shapes of Dharma-Raja, the Lord of Death, will shine forth on the Chonyid Bardo. The largest of the bodies of Dharma-Raja, the Lord of Death, equalling the heavens [in vastness]; the intermediate, Mt. Meru; the smallest, eighteen times one’s own body, will come filling the world-systems. They will come having thcir upper teeth biting the nether lip; their eyes glassy ; their hairs tied up on the top of the head ; big-bellied, narrow-waisted ; holding a [karmic] record-