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

in the presence of Maitreya.

[WOMB-BIRTH: THE RETURN TO THE HUMAN WORLD]

If, however, such [a supernormal birth] be not possible, and one delighteth in entering a womb or hath to enter, there is a teaching for the selection of the womb-door of impure Sangsara. Listen:

Looking with thy supernormal power of foresight over the Continents, as above, choose that in which religion prevaileth and enter therein.

If birth is to be obtained over a heap of impurities,* a sensation that it is sweet-smelling will attract one towards that impure mass, and birth will be obtained thereby.

Whatsoever they [the wombs or visions] may appear to be, do not regard them as they are [or seem]; and by not being attracted or repelled a good womb should be chosen. In this, too, since it is important to direct the wish, direct it thus:

‘Ah! I ought to take birth as a Universal Emperor ;

If, as seems probable, the ‘long hair’ refers to wearing the hair in ‘ pigtails’ after the Chinese fashion, that would provide further internal evidence of our text having taken form in Tibet rather than in India,

' This is the Realm wherein the Great Guru Padma Sambhava (here called
Urgyan) now reigns,

* Maitreya, the next Bodhic World-Teacher, now bides his time in the Tushita Heavens, where He reigns as King. (See p. 1085.)

8 Birth from within a lotus blossom, in the Tushita Heavens, as in the Devaworld, esoterically implies pure birth, that is, birth without entrance into a womb, womb-birth being considered impure.

4 That is, the sperm and the ovum in the impregnated womb.

PART 11] ART OF CHOOSING A WOMB 1g!

or as a Brahmin, like a great sal-tree;! or as the son of an adept in séddhic powers;? or in a spotless hierarchical line; or in the caste of a man who is filled with [religious] faith; and, being born so, be endowed with great merit so as to be able to serve all sentient beings.’

Thinking thus, direct thy wish, and enter into the womb. At the same time, emit thy gift-waves [of grace, or good-will] upon the womb which thou art entering, [transforming it thereby] into a celestial mansion.? And believing that the Conquerors and their Sons [or Bodhisattvas] of the Ten Directions, and the tutelary deities, especially the Great Compassionate [One], are conferring power thereon, pray unto Them, and enter the womb.

In selecting the womb-door thus, there is a possibility of error: through the influence of farma, good wombs may appear bad and bad wombs may appear good; such error is possible. At that time, too, the art of the teaching being important, thereupon do as follows:

In selecting the womb-door thus, there is a possibility of error: through the influence of farma, good wombs may appear bad and bad wombs may appear good; such error is possible. At that time, too, the art of the teaching being important, thereupon do as follows:

Even though a womb may appear good, do not be attracted ; if it appear bad, have no repulsion towards it. To be free from repulsion and attraction, or from the wish to take or to avoid, —to enter in the mood of complete impartiality,—is the most profound of arts. Excepting only for the few who have had some practical experience [in psychical development], it is difficult to get rid of the remnants of the disease of evil propensities.

[Instructions to the Officiant]: Therefore, if unable to part with the attraction and repulsion, those of the least mentality

1 Text: sala: Skt. shala (the shorea robusta), one of the hardwood foresttrees of India, growing to great size; the Tibetan word for Brahmin is Bramze (pron. Tamze). The ancient Indians regarded the sal-tree, with its splendid foliage and beautiful blossoms, as the best of trees; and for the Buddhists it is sanctified by the birth and death of the Enlightened One which took place under its protecting shade.

2 Text : grub-pa-thob-pa (pron. dub-pa-thob-pa) : Skt. Siddha-purusha: ‘adept in siddhic (or yogic) powers.’

8 The meaning may otherwise be put thus: By exercise of thy supernormal powers, visualize, as a celestial mansion, the womb thou art entering.

4 These are: the four cardinal points, the four midway points, and the nadir and zenith.

p. 192

and of evil karma will be liable to take refuge amongst brutes.? The way to repel therefrom is to call the deceased by name again, thus:

O nobly-born, if thou art not able to rid thyself of attraction and repulsion, and know not the [art of] selecting the womb-door, whichever of the above visions may appear, call upon the Precious Trinity and take refuge [therein]. Pray unto the Great Compassionate One. Walk with thy head erect. Know thyself in the Bardo. Cast away all weakness and attraction towards thy sons and daughters or any relations left behind thee; they can be of no use to thee. Enter upon the White Light-[Path] of the devas, or upon the Yellow Light-[Path]? of human beings; enter into the great mansions of precious metals and into the delightful gardens.

[Instructions to the Officiant]: Repeat that [address to the deceased] seven times over. Then there should be offered ‘The Invocation of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas’; ‘The Path of Good Wishes Giving Protection from Fears in the Bardo’; ‘The Root Words [or Verses] of the Bardo’; and ‘The Rescuer [or Path of Good Wishes for Saving] from the Ambuscades [or Dangerous Narrow Passage-Way] of the Bardo’.® These are to be read over thrice. ‘The Zahdol’, which liberateth the body-aggregate,* should also be read out.

‘The Zahdol’, which liberateth the body-aggregate,* should also be read out.

1 Or, esoterically, amongst wombs of brute-like human beings. (Cf. p. 1851.)

2 The text here contains, instead of Yellow Light, ‘ Blue Light’, evidently, as in like instances above, through error in copying.

3 These four Prayers (or ‘ Paths of Good Wishes’) are given in the Appendix, pp. 197-208.

4 The aggregate of a living human body, according to some Tibctan systems of yoga, is composed of twenty-seven parts: (1) the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether); (2) the five skandhas (body-aggregate, sensation-aggregate, feelings-aggregate, volition-aggregate, consciousness-aggregate); (3) the five airs (downward-air, warmth-equalizing-air, the pervader, upward-moving-air, lifeholding air); (4) the five sense-organs (nose, ears, eyes, tongue, skin); (5) the six faculties (sight, smell, hearing, tasting, perception, reasoning); and (6) the mentality. These twenty-seven parts constitute the impermanent personality. Behind them all stands the subconsciousness, the Knower, which, unlike the personality, is the principle capable of realizing Nirvana.

Some portions of the text of the Zahdol are made into Yantras (or talismans— see p. 136!) and attached to the body, both of the living and dead; and at the time of a person’s death are either cremated or interred with the corpse, the popular belief being that thus liberation is conferred upon the body-agercgate.

PART IT] FATHS TO LIBERATION 193

Then ‘ The Rite which Conferreth of Itself Liberation in [Virtue of | Propensity’! should be read too.

[THE GENERAL CONCLUSION]

By the reading of these properly, those devotees [or yogis] who are advanced in understanding can make the best use of the Transference? at the moment of death. They need not traverse the Intermediate State, but will depart by the Great Straight-Upward [Path]. Others who are a little less practised [in things spiritual], recognizing the Clear Light in the Chonyid Bardo, at the moment of death, will go by the upward [course]. Those lower than these will be liberated—in accordance with their particular abilities and karmic connexions—when one or other of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities dawneth upon them, during the succeeding [two] weeks, while in the Chényid Bardo.

There being several turning-points,* liberation should be obtained at one or other of them through recognizing. But those of very weak armic connexion, whose mass of obscurations is great [because of] evil actions, have to wander downwards and downwards to the Szdpa Bardo. Yet since there are, like the rungs of a ladder, many kinds of settings-face-toface [or remindings], liberation should have been obtained at one or at another by recognizing. But those of the weakest karmic connexions, by not recognizing, fall under the influence of awe and terror. [For them] there are various graded