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

[5]
When, through great attachment, [we are] wandering in the
Sangsara,
Along the bright light-path of the Discriminating Wisdom,
May the Bhagavan Amitabha lead us,
May the Mother, [She]-of-White-Raiment, be our rear-guard,
May we be saved from the fearful narrow passage-way of the
Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of the perfect Buddhahood.

[5]
When, through intense jealousy, [we are] wandering in the
Saugsara,
Along the bright light-path of the All-Performing Wisdom,
May the Bhagavan Amogha-Siddhi lead us,
May the Mother, the Faithful Tara, be our rear-guard,
May we be saved from the fearful narrow passage-way of the
Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of the perfect Buddhahood.

[7]

When, through intense stupidity, [we are] wandering in the
Sangsara,

Along the bright light-path of the Wisdom of Reality,

May the Bhagavan Vairochana lead us,

May the Mother of Great Space be our rear-guard,

May we be saved from the fearful narrow passage-way of the
Bardo,

May we be placed in the state of the perfect Buddhahood.

p. 201

[8]

When, through intense illusion, [we are] wandering in the
Sangsara,

Along the bright light-path of the abandonment of hallucinatory fear, awe, and terror,

May the bands of the Bhagavans of the Wrathful Ones lead us,

May the bands of the Wrathful Goddesses Rich-in-Space be our rear-guard,

May we be saved from the fearful narrow passage-way of the
Bardo,

May we be placed in the state of the perfect Buddhahood.

[9]

When, through intense propensities, [we are] wandering in the Sangsara,

Along the bright light-path of the Simultaneously-born
Wisdom,

May the heroic Knowledge-Holders lead us,

May the bands of the Mothers, the Dé@kinis, be our rear-guard,

May we be saved from the fearful narrow passage-way of the
Bardo,

May we be placed in the state of the perfect Buddhahood.

[10]
May the ethereal elements not rise up as enemies ;
May it come that we shall see the Realm of the Blue Buddha.
May the watery elements not rise up as enemies;
May it come that we shall see the Realm of the White
Buddha.
May the earthy elements not rise up as enemies ;
May it come that we shall see the Realm of the Yellow
Buddha.
May the fiery elements not rise up as enemies;
May it come that we shall see the Realm of the Red Buddha.
3069 Dd

p. 202

May the airy elements not rise up as enemies;

May it come that we shall see the Realm of the Green
Buddha.

May the elements of the rainbow colours not rise up as enemies ;

May it come that all the Realms of the Buddhas will be seen.

May it come that all the Sounds [in the Bardo] will be known as one’s own sounds;

May it come that all the Radiances will be known as one’s own radiances ;

May it come that the Z7vz-Kaya will be realized in the
Bardo.

[III:] Here beginneth
‘THE ROOT VERSES OF Tit SAE S=.

May it come that all the Sounds [in the Bardo] will be known as one’s own sounds;

May it come that all the Radiances will be known as one’s own radiances ;

May it come that the Z7vz-Kaya will be realized in the
Bardo.

[III:] Here beginneth
‘THE ROOT VERSES OF Tit SAE S=.

[x] O now, when the Birthplace Bardo upon me is dawning! Abandoning idleness—there being no idleness in [a devotee’s] life— Entering into the Reality undistractedly, listening, reflecting, and meditating, Carrying on to the Path [knowledge of the true nature of] appearances and of mind, may the 77z-K aya be realized : Once that the human form hath been attained, * May there be no time [or opportunity] in which to idle it [or human life] away. [2] O now, when the Dream Bardo upon me is dawning! Abandoning the inordinate corpse-like sleeping of the sleep of stupidity, May the consciousness undistractedly be kept in its natural state ;

» The Blue Buddha is Samanta-Bhadra; the White Buddha, Vajra-Sattva ; the Yellow Buddha, Ratna-Sambhava; the Red Buddha, Amitabha; the Green Buddha, Amogha-Siddhi. Herein Samanta-Bhadra occupies the position often given to Vairochana, both deities being in essence the same, although sometimes

Vairochana is depicted as being white in colour instead of blue. (Cf. the Bardo Thédol, the First to the Fifth Day.)

p. 203

Grasping the [true nature of] dreams, [may I] train [myself] in the Clear Light of Miraculous Transformation:

Acting not like the brutes in. slothfulness,

May the blending of the practising of the sleep [state] and actual [or waking] experience be highly valued [by me].

[3]

O now, when the Dhyana Bardo upon me is dawning!

Abandoning the whole mass of distractions and illusions,

May [the mind] be kept in the mood of endless undistracted
Samadhi,

May firmness both in the visualizing and in the perfected
[stages] be obtained :

At this time, when meditating one-pointedly, with [all other] actions put aside,

May I not fall under the power of misleading, stupefying passions.

[4]

O now, when the Bardo of the Moment of Death upon me is dawning!

Abandoning attraction and craving, and weakness for all
[worldly things],

May I be undistracted in the space of the bright [enlightening] teachings,?

May I [be able to] transfuse myself into the heavenly space of the Unborn:

The hour hath come to part with this body composed of flesh and blood;

May I know the body to be impermanent and illusory.

[5]

O now, when the Bardo of the Reality upon me is dawning,
Abandoning all awe, fear, and terror of all [phenomena],

[5]

O now, when the Bardo of the Reality upon me is dawning,
Abandoning all awe, fear, and terror of all [phenomena],

1 There is a very profound system of yoga in which the devotee’s aim is to enter the dream-state at will and carry on experiments therein in full consciousness of being in the dream-state, and then return to the waking-state with complete memory of the experience ; thereby is realized the unreality of both states— that both are merely illusory, being based wholly upon phenomena.

2 Or, ‘ May I enter into the bright space of undistractedness [and enlightening] teachings’,

p. 204

May I recognize whatever appeareth as being mine own thought-forms,

May I know them to be apparitions in the Intermediate
State;

[It hath becn said], ‘There arriveth a time when the chief turning-point is reached ;

Fear not the bands of the Peaceful and Wrathful, Who are thine own thought-forms’.

[5]

O now, when the Bardo of [taking] Rebirth upon me is dawning !

One-pointedly holding fast to a single wish,

{May I be able to] continue the course of good deeds through repeated efforts ;1

May the womb-door be closed and the revulsion recollected :

The hour hath come when energy and pure love are needed ;

[May I] cast off jealousy and meditate upon the Guru, the
Father-Mother.

[7]
[‘O] procrastinating one, who thinketh not of the coming of
death,
Devoting thyself to the useless doings of this life,
Improvident art thou in dissipating thy great opportunity ;
Mistaken, indeed, will thy purpose be now if thou returnest
empty-handed [from this life]:
Since the Holy Dharma is known to be thy true need,
Wilt thou not devote [thyself] to the Holy Dharma even
now ?’

[EPILOGUE]

Thus say the Great Adepts? in devotion. If the chosen teaching of the gurz be not borne in mind, Wilt thou not [O skzskya] be acting even as a traitor to thyself ? 1 Lit., ‘{May I be able to] join with the remnants of good deeds by repeated effort’, (Cf. p. 135%.) ? Text: Grub-chen (pron. Dub-chen): Skt. Maha-siddhas.

p. 205

It is of great importance that these Root Words be known.

[IV :] Here beginneth ite Path OF GOOD WISHES WHICH PRO- TEGVETH BROM FEAR IN THE LAKRDO’:

[1]
When the cast [of the dice] of my life hath become exhausted,
The relatives in this world avail me not;
When I wander alone by myself in the Bardo,
[O] ye Conquerors, Peaceful and Wrathful, exercising the
power of your compassion,
Let it come that the Gloom of Ignorance be dispelled.

[2]

When wandering alone, parted from loving friends,

When the shapes of mine empty thought-forms dawn upon me here,

{May the] Buddhas, exerting the power of their divine compassion,

Cause it to come that there be neither awe nor terror in the
Bardo.

[3]

When the bright radiances of the Five Wisdoms shine upon me now,

Let it come that I, neither awed nor terrified, may recognize them to be of myself;