1 That is to say, phenomena, or phenomenal experiences as experienced when in the human world, will be experienced in quite another way in the Bardo world, so that to one just dead they will seem to be in revolution or confusion ; hence the warning to the deceased, who must accustom himself to the after-death state as a babe must accustom itself after birth to our world.
2 At this point, where the marvellous Bardo visions begin to dawn, the student in attempting to rationalize them should ever keep in mind that this treatise is essentially esoteric, being in most parts, especially from here onwards, allegorical and symbolical of psychic experiences in the after-death state.
3 Text: Thiglé-Brdalva (pron. Thigle-Dalwa): ‘ Spreading forth the Seed [of all Things].’? Esoterically, this is the Dharma-Dhatu.
4 Text : Rnam-par-Snang-mzad (pron. Nam-par-Nang-2ad) ; Skt. Vairochana, the Dhyani Buddha of the Centre (or Central Realm). Vavvochana literally means, ‘in shapes making visible’; hence he is the Manifester of Phenomena, or the Noumena, The wheel he holds symbolizes sovereign power. His title Bhagavan (applied to many other of the deities to follow hereinafter), meaning “One Possessed of Dominion’ (or ‘of the Six Powers’), or ‘The Victorious’, qualifies him as being a Buddha, i.e. One who has conquered, or has dominion over, sangsaric, or worldly, existence.
As the Central Dhyani Buddha, Vairochana is the highest path te Enlighten- ment of the Esoteric School. Like a Central Sun, surrounded by the four Dhyani Buddhas of the four cardinal directions, who dawn on the four succeed- ing days, he symbolizes the One Truth surrounded by its four constituents or elements. As the source of all organic life, in him all things visible and invisible have their consummation and absorption.
For general references to the deities of the Bardo Thédol, see L. A. Waddell, The Buddhism of Tibet or Lamaism (London, 1895) ; and A, Getty, The Gods of Northern Buddhism (Oxford, 1914).
106 Bardo of Karmic Illusions [Book I
seated upon a lion-throne, bearing an eight-spoked wheel
in his hand, and embraced by the Mother of the Space of
Heaven,! will manifest himself to thee.
It is the aggregate of matter resolved into its primordial state which is the blue light.”
The Wisdom of the Dharma-Dhatu, blue in colour, shining, transparent, glorious, dazzling, from the heart of Vairochana as the Father-Mother,’ will shoot forth and strike against thee with a light so radiant that thou wilt scarcely be able to look at it.
Along with it, there will also shine a dull white light from the devas, which will strike against thee in thy front.
Thereupon, because of the power of bad karma, the glorious blue light of the Wisdom of the Dharma-Dhatu will produce in thee fear and terror, and thou wilt [wish to] flee from it. Thou wilt beget a fondness for the dull white light of the devas.
At this stage, thou must not be awed by the divine blue light which will appear shining, dazzling, and glorious; and be not startled by it. That is the light of the Tathagata * called the Light of the Wisdom of the Dharma-Dhatu. Put thy faith in it, believe in it firmly, and pray unto it, thinking in thy mind that it is the light proceeding from the heart of the Bhagavan Vairochana coming to receive thee while in the
1 Text: Nam-mkh-ah-dvyings-kyi-duang-phyung-ma (pron. Nam-kha-ing-hya- wang-chug-ma) : ‘ Sovereign Lady of the Space of Heaven’: Skt. Akasa Dhatu /shvari. The Mother is the female principle of the universe; the Father, Vairochana, the seed of all that is,
? Here the Block-Print reads: ‘It is the aggregate of consciousness (Rvam- par Shes-tahi—pro. Nam-par She-pay —Skt. Vijfiana Skandha) resolved into its primordial state which is the blue light.’ In our MS. the aggregate of consciousness shines as a white light in relationship with Vajra-Sattva, on the Second Day (see p. 109).
* Here, as in parallel passages following, the chief deity personifies in him- self the female as well as the male principle of nature, and hence is called the Father-Mother—depicted, as described by the text, in appropriate symbolic colours, on the corresponding illuminated folio of our MS., as the Divine Father and the Divine Mother in union (i.e. in divine at-one-ment).
* Text : De-bshing-shegs-pa (pron. 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] rear-
guard ;
May |I] be led safely across the fearful ambush of the Bardo;
May [I] be placed in the state of the All-Perfect Buddha- hood.’ ?
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 after- wards, 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:
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 Hap- piness, 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 Kshiti- garbha* 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 manu- script 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 trans- parency 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 Libera- tion, look not at it; and avoid anger.* Be not attracted by
1 Text: Ruampar-shes-paht-phung-po (pron. Nampar-she-pay-phung-po), ‘ag- gregate 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 sun- god 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
110 Bardo of Karmic Illusions [800k I
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]
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: