1 Text: Kerima, corrupted from Skt. Keyu#ri, name of an Indian cemetery goddess. 2 The corrupted Skt. form in text, name of another Indian cemetery goddess. 8 Tib.-Skt. of text. 4 Text: chu-srin (pron. chu-sin): ‘water-lion’, or ‘leviathan’ (Skt. Makara), mythological monster. 5, 6,7 Tib.-Skt. of text. 8 Textual form, from Skt. Chandali, referring, apparently, to the spirit of female of low caste (i.e. Chandali), who, like each of the goddesses of our text herein, haunts cemeteries or cremation grounds. All such goddesses, here appearing, seem intended as symbols—each in its own way—to impress upon the deceased, as in an initiatory drama, the nature of sangsdric existence—its impermanence, its unsatisfactoriness—and the need to rise above it, conquering it through world-renunciation: all the goddesses emanating, as the text repeatedly teaches, from the mental content which the percipient’s sangsavic existence has bequeathed to him.
° In place of this Tib.-Skt. form of our text, the Block-Print gives Smashali, which is a more correct form.
Part Ii] the Eight Wrathful Ones 143
the Eight Kerimas of the Abodes [or Eight Directions], also come to shine upon thee, surrounding the Five Blood-drinking Fathers. Yet be not afraid.
O nobly-born, from the Circle outside of them, the Eight Htamenmas of the [eight] regions [of the brain] will come to shine upon thee: from the east, the Dark-Brown Lion-Headed One, the hands crossed on the breast, and in the mouth holding a corpse, and shaking the mane; from the south, the Red Tiger-Headed One, the hands crossed downwards, grinning and showing the fangs and looking on with protruding eyes ; from the west, the Black Fox-Headed One, the right [hand] holding a shaving-knife, the left holding an intestine, and [she] eating and licking the blood [therefrom]; from the north, the Dark-Blue Wolf-Headed One, the two hands tearing open a corpse and looking on with protruding eyes; from the south-east, the Yellowish-White Vulture-Headed One, bearing a gigantic [human-shaped] corpse on the shoulder and holding a skeleton in the hand; from the south-west, the Dark-Red Cemetery-Bird-Headed One, carrying a gigantic corpse on the shoulder; from the north-west, the Black Crow-Headed One, the left [hand] holding a scalp, the right holding a sword, and [she] eating heart and lungs; from the north-east, the Dark- Blue Owl-Headed One, holding a dovje in the right [hand], and holding a sword in the left, and eating.
These Eight Htamenmas of the [eight] regions, likewise surrounding the Blood-Drinking Fathers, and issuing from within thy brain, come to shine upon thee. Fear that not. Know them to be the thought-forms of thine own intellectual faculties.
[the Fourteenth Day]
O nobly-born on the Fourteenth Day, the Four Female Door-Keepers, also issuing from within thine own brain, will come to shine upon thee. Again recognize. From the east [quarter] of thy brain will come to shine the White Tiger- Headed Goad-Holding Goddess, bearing a scalp filled with blood in her left [hand]; from the south, the Yellow Sow- Headed Noose-Holding Goddess; from the west, the Red
144 BARDO OF KARMIC ILLUSIONS [Book I
Lion-Headed Iron-Chain-Holding Goddess; and from the
north, the Green Serpent-Headed Bell-Holding Goddess.
Thus issue the Four Female Door-Keepers also from within
thine own brain and come to shine upon thee; as tutelary
deities, recognize them.
O nobly-born, on the outer Circle of these thirty wrathful deities, Herukas, the twenty-eight various-headed mighty goddesses, bearing various weapons, issuing from within thine own brain, will come to shine upon thee. 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 In- quisitiveness, 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’.
146 BARDO OF KARMIC ILLUSIONS [Book 1
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 Void- ness 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,
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 thought- forms, 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, Buddha- hood 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-
1 Text : Mgon-po-Nag-po (pron. Gon-po-Nag-po): Skt. Kala-Nath, commonly known in India as Maha-Kala. At this stage, all the illusory forms of the Peaceful Deities blend and appear as this one deity,
2 Text: Gshin-rje-hi-chés-kyt-rgyal-po (pron. Shin-jei-ché-kyi-gyal-po): Skt. Dharma-Rdaja + Yama-Raja. As described here and in the Second Book of the Bardo Thédol (sce p. 167!) this illusory deity commonly assumes many and varied forms capable of merging into a single form.
148 BARDO OF KARMIC ILLUSIONS [Book I
board! in the hand; giving utterance from their mouth to sounds of ‘Strike! Slay!’, licking [human] brain, drinking blood, tearing heads from corpses, tearing out [the] hearts: thus will [they] come, filling the worlds.
O nobly-born, when such thought-forms emanate, be thou not afraid, nor terrified; the body which now thou possessest being a mental-body of [karmic] propensities, though slain and chopped [to bits], cannot die. Because thy body is, in reality, one of voidness, thou needest not fear. The [bodies of the] Lord of Death, too, are emanations from the radiances of thine own intellect ; they are not constituted of matter; voidness cannot injure voidness. Beyond the emanations of thine own intellectual faculties, externally, the Peaceful and the Wrathful Ones, the Blood-Drinking Ones, the Various-Headed Ones, the rainbow lights, the terrifying forms of the Lord of Death, exist not in reality: of this, there is no doubt. Thus, knowing this, all the fear and terror is self-dissipated; and, merging in the state of at-one-ment, Buddhahood is obtained.