The Tibetan Book of the Dead

by Dorje, Gyurme

  Which is the four pristine cognitions combined.

  May the five supreme female buddhas, [the purity of] the expanse, support me from behind,

  And, thus [encircled], may I be rescued

  From the light paths of the six impure classes [of beings]!

  Released from the fearsome passageway of the intermediate state,

  May I be escorted to the five utterly supreme and pure buddha fields.

  By making this aspirational prayer, [the superior adept] will recognise [the radiances of pristine cognition] to be natural manifestations [of actual reality] and thereby, upon dissolving indivisibly with them, buddhahood will be attained. Those of average ability will achieve recognition on the basis of fervent devotion and thereby attain liberation, and even all [those of inferior ability] can, through the power of pure aspiration, close the womb entrances through which the six classes [of beings are born]. Thus, if the nature of ‘the four pristine cognitions combined’ is realised, [all of the above individuals] can attain buddhahood through ‘the hollow passageway of Vajrasattva’. As a result of being introduced in such a clear and detailed way, the majority will attain recognition and many [individuals] will achieve liberation.

  However, those most lowly individuals in the human world who totally lack the propensities for spiritual practice, and those who have broken their commitments and so forth, will continue to be bewildered, as a result of their [negative] past actions. Despite being introduced, they will continue to roam downwards, failing to achieve recognition.

  So it is, that on the seventh day, the divine assembly of the Awareness Holders will arise from the pure realm of the sky-farers and come to escort [the deceased], as will, simultaneously, the light path to the animal realm, formed of the dissonant mental state, delusion.55

  At this time, calling the deceased by name, the introduction should be given with the following words:

  O, Child of Buddha Nature, listen without distraction. On the seventh day, a five-faceted multicoloured light, [which is indicative of] the purity of your habitual tendencies in the expanse [of reality], will arise before you. Simultaneously, the divine assembly of the awareness holders, arising from the pure realm of the sky-farers, will come forward to escort you.

  In the centre of [this maṇḍala], suffused by rainbows and light, the unsurpassed [Vidyādhara] known as the ‘awareness holder of maturation’, Padmanarteśvara, will instantaneously arise, his body resplendent with the radiance of the five lights, embraced by his consort, a red ḍākinῑ, [who is dancing] with a blood-filled skull and a curved knife, raised in the gesture of pointing to the sky.

  From the east of the maṇḍala, [the Vidyādhara] known as the ‘awareness holder who abides on the levels’ will instantaneously arise, his body white in colour, his face radiant and smiling. He is embraced by his consort, a white ḍākinῑ, who is dancing with a blood-filled skull and a curved knife, raised in the gesture of pointing to the sky.

  From the south of the maṇḍala, [the Vidyādhara] known as the ‘awareness holder with power over the lifespan’ will instantaneously arise, his body yellow in colour and adorned by the exquisite [eighty] minor marks. He is embraced by his consort, a yellow ḍākinῑ, who is dancing with a blood-filled skull and a curved knife, raised in the gesture of pointing to the sky.

  From the west of the maṇḍala, [the Vidyādhara] known as the ‘awareness holder of the great seal’ will instantaneously arise, his body red in colour, his face radiant and smiling. He is embraced by his consort, a red ḍākinῑ, who is dancing with a blood-filled skull and a curved knife, raised in the gesture of pointing to the sky.

  From the north of the maṇḍala, [the Vidyādhara] known as the ‘awareness holder of spontaneous presence’ will instantaneously arise, his body green in colour, his face both wrathful and smiling. He is embraced by his consort, a green ḍākinῑ, who is dancing with a blood-filled skull and a curved knife, raised in the gesture of pointing to the sky.

  Encircling these awareness holders, there will be inestimable crowds of ḍākinῑs: the ḍākinῑs of the eight charnel grounds, ḍākinῑs of the four enlightened families, ḍākinῑs of the three abodes, ḍākinῑs of the ten directions, ḍākinῑs of the twenty-four power-places, spiritual heroes and heroines, faithful retainers,56 and protectors of the [sacred] teachings - all wearing the six kinds of bone ornaments, playing drums, thigh-bone trumpets, and skull drums and [waving] banners made of the hide of ‘ritually liberated’ beings, canopies and streamers of human hide, [the entire display pervaded by] an incense cloud of burning human flesh, reverberating with the sound of countless and diverse musical instruments, the sound permeating all world systems, causing them to vibrate, tremble and quake. The crescendo will reverberate as if to split your head. Performing their diverse dances, this [array] will come to escort those who have kept their commitments and to bring to account those who have allowed their commitments to degenerate.

  O, Child of Buddha Nature, a five-coloured light, which is [indicative of] the purity of your habitual tendencies in the expanse [of reality] and of coemergent pristine cognition, composed of coloured threads [of light] twisted together, pulsing, shimmering, translucent, radiant, clear, bright and awesome, [will emanate] from the hearts of the five principal awareness holders and will shine piercingly before you, at the level of your heart [with such brilliance] that your eyes cannot bear it. At that moment, a dull green light, [indicative of] the realms of the animals, will arise simultaneously with the light of pristine cognition [and touch your heart]. At this time, bewildered and confused by your past habitual tendencies, you will be frightened by the five-coloured light, and wish to turn away. Instantly, you will be attracted to the dull light of the animal realms, so therefore, do not be frightened now by the bright and flashing five-coloured light! Do not be terrified! Recognise this [radiance] to be pristine cognition! Within the [five-coloured] light, all the natural sounds of the sacred teachings will resound like a thousand simultaneous peals of thunder. They will resound like a [violent] echo, an overwhelming reverberation, a tumultuous crescendo, a cacophony of war cries, and [pound with the roar of] wrathful mantras of terrifying ferocity. Do not be afraid! Do not turn away! Recognise these sounds and luminosities to be the naturally expressive power of your own awareness, manifesting naturally. Do not be attracted to the dull green light of the animals. Do not cling to it! If you become attached to it, you will fall into the obscured realms of the animals and be enveloped by the limitless sufferings of obfuscation, dumbness and servility, from which there will be no [immediate] opportunity for release. So do not be attached to that [dull green light]! Be devoted to the five-coloured light that is radiant and dazzling! Focus intently and one-pointedly on the divine assembly of the awareness holders, the transcendent lords and spiritual teachers, thinking: ‘As you, the Awareness Holders together with your [attending] heroes and ḍākinῑs have come forward to escort me to the pure realm of the sky-farers, I implore you, pity sentient beings such as myself who have failed to amass the accumulations [of merit and pristine cognition], and pity those such as I, who have not been rescued until now, even though we have been embraced by the compassion of all the assembled deities of the five enlightened families, Those Gone to Bliss, throughout the three times! Today may you, the divine assembly of awareness holders, not allow me to descend any further than this. Grasp me with the hook of your compassion, and lead me immediately to the pure realm of the sky-farers.’ Focusing intently and one-pointedly on the divine [maṇḍala of] awareness holders, recite the following aspirational prayer:

  O, as I roam in cyclic existence [driven] by deep-seated habitual tendencies,

  May the divine assembly of awareness holders attend to me

  And lead me on the path, with great love.

  May the assembly of spiritual heroes and awareness holders draw me forward,

  Leading me on the path of radiant light,

  Which is [the luminance of] coem
ergent pristine cognition.

  May the supreme consorts, the hosts of ḍākinῑs, support me from behind,

  And, thus [encircled], may I be rescued

  From the fearsome passageway of the intermediate state,

  And be escorted to the [sacred] pure realm of the sky-farers.

  By making this aspirational prayer with fervent devotion, you will dissolve into rainbow light, in the heart of the divine assembly of the awareness holders, and thereafter, undoubtedly, be born into the pure-realm of the sky-farers.

  All types of spiritual friend can attain recognition at this stage, and [thus] they will attain liberation. There is no doubt that even those with negative propensities can attain liberation at this point.

  This concludes the first part of the Great Liberation by Hearing, the introduction to inner radiance in the intermediate state of the time of death and the introduction to the peaceful deities of the intermediate state of reality.

  ITI! SAMAYA! rgya rgya rgya!

  PART TWO

  An Elucidation of the Appearance of the Wrathful Deities in the Intermediate State of Reality

  Herein is contained An Elucidation of the Arising of the Intermediate State of the Wrathful Deities.1

  INTRODUCTION

  Now, the way in which the intermediate state of the wrathful deities arises should be presented. In the previous intermediate state of the peaceful deities there were seven successive [critical or] dangerous pathways. By receiving introduction to these sequentially, even though one might not have attained recognition at one [critical pathway], one should have attained recognition at another. Those who have achieved liberation [in this way] are countless.

  Yet, although many have been liberated through such [introductions to the nature of reality], sentient beings are numerous. Evil past actions are very potent. Negative obscurations are dense. Habitual tendencies are long lasting. The cycle of ignorance and bewilderment is inexhaustible and undiminishing. Despite having received introduction in such detail, there are still a large number who roam downwards, not having achieved liberation.

  Now, after the invitation of the assembly of the peaceful deities, and the divine assembly of the awareness holders and ḍākinῑs, has passed, the blazing assembly of the fifty-eight wrathful blood-drinking deities, who are a natural transformation of the above assembly of peaceful deities, will arise. These deities will be very dissimilar [in appearance] to the peaceful deities. This is the intermediate state of the wrathful deities and, [consequently, as the deceased will be] overpowered by fear, terror or awe, recognition also becomes more difficult. Uncontrollably, awareness continually faints. But, nevertheless, if there is even the slightest recognition, liberation is easy. Should you ask why this is so - it is because once the awesome, terrifying and fearful appearances arise, the awareness does not have the luxury of distraction. The awareness is one-pointedly concentrated.

  If, at this stage, oral instructions such as those which follow [have not been previously introduced, or] are not now introduced, even though one’s studies may have been ocean-like, they will be of no benefit here. Even the preceptors [of monasteries] who uphold the monastic disciplines and great teachers of dialectics [who have not been previously introduced] will be bewildered on this occasion, and fail to attain recognition. Consequently, they will continue to roam in cyclic existence. This is even more so for ordinary persons: fleeing in awe, terror and fear, they will fall into the abyss of lower existences and suffer miserably. However, even the most inferior of yogins who has practised the way of secret mantra, will immediately, upon seeing the assembled blood-drinking deities, recognise them to be meditational deities, as if meeting old acquaintances. Trusting in them, the yogin will dissolve indivisibly [into the meditational deities] and attain buddhahood.

  The crucial point is indeed that those in this world who have, [prior to death], meditated on the formal description of these blood-drinking buddha-bodies, and also made offerings and praises to them, or, at the very least, have simply seen their painted and sculpted images, may recognise the forms that arise here and attain liberation.

  Moreover, when those preceptors who uphold the monastic disciplines and the teachers of dialectics [who have not been introduced] die, however great their perseverance was in religious conduct or however learned they were in their exegetical doctrines within the human world, no [auspicious] signs, such as major or minor bone relics or rainbow light, will appear.2 Since they did not take the way of secret mantra to heart while they were alive, but instead deprecated the secret mantra, and failed to become acquainted [in life] with the assembled deities of the way of secret mantra, they will not recognise the [luminosities and deities] when they arise in the intermediate state. Suddenly seeing something they had not previously seen, they will develop an attitude of aversion and become hostile. Consequently they will proceed into lower existences. This [lack of familiarity and the arousal of aversion] is the reason why [auspicious] signs, such as major or minor bone relics, and rainbow light, do not occur in the case of those upholders of monastic discipline and dialectical philosophers, however excellent they may have been, who have not taken to heart and experientially cultivated the way of secret mantra.

  On the other hand, practitioners of the way of secret mantra, even if they are the lowest of the low, however coarsely [they behaved] in the world, or however unrefined and uncultured they were, and however unseemly and inelegant their conduct, even if they have not been able to experientially cultivate the way of secret mantra successfully, will attain liberation in this instance, simply because they have not embraced a mistaken view, and are without doubt, and are devoted to the secret mantra. Even if such an individual’s conduct in the human world was inelegant, at least one [auspicious] indication, such as major and minor relics, images or rainbow light, will occur at the moment of death. This is because the way of secret mantra carries an extremely great blessing.

  Yogins of the way of secret mantra who are above average capacity, who have experientially cultivated the meditations of both the generation and perfection stages and [practised] the recitation of the heart-mantras, and so on, do not need to roam downwards this far into the intermediate state of reality. As soon as respiration ceases, they will certainly be invited to the pure realm of the sky-farers by the awareness holders, heroes and ḍākinῑs. As an indication of this, [one or more of] the following signs will occur: the sky will become cloudless; [the body] will merge into rainbows and lights; a shower of flowers will fall; there will be the fragrance of perfume [in the air] and the sound of music in the sky; while rays of light, major and minor relics, images, rainbow lights, and so forth will appear [in the funeral pyre].3

  So it is that, for the upholders of the monastic disciplines and teachers [of dialectics who have not been previously introduced], and for practitioners of the way of secret mantra whose commitments have degenerated, and for all ordinary persons, this Great Liberation by Hearing is indispensable.

  Those serious meditators who have meditated on [the practices of] the Great Perfection and the Great Seal will recognise the inner radiance that dawns during the intermediate state of the time of death and will attain the Buddha-body of Reality. For these meditators there is absolutely no need to read this Liberation by Hearing.

  [In summary], if individuals recognise the inner radiance during the intermediate state of the time of death, they will attain the Buddha-body of Reality. If they achieve recognition during this intermediate state of reality, when the visions of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities arise, they will attain the Buddha-body of Perfect Resource. If they achieve recognition during the intermediate state of rebirth, they will attain the Buddha-body of Emanation. Alternatively, at the very least, [individuals who have heard this teaching] will be born into the higher existences, where, based on the residual potency of their past actions, they will again meet with, and be able to practise, this [sacred] teaching in the next life.

  Since [this sacred teaching is
based on recognition in the intermediate states] this Great Liberation by Hearing is the teaching whereby buddhahood can be attained without meditation. It is the teaching whereby liberation can be attained just by its being heard, it is the teaching whereby those that are the most negative are led onto the secret path,4 it is the teaching whereby essential points [of discrimination] are instantly grasped, and it is the profound teaching whereby perfect buddhahood is instantaneously attained. Thus, it is impossible for those sentient beings who have been engaged by this teaching to fall into lower existences. This [Liberation by Hearing] and the [related] Liberation by Wearing should be read aloud together, since [their conjunction] is like a maṇḍala of gold, inlaid with turquoise ornaments.5

  MAIN SUBJECT MATTER

  Having outlined in this way the essential purpose of the Liberation by Hearing, [the deceased] should now be introduced to the arising of the intermediate state of the wrathful deities.

  Again, you should call the deceased by name, three times, and say the following words:

  O, Child of Buddha Nature, listen without distraction. Although the intermediate state of the peaceful deities did previously arise within you, you did not recognise it. So now you have wandered, [through the succession of pathways,] to here. Now, on the eighth day, the assembly of wrathful blood-drinking deities will arise. Recognise them and do not be distracted! O, Child of Buddha Nature, he who is called Great Glorious Buddha Heruka will [now] arise, vividly manifesting before you from within your own brain. His body, blazing in a mass of light, is dark brown in colour, having three heads, six arms and four legs, which are [firmly] set apart. His right face is white, the left red and the central face dark brown. His nine eyes are fixed in a fearsome wrathful gaze, his eyebrows are quivering like lightning, his fangs are bared and gleaming, and he is laughing loudly, uttering the sounds of Alala and Haha, and Shoo oo - like whistles, in loud piercing cries. The golden-auburn hair of his head blazes and rears upward, sun and moon-discs, black serpents and dry skulls adorn each of his heads, and black snakes and fresh skulls form a garland around his body. In his six hands he holds, on the right in the first hand, a wheel, in the middle one, an axe and in the last hand a sword and to the left, in his first hand, he holds a bell, in the middle one, a ploughshare and in the last a skull. The female consort Buddhakrodheśvarῑ is embracing his body, her right hand clasped around his neck and her left offering a skull-cup filled with blood to his mouth. Amidst loud pounding palatal sounds of ‘Thuk-chom’, and an [echoing] roar like the reverberation of thunder, the fire of pristine cognition blazes from the fiery indestructible pores of their bodies, and thus they stand together, [with one leg] extended and [the other] drawn in, on a throne supported by garuḍas.