The Tibetan Book of the Dead

by Dorje, Gyurme

  26 The combination of the five elements (khams-lnga) with the twelve animal year-signs is an important feature of elemental divination (’byung-rtsis), on which see G. Dorje, Tibetan Elemental Divination Paintings, pp. 66-86.

  27 The Delhi reprint adds an annotation to the effect that this is also applicable if the humming sound disappears intermittently.

  28 At this point, the various versions of our text include the following paragraph: ‘In cases when [one’s shadow] is missing from the neck upwards, one should visualise the syllable YAṂ in the subject’s heart, and gaze upwards as high as one can. [Death] will then be averted if one performs ablutions from the crown downwards with water [empowered by] mantras of retention.’ This observation appears to be misplaced, referring as it does to the analysis of the optically projected shadow rather than the humming of the ears.

  10 Natural Liberation through Recollection

  1 Tib. ’Pho-ba dran-pa rang-grol.

  2 Tib. rDzogs-rim bar-do drug-gi khrid-yig. This cycle has been translated into English by Alan Wallace. See Natural Liberation.

  3 Tib. Zab-chos zhi-khro dgongs-pa rang-grol.

  4 The six topics of the perfection stage (sampannakrama) respectively relate to the six intermediate states summarised in Ch. 3. Among them, the yoga of consciousness transference relates to the intermediate state of the time of death (’chi-kha’i bar-do), on which see also Ch. 11, pp. 225-34. At this point an annotation in the text refers to the importance of this chapter as ‘an oral instruction which is like the giving of a royal injunction’ (rgyal-po bka’-them bskur-ba lta-bu).

  5 Tib. ’Chi-ltas mtshan-la rang-grol. See Ch. 8, pp. 153-81.

  6 On the ritual deception of death (’chi-bslu), see above, Ch. 9, pp. 184-95.

  7 Tib. ’Chi-bslu ’jigs-pa rang-grol. This is the subject matter of Ch. 9 above.

  8 Consciousness transference may be taught in the context of general guidance (khrid-kyi dus), as in the case of the preliminary practices (sngon-’gro). See Paltrul Rinpoche, The Words of My Perfect Teacher, pp. 351-65; and Sonam T. Kazi (trans.), Kun-zang La-may Zhal-lung, Pt. 3, pp. 493-516. Manuals of particular guidance on consciousness transference (’pho-ba’i sgos-khrid) include the present chapter from Karma Lingpa’s Zhi-khro dgongs-pa rang-grol and Tsele Natsok Rangdrol’s The Mirror of Mindfulness, pp. 65-73.

  9 Tib. khrid kyi sngon ’gro. See above, Ch. 1.

  10 Tib. sa-gnon-pa’i phyag-rgya (Skt. bhūmyākramaṇa), here identified with the bhūsparśamudrā.

  11 On the association of these other orifices with specific modes of rebirth, see p. 214.

  12 On the crown or anterior fontanelle (tshangs-pa’i bu-ga), and its relationship to the central energy channel of the subtle body (avadhūti), see Tibetan Medical Paintings, pp. 33-40 and pp. 189-96.

  13 On the relation between the central channel and those of the Rasanā to its right and the Lalanā to its left, see also Longchen Rabjampa, GGFTC, pp. 1006 ff., and Tibetan Medical Paintings, pp. 33-4.

  14 Tib. khu-tshur.

  15 See Ch. 3, p. 33.

  16 This refers to the recitation of Ch. 11 of the present work.

  17 On these transformations, see Ch. 8, pp. 156-9 and 171-3.

  18 This reference is unidentified.

  19 Tib. Nyi-zla kha-sbyor. This text is contained in Vol. 4 of the Collected Tantras of the Nyingmapa (rNying-ma’i rgyud-’bum).

  20 The ‘field of accumulated merits’ (tshogs-bsags zhing), to whom offerings are made, comprises one’s parents, invalids or other disadvantaged persons, spiritual teachers, monks, and bodhisattvas.

  21 Skt. śaraṇagamana. On the taking of refuge, see above, Ch. 1, pp. 11-13; and also glossary.

  22 There are many diverse techniques of consciousness-transference within the Tibetan tradition, including those derived from The Six Doctrines of Nāropā (Nāro chos-drug), the Innermost Spirituality of Longchenpa (Klong-chen snying-thig), and the present cycle.

  23 Tib. thos-grol. The words to be communicated in this context are contained below, Ch. 11, which includes descriptions of the three intermediate states of the time of death, reality, and rebirth. The intermediate state of reality (chos-nyid bar-do) is also known as the intermediate state of inner radiance (’od-gsal ), on which see Ch. 11, p. 227ff.

  24 Just as there are outer, inner, and secret signs of impending death (see Ch. 8, pp. 155-71) and outer and inner signs of the efficacy of the mantras utilised in ‘liberation by wearing’ (see Ch. 14, passim), so here, in the context of the various types of consciousness-transference, there are ‘outer’ signs observable in the atmosphere, ‘inner’ signs observable on the body of the deceased, and ‘secret’ signs observable in the relics that emerge after death. On the appearance of seed-syllables among the cremated relics of great spiritual teachers, see e.g. Dudjom Rinpoche, NSTB, p. 564.

  25 The white syllable ĀḤ is the seed-syllable of Vajradhara, the azure syllable HŪṂ is that of Vajrasattva, and the red syllable HRĪḤ is that of Avalokiteśvara. See Longchen Rabjampa, GGFTC, Ch. 7, pp. 682-93.

  26 The five types of bone-relic (Tib. dung-rigs rnam-pa-lnga), which appear following cremation, are associated with the five seed-syllables of the five male buddhas, and with five bodily constituents. See Ch. 14. On the appearance of cremation relics in the form of a deity’s hand-implement (phyag-mtshan) or image (sku-’dra), see e.g. Dudjom Rinpoche, NSTB, pp. 572.

  27 Here the emergence of fluids from the left nostril rather than the crown fontanelle is an indication that the consciousness-transference has taken effect into the Buddha-body of Emanation rather than into the Buddha-bodies of Reality or Perfect Resource. On the appearance of such signs, see Ch. 14, passim; and for a recorded instance of the whole skull being left as a cremation relic, see Dudjom Rinpoche, NSTB, p. 572.

  28 Orgyan, i.e. an epithet of Padmasambhava.

  29 Tib. srid pa’i sgo zhes bya ba khams dang thig la dkar dmar ’gyu-ba’i lam.

  30 Tib. de-kho-na-nyid-kyi dam-tshig-dang sdom-pa. In general, all the commitments of the Vehicle of Indestructible Reality and all vows associated with pious attendants and bodhisattvas may be termed commitments and vows taken with respect to the nature of reality. More specifically, however, this refers to the four commitments taken by practitioners of the Great Perfection: nothingness, evenness, uniqueness, and spontaneity, on which see R. Barron (trans.), The Precious Treasury of the Way of Abiding.

  31 Tib. btags-grol. See Ch. 14.

  32 Tib. thos-grol. See Ch. 11.

  11 The Great Liberation by Hearing

  Part One

  1 Tib. Thos-grol chen-mo.

  2 . Tib. Zab-chos zhi-khro dgongs-pa rang-grol.

  3 Tib. khrid-kyi rim-pa. This refers to all the levels of instruction received during the course of a person’s lifetime, including those based on the sūtras and the tantras. The experiential cultivation of the ‘great emptiness’ (stong-pa chen-po) which the practitioner of Mahāyoga enters into in the course of daily practice brings about a dissolution of normal conceptual consciousness into a non-dual, non-conceptual awareness. The signs which accompany the successful actualisation of this meditative process are identical to those which occur at the time of death. The resulting familiarity with the process of the dissolution of consciousness allows the practitioner, at the time of death, to pass through an accustomed process and thereby to enter the non-conceptual inner radiance without confusion and to rest in its nature, with stability.

  4 See above, Ch. 10.

  5 See above, Ch. 8.

  6 Tib. bden-pa’i stobs. This refers to an invocation prayer evoking the power of the truth of the ultimate nature of mind and phenomena embodied in the meditational deities, the sacred writings, and the community of sincere practitioners.

  7 This esoteric meditative process, which is divulged only to fully qualified practitioners, is described in supplementary texts relating to the present cycle, such as Guiding the Deceased to Higher Rebirths: The Natural Liberation of the Six Real
ms of Beings (Tshe-’das gnas-’dren ’gro-drug rang-grol). See Appendix One.

  8 The belief in the notion of the continuity of consciousness creates a very different perspective among the bereaved within Buddhist communities. Although grief is not repressed, the family members and friends are encouraged to support the consciousness of the deceased by being themselves strong in their spiritual practice and dedicating this effort to the deceased. Sympathy for the spiritual opportunities being presented to the deceased during and after the death process is strongly stressed. Clinging, attachment and extreme sorrow are discouraged, whilst creating an atmosphere of openness, compassion and acceptance of change is emphasised and highly valued.

  9 On this interval following the cessation of outer respiration (phyi-dbugs) and preceding the cessation of inner respiration (nang-dbugs), see p. 228.

  10 The injunction not to touch the body of the deceased extends from the moment when the consciousness enters the central channel until the vital energy leaves the body; a period of time which can be just a few moments or up to three days. This injunction is often repeated in the present text and stressed by Tibetan lamas who explain that touching the body draws the mindfulness of the individual to the place being touched. Since the point on the body from which the consciousness exits is related to the quality of the mental realm into which it may enter, drawing the mindfulness by touching can be helpful or harmful. See above, Ch. 10, p. 214.

  11 Traditionally, every Tibetan household has a shrine which is the focus of the household’s daily ritual and devotional activity. At the time of a bereavement various ancillary rituals are also performed together with the reading of this Great Liberation by Hearing. Often a tent is erected in the garden and a large altar laid out. There is much activity, involving both the family and the attending monks, in making the preparations for the rituals. The sense of bewilderment at the death of a loved one is strongly tempered by the purposefulness in the activity directed at supporting and inspiring the consciousness of the deceased.

  12 These prayers are read to the dying person in order to inspire a calm and dignified approach to death. For the full text of the Aspirational Prayer Calling to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for Assistance (Sangs-rgyas-dang byang-chub sems-dpa’i-rnams-la ra-mda’ sbran-pa’i smon-lam); the Aspirational Prayer which Protects from Fear of the Intermediate States (Bar-do ’jigs-skyob-ma’i smon-lam), and the Aspirational Prayer which Rescues from the Dangerous Pathways of the Intermediate States (Bar-do ’phrang-sgrol-gyi smon-lam), see Ch. 12; and for the Root Verses of the Six Intermediate States (Bar-do’i rtsa-tshig), see above, Ch. 3. The attitude in which the dying person approaches death is regarded as the most essential factor in ensuring the continued well-being of the individual. For the dying individual to cultivate an attitude of compassion towards others during the process of death is regarded as primary. Remaining fearless and fully aware of the processes of dying, whilst also being prepared to recognise the qualities of awareness which naturally arise during and after the moment of death, is strongly encouraged.

  13 Tib. ’chi-kha’i bar-do-la ’od-gsal ngo-sprod-pa. This is the introduction to the radiance which arises immediately after the ceasing of respiration at the moment when the vital energies collect at the mid-point of the central channel, close to the heart. See also above, Ch. 8, pp. 173-7, and Ch. 10, pp. 205-9, where reference is also made to this intermediate state.

  14 Tib. chos-nyid bar-do-la ’od-gsal ngo-sprod-pa. This is the introduction to the radiance experienced by the mental body of the deceased in the form of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities. See pp. 234-72; also Tsele Natsok Rangdrol, The Mirror of Mindfulness, pp. 77- 102.

  15 Tib. srid-pa bar-do-la mngal-sgo dgag-thabs bstan-pa. The final section of this chapter describes five profound methods for avoiding uncontrolled rebirth in an unfavourable realm. See pp. 285-300; also Tsele Natsok Rangdrol, The Mirror of Mindfulness, pp. 105-28.

  16 In this context, the advice is to invite to the bedside an individual who has followed the same meditational practices as the dying person.

  17 In this context, the advice is to invite to the bedside an individual who has studied and practised within the same commentarial tradition.

  18 i.e. the central energy channel of the body.

  19 This period during which vital energy and consciousness are united in the central channel is also described as that in which the ‘inner breath’ (nang-dbugs ) remains within the body. It is said to last approximately twenty minutes.

  20 Tib. bar-do dang-po’i ’od-gsal, i.e. the inner radiance which arises at the culmination of the intermediate state of the time of death is the first of three successive ‘intermediate states’ that occur after death and prior to the rebirth process. They comprise the inner radiance of the ground, the inner radiance of the path, and the inner radiance of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities in the intermediate state of reality. These three phases are not to be confused with the classical enumeration of the six intermediate states as described in Ch. 3 and in the glossary.

  21 Throughout the death process and at each step in the reading of the Great Liberation by Hearing, the presiding lama should enter into those meditative states of awareness which the text describes and which the dying person is encouraged to cultivate. In this way, he serves as a support and anchor for the concentration of the dying and the deceased.

  22 Tib. rtsa rba-rlabs rtsis-ba. Tibetan medicine describes diverse types of pulse which indicate impending death due to humoral imbalance, visceral failure and so forth. See Tibetan Medical Paintings, p. 137. On the procedures followed in pulse palpation, see ibid., p. 123.

  23 Tib. gnyid-log rtsa-gnyis. The two carotid arteries ‘which induce unconsciousness when pressed’, are included among the body’s most vulnerable points. See Tibetan Medical Paintings, pp. 33, 43. Pressure applied at the right moment is said to trap the vital energy and mind together in the central channel, with no possibility of regression or reversal. Correct training in this procedure is of crucial importance, and it is obviously essential that the carotids are not pressed until after the pulse has ceased.

  24 On the crown or anterior fontanelle (Tib. tshangs-bug; Skt. brahmarandhra), which is the optimum point of exit for the consciousness of the dying individual, see Ch. 10, p. 214.

  25 The period following the cessation of the coarse outer breath (phyi-dbugs) and before the cessation of the subtle inner breath (nang-dbugs), also known as the life-sustaining vital energy (Tib. srog-’dzin-gyi rlung; Skt. prāṇa), is that during which the vital energy and mind are drawn together into the central channel, causing ordinary beings to lapse into unconsciousness (shes-pa brgyal). This moment is also described in terms of the blackness induced by the merging of the white male and red female generative essences at the heart-centre of the central channel. See Ch. 8, p. 175.

  26 The Tibetan biographical tradition cites many instances of great spiritual teachers who at the time of their demise enter into the prolonged experience of this intermediate state.

  27 See Ch. 10, p. 203.

  28 See Ch. 8, p. 173ff. An alternative description of this process is also given in medical texts. See Tibetan Medical Paintings, pp. 51-2: ‘Upon the sinking of the earth element into the water element, the patient ceases to grasp the solidity of objects. Upon the sinking of the water element into the fire element, the sensory orifices dry up. Upon the sinking of the fire element into the wind element, bodily heat disappears. Upon the sinking of the wind element into the space element, breathing stops. As far as the five sensory organs, born out of the five primordial elements, are concerned, the first to cease functioning is sight, then comes the ability to hear, followed by the senses of smell, taste and finally touch. Consequent on this tactile loss, life itself wanes; and all sensory functions dissolve into the life-sustaining breath, which itself vanishes into consciousness, destined for future rebirth.’

  29 On the relationship between the various orifices from which serum is exuded and the realms inhabite
d by sentient beings, see Ch. 10, p. 214; also A. Wayman, The Buddhist Tantras, Ch. 12, pp. 139-50, whose account is based on the commentarial literature of the Guhyasamāja Tantra.

  30 The harsh and bewildering experiences related to past actions (las-kyi ’khrul-snang ) are those manifestations of sound, lights and rays of light which appear during the intermediate state of reality (chos-nyid bar-do), in contrast to the terrifying experiences related to Yama (gshin-rje) which occur during the intermediate state of rebirth (srid-pa’i bar-do). See p. 234ff and pp. 268-9.

  31 Since the meditational deities are pure appearances inseparable from emptiness, they are said to ‘appear and yet lack inherent existence’ (snang-la rang-bzhin med-pa) and to be ‘devoid of solid or corporeal forms’ (gdos-bcas med-pa). See also Dudjom Rinpoche, NSTB, pp. 123-7, 279-80; Longchen Rabjampa, GGFTC, pp. 626-81.

  32 i.e. Avalokiteśvara.

  33 On the risk of inferior rebirth (ngan-song) which confronts those who have broken their vows (sdom-pa shor-ba) and failed to maintain their basic commitments (rtsa-ba’i dam-tshig nyams), see Ch. 7; also Longchen Rabjampa, GGFTC, pp. 1184-229.

  34 On this convergence of the mother and child aspects of reality (chos-nyidma-bu ), which are identified respectively with the inner radiance of the ground and the inner radiance of the path, the latter cultivated by the meditator during his or her lifetime, see also Ch. 8, pp. 176-7.

  35 The experiences of the ‘mental body’ (yid-kyi lus) during the intermediate states of reality and rebirth are described below in detail. See pp. 273-85.

  36 The intermediate state of reality is here referred to as the ‘third intermediate state’ (bar-do gsum-pa) when it is enumerated following the two phases of inner radiance of the ground and path that arise during the intermediate state of the time of death (’chi-kha’i bar-do).