The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Page 26
At this time, three phenomena - sounds, lights and rays of light - will arise, and [the deceased] may faint with fear, terror or awe. Thus, during this period, the following Great Introduction to the Intermediate State of Reality should be given. Call the deceased by name and say the following words, with correct pronunciation and clear diction:
O, Child of Buddha Nature, listen very intently and without distraction. There are six kinds of intermediate state, namely: the intermediate state of living or natural existence, the intermediate state of dreams, the intermediate state of meditative stability or concentration, the intermediate state of the time of death, the intermediate state of reality, and the intermediate state of consequent rebirth.38 O, Child of Buddha Nature, [during and after death], you will experience three intermediate states: the intermediate state of the time of death, the intermediate state of reality and the intermediate state of rebirth. Of these three, it was the intermediate state of the time of death which you experienced until yesterday. Although the inner radiance of reality arose during that time, you did not recognise it. So now, [as a result], you have been compelled to wander here; and now you will experience the intermediate state of reality, followed by the intermediate state of rebirth. You must therefore recognise, without distraction, [the instruction and events] which I am now going to introduce to you.
O, Child of Buddha Nature, that which is called death has now arrived. You are leaving this world. But in this you are not alone. This happens to everyone. Do not be attached to this life! Do not cling to this life! Even if you remain attached and clinging, you do not have the power to stay - you will only continue to roam within the cycles of existence. Therefore, do not be attached and do not cling! Think of the Three Precious Jewels!
O, Child of Buddha Nature, however terrifying the appearances of the intermediate state of reality might be, do not forget the following words. Go forward remembering their meaning. The crucial point is that through them recognition may be attained.
Alas, now, as the intermediate state of reality arises before me,
Renouncing the merest thought of awe, terror or fear,
I will recognise all that arises to be awareness, manifesting naturally of itself.
Knowing such [sounds, lights and rays] to be visionary phenomena of the intermediate state,
At this moment, having reached this critical point,
I must not fear the assembly of Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, which manifest naturally!
Go forward, reciting these words distinctly and be mindful of their meaning. Do not forget them! For it is essential to recognise, with certainty, that whatever terrifying experiences may arise, they are natural manifestations [of actual reality]. O, Child of Buddha Nature, when your mind and body separate, the pure [luminous] apparitions of reality itself, will arise: subtle and clear, radiant and dazzling, naturally bright and awesome, shimmering like a mirage on a plain in summer. Do not fear them! Do not be terrified! Do not be awed! They are the natural luminosities of your own actual reality. Therefore recognise them [as they are]!
From within these lights, the natural sound of reality will resound, clear and thunderous, reverberating like a thousand simultaneous peals of thunder. This is the natural sound of your own actual reality. So, do not be afraid! Do not be terrified! Do not be awed! The body that you now have is called a ‘mental body’, it is the product of [subtle] propensities and not a solid corporeal body of flesh and blood. Therefore, whatever sounds, lights or rays may arise, they cannot harm you. For you are beyond death now! It is enough that you simply recognise [the sounds and luminosities] to be manifestations of your own [actual reality]. Know that this is the intermediate state!
O, Child of Buddha Nature, if you do not now recognise [these phenomena] to be natural manifestations, whatever meditative practices you may have undertaken whilst in the human world, if you have not [previously] encountered this present instruction, you will fear the light, you will be awed by the sound and you will be terrified by the rays. If you do not now understand this essential point of the teaching, you will not recognise the sounds, the lights and the rays, and you will continue to roam within the cycles of existence.
O, Child of Buddha Nature, should you have moved on, [without recognition], after having been unconscious for [up to] three and a half days,39 you will awaken from unconsciousness and wonder, “What has happened to me?” So, recognise this to be the intermediate state! At this time, the aspects of the cycles of existence are reversed [into their own true nature] and all phenomena are arising as lights and buddha-bodies.40
[On the first day of the intermediate state of reality],41 all space will arise as a blue light. At this time, from the central Buddha field called Pervasive Seminal Point,42 the transcendent lord Vairocana will dawn before you, his body white in colour, seated on a lion throne, holding in his [right] hand an eight-spoked wheel and embraced by his consort Ākāśadhātvῑśvarῑ. A blue luminosity, radiant and clear, bright and dazzling, [indicative of] the pristine cognition of reality’s expanse, which is the natural purity of your aggregate of consciousness, [will emanate] from the heart of Vairocana and his consort, and it will shine piercingly before you [at the level of your heart, with such brilliance] that your eyes cannot bear it. Together with this [luminosity], a dull white light, [indicative of the realm] of the gods, will also dawn directly before you [and touch your heart]. At this time, under the sway of negative past actions, you will [wish to] flee in fear and terror from the bright blue light, which is the pristine cognition of reality’s expanse, and you will come to perceive the dull white light of the god [realms] with delight. At this moment, do not be awed by the blue luminosity, which is radiant and dazzling, clear and very bright. This is the supreme inner radiance [of pristine cognition]! Do not be terrified! This is the light ray of the Tathāgata, which is called the pristine cognition of reality’s expanse.43 Have confidence in it! Be drawn to it with longing devotion! Pray, with devotion, thinking: ‘This is the light ray of the transcendent lord Vairocana’s compassion. I take refuge in it.’ For this, in reality, is the transcendent lord Vairocana and his consort come to escort you on the dangerous pathway of the intermediate state. This is the light ray of Vairocana’s compassion! Therefore do not delight in the dull white light of the god [realms]! Do not be attached to it! Do not cling to it! This dull white light is the inviting path created by your own habitual tendencies for deep delusion, which you yourself have generated.44 If you become attached to it, you will roam within the god realms and be drawn into [the cycles of existence of] the six classes of beings. [This dull light] is an obstruction blocking the path to liberation. Do not look at it! Be devoted to the bright blue light! Focus intently on the transcendent lord Vairocana and repeat after me the following aspirational prayer:
O, as I roam in cyclic existence [driven] by deep-seated delusion,
May the transcendent lord Vairocana draw me forward,
Leading me on the path of radiant light,
Which is the pristine cognition of reality’s expanse.
May the supreme consort [Ākāśa]dhātvῑśvarῑ support me from behind,
And, thus [encircled], may I be rescued
From the fearsome passageway of the intermediate state,
And be escorted to the level of an utterly perfect buddha.
By making this aspirational prayer with fervent devotion, you will dissolve into rainbow light in the heart of Vairocana and his consort, and you will attain buddhahood, as the Buddha-body of Perfect Resource, in the central Buddha field of the Dense Array (Ghanavyūha).
If, however, even after receiving this introduction, as the result of negative obscuration and aversion, [the deceased] are nonetheless overawed by the lights and rays, and turn away, and even if, after repeating the aspirational prayer, they remain bewildered, then, on the second day, Vajrasattva’s assembly of deities will come to escort them, and, at that same time, the negative past actions which are conducive to a rebirth in
the hell [realms] will also emerge.
Again, calling the deceased by name, the introduction should be given with the following words:
O, Child of Buddha Nature, listen without distraction. On the second day the purity of the entire element water will arise in the form of a white light. At that time, from the eastern Buddha field of Manifest Joy (Abhirati), the transcendent lord Akṣobhya-Vajrasattva will dawn before you, his body blue in colour, holding in his [right] hand a five-pronged vajra, seated on an elephant throne and embraced by his consort Buddhalocanā. They are encircled by two male bodhisattvas, Kṣitigarbha and Maitreya, and two female bodhisattvas, Lāsyā and Puṣpā, thus, six buddha-bodies will be shining before you from within a space of rainbow light.
A [brilliant] white light, [indicative of] the mirror-like pristine cognition, which is the natural purity of the aggregate of form, white and dazzling, radiant and clear [will emanate] from the heart of Vajrasattva and his consort and it will shine piercingly before you [at the level of your heart, with such brilliance] that your eyes cannot bear it. Together with this light of pristine cognition, a dull smoky light, [indicative of] the hell [realms], will also dawn before you [and touch your heart]. At that time, under the sway of aversion, you will [wish to] turn away in fear and terror from the bright white light and come to perceive the dull smoky light of the hell [realms] with delight. At that moment, you should fearlessly recognise the white light, white and dazzling, radiant and clear, to be pristine cognition. Have confidence in it! Be drawn to it with longing devotion! Pray with devotion, thinking: ‘This is the light ray of the transcendent lord Vajrasattva’s compassion. I take refuge in it.’ This, in reality, is Vajrasattva and his consort come to escort you on the dangerous pathway of the intermediate state. This is the light-ray hook of Vajrasattva’s compassion! Be devoted to it! Do not delight in the dull smoky light of the hell [realms]! This [dull light] is the inviting path of the negative obscurations created by your own deep aversion, which you yourself have generated. If you become attached to it, you will fall into the realms of hell, sinking into a swamp of unbearable suffering, from which there will be no [immediate] opportunity for escape. [This dull light] is an obstacle blocking the path to liberation. Do not look at it! Abandon your aversion! Do not be attached to it! Do not cling to it! Be devoted to the white light, radiant and dazzling! Focus intently on the transcendent lord Vajrasattva and recite the following aspirational prayer:
O, as I roam in cyclic existence [driven] by deep-seated aversion,
May the transcendent lord Vajrasattva draw me forward,
Leading me on the path of radiant light,
Which is the mirror-like pristine cognition.
May the supreme consort Buddhalocanā support me from behind,
And, thus [encircled], may I be rescued
From the fearsome passageway of the intermediate state,
And be escorted to the level of an utterly perfect buddha.
By making this aspirational prayer with fervent devotion, [you] will dissolve into rainbow light in the heart of the transcendent lord Vajrasattva, and you will attain buddhahood, as the Buddha-body of Perfect Resource, in the eastern Buddha field of Manifest Joy (Abhirati).
Yet, even after being introduced in this way, there are some individuals who will turn away in fear from the light-ray hook of compassion, being gripped by pride and powerful negative obscuration. 45 So it is that, on the third day, the transcendent lord Ratnasambhava’s assembly of deities will come to escort [the deceased] and simultaneously the light path indicative of the human realm will emerge.
Again, calling the deceased by name, the introduction should be given with the following words:
O, Child of Buddha Nature, listen without distraction. On the third day, the purity of the entire element earth will arise in the form of a yellow light. At this time, from the yellow southern Buddha field of the Glorious (Śrῑmat), the transcendent lord Ratnasambhava will dawn before you, his body yellow in colour, holding in his [right] hand a jewel, seated on a horse throne and embraced by his supreme consort Māmakῑ. They are encircled by two male bodhisattvas, Ākāśagarbha and Samantabhadra, and two female bodhisattvas, Mālyā and Dhūpā, thus, six buddha-bodies will be shining before you from within a space of rainbow light.
A yellow light [indicative of] the pristine cognition of sameness, which is the natural purity of the aggregate of feeling, yellow and dazzling, adorned by greater and lesser seminal points [of light], radiant, clear and unbearable to the eyes, [will emanate] from the heart of Ratnasambhava and his consort and will shine piercingly before you at the level of your heart [with such brilliance] that your eyes cannot bear it. Together with the light of pristine cognition, a dull blue light, [indicative of] the human realm, will also dawn before you and touch your heart. At that time, under the sway of pride, you will [wish to] turn away in fear and terror from the bright yellow light and you will come to delight in the dull blue light of the human realm and feel attachment towards it. At that moment, abandon your fear of the yellow light, and recognise it as pristine cognition, yellow and dazzling, radiant and clear! Let your awareness relax and abide directly within it, in a state of non-activity.46 Again and again, have confidence in it! Be drawn to it with longing devotion! If you recognise it as the natural luminosity of your own awareness, even though you may feel no devotion towards it and have not recited the aspirational prayer, all the buddha-bodies and light rays will dissolve inseparably into you and you will attain buddhahood. If you are unable to recognise this [radiance] as being the natural luminosity of your own awareness, then pray with devotion, thinking: ‘This is the light ray of the transcendent lord Ratnasambhava’s compassion. I take refuge in it.’ This, in reality, is the transcendent lord Ratnasambhava come to escort you on the fearsome dangerous pathway of the intermediate state. This is the light-ray hook of Ratnasambhava’s compassion! Be devoted to it! Do not delight in the dull blue light of the human realm. This [dull light] is the inviting path created by your own habitual tendencies for deep-seated pride, which you yourself have generated. If you become attached to it, you will tumble down into the human realm, you will experience the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death, and there will be no [immediate] opportunity to escape from the swamp of cyclic existence. This [dull light] is an obstacle blocking the path to liberation! Do not look at it! Abandon pride! Abandon your habitual tendencies! Do not be attached to the dull blue light! Do not cling to it! Be devoted to the yellow light, golden and dazzling. Focus intently and single-mindedly on the transcendent lord Ratnasambhava and recite the following aspirational prayer:
O, as I roam in cyclic existence [driven] by deep-seated pride,
May the transcendent lord Ratnasambhava draw me forward,
Leading me on the path of radiant light,
Which is the pristine cognition of sameness.
May the supreme consort Māmakῑ support me from behind,
And, thus [encircled], may I be rescued
From the fearsome passageway of the intermediate state,
And be escorted to the level of an utterly perfect buddha.
By making this aspirational prayer with fervent devotion, you will dissolve into rainbow light in the heart of the transcendent lord Ratnasambhava, and you will attain buddhahood, as the Buddha-body of Perfect Resource, in the southern Buddha field of the Glorious (Śrῑmat).
There is no doubt that if [the deceased] are receptive to this introduction, they will attain liberation, however weak their [individual] ability may be. Yet, even after being given this introduction many times, there are some whose positive opportunities have been exhausted by, for example, their great negativity or through not having maintained their commitments and so forth, who, even now, will not have accepted this introduction. These individuals will have turned away in fear of both the sounds and the luminosities and become agitated by desire and negative obscuration. So it is that, on the fourth day, the transcendent lord Amitābha’s
assembly of deities will come to escort them and, at that same time, the light path [indicative of the realm] of the anguished spirits, which is generated by desire and miserliness, will emerge.
Again, calling the deceased by name, the introduction should be given with the following words:
O, Child of Buddha Nature, listen without distraction. On the fourth day, the purity of the element fire will arise in the form of a red light. At that time, from the red western Buddha field of the Blissful (Sukhāvatῑ), the transcendent lord Amitābha will dawn before you, his body red in colour, holding in his [right] hand a lotus flower, seated on a peacock throne and embraced by the supreme consort Pāṇḍaravāsinῑ. They are encircled by two male bodhisattvas, Avalokiteśvara and Mañjuśrῑ, and two female bodhisattvas, Gῑtā and Ālokā, thus, six buddha-bodies will be shining before you from within a space of rainbow light.
A red light [indicative of] the pristine cognition of discernment, which is the natural purity of the aggregate of perceptions, red and dazzling, adorned by greater and lesser seminal points, radiant and clear, bright and dazzling, [will emanate] from the heart of Amitābha and his consort and will shine piercingly before you at the level of your heart [with such brilliance] that your eyes cannot bear it. Do not be afraid! Together with the light of pristine cognition, a dull yellow light, [indicative of the realm] of anguished spirits, will also dawn before you [and touch your heart]. Do not delight [in the dull yellow light]! Do not become attached to it and do not cling to it! At this time, under the sway of deep desire, you will [wish to] turn away in terror from the bright red light and you will come to delight in the dull yellow light of the anguished spirits and feel attachment towards it. At this moment, abandon your fear, and recognise the red light, bright and dazzling, radiant and clear, to be pristine cognition. Let your awareness relax and abide directly within it, resting in a state of non-activity. Have confidence in the radiant, red luminosity! Be drawn to it with longing devotion. If you recognise this radiance as the natural luminosity of your own awareness, even though you may feel no devotion towards it and have not recited the aspirational prayer, all the buddha-bodies and light rays will dissolve inseparably [into you] and you will attain buddhahood. If you are not able to recognise [the radiance] in this way, then pray with devotion, thinking: ‘This is the light ray of the transcendent lord Amitābha’s compassion. I take refuge in it.’ This truly is the light-ray hook of the transcendent lord Amitābha’s compassion! Be devoted to it! Do not turn away! Should you turn away, the luminosity will accompany you inseparably. Do not be afraid! Do not be attached to the dull yellow light of the anguished spirits! This is the inviting path created by your own habitual tendencies for deep-seated desire, which you yourself have generated. If you become attached to this [dull light], you will fall down into the realm of the anguished spirits and you will experience unbearable sufferings of hunger and thirst. This [dull light] is an obstacle blocking the path to liberation! Do not be attached to it! Abandon your attachment! Do not cling to it! Be devoted to the red light, which is radiant and dazzling, and focus intently and single-mindedly on the transcendent lord Amitābha and his consort, and recite the following aspirational prayer: