And as the [manifold] forms of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities arise,
May I be fearlessly confident and recognise [the characteristics of] the intermediate states.
When I experience suffering, as the result of negative past actions,
May the Great Compassionate One dispel all such misery,
And as the natural sound of reality reverberates like a thousand peals of thunder,
May all sounds be heard as the teachings of the Greater Vehicle.
When I am driven on by past actions, unable to find a refuge,
May the meditational deities dispel all such misery,
And as I experience the suffering of habitual tendencies and past actions,
May the meditative stabilities of inner radiance and bliss [naturally] arise.7
When I am miraculously born into the intermediate state of rebirth,
May I not be beguiled by the perverse prophecies of Māra,8
And as I [freely] arrive at every place that I think of,
May the bewildering fear and terror, generated by my negative past actions, not arise.
When the roars of savage wild beasts echo around me,
May their cries be transformed into the sound of the sacred teachings, the Six Syllables,
And as I am engulfed by snow, rain, wind and darkness,
May I achieve the pure clairvoyance of radiant pristine cognition.
May sentient beings in the intermediate state, similar in kind to myself,
Be born into the higher realms, free from rivalry,
And as severe dissonant mental states generate insatiable hunger and thirst,
May the afflictions of hunger, thirst, heat and cold, be annulled.
When I see my future parents in union,
May I perceive them as Mahākāruṇika and consort,
And for the sake of others, being blessed with the power to choose a birthplace,
May I achieve an exalted body, adorned with the auspicious major and minor marks.
Once I have achieved birth in a supreme human form,
May I act so as to swiftly liberate all who see and hear me.
And may I not be influenced by my negative past actions,
But multiply and emulate my past merits.
Wherever I may be born, in whatever land it may be,
May I quickly encounter the meditational deity of my past lives.
Knowing, from immediately after birth, how to speak and walk,
May I remember my past lives and attain the power of non-forgetfulness.
May I easily come to master by study and reflection,
The manifold stages of learning - small, intermediate and great.
May the country into which I am born be auspicious,
And may all sentient beings be blessed with happiness.
O, Peaceful and Wrathful Conquerors, may I and all others
Become entirely at one with you, and come to resemble you,
In all your forms, your retinues, your lifespan and your buddha fields,
And in every quality of your supreme auspicious marks.
Through the compassion of Samantabhadra and the infinite Peaceful and Wrathful Deities,
By the power of the truth of pure reality,
And by the blessing of the mantrins who practise one-pointedly,
May [every wish of] this aspirational prayer be fulfilled.
This prayer entitled the Aspirational Prayer which Protects from Fear of the Intermediate States was composed by the preceptor from Oḍḍiyāna, Padmākara. May this profound sacred teaching not be extinguished until all the worlds of cyclic existence have been emptied.
SAMAYA rgya rgya rgya!
This is a treasure-text of Tulku Karma Lingpa.
13
A Masked Drama of Rebirth
CONTEXT
This allegorical play portrays the experiences of the archetypal evil-doer Lakṣanāraka and the archetypal virtuous householder Śrῑjāta as they meet with Yama, the embodiment of the inexorable laws of cause and effect, in the intermediate state of rebirth. This lighthearted masked drama is still commonly performed today during public ceremonial occasions throughout Tibet, Bhutan and the Buddhist regions of the Himalayas. The play is staged, often to huge audiences, in the courtyards or public ceremonial areas of a monastery, often at the time of the annual 10th day sacred dances commemorating the life of Padmasambhava.
PART ONE
Herein is contained [a masked drama entitled] Natural Liberation of the Intermediate State of Rebirth: A Teaching Revealing the Natural Expression of Virtue and Negativity, in the Intermediate State of Rebirth;1 which is an extract from the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: A Profound Sacred Teaching [entitled] Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention.2
I respectfully bow down to the uncreated Buddha-body of Reality:
Samantabhadra and Samantabhadrῑ in union;
To the unceasing Buddha-body of Perfect Resource:
The Peaceful and Wrathful Lotus Deities;
And to the naturally arising Buddha-body of Emanation: Padmākara.
May [all beings] be liberated in the intermediate state!
Having earlier presented the empowerments and introductions
From the Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States, An extract from the Peaceful and Wrathful Lotus Deities,3
And having introduced the intermediate state of reality, which is the ‘great liberation by seeing’,4
Now I will present [a means of demonstrating] the introduction to the intermediate state of rebirth.5
THE SCENE
Here, having completed the previous introductions [to the intermediate states of the time of death and reality], I will present [in the form of a masked drama] the introduction to the intermediate state of rebirth. The spiritual teacher [should now appear fully attired] in the costume of Yama Dharmarāja, and wear a large wrathful mask, depicting Yama. He is carrying a large wooden slate in his right hand, and in his left he holds a large round mirror. Dressed in a silk brocade gown, he is seated on a great throne. In his retinue, there is a figure dressed as the black Ox-headed Rakṣa Demon,6 wearing an ox-head mask and holding a black lasso. Then, seated to the right, there is another figure dressed as the Monkey-headed Elemental Spirit,7 with the face of a monkey, and holding a weight and measure in his hands.8 Other figures also present include: one dressed as the Boar-headed Cemetery Spirit,9 carrying a wooden slate; one dressed as the venomous Snake-headed Demon,10 with the face of a snake and carrying a mirror; one dressed as the ferocious Bear-headed figure,11 with the face of a bear and holding a bellows; one dressed as the awesome Lion-headed figure,12 with the face of a lion and clutching a hammer; and one dressed as the Garuḍa-headed Bird figure,13 with the face of a garuḍa and holding a saw. These figures with diverse [animal]-heads who are attired similarly to Yama, are dignified and standing in rows, to the right and left of Dharmarāja.
The deity representing [the deceased’s] good conscience14 is wearing a white peaceful mask and a white silk robe, and is carrying a bowl filled with white pebbles. The demon representing [the deceased’s] bad conscience15 is wearing a black wrathful mask and a black gown, and is carrying a bowl filled with black pebbles. Before Dharmarāja, on the right, is a long white carpet, which is rolled out like a white pathway, and at its end are two figures dressed in the costume of Mahākāruṇika, with one face and four arms, and bedecked with ornaments. They are seated at the end [of the white carpet] on a throne which is hidden by a curtain. On the left side is a long black carpet, which is rolled out like a black pathway, and it leads to the door of a dark room.
Hidden elsewhere, in his home, is a person named the late Śrῑjāta (‘gloriously born’);16 while hidden somewhere in the corner [of the stage], is someone named the late Lakṣanāraka (‘hundred thousand hells’),17 who is a wrongdoing outcaste18 of low birth.
ACT ONE
DHARMARĀJA (as he draws a cross on the w
ooden slate): O! Ox-headed Rakṣa, it seems the time of death has come for a person in their home in the human world; the indication of this has appeared on my wooden slate.
OX-HEADED RAKṢA (calling to the venomous Snake-headed Demon): O, Venomous Snake-headed One! Look in your mirror! What is this deceased person’s country? What is his family line? And what is his name? Please look!
VENOMOUS SNAKE-HEADED DEMON: O! The deceased whose time has come is from the country of Tāmradvῑpa in India, and he lived in the city of Sāntikāla, which is a township of butchers. As for his family line, he belonged to the lowest social class of the four classes;19 and his name is the wrongdoing Lakṣanāraka. His lifespan has come to an end, and [thus an indication of this] has appeared on the wooden slate. Now, go [and fetch him]!
(Thereupon, the Ox-headed Rakṣa, the Boar-headed Cemetery Spirit, and the demon representing [the deceased’s] bad conscience run off, while, in their wake, the deity representing [the deceased’s] good conscience rushes to his assistance. As soon as they have found the ‘wrongdoing one’ in his house in the human world, they tie a black noose around his neck, and then Ox-headed [Rakṣa] and Boar-headed Cemetery Spirit both lead him away by the hands. The demon representing [the deceased’s] bad conscience chases him from behind, carrying a load of black pebbles. Meanwhile, the deity representing [the deceased’s] good conscience places [a mere] six white pebbles in the bowl for white pebbles, and, in embarrassment, tries to help. Holding a white scarf, with his hands folded in a gesture of supplication, he attempts to petition Ox-headed Rakṣa [on behalf of the deceased], but this is unsuccessful. Lakṣanāraka is then brought screaming into the presence of [Dharma-]rāja.)
DHARMARĀJA (interrogates him): Hmm! Who are you, you black human being, carrying a weight and measure? Where are you from? Why do you not dare to look at me directly? You appear to have attained a human form, but what portion of your positive virtue is [now] left? Have you ever had any scruples about committing negative actions? What do you have to say about this? Speak quickly now!
THE WRONGDOING ONE [LAKṢANĀRAKA] (lamentingly): Alas! Alas! Permit me to speak in the presence of Yama Dharmarāja! I had an ordinary human form, my resources were few, my food and clothing poor. I have had many female dependants and thus little to eat. I had to take the lives of many beings and many years have passed since I ate rice, for I had nothing but warm [freshly slain] meat to eat. Many years have passed since I drank rice wine or pure liquor; for when thirsty I had to drink water and blood.
Nowadays in the populated areas of the world there are many who claim to be spiritual friends. They frequently teach about the defects of having committed negative actions and the benefits of having carried out positive actions. However, I did not go to them! Also, everyone would say, ‘Don’t persist in such negative actions, as one day death will come, and at that time you will go to the hells. You should renounce wrongdoing and perform virtuous actions!’
Even though they advised me by saying these things, I thought, ‘I don’t know whether I believe in the hells or not, and anyway there is no one who says they have been there, and then returned [to prove it].’ So, I said to those people, ‘Who has gone to the hells and then returned? If the hells exist, where are they? These are just the lies of clever-talking people. Under the ground, there is just solid earth and solid rock. There are no hells. Above, there is only empty sky. There are no buddhas. So now while I’m alive, if I kill for my food, it doesn’t matter. When I die, my body will be taken to the charnel ground and it will be eaten by birds and wild animals. Not a trace will be left. My mind will vanish, so at that time who will be left to go to the hells.20 HA! HA!’
So I did not believe in the hells and I committed negative acts. And I thought, ‘Even if the hells do exist, they will only be set in some remote future life, so if I have sufficient food and clothing for now, the next life doesn’t seem to matter.’ So it was through this misunderstanding, this lack of awareness, and stupidity that I committed evil acts. It happened because I was not acquainted with the fact that you, Dharmarāja, [you] Ox-headed Rakṣa and [all you] others, actually exist. I did not knowingly do evil just out of contempt for all of you, who exist here in the world of the intermediate state. The fault lies with this misunderstanding and lack of awareness. So, now, all of you, lord and entourage, I request you not to pass judgement upon me. If I had known when I lived in the human world that this all actually existed, I would never have committed negative actions. Now I am stuck here under the influence of negative mental states. Alas! Alas!, since you are a King of Dharma, be merciful to me! Be my friend and supporter!
Underground there exists great suffering, Dharmarāja, so do not send me down there! Instead, please send me upward into the human world! Thereafter I will never perform evil actions again - only good ones!
THE DEITY REPRESENTING THE GOOD CONSCIENCE (offering a white silk scarf): O! Dharmarāja, listen to me! This outcaste butcher from Tāmradvῑpa has committed evil deeds owing to his delusion and blinding ignorance, as a result of which he did not understand [the difference between] good and bad actions. Since he did not act knowingly or with understanding, I therefore petition you not to punish him. He has, after all, also carried out a small number of virtuous actions!
Once when six people were unable to escape from the current of a broad river, he saved all six - with a virtuous intent. As a mark of this, I have six white pebbles. And since there are also other virtuous actions, similar to this, which he has incidentally accumulated, Great Dharmarāja, I request your forgiveness on his behalf. (As he says this, he prostrates three times [before Dharmarāja] .)
THE BLACK DEMON [REPRESENTING THE BAD CONSCIENCE]: HA, HA! Is this all you have to say, white deity [of good conscience]! Are you not embarrassed to carry this [almost] empty bowl! He, this low-caste butcher, has spent his life in evil deeds and has robbed himself of his share of virtue.
He has slain all the animals he has ever seen.
He has taken warm flesh for food,
And he has drunk warm blood as a beverage.
He has continuously spoken harshly [towards others].
In the upper valleys he has slain innocent wildlife;
In the lower valleys he has slain innocent fish;
And in between he has beaten innocent beggars.
He has defamed each and every spiritual teacher,
Burnt down a large temple,
Polluted a great lake with poison,
Burnt a vast mountain forest,
Beaten his parents, and destroyed a sacred reliquary.
Now in Tāmradvῑpa, India,
There is no greater wrongdoer than he!
Look at the mound of black pebbles!
(turning to Lakṣanāraka)
In case you don’t recognise yourself,
Your country is Tāmralipti, India,21
And your city is Śāntikāla.
Your father is the butcher, Tripon,22
Who came here eight years ago.
Your mother is the butcheress, Pelkyi,23
Who came here five years ago.
You are the offspring of these outcaste butchers.
Now you have come here - haven’t you?
The year is the Water Female Pig,24
And this year your feeding [in the human world] has come to an end.
All those of eastern India
Call you ‘Red-handed Butcher’;
All those of southern India
Call you the ‘wrongdoing Lakṣanāraka’;
All those of western India
Call you ‘Black Low-caste Butcher’;
All those of northern India
Call you the ‘Black Killer of All’.
Your caste is the black caṇḍāla caste
And your family line is that of wrongdoing butchers.
All generations of your family without exception
Will take the path to hell.
When you were killing, you seemed happy;<
br />
When you ate, it seemed tasty,
But does it taste so good now?
What use is your clever, slick-talking tongue [now]?
Now the time has come for you to experience suffering,
In retribution for the million animal lives [you have taken].
If you don’t experience this suffering,
Then millions of creatures will have lost everything,
And you, Lakṣanāraka, will have gained everything.
As far as retribution for your crimes is concerned,
Even Dharmarāja with his mighty stature
Cannot stop the effects of your negative actions,
The greatest of which was burning down the temple,
And the smallest of which was the killing of lice.
This is why you have accumulated [all] these [black] pebbles.
So it is best if you prepare yourself to move on.
[Get ready to] go swiftly on this black path!
[There], the sealed copper cauldron [that awaits you] is wide and deep,
The waves of boiling bronze are fierce,
The fiery mass of past actions is intensely hot,
And the messengers of Yama have scant mercy.
Dharmarāja’s attitude is extremely fierce,
The weapons of past actions are sharply pointed,
And the black winds of past actions are very powerful.
Now is the time for you to go to such a place!
Though I really do have compassion for you,
I am nonetheless very, very satisfied!
You must carry on your back the weight and measure,
Which you used as a fraudulent weight and measure!
The Tibetan Book of the Dead Page 35
