Chapter Four
The Introduction to Awareness: Natural Liberation through Naked Perception
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INTRODUCTION TO AWARENESS
THE ACTUAL INTRODUCTION TO AWARENESS
Synonyms for Mind
The Three Considerations
CONSEQUENCES OF THE INTRODUCTION TO AWARENESS
OBSERVATIONS RELATED TO EXAMINING THE NATURE OF MIND
INTRINSIC AWARENESS AS VIEW, MEDITATION, CONDUCT, AND RESULT
Four Great Media
Four Great Nails
Unity of the Three Times
Exhaustion of the Six Extreme Perspectives
SYNONYMS FOR AWARENESS
THE NATURE OF APPEARANCES
CONCLUSION
Chapter Five
The Spiritual Practice entitled Natural Liberation of Habitual Tendencies
THE TEN-BRANCHED PRAYER FOR THE ACCUMULATION OF MERIT
Branch of Taking Refuge
Branch of Invitation
Branch of Requesting the Deities to be Seated
Branch of Paying Homage
Branch of Making Offerings
Branch of the Confession of Negativity
Branch of Sympathetic Rejoicing
Branch of Turning the Wheel of the Sacred Teachings
Branch of Requesting the Buddhas Not to Enter Nirvāṇa
Branch of the Dedication of Merit to the Unsurpassed Greater Vehicle
PURIFICATION
Visualisation of Vajrasattva
Recitation of the Hundred-syllable Mantra of Vajrasattva
MAIN PRACTICE
Visualisation, Prostration, Offerings, Refuge and Prayer to the Peaceful Deities
Samantabhadra and Samantabhadrῑ
Vairocana and Dhātvῑśvarῑ
Vajrasattva and Buddhalocanā, encircled by Kṣitigarbha, Maitreya, Lāsyā and Puṣpā
Ratnasambhava and Māmakῑ, encircled by Samantabhadra, Ākāśagarbha, Mālyā and Dhūpā
Amitābha and Pāṇḍaravāsinῑ, encircled by Avalokiteśvara, Mañjuśrῑ, Gῑtā and Ālokā
Amoghasiddhi and Samayatārā, encircled by Sarvanivāraṇaviśkambhin, Vajrapāṇi, Gandhā and Nartῑ
Eight Male and Female Gatekeepers
Six Sages
Forty-two Assembled Peaceful Deities
Visualisation, Prostration, Offerings, Refuge and Prayer to the Assembly of Awareness Holders
Visualisation, Prostration, Offerings, Refuge and Prayer to the Twelve Principal Wrathful Deities
Mahottara Heruka and Krodheśvarῑ
Buddha Heruka and Buddhakrodheśvarῑ
Vajra Heruka and Vajrakrodheśvarῑ
Ratna Heruka and Ratnakrodheśvarῑ
Padma Heruka and Padmakrodheśvarῑ
Karma Heruka and Karmakrodheśvarῑ
Visualisation, Prostration, Offerings, Refuge and Prayer to the Peripheral Wrathful Deities
Eight Mātaraḥ Eight Piśācῑ Four Female Gatekeepers Twenty-eight Īśvarῑ
Prayer to the Assembly of Sixty Wrathful Deities
Aspirational Prayers CONCLUSION
Chapter Six
Natural Liberation of Negativity and Obscuration through [Enactment of] the Hundredfold Homage to the Sacred Enlightened Families
Homage to Samantabhadra and Samantabhadrῑ
Homage to the Five Peaceful Male Buddhas
Homage to the Five Peaceful Female Buddhas
Homage to the Eight Male Bodhisattvas
Homage to the Eight Female Bodhisattvas
Homage to the Four Male Gatekeepers
Homage to the Four Female Gatekeepers
Homage to the Six Sages
Homage to the Six Herukas
Homage to the Six Krodheśvarῑ
Homage to the Eight Mātaraḥ
Homage to the Eight Piśācῑ
Homage to the Four Female Gatekeepers
Homage to the Eight Projectresses
Homage to the Twenty-eight Īśvarῑ
Chapter Seven
Natural Liberation through Acts of Confession
PRELIMINARIES
Invitation and Request for the Confessional Field to be Present
Homage to the Three Buddha-bodies, which Compose the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities
Threefold Offering of Outer Phenomena, Inner Cloud-masses, and Secret Substances
Secret Offering of Supreme Bliss
Affirmation of Vows within the Modality of the View
Call to the Assembly of Peaceful and Wrathful Deities for Attention
CONFESSION IN THE PRESENCE OF THE INEXPRESSIBLE TRUTH
CONFESSION IN THE PRESENCE OF THE PEACEFUL DEITIES
To Samantabhadra and Samantabhadrῑ
To the Five Male Buddhas
To the Five Female Buddhas
To the Eight Male Bodhisattvas
To the Eight Female Bodhisattvas
To the Six Sages
To the Four Male Gatekeepers
To the Four Female Gatekeepers
To the Entire Array of the Peaceful Deities
Further Remorseful Confession to the Peaceful Deities
CONFESSION IN THE PRESENCE OF THE WRATHFUL DEITIES
Confession of Faults in Achieving Meditative Stability in Reality
Confession of Faults in Achieving the Meditative Stability which Illuminates All That Appears
Confession of Faults in Achieving the Meditative Stability of the Causal Basis
Confession to the Five Herukas
To the Five Krodheśvarῑ
To the Eight Mātaraḥ
To the Eight Piśācῑ
To the Four Female Gatekeepers
To the Twenty-eight Īśvarῑ
To the Awareness Holders
Confession of One’s Beginningless Violation of the Commitments
Confession to the Entire Maṇḍala of Wrathful Deities and the Request for Forgiveness
Specific Confessional Prayers to the Maṇḍala of the Wrathful Deities
PLAINTIVE CONFESSION OF RAMPANT EGOHOOD
CONFESSION IN THE PRESENCE OF THE VIEW
CONFESSION IN THE PRESENCE OF ALL THOSE GONE TO BLISS
Confession of Degenerated Commitments and Infractions
Recitation of the Hundred-syllable Mantra of Vajrasattva
Chapter Eight
Natural Liberation through Recognition of the Visual Indications and Signs of Death
INTRODUCTION
EXTERNAL SIGNS OF DEATH156-9
INTERNAL SIGNS OF DEATH
Examination of the Vital Breath
Examination of the Signs of Death which Occur in Dreams
SECRET SIGNS OF DEATH
SIGNS OF REMOTE DEATH
Analysis of the Reflected Image in the Sky
SIGNS OF NEAR DEATH
MISCELLANEOUS SIGNS OF DEATH
SIGNS OF EXTREMELY NEAR DEATH
Dissolution of the Five Sense Faculties and the Five Elements
Movement of the Generative Essences
Dawning of Inner Radiance
SIGNS INDICATING THE PLACE OF SUBSEQUENT REBIRTH
CONCLUSION
Chapter Nine
Natural Liberation of Fear through the Ritual Deception of Death
GENERAL CONSOLIDATED RITE FOR AVERTING DEATH
SPECIFIC RITES FOR AVERTING DEATH
Ritual Averting of the Signs of Near Death
Ritual Averting of the Signs of Remote Death
Ritual Averting of Further Signs of Near Death
CONCLUSION
Chapter Ten
Consciousness Transference: Natural Liberation through Recollection
INTRODUCTION
TRAINING IN CONSCIOUSNESS TRANSFERENCE
ACTUAL APPLICATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS TRANSFERENCE AT THE TIME OF DEATH
The Timing and Context
Consciousness Transference into the Buddha-body of Reality
Consciousness Transfe
rence into the Buddha-body of Perfect Resource
Consciousness Transference into the Buddha-body of Emanation
Instantaneous Consciousness Transference
Consciousness Transference of Ordinary Beings
CONCLUSION
Chapter Eleven
The Great Liberation by Hearing
PART ONE: AN ELUCIDATION OF THE INTERMEDIATE STATE OF THE TIME OF DEATH AND OF THE APPEARANCE OF THE PEACEFUL DEITIES IN THE INTERMEDIATE STATE OF REALITY
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION TO INNER RADIANCE IN THE INTERMEDIATE STATE OF THE TIME OF DEATH
Introduction to the Inner Radiance of the Ground
Introduction to the Inner Radiance of the Path
INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERMEDIATE STATE OF REALITY
Introduction to the Arising of Sounds, Lights and Rays
Appearance of the Peaceful Deities
White Vairocana and Akāśadhātvῑśvarῑ appear within Blue Luminosity
Blue Akṣobhya-Vajrasattva and Buddhalocanā appear within White Luminosity, Encircled by Four Bodhisattvas Kṣitigarbha, Maitreya, Lāsyā and Puṣpā
Yellow Ratnasambhava and Māmakῑ appear within Yellow Luminosity, Encircled by Four Bodhisattvas Ākāśagarbha, Samantabhadra, Mālyā and Dhūpā
Red Amitābha and Pāṇḍaravāsinῑ appear within Red Luminosity, Encircled by Four Bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara, Mañjuśrῑ, Gῑtā and Ālokā
Green Amoghasiddhi and Samayatārā appear within Green Luminosity, Encircled by Four Bodhisattvas Vajrapāṇi, Nivāraṇaviṣkhambhin, Gandhā and Nartῑ
Entire Peaceful Assembly of the Five Enlightened Families Appears Together with the Vision of the Four Pristine Cognitions Combined
Divine Assembly of Awareness Holders and Ḍākinῑs appears within Five-coloured Luminosity
PART TWO: AN ELUCIDATION OF THE APPEARANCE OF THE WRATHFUL DEITIES IN THE INTERMEDIATE STATE OF REALITY
Introduction
Arising of the Intermediate State of the Wrathful Deities
Buddha Heruka and Buddhakrodheśvarῑ
Vajra Heruka and Vajrakrodheśvarῑ
Ratna Heruka and Ratnakrodheśvarῑ
Padma Heruka and Padmakrodheśvarῑ
Karma Heruka and Karmakrodheśvarῑ
The Eight Gaurῑ, the Eight Piśācῑ, the Four Female Gatekeepers, and the Twenty-eight Īśvarῑ
Consequences of Recognition and Lack of Recognition Aspirational Prayers
CONCLUSION OF THE INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERMEDIATE STATE OF THE TIME OF DEATHAND THE INTERMEDIATE STATE OF REALITY
PART THREE: AN ELUCIDATION OF THE INTERMEDIATE STATE OF REBIRTH
INTRODUCTION TO THE MENTAL BODY
Characteristics of the Mental Body
Characteristics of the Intermediate State of Rebirth
The Meeting with Yama Dharmarāja, Embodiment of the Infallible Laws of Cause and Effect
The Power of Perceptions
Prayer to Mahākaruņika
OBSTRUCTION OF THE WOMB ENTRANCES
CHOOSING A WOMB ENTRANCE
Transferring the Consciousness to Pure Buddha Fields
Choosing a Womb Entrance within Impure Cyclic Existence
CONCLUSION
Chapter Twelve
Aspirational Prayers
Aspirational Prayer Calling to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for Assistance
Aspirational Prayer which Rescues from the Dangerous Pathways of the Intermediate States
Aspirational Prayer which Protects from Fear of the Intermediate States
Chapter Thirteen
A Masked Drama of Rebirth
PART ONE: NATURAL LIBERATION OF THE INTERMEDIATE STATE OF REBIRTH: ATEACHING REVEALING THE NATURAL EXPRESSION OF VIRTUE AND NEGATIVITY IN THE INTERMEDIATE STATE OF REBIRTH
THE SCENE
Act One: The Meeting of the Wrongdoing One Lakṣanāraka with Yama Dharmarāja
Act Two: The Meeting of the Virtuous Householder Śrῑjāta with Yama Dharmarāja
PART TWO: SUPPLEMENT TO A TEACHING REVEALING THE NATURAL EXPRESSION OF VIRTUE AND NEGATIVITY IN THE INTERMEDIATE STATE OF REBIRTH, ENTITLED GONG OF DIVINE MELODY
THE SCENE
Act One: Exhortation by the Deity of Good Conscience following the Entry into the Hells of the Wrongdoing One Lakṣanāraka
Act Two: Celebratory Speech by the Deity of Good Conscience as the Virtuous Householder Śrῑjāta sets off for the Realms of Higher Rebirth
Chapter Fourteen
Liberation by Wearing: Natural Liberation of the Psycho-physical Aggregates
INTRODUCTION
PART ONE
Twenty-six Line Supreme Essential Mantra of Samantabhadra
Twenty-nine Line Supreme Essential Mantra of Samantabhadrῑ
Twenty-five Mantras which Reverse Attachment
PART TWO: SEED-SYLLABLES AND MANTRAS OF THE PEACEFUL AND WRATHFUL DEITIES
Forty-two Peaceful Deities
Five Male and Five Female Buddhas
Eight Male Bodhisattvas
Eight Female Bodhisattvas
Six Sages
Eight Male and Female Gatekeepers
Sixty Wrathful Deities
Twelve Principal Herukas and Krodheśvarῑ
Eight Mātaraḥ
Eight Piśācῑ
Four Female Gatekeepers
Twenty-eight Īśvarῑ
Four Great Wrathful Male Gatekeepers
PART THREE
Six Syllables of the Six Classes of Sentient Beings
Hundred-syllable Mantra of Vajrasattva
Syllables of the Sixteen Vowels and Thirty-four Consonants
Heart Mantra of Dependent Origination
Mantras of the Four Aspects of Enlightened Activity
CONCLUSION
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a See the glossary for a description of the five psycho-physical aggregates and other Buddhist terms used in the commentary. Ed.
b The perspective of the Tibetan Book of the Dead is that of Highest Yoga Tantra. Ed.
&
nbsp; c These relationships are vividly expressed in Chapter 11 of our text, ‘The Great Liberation by Hearing’, where specific instructions are given for recognising the spiritual opportunities that occur at the moment of death, that occur during the intermediate state of reality, and that occur as the processes of rebirth are experienced. Here the instructions speak of a recognition which assimilates the moment of death with the Buddha-body of Reality, the intermediate state of reality with the Buddha-body of Perfect Resource and the intermediate state of rebirth with the Buddha-body of Emanation. Ed.
d In our text these processes are described in Chapter 8. Ed.
e The teachings presented in our text are based on the Great Perfection (Dzogchen) view. Ed.
f ‘Cutting through Resistance’ and the direct introduction to awareness are the subject matter of Chapter 4 of the present work. The introduction to the intermediate state of reality, in Chapter 11 of our text, is illustrative of the esoteric instructions on ‘All-surpassing Realisation’, which is the pinnacle of meditative practice according to the Nyingma school. Ed.
g The symbolism of each of the meditational deities associated with our text is described in Chapters 5, 6, 11 and 14 and in Appendix Two. Ed.
h For a detailed description of the processes of death, see also HH Dalai Lama, Advice on Dying.
i For a selection of finely translated Vajrayāna protective rituals, see Stephen Beyer, The Cult of Tārā.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead Page 64
