The original title of the book: “Great Liberation as a result of what was heard in the bardo.” “As a result of what was heard” – because we are talking about the auditory perception of the text. “Bardo” is translated from Tibetan as “intermediate state.” The original talks about the “liberation” of a dying person, that is, about his reaching a state that excludes reincarnation. Northern Buddhism (Lamaism) teaches that this can be achieved in one life.
Part 1
Let us honor the teachers, we honor the Three Bodies of the Buddha:
Amitabhu – Boundless Light, Body of Dharma,
Lotus Gods, peaceful and wrathful, Body of Bliss,
Padmasambhava, protector of beings, Phantom Body.
O son of a noble family, your time has come to seek the path. When your breathing stops, what your teacher has already shown you will appear to you, which is called the original brightness of the first bardo. This is the absolute essence of existence; open and free, like space, a luminous void; pure naked mind without center or boundaries. Know, being in this light, and in the meantime I will guide you. Here appear signs of the dissolution of earth in water, water in fire, fire in air, air in space, space in luminiferous emptiness.
O son of a noble family, what is called death has come, and you need to understand: “My hour of death has struck, and now, thanks to death, I will see the world from the perspective of an enlightened mind, friendliness and compassion, achieve complete enlightenment for the sake of all living beings in the infinite space. With these thoughts, right now, for the sake of all sentient beings, I recognize the luminous emptiness of death as the Dharma Body.
By realizing the Great Symbol, I will act for the benefit of all living things. If I do not achieve this, I will recognize the bardo as it is; and by achieving the indivisible form of the Great Symbol in the bardo, I will benefit all living things in infinite space, whatever path leads to this goal.” Do not allow yourself to leave this state and try to remember and experience the teachings on meditation that you have previously learned.
O son of a noble family, listen. Now the pure brightness of the absolute essence shines before you; get to know her. O son of a noble family, at this moment pure emptiness has become the nature of your mind, it now has no nature at all – neither substance nor quality like light; it is pure emptiness, the absolute essence, Buddha-Mother Samantabhadri. But this state of mind is not just something empty; nothing obscures it, it is sparkling, pure and trembling, and this is Samantabhadra Buddha.
They are inseparable – your mind, the nature of which is emptiness, devoid of substance, and your mind, trembling and bright; this is the Buddha’s Dharma Body. This mind of yours – brightness and emptiness, inseparable from the Great Body of Radiance – is neither born nor dies, for it is Amitabha, the Buddha of Immortal Light. Know this – that’s all that is needed now. When you recognize the pure nature of your mind as a Buddha, you will maintain the state of the Buddha’s spirit by looking within.
O son of a noble family, meditate on your Idam and let nothing distract you. Focus on Yidam. Imagine it in dense forms.
O son of a noble family, listen carefully without distraction. There are six states of bardo: the bardo of birth, the bardo of sleep, the bardo of contemplation in samadhi, the bardo of the dying moment, the bardo of the absolute essence and the bardo of return to samsara. O son of a noble family, you will experience three bardos: the bardo of the moment before death, the bardo of contemplation in samadhi, the bardo of the moment before death, the bardo of the absolute essence in the bardo of the moment before death shone until yesterday, but you did not know it; so you are forced to wander here. Now you will experience the bardo of absolute essence and the bardo of return to samsara, so know, without distraction, everything that I tell you.
O son of a noble family, what is called death has come. It’s not only you who are leaving this world, this happens to everyone – so don’t feel desires and longing for this life. Even if longing and desires overwhelm you, you cannot stay, you can only wander in samsara. Don’t desire, don’t yearn. Remember the Three Jewels. O son of a noble family, no matter what terrifying visions arise in the bardo of absolute essence, do not forget the words that I tell you; go forward, keeping their meaning in your heart; It is in them that the secret essence of knowledge lies:
When the bardo of absolute essence dawns on me,
I will reject all thoughts full of fear and horror,
I will understand everything that appears before me is a manifestation of my consciousness,
I recognize that this is the kind of bardo;
Now, at this decisive moment,
I will not be afraid of peaceful and angry faces – my own manifestations.
Go forward, saying these words clearly and clearly, and remember their meaning. Do not forget them, for this is the secret essence: to confidently know that everything that arises now, even if it frightens, is your reflection.
O son of a noble family, when your body and mind are separated, the absolute essence appears, it is clear and pure, although difficult to recognize, it glows and sparkles with a terrifying brightness, flickering like a mirage on the spring plain. Do not be afraid of her and do not be confused. This is the natural radiance of your absolute essence – so know it.
From the depths of light will come a mighty roar – a natural sound of absolute essence, like a thousand simultaneous thunderclaps. This is the natural sound of your absolute essence, so do not be afraid or be confused. Now you have a mental body of unconscious aspirations, you do not have a body of flesh and blood, and no sounds, no colors, no rays of light can harm you, and you cannot die. It is easy to understand them as your own manifestations.
Know: this is the bardo.
O son of a noble family, if you do not recognize that these are your manifestations, no matter what meditation you do during your life, if you do not encounter what you have learned, the colors will frighten you, the sounds will confuse you and the rays of light will frighten you. Without understanding the secret essence of the teaching, you will not know sounds, colors and rays and will wander in samsara.
O son of a noble family, you were unconscious for four and a half days, but now you will move on and, waking up from fainting, you will be amazed: “What happened?” So know this – this is the bardo. Samsara is now overturned, and everything you see appears as light and images.
The entire space will shine with blue light, and the Blessed Vairochana will appear before you from the central Kingdom of the All-Penetrating Circle. His body is white, he sits on a lion throne, holding a wheel with eight spokes in his hand and hugging his wife, the Lady of Diamond Space. From the heart of Vairocana and his wife the blue light of the skandha of consciousness will come to you in its original purity, the wisdom of dharmadhatu will come – light, clear, sharp and sparkling, pierce you with a radiance unbearable to the eyes.
And at the same time, the soft white light of the world of the gods will come and pierce you. At this moment, under the influence of bad karma, you will be afraid and rush away from the wisdom of dharmadhatu, from its bright blue light, but you will experience pleasure from the soft white light of the world of the gods. Let not the bright, sparkling, so sharp and clear blue light of the highest wisdom frighten or confuse you at this moment, for this is the ray of light of the Buddha, which is called the wisdom of dharmadhatu. Rush towards him with faith and devotion, saying the prayer: “This is the ray of compassion of the Blessed Vairochana, I will take refuge in him.” This is the Blessed Vairocana coming to receive you on the dangerous path of the bardo, this is the ray of Vairocana’s compassion.
Do not seek pleasure in the soft white light of the world of the gods, do not get carried away by it and do not yearn for it. If he captivates you, you will go to the world of the gods and will revolve in the circle of six types of samsara. This obstacle blocks the path of liberation – so do not look at it, but desire the bright blue light and repeat after me this prayer of inspiration, focusing all your thoughts on the Blessed Vairocana:
When I wander in samsara, overwhelmed by ignorance,
may dharmadhatu on the luminous path of wisdom
Blessed Vairochana walks before me,
behind me – him
consort, Lady of the Diamond Space;
help me walk the dangerous path of the bardo,
so that I become perfect like Buddha.
O son of a noble family, listen without distraction. On the second day, the white light, the purified element of water, will shine, and at that moment the Blessed Vajrasattva-Akshobhya from the blue eastern Kingdom of Perfect Joy will appear before you. His body is blue, he holds a five-pointed vajra in his hand and sits on an elephant throne, hugging his wife, Buddha-Locana. He is accompanied by the bodhisattvas Ksitigarbha and Maitreya and the female bodhisattvas Lasya and Pushpa, so that six Buddhist forms appear.
From the heart of Vajrasattva and his consort the white light of the skandha of form will come to you in its original purity, a mirror-like wisdom will come, dazzling white, bright and clear, pierce you so that your eyes cannot bear it. At the same time, along with the light of wisdom, the soft, smoky light of the hellish world will come and pierce you. At this moment, under the influence of your aggressiveness, you will be afraid and rush away from the brilliant white light, but you will experience pleasure from the soft smoky light of the hellish world.
At this moment, do not be afraid of the sharp, sparkling, bright and clear white light, but understand it as wisdom. With faith and thirst, rush towards it, saying the prayer: “This is the ray of compassion of the Blessed Vajrasattva, I will take refuge in it.” This is the Blessed Vajrasattva coming to receive you among the horrors of the bardo, this is the hook of the ray of Vajrasattva’s compassion – so desire it.
Do not seek pleasure in the soft smoky light of the hellish world. This is a seductive path, which is driven by the bad karma of accumulations of violent aggressiveness. If he carries you away, you will fall into hell, drowning in a dirty swamp of unbearable suffering, from which there is no way out. This obstacle blocks the path of liberation, so don’t look at it, give up aggressiveness. Don’t get carried away with him and don’t yearn for him. Feel the aspiration towards the bright, sparkling white light, say this prayer of inspiration, focusing your thoughts on the Blessed Vajrasattva:
When I wander in samsara, blazing with aggressiveness,
may on the luminous path of mirror-like wisdom
Blessed Vajoasattva walks before me,
behind me is his wife, Buddha-Locana;
help me walk the dangerous path of the bardo,
so that I become perfect like Buddha.
O son of a noble family, listen without distraction. On the third day, the yellow light, the purified element of earth, will shine, and at this time the Blessed Ratnasambhava from the yellow southern Kingdom of Glory will appear before you. His body is yellow, he holds a wish-granting jewel in his hand, and sits on a horse throne, hugging his wife, Mamaki. He is accompanied by the bodhisattvas Akashagarbha and Samantabhadra and the female bodhisattvas Mala and Dhupa, so that the six Buddhist forms appear from the space of rainbow light.
From the heart of Ratnasambhava and his consort, the yellow light of the skandha of sensation will come to you in its original purity, the wisdom of balance will come, sparkling, yellow, decorated with circles of light, bright and clear, unbearable for the eyes, will pierce your heart, so that the eyes will not be able to withstand its radiance . At that same moment, together with the light of wisdom, the soft blue light of the human world will pierce your heart. At this moment, under the influence of pride, you will be afraid and rush away from the harsh, clear yellow light, but you will feel pleasure and attraction to the soft blue light of the human world.
At this moment, do not be afraid of the yellow light, bright and clear, sharp and sparkling, but understand it as wisdom. Let yours; the mind rests in it, relaxed, inactive; let him rush towards him with thirst. If you recognize it as the natural radiance of your own mind – even if you do not feel faith and do not read the prayer of inspiration – all forms, colors and rays will inseparably merge with you, and you will achieve enlightenment. If you cannot recognize it as the natural radiance of your own mind, pray to it with faith: “This is the ray of compassion of the Blessed Ratnasambhava, I will take refuge in it.” This is the hook of the ray of compassion of the Blessed Ratnasambhava – so desire it.
Don’t look for pleasure in the soft blue light of the human world. This is the seductive path of unconscious desires accumulated under the influence of strong pride. If he carries you away, you will descend into the human world, experience birth, old age, death and suffering, and lose the opportunity to leave the muddy swamp of samsara. This obstacle blocks the path to liberation – so don’t look at it, throw away pride, throw away unconscious desires. Don’t get carried away with him and don’t yearn for him. Desire the bright, sparkling yellow light and say this prayer of inspiration, focusing your thoughts on one thing – on the Blessed Ratnasambhava:
When I wander in samsara, overwhelmed with pride,
may there be balance on the luminous path of wisdom
Blessed Ratnasambhava walks before me,
behind me is his wife, Mamaki;
help me walk the dangerous path of the bardo,
so that I become perfect like Buddha.
O son of a noble family, listen without distraction. On the fourth day, the red light, the purified element of fire, will shine, and at the same moment the Blessed Amitabha from the red western Kingdom of Bliss will appear before you. His body is red, he holds a lotus in his hand and sits on a peacock throne, hugging his consort – Pandaravasini. He is accompanied by the bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri and the female bodhisattvas Gita and Aloka, so that the six Buddhist forms will appear from the space of rainbow light.
From the heart of Amitabha and his consort the red light of the skandha of perception will come to you in its original purity, the wisdom of recognition will come, sparkling, red, decorated with circles of light, shining and clear, sharp and bright, piercing your heart so that your eyes cannot bear it. Don’t be afraid of her. At the same time, along with the light of wisdom, the soft yellow light of the world of hungry ghosts will shine. Don’t look for pleasure in it, throw away desires and longing.
At this time, under the influence of strong desires, you will be afraid and rush away from the harsh, bright red light, but you will feel pleasure and attraction to the soft yellow light of the world of hungry ghosts. At this moment, do not be afraid of the red light, sharp and bright, shining and clear, but recognize it as wisdom. Let your mind rest in it, relaxed, inactive. With faith and thirst, rush towards him.
If you recognize it as your own natural radiance, even if you do not feel faith and do not say a prayer of inspiration, all forms, colors and rays will inseparably merge with you, and you will achieve enlightenment. If you do not recognize him in this way, with faith say the prayer: “This is the ray of compassion of the Blessed Amitabha, I will take refuge in it.” This is the hook of the ray of compassion of the Blessed Amitabha. Be imbued with faith and don’t rush away. Even if you turn away, he will remain inseparably with you.
Do not be afraid, do not be carried away by the soft yellow light of the world of hungry ghosts. This is the path of unconscious aspirations accumulated by strong desire. If he entices you, you will descend into the world of hungry ghosts and suffer unbearably from hunger and thirst. This obstacle blocks the path to liberation – so don’t get carried away by it, throw away unconscious aspirations. Don’t worry about him. Desire the shining, bright, red light and say this prayer of inspiration, focusing your thoughts on one thing – the Blessed Amitabha and his consort:
When I wander in samsara, overwhelmed by desire,
let on the luminous path of wisdom of recognition
Blessed Amitabha walks before me,
behind me is his wife, Pandaravasini;
help me walk the dangerous path of the bardo,
so that I become perfect like Buddha.
O son of a noble family, listen without distraction. On the fifth day, the green light, the purified element of air, will shine, and at that moment the Blessed Amoghasnddhi, the lord of the circle, will appear before you from the green northern Kingdom of Completed Deeds. His body is green, he holds a double vajra in his hand and sits on a throne of shang-shang birds soaring in the sky, hugging his wife Samaya Tara. He is accompanied by the bodhisattvas Vajrapani and Sarvanivarana viskamohin and the female bodhisattvas Gandha and Naivedya, so that the six Buddhist forms appear from the space of rainbow light.
From the heart of Amoghasiddhi and his consort the green light of the skandha of representation will come to you in its original purity, the wisdom of performing deeds will come, bright green, shining and clear, sharp and frightening, decorated with discs of light, pierce your heart so that your eyes cannot bear it. Don’t be afraid of her. This is an involuntary game of your own mind, so rest in this highest state, which is free from actions and worries, in which there is neither near nor far, neither love nor hate. At the same time, along with the light of wisdom, the soft red light of the world of jealous gods, caused by envy, will illuminate you. Meditate so that the difference between love and hate disappears. But if your mind is weak, then simply do not seek pleasure in it.
At this moment, under the influence of strong envy, you will be afraid and rush away from the harsh, bright green light, but you will experience pleasure and attraction to the soft red light of the world of jealous gods. At this moment, do not be afraid of the green light, sharp and bright, shining and clear, but recognize it as wisdom. Let your mind rest in it, relaxed, inactive; pray to him with faith: “This is the ray of compassion of the Blessed Amoghasiddha, I will take refuge in it.” This is the hook of the ray of compassion of the Blessed Amoghasiddhi, the wisdom of accomplishing deeds – so desire it and do not strive away. Even if you turn away, he will remain inseparably with you.
Do not be afraid of it, do not be carried away by the soft red light of the world of jealous gods. This is the alluring path of karma accumulation of intense envy. If he entices you, you will descend into the world of jealous gods and will suffer unbearably from battles and quarrels. This obstacle blocks the path to liberation, so do not get carried away by it, discard unconscious aspirations. Desire the radiant bright green light and say this prayer of inspiration, focusing your thoughts on one thing – on the Blessed Amoghasiddhi and his consort:
When I wander in samsara, overcome with envy,
may on the luminous path of wisdom accomplish deeds
Blessed Amoghasiddhi walks before me,
behind me is his wife, Samaya-Tara;
help me walk the dangerous path of the bardo,
so that I become perfect like Buddha.
O son of noble family, listen without being distracted. Although you were shown the manifestation of the light of each of the five families until yesterday, they confused you, for you were under the influence of evil aspirations, so you remained here until now. If you had known that the natural radiance of the wisdom of these five families is your own manifestation, you would have dissolved into the rainbow light in the heart of one of the five families and become a Buddha in the Body of Bliss, but since you did not know this, you have remained wandering here until now. So watch now and don’t get distracted.
Now five families will appear together; four streams of wisdom, united, will come to guide you; get to know them. O son of a noble family, the four colored lights of the four purified elements will shine; at the same time, Buddha Vairocana and his consort will appear, as before, from the central Realm of the All-Penetrating Circle; Buddha Vajrasattva with his consort and companions will appear from the eastern Kingdom of Perfect Joy; Buddha Ratnasambhava with his consort and companions will appear from the southern Kingdom of Glory; Buddha Amitabha with his consort and companions will appear from the western Blissful Kingdom of Lotuses, and Buddha Amoghasiddhi with his consort and companions will appear from the northern Kingdom of Completed Actions, from the space of rainbow light.
O son of a noble family, after the Buddhas of the five families there will appear the wrathful guardians of the gates: Vijaya, “Victorious”; Yamantaka, “Death Destroyer”; Hayagriva, “Horse-Necked” and Amritakundali, “Spiral of Nectar”; Gate guards will appear: Ankusha, “Hook”; Pasha, “Loop”; Shrinkhala, “Chain”; and Ghanta, “The Bell”. Six sages, the Blessed Ones, will appear: Indra of the “hundred sacrifices,” the sage of the world of the gods; Vemachitra, “In Splendid Robe”, sage of the world of jealous gods; Leo from the Shakya clan, sage of the human world; Dhruvasinha, “The Steadfast Lion”, sage of the animal world; Jvalamukha, “With a flaming mouth”, the sage of the world of hungry ghosts, and Dharmaraja, “King of Teaching”, the sage of the hellish world. Samantabhadra and Samantabhadri, the All-Good Father and Mother of all Buddhas, will also appear. These forty-two deities of the Body of Bliss will emanate from your heart and appear before you; these are the pure forms of your manifestations – so know them.
O son of a noble family, these kingdoms do not exist somewhere outside, they are contained in the four sides of your heart, and its center is the fifth kingdom; now they come from the heart, appearing before you. And these images do not come from the outside, they are only the original, involuntary play of your mind – know them that way. O son of a noble family, these images are neither large nor small, their proportions are perfect. Each of them has its own decorations, robes, color, pose, its own throne and its own symbol. They are deployed in five pairs, and each pair is surrounded by a five-color halo. The entire mandala, male and female deities of all families will appear completely, immediately. Know them, for they are your Idams.
O son of a noble family, from the hearts of the Buddhas of the five families and their consorts, the rays of the four streams of wisdom will illuminate your heart – subtle and clear, like the outstretched radiance of the sun. First, the wisdom of dharmadhatu, a fabric of shining white rays, bright and frightening, will illuminate your heart from the heart of Vairocana. In this radiant fabric will appear sparkling white discs, clear and bright as mirrors, facing downward, framed by five smaller discs, which are decorated with even smaller ones, so that there is no center or border of light. From the heart of Vajrasattva, in the luminous blue fabric of mirror-like wisdom, a blue disk will appear, like an overturned turquoise bowl surrounded by other disks.
From the heart of Ratnasambhava, in the luminous yellow tissue of the wisdom of balance, a yellow disk will appear, like a golden overturned bowl surrounded by other disks. From the heart of Amitabha, in the luminous red fabric of the wisdom of discrimination, a brilliant red disk will appear, like a coral overturned cup, shining with the deep light of wisdom, clear and bright, surrounded by other disks, so that there is no center or boundaries of light. They will also illuminate your heart.
O son of a noble family, and they arose from the involuntary play of your mind, and did not come from outside; therefore, do not get carried away by them, do not be afraid of them, remain relaxed and free from thoughts. Then all the images and rays will merge with you, and you will achieve enlightenment. O son of a noble family, the green light of the wisdom of performing deeds does not appear, because the energy of your wisdom has not yet fully matured. O son of a noble family, this is called the merging of the four streams of wisdom, the corridor of Vajrasattva.
At this moment, remember the previous instructions of your teacher. If you remember the meaning of what was told to you, you will believe your previous feelings, you will recognize them as a meeting between mother and son, like a meeting of old friends. By cutting off doubt, you will recognize your own manifestations and enter the pure, unchanging path of the absolute essence; faith will lead to unceasing meditation, you will merge into the great self-existent wisdom and become a Buddha in the Body of Bliss who will never descend back.
O son of a noble family, along with the light of wisdom, the light of the six impure, illusory worlds will shine: the soft white light of the world of gods, the soft red light of the world of jealous gods, the soft blue light of the human world, the soft green light of the animal world, the soft yellow light of the world of hungry ghosts and the soft the smoky light of the hellish world. They will shine together with the pure light of wisdom. Don’t get caught up in them or get carried away by any of them, but remain relaxed and free from thoughts. If you are frightened by the pure light of wisdom and attracted by the impure light of the six worlds, you will incarnate into the body of a being from one of these worlds and go further along the tedious path, for there will be no way out of the great ocean of misfortunes of samsara.
O son of a noble family, if you have not received the instructions of the teacher, you will be frightened by these images and the pure light of wisdom, you will be carried away by the impure light of samsara; do not do this, but be in awe of the pure light of wisdom, sharp and bright. Reverently think: “The rays of wisdom and compassion of the Blessed Buddhas of the five families have descended to take possession of me with compassion; I will take refuge in them.” Do not be carried away by the light of the six illusory worlds, do not yearn for them, but say this prayer of inspiration, focusing your thoughts on the Buddhas of the five families and their consorts:
When I wander through the five poisons in samsara,
may on the luminous path of merging the four streams of wisdom
the victors go before me, the heads of five families,
behind me are their spouses;
deliver me from the ways of the six unclean worlds,
help me walk the dangerous path of the bardo,
so that I may reach the five pure Buddha Realms.
O son of a noble family, listen, do not be distracted. On the seventh day, a pure, multicolored light will shine in your unconscious mind, and the holders of knowledge from the Pure Realm of Space will come to captivate you. In the center of the mandala, filled with rainbow light, will appear the one who is called the “Unsurpassed Perfect Holder of Knowledge,” the Lotus Lord of the Dance; his body shines with five colors, he embraces his consort – the Red Dakini, dances with a sickle-shaped knife and a skull full of blood, folding his fingers in the mudra of enchantment and looking at the sky.
From the east of the mandala will appear the one who is called the “Knowledge Holder, Established in the “Steps”; he is white in color, with a radiant face; he embraces his wife – the White Dakini, dances with a sickle-shaped knife and a skull full of blood, folding his fingers in the mudra of charm and looking to the sky. From the south of the mandala will appear the one who is called the “Holder of Knowledge – the Lord of Life”; he is yellow in color and beautifully built, he embraces his consort – the Yellow Dakini, dances with a sickle-shaped knife and a skull full of blood, folding his fingers in the mudra of charm and looking On sky.
From the west of the mandala will appear the one who is called the “Holder of Knowledge – the Great Symbol”; he is red in color, with a radiant smiling face; he embraces his wife – the Red Dakini, dances with a sickle-shaped knife and a skull full of blood, folding his fingers in the mudra of enchantment and looking at the sky. From the north of the mandala will appear the one who is called the “Knowledge Holder, Involuntarily Arising”; he is green in color, his face is both angry and smiling; he hugs his wife – the Green Dakini, dances with a sickle-shaped knife and a skull full of blood, folding his fingers in the mudra of charm and looking at the sky.
Behind the holders of knowledge will come countless crowds of dakinis: dakinis of eight cremation places, dakinis of four families, dakinis of three places, dakinis of ten directions, dakinis of twenty-four places of pilgrimage; male and female divine warriors and servants will appear, all male and female defenders of the teaching, with six ornaments of bones, with drums, trumpets of thigh bones, drums of skulls, with banners made of the skin of youths, canopies and ribbons made of human skin, incense made of human flesh, with an infinite variety of musical instruments; filling all the kingdoms of the Universe, so that they sway, tremble and shake, drawing from all instruments music that splits heads; dancing various dances, they will come to captivate those who were faithful to the Samaya vow, and to punish those who consigned it to oblivion.
O son of a noble family, in the realm of the unconscious, from the heart of the five lords-holders of knowledge will come pure natural wisdom, shining with five-colored rays like colorful twisted threads, shining, trembling, flickering, bright and clear, sharp and frightening; it will pierce your heart so that your eyes cannot bear it. At that very moment, along with the light of wisdom, the soft green light of the animal world will shine. At this time, confused by unconscious aspirations, you will become frightened and rush away from the five-colored light, but you will be carried away by the soft light of the animal world. At this moment, do not be afraid of the bright, harsh five-color light; do not fear it, but know it as wisdom.
From the depths of light the natural sound of Truth will come, like the roar of a thousand thunders. It rolls and thunders and reverberates in battle cries and the shrill sound of angry mantras. Don’t be afraid of him, don’t rush away. Know it as a play of your mind, as your own manifestation. Do not get carried away by the soft green light of the animal world, do not yearn for it; if he captivates you, you will descend into the animal world of ignorance, you will suffer painfully from stupidity, dumbness and slavery, from which there will be no way out – do not get carried away by him.
Desire the clear, bright five-colored light, focus on the blessed knowledge holders, on the divine teachers, and think at the same time: “The knowledge holders with warriors and dakinis have come to draw me into the Pure Kingdom of Space. May they show concern for beings like me who are not accumulated merit and were not saved, although they had already been reached by the rays of compassion of so many deities from the five families of Buddhas past, present and future. Alas for those like me! Now all you holders of knowledge – do not let me fall even lower, catch me with the hooks of compassion and ascend to the Pure Kingdom of Space.”
Concentrate on this prayer of inspiration:
Let the divine holders of knowledge think about me,
May they guide me on my path with great love.
When I wander in samsara, overwhelmed by aspirations,
let on the luminous path of natural wisdom
the holders of knowledge and warriors go before me,
behind me are their consorts, dakinis;
help me walk the dangerous path of the bardo,
so that I may reach the Pure Kingdom of Space.
Part 2
Now the appearance of the bardo of wrathful deities will be spoken of. O son of a noble family, listen without distraction. Although the bardo of peaceful deities had already appeared to you, you did not recognize it, so you continued to wander until now. Now, on the eighth day, angry deities will appear, drinking blood. Cognize them with concentration.
O son of a noble family, he who is called the Glorious Great Buddha-Heruka will emerge from your own brain, shine before you clearly and vividly: his body is the color of wine, he has three heads, six arms and four legs, spread wide; his right face is white, his left is red, and his central one is wine-colored; his body sparkles as if it were made of light, his nine eyes look into your eyes angrily and intently, his eyebrows are like flashes of lightning, his teeth shine like copper; he laughs, shouting: “a-la-la!” and “ha-ha!”, makes loud whistling sounds: “shoo!”.
His red-gold hair flies sparkling, his heads are crowned with dried skulls, the sun and the moon, his body is in garlands of black snakes and fresh skulls; he holds a wheel in the first right hand, a battle ax and a sword in the other two right hands, a bell in the first left hand, a ploughshare and a skull cup in the other two left hands; his body is embraced by his consort Buddha-Krodhishwar, her right hand is wrapped around his neck, and with her left hand she brings a skull full of blood to his mouth; it makes loud clanging sounds and a roar like thunder; the flame of wisdom emanates from the shining vajra-like hairs on his body; he is standing on a throne supported by garuda birds, he has crossed two legs and straightened the other two.
Do not be afraid of him, do not be intimidated, do not be embarrassed. Know it as a manifestation of your own mind. He is your idam, so do not be afraid. Verily, he is the Blessed Vairocana with his consort, so do not be afraid. Knowledge and liberation will come simultaneously.
O son of a noble family, listen without distraction. On the ninth day, the blood-drinking manifestation of the vajra family – the Blessed Vajra-Heruka – will emerge from the eastern part of your brain and appear before you: he has a dark blue body, three heads, six arms and four legs, spread wide; his right face is white, his left is red, and his central one is blue; he holds a vajra in the first right hand, a skull bowl and battle ax in the other two right hands, a bell in the first left hand, a skull bowl and a ploughshare in the other two left hands; his body is embraced by his consort Vajra-Krodhishvari, her right hand is around his neck, and with her left hand she is bringing a skull full of blood to his mouth.
Do not be afraid of him, do not be intimidated, do not be embarrassed. Know it as a manifestation of your own mind. He is your idam, so do not be afraid. Verily, he is the Blessed Vajrasattva with his consort, therefore show respect. Knowledge and liberation will come simultaneously.
O son of a noble family, listen without distraction. On the tenth day, from the southern part of your brain, the blood-drinking manifestation of the Ratna family will appear before you – the Blessed Ratna-Heruka: he has a dark yellow body, three heads, six arms and four legs, spread wide; his right face is white, his left is red, and his central one is a sparkling dark yellow; he holds a jewel in the first right hand, a trident with three human heads and a club in the other two right hands, a bell in the first left hand, a skull cup and a trident in the other two left hands; his body is embraced by his consort Ratna-Krodhishwari, her right hand is around his neck, and with her left hand she is bringing a skull full of blood to his mouth.
Do not be afraid of him, do not be intimidated, do not be embarrassed. Know it as a manifestation of your own mind. He is your idam, so do not be afraid. Verily, he is the Blessed Ratnasambhava with his consort, so feel the desire for him. Knowledge and liberation will come simultaneously.
O son of a noble family, listen without distraction. On the eleventh day, the blood-drinking manifestation of the lotus family – the Blessed Padma-Heruka in union with his consort – will emerge from the western part of your brain and clearly appear before you. It has a dark red body, three heads, six arms and four legs, spread wide; his right face is white, his left is blue, and his central face is dark red; he holds a lotus in the first right hand, a trident with three human heads and a staff in the other two right hands, a bell in the first left hand, a skull cup full of blood and a small drum in the other two left hands; his body is embraced by his consort Padma-Krodhishwari, her right hand is around his neck, and with her left hand she is bringing a skull full of blood to his mouth.
Do not be afraid of him, do not be intimidated, do not be embarrassed. Be joyful, recognize it as a manifestation of your own mind. He is your idam, so do not be afraid. Verily, he is the Blessed Dmoghasiddhi with his consort, so feel devotion and love. Knowledge and liberation will come simultaneously.
O son of a noble family, listen without distraction. Eight Gauris will come out of your own brain and appear before you. Don’t be afraid of them. From the eastern part of your brain a white Gauri will appear to you, in her right hand she holds a corpse like a club, and in her left a skull cup full of blood. Don’t be afraid. From the south (will appear) a yellow Cowrie shooting an arrow from a bow; from the west – red Pramoha holding a banner with the image of a water monster; from the north – black Vetali holding a vajra and a skull cup full of blood; from the southeast – orange Pukkashi, who holds intestines in her right hand and sends them into her mouth with her left; from the southwest is the dark green Ghasmari, drinking from a skull full of blood, which she holds in her left hand and stirs (the blood) with a vajra in her right hand; from the north-west, a pale yellow Chandali, who lifts her head from her body, holds the heart in her right hand, and with her left brings the body to her mouth; from the northeast – the dark blue Smashali, which tears the head from the body and devours it; these eight gauri of the cardinal points surrounding the five blood-drinking herukas will come out of your brain and appear before you. Don’t be afraid of them.
O son of a noble family, listen without distraction. After them, eight pishachis of holy places will in turn come out and appear before you. From the east (will appear) Sinhamukha-wine-colored, lion-headed, crossing her arms on her chest, spreading her mane and holding a corpse in her mouth; from the south – Vyaghrimukha, red, with the head of a tigress, with crossed arms down, with wide eyes and bared teeth; from the west – Srigalamukha, black, with the head of a fox, holding a razor in her right hand, and in her left intestines, which she devours and licks the blood; from the north – Shvanamukha, dark blue, with the head of a wolf, with wide eyes, holding a corpse to her mouth with both hands; from the southeast – Gridhramukha, pale yellow, with the head of a vulture, carrying a gigantic corpse on her shoulder and holding a skeleton in her hand; from the southwest – Kankamukha, dark red, with the head of a hawk, carrying the flayed skin of a giant on her shoulder; from the north-west – Kakamukha, a black crow-headed, holding a skull cup in his left hand and a sword in his right, devouring the heart and lungs; from the northeast – Ulumukha, dark blue, owl-headed, holding a vajra in her right hand and a sword in her left: these eight pishachas of holy places surrounding the five blood-drinking herukas will come out of your own brain and appear before you. Don’t be afraid of them. Know everything that appears as a game of your mind, as your own manifestations.
O son of a noble family, (on the fourteenth day) the four goddesses of the gates will also come out of your brain and appear before you – know them. From the eastern part of your brain Ankusha will come out and appear before you – white, with a tiger’s head, holding a goad and a skull cup full of blood; from the south (will appear) Pasha – yellow, with a ready-made pig, holding a lasso; from the west – Shrinkhala, red, lion-headed, holding an iron chain; and from the north, Ghanta, green, snake-headed, holding a bell: these four gate goddesses will come out of your own brain and appear before you. Know them as Yidams.
O son of a noble family, behind the thirty wrathful herukas will in turn come out of your brain and twenty-eight yoginis will appear before you with different heads, different symbols in their hands. Do not be afraid of them, but recognize everything that appears as a game of your mind, as your own manifestations. When you reach this decisive moment, remember the instructions of your guru.
O son of a noble family, from the east the six yogini of the east will emerge from your brain and appear before you: Rakshasi, the “Demoness” – wine-colored, with the head of a yak, holding a vajra in her hand; Brahmi – orange, snake-headed, holding a lotus; Mahadevi, “Great Goddess” – dark green, leopard-headed, holding a trident; Lobha, “Greedy” – blue, with the head of a mongoose, holding a wheel; Kumari, “Maiden” – red, with the head of a yellow bear, holding a short spear; and Indrani – white, with the head of a brown bear, holding a lasso of intestines. Don’t be afraid of them.
O son of a noble family, six yogini of the south will emerge from the south from your brain and appear before you: Vajra – yellow, with the head of a pig, holding a razor in his hand; Shanti, “Peaceful” – red, with the head of a water monster, holding a vase; Amrita, “Nectar of Immortality” – red, with the head of a scorpion, holding a lotus; Kandra, “Moon” – white, hawk-headed, holding a vajra; Danda, “Bludge” – dark green, with the head of a fox, holding a club; and Rakshasi, the “Demoness” – dark yellow, with a tiger’s head, holding a skull full of blood. Don’t be afraid of them.
O son of a noble family, from the west six yogini of the west will emerge from your brain and appear before you: Bhakshini, the “Eating One” – dark green, with the head of a vulture, holding a club; Rati, “Pleasure” – red, with a horse’s head, holding in her hand the body of a giant’s corpse; Mahabala, “Great Power” – a white, bird-headed garuda holding a club; Rakshasi, “Demoness” – red, with a dog’s head, cutting with a vajra like a razor; Kama, “Desire” – red, with the head of a hoopoe, shooting an arrow from a bow; and Vasuraksha, “Patron of Wealth” – dark green, doe-headed, holding a vase, Do not be afraid of them.
O son of a noble family, from the north the six yogini of the north will emerge from your brain and appear before you: Vayudevi, the “Goddess of the Wind” – blue, with the head of a she-wolf, with a fluttering banner in her hand; Nari, “Woman” – red, with a buffalo head, holding a sharpened stake; Varahi, “Pig” – black, with the head of a pig, holding a lasso, studded with teeth; Vajra – red, with a raven head, holding the skin of a child; Mahahastini, “Elephant” – dark green, with an elephant’s head, holding the corpse of a giant in her hand and drinking his blood; and Varunadevi, “Goddess of Water” – blue, snake-headed, holding a lasso of snakes. Don’t be afraid of them.
O son of a noble family, four yogini gates will emerge from your brain and appear before you: from the east – a white Vajra, with the head of a cuckoo, holding an iron hook in her hand; from the south – a yellow Vajra, with the head of a goat, holding a lasso; from the west – the red Vajra, lion-headed, holding an iron chain; and from the north, a dark green Vajra, snake-headed, holding a bell: these four yoginis of the gates will come out of your brain and appear before you. These twenty-eight yoginis spontaneously arise from the play of the self-creative power of the wrathful herukas – know them.
O son of a noble family, peaceful deities appear from the emptiness of the Dharma Body; know this. Wrathful deities appear from the radiance of the Body of Bliss – know this. If at that moment, when fifty-eight blood-drinking deities emerge from your brain and appear before you, you recognize that everything that appears arises from your own luminous mind, you will immediately become a Buddha, inseparable from the blood-drinking deities.
O son of a noble family, if you do not recognize this, you will be afraid of them, rush away and come to new suffering. If you do not know this, you will see the Lords of Death in all the blood-drinking deities and will be afraid of them. You will feel scared, confused and weak. Your own manifestations will turn into demons, and you will wander in samsara. But if you experience neither craving nor fear, you will not wander in samsara.
O son of a noble family, the largest of these peaceful and wrathful deities are like the whole sky, the middle ones are like Mount Meru, and the smallest ones are like eighteen people standing on each other’s shoulders – do not be afraid of them. They all appear as rays and images; when you recognize them as the natural radiance of your own mind, your own radiance will inseparably merge with the rays and images, and you will become a Buddha. O son! Everything that you see, no matter how scary it is, recognize it as your own manifestation; know it as light, the natural radiance of your own mind. If you know this, you will become a Buddha in that very moment, there is no doubt about it. Without delay there will come what is called instantaneous perfect enlightenment. Remember!
O son of a noble family, if you do not recognize this now and are still afraid, all peaceful deities will appear in the form of Mahakala, all wrathful deities will appear in the form of the Dharma King, and all your manifestations will turn into demons. O son of a noble family, if you do not know your own manifestations, you will not become a Buddha, even if you have professed the Teaching for an entire kalpa and studied all the sutras and tantras. But if you have known your manifestations, this one secret and one word will make you a Buddha.
If you have not known your manifestations, they will appear in the form of the King of Dharma, the Lord of Death, in the bardo of absolute essence, as soon as you die. The largest Lords of Death fill the entire sky, the middle ones are like Mount Meru; they will come, filling the entire Universe. Their teeth bite their lower lip, their eyes are dull, their hair is tied on top of their heads, their bellies are huge and their necks are thin, in their hands they hold records of (human) deeds, shouting: “beat!” and “kill!”, licking the brain, tearing heads from bodies, tearing out internal organs: this is how they will come, filling the entire Universe.
O son of a noble family, when your manifestations appear like this, do not be afraid. You have a mental body of unconscious aspirations, so you cannot die even if you are killed and cut into pieces. Truly, you are the natural form of emptiness, so there is no need to be afraid. The Lords of Death also arise from your own shining mind, they are not from solid matter. Emptiness cannot harm emptiness. Be sure that peaceful and wrathful deities, drinking the blood of heruks, deities with animal heads, rainbow light, the terrifying forms of the Lords of Death and everything else do not really exist, but arise only from the involuntary play of your mind. If you understand this, you will naturally be freed from all fear and become a Buddha in inseparable merging. If you have come to know them in this way, they are your yidams.
Think intensely and aspiringly: “They have come to invite me to the dangerous path of the bardo; I will take refuge in them.” Remember the Three Jewels. Remember your idam; call his name and pray to him in these words: “I wander in the bardo – so be my deliverer, take possession of me with compassion, O precious Idam.” Call the name of your teacher and pray to him: “I am wandering in the bardo – so be my deliverer, do not leave me with your compassion.” Pray earnestly to the blood-drinking deities and say this prayer of inspiration:
When I wander in samsara through strong unconscious aspirations,
in the radiance of abandoning all fear,
let the Blessed Ones go before me, peaceful and wrathful,
behind me are the angry goddesses, the Queens of Space;
help me walk the dangerous path of the bardo,
so that I become perfect like Buddha.
When I wander alone, separated from my beloved friends,
and empty forms of my own manifestations arise,
May the Buddhas send the power of their compassion,
so that the horrors of the bardo do not come.
When the five bright lights of wisdom shine,
let me know myself without fear;
when the forms of peaceful and wrathful deities appear,
May I fearlessly and confidently experience the bardo.
When I suffer under the power of heavy karma,
let my idam dispel all suffering;
when the sound of the absolute essence rumbles like a thousand thunders,
let it become the sound of Six Syllables.
When I follow my karma and there is no refuge,
may the Lord of Great Compassion be my refuge;
when I suffer from the karma of unconscious aspirations,
let the samadhi of bliss and light arise.
May the five elements not rise as enemies,
may I see the realms of the five Buddhas.
Say this prayer of inspiration with deep reverence. All fears will disappear and you will undoubtedly become a Buddha in the Body of Bliss, that is why it is so important; don’t get distracted.
Part 3
Let us pay veneration to the deities: gurus, yidamas and dakinis; let them become the cause of liberation and bardo.
O son of a noble family, listen carefully and comprehend. Hell beings, gods and the bardo body are born involuntarily. When the peaceful and wrathful deities appeared in the bardo of the absolute essence, you did not recognize them, so you became weak from fear for five and a half days; but when you came to your senses, your consciousness cleared up, and a (new) body arose, similar to the one you had before. Tantra says:
With the former and future body of the bardo of return to samsara,
endowed with all the senses, wandering unhindered,
possessing miraculous power, which is due to karma,
visible through the pure eyes of the gods, who are of the same nature.
Here the word “former” means that you have a body similar to the old body of flesh and blood, the same as you remember, but in addition, it emits light and has the characteristics of the body of people of the golden age. This is the sensation of the mental body, which is why it is called the mental body of the bardo sensation. At this moment, if you are to be born as a god, you will feel the world of the gods, but if you are to be born as a jealous god, a man, an animal, a hungry ghost or an inhabitant of hell, you will feel the corresponding world. Therefore, the word “former” means that for four and a half days you thought that you had a material body as you remembered it, and the future means that then you will experience the world where you will subsequently be born; That’s why they say: “the former and the future.”
Whatever manifestations arise at this moment, do not follow them, do not get carried away by them and do not crave them. If you become interested in them or crave them, you will wander in the six worlds, experiencing suffering. Although until yesterday the manifestations of the bardo of the absolute essence appeared to you, you did not know them, so you are forced to wander here. Now, if you can meditate with concentration, calmly immerse your mind in the pure, naked, luminous emptiness that the teacher told you about, if you can relax in a state of non-perception and non-action, you will achieve liberation and will not enter the womb.
If you cannot understand, imagine your yidam or teacher above your head and try to feel awe. It is very important. I repeat again and again – don’t get distracted.
O son of a noble family, listen intently. The words “gifted with all the senses” mean that even if during life you were blind, deaf and crippled, now, in the bardo state, your eyes see images, your ears hear sounds, all your senses are clear and flawless; therefore it is said: “gifted with all the senses.” This is a sign that you have died and are wandering in the bardo state, so know this and remember the instructions.
O son of a noble family, the word “unimpeded” means that since you have a mental body and your mind is separated from its former support, since you have no material body, you can now pass back and forth even through Mount Meru – the queen of mountains, you can pass anywhere except your mother’s womb and the diamond seat. This is a sign that you are wandering in the bardo state of returning to samsara, so remember the instructions of your teacher and pray to the Lord of Great Compassion.
O son of a noble family, the words “possessing miraculous power which is due to karma” mean that you are now endowed with miraculous powers which you have not acquired through meditation and virtue, but which have come to you naturally: they are of the nature of karmic power. You can instantly travel around four continents and Mount Meru, move anywhere in the time it takes a person to reach out and remove his hand. But these abilities do not become you; don’t think about them. Now you are able to realize them without hindrance, you can do anything you think about, and there is no action that you cannot do – know this and pray to your teacher.
O son of a noble family, the words “seen by the pure eyes of gods who are of the same nature” mean that those who are to be born in the world of the same nature will see each other in the bardo state, therefore those who are destined to be born as gods, see each other. Likewise, if they are to be born in any of the six worlds, they will see those who have their nature. Do not strive for them, but meditate on the Lord of Great Compassion. Seeing “with the pure eyes of the gods” also means seeing with the pure divine eyes of contemplatives who are in samadhi, and who have not simply achieved the state of gods through their own merits. But they do not always see: concentrating on vision, they see; if not, or if their meditation is disturbed, then they do not see.
O son of a noble family, having such a body, you will see your home and family as if you met them in a dream, but you will not receive an answer, although you will talk to them; You will see your loved ones crying and you will think: “I died, what should I do?” And you will feel severe pain, like a fish struggling on hot sand. But suffering is now useless. If you have a teacher, pray to him, or pray to the yidam, the Lord of Great Compassion. Even if you are attached to your loved ones, it is useless – so leave attachment. Pray to the Lord of Great Compassion, and there will be neither torment nor fear.
O son of a noble family, your mind, having lost its support, driven by the wind of karma, is helplessly trying to ride the horse of the wind, swaying and turning like a feather. You will say to the mourners, “I am here, don’t cry,” but they will not hear you, so you will think, “I am dead,” and you will be in great pain. Don’t worry about it. There will always be a gray haze in front of you, like the gray light of an autumn dawn – neither day nor night. This bardo state will last one, two, three, four, five, six or seven weeks – up to forty-nine days. They say that suffering in the bardo of returning to samsara usually lasts twenty-one days, but this is not entirely accurate, since it depends on karma.
O son of a noble family, at this moment you will be overtaken from behind by a mighty hurricane of karma – terrifying, unbearable, spinning furiously. Don’t be afraid of it – it is your own incoherent manifestation. Thick darkness will appear before you, terrible, unbearable, with terrible cries of “hit!” “kill!” Don’t be afraid of them. For those who have committed great evil, as a result of their karma, many demons will appear, devouring flesh, carrying various weapons, emitting battle cries and cries of “kill!”. You will feel that you are being hunted by various terrible animals, that you are being pursued by a huge army, in the snow, rain, darkness and storm. You will hear mountains collapsing, lakes flooding, flames spreading and fierce winds arising. In horror, you will rush wherever possible, but three abysses will open up in front of you – white, red and black, deep and terrible, and you will almost fall into them.
O son of a noble family, this is not actually an abyss, it is anger, passion and ignorance. Know now that this is the bardo of returning to samsara, and turn to the Lord of Great Compassion: “O Lord of Great Compassion, my guru, oh Three Jewels, do not let me fall into hell.” Say this prayer fervently; do not forget. Those who have merit, who have been virtuous and sincerely followed the Teaching, will be carried away by all the variety of perfect pleasure, they will experience all types of perfect bliss and happiness.
Those who were indifferent and ignorant, who did neither good nor evil, will experience neither pleasure nor pain, only ignorance and indifference will appear to them. Whatever may appear, O son of a noble family, whatever pleasures and desirable objects may arise, do not be carried away by them and do not desire them. Grant them to the teacher and the Three Jewels. Remove attachment and desire from your heart. And if a feeling of indifference arises, without pleasure or pain, then let your mind rest in the undisturbed state of the Great Symbol, when the very thought of meditation is absent. It is very important.
O son of a noble family, at this time you will be covered for a moment by bridges, shrines and monasteries, huts and stupas, but you will not remain there for long. Since your mind is separated from the body, you cannot settle there, you feel irritable and cold, the consciousness becomes airy, hurried, wavering and fickle. Then you will think: “Alas, I am dead! What should I do now?” At this thought, your heart will suddenly become empty and cold, and you will feel intense, boundless pain. Since you are forced to move and cannot settle anywhere, do not occupy yourself with any thoughts, but let your mind rest in its original state.
The time comes when you have no more food than what was dedicated to you, and nothing definite can be said about your friends. These are signs that the mental body is wandering into the bardo of return to samsara. At this moment, pleasure and pain are determined by your karma. You will see your homeland, friends and loved ones, you will see your own corpse and think: “Now I am dead, so what should I do?” The mental body will experience terrible pain, and you will think: “Why not find yourself a body now?” And you will feel that you are walking everywhere looking for the body.
Even if you enter your own corpse up to nine times, winter will freeze it or summer will decompose it, or perhaps your relatives will burn it or bury it in a grave, or give it to birds and wild animals, for much time has passed while you were in the bardo of absolute essence, so there is no place where you can enter; you will fall into deep despair, you will feel crushed by rocks and stones. This suffering is the bardo of return to samsara; even if you are looking for the body, there is nothing but suffering – so cut off your aspiration for the body and calmly rest in a state of non-action.
Listen, O son of a noble family. This suffering is caused by your own karma and you cannot blame anyone else. This is your own karma, so now pray fervently to the Three Jewels, they will protect you. If you do not pray, do not know about the meditation of the Great Symbol and do not meditate on your yidam, then your good inclination will collect all your good deeds and mark them with white pebbles, and your bad inclination will collect all your evil deeds and mark them with black pebbles. At this time you will be greatly frightened and terrified, you will tremble and lie, saying: “I have not sinned.” Then the Lord of Death will say: “I will look into the mirror of karma.”
And when he looks into the mirror, all your sins and virtues will suddenly appear clearly and clearly, so that there will be no benefit from your lies. Then the Lord of Death will drag you by a rope tied around your neck, cut off your head, tear out your heart, pull out your entrails, lick your brains, drink your blood, devour your flesh and gnaw your bones; but you cannot die, and although your body is cut into pieces, you will live.
Being cut over and over again is incredibly painful, so do not be afraid when the white stones are counted, do not lie and do not be afraid of the Lord of Death. Since you now have a mental body, you cannot die, even if killed and cut. Truly, you are the natural form of emptiness, and there is no need to be afraid. And the Lord of Death is the natural form of emptiness, your incoherent manifestation, and you are emptiness, the mental body of unconscious aspirations. Emptiness cannot harm emptiness, and the qualityless cannot harm the qualityless. The Lords of Death, the gods, the evil spirits, the bull-headed demon have no other reality than your own incoherent manifestations – know this. In this moment, know that everything around you is bardo.
Meditate on the samadhi of the Great Symbol. If you don’t know how to meditate, look into the essence of what frightens you, and you will see an emptiness that has no nature: this is called the Dharma Body. But this emptiness is not nothing, its essence is frightening, the mind acquires great purity and awareness before it: this is the state of mind of the Body of Bliss. Emptiness and light are inseparable, the nature of emptiness is light and the nature of light is emptiness. Now the indivisible light-emptiness, the naked mind, remains in an uncreated state: this is Svabhavikakaya. Her natural energy manifests itself everywhere unhindered: it is a compassionate Phantom Body.
O son of a noble family, pay attention without being distracted. Once you know this, you will achieve complete enlightenment in the four Buddha Bodies. Do not be distracted. This is the line that separates Buddhas and unenlightened sentient beings. About this moment it is said:
A moment – they are separated,
a moment – complete enlightenment.
Until yesterday, your attention was scattered, and although you have seen so much in the bardo state, you have not known it, and you are very afraid. If you are distracted even now, the rope of compassion will be cut and you will go where there is no liberation, so be careful.
O son of a noble family, if you do not know how to meditate, remember the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, the Lord of Great Compassion, and pray to them. Meditate on all terrifying manifestations as the Lord of Great Compassion or your yidam. Remember your teacher and the secret name that you received during your initiation into the human world; say this name to the King of Dharma, the Lord of Death. Even if you fall into the abyss, it will not harm you, so throw away fear and horror.
O son of a noble family, what you will experience now will, like a catapult, plunge you alternately into states of joy and sorrow, so do not create any feelings of passion and anger in yourself. If you are to be born in the upper world, then when you experience this world, your relatives in the place you left will sacrifice animals dedicated to the deceased, so unclean thoughts will arise in you and you will feel furious anger, which will make you be born as an inhabitant of hell . Therefore, whatever happens in the place you left, do not be angry, but meditate on kindness.
If you are attached to the property you left behind, or you are tied to it by the thought that someone else owns your things and takes pleasure in it, you will become angry with the people you left behind, and this will certainly cause you to be born as a denizen of hell or a hungry ghost, even if you were to reach a higher state. In any case, even if you are attached to the things left behind, you cannot receive them; it is useless for you – so give up attachment and longing for your property, give it up, make a firm decision. Whoever uses your things, don’t be possessive, but let them go. Concentrately think that you are bestowing them on your teacher and the Three Jewels, and remain in a state of desirelessness.
When they read the “Kankani” mantra for you, when they perform the ritual of “cleansing from the lower worlds”, then with a subtle supersensible perception determined by your karma, you will see that they are doing this uncleanly, sleepily, inattentively, carelessly, without observing the vow; you will realize that they lack faith, that they are committing sin by their fear and impure performance of rituals, and you will think: “Alas, they are deceiving me, of course they are deceiving me!” This thought will bring you great sorrow and despair, and, feeling the absence of pure awe, you will lose faith, and this will certainly force you to go to the lower worlds.
This is useless, very harmful, therefore, no matter how impurely the friends you left behind perform the rituals, think with pure faith and reverence: “What? My manifestations must be impure; but can the words of the Buddha be impure? What I see is caused by “My impure manifestations are just as the imperfections of my face were reflected in the mirror. As for these people, their body is the Sangha, their speech is the holy Dharma, and their mind is the Buddha nature, so I will take refuge in them.” Then everything that happens in the place you left will help you, so it is very important to preserve such pure thoughts; do not forget.
If you are to be born in one of the three lower worlds, and at the time when you experience these worlds, your loved ones in the place you left behind perform pious rites, free from sin, and teachers and mentors follow the holy teachings in complete purity of body, speech and mind, you will feel intense joy when you see them, and this will immediately lead you to be born in a higher world, even if you were to descend into the three lower worlds – that is why it is so useful. Therefore, it is very important not to have impure thoughts, but to experience pure awe, without prejudice – be careful.
O son of a noble family, so now your mind in the bardo state has no support, so it is light and agile, and whatever thought arises in it, good or evil, it is very powerful; do not think about evil deeds, but remember pious deeds. If you are not used to them, evoke reverence and pure thoughts in yourself. Pray to your yidam and the Lord of Great Compassion and concentrate on this prayer of inspiration:
When I wander alone, separated from my beloved friends,
and empty forms of my own manifestations arise,
May the Buddhas send the power of their compassion,
so that the horrors of the bardo do not come.
When I suffer under the power of heavy karma,
May my idam dispel all suffering:
when the sound of the absolute essence rumbles like a thousand thunders,
let it become the sound of Six Syllables.
When I follow my karma and there is no refuge,
May the Lord of Great Compassion be my refuge:
when I suffer from the karma of unconscious aspirations,
let the samadhi of bliss and light arise.
Say this prayer fervently; it will certainly lead you on the path. Be absolutely sure that you are not being deceived, this is very important.
O son of a noble family, if you have not understood what has appeared to you, then from now on the body you possessed in your past life will become increasingly dim, and your future body will become increasingly clear, so you will feel sad and think : “I am suffering from this – now I will look for the appearance of at least some body.” And you will begin to wander back and forth, rushing towards everything that appears. The six lights of the six worlds of samsaric existence will shine, and the light of the world in which you will be born in accordance with your karma will shine most brightly.
Listen, O son of a noble family. If you ask what these six lights are: the soft white light of the world of the gods will shine, as well as the red light of the world of jealous gods, the blue light of the human world, the green light of the animal world, the yellow light of the world of hungry ghosts and the smoky light of the hellish world – these are the six lights. At this moment, your body will take on the color of the world where you will be born.
O son of a noble family, at this time the main point of the instruction is very important: whatever light shines, meditate on it as the Lord of Great Compassion. Meditate on the thought that when light appears, it is the Lord of Great Compassion. This is the deepest essence. This is extremely important and prevents birth. Meditate for a long time on your divine yidam as a vision that does not have its own real nature, like a mirage. This is called the pure illusory body.
Then let the idam disappear from the edges inward, and you remain for some time in an incomprehensible state of luminous emptiness, which cannot be perceived as something concrete. Meditate again on yidam, then again on luminosity. Meditate like this alternately, and then let your mind also disappear from the edges inwards. Wherever there is space, there is consciousness, and wherever there is consciousness, there is the Dharma Body; rest in the simple and selfless state of the Dharma Body.
O son of a noble family, if you have not known what appeared before, now you will feel that the force of karma is carrying you up, down or forward at the same level – meditate at this moment on the Lord of Great Compassion; remember! Then you will experience something similar to what was described before: whirlwinds, snowstorms, hailstorms, darkness around you, you will see many people chasing you, and you will run away from them. Those who do not accumulate merit in life will feel that they are escaping to a place of suffering, while those who have acquired merit will feel that they are entering a place of joy. At this time, O son of a noble family, all the signs of the country and the place where you are to be born will appear; listen now without being distracted, for in this part of the instruction there are many very deep truths. Although you did not understand these secrets before, now you will understand the essence, even if your experience is very poor – listen.
O son of a noble family, clearly imagine your divine Idam as a vision that has no real nature of its own, like a mirage, like the battle of the moon in water. If you do not have your own Idam, the Lord of Great Compassion himself will become it; visualize it clearly. Then let Idam disappear from the edges inward, and you meditate on the luminous emptiness, where there is nothing for thoughts to dwell on. This is a deep secret: they say that thanks to it entry into the womb is prevented – meditate in this way. But if that doesn’t stop you and you are about to enter the womb, there are deep instructions that can help close the gates of the womb, ready to let you in – so listen. Repeat the prayer after me:
Now that the dawn of the bardo of return to samsara is dawning for me,
I’ll focus my mind
and I will try to prolong the impact of good karma,
close the gates of the womb and think about opposition,
the time has come when perseverance and pure thought are needed,
when you need to put aside jealousy and meditate on the guru and his consort.
Speak these words clearly and loudly and strain your memory: it is very important to meditate on the meaning of these words and practically fulfill them. This is their meaning. The words “now that the bardo of return to samsara is dawning for me” means that you are now wandering in the bardo of return to samsara. Here are the signs of this: if you look into the water, you do not see your reflection, and your body does not cast a shadow. You do not now have a body of flesh and blood, and this is a sign that your mental body is wandering in the bardo of returning to samsara.
Therefore, you must now, without distraction, concentrate your mind; it is concentration that is most important now. It’s like holding a horse back with a bridle. Whatever you focus on will happen, so do not think about evil deeds, but remember the teachings of the Buddha, the teachings and messages of the teachers and the injunctions of books such as this “Liberation by Hearing” that you learned about in the human world, and strive to prolong the effects of good karma. It is very important.
Don’t forget anything, don’t get distracted. The time has come that separates ascent and descent; the time has come when momentary laziness will make you suffer for a long, very long time; the time has come when concentration will make you happy for a very long time. Focus your mind; strive to prolong the effects of good karma. The time has come to close the gates of the womb. Said:
Close the gates of the womb and thoughts of opposition,
the time has come when perseverance and pure thought are needed.
O son of a noble family, at this time images of men and women who love each other will appear. When you see them, do not step into the space between them, but remember to meditate on the man and woman as the guru and his consort. Mentally bow before them, offer gifts with deep reverence and ask for guidance; if you concentrate strongly on this thought, the gate of the womb will certainly close. If they do not close and you are about to enter the womb, meditate on the guru and his consort as your Idam or on the Lord of Great Compassion with his consort and mentally bring them gifts. With sincere reverence, ask them to grant you spiritual achievements; this will close the gate of the womb.
If they do not close and you are about to enter the womb, there is a third instruction: how to ward off passion and anger. There are four types of birth: birth from the egg, birth from the womb, involuntary birth and birth from moisture. Of these, birth from the egg and from the womb are similar to each other. As before, the images of males and females in a loving union will arise, and if at that moment you enter the womb under the power of passion and malice, you will be born in the form of a horse, a bird, a dog or a man. If you are to be born a male, you will feel like one and will experience furious anger towards your father, jealousy and desire towards your mother.
If you are to be born a female, you will feel like one and will experience strong envy and jealousy for your mother, and passionate desire for your father. This will set you on the path that leads to the womb, and you will feel self-sufficient bliss when the sperm and egg meet. In this blissful state you will lose consciousness, and the embryo will grow in width and length until a body is formed and comes out of the mother’s womb. You open your eyes and turn into a puppy; from a man you have now become a dog, you will suffer in a dog’s kennel, or perhaps in a pigsty, in an anthill or in a worm’s hole, or you will be born as a calf, a kid, a lamb.
There is no return from here; you will experience all the sufferings due to dullness and ignorance. As you pass through these six worlds of samsaric existence, the inhabitants of hell, hungry ghosts and everyone else, you will be tormented by limitless suffering. There is nothing more powerful and terrifying; Alas! Alas! Those who are deprived of the sacred instructions of the guru will fall into the deepest abyss of samsara and experience endless, unbearable suffering; listen to my words and understand this instruction of mine. Now instructions are given on how to close the gate of the womb by eliminating passion and malice; listen and comprehend. Said:
Close the gates of the womb and thoughts of opposition;
the time has come when perseverance and pure thought are needed,
when you need to put aside jealousy and meditate on the guru and his consort.
As before, you will feel jealous; if you are to be born a man, you will love your mother and hate your father, but if you are to be born a woman, you will love your father and hate your mother. Therefore, wise guidance is needed now.
O son of a noble family, when passion and malice are born in you, meditate like this: “Alas! I was a being with such heavy karma that I am still wandering in samsara due to attachment to passion and malice. If I continue to experience passion and malice “, I will endlessly wander in samsara, plunge for a long time into the abyss of the ocean of suffering; therefore, now I will completely cease to feel passion or anger. Alas! Now I will never experience passion and anger again.” By concentrating my mind only on this thought, I will close the gate of the womb – this is what the tantras say. O son of a noble family, do not be distracted; focus your mind on one thing.
But even if after this the gates of the womb do not close and you are about to enter it, you should close the gates with the help of instructions about the unreal, illusory nature of everything that exists. Meditate like this: “Alas! Father and mother, storm, whirlwind, thunder, frightening phenomena and everything visible are illusory in their true nature. Although they appear, they are unreal. Everything material is false and untrue. It is like a mirage, it is impermanent, subject to change. What is the use of desire? What is the use of fear? What does not exist is considered to exist. All these are manifestations of my mind, and if the mind itself is illusory, has no independent existence, then how can all these phenomena arise from the outside?
Before I did not understand this, so I believed that there is a non-existent, that the untrue is true, that illusion is real; that is why I wandered in samsara for so long. And if I don’t understand that these are illusions, I will still wander in samsara for a long time and will undoubtedly descend into the dirty swamp of suffering. Now I know: all these phenomena are like dreams, illusions, like echoes, cities where the celestial Gandharvas live, like mirages, images, optical illusion, the reflection of the moon in water; they are not real – not even for a moment. Surely they are not true, but false!
Focusing only on this belief destroys the belief in their reality, and when a person is internally convinced of this, overconfidence is overcome. If you understand this unreality in the depths of your heart, the gates of the womb will surely close. But even if after this, faith in reality does not collapse, the gates of the womb do not close and you are about to enter it – there is a wise indication.
O son of a noble family, if even after this the gate of the womb is not closed, it should now be closed by the fifth method – meditation on the primordial light, which should be done like this: “Everything material is my own mind, and this mind is emptiness, unborn and continuous.” . Thinking about this, keep your mind in a natural and unchanging state, let it be contained in its own essence, like water poured into water – free, open, relaxed. By allowing it to rest naturally and freely, you can be sure that the gates of the womb will undoubtedly be closed to all four types of birth.
Listen, deceased son of a noble family. Although you were given instructions many times before, you did not understand them, so now, since the gates of the womb have not closed, the time has come to choose a body. There is more than one, but I have true and deep instructions on how to choose the gates of the womb for you – comprehend and do not be distracted. Listen with concentration and understand.
O son of a noble family, the signs and characteristic features of the continent where you are to be born are now appearing – know them. Consider where you will be born and choose a continent. If you are to be born on the eastern continent, which is called the “Noble”, you will see a lake where swans and swans swim. Think about the opposition and don’t go there. Although this place is full of happiness, the Buddha’s teaching does not flourish there, so do not enter there.
If you happen to be born on the southern continent, the “Island of Pink Apple Trees,” you will see luxurious, beautiful homes. Get in there if you can.
If you happen to be born on the western continent, which is called: “The Delight of Wish-Fulfilling Cows,” you will see a lake decorated with horses and mares. Don’t go there, go back. Although there is abundant pleasure in this place, the Buddha’s teaching does not flourish there, so do not enter there.
If you were to be born on the northern continent, which is called: “Unpleasant Sound”, you will see a lake decorated with cattle or trees. Understand these as signs of rebirth and do not enter into guda. Although people live there for a long time and have virtues, the teachings of the Buddha do not flourish there, so do not enter there.
If you are to be born as a god, you will see beautiful multi-tiered temples made of precious stones. Enter there if you are worthy.
If you are to be born as a jealous god, you will see beautiful groves or what appear to be spinning wheels of fire. Don’t go there at all, but think about countering it.
If you are to be born an animal, you will see, as if through a fog, caves in the rocks, holes in the ground and thatched huts. Don’t go there.
If you were to be born as a hungry ghost, you would see tree stumps and protruding black shapes, small caves and black spots. If you head there, you will be born as a hungry spirit and will experience all kinds of suffering from hunger and thirst, so don’t head there at all, but think about opposition and resist stubbornly.
If you are to be born as a resident of hell, you will hear songs sung by beings with evil karma, or you will be forced to helplessly enter there, or you will feel that you are in a dark land with black and red houses, black pits and black roads. If you go there, you will go to hell and suffer unbearably from heat and cold, with no way out in sight. So don’t go there, don’t enter at all, but be careful. It is said: “Close the gates of the womb and think about opposition.” This is needed now.
O son of a noble family, even if you do not want to go, you do not have your own strength and are forced to walk helplessly. Karmic avengers are pursuing you from behind and avengers and murderers are pulling you in front; Darkness, hurricanes, furious storms, roar, snow and rain, violent hail and blizzard will swirl around you, and you will flee from them. When you flee, you will seek refuge and feel safe in the luxurious houses described before, or in rock shelters, in earthen holes, among trees or in round bowls of lotus flowers. Hiding there, you will be afraid to come out and think, “Now I can’t get out of here,” and you will become attached to that place for fear of leaving it.
You are afraid of meeting the horrors of the bardo if you go outside, you are very afraid of them; so you will hide inside and take on a body, no matter how bad it is, and experience all kinds of suffering. This is a sign that demons and evil forces have taken possession of you now, and at this time you need wise guidance – listen and comprehend. In this time of terror, when you, helpless, are being pursued by the avengers, you should immediately see with all your mind the Blessed Supreme Heruka, or Hayagriva, or Vajrapani, or your Idam, if you have one, with a huge body and thick limbs, standing in a terrifying a pose of anger that crushes all evil forces to dust. Separated from the avengers by his blessing and compassion, you will gain the strength to choose the gate of the womb. This is the true deep secret of instruction – understand it.
O son of a noble family, the gods of meditation are born through the power of samadhi. Many evil forces, such as hungry ghosts, have changed their position in the bardo state, they are able to appear in various illusory forms of hungry ghosts and demons and transform into this mental body itself. The hungry spirits living in the depths of the sea and flying in space, and all 80 thousand kinds of evil forces took over this mental body, changing their position. At this time, it is best to contemplate the Great Symbol of Emptiness, but if you cannot do this, then take part in the game of illusion. If you cannot do this, at least do not become attached to anything, but meditate on Yidam, the Lord of Great Compassion, and you will become a Buddha at the level of the Bliss Body in the bardo state.
O son of a noble family, if you are to enter the womb under the influence of karma, you will now be instructed to choose the gate of the womb. Listen! Don’t enter the first womb that appears. If the avengers have come and you cannot avoid joining, meditate on Hayagriva. Since you now have subtle supersensible perception, you know all the places – make a choice.
There are two instructions: about transferring to the Pure Realm of the Buddha and about choosing the impure samsaric gates of the womb, so act like this: Transferring to the Pure Realm of Space, the realm of purified qualities, is guided by these words: “Oh, how sad it is that I still remain in this dirty swamp samsara, after so many countless centuries without beginning or end, and while many others have already become Buddhas, I have not yet achieved liberation. From now on I feel sick in this samsara, I am afraid of it, I am exhausted by it. Now the time has come to prepare for departure, so I must take spontaneous birth in the lotus flower at the feet of Buddha Amitabha in the Western Blissful Realm.” By focusing one’s thoughts on the Western Blissful Realm, this effort can be accomplished.
Or if, without distraction, you direct a strong, concentrated thought to any realm you desire – be it the Pure Realm, the Realm of Perfect Joy, the Densely Filled Realm, the Willow Leaves Realm, Palm Tree Mountain or the Lotus Palace of Light in Urgyana – you will immediately be born in this kingdom. Or if you wish to go to Lord Maitreya in the Joyful Realm, focus on this thought: “Now, in the bardo state, the time has come for me to go to the Dharma King Maitreya in the Joyful Realm, so I will go,” and you will spontaneously be born in the heart of the lotus in the immediate proximity to Maitreya.
Otherwise, if you cannot do this and want to enter the womb, or find that you should enter it, there is an instruction about choosing the impure samsaric gate of the womb – so listen. As before, sense with your supersensible perception the continent you are about to choose, and enter the place where the teaching of the Buddha flourishes.
If you are to be spontaneously born in a disgusting dung heap, this stinking mass will seem fragrant to you, you will feel attracted and will be born there; therefore, whatever arises, do not trust it, but put an end to the signs of desire and hatred and choose the gate of the womb.
Again, it is very important to think with concentration: “I will be born as the lord of an empire for the benefit of all sentient beings, or as a brahmana like a sala tree, or as the son of a siddha magician, or in a family of pure followers of the teachings of the Buddha, or in a family where both father and mother believe; by incarnating in a body possessing virtues that can serve the benefit of all living beings, I will do good.” You need to enter the womb, focusing on this thought. At this moment, bless the womb into which you enter, like the palace of the gods; turn in prayer to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions and to the Yidams, first of all to the Lord of Great Compassion, and enter the womb.
When choosing the gates of the womb, under the influence of karma, you can make a mistake by mistaking the good gates of the womb for bad or bad for good, so now another thought of instruction is very important; do this: even if the gate of the womb seems good, do not trust it, and if it seems bad, do not feel hostility. The true, deep, essential secret is to enter into the highest state of balance, where there is neither good nor bad, neither acceptance nor denial, neither passion nor malice.
O son of a noble family, if you do not know how to choose the gate of the womb and cannot free yourself from passion and malice, then whatever of the described sensations arise, call on the Three Jewels and take refuge in them. Pray to the Lord of Great Compassion. Continue on your way with your head held high. Give up attachment and longing for relatives and friends, sons and daughters whom you left behind; they can’t help you. Now enter the blue light of the world of people or the white light of the world of gods; enter palaces of gems and gardens of bliss.
The instruction in the bardo that liberates human beings, the deep innermost essence, “Great Liberation as a result of hearing.” This treasure was found by Siddha Karma-Linta in Mount Gampodar. May it serve for the benefit of the teaching and all living beings.
Afterword
In form, the “Book of the Great Liberation” is a complex set of instructions and prayers with which the lama admonishes the dying and the deceased. The main task of the lama reading the book is to show the dying person that all the images appearing before him are “manifestations” or “reflections” of his own consciousness (Tib. snag – “visible, manifested”). One of the features of the ritual is that a person listens to the lama’s instructions while being in an invisible body. The instructions of the Tibetan lamas are striking in their accuracy of description of the borderline states of human existence, and anyone who has experienced them will be convinced of this.
“The Book of the Great Liberation” is one of the so-called “secret books” (Tib. gfer-ma; in the original they are distinguished by the sign – at the end of each paragraph). According to legend, they were designed by the teacher Padmasambhava in the 8th century, then hidden in secret caves and discovered later, during the heyday of Tibetan Buddhism. The version of the “Book” offered to the reader’s attention is found in the Nyingmala school, one of the directions of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Book of Great Liberation was first translated into English by Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup. The translation was prepared for publication and published in 1927 in Oxford by W. I. Evans-Wentz, who then emphasized that its publication was only the first step. Since then, much work has been done on the text of the book, especially in recent decades as Western research on Tibetan Buddhism has expanded. The Russian text was prepared on the basis of one of the new English editions of the book translated by the Tibetan scholar Chogyam Trungpa (London, 1975), taking into account the work of Evans-Wentz (in the Russian translation only the instructions to the lama reading the book are omitted. The terminology is corrected according to the ten-volume Tibetan-Russian -English dictionary by Yu.N. Roerich).
Chogyam Trungpa has extensive experience in the practical application of the instructions of the Book of the Dead: starting from the age of eight, he visited the dying several times a week. Therefore, in translation, he was able to reproduce the subtlest shades of the psychological state of a wide variety of people before death. The translation is dominated by Sanskrit analogues of Tibetan terms and proper names, since they are better known to the general reader.
The deities described in the “Book of the Dead” are perceived in the Buddhist tradition as the embodiment of various energetic manifestations. The Book of the Dead describes and uniquely interprets the life experiences of people. Chögyam Trungpa called it the “Book of Space,” which contains both life and death. Indeed, the bardo – an intermediate state – can occur not only after death, but also in life situations, for example, during illnesses and injuries. Comprehension and experience of these states is intended to give an understanding of life and death, to overcome stress and fear.