In that state wherein thou art existing, there is being experienced by thee, in an unbearable intensity, Voidness and Brightness inseparable,—the Voidness bright by nature and the Brightness by nature void, and the Brightness in- separable from the Voidness,—a state of the primordial [or unmodified] intellect, which is the Adi-Kaya.t And the injury. ‘As through a cloud, a sword can be plunged through the Bardo-body without harming it’—the /a@mas explain; or it is like the forms seen in material- izing seances of necromancers and spirit-mediums.
1 These Lords of Death are Yama-Raja and his Court of Associates, including, perhaps, the Executive Furies, These last are, as Tormenting Furies, compar- able to the Eumenides of Aeschylus’ great drama—elements of one’s own consciousness-content. Following the Abhidhamma, of Southern Buddhism, there are mind (Skt. chit, Tib. sevzs—pron. sem) and impulses of mind (Skt. chittavritti, Tib. sems-hbyung—pron. sem-jung); and the impulses of mind are the Furies. (Cf. pp. 147-8.)
2 Text: Ragsha-glang-mgo (pron. Ragsha-lang-go): ‘Bull-headed Spirit of Death’, commonly depicted as having a buffalo-head. The chief tutelary deity of the Gelugpa or Yellow Hat Sect, called Jampal Shinjeshed (Tib. Hjam-dpal Gshin-vje-gshed), meaning ‘ Jampal (Skt. Matjusrhi), the Destroyer of the Lord of Death (Skt. Yamdntaka)’, is often represented as a blue buffalo-headed deity.
3 See pp. 10-15.
4 Tib. Gowo-nyidku: Skt. Adi-Kaya (‘First Body’), which is synonymous with the Dharma-Kaya.
168 BARDO OF SEEKING REBIRTH [book 1 power of this, shining unobstructedly, will radiate every- where; it is the Mirmana-K aya.
O nobly-born, listen unto me undistractedly. By merely recognizing the Four Kayas, thou art certain to obtain perfect Emancipation in any of Them. Be not distracted. The line of demarcation between Buddhas and sentient beings lieth herein.! This moment is one of great importance; if thou shouldst be distracted now, it will require innumerable aeons of time for thee to come out? of the Quagmire of Misery.
A saying, the truth of which is applicable, is: ‘In a moment of time, a marked differentiation is created; In a moment of time, Perfect Enlightenment is obtained.’
Till the moment which hath just passed, all this Bardo hath been dawning upon thee and yet thou hast not re- cognized, because of being distracted. On this account, thou hast experienced all the fear and terror. Shouldst thou be- come distracted now, the chords of divine compassion of the Compassionate I‘yes will break, and thou wilt go into the place from which there is no [immediate] liberation, There- fore, be careful. Even though thou hast not recognized ere this—despite thus being set face to face—thou wilt recognize and obtain liberation here.
[Instructions to the Officiant]: If it be an illiterate boor who knoweth not how to meditate, then say this: O nobly-born, if thou knowest not how thus to meditate, act so as to remember the Compassionate One, and the Sangha, the Dharma, and the Buddha, and pray. Think of all these fears and terrifying apparitions as being thine own tutelary deity, or as the Compassionate One.* Bring to thy recollec- tion the mystic name that hath been given thee at the time 1 In virtue of knowing the true nature of sangsarvic existence—that all pheno- mena are unreal—Buddhas, or Perfectly Enlightened Ones, are beings quite apart from unenlightened sentient beings.
2 Lit., ‘there will be no time when thou canst get out’.
3 This is a literal rendering, meaning that the rays of grace or compassion of Chenrazee will cease to dawn.
* The idea meant to be conveyed is that trials and tribulations, although karmic, act as divine tests, and so, being for the good of the deccased, ought even to be visualized as such, i.e, as the tutelary deity, or as Chenrazee.
PART I] THE INITIATORY NAME 169 of thy sacred initiation when thou wert a human being, and the name of thy guru, and tell them to the Righteous King of the Lord[s] of Death.) Even though thou fallest down preci- pices, thou wilt not be hurt. Avoid awe and terror.
[THE ALL-DETERMINING INFLUENCE OF THOUGHT] [Instructions to the Officiant]: Say that; for by such set- ting-face-to-face, despite the previous non-liberation, libera- tion ought surely to be obtained? here. Possibly, [however,} liberation may not be obtained even after that setting-face- to-face; and earnest and continued application being essential, again calling the deceased by name, speak as follows: O nobly-born, thy immediate experiences will be of momen- tary joys followed by momentary sorrows, of great intensity, like the [taut and relaxed] mechanical actions of catapults? Be not in the least attached [to the joys] nor displeased [by the sorrows] of that.
If thou art to be born on a higher plane, the vision of that higher plane will be dawning upon thee.
Thy living relatives may—by way of dedication for the benefit of thee deceased—be sacrificing many animals, and performing religious ceremonies, and giving alms. Thou, 1 This revealing of the initiatory name is for the purpose of establishing occult connexion between the deceased and the King of Death—i.e, between the human and the divine in man—in much the same way as a Freemason will make himself known to another Freemason by giving some secret password.
2 Lit., ‘ will be obtained’.
8 That is to say, at one time good karma will be operative and raise the deceased to a spiritual state of mind, and at another time, bad karma becoming predominant, the deceased will be pulled down in mental depression. The operator of the catapult is Zara, who stretches out the catapult to its limit and then relaxes it, alternately.
4 Each time an animal is sacrificed—presumably to be prepared for food afterwards—the deceased is said to be unable to escape the karmzc result, the sacrifice being done in his name, so that horrors come upon him directly. He calls to the living to cease, but, they not hearing him, he is inclined to grow angry; and anger he must avoid at all costs, for if allowed to arise on the Bardo-pliane, like a heavy weight, it forces him down to the lowest mental state called Hell.
Animal sacrifice to the dead, in Tibet as in India, originated in ancient times, far prior to the rise of Buddhism, which, of course, prohibits it, Survivals of it 3069 Z 170 BARDO OF SEEKING REBIRTH [BOOK II because of thy vision not being purified, mayst be inclined to grow very angry at their actions and bring about, at this moment, thy birth in Hell: whatever those left behind thee may be doing, act thou so that no angry thought can arise in thee, and meditate upon love for them.
Furthermore, even if thou feelest attached to the worldly goods thou hast left behind, or, because of seeing such worldly goods of thine in the possession of other people and being enjoyed by them, thou shouldst feel attached to them through weakness, or feel angry with thy successors, that feeling will affect the psychological moment in such a way that, even though thou wert destined to be born on higher and happier planes, thou wilt be obliged to be born in Hell, or in the world of prezas [or unhappy ghosts]. On the other hand, even if thou art attached to worldly goods left behind, thou wilt not be able to possess them, and they will be of no use to thee. Thercfore, abandon weakness and attachment for them; cast them away wholly; renounce them from thy heart. No matter who may be enjoying thy worldly goods, have no feeling of miserliness, but be prepared to renounce them willingly. Think that thou art offering them to the Precious Trinity and to thy guru, and abide in the feeling of unattachment, devoid of weakness [of desire].
have persisted in Tibet, but without the approval of the /amas, as our text clearly proves; and, if practised nowadays, it is only rarely, and by the rude folk of remote districts, who are Buddhist merely in name.
Save for the yogi or lama eager for the highest spiritual development—with which flesh-eating is said to be incompatible —Tibetans, being confirmed eaters of animal corpses, like the Brahmins of Kashmir (who are, consequently, not recognized as Brahmins by the pure-living Brahmins of India), excuse their meat-eating on the grounds of climatic and economic necessity. Although Tibet is poor in cereals and vegetables and fruits, this seems to be chiefly an unconscious attempt to cover up a racial predisposition, inherited from nomadic and pastoral ancestors, for a flesh diet. Even in Ceylon, where there can be no such excuse for Buddhists to disobey the precept prohibiting the taking of life, flesh-eating has already made rapid progress since the advent of Christianity, which, unlike Buddhism, does not, unfortunately, teach kindness to animals as a religious tenet, St. Paul himself being of opinion that God cares not for oxen (see z Cor. ix.g), And yet on Ceylon’s Sacred Mount of Mihintale still stands, as witness of a purer Buddhism, the ancient edict, cut on a stone slab, pro- hibiting—as the Edicts of Asoka prohibit—the slaying of any animal, either in sacrifice or for food.
rae!) TEE DIRECTING OF THOUGHT rj Again, when any recitation of the Kamkani Mantra is being made on thy behalf as a funeral rite, or when any rite for the absolving of bad karma liable to bring about thy birth in lower regions is being performed for thee, the sight of their being conducted in an incorrect way, mixed up with sleep and distraction and non-observance of the vows and lack of purity [on the part of any officiant], and such things indicating levity—all of which thou wilt be able to see because thou art endowed with limited Larmic power of prescience *—thou mayst feel lack of faith and entire dis- belief {in thy religion]. Thou wilt be able to apprehend any fear and fright, any black actions, irreligious conduct, and incorrectly recited rituals? In thy mind thou mayst think, ‘ Alas! they are, indeed, playing me false’. Thinking thus, thou wilt be extremely depressed, and, through great resentment, thou wilt acquire disbelief and loss of faith, instead of affection and humble trustfulness. This affecting the psychological moment, thou wilt be certain to be born in one of the miserable states.
Such [thought] will not only be of no use to thee, but will do thee great harm. However incorrect the ritual and im- proper the conduct of the priests performing thy funeral rites, [think], ‘What! mine own thoughts must be impure! How can it be possible that the words of the Buddha should be incorrect? It is like the reflection of the blemishes on mine own face which IJ see in a mirror; mine own thoughts must [indeed] be impure. As for these [i.e. the priests], the Sangha is their body, the Dharma their utterance, and in their mind they are the Buddha in reality: I will take refuge in them’.
1 This mantra is believed to have the magical power of so transmuting food sacrificed to the dead as to make it acceptable to them.
2 In its fullness, this power of prescience includes knowledge of the past, present, and future, the ability to read others’ thoughts, and the unobscured knowing of one’s own capabilities and limitations. Only highly developed beings, such, for example, as adepts in yoga, enjoy such complete power of prescience. On the Bardo plane—unlike the human world—every being possesses, in virtue of freedom from the impeding gross physical body, a certain degree of the power, as the text makes clear.
3 That is, fear and fright, or impropriety, or carelessness on the part of any person conducting the funeral rites.
2, BARDO OF SEEKING REBIRTH [Book Ir Thus thinking, put thy trust in them and exercise sincere love towards them. Then whatever is done for thee [by those] left behind will truly tend to thy benefit. Therefore the exercise of that love is of much importance; do not forget this.
Again, even if thou wert to be born in one of the miserable states and the light of that miserable state shone upon thee, yet by thy successors and relatives performing white! religious rites unmixed with evil actions, and the abbots and learned priests devoting themselves, body, speech, and mind, to the performance of the correct meritorious rituals, the delight from thy feeling greatly cheered at seeing them will, by its own virtue, so affect the psychological moment that, even though thou deservest a birth in the unhappy states, there will be brought about thy birth on a higher and happier plane. [Therefore] thou shouldst not create impious thoughts, but exercise pure affection and humble faith towards all impartially. This is highly important. Hence be extremely careful.
O nobly-born, to sum up: thy present intellect in the Inter- mediate State having no firm object whereon to depend, being of little weight and continuously in motion, whatever thought occurs to thee now—be it pious or impious—will wield great power; therefore think not in thy mind of im- pious things, but recall any devotional exercises; or, if thou wert unaccustomed to any such exercises, [show forth] pure affection and humble faith; pray to the Compassionate One, or to thy tutelary deities; with full resolve, utter this prayer: ‘ Alas! while wandering alone, separated from loving friends,? When the vacuous, reflected body of mine own mental ideas dawneth upon me, May the Buddhas, vouchsafing their power of compassion, Grant that there shall be no fear, awe, or terror in the Bardo. When experiencing miseries, through the power of evil karma, May the tutelary deities dispel the miseries. 1 “White’ as opposed to ‘ black’ (as in black magic or sorcery). * Cf. the following from the Orologium Sapientiae, Comper’s ed. (p. 119): ‘Where is now the help of my friends? Where be now the good behests of our kinsmen and others?’
PART I] PRAYER FOR GUIDANCE 173 When the thousand thunders of the Sound of Reality re- verberate, May they all be sounds of the Six Syllables.
When Karma follows, without there being any protector, May the Compassionate One protect me, I pray.
When experiencing the sorrows of karmic propensities here, May the radiance of the happy clear light of Samadhi shine upon me.’
Earnest prayer in this form will be sure to guide thee along; thou mayst rest assured that thou wilt not be deceived. Of great importance is this: through that being recited, again recollection cometh; and recognition and liberation will be achieved.
(tHe DAWNING OF THE LIGHTS OF tilt ols LOLKAS [Instructions to the Officiant]: Yet—though this [instruction ] be so oft repeated—if recognition be difficult, because of the influence of evil karma, much benefit will come from repeating these settings-face-to-face many times over. Once more, | then, | call the deceased by name, and speak as follows: O nobly-born, if thou hast been unable to apprehend the above, henceforth the body of the past life will become more and more dim and the body of the future life will become more and more clear. Saddened at this [thou wilt think], ‘O what misery I am undergoing! Now, whatever body I am to get, I shall go and seek [it]’. So thinking, thou wilt be going hither and thither, ceaselessly and distractedly. Then there will shine upon thee the lights of the Six Sangsaric Lokas. The light of that place wherein thou art to be born, through power of karma, will shine most prominently.
O nobly-born, listen. If thou desirest to know what those six lights are: there will shine upon thee a dull white light from the Deva-world, a dull green light from the Asura- world, a dull yellow light from the Human-world, a dull blue 1 See p, 149).
174 BARDO OF SEEKING REBIRTH [Book II light from the Brute-world, a dull red light from the Preza- world, and a smoke-coloured light from the Hell-world.* At that time, by the power of karma, thine own body will partake ‘ of the colour of the light of the place wherein thou art to be born.
O nobly-born, the special art of these teachings is especially important at this moment: whichever light shineth upon thee now, meditate upon it as being the Compassionate One; from whatever place the light cometh, consider that [place] to be [or to exist in] the Compassionate One. This is an exceedingly profound art; it will prevent birth. Or whosoever thy tute- lary deity may be, meditate upon the form for much time,— as being apparent yet non-existent in reality, like a form form. Then let the [visualization of the] tutelary deity melt away from the extremities, till nothing at all remaineth visible of it; and put thyself in the state of the Clearness and the Voidness *—which thou canst not conceive as something— and abide in that state for a little while. Again meditate upon the tutelary deity; again meditate upon the Clear Light: do this alternately. Afterwards, allow thine own intellect also to melt away gradually,’ [beginning] from the extremities.
Wherever the ether* pervadeth, consciousness pervadeth; wherever consciousness pervadeth, the Dharma-Kaya per- vadeth. Abide tranquilly in the uncreated state of the Dharma-Kaya. In that state, birth will be obstructed and Perfect Enlightenment gained.
1 Here as before (see p. 1247) the MS. is faulty. It gives the lights as follows: white for the Deva-world, red for the Asura-world, blue for the Human-world, green for the Brute-world, yellow for the Preta-world, smoke- coloured for the Hell-world. This error, apparently on the part of the copyist of the MS., has been corrected by the translator.
* This expression, ‘the Clearness and the Voidness’, from the instructions following, seems to be synonymous with ‘the Clear Light’, or ‘the Clear Light and the Voidness’, 3 This process corresponds to the two stages of Samddhi: the visualization stage, and the perfected stage, (See p. r1g!.)
* Text: nam-mkhah (pron, nam-kha): Skt. Akdshas ‘ether’, or ‘sky’.
PART II] VITAL TEACHINGS 175 [PART 11] [iE PROCESS OF REBIRTH [THE CLOSING OF THE DOOR OF THE WOMB] [Instructions to the Officiant]: Again, if through great weak- ness in devotions and lack of familiarity one be not able to understand, illusion may overcome one, and one will wander to the doors of wombs. The instruction for the closing of the womb-doors becometh very important: call the deceased by name and say this: O nobly-born, if thou hast not understood the above, at this moment, through the influence of Zarma, thou wilt have the impression that thou art either ascending, or moving along on a level, or going downwards. Thereupon, meditate upon the Compassionate One. Remember. Then, as said above, gusts of wind, and icy blasts, hail-storms, and darkness, and impression of being pursued by many people will come upon thee. On fleeing from these [hallucinations], those who are unendowed with meritorious £arma will have the impression of fleeing into places of misery; those who are endowed with meritorious arma will have the impression of arriving in places of happiness. Thereupon, O nobly-born, in whatever continent or place thou art to be born, the signs of that birth- place will shine upon thee then.
For this moment there are several vital profound teachings. Listen undistractedly. Even though thou hast not appre- hended by the above settings-face-to-face, here [thou wilt, because] even those who are very weak in devotions will recognize the signs. Therefore listen.
{Instructions to the Officiant]: Now it is very important to employ the methods of closing the womb-door. Where- fore it is necessary to exercise the utmost care. There are two [chief] ways of closing: preventing the being who would enter from entering, and closing the womb-door which might be entered.
176 BARDO OF SEEKING REBIRTH [BOOK I!
[METHOD OF PREVENTING ENTRY INTO A WOMB} The instructions for preventing the being from entering are thus: O nobly-born, (so-and-so by name,) whosoever may have been thy tutelary deity, tranquilly meditate upon him,—as upon the reflection of the moon in water, apparent yet non-existent [as a moon], like a magically-produced illusion. If thou hast no special tutelary, meditate either upon the Com- passionate Lord or upon me; and, with this in mind, meditate tranquilly.
Then, causing the [visualized form of the] tutelary deity to melt away from the extremities, meditate, without any thought- forming, upon the vacuous Clear Light. This is a very profound art; in virtue of it, a womb is not entered.
{THE FIRST METHOD OF CLOSING THE WOMB-DOOR] In that manner meditate; but even though this be found inadequate to prevent thee from entering into a womb, and if thou findest thyself ready to enter into one, then there is the profound teaching for closing the womb-door. Listen thou unto it: ‘When, at this time, alas! the Sidpa Bardo is dawning upon oneself, Holding in mind one single resolution, Persist in joining up the chain of good karma;} Close up the womb-door, and remember the opposition.?
This is a time when earnestness and pure love are necessary; Abandon jealousy, and meditate upon the Guru Father- Mother.’
Repeat this, from thine own mouth, distinctly; and re- 1 To obtain results, the accumulated merit, born of good actions done in the earth-life, must be made operative, that is, it must be linked with the Bardo existence of the deceased.
2 Normally, existence in the Bardo ever tends to lead the deceased back to birth; and this is due to karmic propensities, which are the opposition, the forces opposing the Enlightenment of Buddhahood. Hence the deceased must oppose this innate tendency with every help available.
PART II] ONE-POINTEDNESS OF MIND 177 member its meaning vividly, and meditate upon it. The putting of this into practice is essential.
The significance of the above teaching, ‘ When, at this time, the Szdpa Bardo is dawning upon me [or upon oneself |’, is that now thou art wandering in the Szdpa Bardo. As a sign of this, if thou lookest into water, or into mirrors, thou wilt see no reflection of thy face or body; nor doth thy body cast any shadow. Thou hast discarded now thy gross material body of flesh and blood. These are the indications that thou art wandering about in the Sidpa Bardo.
At this time, thou must form, without distraction, one single resolve in thy mind. The forming of one single resolve is very important now. It is like directing the course of a horse by the use of the reins.
Whatever thou desirest will come to pass. Think not upon evil actions which might turn the course [of thy mind]. Remember thy [spiritual] relationship with the Reader of this Bardo Thodol, or with any one from whom thou hast received teachings, initiation, or spiritual authorization for reading religious texts while in the human world; and per- severe in going on with good acts: this is very essential. Be not distracted. The boundary line between going upwards or going downwards is here now. If thou givest way to indecision for even a second, thou wilt have to suffer misery for a long, long time. This is the moment. Hcld fast to one single purpose. Persistently join up the chain of good acts.
Thou hast come now to the time of closing the womb-door. ‘This is a time when earnestness and pure love are necessary’, which implieth that now the time hath come when, first of all, the womb-door should be closed, there being five methods of closing. Bear this well at heart.
[THE SECOND METHOD OF CLOSING THE WOMB-DOOR} O nobly-born, at this time thou wilt see visions of males and females in union. When thou seest them, remember to withhold thyself from going between them. Regarding the 3069 Aa 178 BARDO OF SEEKING REBIRTH [Book II father and mother as thy Gwrw and the Divine Mother,’ meditate upon them and bow down; humbly exercise thy faith; offer up mental worship with great fervency; and resolve that thou wilt request [of them] religious guidance.
By that resolution alone, the womb ought certainly to be closed; but if it is not closed even by that, and thou findest thysclf ready to enter into it, meditate upon the Divine Gurz Father-Mother,? as upon any tutelary deity, or upon the Compassionate Tutelary and S#akiz; and meditating upon them, worship them with mental offerings. Resolve earnestly that thou wilt request [of them] a boon. By this, the womb- door ought to be closed.
[THE THIRD METHOD OF CLOSING THE WOMB-DOOR] Still, if it be not closed even by that, and thou findest thyself ready t6 enter the womb, the third method of re- pelling attachment and repulsion is hereby shown unto thee: There are four kinds of birth: birth by egg, birth by womb, supernormal birth,® and birth by heat and moisture.* Amongst these four,® birth by egg and birth by womb agree in character.
As above said, the visions of males and females in union will appear. If, at that time, one entereth into the womb through the feelings of attachment and repulsion, one may be born either as a horse, a fowl, a dog, or a human being.® 1 ¢The father and mother’ are the male and female seen in union; the Guru is the celestial or spiritual Guru, not the human guru; and the Divine Mother is the Guru’s Shaktz, 2 That is, the Guru with the Shakh, as above directed.
3 Text: breus-skyes (pron. au-kye): Skt. Svayambhi: ‘supernormal (or mira- culous) birth’, by translation or transference of the consciousness-principle from one Joka to another. (See pp. 85-6.)
4 This refers to the germination of seeds and spores, or the processes of birth in the vegetable kingdom.
® ‘Brahmanism, likewise, recognizes four kinds of birth: svedaja (sweat- born, or moisture-born), andaja (egg-born), araywja (womb-born), and udbhigja (vegetation).’—Sj. Atal Behari Ghosh.
° Esoterically, this passage implies that, in accordance with karma, one may be reborn with the peculiar propensities which the various animals named symbolize, Plato in The Republic has employed animal symbols in the same way. (See p. 179'.)
PART IT] SEX AT BIRTH 179 If [about] to be born as a male, the feeling of itself being a male dawneth upon the Knower, and a feeling of intense hatred towards the father and of jealousy and attraction towards the mother is begotten. If [about] to be born as a female, the feeling of itself being a female dawneth upon the Knower, and a feeling of intense hatred towards the mother and of intense attraction and fondness towards the father is be- gotten. Through this secondary cause—[when] entering upon the path of ether, just at the moment when the sperm and the ovum are about to unite—the Knower experienceth the bliss of the simultaneously-born state, during which state it fainteth away into unconsciousness. [Afterwards] it findeth itself encased in oval form, in the embryonic state, and upon emerging from the womb and opening its eyes it may find itself transformed into a young dog. Formerly it had been a human being, but now if it have become a dog it findeth itself under- going sufferings in a dog’s kennel; or [perhaps] as a young pig in a pigsty, or as an ant in an ant-hill, or as an insect, or a grub in a hole, or as a calf, or a kid, or a lamb,! from which shape there is no [immediate] returning. Dumbness, stupidity, and miserable intellectual obscurity are suffered, and a variety of sufferings experienced. In like manner, one may wander into hell, or into the world of unhappy ghosts, or throughout the Six Zokas, and endure inconceivable miseries.
Those who are voraciously inclined towards this [i.e. sazgsavic existence], or those who do not at heart fear it——O dreadful! O dreadful! Alas!—and those who have not received a curu’s 1 Herein we see the animal symbolism expanded in such manner as quite to parallel the passage in Plato’s Republic describing the choosing of animal bodies for the next incarnation. (See p. 1788; also pp. 49-53.) The popular or exoteric interpretation of such passages in our text as this passage (cf. pp. 126, 129, 156-7 herein) would seem to be as reasonable as it would if applied to similar passages in Plato; and, furthermore, the copyist, and possibly the composer or composers of the Bardo Thédol, may have been exotericists, or at least intended their text to emphasize the exoteric interpretation, holding as priests often have held, and as some hold even nowadays, that fear-producing doctrines (e.g. the Christian doctrine that hell is an eternal condition), although literally untrue, are, nevertheless, like whips to keep the lower mentalities alert and possibly more virtuous. Nevertheless, for our own (more or less corrupted) text, as for Plato’s, there does exist the esoteric key to the real meaning, such as we have given in our Introduction, pp. 55-9.
180 BARDO OF SEEKING REBIRTH [BOOK II teachings, will fall down into the precipitous depths of the Sangsava in this manner, and suffer interminably and un- bearably. Rather than meet with a like fate, listen thou unto my words and bear these teachings of mine at heart.
Reject the feelings of attraction or repulsion, and remember one method of closing the womb-door which I am going to show to thee. Close the womb-door and remember the opposition. This is the time when earnestness and pure love are necessary. As hath been said, ‘Abandon jealousy, and meditate upon the Guru Father-Mother.’
As above explained, if to be born as a male, attraction towards the mother and repulsion towards the father, and if to be born as a female, attraction towards the father and repulsion towards the mother, together with a feeling of jealousy [for one or the other] which ariseth, will dawn upon thee.
For that time there is a profound teaching. O nobly-born, when the attraction and repulsion arise, meditate as follows: ‘Alas! what a being of evil karma am I! That I have wandered in the Sazxgsara hitherto, hath been owing to attraction and repulsion. If I still go on feeling attraction and repulsion, then I shall wander in endless Sangsara and suffer in the Ocean of Misery for a long, long time, by sinking therein. Now I must not act through attraction and repulsion. Alas, for me! Henceforth I will never act through attraction and repulsion.’
Meditating thus, resolve firmly that thou wilt hold on to that [resolution]. It hath been said, in the Tantras, ‘The door of the womb will be closed up by that alone.’
O nobly-born, be not distracted. Hold thy mind one- pointedly upon that resolution.
[THE FOURTH METHOD OF CLOSING THE WOMB-DOOR] Again, even if that doth not close the womb, and one findeth [oneself] ready to enter the womb, then by mcans of the teaching [called] ‘The Untrue and the Illusory’?
* Text: Bden-ned-sgyu-ma-ltabu (pron. Den-ned-gyu-ma-tabu): ‘Non-true [and] Illusion-like’, the title of a Tibetan treatisc on the unreality of phenomena, PART Wm] UNREALITY OF PHENOMENA 181 the womb should be closed. That is to be meditated as follows: ‘QO, the pair, the father and the mother, the black rain, the storm-blasts, the clashing sounds, the terrifying appari- tions, and all the phenomena, are, in their true nature, illusions. Howsoever they may appear, no truth is there [in them]; all substances are unreal and false. Like dreams and like apparitions are they; they are non-permanent; they have no fixity. What advantage is there in being attached [to them]! What advantage is there in having fear and terror of them! It is the seeing of the non-existent as the existent. All these are hallucinations of one’s own mind. The illusory mind itself doth not exist from eternity; therefore where should these external [phenomena] exist?
‘I, by not having understood these [things] in that way hitherto, have held the non-existent to be the existent, the unreal to be the real, the illusory to be the actual, and have wandered in the Sangsadra so long. And even now if I do not recognize them to be illusions, then, wandering in the Sangsara for long ages, [I shall be] certain to fall into the morass of various miseries.
‘Indeed, all these are like dreams, like hallucinations, like echoes, like the cities of the Odour-eaters,! like mirage, like mirrored forms, like phantasmagoria, like the moon seen in water—not real even for a moment. In truth, they are unreal; they are false.’
By holding one-pointedly to that train of thought, the belicf that they are real is dissipated; and, that being impressed upon the inner continuity [of consciousness], one turneth backwards: if the knowledge of the unreality be impressed deeply in that way, the womb-door will be closed.
[THE FIFTH METHOD OF CLOSING THE WOMB-DOOR] Still, even when this is done, if the holding [phenomena] as real remaineth undissolved, the womb-door is not closed; and, if one be ready to enter into the womb, thereupon one 1 Text: Dri-za (pron. Di-za): ‘Odour-eaters’; Skt. Gandharva, the Fairies of Indian and Buddhist mythology. Their cities are fantastically-shaped clouds, which dissolve in rain and vanish. (Cf. p. 1648.)
182 BARDO OF SEEKING REBIRTH [BOOK II should close the womb-door by meditating upon the Clear Light, this being the fifth [method]. The meditation is per- formed as follows: ‘Lo! all substances are mine own mind;! and this mind is vacuousness, is unborn, and unceasing.’
Thus meditating, allow the mind to rest in the uncreated [state|—like, for example, the pouring of water into water. The mind should be allowed its own easy mental posture, in its natural [or unmodified] condition, clear and vibrant. By maintaining this relaxed, uncreated [state of mind], the womb-doors of the four kinds of birth? are sure to be closed. Meditate thus until the closing is successfully accomplished.
[Instructions to the Officiant]: Many very profound teach- ings for closing the womb-door have been given above. It is impossible that they should not liberate people of the highest, the average, and the lowest intellectual capacity. If it be asked why this should be so, it is because, firstly, the con- sciousness in the Bardo possessing supernormal powcr of perception® of a limited kind, whatever is spoken to one then is apprehended. Secondly, because—although [formerly] deaf or blind—here, at this time, all one’s faculties are perfect, and one can hear whatever is addressed to one. Thirdly, being continually pursued by awe and terror, onc thinketh, ‘What is best?’ and, being alertly conscious, one is always coming to hear whatever may be told to one. Since the consciousness is without a prop,* it immediately goeth to whatever place the mind directeth. Fourthly, it is casy 1 Text: rNam-shes (pron. Nam-she): ‘consciousness-principle’: Skt. Vijzana Skandha. The translator preferred to follow the context here and rendered this as ‘mind’, as synonymous with ‘consciousness’.
2 As mentioned above, on p. 178.
8 Text: mzngon-shes (pron. ngon-she), referring to certain gifts of supernormal perception (Skt. Abhynd), of which six are commonly enumerated: (1) super- normal vision and (2) hearing; (3) thought-reading; (4) knowledge of miraculous power; (5) recollection of former existences; (6) knowledge of the destruction ofthe passions. For the ordinary deceased person such ‘supernormal power of perception’ is limited (or exhaustible), and only operative in the after-dcath state; whereas for a Buddha, or a devotee perfected in yoga, it is a permanent and unlimited possession on all planes of consciousness. ‘ That is, without the human-plane body to depend upon.
PARTI] WHY THESE TEACHINGS LIBERATE 183 to direct it? The memory? is ninefold more lucid than before. Even though stupid [before], at this time, by the workings of karma, the intellect becometh exceedingly clear and capable of meditating whatever is taught to it. [Hence the answer is], it is because it [i.e. the Knower] possesseth these virtues.