Tenga Rinpoche - Transition and Liberation (Revised).pdf

T E N G A R I N P O C H E

Transition&

LiberationF.XPLANATIONS OI MEDITATION IN TIIE BARDO

Tenga Rinpoche in Pullahari Monastery, 1995

T e n g a Ri n p o c h e

Tr a n sit io n a n d Liber a tio n

Ex pla na tio n s o f M e d it a t io n in t h e Ba r d o

ISBN 3-9805251-2-0

Originally published as: Obergang & BefreiimgCopyright © 1996 by Tenga Rinpoche and Susanne Schefczyk.English translation: Alex Wilding.All rights reserved.

Translated from Tibetan and edited by Susanne Schefczyk. Photographs of the bardo deities: Empowerment cards from the collection of Tenga Rinpoche.Photograph of Tenga Rinpoche: Peter van Deurzen.Tibetan Choegyal Font: Tony Duff.

Published by Khampa Buchverlag, Osterby, DE.Setting by IKP, Eckemfôrde, DE.Printed at: Platan, Krakow, PL.Cover Design: Wolfgang Nowacki.Cover picture: “Mandala of the 42 Peaceful Deities”. The original painted mandala is taken from the Catalogue of the Art Exhibition Die Gotter des H im alaya (Gods of the Himalayas),© Prestel-Verlag, 1989, by kind permission of G.-W. Essen.

Co n ten ts

Fo r e w o r d ...............................................................................................................1

In tr o d u c t io n ....................................................................................................... 5

Ti ie C ausai. Via iicle o f Ci ia r a c t e r is t ic s .................................... 5

T h e F r u it io n V e h ic l e o f S e c r e t M a n t r a ...................................8

T he B a rd o o f t h e N a tu r a l P ia c e o f B i r t h ............................................13

T h e F o r m a t io n o f t h e H um an B o d y .......................................... 15

T h e Ba rdo o f D rea m ...................................................................................... 2 7

T h e Ba rdo o f Samadhi a nd M ental Sta bility ..................................... 3 4

T h e Ba rd o o f t h e Tim e o f D e a t h ............................................................. 4 0

T h e Bardo o f D harmata ...............................................................................51

T h e Bard o o f B e c o m in g ...............................................................................9 4

C o n c lu d in g Rem arks...................................................................................101

Appe n d ix .............................................................................................................109

Literature o n t h e Ba r d o ........................................................................... 116

Forew ord

Tenga Rinpoche is a teacher o f the Kagyu tradition o f Tibetan Buddhism. He com es from the monastery o f Benchen in East Tibet, and is one o f the few teachers o f Tibetan philosophy and meditation practice still alive who obtained their education in the old Tibet.

This book is a reworked transcript o f the lectures which were given orally by the Ven. Tenga Rinpoche at Kagyu Benchen Ling, Todtmoos-Au in the German Black Forest, in November 1994. The lectures were given at the invitation o f the Ven. Chime Rinpoche, the Spiritual Director o f Kagyu Benchen Ling.

Tenga Rinpoche dealt with the subject o f the bardo in the course o f a series o f five lectures, concluding the series with a bardo empowerment. The Tibetan text on which Rinpoche largely based his teachings originated in the cycle o f the Naraka deities {Tib.: na rag dong sprugs}.

In the context o f those lectures Rinpoche repeatedly indicated that a publication o f the transcript o f the commentary would be o f great value, in particular as far as the symbolism o f the attributes in the hands o f the wrathful deities is concerned — such as, for example, human corpses, intestines and skull cups filled with blood. Rinpoche remarked that as a result o f ignorance o f the meaning o f these symbols the impression could arise that Tibetan Buddhism was a religion with cannibalistic leanings. In truth, however, the symbolism o f these attributes gives expression to the central statement o f Buddhist philosophy: the overcoming o f the clinging to an ‘I’ or ‘se lf, the cause o f all suffering in the cycle o f existences. It is therefore important to make the real meaning o f these symbols understandable to a wider public.

2 T e n g a R i n p o c h e : T r a n s it io n a n d L ib e r a t io n

The questions which were directed to Rinpoche in the course o f the lectures together with his respective answers are also reproduced in this book. They should go som e way towards answering the similar questions o f others.

In order to preserve som ething o f Tenga Rinpoche’s style o f teaching within the form o f a book, I have tried to provide the m ost literal translation possible. In pursuit o f this goal I have used the tape recordings to re-translate all the lectures, and tried to correct unclear points and errors which occurred in the course o f the oral translation o f the lectures.

In the context o f his teaching tour o f Germany, Rinpoche gave two further lectures on the subject o f the bardo at the Summer Camp in Oer-Erkenschwick and in the Kamalashila Institute at Schloß Wachendorf, lectures which contained som e further details. In those cases where these represented additional explanations on the topic, I have integrated them into the book.

I made a catalogue o f those questions which arose in the course o f the new translation and submitted it to Rinpoche in May o f 1995. I have integrated Rinpoche’s retrospective explanations on these points into the book. My particular interest in this respect was the correct and com plete translation o f the R oot Verses o f the Six Bardos.

The six bardos embrace a wide spectrum o f Tibetan philosophy and are therefore unavoidably connected with a large number o f technical terms. Most o f these terms are known to those readers who are familiar with this field. I have nevertheless endeavoured to use, as far as possible, German terms. An index o f the Tibetan technical expressions

F o r e w o r d 3

and their German translations is to be found in the appendix1.

I have converted the names o f those deities for whom I was unable to discover the corresponding Sanskrit names, on the basis o f Tenga Rinpoche’s pronunciation, into German phonetic equivalents2.

The number o f chapters does not correspond to the number o f lectures. I have organised these according to the divisions o f the meaning, corresponding to the six bardos. The questions have likewise been allocated according to their relevance to the corresponding chapters.

The working o f orally delivered talks into a linguistically satisfactory, easily readable book is an undertaking requiring a great deal o f work. I only managed it thanks to the inestimable help o f Rolf Remers, who untiringly used his precious time, on a number o f occasions until the first light o f morning, to polish the style o f the translation. Further thanks are due to Mille Siebelts, my true proofreader, for her help in that respect. Thanks to the valuable help o f Karl Brunnhólzl with the translation o f Tibetan technical terms and o f the root verses, and to very helpful advice from Thomas Roth and Edward Henning, I was able to save the reader from several unclear points.

1 All German terms have, of course, been translated into English for this version, and the glossary correspondingly adapted. For completeness the English translator includes here a translation of the next two paragraphs of the original introduction, although they are only of relevance to the German version:

Unlike the German language, Tibetan grammar has neither a declension of nouns nor a grammatical gender classification. Since disunity rules even amongst German Tibetologists about the grammatical usages of originally Tibetan terms I have treated those Tibetan nouns that I have used as neuter (das Bardo. das Tuudaml.Sanskrit on the other hand uses forms of declension and a classification of grammatical genders which are similar to those of German. I have left all the Sanskrit terms in their original gender (der Pharma, die Dharmata. das Pitakal. Nevertheless, for the sake of simplicity, I have left the diacritical marks out of the Sanskrit.

* In some cases it has been appropriate to slightly alter these in the pursuit of an understandable English version.

4 T e n g a Ri n p o c h e : T r a n s it io n a n d Lib e r a t io n

I hope that, in spite o f any misunderstandings which may still be present, I have succeeded in presenting Tenga Rinpoche’s precious teachings.

May this book be o f value to many beings.

Susanne Schefczyk

Medelon, June 1996

The English translator wishes at this point to thank Lorenz Dobrot for the privilege o f playing his own part in bringing this text to a wider audience, and Simon Romer for assistance with the text.

In tr o d u c t io n

The motivation with which w e begin an undertaking is an important factor. The highest attitude in the striving for enlightenm ent (Skt.: bodhicitta) should be the motivation in connection with all dharma activities. The intention here is to support all beings in their attainment o f the level o f realisation o f a buddha by putting the teachings o f the dharma into practice. Rinpoche teaches about the bardo on the basis o f such motivation. Readers are urged to study these teachings, to reflect upon them and to put them into practice with the same motivation. If bodhicitta is the basis o f our thought, then the mind o f enlightenment, the highest motivation o f the great vehicle (Skt.: mahayana), is fully developed.

Buddha Shakyamuni him self also travelled the whole path to buddhahood. The beginning o f his path was the developm ent o f the mind o f enlightenment, after which he practised the six perfections (Skt.: paramita) for three immeasurable aeons, thereby collecting merit for the benefit o f all beings, until in Bodhgaya, India, he finally realised the state o f a buddha.

As the Buddha he then taught two kinds o f vehicle:

- the causal vehicle o f characteristics

- the fruition vehicle o f secret mantra.

T h e C ausal Ve h ic l e o f C h a r a c teristics

It is called the causal vehicle because it teaches the cause o f buddhahood, the thirty-seven factors o f a bodhisattva. It is the vehicle in which these thirty-seven factors are practised and which eventually brings them to realisation.

6 T e n g a R in p o c h e : T r a n sit io n a n d Lib e r a t io n

To summarise briefly, the causal vehicle o f characteristics teaches principally the tripitaka, the three collections o f the spoken teachings o f the Buddha:

- vinayapitaka

- sutrapitaka

- abhidharmapitaka.

The first collection o f the teachings, the vinayapitaka, teaches principally the overcoming o f the affliction o f desirous attachment through the corresponding antidote, namely the training in correct behaviour.

The second collection o f the teachings, sutrapitaka, teaches principally the overcoming o f the affliction o f anger through the corresponding antidote, namely the training in samadhi.

The third collection o f the teachings, abhidharmapitaka, teaches principally the overcoming o f the affliction o f dullness through the corresponding antidote, namely the training in highest understanding.

In the abhidharmapitaka the Buddha also taught on the bardo. The Tibetan word ‘bardo’ {bar do } indicates an intermediate existence. Previous activities are now finished, future activities have not yet begun and everything which lies between is known as a bardo. In its most common usage, however, the word bardo refers to the existence in between death and renewed birth. Buddha describes the bardo existence, its forms o f expression and manifestation in the abhidharmapitaka.

The body in the bardo is described there as follows:

H is ph ysica l appearance corresponds to his previou s existence.

A ll sense fa cu lties are perfect. He m oves freely.He possesses the p o w er to perform karm ic m iracles.

I n t r o d u c t io n 7

With the p u re d iv in e eye he sees those who correspond to his realm o f existence.

H is p h ysica l appearance corresponds to h is previou s existence.

The appearance o f the body in the bardo is dependent upon karmic imprints. Here on earth we posses a body o f flesh and blood and a specific appearance. Because o f karmic imprints, our bardo body will take on the same appearance. However, this body is not made o f flesh and blood, but rather is a mental body. So if in this life we appear in the form o f a human being, because o f karmic imprints our mental body after death in the bardo will also take on the form and appearance o f a human.

A ll sense fa cu lties are perfect.

Even if we are blind or deaf in this life, if we have missing limbs, or som e organs that do not work, all o f these sense faculties, limbs and organs will be perfect in the bardo body.

He m oves freely.

If we think, for example, about Kathmandu, a picture o f the city immediately arises. The mental body o f the bardo is capable o f moving itself to any place, just by thought. It can not be obstructed by anything, whether cliffs, mountains or oceans. If we wanted to travel now in our material body to Kathmandu, we would have to undertake either an aeroplane flight or a long overland journey. However the bardo body moves freely and without hindrance.

He possesses the p o w er to perform karm ic m iracles.

In the intermediate existence o f the bardo, the body is capable o f performing miracles. If we have this capability in this life, then the reason lies in the power o f samadhi or of meditation. If we meditate well there is a possibility that we

8 T e n g a R i n p o c h e : T r a n s it io n a n d Lib e r a t io n

develop extraordinary powers such as clairvoyance, the ability to walk on water or not to be burnt by fire. Miracles in the bardo are different from these. They are merely called ‘miracles’, but do not happen as a result o f the force o f meditation but rather through the power o f karma.

For example, one miracle based on karma is the ability o f the mental body o f the bardo to see all the humans on the earth. With the eye o f the bardo he can see what his parents and relatives are doing. He can clairvoyandy see every place. With the ears o f the bardo he can hear the conversations o f all the people o f the earth.

With the p u re d ivin e eye he sees those who correspond to his realm o f existence.

A being o f the bardo who, on the basis o f his karma takes on the body o f a human can perceive other bardo beings having a similar karma. This also applies to beings with whom he has a karmic connection from an earlier life. In the bardo, the consciousness can also see those beings who correspond to the future realm o f existence o f his rebirth. If, for instance, he is going to be reborn as an animal, he can see all animals.

T h e F r u it io n V e h ic l e o f S e c r e t M antra

In addition to the bardo teachings which Buddha Shakyamuni gave in the abhidharma, he taught a variety o f methods whereby a being in the bardo can be helped. He taught phowa, which is the practice o f the ejection o f consciousness5, and the rituals o f the bardo. These methods are contained in the secret mantra vehicle.

This vehicle is also known as the secret-mantra-vajra vehicle, since, on the basis o f this path which joins method and highest understanding, w e can attain the vajra body with our

3 See pages 9,43, and 49.

I n t r o d u c t io n 9

body, the vajra speech with our speech and the vajra mind with our mind. This means that w e will attain the three vajras4 with our body, speech and mind through this vehicle. Therefore it is called the ‘vajra vehicle’ (Skt.: vajrayana).

The Buddha taught the secret-mantra-vajra vehicle in a special way. When the dharma king Dawa Sangpo asked him for teaching, he taught the Kalacakratantra. He did not teach it in his normal form, but rather manifested him self as Kalacakra together with his com plete entourage.

At the request o f King Indrabodhi, Buddha Shakyamuni taught the Guhyasamajatantra in the manifestation o f Guhyasamaja.

All the tantras taught by the Buddha were originally given on the basis o f the request o f a bodhisattva. The Buddha turned him self in each case into the divinity o f the tantra concerned, teaching the tantra as a form or aspect o f that divinity.

Another tantra was requested by Arya Samantabhadra and Arya Manjushri together. At this, the Buddha taught the Vajra Catuhpithatantra by taking on the form o f Vajra Catuhpitha. In the Vajra Catuhpithatantra he gave the following teaching about how a being in the bardo can realise buddhahood in one moment with the help o f the instructions on phowa:

They are in bondage to a ll fau lts.They becom e free by the p ra c tice o f p h ow a being

carried out.N ot in bondage to an y k in d o f n egativityThey a tta in the highest liberation beyon d sam sara.

If som eone who in his life had performed many negative actions, and who was not able to practise the dharma dies, then a master o f phowa, who has him self perfectly realised phowa, can carry out the phowa ritual for the deceased

4 The vajra is a symbol of indestructibility.

10 TliN G A R lN l’OCI Hi: TRANSITION AND l.llll-RATION

person. In this practice he visualises the body o f the deceased in the form o f Vajrayogini, visualises her central channel, and, within that, the essence o f the mind as a white drop. This is then ejected. It is said that under favourable circumstances the consciousness o f the deceased can attain buddhahood in an instant. It can also take on a body in a pure land such as Sukhavati. Normally however, the consciousness will be reborn on earth, taking on a human body, with which it can practise the dharma. In this way the consciousness can remove and purify previously collected negativities with the help o f dharma practice, and later, step by step, attain the level o f realisation o f a buddha.

If in this way a master carries out the practice o f phowa for a deceased person, even if that person is a criminal who has committed the limitless acts, they will no longer be bound by those negativities and will realise buddhahood beyond samsara. The phowa ritual must however be properly, accurately and genuinely carried out. If these factors come together som eone can also be saved from a descent into the hells.

At the request o f Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva o f great compassion, Buddha, in the manifestation o f Vajrasattva, taught the Tantra o f the Peaceful a n d W rathful D eities.

A section o f this tantra was the Liberation through H earing in the Bardo, better known in its translation as the Tibetan Book o f the D ead. If we are in the bardo, and this book is recited, then w e can attain liberation purely through hearing the instructions. Therefore this teaching is called Liberation through H earing in the Bardo.

The Buddha taught also a further special method o f liberation in connection with the Tantra o f the Peaceful a n d W rathful D eities, namely the G reat Wheel o f Liberation through W earing. It concerns a text o f the Dharmakaya

In t r o d u c t io n 11

Samantabhadra, which is written down in a circular pattern. If this text is attached to the body o f the deceased and burnt together with it, then, according to this teaching, all negativities will be purified through this alone.

Tibetan lamas provide this G reat Wheel o f L iberation through W earing at a cremation for a deceased person. The deceased wear it over the heart. Through this blessing the appearances in the bardo, which are based on delusion, do not arise. As a result it is easier to recognise the bardo as such. There are many reasons for the special importance o f applying this method.

After the Buddha, manifesting in the form of Vajrasattva, had taught this tantra, it was transmitted through an unbroken line o f many Indian mahasiddhas until it was brought to Tibet by Guru Rinpoche as the Tantra o f the Peaceful a n d W rathful D eities and the G reat Wheel o f L iberation through W earing.

When Guru Rinpoche came to Tibet it was above all three students who requested teachings for support in the bardo: the translator Langdro Lotsawa Konchog Gyatsen, the king Trisong Detsen, and the dakini Yeshe Tsogyal.

They prayed to him for teachings, saying: “We Tibetans are all incapable o f practising with strength. Please give us instructions on how w e can shield ourselves from the fears o f the bardo, recognise the bardo, attain liberation through hearing and purify all our negativities through wearing.” At this, Guru Rinpoche taught the L iberation through H earing in the B ardo and the bardo rituals.

At the end o f the teachings Guru Rinpoche said: “Langdro Lotsawa, you will be the future lord o f these teachings. Say prayers and give your blessing, so that in the future they will be able to spread amongst all beings.” The translator hid the profound teachings on the peaceful and wrathful deities in


the form o f a treasure text (terma). In this way it came about that all these bardo rituals were hidden as a treasure text in a cliff on the mountain o f Gonpo Targyi Ri in Tibet. Some time after the translator Langdro Lotsawa had died, the Siddha Karma Lingpa took birth as a discoverer o f treasure texts (terton) and raised this treasure from the mountain o f Gonpo Targyi Ri.

This treasure text rediscovered by Karma Lingpa was the teaching which is known in its translation under the name o f The Tibetan Book o f the D ead and in Tibetan as Liberation through H earing in the Bardo. The book has been translated into a variety o f Western languages.

The ritual connected with the bardo is known as the Ritual o f the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities. This refers to the 42 peaceful and the 58 wrathful deities o f the bardo. This ritual is also known as the bardo ritual or as the bardo puja.

Part o f the practice instructions for the bardo ritual are the R oot Verses o f the Six Bardos. They describe six kinds o f bardo:

- the bardo o f the natural place o f birth

- the bardo o f dream

- the bardo o f samadhi and mental stability

- the bardo o f the time o f death

- the bardo o f dharmata

- the bardo o f becoming

All o f these forms o f bardo existence will be explained in the following.

T he Bardo o f th e N atural Place o f B irth

Kyema!

Now, as the bardo o f the place o f birth appears,

I should not waste any time in this life, but by giving uplaziness

Should walk the path o f undistracted listening, reflecting andmeditating, and

Carrying appearances and mind onto the path, reveal thethree kayas.

Now, as I have on this one occasion obtained a human body,

Is not the time to dwell on the path o f distractions.

1 4 T e n g a R in p o c h e : T r a n s it io n a n d L ib e r a t io n

The first bardo existence is the bardo o f the natural place o f birth. It is related to the body that w e have taken on in this life. In whichever o f the six realms o f existence it may be that w e lived, the body o f the last life has been put aside. The future depends upon our present activity (karma) and upon our karmic imprints. When w e have reached the level o f realisation o f a buddha w e no longer need a body. If w e do not reach this goal, then in our next life w e will have to take on a body which w e do not yet possess. In between having the bodies o f the previous and forthcoming lives we have the body o f this life, the bardo o f the natural place o f birth.

There are two different ways o f taking birth:

The first is the birth o f buddhas and bodhisattvas. They manifest themselves bodily for the benefit o f all other beings out o f great compassion. In this case one speaks o f ‘taking birth according to intention’. Bodhisattvas can consciously determine their birth in accordance with their intentions. They think: “I will be reborn in this or that land, and lead its inhabitants and all those to be tamed onto the path o f dharma.” - “I will have precisely those parents, since they are in harmony with the dharma.” - “If I take that birth I will be able to m eet my lama and spiritual friend.” Bodhisattvas control their thoughts and in this way determine their birth.

The second way o f taking birth is the ordinary way. In this case one speaks o f ‘taking birth on the basis o f karma and o f karmic imprints’. How does it com e about that we collect karma? We have certain ideas in our mind, the afflictions, such as desirous attachment, anger, ignorance, pride or jealousy. These ideas manifest themselves, w e give way to them, and commit unvirtuous acts with body and speech. This is the way in which w e collect our karma.

What are karmic imprints? From the absolute point o f view, no so-called ‘se lf exists, no so-called ‘I’ exists. But we don’t

T h e Ba r d o o e t h e natural 1‘ia c l o i : B ir t h 15

recognise this. Instead, w e assume an I in the absence o f an I and take the absence o f a self for the self. Those are the karmic imprints, on the basis o f which w e move incessantly in the cycle o f samsara.

Once karma and karmic imprints have got a hold in our mind, then after w e have been through the bardo w e will enter a womb and take on a body.

The way in which w e enter the womb depends on the aversion and clinging that w e experience during the union o f our future parents. If, for example, w e are going to be born in a male body on the basis o f our karma w e will develop a clinging to our mother and in regard to the father a tendency to aversion or the manifestation o f anger. This clinging and aversion towards the mother and father com e together when the red and white elem ents o f the parents mix with the bardo consciousness. At this m om ent the entry to the womb occurs.

If w e are to take up a female body, clinging to the father and a tendency for aversion toward the mother manifest.

T h e F o r m a t io n o f t h e H um an B o d y

The first bardo existence, the bardo o f the natural place o f birth, is our body. Therefore the way in which the formation o f our body becom es com pleted will first be presented here5.

The bardo consciousness driven by karma and karmic imprints, the white aspect o f the father and the red aspect o f the mother have mixed together after the union. The ‘great life-force w ind’ then pulls these two aspects a little apart for the first 29 days. It pushes the white aspect o f the father a little upwards and the red aspect o f the mother a litde

s For this, Kinpoche bases his explanation on the text W e Profound Inner Meaning, by Rangjung Dorje, the third Karmapa.

1 6 T e n g a R i n p o c h e : T r a n s it io n a n d Lib e r a t io n

downwards. The central channel forms between the white and red aspects o f the parents.

Generally speaking the life-force wind refers to the true nature o f the mind, which can be described from three different standpoints:

- In an explanation o f the winds (Skt.: prana) the true nature o f the mind is called the ‘life-force w ind’.

- In an explanation o f the channels (Skt.: nadi) the true nature o f the mind is called the ‘central channel’.

- In an explanation o f the drops (Skt.: bindu) the nature o f the mind is called the ‘bindu free from mental projections’.

The white bindu o f the father stays at the upper end o f the central channel in the human body, while the red bindu of the mother stays at the lower end. If we practise tummo in this body we develop a great heat, which arises on the basis of the red elem ent o f the mother as its cause. Fundamentally, our bodily warmth is based on the red elem ent o f the mother. If at one time or another one experiences bodily or mental bliss, it derives from the white elem ent o f the father.

In the course o f the second month the ‘downwards eliminating w ind’ arises from the nature o f the mind, in other words from the life-force or life-force wind. Based on this wind, the energy centre (Skt.: cakra) o f the heart with its eight nadi branches, the navel cakra with its sixty-four nadi branches and the secret cakra with its thirty-two nadi branches develop.

In the third month a new wind, the ‘upwards flowing w ind’ arises from the great life-force wind. The function o f this wind is to form the limbs o f the body. It determines the visible form o f the body, forming head, arms and legs.

T h e B a r d o o f t h e na tural P lace o f B ir t h 17

In the fourth m onth a further wind, the ‘penetrating w ind’ arises from the great life-force wind. This w ind forms the right side-channel (Skt.: ida) and the left side-channel (Skt.: pingala). With this, the three m ost important channels in the body have been formed. The penetrating wind has the effect o f causing all the sub-channels in the body, head, arms and legs to spread out. In addition it creates the crown cakra with its thirty-two nadis and the throat cakra with its sixteen nadis.

It is in general said that in the human body, both in wom en and in men, there are three main nadis and six cakras. It should however be noted that in various tantras the branching o f the cakras is counted differently. In the Kalacakratantra, for instance, the counting differs from that in the Vajra Catuhpithatantra explained above.

The ‘fire like w ind’ arises from our life-force wind during the fifth month. In the womb it develops our inner organs such as lungs, heart and intestines. It also builds the joints o f our bones, both in the upper half as well as in the lower half o f the body.

In the sixth month the great life-force wind develops the ‘naga w ind’ which allows the channels o f the two eyes to develop, and thereby the faculty o f seeing.

In the seventh month the ‘turtle w ind’ develops out o f the life-force wind. This allows the channels in both the ears to arise, and thereby the faculty o f sight.

In the eighth month the ‘lizard w ind’ develops out o f the life- force wind, which allows the channels in both the nostrils to arise, and thereby the faculty o f smell.

In the ninth month the ‘wind o f divine giving’ develops out o f the life-force wind. This develops all the channels o f the

18 TENGA RlNPOCHE: TRANSITION AND LIBERATION

tongue, and thereby the faculty o f taste and all corresponding functions.

At the end o f the ninth month the body is fully formed and ready for birth. The time at which the child is born depends now upon the nadis and winds o f the mother, in particular upon her downwards eliminating wind. For this reason children are som etim es born before the end o f the ninth month. Then again, others are not yet born in spite o f the nine months. Whether the birth takes place earlier or later depends on the constitution, the nadis and the winds o f the mother.

Although a body, which in the ninth month is capable o f being born, can already experience feeling o f joy and suffering, it is only in the tenth month that the great life-force wind develops the ‘wind victorious over possession’ which intensifies and com pletes bodily feeling.

After the passing o f ten months we are born with fully developed channels. There are now in our body 24,000 subchannels developed from each o f the central channel, right side-channel and left side-channel, in other words a total o f 72,000 channels. In this connection it is taught that in the course o f a day and a night w e draw breath 21,000 times.

With this process the body is fully developed. It is the body with which we have taken on a new birth. As long as we possess this body, w e remain until our death in the intermediate existence that was first described, the bardo o f the natural place o f birth.

With this body o f the natural place o f birth we can experience joy or happiness, but also suffering or fear. Sometimes w e m eet pleasant outer objects o f this relative world, and thus experience happiness. Sometimes we m eet unpleasant, frightening or painful objects in this relative

T h e B a r d o o f t h e n a tural P lace o f B ir t h 19

world, and therefore develop great fear or mental suffering. If w e analyse and investigate all these outer objects and the feelings to which they give rise w e establish that, on an absolute level, none o f these outer objects truly exists. But if none o f the outer objects from the absolute point o f view truly exists, then also the feelings arising from them — suffering, fear, happiness and joy — can not, absolutely speaking, truly exist.

If w e think that, since w e experience them as real, happiness, joy and suffering really do exist in our mind, this is only relatively true. All feelings are merely appearances in our mind based on delusion, but in the absolute sense they do not exist. If in this moment we experience suffering and fear, this feeling can within a few moments transform into joy and com plete happiness. If we suffer today, it can already be over tomorrow. If we are perfectly happy today, great suffering can appear tomorrow. All o f these experiences are constantly changing. That is an indication that, in the absolute sense, they do not truly exist.

Although the mental feelings o f happiness and suffering do not, in the absolute sense, truly exist, they, as objects o f the relative world, possess nevertheless a relative reality. On a relative level they possess an existence in that they appear to our deluded mind. A large mountain, for instance, exists as substance, it fulfils a function. Human beings all perceive it. It is an object o f experience for their eyes. It seem s to us that these objects exist absolutely, and for this reason w e also take them inwardly for absolutely true. As long as this mental taking-for-real o f objects remains unresolved, they appear to us as truly existent and becom e essential com ponents o f our thinking.

One o f the Six Yogas o f Naropa is the practice o f the illusory body. It is practised in the daytime, and has as its goal the

20 T e n g a R i n p o c h e : T r a n sit io n a n d Lib e r a t io n

recognition o f all appearances, including all conditions o f happiness and o f suffering, as illusions. We recognise that all sensations are similar to sensations in a dream, being not truly existent and merely appearances o f our deluded mind. With the help o f the practice o f the illusory body we can give up the mental taking-for-real o f the objects o f the relative world. We recognise directly that they possess no real existence. All lamas who have attained siddhi, that is yogic abilities, on the basis o f the practice o f the illusory body are capable o f turning fire into water or water into fire or o f performing other extraordinary deeds. That is an indication that in the absolute sense things are not, from the point o f view o f their inner being, truly existent.

In the abhidharma the Buddha taught the structure o f the world as follows: Mount Meru constitutes the centre o f the world, and is surrounded in the four cardinal directions by the four continents. Our continent, Jambudvipa, lies to the south o f Mount Meru. The foundation o f this mountain consists o f four platform steps. Mount Meru has a quadratic shape. The eastern side is entirely made o f white crystal, the southern side o f dark blue lapis lazuli, the w est side o f red ruby and the north side o f gold. The Buddha could teach these things in the abhidharma since this world picture does not truly exist. He taught this structure as a form in which relative phenom ena appear.

On the other hand he taught in the Kalacakratantra that Mount Meru and the four platforms are round.

Scientists teach that our world is a ball, and therefore turns. The degree o f truth is the same.

The Buddha taught the forms o f appearance o f the world on the basis o f his clairvoyance. We on the other hand are these days able to directly observe the form o f appearance o f the world with the help o f powerful machines, telescopes,

T h e B a r d o o f t h e na tural P lace o f B ir t h 2 1

measuring instruments and numerous other aids. The scientists’ discovery that the earth, described by the Buddha as a great mountain, is a ball, is also a matter o f relative truth.

This is all a description o f the manner in which phenom ena appear, but not o f how they really are. Therefore what the Buddha taught and what w e observe are both matters o f relative truth, since relative phenom ena possess no true existence on the absolute level. A sign o f this is that they are perceived differently by different individuals. In this way all phenom ena o f the relative world, which do not truly exist, give rise in us simultaneously to various individual feelings - som etim es happiness, som etim es suffering, som etim es joy, som etim es fear. These experiences are based on the body, so we speak in this connection o f the body as the natural place o f birth.

The R oot Verses o f the Six B ardos from the treasure text o f the peaceful and wrathful deities rediscovered by Karma Lingpa contain instructions on how one meditates in the bardo o f the natural state o f birth:

Kyem a!Now, as the bardo o f the p la ce o f birth appears,I should n o t w aste an y tim e in th is life, hut by g ivin g up

lazinessShould w alk the p a th o f u n d istracted listening,

reflecting a n d m editating, a n d

Carrying appearances a n d m in d onto the pa th , reveal the three kayas.

Now, as I have on th is one occasion ob ta in ed a hum an body,

Is n o t the tim e to d w e ll on the p a th o f distractions.


Now, as the bardo o f the p la ce o f birth appears

The basis o f the bardo o f the natural place o f birth is the body, which has originated from the force o f karma, o f the afflictions and o f karmic imprints. This bardo begins at the time o f birth and ends with death. It is the bardo o f this life.

¡sh o u ld n o t w aste an y tim e in th is life, bu t by g iving up laziness

This life has only a short duration, and is therefore not to be wasted. We cannot rely on a long life since it has no permanence, no continuation. Come what may, therefore, w e should com pletely abandon laziness in the practice o f dharma.

Should w alk the p a th o f u n distracted listening, reflecting a n d m editating, a n d

Once laziness has been abandoned one should step out on the path o f undistracted listening, reflecting and meditating. This means dedicating oneself to the dharma, uninfluenced by worldly activities, by undistractedly listening, reflecting and meditating.

Carrying appearances a n d m in d onto the pa th , reveal the three kayas.

Appearances and mind are carried onto the path by mixing appearances and mind into one. If this is com pletely done, the three bodies (Skt.: kaya) o f a buddha are revealed:

- dharmakaya, emptiness as the essential being o f all appearances

- sambhogakaya, clarity as the specific nature o f all appearances

- nirmanakaya, the emanation o f appearances in various expressive forms

T h e B a r d o o f t h e na tural P lace o f B ir t h 2 3

These three bodies are present in our mind and are revealed through the unification o f appearances and mind.

Now, a s I have on th is one occasion o b ta in ed a hum an body

Our human body as such does not remain available to us for long. What is more, we do not often attain a perfect human body. Now is the time that w e have uniquely obtained one.

Is n o t the tim e to d w ell on the p a th o f distractions.

Since the body is unique, w e have no time in the bardo o f the natural place o f birth for acts based upon laziness, diversion or distraction.

Questions and Answers

QUESTION: Is it useful to recite the Tibetan Book o f the D ead for a deceased person who had no contact with the dharma, or would it rather be confusing for him or her?

ANSWER: It is said that the bardo o f dharmata, in which the peaceful and wrathful deities appear, appears to anyone who had a human body. Every human body is endowed with nadis, prana and bindus. In their pure aspect they represent the peaceful and wrathful deities. They are contained within our mind since the primordial beginning and can therefore appear to every human in the bardo, regardless o f whether or not the person had contact with the dharma in that particular life. If you read the Tibetan Book o f the D ead while these appearances are manifesting to the deceased in the bardo, you point out their meaning in detail. In that way it has great value, even when previously there was no connection with the dharma.

QUESTION: Must the book o f the dead be recited in Tibetan?

2 4 T e n g a Ri n p o c h e : T r a n s it io n a n d Lib e r a t io n

ANSWER: When som ebody has died, and you read the Tibetan Book o f the D ead for him, it is by no means necessary to read it in Tibetan. It is best to read it in your own language, since that is the one with which you are most closely connected. If you read it in German or English, the deceased will understand it.

QUESTION: Exactly when is the book o f the dead recited? As the person lies dying, or when he or she is already dead? Som eone who is dying and who has had no connection with the dharma might be frightened if it was recited.

ANSWER: If the dying person had contact with the dharma and wishes that it be recited to them, and if they had trust in the dharma, then you can recite the book o f the dead to them before death. But in general all the bardo rituals, including the reading o f the book o f the dead, are intended to be carried out after death has definitively come, after the outer breath has ceased. It is from this moment that the appearances o f the bardo begin. So therefore one should also begin from this moment with the recitation o f the descriptions o f the appearances from the book o f the dead.

QUESTION: Is it necessary to read the book o f the dead near to the deceased, or can it also be done at som e other place? In hospitals it is often not possible, since the body is removed immediately after death. So you cannot stay sitting there reading for hours out o f the book.

ANSWER: If som ebody has died and you recite the book at hom e, that is all right. The consciousness can hear it all the same, regardless o f where you are reading it.

QUESTION: How do animals experience the bardo? How can w e help them?

ANSWER: The Buddha gave these bardo teachings o f the book o f the dead on the basis o f the human body, since the

T n ii Ba r d o o f t h e na tural P lace o f B ir t h 25

human body possesses the three main nadis and the six cakras. Prana, which carries the white and red elem ents o f the father and o f the mother, flows in the nadis. All the nadi regions o f the body are penetrated by prana, and through that by the white and red elem ents. That is why the appearances arise in the bardo. However the Buddha gave no teaching about animals, not even whether they experience a bardo existence or not.

Generally the phowa ritual can be carried out for an animal that has died just as for a person. That is o f great value.

QUESTION: What happens with children w ho are the result o f extra-uterine fertilization? Isn’t that in contradiction to what has been explained?

ANSWER: There is no contradiction. If the energy o f the white and red elem ents o f the father and mother m eet together, the entrance o f consciousness is possible. Some consciousnesses can also take a body even though the energies o f the white and red elem ents o f the father and mother are not present.

If the consciousness has taken birth through the energy o f warmth it is called ‘birth through warmth’.

Taking on a body is also possible although no basis for it is present. That is called ‘birth through spontaneous arising’. All hell beings are born in this way.

Some consciousnesses form a body in an egg before their birth. The birth which follows is ‘birth from an egg’.

Some consciousnesses form a body in a womb and are then born. This is ‘birth from a wom b’.

These are four examples o f the many possibilities for a birth.

QUESTION: Science has established that chromosom es are the determining factor for gender. Isn’t that a contradiction?


ANSWER: It’s not a contradiction. It goes without saying that the father and the mother play their part in whether the child will be a boy or a girl. From the point o f view o f Buddhism, the karma o f the bardo consciousness also com es into play. If, because o f on e’s karma, one is to be born as a boy, one will be born as a boy. Male and female beings also emerge in the case o f births which are independent o f parents, such as birth through spontaneous arising or birth through warmth.

QUESTION: Many old people are already mentally confused shortly before death. Is that the first dawning o f the bardo?

ANSWER: It is not a sign that the bardo will soon begin. If we are mentally confused, that is, in general, the result o f our karma. For som e people the nadis and the wind are somewhat constricted, so that the wind cannot flow in harmony. Confusions can result if the elem ents o f the body are blocked. It is only in our present situation, based on this body, that w e have ‘craziness’, since the body has a connection with the mind. When we are finally dead, there is no more craziness.

T he Bardo o f D ream

q i ^ q f ^ ^ ^ ,y í ! r 5 5 r í i? , i

^•aj5i'qg^Ai^aj-q|^q^-q|ijjaj-g^|

qj c;»)=5|-ij*|- «|-ei 5isi-<ijaj-qj5i5is

Kyema!Now, as the bardo o f dream appears,

I should, by giving up the dullness o f unconscious corpse likesleep,

With awareness and without distraction enter the true nature

And, recognising dream, transform its manifestations and practise the clear light.

Do not sleep like an animal!Practice which unifies sleep and the direct state is important.


What is to be understood by the bardo or intermediate existence o f dream?

Now, in the daytime, the phenom ena o f relative truth appear to us. They are the appearances based upon delusion. Tomorrow w e will again meet phenom ena o f relative truth. Our sleep lies in between. It som etim es happens in sleep that w e dream. The dream scenes that appear to us are also based upon delusion. Since they appear between the phenom ena o f yesterday and those o f today we speak o f an intermediate existence, the bardo o f dream.

Similarly our perceptions during dreams are not truly existent. If w e dream for instance o f a huge, blazing fire, what is the cause o f the fire? Wood. This w ood is, however, not present. But if the cause o f the fire, the wood, is not present, then how does the fire com e about? The dream fire has no true causes or conditions. It burns, nevertheless, in our dreams. It bum s up all the wood, it burns me and everything else. It is a dream event without true existence.

Sometimes w e dream about terrifying animals. We com e across tigers, lions or poisonous snakes and develop great fear. In the meantime however, our body is in bed. There are not really any tigers or lions. Nevertheless in our minds there is fear and we experience the suffering as if w e’d really com e across tigers or lions. In the absolute sense, however, the tigers and lions do not exist.

For as long as w e still have not destroyed our taking-for-real o f the phenom ena o f relative truth, they will appear to us as truly existing. We hold them to be things which are really able to bring us harm or to help us. The same is true for a dream in which we com e across frightening dream objects. For as long as w e have not woken up from the dream, our experiences appear to us as reality, and w e experience direct fear.

Ti n: B a r d o o f D ream 29

The line o f transmission stemming from Jowo Atisha when he brought the teachings to Tibet was called the ‘Kadampa’ (Practice Instructions o f the Buddha’s Word). The reason for this designation is that with a closer examination we find that the words o f the Buddha represent genuine instructions for practice, and should therefore indeed be put into practice. The teachings described above are also instructions for practice. That means that the appearances o f the bardo o f the natural place o f birth are the relative truth and from the absolute point o f view are not truly existent. Our dreams, the appearances o f the bardo o f dream, are also not truly existent. In the sense o f the Kadampas, the point is to put these teachings into practice.

How can w e put the bardo o f dream into practice? The appropriate instructions are contained in the teachings o f the transmission lineage that begins with the Mahasiddha Tilopa. They are known as ‘The Profound Path o f the Six Yogas o f Naropa’. The instructions o f dream yoga are contained within them.

In general four situations through which a human can go in the course o f a day are described:

The condition o f being awake is the present situation with all its appearances. The instruction to use the waking condition on the path is contained in the yoga o f the illusory body. It teaches the method o f meditating that all appearances o f this life are like illusions or dreams.

The second situation is that o f deep sleep, a phase o f sleep in which w e have no dreams. The instructions for using deep sleep on the path encompass the meditation on clear light.

In addition to deep sleep there is, within sleep, the phase o f dream. This phase is known as the dreaming condition. The yoga o f dream is the method for bringing dream onto the

30 1'ENGA RlNHOCI IE: TRANSITION AND LIBERATION

path. The dream appearances, based upon delusion, are brought into the meditation here.

The fourth situation is the union o f man and woman. The instructions o f tummo, the inner heat, and certain subdivisions o f this practice, are in order to bring that situation onto the path o f practice.

Dream yoga is the m ethod o f recognising dream as such whilst dreaming, in order then to alter the dream pictures which are based upon delusion. If we practise dream yoga successfully w e becom e able to visit the pure lands o f all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. There w e can ask them for dharma teachings, for empowerments, and receive special instructions. We can also go to certain places, for example to India, to Bodhgaya or to the place where our lama is staying. It is similarly possible to visit the lower realms o f existence such as the hells in order to understand the manner o f such a birth and the suffering o f the beings there. These abilities can be developed through the dream yoga.

Karma Lingpa, the discoverer o f treasure texts who discovered the Tibetan Book o f the D ead or Liberation through H earing in the Bardo, also possessed the ability to practise dream yoga. He had a son who, at the young age o f eleven went into retreat and performed meditation on the goddess Vajravarahi for seven days. He died at the age o f about fifteen. With the aid o f his yogic abilities, siddha Karma Lingpa visited the realms o f the bardo in a dream, and found his son, who was at that time still in the bardo. “Tell me o f your suffering in the bardo,” Karma Lingpa asked him, “tell me o f your fear”. “Yes,” replied the son, “I do indeed have a little fear and suffering. But since I had previously practised Vajravarahi for seven days, I am protected from great fear and from great suffering.” Karma Lingpa gave him the following advice: “Look at the true nature o f the mind, and enter into a pure realm.” But his son

T h e B a r d o o h D ream 31

replied: “In my last life I died prematurely, so therefore, in keeping with the Buddha’s teachings, I’d like to keep working and to be o f use to all beings. So I’d like to be bom either as a human again or in the realm o f the gods.” Karma Lingpa agreed. “If you want to work for the benefit o f all beings and o f the teachings, then make appropriate wishing prayers and through their strength take on a birth on earth.” His son was later born as a great bodhisattva in human form, who made it his task to spread all the treasure texts rediscovered by Karma Lingpa.

Another discoverer o f treasure texts, Urgyen Chogyur Lingpa, w ho wrote extensively on the Vajrakilaya dances, also had the capability to practise dream yoga. In his dreams he visited the pure land o f Guru Rinpoche, the Copper Coloured Mountain. He stayed there during an offering feast o f Vajrakilaya, where the Vajrakilaya dances were also performed. Later he was able to pass these on to his students.

These are examples o f the great temporary uses to which a successful practice o f dream yoga can be put. A further benefit is the ability to recognise the appearances o f the bardo for what they are after ones own death.

The R oot Verses o f the Six B ardos:

Kyem a!

Now, as the bardo o f dream appears,

I should, by g ivin g up the dullness o f unconscious corpse like sleep,

W ith aw areness a n d w ith ou t d istraction enter the true nature

And, recognising dream , transform its m anifestations a n d p ractise the clear light.

D o n o t sleep like an anim al!

32 T e n g a R in p o c h e : T r a n sit io n a n d L ib e r a t io n

P ractice which unifies sleep a n d the d irect sta te is im portant.

Now, as the bardo o f dream appears,

I should, by g iving up the dullness o f unconscious corpse like sleep

As the bardo o f dream appears, w e should neither fall under the influence o f dull sleep nor into unconscious distraction. Whoever falls into dull sleep, sleeps unconsciously like a corpse, without the slightest attentiveness. One should give up this kind o f unconscious, corpse like sleep.

With aw areness a n d w ithou t d istraction enter the true nature

Instead one should put the instructions o f dream yoga into practice, and with attention and without distraction one should remain in the true nature o f the mind.

And, recognising dream , transform its m anifestations a n d p rac tise the clear light.

Recognising a dream as such and freeing oneself from the dream’s delusions allows the dream appearances to be transformed. With this method one trains oneself within the state o f dreaming in the yoga o f clear light. The dream must first be recognised for what it is, then the transformation o f the dream appearances becom es possible. In this way, for example, I can allow my body to give rise to a hundred further bodies. If I am a lion in my dream, I can transform myself into a tiger. These are all the activities o f the clear light o f dream.

D o n o t sleep like an anim al!

Aji animal does not possess the capacity to practise dream yoga. Whoever constantly sleeps unconsciously behaves in sleep like an animal.

T h e Ba r d o o f D ream 33

P ractice which unifies sleep a n d the d irect sta te is im portant.

In this line ‘sleep’ refers to the condition o f sleep and ‘direct state’ to immediate presence, the truth o f dharmata, in other words the meditation o f the true nature o f the mind. The unification o f sleep and the direct state is the meditation o f the true nature o f the mind in immediate presence. One should be able to maintain this meditation in sleep.

T h e Bardo o f Sam adhi a n d M ental Stability

<9w^cfe^^*ai 'gAr^p:arc(&|s

Kyema!Now, as the bardo o f mental stability appears,

I should, by giving up the numerous distractions anddelusions,

Remain in a state free from distraction, without grasping andfree from extremes

And attain stability in generation and completion.Now, having abandoned activity, in one-pointed meditation

Do not fall under the power o f the afflictions and delusion.

T h e B a r d o o e Sa m a d h i a n d M en tal Sta bility 3 5

The third intermediate existence is the bardo o f samadhi and mental stability. It is described as an intermediate existence because through the practice o f calm abiding (Skt. shamatha) and the attainment o f stability in this practice within this human life we go beyond the existence o f a normal being. We have nevertheless not yet reached the first bodhisattva stage, the stage o f ‘highest joy’ on the path o f seeing, since w e do not yet have a direct insight into the truth o f this path. So w e find ourselves in between the stage o f a normal being and the first bodhisattva level. This intermediate existence is therefore called the bardo o f samadhi and mental stability.

The path o f seeing, and thereby the first bodhisattva stage, is immediately attained by direct realisation o f the truth o f dharmata. In such cases ‘directly attaining the path o f seeing’ is spoken of. If w e now practise shamatha meditation, developing a stable mental composure, without however having yet directly reached the path o f seeing, the meditation on the true nature o f the mind is, because o f its similarity with directly attaining the path o f seeing, called ‘almost identically attaining the path o f seeing’.

What is the relation between directly seeing and almost identically seeing? Before the sun has risen in the morning w e cannot directly see it. But we deduce from the dawning light and the first rays o f sunshine that it is there. This is similar to almost identically attaining the path o f seeing. When the sun has risen, we can see it directly. That corresponds to directly attaining the path o f seeing. In this sense the bardo o f samadhi and mental stability is almost identically attaining the path o f seeing.

To apply the bardo o f samadhi and mental stability as a method, w e use first o f all the three seclusions. These are:

- seclusion o f the body


- seclusion o f speech

- seclusion o f the mind

These three seclusions should be included in our shamatha meditation. Seclusion o f the body implies the avoidance o f senseless activity. Seclusion o f speech implies freedom from useless talk. Seclusion o f the mind implies interruption o f the flow o f thought about worldly activities. In this way shamatha meditation is supported by the seclusion o f body, speech and mind.

The seven point bodily posture o f Vairocana can be taken as the physical position for this meditation.

There exists a variety o f types o f shamatha meditation, som e with an object o f concentration and som e without. The practice o f mahamudra comprises differing types o f both shamatha meditation and o f vipashyana meditation (meditation o f deep insight). Regardless o f which type o f meditation is applied in connection with the three seclusions, w e reach the three different stages o f pacification known as the ‘three stages o f mental stability’:

Through the seclusion o f the body w e reach a stability o f the mind that is not distracted by senseless activity.

Through the seclusion o f speech we reach a stability o f the mind that is not distracted by useless talk.

Through the seclusion o f the mind we reach a stability o f the mind that does not get lost under the influence o f day-to-day thoughts.

Through these three seclusions w e reach a stage o f mental stability. It follows from this that the stability o f our samadhi and o f our mental composure is based primarily on shamatha meditation.

T h e B a r d o o í* Sa m a d h i a n d M en ta l St a bility 3 7

The Root Verses o f the Six B ardos describe the practice o f the bardo o f samadhi and mental stability as follows:

Kyema!Now, as the bardo o f m en ta l s ta b ility appears,I should, by g iving up the num erous d istraction s a n d

delusions,Rem ain in a sta te free fro m distraction , w ithou t

grasping a n d free fro m extrem esA nd a tta in sta b ility in generation a n d com pletion.Now, having aban don ed activity , in one-pointed

m edita tionD o n o t f a ll under the p o w er o f the afflictions a n d

delusion.

Now, as the bardo o f m en ta l sta b ility appears

The bardo o f samadhi and mental stability is our meditation, for instance our shamatha practice.

I should, by g iving up the num erous d istraction s a n d delusions

Distractions and delusions should be given up in shamatha meditation. We will not make any progress if w e are constantly distracted by worldly activities and deluded by our own thoughts. So we should not give in to the distractions and delusions, but rather overcome them.

Rem ain in a sta te free fro m distraction , w ithou t grasping a n d free from extrem es

Remaining free from distraction means maintaining exclusively a mere recognition. Remaining without grasping means not having any attachment to meditation. One should not, in other words, overestimate it by thinking: “I must now meditate really well!”. One should never let this kind o f thought arise, as they lead to an overestimation o f the

38 TKNGA R lN l’OCIIIi: TRANSITION AND LlUl<RATION

meditation. Remain without distraction and without overestimation o f the meditation in a condition o f freedom from extremes. Let the mind rest within itself.

A nd a tta in s ta b ility in generation a n d com pletion.

From time to time the generation phase meditation should be practised, that is the visualisation o f the deity and the recitation o f its mantra. The com pletion phase meditation should also be practised from time to time. If we remain in a state o f undistracted samadhi, free from extremes, stability in both the generation phase as well as in the com pletion phase will be reached.

Now, having aban don ed activ ity , in one-pointed m edita tion

D o not fa l l under the p o w er o f the afflictions a n d delusion.

If all worldly activities are given up one can remain one- pointedly in the bardo o f samadhi and mental stability. In this meditation one should not fall under the influence of afflictions and delusions.

Questions and Answers

QUESTION: Rinpoche says that dream appearances should be recognised as not really existing. But if w e meet our lama in a dream, isn’t that extraordinarily important?

ANSWER: If you dream about your lama, the lama’s appearance doesn’t really exist. Milarepa says: “The lama too is no more than a dream or illusion”.

QUESTION: How does space behave in the various bardos? We don’t normally take on two forms o f existence in the bardo simultaneously, but one after another. But we share the place with other beings. Do all the bardos exist in a comm on space?

T h e B a r d o o f Sa m a d h i a n d M en i al Sta bility 39

ANSWER: The place o f all the six bardos is the same. It is the aspect o f the mind o f appearances based on delusion. Because our mind deceives itself about appearances, the places seem different to us although they are the same. We are currently in the bardo o f the natural place o f birth, our place is on earth. The places in the bardo o f dream are the places o f which we dream. During the meditation o f the bardo o f samadhi and mental stability the place is the attainment o f stability in samadhi itself. So the places o f the bardos appear to be different, although from the point o f view o f their inner being they are nevertheless identical. They are the appearing aspect o f the mind.

QUESTION: Prematurely born children will not com plete for instance the eighth or ninth stages in which the channels o f the nose and o f the sense o f taste develop. What happens?

ANSWER: It is normally the case that a new wind arises each month until the tenth. In the tenth month the body is fully constructed and can leave the womb. If the baby is born in the seventh month, it already carries within it the life-force wind which allows the other winds to develop. So these winds then arise outside the womb. The developm ent continues outside o f the womb, and by the tenth month the child is fully developed.

T he Bardo o f the T ime of D eath

5 * * i

q]^w ^q]'q]^aj*q^'^aj^*5j'c5^'q|q||

Kyema!Now, as the bardo o f the time o f death appears,

I should, by giving up all tendencies towards clinging, grasping and holding,

Pass over from a clear understanding o f the instructions intoundistractedness

And eject the unborn self-awareness into the vastness o fspace.

At the time o f separating from my body o f flesh and blood

I should know that it is an impermanent illusion.

T h e B a r d o o f t h e T im e o f D ea th 4 1

The fourth intermediate existence is called the bardo o f the time o f death. It describes the intermediate existence that begins with the dissolution o f the appearances o f this life in the process o f dying. The eyes recognise no more forms, the ears no sounds, the nose no smells, the tongue no tastes and the body is no longer sensitive. In this way the appearances of this life dissolve. The bardo o f the time o f death lies between their dissolution and the arising o f the appearances of the following bardo o f dharmata.

The bardo o f the time o f death will arise for all o f us. When we leave the womb our life lies in front o f us. The length o f a human life differs according to individual karma. There is not one single being that does not have to die. The life o f all beings ends with death. We can not avoid death. We can however turn away the fear and suffering that are bound up with death. We should think about the fact that we are not the only ones who must die. All beings die. It is som ething quite normal. So developing fear and suffering is useless. It would be much better to rely on the special instructions o f the teacher and practise them.

The Root Verses o f the Six B ardos have this to say:

Kyema!Now, as the bardo o f the tim e o f dea th appears,I should, by g iving up a ll tendencies tow ards clinging,

grasping a n d holding,Pass over fro m a clear understanding o f the instructions

in to undistractedness A nd eject the unborn self-aw areness in to the vastness o f

space.A t the tim e o f separating fro m m y body o f flesh a n d

b loodI should know th a t i t is an im perm anent illusion.

4 2 T e n g a R i n p o c h e : T r a n sit io n a n d L ib er a tio n

Now, as the bardo o f the tim e o f death appears,I should, by g ivin g up a ll tendencies tow ards clinging,

grasping a n d holding

When w e are dying and the bardo o f the time o f death appears w e should give up all our clinging: clinging to food, wealth, friends, sons, daughters, in short to everything we own and know. It is precisely this clinging that is the cause o f our wandering in the cycle o f existences. It binds us to samsara. Therefore the necessity o f abandoning all clinging and grasping is emphasised here.

If w e happen to be wealthy as the time o f death draws near, the following thoughts help: “Now it is time to die. After my death I leave my wealth to my children.” - “I will support hospitals with it.” - “I’d like it to be distributed amongst beggars and the poor.” - “I make all o f it into an offering to the three jewels, the buddha, dharma and sangha.” This is also the meaning o f the mandala practice: giving up clinging to possessions. When, in the course o f the mandala practice, we recite: “Through my sprinkling o f this base with perfumed water and the scattering o f it with flowers, may...” we thereby mentally offer all our property, friends, food, and houses in order to abandon our clinging. Generally speaking, w e should offer all our possessions in the form of a mandala to the lama and the three jewels.

Pass over fro m a clear understanding o f the instructions in to undistractedness

In order to be able to use death on the path to buddhahood w e must apply at the time o f death the practice that we have mainly practised during our lifetime.

A special teaching for the process o f dying is the developm ent o f great com passion for all beings by meditating as follows: “It’s not just me, but all beings have to experience the suffering o f death. Therefore may all suffering

i l i t U/vkuo o f H i t T im e o f D ea th 4 3

o f death be overcome by my present suffering.” - “May the suffering o f all beings ripen in myself. May my perfect happiness and my joy, the merit and the virtue that I have collected penetrate to all beings.” This m ethod is called ‘tonglen’ (sending and taking). We visualise that as w e breathe out all our positive qualities stream out as white light and reach all beings. As w e breathe in w e take into ourselves all the suffering and negativity o f all beings as a black light. This is an exceptional instruction, in accordance with which w e can practise during the dying process.

Som eone who in life has primarily practised the generation phase and mantra recitation o f a yidam deity clearly visualises the body o f his yidam while dying. He imagines that his yidam deity is actually present above the crown o f his head. It is also possible to visualise your own root lama above the crown o f your head, or as a third possibility to visualise yidam and root lama as inseparably connected, since yidam and lama are one in their inner being.

Som eone who has primarily practised mahamudra, that is shamatha or vipashyana goes at the time o f death into a condition o f undistractedness by letting his mind rest in itself uninfluenced by the arising o f thoughts. He liberates thoughts into their own nature by recognising them as thoughts. Then he remains in the true nature o f the mind.

A nd eject the unborn self-aw areness in to the vastness o f space.

Som eone who in this life has primarily practised phowa can, at the time o f his death, visualise Buddha Amitabha over the crown o f his head and repeatedly send his own consciousness into Amitabha’s heart.

A t the tim e o f separating fro m m y body o f flesh a n d b lood

I sh ould know th a t it is an im perm anent illusion.

4 4 T e n g a R i n p o c h e : T r a n s it io n a n d L ib e r a t io n

The form skandha, which is the com pounded body o f flesh and blood, and my consciousness will separate at the time o f death. There are therefore no grounds for the developm ent o f fear o f suffering at the time o f this separation. As the Buddha taught, everything com pounded is by its very nature subject to impermanence. This reveals itself now for me too. Everything com pounded has the same nature. We should develop courage from this knowledge.

The body is com posed o f the following four elem ents on which consciousness is based:

- The earth elem ent corresponds to the flesh o f the body.

- The water elem ent corresponds to the blood.

- The fire elem ent corresponds to bodily warmth.

- The air elem ent corresponds to the breath.

At the time o f death the elem ents separate from each other step by step.

First the earth elem ent dissolves into the water elem ent. Our body changes at this stage. A feeling o f heaviness arises, as if our body could no longer be lifted. This feeling com es at the beginning o f the process o f dying, as illness brings death nearer. The illness o f those who are sick intensifies. The body becom es so heavy that one cannot move any more. One can only still move the eyes. As a sign that the earth elem ent is dissolving into the water elem ent appearances arise to our inner consciousness like mirages, similar to the perception o f water or other sensory illusions which result from summer heat on a wide plain.

After this the water elem ent dissolves into the fire element. A sign o f this is the drying out o f the mouth and nose. We experience unquenchable thirst. At that moment our inner consciousness perceives everything as if through a veil o f smoke. The consciousness loses its clarity and seem s to be

T i II-: Ba k d o o r ti ii; T im e o r D eath 4 5

darkened. It is taught that at this moment the thirty-three thoughts o f anger dissolve.

Fading o f the bodily warmth is a sign that the fire elem ent is dissolving into the elem ent o f air. The feet, hands and head becom e cold. Regardless o f how hard w e try to warm them, they becom e cold all the same. At this moment the consciousness perceives appearances that are like glowing sparks or glow worms. There are altogether forty thoughts o f desirous attachment which also dissolve as the fire elem ent dissolves into the air elem ent.

The movement o f the breath corresponds to the air elem ent which subsequently dissolves into the elem ent o f consciousness. With this dissolution breathing ceases and death arrives. Once the last breath has been exhaled, there may perhaps follow a single small inhalation which cannot however be followed by a further exhalation. At this moment the air elem ent dissolves into consciousness. The inner consciousness experiences a special clarity like the flame o f a butter lamp not flickering in the wind. At this stage the seven thoughts o f dullness dissolve.

The thoughts which dissolve simultaneously with the elem ents are known as the eighty natural thoughts. They are:

- the thirty three thoughts connected to anger

- the forty thoughts connected to desirous attachment

- the seven thoughts connected to dullness.

This is the description o f the coarse dissolution o f the four elements. A distinction is made between two kinds o f dissolution, namely coarse and subtle dissolution.

The subtle dissolution proceeds in three stages: appearance, increase and attainment.

4 6 T en g a R i n p o c h e : T r a n s it io n a n d Lib e r a t io n

The elem ent o f consciousness dissolves first into appearance. During this phase the bindu received from the father falls naturally downwards from the crown, where it was during life. At the same time all outer appearances are perceived in a white colour. This phase is also called the ‘white path’.

After this, appearance dissolves into increase. During this phase the bindu received from the mother rises naturally upwards from under the navel, where it was during life. All outer appearances are perceived in a red colour. This phase is also called the ‘red path’.

After this, increase dissolves into attainment. In this phase the white bindu o f the father sinking from the crown meets the red bindu o f the mother rising from underneath the navel and they merge in the centre o f the heart. At this moment w e lose consciousness and cease to perceive external appearances. This phase is also called the ‘black path’.

Subsequent to this unconscious condition the true nature o f the mind free from all projections appears to us. It is the clear light, mahamudra. This condition o f the true nature o f the mind is also known as the ‘ground clear light’ or the ‘mother clear light’.

The mahamudra practice o f our present life, which we exercise as long as w e are on the path, is called the ‘path clear light’ or the ‘child clear light’.

On the basis o f the mahamudra practice o f this life w e can, in that moment after the condition o f unconsciousness as the ground clear light appears, unify this with the path clear light. This happens by recognising the ground clear light as the true nature o f the mind and remaining within it. This meditation is called ‘tugdam’. Whoever has practised mahamudra in this life, be it a lama, a spiritual friend or som eone else, can enter the tugdam at this moment.

T i iii Ua k ik ) o r ri n: T im i- o f D i-a t i i 4 7

Some people sit up to die, adopting the seven point bodily posture o f Vairocana and die in this position. They perform clear light meditation and as the ground clear light appears transfer into tugdam meditation. There are many people who die in this way. Even if you cannot die in the seven point bodily posture but have to lie down, it is possible to go into tugdam in this way.

Normally, when death has arrived, the nostrils close, the walls o f the nose pull together, blood drains from the face and beauty disappears. But this is not the case if the mind o f the deceased transfers into tugdam meditation. The nose retains its form, the nostrils remain open and colour stays in the face. Here in the west bodies are often kept in refrigerated mortuaries. That was not the case in Tibet in the past. When som ebody died the smell o f decom position would begin within two or three hours. But if the deceased entered tugdam meditation, the smell o f decom position would remain absent for as long as the consciousness remained in the tugdam meditation.

After a normal death the skin loses its elasticity. If you press it, a dent remains. But the skin keeps the elasticity o f life during the tugdam meditation. This is another sign that the consciousness o f the deceased has entered tugdam.

The entire body becom es cold after a normal death. Warmth however continues to radiate from the hearts o f those whose consciousnesses remain in tugdam after death.

The consciousness remains in mahamudra for the entire duration o f the tugdam meditation. In this time all the stages which are still ahead on the path to buddhahood are passed through, and in this way the end o f the path is reached. This is called the ‘attainment o f buddhahood in the condition o f mahamudra’.

48 Tl-NGA KlNPOCHli: TRANSITION AND LlBHKATION

If we practise in this life our first realisation will be the ‘lesser path o f accumulation’. If w e continue the practice we proceed step by step through the ‘middle path o f accumulation’, the ‘greater path o f accumulation’ and all the further stages to buddhahood. If however at the hour o f our death we remain within the clear light o f tugdam, we are able immediately to attain the tenth bodhisattva level from the lesser path o f accumulation.

If one reaches buddhahood in the tugdam meditation, no bardo appears. There are three names for this kind o f realisation:

- Highest capacity o f buddhahood in the dharmakaya

- Using death as dharmakaya on the path

- Highest capacity o f dharmakaya phowa

I constantly remind my students to meditate on shamatha and the true nature o f the mind. Five minutes o f daily practice brings within ten days the benefit o f fifty minutes practice. Every one o f us will m eet death one day, maybe even tomorrow. Meditation in this life will then be o f great value to us.

Some people remain in tugdam for seven days, som e for three days, som e one day, one hour, two hours - it’s not significant. The reason is connected to the com position of the nadis and winds. As the tugdam is left one goes into the pure lands o f the buddhas. As a sign that the tugdam meditation is over, the colour o f the face changes, while the sm ell and other signs o f bodily decom position begin.

Som eone who has never in his life practised will not be able to recognise the ground clear light that appears to him. The ground clear light appears for a certain time following on the unconsciousness to everyone. If one does not recognise it the fifth bardo, the bardo o f dharmata, appears.

T i n- Ba r d o o f tm u T im e o f D ea th 49

Q uestions and Answers

QUESTION: In the bardo o f the time o f death, the thirty- three, forty and the seven thoughts dissolve during the second, third and fourth dissolutions. D oesn’t anything dissolve as the earth elem ent dissolves into that o f water?

ANSWER: No, earth is coarse. During life the elem ent o f earth, the elem ent o f the body is quite dominant. The com position o f thoughts is considerably finer, so no thoughts dissolve as the elem ent o f earth dissolves into the elem ent o f water.

QUESTION: If the ground clear light is not recognised, appearance, increase and attainment arise in reverse order. Does that mean that a white, red and black path also appear again?

ANSWER: It is not taught whether a white, a red and a black path appear. But if one does not recognise the clear light and then loses consciousness, that is attainment. Increase arises out o f attainment, and appearance arises out o f increase. This is how the mental body o f the bardo consciousness comes step by step into being.

QUESTION: H ow important is the part o f the body from which the consciousness leaves? It’s supposed to be important that consciousness com es out o f the crown o f the head. If it leaves from the lower doors one goes directly to the lower realms o f existence.

ANSWER: Those are the teachings about phowa, in which one speaks o f the various bodily openings: nostrils, eyes, ears, mouth, navel, the lower orifices and the Brahma opening at the crown. At death, consciousness can leave through any o f these openings. It is taught that if the consciousness leaves through the nostrils, one will take rebirth in a different realm from that reached if it leaves


through the navel. If it leaves through the Brahma opening at the crown, that is the path that leads to the pure lands o f the buddhas.

Therefore in the phowa practice consciousness is emitted through the Brahma opening, so that it melts directly into the heart o f Buddha Amitabha who is visualised over the crown. The bardo does not appear if one uses the phowa practice in this way according to its teachings. As has already been explained, one does not go into the bardo through the dharmakaya phowa.

The Ba rdo o f D harmata

Kyema!Now, as the bardo o f dharmata appears,I should, by giving up all fright and fear,

Recognise all manifestations as self-appearance andawareness

And know that they are the way in which the bardo appears.The m om ent o f a meaningful turning has come.

Do not be frightened by the self-appearances, the assemblies o f the Peaceful and Wrathful!

5 2 T en g a R i n p o c h e : T r a n sit io n a n d L ib e r a t io n

The fifth intermediate existence is the bardo o f dharmata, which follows after the bardo o f the moment o f death. It contains all that aspect o f appearances based upon delusion which are yet to manifest before we go over to the bardo o f becoming. The process o f dying is completed, the ground clear light has appeared, but w e have not recognised it. Pulling ourselves out o f this condition w e are at first surprised, thinking: “What’s going on? What’s happening to me? Have I died, or what?”

Simultaneously many lights, light rays and droplets o f light appear as a kind o f preparation for the appearances o f the bardo. Our ears perceive loud roarings and reverberating sounds.

The light, the light rays, and all the phenom ena that are later to appear in the bardo o f dharmata, such as the various forms o f the peaceful and wrathful aspects o f the lords o f the five buddha families, are the self-expression o f dharmata. The loud penetrating noises are the self-sound o f dharmata. It is not as if these appearances arise newly and appear at this stage: rather they are always present in our mind as its aspect o f purity. The pure aspect o f our mind is dharmata, and is present since the primordial beginning. Since the various appearances are forms o f expression o f dharmata, the intermediate existence in which they now again manifest is called the bardo o f dharmata.

Kyem a!Now, as the bardo o f dharm ata appears,I should, by giving up a ll frigh t a n d fear,Recognise a ll m anifesta tions as self-appearance a n d

aw arenessA nd know th a t they are the w ay in which the bardo

appears.The m om ent o f a m eaningful turning has come.

Do not be frigh ten ed by the self-appearances, the assem blies o f the Peaceful a n d Wrathful!

Ti in B a r d o o f D harmata 5 3

Now, as the bardo o f dharm ata appears,I should, by g iving up a ll frig h t a n d fe a r

When the bardo o f dharmata appears to us, w e perceive a variety o f appearances such as coloured light, clear light, light rays and light clusters. Nevertheless there is not the least reason to be afraid.

Recognise a ll m anifestations as self-appearance a n d aw areness

All appearances are exclusively the self-expression o f the mind. They are a self-expression through which awareness represents itself. At the time o f their appearance it is important to recognise the awareness in the bardo appearances.

A nd know th a t they are the w ay in which the bardo appears.

Regardless o f what appears, be it coloured lights, clear light, or the peaceful or wrathful aspects o f the lords o f the five buddha families, one must recognise that all appearances are the m anner in which the awareness presents itself in the bardo.

The m om ent o f a m eaningful turning has come.

With this phase in which the forms o f expression o f the bardo o f dharmata appear, an extraordinarily meaningful time has begun. Since when the peaceful and wrathful aspects o f the lords o f the five buddha families appear, if I recognise them as yidam deities I can melt into their mind and so ‘attain buddhahood as the sambhogakaya in the bardo’. If I don’t recognise them I will steadily continue

5 4 T e n g a Rin p o c h e : T r a n s it io n a n d Lib e r a t io n

through the bardo o f becom ing and be further trapped in samsara. This is why it is emphasised here that this m oment is very important.

Do n o t be frightened, by the self-appearances, the assem blies o f the Peaceful a n d Wrathful!

The human body is com posed o f nadis, prana, bindus and cakras. It is taught that during our lifetime the peaceful and wrathful aspects o f the lords o f the buddha families stay within the energy centres o f the body. The winds carry the white and red drops through the energy channels. The channels which branch off from the energy centres thus contain a collection o f white and red drops. Their forms o f expression are the peaceful and wrathful deities. The pure aspect o f the white and red drops is the peaceful and wrathful deities.

The energy centre in the heart is the dharmacakra. The white and red drops which are contained within the nadis branching off from this cakra manifest in their pure aspect as the forty-two peaceful deities. Thus the peaceful deities reside in the heart cakra.

The energy centre at the throat is the sambhogacakra. The white and red drops which are contained within the nadis branching off from this cakra manifest in their pure aspect as the ten awareness holders (Skt.: vidyadhara). The deities are in union, which means the five male awareness holders with their respective consorts. The awareness holders therefore reside in the throat cakra.

The energy centre at the crown o f the head is the mahasukhacakra. The white and red drops which are contained within the nadis branching off from this cakra manifest in their pure aspect as the fifty-eight blood drinkers, the wrathful deities. In this way the wrathful deities reside in the crown cakra.

T h e B a r d o o f D h a r m a t a 5 5

As a sign o f the presence o f the peaceful and wrathful deities and o f the awareness holders in our body as the self- expression o f the dharmata, w e can, while alive, perceive the light and the light rays o f the bodies o f these deities. If we close both eyes we nevertheless see appearances o f light similar to extremely fine hairs. These are a perception o f the deities inherent within our bodies in the form o f light. They are the manifestation o f the clear light o f dharmata. They do not originate in outer influences such as, for instance, the rays o f the sun, but are a normal expression o f our inner body. They are the self-expression o f dharmata. Also, if w e hold both ears closed w e hear continuous sound. That is the self-sound o f dharmata.

During our life all the peaceful and wrathful deities already reside in our bodies. They are the self-appearances, the clear light o f dharmata, which then manifest themselves again in the bardo o f dharmata in the form o f these peaceful and wrathful deities.

Existence in the bardo o f dharmata begins, after w e have not recognised the ground clear light, with the appearances o f dharmata in the form o f light and light rays and the selfsound o f dharmata in the form o f loud, penetrating sounds.

The First Day

On the first day o f the bardo o f dharmata a dazzling deep blue6 light appears in the middle o f these lights and light rays. Simultaneously with this deep blue light a muted white light appears, which is the light o f the path that leads to existence in the realms o f the gods (Skt.: devaloka).

Buddha Vairocana appears in the middle o f the dazzling deep blue light. He is seated upon a throne supported by eight lions. The colour o f his body is white. He has one face

6 Some commentaries speak of white light, others of blue.

5 6 T e n g a R i n p o c h e : T r a n s i t i o n a n d L ib e r a t i o n

and two arms. In his right hand he holds an eight spoked wheel, and in his left a bell whose handle is marked with an eight spoked wheel. He is in union with his consort Dhatvishvari. Her body is red. Dhatvishvari holds the same attributes in her hands as Vairocana.

At the time o f Vairocana’s manifestation we should recognise him as a yidam deity and pray to him. Through this recognition we enter into the heart o f Vairocana and so attain buddhahood in Vairocana’s pure realm, the realm o f the centre called ‘Akanishta, Pure Realm o f Dense Arrangement’.

This way o f attaining buddhahood is called ‘attaining buddhahood in the bardo as a sambhogakaya’. If during our life w e practise a yidam deity such as, for example, Vajrasattva, visualising the generation phase and reciting the mantra, such a practice prepares us for precisely this situation o f the appearance o f deities in the bardo. It will be easy for us to recognise the deity as such in this situation. The necessity o f yidam practice becom es obvious here.

I urge every one o f my students again and again to train themselves in yidam practice. If your time for the extensive practice o f the generation phase is too short, you can perform ‘generation in one moment through awareness’ and recite the mantra for a while. It is absolutely necessary to meditate on the generation phase o f a yidam, since this practice will be o f great value in the situation o f the bardo o f dharmata.

We get into a panic when the dazzling deep blue light o f Vairocana appears. We feel drawn on the other hand to the mild white light o f the gods which w e find comfortable. If we follow the muted white light we will be reborn in the realm o f the gods.


If during the first day w e have neither attained buddhahood in Vairocana’s pure land by recognising him, nor passed into the realm o f the gods, then on the second day a dazzling white light, the light o f Buddha Vajrasattva Akshobhya, and simultaneously a muted, comfortable grey light, the light o f the hell realms (Skt.: narakaloka) appears.

Vajrasattva Akshobhya appears with the dazzling white light. He is seated upon a throne borne by eight elephants. The colour o f his body is dark blue. In his right hand he holds a five-pronged vajra and in his left a bell w hose handle is marked with a five-pronged vajra. He is in union with his consort Buddha Locana. The colour o f her body is o f a somewhat lighter blue than that o f Vajrasattva. Locana holds the same attributes in her hands: in the right hand a fivepronged vajra and in the left hand a bell which again is marked with a five-pronged vajra.

The Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha appears to the right hand side o f Vajrasattva Akshobhya. The colour o f his body is white. In his right hand he holds a rice shoot and in his left hand a bell.

On the left side o f Vajrasattva Akshobhya the Bodhisattva Maitreya appears. His body is also white in colour. In his right hand he holds a branch o f the naga tree and in his left hand a bell.

In front o f Vajrasattva Akshobhya the female Bodhisattva Lasya (Dancer) appears. The colour o f her body is white. In her right hand she holds a mirror and in her left a bell.

Behind Vajrasattva Akshobhya the female Bodhisattva Pushpa (Flower Girl). Her body is also white. In the right hand she holds a white lotus and in the left a bell.

The Second Day

5 8 T r n g a R i n i ’o c i i h : T r a n s it i o n a n d Li i i i-r a t io n

This is the manifestation o f Buddha Vajrasattva Akshobhya in his entourage o f six.

If at the m om ent o f their appearance w e recognise them as the yidam deity Vajrasattva Akshobhya with his retinue and pray to them, w e will reach buddhahood in the eastern pure land, the ‘Realm o f Real Joy’.

If however w e fear the light o f Vajrasattva and his retinue, preferring the comfortable grey light o f the hells and following it, then w e will take a birth in the realms o f the hells.

The Third Day

If w e have neither achieved buddhahood in Vajrasattva’s pure land nor passed into the hell realms, then on the third day a dazzling yellow light appears simultaneously with a muted blueish light that leads to the realms o f humans (Skt.: naraloka).

Buddha Ratnasambhava appears with the dazzling yellow light. He is seated on a horse throne. His body is yellow. In his right hand he holds a jewel and in his left a bell marked with a jewel.

He is in union with his consort Mamaki. Her body is o f a yellow somewhat lighter than that o f Ratnasambhava. Mamaki holds the same attributes as Ratnasambhava in her hands.

The Bodhisattva Akashagarbha is to the right o f Ratnasambhava. His body is yellow. He holds a sword on the right and a bell on the left.

Left o f Ratnasambhava is the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. His body is blue. On the right he holds an ear o f rice and on the left a bell.

T ills B a r d o o f D i ia k m a t a 5 9

The lords of the five buddha families appearing on days 1 - 5

6 0 T e n g a R i n p o c h e : T r a n s it io n a n d L i b e r a t i o n

The consorts of the lords of the five buddha familiesDays 1 - 5

T h i - B a r d o o f D h a r m a t a 6 1

The eight bodhisattvasDays 2 - 5

T e n g a R i n p o c h e : T r a n s i t i o n a n d L ib e r a t io n

The eight female bodhisattvasDays 2 - 5


Dharmakaya Samantabhadra in unión here with a blue body, day 6

64 T f.n g a R i n p o c h e : T r a n s i t i o n a n d L ib e r a t i o n

.:• / . . ■

f' V :r I"~Z'rxJ

• -¿rAgSi Aizsrt*' ,\{2Stm0^ d% k\

Chemchog Heruka in union wrathful manifestation of the Adi-buddha Samantabhadra

(He is n o t m e n tio n ed in Karm a L ingpa’s b o o k o f the dead , b u t does a p p e a r o n m o st rep re sen ta tio n s o f th e b a rd o deities.)


i -‘m , -'ir •rS t , Anta». VA,

The munis of the six realmsDay 6

6 6 T e n g a R j n p o c h e : T r a n s it io n a n d L i b e r a t io n

The four male door keepersDay 6


The four female door keepers Day 6


The five herukas Days 8 - 1 2

T h e B a r d o o e D h a r m a t a 6 9

The five khrodeshvaris Days 8 - 1 2


The eight kau ri masDay 13


The eight phramenmasDay 13

7 2 T e n g a R i n p o c h e : T r a n s i t i o n a n d L i b e r a t i o n

The 28 ishvaris Day 14


In front of Ratnasambhava is the female Bodhisattva Mala (Garland Girl). Her body is yellow. On the right she holds a garland o f flowers and on the left a bell.

Behind Ratnasambhava is the female Bodhisattva Dhupa (Incense Girl). Her body is yellow. She holds a censer in both hands.

The recognition o f these appearances as yidam deities leads to buddhahood in Ratnasambhava’s southern pure land, the ‘Realm Filled with Splendour’. If one follows the muted blue light one will be reborn as a human.

The Fourth Day

If we have neither attained buddhahood in Ratnasambhava’s realm nor passed into the realms o f human beings, a dazzling red light appears on the fourth day, simultaneously with a muted yellow light leading to rebirth in the realms o f the hungry ghosts (Skt.: pretaloka).

In the middle o f the dazzling red light the Buddha Amitabha appears on a peacock throne. His body is coloured red. In his right hand he holds a lotus and in his left a bell marked with a lotus.

He is in union with his consort Pandara (White clad). Her body is bright red. Pandara holds the same attributes as Amitabha in her hands.

To Amitabha’s right is the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. His body is red. On the right he holds a lotus and on the left a bell.

To Amitabha’s left is the Bodhisattva Manjushri. His body is orange. He holds on the right an utpala blossom and on the left a bell.

The female Bodhisattva Gita (Singer) is in front o f Amitabha. Her body is red. She holds a lute with her two hands.


The female Bodhisattva Aloka (Light Girl) is behind Amitabha. Her body is also red. She holds a butter lamp.

The recognition o f these deities leads to buddhahood in the pure land o f Amitabha in the west, the ‘Realm Filled with Joy’. If w e follow the muted yellow light we will be reborn in the realms o f the hungry ghosts.

The Fifth Day

If w e neither pass into the pure land o f Amitabha nor into the realms o f the hungry ghosts, a dazzling green light will appear on the fifth day, and simultaneously a muted red light which leads to the realms o f the dem igods (Skt.: asuraloka).

In the middle o f the dazzling green light appears the Buddha Amoghasiddhi on a throne which is carried by alternating male and female harpies. Amoghasiddhi’s body is green. He holds a double vajra and a bell marked with a double vajra.

He is in union with his consort Samayatara. Her body is a green somewhat lighter than that o f Amoghasiddhi. Samayatara holds the same attributes as Amoghasiddhi in her hands.

Bodhisattva Vajrapani is to Amoghasiddhi’s right. His body is green. He holds a vajra and a bell.

To Amoghasiddhi’s left is the Bodhisattva Dipana. His body is white. He holds a volum e o f text and a bell.

The female Bodhisattva Gandha (Perfume Girl) is in front o f Amoghasiddhi. Her body is green. She holds a conch shell containing good sm elling essences.

The female Bodhisattva Nritya (Food Girl) is behind Amoghasiddhi. Her body is also green. She holds an offering cake (torma) representing food.

T h e B a r d o o f D harm ata 7 5

If one recognises these deities as such, this leads to buddhahood in Amoghasiddhi’s northern pure land, the ‘Realm o f Highest Perfect D eeds’.

The Sixth Day

On the sixth day all the forty-two peaceful deities, which during life were in the nadi branches o f the heart cakra, appear together. They appear out o f a dazzling five-coloured light. A muted six-coloured light also appears, leading to a birth in one o f the six realms o f existence.

In the centre appears Vairocana with his consort Dhatvishvari, appearing in the same form as on the first day.

The Adibuddha Samantabhadra appears above Vairocana’s head as a manifestation o f the dharmakaya in addition to the forty-two peaceful deities. His body is white. He holds his hands in the meditation position. He is in union with his consort Samantabhadri. Her body is also white.

In the east is Vajrasattva Akshobhya in his entourage o f six as on the second day.

In the south is Ratnasambhava in his entourage o f six as on the third day.

In the west is Amitabha in his entourage o f six as on the fourth day.

In the north is Amoghasiddhi in his entourage o f six as on the fifth day.

Outside o f these appear simultaneously the munis o f the six realms o f existence:

The muni o f the realm o f the gods: Shatakratu (Of Highest Power) having a white body. He holds a lute.

7 6 T e n g a R i n p o c h e : T r a n sit io n a n d L ib e r a t io n

The muni o f the demigods: Viracara (Of Good Make Up), having a green body. He holds a sword and suit o f armour with a helmet.

The muni o f humans: Shakyamuni (Muni o f the Shakyas), having a yellow body. He holds a m onk’s staff and a begging bowl.

The muni o f the realm o f the animals: Sengerabten (Unshakeable Lion), having a dark blue body. He holds a volume o f text in his right hand and his left is in the gesture o f giving protection.

The muni o f the hungry ghosts: Kalameshar (With Burning Mouth), having a red body. He holds a precious vessel in his right hand, and his left is in the gesture o f giving protection.

The muni o f the hells: Dharmaraja (King o f the Teaching), having a body o f black colour. He holds a ball o f fire and a conch shell filled with saffron water.

Outside o f these, the four male door keepers appear at the same time:

In the east: Vijaya (Completely Victorious), with a white body. He holds a staff with a death’s head and a bell.

In the south: Yamantaka (Destroyer o f Yama), o f yellow body. He carries a staff with a death’s head and bell.

In the west: Hayagriva (Horse-Necked King), with a red body. He holds an iron shackle and a bell.

In the north: Amritakundali (Stirrer o f Nectar), o f green body. He holds a double vajra and a bell marked with a double vajra.

The four female door keepers:

In the east: Tagdongma (Horse Face), with a white body. She holds an iron hook and a skull cup filled with blood.

T h k B a r d o o f D hakm ata 7 7

In the south: Pagdongma (Pig Face), with a yellow body. She holds a noose and a skull cup M ed with blood.

In the west: Sengdongma (Lion Face), with a red body. She holds an iron shackle and a skull cup M ed with blood.

In the north: Druldongma (Snake face), with a green body. She holds a bell and a skull cup M ed with blood.

All o f these together are the forty-two peaceful deities which during life are in the heart cakra. They all appear simultaneously on the sixth day.

If w e recognise these forty-two peaceful deities at the time o f their appearance, knowing that they are yidam deities, then, through the blessing o f the lords o f the five buddha families and through our respect for and trust in them, w e will attain buddhahood in the pure land o f the dharmakaya Samantabhadra. If w e do not recognise them w e can be reborn in one o f the six realms within the cycle o f existence. Through clinging and fondness for one o f the individual paths to the six realms w e will be drawn to it, taking birth in the corresponding realm.

But if on the sixth day w e have neither attained buddhahood nor passed into one o f the six realms o f existence, then the ten awareness holders and their consorts, which during life were in the nadi branches o f the sambhogacakra in the throat, will appear on the seventh day.

The Seventh Day

The ten awareness holders appear from out o f a dazzling five-coloured light. At the same time a muted green light leading to rebirth in the realm o f the animals (Skt.: trisanloka) appears.

In the centre appears the ‘Great Awareness Holder o f Perfect Maturation’, also known as the ‘Powerful One o f the Lotus


Dance’. His body is five-coloured. He is in union with his consort White Dakini, with a white body. Both the awareness holder and the dakini each hold a flaying knife in the right hand and a skull cup fiill o f blood in the left.

In the east is the ‘Awareness Holder Dwelling on Earth’. His body is white. He is in union with his consort Buddhadakini. She has a white body. Both hold a flaying knife and a skull cup full o f blood.

In the south is the ‘Awareness Holder with Power over Life’. His body is yellow. He is in union with his consort Ratnadakini. She has a yellow body. Both hold a flaying knife and a skull cup full o f blood.

In the west is the ‘Awareness Holder o f the Great Seal’. His body is red. He is in union with his consort Padmadakini. She has a red body; Both hold a flaying knife and a skull cup full o f blood.

In the north is the ‘Awareness Holder o f Spontaneous Arising’. His body is green. He is in union with his consort Karmadakini. She has a green body. Both hold a flaying knife and a skull cup full o f blood.

If w e recognise these bardo appearances o f the ten awareness holders, w ho dwell in the throat cakra during life, as being yidam deities, w e will attain buddhahood in their pure realm.

If the forty-two peaceful deities and the ten awareness holders have appeared and w e have not recognised them, the fifty-eight blood drinking wrathful deities subsequently appear. They are the lords o f the five buddha families: Vairocana, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha and Amoghasiddhi, w ho first appeared in their peaceful manifestation. Now, however, they appear in their wrathful aspect.

T hk Ba r d o o f D harm ata 7 9

Many o f the fifty-eight wrathful aspects have three faces, six arms, four legs, numerous varied head ornaments and hold a variety o f attributes in their hands. I will explain these in detail as I believe that this will be useful in the future.

The Eighth Day

On the eighth day the Buddha Vairocana appears to us in his wrathful form as the Buddha Heruka. His body is dark brown. He has three faces. The right hand face is white, the left one is red and the one in the middle, looking towards the front, is dark brown. He has six arms, and holds in his upper right hand a wheel, in the middle right hand an axe and in the lower right a sabre. In his upper left hand he holds a bell, in the middle left a plough and in the lower left a skull cup. He has four legs.

He is in union with his consort Buddha Krodheshvari. Her body is red. She has two arms and holds a w heel in her right hand and a skull cup in her left.

The wrathful aspects o f the lords o f the five families who now appear all have three faces, six arms and four legs.

The three faces are a sign that they appear for the benefit o f beings with the help o f the three buddha bodies (Skt.: kaya): dharmakaya, sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya. The right face o f all the deities symbolises the nirmanakaya, the face on the left the sambhogakaya, and the central face the dharmakaya.

The six arms symbolise that they wish to bring all beings o f the six realms o f existence to the level o f realisation o f a buddha.

Let us take the Buddha Heruka as an example:

He holds a w heel in his upper right hand. As we move on through the three realms o f the cycle o f existence w e go continuously through the twelve links o f dependent

80 T e n g a R i n p o c i ie : T r a n sit io n a n d L ib e r a t io n

origination. The w heel is a sign that the heruka cuts the flow o f the twelve links o f dependent origination.

He holds an axe in his middle right hand. All beings think: “that’s m e”, and cling to an I where no I exists. The axe stands for cutting through all clinging to an I.

He holds a sabre in his lower right hand. That is a sign that he ruthlessly cuts away the three afflictions o f desirous attachment, anger and dullness which all beings carry in their minds.

In the upper left hand he holds a bell. The bell is a sign for the openness o f dharmata, the emptiness, the freedom from all the faults o f the cycle o f existences.

The plough in his middle right hand is a sign that he utterly overcomes not only all karma but also all the afflictions and karmic imprints o f all beings. '

In his lower left hand he holds a skull cup filled with blood. That is a sign that he has realised dharmata and dwells on the level o f buddhahood, but( nevertheless remains in samsara because o f his great compassion, in order extensively to benefit all beings.

The union with his consort Buddha Krodheshvari is a sign for the union o f method and wisdom. Method is great joy and wisdqjn is emptiness. The two are in union.

The four legs represent the fact that the heruka works for the benefit o f beings by means o f the four immeasurables — immeasurable love, immeasurable compassion, immeasurable joy and immeasurable equanimity.

The following herukas all hold similar objects in their hands, which all have a similar meaning. However not every meaning can be explained in detail at this point.

T ul- B a r d o o f D harm ata 81

The wrathful appearance o f the Buddha Vajrasattva Akshobhya is Vajra Heruka. His body is blue. He has three faces, the right one is white, the left red and the middle face is dark blue. He has six arms and holds in the upper right hand a vajra, in the middle a skull cup and in the lower an axe. In his upper left hand he holds a bell, in the middle a skull cup and in the lower left a plough. He also has four legs.

He is in union with his consort Vajra Krodheshvari. Her body is light blue. She has two arms and holds a vajra in her right hand and a skull cup in her left.

The Tenth Day

The wrathful appearance o f Buddha Ratnasambhava is Ratna Heruka. His body is yellow. He has three faces: the one on the right is white, the left one is red and the middle yellow. He has six arms and holds a jewel in his upper right hand, in the middle right a katvanga staff and in the lower a club. In his upper left hand he holds a bell, in the middle left a skull cup and in the lower left a trident. He has four legs.

He is in union with his consort Ratna Krodheshvari. The colour o f her body is light yellow. She has two arms and holds a jewel in her right hand and a skull cup in her left.

The Eleventh Day

The wrathful appearance o f Buddha Amitabha is Padma Heruka. His body is red. He has three faces, the one on the right being white, the left one blue and the middle one red. He has six arms, holding a lotus in his upper right hand, a katvanga staff in the middle and in the lower a death’s head staff. In the upper left hand he holds a bell, in the middle a

The Ninth Day


skull cup and in the lower a small drum with a w ooden handle. He has four legs.

He is in union with his consort Padma Krodheshvari. She has a light red body. She has two arms and holds a lotus in her right hand and a skull cup in her left.

The Twelfth Day

The wrathful appearance o f the Buddha Amoghasiddhi is Karma Heruka. His body is dark green. He has three faces: that on the right is white, that on the left red and the middle one is dark green. He has six arms and holds a sabre in the upper right hand, a katvanga staff in the middle and a skull club in the lower. In his upper left hand he holds a bell, in the middle a skull cup and in the lower hand a plough. He has four legs.

He is in union with his consort Karma Krodheshvari. She has a light green body. She has two arms and holds a sabre and a skull cup.

That was the appearance o f the ten wrathful aspects o f the lords o f the five buddha families, the five herukas in union with their consorts the five krodheshvaris.

The Thirteenth Day

On the thirteenth day the wrathful manifestations o f the eight female bodhisattvas appear, the eight wrathful kaurimas:

Gauri has a white body. She holds a flayed human skin in her right hand and a skull cup in her left.

Cauri has a yellow body. She holds a drawn bow and arrow.

Pramoha has a red body. She holds a crocodile banner in her right hand.

Vaitali has a black body. She holds a vajra in her right hand and a skull cup in her left.

Pukkasi has an orange body. She holds intestines in her right hand, lifting them to her mouth with her left hand in order to devour them.

Ghasmari has a green body. In her right hand she holds a vajra with which she stirs the content o f the skull cup held in her left.

Candali has a yellow body. She holds a heart in her right hand and in her left a corpse which she is devouring.

Shmashani has a dark blue body. She is tearing the head off a corpse.

Later on the thirteenth day the eight phramenmas appear. They are the wrathful manifestations o f the offering goddesses.

Simhamukha (Lion Headed) has a black body and devours a corpse.

Vyaghramukha (Tiger Headed) has a red body and holds her hands crossed downwards.

Srigalamukha (Vixen Headed), who has a black body, holds a sabre in her right hand, lifting intestines to her mouth with her left hand in order to devour them.

Shvamukha (Wolf Headed) has a dark blue body. She rips a corpse apart to devour it.

Gridhramukha (Vulture Headed) has a yellow body. She is carrying a corpse over her shoulder and a skeleton in her hands.

Kankamukha (Cemetery Bird Headed7) has a dark red body and holds a corpse in her hands.

T h e B a r d o o f D h a r m a t a 83

7 Similar to a vulture.


Kakamukha (Crow Headed) has . a black body and holds a skull cup in her left hand.

Ulukamukha (Owl Headed) has a light blue body and holds a vajra and a sabre.

Also on the thirteenth day the four female doorkeepers appear:

In the east: Tagdongma (Horse Face), having a white body. She holds an iron hook and a skull cup filled with blood.

In the south: Pagdongma (Sow Face), having a yellow body. She holds a snake and a skull cup filled with blood.

In the west: Sengdongma (Lion Face), having a red body. She holds an iron fetter and a skull cup filled with blood.

In the north: Druldongma (Snake Face), having a green body. She holds a bell and a skull cup filled with blood.

The attributes o f the eight kaurimas and the eight phramenmas are primarily that they carry human corpses whose intestines or hearts they devour and w hose blood they drink. This symbolises that they overcome the clinging to an I within all beings.

How can one recognise the clinging^ to an I or a self? In spite of the fact that in reality there sii(nply is no self, w e think: “That’s me”. We are continuously having thoughts like: “That’s m e”, “I want to be happy”, “I’d like to be famous”, “I’d like to own things”, “Maybe I’ll get ill” or: “Maybe I’ll suffer”. Such ideas, focused on an I, are called ‘clinging to a se lf or ‘grasping at a se lf.

It is taught that the attitude “that’s m e” is the cause and root o f our remaining in samsara.

In what way is the clinging to a self the root or our remaining in samsara? We are always thinking: “I’d like to be happy”, “I should be all right” or: “I want to be famous”. This thinking

T h e B a r d o o f D harm ata 8 5

of ourselves allows our desirous attachment and our pride to flourish. Because o f such conceptual tendencies w e hurt others, steal their possessions and fight with them. These acts collect karma.

If we think: “The others are hurting m e” or: “Others are keeping me from fame and wealth”, then w e develop a very strong thought o f anger and jealousy towards others and hurt them.

The cause o f such behaviour is the assumption o f an I although no I exists. When, in the absence o f an I, we cling to an I, this is the aspect o f ignorance. In this way the clinging to an I is the basis for the arising o f the five afflictions.

Let us observe the concept o f an I a little closer. We think that our body is our ‘I’. If w e build a house w e think: “That is where I live” or: “It’s my body that lives in that house”. Looking at our bed, w e think: “That’s my bed” or: “It’s my body that lies in this bed”. With this form o f I-thinking we identify our I with the skandha o f form, our body.

Once our thoughts are directed in this way towards our body they constitute the foundation for the skandha o f feelings. With our body we can experience soft, gende, pleasant feelings. We find ourselves drawn towards positive feelings, we like and accept them. If w e burn or freeze ourselves we experience this with our body as unpleasant. In general we reject these feelings. In this way the skandha o f feelings arises on the basis o f the skandha o f form.

Based on the skandha o f feelings, the skandha o f discrimination arises. We discriminate by means o f this skandha, thinking: “With this object I’ll becom e happy” or: “This object will make me unhappy”.

On the basis o f the skandha o f discrimination, the skandha o f mental functions arises. Having made the discrimination that

8 6 TliNCA UlNl’OCIII;: TRANSITION AND 1.IIH-RATION

an object will make us happy, the thought follows: “I need this thing”. We will do everything with body, speech and mind to get it.

If w e have made the discrimination that this thing will bring us suffering, w e think: “I must do everything to keep this thing away from m e”. We behave in this way with our body, speech and mind. These operations o f thought have the name of the skandha o f mental functions.

At death our consciousness is separated from our body which becom es a corpse. As a corpse, our body can no longer think: “That’s my house” or: “That’s my place”. So it is not our body that has these thoughts, but our mental consciousness. The skandha o f consciousness consists o f the supervising mind, upon which all mental activity such as making discriminations like: “That’s good” or: “That’s bad” and instituting corresponding deeds is based.

Summarising, that object which w e consider to be the I, our self, is com pounded o f the five skandhas.

Four o f the five skandhas, the skandhas o f feelings, discrimination, mental functions and consciousness have various names but are all functions o f the mind. They have no form.

Only the skandha o f form, our body, has form. It is com posed o f flesh, blood, organs, intestines and much more. As a symbol that the eight kaurimas and the eight phramenmas overcome the five skandhas, as the basis for all beings’ clinging to an I, they carry human corpses on their backs, devour intestines or drink blood.

It is very important to understand this symbolism precisely, otherwise one could assume that these deities really eat human intestines, human flesh, and drink human blood.

The Fourteenth Day

On the fourteenth day the twenty-eight powerful goddesses, the twenty-eight ishvaris, appear. They have various animal heads and hold a variety o f symbols in their hands. These correspond to the various afflictions. There are altogether twenty-eight afflictions. They appear in their perfectly pure form as the twenty-eight ishvaris.

There are seven ishvaris in each cardinal direction.

The seven ishvaris in the east:

Rakshasi (Dem oness) has the head o f a yak. Her body is black. She holds a vajra in her right hand.

Brahmani (Brahma) has a snake’s head. Her body is orange. She holds a lotus.

Mahadevi (Great Goddess) has a leopard’s head. Her body is dark green. She holds a trident.

Togdo has the head o f a lynx. Her body is blue. She holds a wheel.

Kumari (Youthful) has the head o f a Tremung8. Her body is red. She holds a short spear.

Indrani (Indra) has a bear’s head. Her body is white. She holds a noose o f entrails.

Vajri, the protectress o f the eastern gate, has a cuckoo’s head. Her body is black. She holds an iron hook.

The seven ishvaris o f the south:

Vajri (Vajra) has a bat’s head. Her body is yellow. She holds a sword.

Shanti (Peaceful) has a crocodile’s head. Her body is red. She holds a vase.

Tin-: B a r d o oi> D i i a r m a i a 8 7

B Similar to a bear.

Amrita (Nectar) has a scorpion’s head. Her body is red. She holds a lotus.

Candra (Moon) has a falcon’s head. Her body is white. She holds a vajra.

Danda (Club) has a vixen’s head. Her body is dark green. She holds a death’s head staff.

Rakshasi (Demoness) has the head o f a tiger. Her body is dark yellow. She holds a skull cup full o f blood.

Drinchu, protectress o f the southern gate, has the head o f a goat. Her body is yellow. She holds a noose.

The seven ishvaris o f the west:

Sawa (Food) has a vulture’s head. Her body is dark green. She holds a lance.

Rati (Joy) has a horse’s head. Her body is red. She carries a corpse.

Mahabali (Great Strength) has the head o f a garuda. Her body is white. She holds a death’s head staff.

Rakshasi (Demoness) has a dog’s head. Her body is red. She holds a sword with a vajra handle.

Abhilashi (Desire) has the head o f a hoopoe. She holds a bow and arrow drawn to shoot.

Norsung (Guardian o f Possessions) has a d oe’s head. Her body is dark green. She holds a vase.

Pumna, the protectress o f the western gate, has a lion’s head. Her body is red. She holds an iron shackle.

The seven ishvaris o f the north:

Vayudevi (Wind Goddess) has a w o lfs head. Her body is blue. She holds a pennant.

8 8 T e n g a R in p o c h e : T r a n s it io n a n d Lib e r a t io n

T h e B a r d o o f D harm ata 89

Nari (Woman) has the head o f an ibex. Her body is red. She holds a w ooden sword.

Varahi (Sow) has a sow ’s head. Her body is black. She holds a snake.

Vajri (Vajra) has a crow’s head. Her body is red. She is eating a child’s corpse.

Nachen (Long Nose) has the head o f an elephant. Her body is green. She carries a human corpse and drinks blood.

Chulha (Water Goddess) has a snake’s head. Her body is blue. She holds a snake noose.

Namtd, protectress o f the northern gate, has a magpie’s head. Her body is dark green. She holds a bell.

All twenty-eight ishvaris appear on the fourteenth day o f the bardo o f dharmata.

The fifty-eight wrathful deities are, in order o f their appearance: the five blood drinking herukas (Buddha, Vajra, Ratna, Padma and Karma) in union with the five krodheshvaris; the eight kaurimas and the eight phramenmas; the four protectresses o f the gates; the twenty- eight ishvaris.

If, when the wrathful deities appear, w e recognise them as yidam deities, develop trust in them, believe in and pray to them, then we will dissolve in the heart o f the corresponding deity and attain buddhahood. If, however w e fail to recognise any o f the manifestations o f the blood drinkers, the bardo o f becoming will begin.


QUESTION: H ow long does the condition o funconsciousness o f the bardo o f dharmata last? How long is the period o f the manifestation o f each individual buddha?

90 T e n g a R in p o c h e : T r a n s it io n a n d Lib e r a t io n

ANSWER: The duration o f the individual phases o f appearance depend on the constitution o f our nadis, prana and bindus. This is especially true if w e don’t go into tugdam and don’t recognise the ground clear light.

When in connection with the bardo w e say, “the first day, the second day, the third day”, it is a question o f human, worldly days. But if w e have taken a birth in the realms o f the hells or o f the hungry ghosts, the corresponding days and years belong to these realms o f existence. The years in the hell realms or the realms o f hungry ghosts are not equal to our worldly years. They can correspond to ten, a hundred or a thousand worldly years.

QUESTION: If w e decide between the dazzling light and the m uted light, how much does the principle o f karma count?

ANSWER: Freedom to decide arises on the basis o f the special m ethods o f the secret vajrayana.

If it is our karma to be reborn in hell, the path to hell appears to us with particular strength, and we feel specially drawn to it. But through the blessing o f the secret mantrayana, and through the blessing and compassion o f the deity, the yidam deity appears at the same time. If we recognise it, then in spite o f our karma to be reborn in hell, w e will not be born there but instead w e will melt into the heart o f the deity and attain enlightenment. The blessing o f the secret mantrayana is described as being very great, since there are instructions for how one can attain enlightenm ent in one lifetime with one body.

We have for instance today received instructions on Liberation through H earing in the B ardo , and for this reason, when w e see the two lights in the bardo, we will immediately understand their meaning and know that the muted light is the way to a birth in one o f the six realms o f existence. Therefore w e w on’t pursue them.

T h e B a r d o o f D harm ata 91

If the Tibetan Book o f the D ead is recited before a deceased person, the consciousness will understand it all, and will be able to adopt the instructions. Since one achieves liberation in this way by hearing, the book is called Liberation through H earing in the Bardo.

QUESTION: What sort o f character do the awareness holders i have? To judge from their description, they seem to be semiwrathful. Are they, like the herukas, also appearances o f the1 buddhas?

ANSWER: In essence the awareness holders are also the buddhas o f the five families. During life they remain as the pure aspect o f the white and red elem ents in the throat cakra. The wrathful deities are situated in the crown cakra, the peaceful in the heart cakra. The throat cakra lies in between, so they are neither wrathful nor peaceful, but appear in both aspects.

QUESTION: Do the attributes and the various signs actually appear just as they are described? Or are they merely symbols for innate qualities? Do they appear differendy in other cultures?

ANSWER: In the Liberation through H earing in the Bardo the Buddha taught that everyone who possesses a human body perceives the buddha aspects in the bardo as described.

However, there are two exceptions: those who, in a positive sense, don’t go through the bardo, and those who, in a negative sense, don’t go through the bardo.

The first group unify the mother clear light with the child clear light the moment the ground clear light appears and attain buddhahood. They don’t go through the bardo. The peaceful and wrathful deities will not appear.

The second group go immediately after death to the hell realms as a result o f dreadful evil deeds and incomparable

92 Ti-NGA RINI’OCIII-: TRANSITION AND LlUHKATION

negativity collected in this life. For them too the peaceful and wrathful deities don’t appear. Neither group goes through the bardo.

QUESTION: What role is played by the colours in which the various deities manifest?

ANSWER: The colours are connected to the five afflictions. The five afflictions are the impure aspect o f the five pure primordial awarenesses.

In its pure transformed aspect the impure affliction o f dullness is the primordial awareness o f the dharmadhatu. The lord o f the primordial awareness o f the dharmadhatu is Vairocana. His body is white, so the colour o f the primordial awareness o f the dharmadhatu is white.

The transformed affliction o f anger is the mirror-like primordial awareness. The self-appearance which arises out o f the mirror-like primordial awareness is the Buddha Akshobhya. His body is coloured blue, so the colour o f the mirror-like primordial awareness is blue.

The affliction o f pride is transformed into the primordial awareness o f equality. The deity which appears out o f the self-play o f this primordial awareness is the Buddha Ratnasambhava. His body is coloured yellow, so the colour o f the primordial awareness o f equality is yellow.

The affliction o f desirous attachment is transformed into the discriminating primordial awareness. The deity who appears out o f the self-play o f the discriminating primordial awareness is the Buddha Amitabha. Amitabha has a red body, so the colour o f the discriminating primordial awareness is red.

The affliction o f jealousy transforms into the truly accomplishing primordial awareness. The buddha who appears out o f the self-play o f this primordial awareness is

T in ; B a k d o o f D i ia k m a t a 93

Amoghasiddhi. His body is coloured green, so the colour o f the truly accomplishing primordial awareness is green.

Since every deity is a self-expression o f one o f the primordial awarenesses, they appear with various body colours.

QUESTION: If the exact time at which som eone deceased has left this life is not known, how and when is it best to recite the book o f the dead? What else can be done for the departed?

ANSWER: If you don’t know exacdy when som eone has died, the best thing is to read the entire book on one day and again on the second day. That should be repeated for several days.

It’s also a help to do Avalokiteshvara meditation, and to recite his mantra OM MANI PEME HUNG, or the mantra o f Amitabha or the hundred syllable mantra o f Vajrasattva. That is all very helpful for the bardo consciousness.

T h e B a r d o o f B e c o m in g

Kyema!Now, as the bardo o f becom ing appears,

I should, by striving with one-pointed mind,

Urgently continue the progress o f good karma

And remember to turn away from entering the womb, shutting its door.

This is a time calling for strength o f mind and pure vision.

Abandon jealousy and meditate on the lama in union.

T h e B a r d o o f B e c o m in g 9 5

Now, a s the bardo o f becom ing appears,I should, by striving w ith one-pointed m in d

If the bardo o f becoming appears, w e should strive one- pointedly and develop strong trust. We have at last understood that we have died. We think: “I have arrived in the bardo o f becoming”. As w e grasp this fact, w e strive for a new birth. One-pointed striving means that w e must now direct our mind entirely towards taking a birth with good parents having the possibility to practise the dharma. Such a birth would open the possibility for us to meet a lama and spiritual friend. With this thought w e direct our striving towards a new birth.

Urgently continue the progress o f g o o d karm a

In our present life w e possess a body with which w e have experienced the buddha, dharma and sangha. In the bardo o f becom ing we should develop the following thought: “Previously I had such a body, now I should take on a body again that can experience the dharma.” In this way w e make a connection to our good karma.

A nd rem em ber to turn a w a y fro m entering the womb, shutting its door.

If w e see a couple in union, but these potential parents are parents through whom w e could not attain a birth corresponding to our wishes, w e must close the entrance to the womb. For this purpose w e should visualise the couple as the lama in union. In this way w e develop, with regard to the potential parents, neither clinging nor rejection, on the basis o f which w e would fall unconsciously into the gate o f this womb. So the door to the womb is closed, and entry into I it is turned away.

This is a tim e calling fo r strength o f m in d a n d pu re vision.

96 T k n g a R in i’o c i i i :: T r a n s i t i o n a n d Li i i i :k a t io n

To avoid an unfavourable rebirth we must develop the pure vision with which w e recognise that all appearances are in essence pure. It is now important to take birth consciously.

Abandon jea lou sy a n d m ed ita te on the lam a in union.

Jealousy here means the clinging and aversion with regard to the father and mother. If we can stop these from arising in our minds, then even in this situation w e can prevent ourselves from taking a rebirth in the lower realms. Giving up jealousy can bring us back to the bardo, so that w e can take birth consciously. If we recognise that the time to enter a womb has come, it is best to do so consciously. One visualises the parents as the lama in union and the womb as a buddha’s pure land. If we can hold on to this meditation during the entry, w e can consciously take the desired kind o f birth in accordance with our wishes.

Most people go through the bardo o f becoming from the fifteenth day after death up until the forty-ninth. There are som e beings w ho take birth even before the forty-ninth day.

As was explained at the beginning, in the bardo o f becoming w e possess a mental body. Because o f our karma, it corresponds during the first half o f this bardo to the appearance o f our previous human body. During the second half it assumes the appearance o f the next birth. If, for example, som eone has to remain one month in the bardo, he will maintain the appearance o f a human body for fifteen days. If he has the karma to take the body o f a fish in the next life, then after fifteen days he will take on the appearance o f a fish. If, because o f on e’s karma, one must remain two months in the bardo, then for the first month one possesses the bodily basis o f a human, according to the previous karmic imprints. In the second month, because o f the karma associated with the com ing life and the karmic imprints, a body arises which corresponds to the realm o f existence into

Till: BANK) til- BECOMING 9 7

which one is going. From this point on the bardo being perceives the corresponding beings in the corresponding realm o f existence.

The mental body which we possess as a result o f our previous human life, is com plete. All the organs and sense faculties are perfectly formed, even if this was not previously the case. There are no obstacles to our movement, which means we can travel to Mount Meru, pass through cliffs and much more.

In this phase we have the capacity to work karmic miracles. We can visit our parents, children, friends and all our acquaintances, go to them and hear all their conversations, although our friends cannot hear our own speech. They don’t understand us any more, and w e recognise that we have died and are now in the bardo. This recognition causes great fear and suffering.

When w e were still alive w e could use our material possessions ourselves. Now our relatives and acquaintances use our estate. If w e go to them and say: “That’s mine, it’s my money, it’s wrong what you’re doing with my possessions”, they don’t understand. We, however, understand everything that our relations say. So w e realise that w e have died, and we experience fear and fright.

Sometimes in this situation a bardo ritual is asked for on behalf o f the deceased. If a qualified lama or spiritual friend carries out such a ritual, the bardo consciousness perceives this and recognises: “This lama is doing that ritual for me. My friends and relations have asked him to do it. He is giving me guidance. He is a lama with great qualities, he has compassion, strength and experience. That is very good.” The bardo being is given strength and develops great trust and respect for this lama. It can even in som e cases happen that, because o f the force o f especially strong trust and


respect, the bardo being reaches in one moment the level o f realisation o f a buddha.

The bardo body cannot stay, it cannot remain in one spot. It is rather as if it is constantly blown around in all directions by the wind. It does not perceive any difference between day and night. Even though here in the world the sun shines during the day and the night is dark, the perception o f a bardo being cannot distinguish between these two appearances.

In this phase w e do not have anyone whom we could call a friend. We are dreadfully lonely. Deep sadness and great fear arise from this.

Before w e go into a new wom b w e are badly troubled by fears, som etim es by trem endous fires, som etim es by mighty mountains that are put in our way, som etim es by surging rivers or powerful storms that pull us with them. This kind o f illusory appearance is continuously arising as a result o f our fears. We perceive appearances based on the elem ent o f wind as ghosts and dem ons. Through the appearances based on the elem ent o f fire w e have perceptions o f burning. Through the appearances based on the water elem ent we have feelings o f drowning.

All these appearances are based on our delusions and arise because o f our karma wind. In this way we are sometimes driven forwards by strong winds. Frightening forms appear to us on all sides, som e holding weapons in their hands. Terrifying animals such as tigers and lions approach us from all sides.

We are driven on and on by great fear, until deep abysses open up before us. A white, a red and a black abyss are the illusory forms o f appearance o f desirous attachment, anger and dullness in our mind. We have no further possibility o f

T h e B a r d o o f B e c o m in g 99

avoiding these abysses. Our fear increases. The only thing that can help us in this phase is the experience o f the dharma practice in the previous life.

We develop the strong need to take on a new body. Our thoughts and hopes circle round and round the longing for a new body. We see couples in union more and more often. The mental body o f the bardo draws near to them and recognises their qualities as potential parents. It recognises whether they practise dharma or continuously perform negative actions. This is an example o f the capacity to be able to perform karmic miracles.

In this situation it is important to maintain one-pointed striving by making it clear to ourselves: “Now that I’ve got to the bardo, I have to take a birth. I’d like to have parents who possess the dharma. In my later life it should be possible to meet a lama or a spiritual friend. Later it should be possible for me to effect extensive benefit for all beings in this body. I must take such a body.” We should strongly develop our thoughts in this direction.

If the mental body in the bardo sees a couple through the power o f its clairvoyance, and thinks: “It would not be good to take a birth with these parents”, then we have to abandon the feelings o f clinging and aversion with regard to these parents, by visualising them as the form o f appearance o f the lama in union and praying to him with trust and devotion. Then w e will not have to enter into the womb.

If on the other hand the bardo being thinks: “These two parents are in agreement with the dharma, I will take birth there”, it can enter into the womb. Having taken on a new body the cycle o f existence is continued on this basis. We will experience once more the conditions o f suffering and the fears o f a new existence.

100 T kNOA RlNPOCHK: TRANSITION AND Lllll: RATION

If with one-pointed striving w e have chosen the door to a womb and are born into a family o f good parents, then in the next life it will be possible for us to com e into contact with the dharma, to practise it, and to create extensive benefits for all beings.

C o n c l u d in g Remarks

cv C\*® *q *^ q ;^ ’ 'q * * g '^ q ;q §

g*5I^*^5I^-q.q]'^5J^I'aj*5I*q(3(q]*3;§

Without thought for approaching death I plan for the distantfuture.

If I were to relentlessly busy myself with the senseless activities o f this life

And now return empty handed, this would be completelydeluded.

Recognising the essential is truly sublime dharma.

Should I not practise this sublime dharma precisely now?

This is how the great siddhas themselves taught it.

If I did not treasure the instructions o f my lama in my mind

Would I not be deceiving myself?

102 T e n g a R in p o c h e : T r a n s it io n a n d Lib e r a t io n

The closing lines o f Karma Lingpa’s text, the R oot Verses o f the Six Bardos, give us the following teaching for our lives now:

W ithout thought fo r approaching death I p la n fo r the d ista n t future.

Death is certain, but w e don’t think about it. The bardo o f dharmata and the bardo o f becoming will certainly appear to us, but w e are not in the slightest prepared to deal with them.

Because w e don’t continuously bring the approach o f death to mind, w e think: “I’ve still got years o f time to practise”, and fall continuously into laziness. If one is lazy in on e’s practice it is a sign that one is not conscious o f the nearness o f death.

But how can w e think about death? It is not complicated, if we remind ourselves again and again that w e will certainly die. Only the time o f death is uncertain. If we hear about the death o f som eone else, w e should give thought to death: “This person has died, and one day I will die.”

Before w e go to visit som e other place, and for that matter on the way there too, w e should think: “I’m now going to that place. Everything has the nature o f transience, so I don’t know if I’ll ever return.”

If there is a fight in the family, with parents, children or friends, w e should think: “Now a fight has started up, but I w on’t get involved, since w e are all subject to transience. It is uncertain which o f us will die first.” So w e should avoid fights, since w e do not know the time o f our own death. Death can arrive very suddenly.

Geshe Karag Gomchung, a yogi who lived a long time ago in Tibet, gives us an example for meditation on transience. Karag Gomchung was doing a meditation retreat in a cave in

C o n c l u d in g Rem arks 1 0 3

the mountains. He had already been meditating there for a long time. A thorn bush was growing at the entrance to the cave. Every time he had to leave the cave his clothing got caught in the thorn bush. Before he stepped out o f the cave he would think: “Actually I ought to cut this thorn bush back, but when I leave the cave it’s not certain if I’ll return. Everything is transient, including my life. So it’s better to use the time to meditate than to cut the thorn bush away.”

When Karag Gomchung entered the cave he would get caught up again with his clothing on the thorns and thought: “I should cut the thorn bush out, but everything is transient. If I go into the cave now I don’t know if I’ll ever leave it again. Therefore it’s better to use the time to meditate instead o f wasting it cutting away undergrowth.”

In this way Karag Gomchung meditated on impermanence every time he left or entered the cave. Through this kind o f intensive meditation and his preference for meditation he attained siddhi. The thorny undergrowth was never cut away.

Another story about Karag Gomchung shows how important it is to maintain samadhi. It is not in general the material value o f daily offerings that matters, but the visualisation during the offering.

An influential lama lived near Karag Gomchung. In the mornings he would offer an offering cake, as is the Tibetan custom. Normally, when such a cake is offered, great swarms o f hungry ghosts, beings without bodies, collect to enjoy it. But since Karag Gomchung’s offering cakes were very popular amongst the hungry ghosts, they thought: “We prefer to go to Karag Gomchung and eat his cakes. They are extremely tasty, and w e prefer this delicious dainty.” So they always came to Karag Gomchung.

1 0 4 T e n g a R i n p o c h e : T r a n sit io n a n d L ib e r a t io n

The influential lama thought to himself: “It’s funny, what’s so special about Karag Gomchung’s offering cakes. He must have a terrific offering cake container, better than mine. Probably it’s made o f gold or silver.” So one day he sent a monk over, telling him: “Watch exactly how KaragGomchung offers his cake.” However, Karag Gomchung just used a tin can. He just put a bit o f water in, then added the offering cake. That was all. However, before making the offering o f the cake he would remain for a long time in one- pointed samadhi. He' did not own any beautiful or precious containers, but because o f the strength o f his samadhi all the hungry ghosts experienced the highest sensory enjoyment.

So w e should always remain, with unbroken attentiveness, conscious o f the certainty o f our death even though w e do not know its time. In that way we will develop fear and fright about our death. If w e also know that at the time o f our death only the dharma will be able to help us, then we will automatically and naturally develop diligence, without having to set up rules about our practice.

My students often say: “I do practise, but although I practise I don’t get any fruit. There’s not a single good result to be seen .” Many students have the same experience. Then I always think o f the example o f the bird. If a bird flies in the sky, it undoubtedly casts a shadow. But because o f its height it cannot see the shadow on the ground. When the bird com es down to earth again, it sees the shadow clearly and meets up with it.

Just as a bird cannot see its shadow during flight, so we cannot recognise the result o f our practice at the moment, although we have certainly earned one. But at the moment of our death the fruit o f our practice will appear.

Nevertheless it is often the case that we don’t make ourselves aware o f the coming o f death. We push the thought o f it

C o n c l u d in g R hmakks 1 0 5

away from us. In this way many years, twenty, thirty or more go by without us making any preparation for death.

I f I were to relentlessly busy m yself w ith the senseless activ ities o f this life

We give ourselves up to meaningless things that don’t have the slightest use at the time o f death or in the bardo. All we do is repeat the senseless activities o f this life again and again.

A nd now return em pty handed, this w ou ld be com pletely deluded.

Now we have uniquely got a human body as the precious basis. A sign o f how precious this basis is, is that it makes the practice o f shamatha possible. With this body w e are able to take up the vajra posture and adopt the m ost important points o f body posture, place our hands in the meditation position, and, with this foundation, meditate well. If the body remains like this, we are able to observe the mental points for meditation. For this reason the human body is compared to a wish fulfilling jewel.

If now, with this uniquely obtained body which is like a wish fulfilling jewel, w e are not able to meditate even a bit, then this propitious opportunity would be wasted. It would be the same as arriving at a jewel island and then not taking a single precious stone with us but leaving it again empty handed. A jewel island consists o f the m ost varied jewels. All the stones are precious and the earth is made o f gold and silver. If som eone came to such a place he would have to be com pletely blind not to take any jewels with him but to return empty handed.

The same is true if now, with our human body as a basis, we were not to practise the dharma at all but to go into the bardo empty handed. That is also a sign o f complete delusion.

1 0 6 T e n g a Rin p o c m e : T r a n s it io n a n d L ib e r a t io n

Recognising the essential is tru ly sublim e dharm a.

The dharma is what w e really need. Recognising the necessity and importance o f the dharma is truly sublime dharma.

Should I n o t p rac tise this sublim e dharm a precisely now?

Now, in this life, with this unique human body as foundation, I have the chance to practise the sublime dharma.

This is how the grea t siddhas them selves taught it.

The great siddhas are an example o f how w e can attain realisation through practising the dharma. They have taught us how to practise.

I f I d id n o t treasure the instructions o f m y lam a in m y m in d

W ould I n o t be deceiving myself?

Not to follow the lama’s instructions nor put them into practice is the same as self-deception.

The quintessence o f this teaching is to practise as much as possible in this life, and in doing so it is our motivation that is the m ost important thing. Therefore w e should accompany our practice with wishing prayers for the benefit o f all beings, and pray with trust and pure vision to our lama and spiritual friend. That is all that has to be done, without getting into deliberations about whether certain lamas are good or not. If w e practise in this way, it is a practise in which everything is contained.


QUESTION: What happens to people who have committed suicide?

C o n c l u d in g Rem arks 1 0 7

ANSWER: The result is the same as that o f killing another person. The deed possesses the same negativity as the killing o f another person. It has the same consequences whether I take my own life or that o f som eone else. I carry the negativity o f having killed a human.

QUESTION: We can’t remember the bardo. Why is that?

ANSWER: There is a quite clear reason why w e no longer remember. It is a similar case to that o f buddha nature, the elem ent or potential for buddhahood, which is present in our mind and which possesses all positive qualities, such as om niscience and the power to work miracles. All beings possess this potential. But because o f afflictions, because o f negative actions it is temporarily veiled. Therefore one can’t remember. None o f the experiences o f the bardo or the events o f our previous lives are present to us now. We don’t know our next birth. All such memories are screened by a temporary obscuration.

QUESTION: What are the consequences o f an abortion for the aborted being? To which bardo existence does it return? What are the consequences according to Buddhist thought for the mother who has had the abortion done?

ANSWER: If the nadi branches o f the cakras at the crown, throat and heart have been formed and the winds and drops are naturally moving in them, then all the conditions are present for all the bardos to take their natural course. Because o f the movement o f the winds and drops, the appearances o f the forms o f expression o f the wrathful and peaceful deities and o f the awareness holders are naturally present. Therefore the consciousness will go step by step from the first day on through the bardo.

The mother has collected as much negativity as a person who has killed som eone. To purify this sort o f karma and the result o f such a negative deed, the Buddha taught that in the


first place there must be remorse. Remorse, by which one recognises: “I’ve really done som ething extremely negative”.

Then one must make the promise: “In the future I’ll never do such a thing again”. One strengthens such a promise with vows.

If one has felt true remorse and made a vow, one imagines that Lama Vajrasattva is present over the crown o f the head and recites his mantra ‘OM BENDZA SATO HUNG’ one hundred thousand times. In this way, all the negativity, regardless o f how great it is, is purified through and through. Its karmic fruit will not ripen.

QUESTION: Suppose that the consciousness manages to attain buddhahood in the tugdam meditation or in the subsequent days by following the correct light. What happens then when one has reached buddhahood? Since we are, after all, keeping the bodhisattva vows, we want another human birth. What is the next step?

ANSWER: If, for example, you have achieved buddhahood in the pure land o f Vajrasattva, you are a perfect buddha free from suffering. But because o f your previous bodhisattva vow and the strength o f your great compassion you will again develop an emanation. This emanation is capable o f manifesting exactly where it is needed, where it can work for the benefit o f beings and teach them. One could for instance emanate in the form o f a lama or o f a spiritual friend. Whatever is needed by beings, one will manifest in this form and possess the power to be o f use to those beings.

A p p e n d ix

List o f translations o f Tibetan technical terms in the sequence o f their first appearance.

Introduction:

Mind o f enlightenment, bodhicitta {byang chub sem s}

Perfections, paramita {pha ro i tu p h y in p a drug}, the six:

generosity, correct behaviour, patience, joyful effort, mental stability and highest understanding.

Causal vehicle o f characteristics {rgyu ’i m thsan n y id k y i theg p a }

Fruition vehicle o f secret mantra { ’bras bu gsang sngags ky i theg p a }

Thirty-seven factors o f a bodhisattva {byang chub sem s d p a ’i chos sum cu so bdun)

Tripitaka {sde sn odgsu m } (lit. three baskets), the three collections o f the Buddha’s discourses

Vinayapitaka { 'dul b a ’i sde snod}

Sutrapitaka {m d o ’i sde sn od}

Abhidharmapitaka {m n g o n p a ’i sde sn od}

Afflictions, kleshas {nyon m ongs}

Training in correct behaviour {bslab p a tshul khrim s ky i bslab p a }

Training in samadhi {bslab p a ting nge ’dzin g y i bslab p a }

Training in highest understanding {b s la b p a shes rab kyi bslab p a }

Karmic imprints {bag chags}

Secret mantra vehicle {gsang sngags g i theg p a }


Secret mantra vajra vehicle {gsang sngags rdo rje th eg p a }

Kalacakra {du s ky i ’khor lo } (Wheel o f Time)

Guhyasamaja {gsang ba ’dus p a }

Vajra Catuhpitha {rdo rje gdan bzh i}

Sukhavati {bde ba can }, Realm Filled with Joy, Amitabha’s pure land in the west.

Five limidess deeds {m tsham s m ed Inga}: 1) patricide 2) matricide 3) killing an arhat 4) drawing blood from a buddha’s body with evil intention 5) causing a schism in the sangha.

Liberation through H earing in the B ardo {b a r do thos dro l}

Great Wheel o f Liberation through Wearing {btags g ro lg y i khor lo chen p o }

Mahasiddha {grub thob chen p o }

Treasure text, terma {gter m a}

Practice instructions {khrid}

Bardo o f the natural place o f birth {rang bzhin skyesgnas bar d o }

Bardo o f dream {rm i lam g y i bar d o }

Bardo o f samadhi and mental stability {tin g ’dzin b sa m gta n g y i bar d o }

Bardo o f the time o f death { ’chi k h a ’i bar d o }

Bardo o f dharmata {chos n y id k y i bar d o }

Bardo o f becom ing {sr id p a ’i bar d o }

Bardo o f the Natural Place o f Birth:

The six realms o f existence {gnas ris drug} : realm o f the gods, realm o f the dem igods, realm o f humans, realm of animals, realm o f the hungry ghosts, realm o f the hells

Ap p e n d ix 111

Taking birth according to intention {bsam bzhin du skyes b a }

Taking birth on the basis o f karma and o f karmic imprints {la s dang bag chags kyi db a n g g is skyes ba}

Great life-force wind {srog c h e n p o ’i rlung}

Channels, nadi {rtsa }

Winds, prana {rlung}

Drops, bindu {th ig le}

Central channel {rtsa dbu m a}

Bindu free from mental projections {spros bra l g y i thig le}

Tummo, yoga o f inner heat {gtum m o}

Downwards eliminating wind {thur se lg y i rlung}

Cakra, energy centre { ’khor lo }

Upwards flowing wind {rgyen rgyu}

Penetrating wind {khyab byed}

Right side-channel, Ida {ro m a}

Left side-channel, Pingala {kyang m a}

Fire-like wind {m e m nyam rlung)

Naga wind {klu rlung}

Turtle wind {rus sb a l rlung}

Lizard wind {r tsa n g sp a ’i rlung}

Wind o f divine giving {lha sbyin g y i rlung}

Wind victorious over possession {nor las rgyal}

Jambudvipa, southern continent { ’dzam bu gling}

Bodies o f a buddha, {ka ya }, the three: dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya

Birth through warmth {d ro d skyes}

Birth through spontaneous arising {rdzus skyes}


Birth from an egg {sgong skyes}

Birth from a womb {m ngal skyes}

Bardo o f Dream:

Appearances based on delusion { ’khrul snang}

Practice Instructions o f the Buddha’s Word {b k a ’y ig d a m s ngag}

Illusory body {sgyu lus}

Profound path o f the six yogas o f Naropa {zab lam na ro chos drug} : yoga o f the illusory body, yoga o f clear light, dream yoga, tummo, phowa and bardo

Direct state {mngon sum }

Immediate presence {d a Ita m ngon sum }

Truth o f dharmata {chos n y id k y i bden p a }

Bardo o f Samadhi and Mental Stability:

Samadhi, meditative concentration {tin g nge ’d zin }

Shamatha, peaceful abiding (of the mind) {zh i gnas}

Bodhisattva level ‘highest joy’ {sa rab tu dga' ba }

Direct attainment o f the path o f seeing {dngos su m thong lam th o b p a }

Nearly identical attainment o f the path o f seeing {rjes su m thun p a m thong lam thob p a }

Nearly identical path o f seeing {rjes su m th u n p a ’i m thong lam }

Seclusions {dben p a g su m }, the three: seclusion o f the body, seclusion o f speech, seclusion o f the mind

A pp e n d ix 1 1 3

Vipashyana, deep insight {lhag m thong}

Three stages o f stability {gnas p a gsum }

Thoughts, imaginations {r to g p a }

Mere recognition {ngo shes tsam }

Resting in itself {rang b a b }

Appearing aspect o f the mind {sem s kyi snang cha}

Bardo o f the Time o f Death:

Instructions {gdam s ngag}

Self-awareness {rang rig}

Tonglen, sending and taking {gtong len}

Remaining in the condition o f undistractedness {m ag.yen gs p a ’i ngang/ ngor la zhag}

Thirty-three thoughts o f anger {zbe sd a n g g i rtog p a gsum bcu so gsum }

Forty thoughts o f desirous attachment { ’d o d chags kyi rtog p a bzhi bcu}

Seven thoughts o f dullness {g ti m u g g i rtog p a bdun}

Eighty natural thoughts {rang bzhin g y i rtog p a brgyad bcu}

Coarse dissolution o f the four elem ents {rags p a byung ba b zh i’i sdus tshul}

Subtle dissolution {phra b a ’i sdus tshul}

Appearance, increase and attainment {snang ba, m chedpa, thob p a }

Highest capability o f buddhahood in the dharmakaya {rab chos sku ngang du sangs rgyas}

Using death on the path as the dharmakaya { ’chi ba chos sku lam khyer}

1 1 4 T ltN G A R lN l’O C IIIi: T r a n s i t i o n a n d I . i i i i :ka 'i i o n

Highest capability o f dharmakaya phowa {rab chos sku ’pho ba}

Bardo o f Dharmata:

Self-expression {rang tsa l}

Self-appearance {rang snang}

Self-sound {rang d ra }

Aspect o f purity {d a g cha}

In the nadi branches {rtsa ’dabs ky i gnas su }

Sambhogacakra, energy centre in the throat {longs spyod kyi ’khor lo }

Awareness holder, vidyadhara {rig ’d z in }

Mahasukhacakra, energy centre at the crown {bde chen g y i ’khor lo }

Blood drinker {kbrag ’thung}

Akanishta, Pure Realm o f Dense Arrangement { ’og m in stug p o d k o d p a }

Attaining buddhahood in the bardo as a sambhogakaya {ba r do long spyod rd zo g sp a ’i sku ru sangs rg ya sp a }

Generation in one m om ent through awareness {ska d cig dran rdzogs p a r skyed p a }

Realm o f Real Joy {m ngon dga ’ zh ing kham s}

Realm Filled with Splendour {d p a l dang Id a n p a }

Realm Filled with Joy {bde ba can}

Realm o f Highest Perfect Deeds {la s rab rd zo g sp a ’i zh ing}

Clinging to a self, holding to a self {bdag tu ’dzin p a }

Skandha, aggregate {ph u n gpo}, the five: skandhas o f form, o f feelings, o f discriminations, o f mental functions and o f consciousness

Am-NDix 115

Mental consciousness {sem s k y i m a m p a r shes p a }

Primordial awareness {ye shes}, the five: primordialawareness o f the dharmadhatu, mirror like primordial awareness, primordial awareness o f equality, discriminating primordial awareness, truly accomplishing primordial awareness

Bardo o f Becoming:

Mindfulness {dran p a }

Strength o f mind {snying rus}

Jealousy {m ug ser}

Concluding Remarks:

Delusion { ’khrul}

Vajra posture {rdo rje’i skyil krung}

Points o f body posture {lu sg n a d }

Mental points o f the meditation {sem s gn ad }

Potential {ngs}

Element {kbam s}

Buddha nature, sugatagarbha {bde b a rg sh eg sp a ’i snying p o }

Obscuration {sgrib p a }

Remorse { ’g y o d p a }

Promise {sdom p a }

Bokar Rinpoche: Death a n d the Art o f Dying, Clear Point Press, San Francisco.

Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche: The B ardo Guidebook, Rangjung Yeshe Publications, Kathmandu 1991.

Fremantle, F., and Trungpa, Ch.: The Tibetan Book o f the D ead, Shambala, Boston 1975.

Kazi Dawa Samdup and Hvans-Wenz, W. Y.: The Tibetan Book o f the D ead, Oxford University Press, Oxford I960.

Lati Rinpoche and Hopkins, J.: Death, Interm ediate Slate a n d Rebirth in Tibetan Buddhism , Rider and Company, London 1979.

Lauf, D. I.: Secret D octrines o f the Tibetan Book o f the D ead, Shambala, Boston 1989-

Lodo, Lama: Bardo Teachings, Snow Lion Publications,Ithaca 1982.

Mullin, Glenn H.: D eath a n d Dying, the Tibetan Tradition, Arkana 1986.

Sogyal Rinpoche: The Tibetan Book o f Living a n d Dying, Harper, San Francisco 1992.

Tsele Natsok Rangdrol: The M irror o f M indfulness,Shambala, Boston and Shaftesbury 1989.

Yeshe, Lama: Life, Death a n d After Death, Wisdom Publications 1984.

Literature o n t h e B a r d o

Tenga Rinpoche - Transition and Liberation (Revised).pdf

Documents

Transcript of Tenga Rinpoche - Transition and Liberation (Revised).pdf