The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo 9780394497273, 0394497279, 9780394730646, 039473064X, 9780877730736, 0877730733, 9780877730743, 0877730741 [PDF]

Table of contents :
Contents
List of Illustrations
Foreword by Chogyam Trungpa
Introductio by Francesca Fremantle
The Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo: Commentary
Inspiration-Prayers
Inspiration-Prayer Calling on the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for Rescue
The Main Verses of the Six Bardos
Inspiration-Prayer for Deliverance from the Dangerous Pathway of the Bardo
The Bardo Prayer which Protects from Fear
Pronunciation of Sanskrit Words
Glossary of Sanskrit Words
Bibliography
Index

Citation preview

VISION OF GURU RINPOCHE



The Tibetan Book of the Dead THE GREAT LIBERATION THROUGH HEARING IN THE BARDO



by Guru Rinpoche according to Karma Lingpa Translated with commentary by



Francesca Fremantle



& Chogyam Trungpa



SHAM~HALA



Boston & London



1987



Shambhala Publications, Inc. Honicultural Hall 300 Massachusetts Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02115 Shambhala Publications, Inc. Random Century House 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road London SWlV 2SA 1975 by Francesca Fremantle and ChOgyam Trungpa All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. 987654 Printed in the United States of America Distributed in the United States by Random House, Inc., in Canada by Random Howie of Canada Ltd, and in the United Kingdom by the Random Century Group



The Library of Congress catalogues the original edition of this work as follows: Karma-glin-pa, 14th cent. The Tibetan book of the dead : the great liberation through hearing in the Bardo I by Guru Rinpoche according to Karma Lingpa : a new translation with commentary by Francesca Fremantle and Chogyam Trungpa,- Berkeley ; Shambhala, 1975. xx, 119 p. : ill. ; 24 em.- (The Clearlight series) Translation of the author's Bar do thos grot. Bibliography; p. 111-112. Includes index. ISBN 0-87773-074-1 1. Intermediate state - Buddhism. 2. Funeral rites and ceremonies, Buddhist- Tiber. 3. Death (Buddhism) I. Fremantle, Francesca. II. ChOgyam Trungpa, Trungpa Tulku, 1939-1987. Ill. Title. BQ4490.K3713 294.3'423 74-29615 MARC



DEDICATED TO



His Holiness the XVI Gyalwa Karmapa Rangjung Rigpi Dorje



Contents List of lllustrations



ix



Foreword, by Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche



xi



Introduction, by Francesca Fremantle Commentary The Great Liberation Through Hearing In The Bardo



xiii. 1



33 95



Inspiration-Prayers Inspiration-Prayer Calling on the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for Rescue The Main Verses of the Six Bardos Inspiration-Prayer for Deliverance from the Dangerous Pathway of the Bardo The Bardo Prayer which Protects from Fear



100 103



Pronunciation of Sanskrit Words



106



Glossary of Sanskrit Words



107



Bibliography



111



Index



113



96 98



Illustrations



VISION OF GURU RINPOCHE



THIS thangka was composed and written by Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche according to a vision of Guru Rinpoche. Guru Rinpoche is seen on a cloud coming toward the viewer. The position of the vajra in his right hand identifies him as being in the form called Guru Nangsid Zilnon (snang srid zil gnon), "the guru who is the overpower of all apparent phenomena and the whole of existence". The composition of the thangka is unconventional in that all features of landscape are absent and the vision is suspended in the middle of blue sky. Fror1tispiece. SAMANTABHADRA YANTRA



THIS yantra is of a sort known in Tibetan as tagdrol, which means "liberated·by wearing''. Wearing is one of the "six liberations" along with hearing, seeing, remembering, touching and tasting. This yantra is placed on the body of a dead person to inspire him in the bardo of dharmata. The central figure Samantabhadra is the supreme dharmakaya buddha and represents the dharmata. He is surrounded by the mal}