The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo

145 Pages·1975·6.664 MB·English, Tibetan Standard

by  Karma-gliṅ-pa, Fremantle, Francesca, Trungpa, Chögyam

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.
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Boston, Massachusetts 02115
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Random Century House
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London SWlV 2SA
<1:>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 xiii.
Commentary 1
The Great Liberation Through Hearing
In The Bardo 33
Inspiration-Prayers 95
Inspiration-Prayer Calling on the Buddhas
and Bodhisattvas for Rescue 96
The Main Verses of the Six Bardos 98
Inspiration-Prayer for Deliverance from the
Dangerous Pathway of the Bardo 100
The Bardo Prayer which Protects from Fear 103
Pronunciation of Sanskrit Words 106
Glossary of Sanskrit Words 107
Bibliography 111
Index 113

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 Saman
tabhadra is the supreme dharmakaya buddha and represents the dharmata. He is
surrounded by the mal}<}alas of the peaceful deities, the vidyadharas and the
wrathful deities represented by their mantras. In the outermost circle are the
mantras of the buddhas of the six realms. Page 32.
PERNAGCHEN
PERNAGCHEN, "the Black-Gowned One", is the special protector of the Karma
Kagyii order of Tibetan Buddhism. The Karma Kagyiis inherited Pemagchen
from the family of Karma Pakshi, the second Gyalwa Karmapa, whose father was
a tantric priest. Pemagchen, half of whose body is head and half of whose head is
mouth, has repeatedly appeared in visions to holders of the Karma Kagyii lineage.
His crescent knife destroys the perverters of the teaching. His skull cup holds
wealth, both spiritual and material, for practitioners of the teaching. Drawing
by Glen Eddy. Page 120.