The Root Verses on the Six Bardos

From the terma of Karma Lingpa

ky ma dak la ky n bar do charw d dir
Kyema! Now when the bardo of this life is dawning upon me,

ts la long m lelo pang ch n

I will abandon laziness for which life has no time,

t sam gom sum ma yeng lam la juk

Enter, undistracted, the path of study, reflection and meditation,

nang sem lam long ku sum ngn gyur cha

Making perceptions and mind the path, and realize the three kyas;

mi l len chik tobp d ts dir

Now that for once I have attained a human body,

yeng ma lam la dp d ts min

This is not the time to remain in the ways of distraction.

kye ma dak la milam bardo char d dir
Kyema! Now when the bardo of dreams is dawning upon me,

timuk ro nyel bakm pang ch n

I will abandon the heedless, corpse-like sleep of ignorance,

drenpa yeng m neluk ngang la jok

And settle the mind in its natural state without distraction;

1

milam zung n trl gyur sel jang
Recognizing dreams, I will train in transformation and clear light,

ddro shyin du nyelwar ma ch chik

I must not simply slumber like an animal,

nyi dang ngnsum drep nyamlen ch

But combine sleep with realizationthis is crucial.

kye ma dak la samten bardo char d dir
Kyema! Now when the bardo of samdhi is dawning upon me,

nam yeng trlp tsok nam pang ch n

I will abandon all forms of distraction and delusion,

yeng m dzin m tadrel ngang la jok

And rest in the infinite state that is free of distraction and grasping;

ky dzok nyi la tenpa tobpar cha

Gaining stability in the two stages: generation and perfection,

chawa pang n ts chik gom d dir

At this time of single-pointed meditation, having given up activity,

nyn mong trlp wang du ma tang shyik

I must not fall under the sway of afflictions and delusion.

kye ma dak la chikha bardo char d dir
Kyema! Now when the bardo of dying is dawning upon me,

2

kun la chak sem shyen dzin pang ch n
I will abandon all grasping, yearning, and attachment,

dam ngak salw ngang la ma yeng juk

Enter, undistracted, a state in which the instructions are clear,

rang rik ky m namkh ying su po

And transfer my own awareness into the sphere of unborn space;

dch sha trak l dang dral la kh

As I am about to leave this compound body of flesh and blood,

mi tak gyuma yinpar shepar cha

I will know it to be a transitory illusion.

kye ma dak la chnyi bardo char d dir
Kyema! Now when the bardo of dharmat is dawning upon me,

kun la ngang trak jik nang pang ch n

I will abandon all fear and terror,

gang shar rang nang rigpar ngo sh juk

Recognizing whatever appears as the natural display of awareness,

bard nang tsul yinpar shepar cha

I will know it to be the way this bardo unfolds;

dn chen gak la tukp d shik ong

Now that I have reached this momentous, crucial point,

rang nang shyi tr tsok la ma jik shik

I will not fear these natural manifestations, the peaceful and wrathful deities.

3

kye ma dak la sipa bardo char d dir
Kyema! Now when the bardo of becoming is dawning upon me,

dnpa ts chik sem la zung ch n

I will concentrate my mind with single-pointed determination,

zang po l kyi tro la nen gyi t

Strive to prolong the results of good karma,

ngal go gak n ru lok drenpar cha

Close the entrance to rebirth, and try to keep from being reborn.

nying r dak nang gp d shik yin

This is the time when perseverance and pure perception are required;

mikser pong la lama yabyum gom

Abandon jealousy, and meditate on the master and consort.

chiwa ong nyom mep lo ringpo

With mind far off and no thought of impending death,

dn m ts di chawa drup drup n

Performing the meaningless activities of this life,

dar tong lok ch na shintu trl

To return empty-handed now would be utterly deluded;

g ngo shepa damp lha ch yin

Recognize what is needed: the sacred Dharma,

4

data nyi du lha ch mi ch dam
Why not practise it now, at this very moment?

drupchen lam shyal n di k sung

The great accomplished gurus have said:

lam damngak sem la ma shyak na

If you do not keep in mind your master's instructions

rang gi rang nyi luwar mi gyur ram

Are you not deceiving yourself?

May these root verses of Liberation Upon Hearing in the Bardo remain until sasra itself is emptied.
| Translated by Rigpa Translations, 2016, with reference to earlier versions, especially that of Chgyam Trungpa
Rinpoche and Francesca Freemantle.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

PDF document automatically generated on Sat Nov 25 14:11:44 2017 GMT from
http://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/karma-lingpa/root-verses-six-bardos