SELECTED BY JAMPA NAMGYAL

Root Verses of the Intermediate State

Excerpts from the

'Tibetan Book of the Dead'
translated by Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup
and edited by W.Y. Evans-Wentz.

"This is a small part of the first translation into English of this work by Padmasambhava.
If the reader is interested, it's better to approach a paper book, one of the latest editions.
There is an unabridged edition in English published in 2005 by The Orient Foundation,
with Graham Coleman, Thupten Jinpa, and Gyume Dorje as editors."
Jampa Namgyal
 Root Verses of the Intermediate State

The invocation of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Oh Buddhas and Bodhisattvas abiding in the ten directions, endowed with great compassion,
endowed with pre-knowledge, endowed with impeccable vision, endowed with love, affording
protection to sentient beings, consent through the power of your great compassion to accept these
offerings actually laid out and mentally created.

Oh you compassionate ones possessing the wisdom of understanding, the love of compassion, the
power of acting, and of protecting in incomprehensible measure, one is passing through this world
and leaving it behind. No friends does he have, he is without defenders, without protectors and
kinsmen. The light of this world has set. He goes from place to place, he enters darkness, he falls
down a steep precipice, e enters a jungle of solitude, he is pursued by karmic forces, he goes into a
vast silence, he is borne away on the great ocean, he is wafted on the wind of karma, he goes where
there is no certainty, he is caught in the great conflict, he is obsessed by the great affecting spirit, he
is awed and terrified by the messengers of death. Existing karma has put hir into repeated existence
and no strength does he have although the time has come to go alone.

Oh you compassionate ones, defend who is defenseless, protect who is unprotected, be his kinsman,
protect him from the suffering in the depression of the Bardo, turn him from the storm wind of
karma, turn him from the great awe and terror of the Lords of Death, liberate hir from the long
narrow way of the Bardo.

Oh compassionate ones who do not allow the force of your compassion to be weakened in
assistance, who do not allow one to be in the miserable states of existence, forget not your ancient
vows, you who do not allow sentient being to be influenced by habit, and protect from the misery of
the Bardo.

Oh conquerors and your offspring abiding in the ten directions,

Oh ocean congregation of the peaceful and the wrathful,
Oh gurus and devas, you dakinis and faithful ones,
Hearken now out of your great love and compassion,
Obeisance to you, oh assemblage of gurus and dakinis,
Out of your great love, lead us along the path.

When through illusion, I and others are wandering in samsara,

Along the bright light path of undistracted listening, reflecting and meditating,
May the gurus of the inspired line lead us,
May the bands of mothers be our protectors,
May we be liberated from the fearful narrow passage of the Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of perfect enlightenment.

When through violent anger one is wandering in samsara,

Along the bright light path of the wisdom of reflection,
May the Bhagavan, Vajra-Sattva lead us,
May the Mother Mamaki be our protector,
May we be liberated from the fearful narrow passage of the Bardo,

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 Root Verses of the Intermediate State

May we be placed in the state of perfect enlightenment.

When through intense pride one is wandering in samsara,

Along the bright light path of the wisdom of equality,
May the Bhagavan Ratna-Sambhava lead us,
May the Mother of She-who-is-the-Buddha-Eye be our protector,
May we be liberated from the fearful narrow passage of the Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of perfect enlightenment.

When, through great attachment one is wandering in samsara,

Along the bright light path of discriminating wisdom,
May the Bhagavan Amitabha lead us May the Mother, She-of-white-raiment be our protector
May we be liberated from the fearful narrow passage of the Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of perfect enlightenment.

When, through intense jealousy one is wandering in samsara,

Along the bright light path of perfected action,
May the Bhagavan Amogha Siddhi lead us
May the Mother, the faithful Tara be our protector
May we be liberated from the fearful narrow passage of the Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of perfect enlightenment.

When, through intense stupidity one is wandering in samsara,

Along the bright light path of the wisdom of reality,
May the Bhagavan Vairochana lead us
May the Mother of Great Space be our protector
May we be liberated from the fearful narrow passage of the Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of perfect enlightenment.
(Note: Vairochana and Amitabha may be interchanged.)

When, through intense illusion one is wandering in samsara,

Along the bright light path of abandoning hallucinations of fear, awe, and terror,
May the Bands of the Bhagavans of the Wrathful Ones lead us
May the Bands of Wrathful Goddesses, Rich in Space, be our protectors,
May we be liberated from the fearful narrow passage of the Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of perfect enlightenment.

When, through intense conditioning one is wandering in samsara,

Along the bright light path of Simultaneously-born Wisdom,
May the heroic knowledge- holding deities lead us
May the Bands of the Mothers, the Dakinis, be our protectors
May we be liberated from the fearful narrow passage of the Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of perfect enlightenment.

May the ethereal elements not rise up as enemies;

May we come to see the realm of the white Buddha.
May the watery elements not rise up as enemies;
May we come to see the realm of the Blue Buddha.
May the earthy elements not rise up as enemies;

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 Root Verses of the Intermediate State

May we come to see the realm of the Yellow Buddha.

May the fiery elements not rise up as enemies;
May we come to see the realm of the Red Buddha.
May the airy elements not rise up as enemies;
May we come to see the realm of the Green Buddha.
May the elements of these rainbow colors not rise up as enemies;
May it come that all the realms of the Buddhas will be seen
May it come that all the sounds in the Bardo will be known as one's own sounds,
May it come that all the radiances will be known as one's own radiances,
And may it come that the Tri-Kaya be realized in the Bardo.

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 Root Verses of the Intermediate State

Here begins
The Root Verses of the Six Bardos

O now when the Birthplace Bardo is dawning in one's mind

Abandoning idleness as there is none in a devotee's life
Entering into reality undistractedly listening, reflecting and meditating,
Carrying on to the path knowing the true nature of appearances of mind,
May the Tri-Kaya be realized:
Once that the human form is accomplished,
May there be no time as opportunity in which to idle it away.

O now when the dream bardo is dawning in one's mind

Abandoning the inordinate corpse-like sleeping of the sleep of stupidity,
May the mind undistractedly remain in it's natural state
In understanding the actual nature of dreams
Practice in the clear light of miraculous transformation
Acting not like brutes in slothfulness
May the blending of sleep and actual waking experience be of value.

O now when the Dhyana bardo is dawning in one's mind

Abandoning the whole mass of distractions and illusions
May the mind remain in the mood of timeless undistracted Samadhi
May there be accomplishment in visualization and perfection
At this time, one-pointedly with all other actions put aside
May one not fall under the power of if misleading stupefying passions.

O now when the bardo of the moment of death is dawning in one's mind
Abandoning all awe, fear and terror of all phenomena
May one recognize that whatever appears as being one's own thought forms
May one know them as apparitions of the intermediate state
It is said, there comes a time when a turning point is reached.
Fear not the forms of the peaceful and wrathful who are one's own thought forms.

O now when the bardo of rebirth is dawning in one's mind

With one single wish, join with the results of meritious acts
May the door of the womb be closed and the revulsion recollected
The time has come when energy and pure love are needed
May one cast off jealousy and meditate upon the father-mother

O procrastinating one, who thinks not of the coming of death

Devoting oneself to the useless doings of this life,
Improvident one is in dissipating ones opportunity
Mistaken indeed would ones purpose be now if one returns empty handed
Since Dharma is one's need, would one not devote oneself to the Dharma even now?

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 Root Verses of the Intermediate State

Thus say the Great Adepts in devotion

If the chosen teaching of the guru not be borne in mind
Would one not be acting as a traitor to oneself?
It is of great importance that these root words be heard.

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 Root Verses of the Intermediate State

Here begins
The Path of Good Wishes Which Protects from Fear in the Bardo

When the cast of chance of one's life is exhausted

The relatives of the world avail one not
When wandering alone by oneself in the bardo
O you conquerors, peaceful and wrathful, exercising the power of your compassion
Let it come that the gloom of ignorance is dispelled

When wandering alone, parted from loving friends

When the shapes of one's empty thought-forms dawn upon one here
May the Buddhas, exercising the power of their divine compassion
That there be neither awe nor terror in the bardo

When the bright radiances of the five wisdoms shines upon one now
May one, neither awed or terrified recognize them to be of oneself
When the apparitions of the Peaceful and the Wrathful forms are dawning upon ones mind
Let it be that with the assurance of fearlessness that one recognizes the bardo

When experiencing miseries because of the results of one's actions

Let it be that the conquerors, the Peaceful and the Wrathful dispel the miseries
When the self-originating sound of reality reverberates like a thousand thunders
Let it be that they are transmuted into the sounds of the Mahayana.

When one is unprotected and habitual influences have been followed here
Beseech the conquerors, the Peaceful and the Wrathful for their protection
When suffering miseries because of habitual propensities
Let it be the blissful Samadhi of clear light dawning upon ones mind

When assuming supernormal rebirth in the Sidpa Bardo

Let it be that the perverting revelations of Mara do not occur within
When ones mind arrives wheresoever one wishes
Let it be that one not experience the illusory fright and awe from karma.

When the roarings of savage beasts are uttered

Let it be that they are transformed into the Six Syllables (the mantra of the jewel in the lotus)
When pursued by snow, rain, wind and darkness
Let it be that one sees with the celestial eyes of bright wisdom
Let it be that all sentient beings of the same harmonious order in the bardo
Without jealousy obtain re-birth in the Buddhalands
When suffering from intense miseries of hunger and thirst
Let it be that one not experience the pangs of hunger and thirst, heat and cold.

When beholding one's parents in union

Let it be that one see them as the divine pair,
The conquerors, the Peaceful and the Wrathful, Father and Mother.

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 Root Verses of the Intermediate State

With the ability of being born anywhere for the benefit of others
May one be endowed with signs and graces

Obtaining for oneself a body,

Let it be one that liberates all Without allowing karma to follow
Let it be the merits which follow and be multiplied
Wherever one is born, there and then
Let it be that one meets the conquerors, the Peaceful and the Wrathful.
With the ability to walk and talk at birth,
May it come that one accomplishes the non-forgetting intellect
And remember all ones past lives.

In all the various lores, great, small and intermediate

Let it be that one masters hearing, reflecting and seeing
In whatever place one is born let it be auspicious
And may all sentient beings be endowed with happiness

O you conquerors, Peaceful and Wrathful, in likeness to your bodies,

The number of your followers, duration of your life period, limits of your realms.
And in the likeness of ones divine nature
Let it be that all others equal you in every way
By the gift-waves if the innumerable Peaceful and Wrathful deities
And by the gift-waves of the wholly pure reality
And by the gift-waves of the one- pointed devotion of the mystics
Let it be that whatever is wished for be fulfilled here and now.

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 Root Verses of the Intermediate State

The Colophon

Through perfectly pure intention

In the making of this, through the roots of the merits thereof
May the protectorless sentient beings, Mothers,
Be placed in the state of the Buddha
Let the radiant glory illuminate Jambudvipa (this world)
Let this treatise be auspicious
And let goodness and virtue be perfected in every way.

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