CHAPTER 33 Oral Instructions on the Six Bardos ° & APNE OM MANI PADME HUM. I prostrate to Great Compassion. From the six instructions of the emanated king on the six bardos: 1. The naturally existing bardo like a mother losing a child from her lap. 2. The bardo of birth and death like a baby vulture nourished by its mother. 3, The bardo of earlier and later knowledge like lifting a lamp in a dark pit. 4, The bardo of dream is like attainment of being a support of complete familiarity in a person of bad character. 5. The bardo of the time of death is like a nephew going to the place of a kind paternal aunt. 6. The bardo of existence is like connecting a broken water pipe. First, there is the naturally existing bardo like a mother losing a child f a good mother and a good child, in general the best dharma of Great Compassion is enlightenment by termediate is, at the time of realising the fundamental natural state. The int from her lap. As for the connection 0: death, recognizing what is meant by the nature of dharmas and soMANIKABUM rdo. The lesser is, after recognizing it bat htened without the : lightened. ‘As for what 1S called the naturally ight at the beginning, there is the uncreated 4 of both Buddhas and sentient becoming enlig oming © for whoever ri the groun a Buddha. Confusion does not arise as the bardo, b existing bardo, fundamental natural state, beings, realisation does not arise as a sentient being. BY existing in unbiased equal the bardo. That great pervasion of the natural state is the ground uddhas and sentient beings. to the Hell realm below. Well how can Buddhas arise? Within the mother, the great all- hild, the fragments of lity there is what is called It pervades from producing both Bi Buddhahood above down ings, these two, pervading, by its unobstructed power, the cl wut off. Then, by not realising that by the arising of the child, the and sentient bei t empty, luminous and awareness, are © all-pervading ground of the natural state, fragments of awareness, coemergent ignorance, natural state. It is like a prince wandering it by having gone into a show of the child does not know the mother, the in a plain. The son whom the king and queen have, samsaric activities, wanders among the distractions of the market place, because he does not know his own parents. In suffering, eats the food of a beggar. He wears the clothes of a beggar. He sleeps between houses, experiencing immeasurable sufferings. Like that example, from the mother, the great all-encompassing, the child, the fragments of awareness, coemergent ignorance does not know its mother, the great all- encompassing, unbiased equality. After wandering in samsara like a prince wandering on a plain, it abandons its body. That is the arising of the ignorance of false conceptions. As the prince eats beggar’s food and wears beggar’s clothes, by accepting a body, the six collections of the senses ari is it s arise. By that there is experience of the six kinds of objects. For 488y and ugly forms as objects of the eye, attraction and repulsion qutiful For pleasant and unpleasant sounds as the objects of the car, ‘or e aris aarti on and repulsion of the nose, attraction and repulsion arise. For delicious and objects repulsiv' n arise. For pleasant and unpleasant smells as the re tastes aS objects of the tongue, attraction and repulsion arise. harsh and caressing touchables as objects of the body, attraction and yr hat tr sion arise. For delightful and non-delightful dharmas as objects of repu the mind, attraction and repulsion arise. By these six attractions and repulsions, the six kleshas arise, therefore the jgnorance of karmic cause and effect arises. By the prince sleeping between houses, various sufferings are experienced. Just so, collecting aggression and negative actions, we are born in hell and experience sufferings of hot and cold. By avarice and negative actions, we are born, as hungry ghosts and experience sufferings of hunger and thirst. By ignorance and negative actions we are born as animals and experience sufferings of being killed and exploited. By passion and positive actions, we are born as human beings and experience sufferings of change. By anger and positive actions we are born as asuras and experience sufferings of conflict. By pride and positive actions we are born as gods and experience sufferings of transmigration and falling back. Such is the root of wandering in samsara. Because the child, the fragments of awareness, does not recognize the mother, the great all-encompassing, the natural state, that wandering is received. Those wandering now, how can they Teverse? According to the example, the wandering prince, by meeting a minister who knows that he is a prince. Meeting his mother, the son recogni: F a ‘cognizes the mother, and the mother recognizes the son. Similarly, now 489ne ite. an body, the lama, who is like the MAN KABUM_——— ing a pure hum ime of attain . he ation of Great Compassion, at th . e view and realisé he wandering prince, have within them the mother, the great all. er, possesses th , who are like # are fortunate. They the natural state. Tl has pul inist munt though now they are in Students samsara, encompassing, ‘he child, the fragments of awareness, wandering prince, re unobstructed awareness of the ture of dharmas. Though it of mind. Though it dissolves, ind. Therefore the nature of dharmas joins the who is like the . arises, it arises from the empty Juminous nat it dissolves into the empty luminous nature empty luminous nature of mil symbols of mother and child. ‘After that prince arises in the royal place, it is like empowerment. ‘Awareness of the power of wisdom arises. The mother and son nature of dharmas, inseparable emptiness luminosity, unobstructedly naturally arising and existing within us i: its luminosity, it is the mirror-like wisdom. Having equality without s the dharmadhatu wisdom. Unobscured in exclusion, it is the wisdom of equality. Remaining clear without mixing things up, it is the discriminating awareness wisdom. Searching for nothing from another and primordially existing within us, it is the all- accomplishing wisdom. By the five wisdoms arising within him, that prince, without being raised up from wandering, attains empowerment. By his attaining empowerment within self-awareness there is no fear of wandering in samsara, As that prince, having become a great king, directs his subjects, by awareness of the self-arising self-liberated nature of dharmas, samsara is ruled by nirvana. 490sion’ jiberated as it is arises as dharmakaya, and hell is liberated as AggtesS ge ir avarice liberated as it is arises as sambhogakaya, and hungry ghosts itis? ed as they are. . Ignorance liberated as it is arises as re Tiberat a, and animals are liberated as they are. Passion liberated as it - oes 8S svabhavikakaya, and humans are liberated as they are. Anger js arises“ . liberated as they are arise as the kaya of the manifestation of t and asuras are liberated as they are. Pride liberated as it is, enlightenme” vajrakaya and gods are liberated as they are. Since from the arises 85 the V great all-pervading, comes the child the unobstructed power mother. the the six kayas and six wisdoms arise. The six kinds of of awareness, beings: liberated as they are, are the related symbols of the mother and child nature of dharmas. second, within the pardo of birth and death, as a baby vulture is nourished by its mother, by means of the lama’s oral jnstructions we should stabilize our familiarity. For example, as a baby vulture is nourished by its mother, at first the egg is warmed, in the middle, after it has come to be a baby, it is nourished with flesh, bones and so forth. At the end, after its wings have grown, it goes away from its mother. As the egg of a garuda or vulture is nurtured, so at first a lama having the realisation of Great Compassion should reverse ordinary attachments of body, speech and mind for fortunate students. That js done by the developing and completion stages of Great Compassion. As in the middle the vulture chick is nourished by flesh and bones, the kleshas, the five poisons and coarse and subtle discursive thoughts, are purified as the power of awareness in self-arising and self-liberation. As the vulture chick flies away from its mother and their lustre and power are equal, by training inManugapun the power of awareness, appearance is known as mind, and mind ig known as empty. Emptiness is known as self-arising and selfliberateq and by that external appearances are liberated as they are, Intemally by the five poisons and discursive thoughts being known as self-arising and self-liberated the conditions of being born among the six kinds of beings are exhausted. We are not afraid of the chasm of samsara. Moreover from at first being released in birth, from the mother, up to death at the end, is called the bardo of birth and death. Within that, having trained by the lama’s oral instructions, letting samsara be self-purified is important, Third, within the bardo of earlier and later knowledge, like raising a lamp in a dark pit, illuminate discursive thoughts as wisdom, Past awareness is excluded and lost. Future awareness is excluded and lost. Recognize this present self-arising awareness. For example, by raising a lamp in a dark pit darkness is illuminated and does not exist and the light is brightly shining. So awareness illuminates. By knowing that awareness, self- arising and self-illuminating, arises within us, discursive thoughts are sent into being naturally self-arising and self-liberated. They arise as self- illuminating wisdom. Since discursive thoughts are continuous, wisdom is continuous. Since discursive thoughts are self-arising and self-liberated, the nature of dharmas is continuous. If we simply recognize discursive thoughts as the nature of dharmas, there is no need for sessions of meditation and actions of meditating. Meditation in the state of the self- arising self-liberated nature of dharmas is not interrupted for even a moment. Therefore, it is called the yoga of the stream of a river.— Oral Instruction the Six Bardos Fourth, the bardo of dream is like attainment of a person of bad ch . ; ; being a support of complete familiarity, the experience of di vow rea have to be lost. From at first, after sle oe ep produces unclarity, : . » to wa again, dreaming various dreams is called the bardo of dreat waking im, : aati Dependin; on having become familiar with them in the daytime dreams Pending should arise as the nature of dharmas. For example having become connected with a person of bad character, when you are fully familiar with the bad. situation, source, there is no need for it to subside and be lost. If having attained their being the supported of daily familiarity, whatever conditioned appearances of pleasure and pain may arise, by their going into self-arising and self-liberation, an experience of no desire and attachment at all arises. By the power of becoming familiar with that in dream, whatever various conditions of pleasure and pain arise, after the dharmadhatu wisdom of self-arising and self-liberation has arisen, they go into self-liberation. The various dreams that are dreamed are not dreamed in body. They are not dreamed in speech.They are only dreamed in mind after it has become confused. Because these dreams are only remembered appearances of mind, dreams and the bardo of existence are similar. Their essence is being appearances of the five gates of the senses. Since they are appearances of mind, if they are experienced as dreams, the throne of awareness has been seized. Having attained autonomy, by recognizing the bardo as the nature of dharmas, it is impossible to wander in samsara. Fifth, as for the bardo of the time of death, the feeling at the time of death is like a nephew going to the place of a kind paternal aunt. At death, joy is produced. The nature of dharmas is polished to luminous purity. Having been struck by sickness, when the time of death occurs, after the elements 493r — tal MANLKABUM that time of stopping is the production of the bardo of by earth dissolvin, the mouth and nose are dry. By fire gradually eek 1g into water, the body will not the time of death. First, move. BY water dissolving into fire, is is ff, By ail coving into air, heat 1S cut 0: ‘ anes fer the breath is exhausted, the breath cannot be inhaled, al ity of consciousness, ¢ Juminous state of the nature of dharmas exists without ir dissolving into the mind consciousness, In the Juminos breath ceases; thi discursive thought conceptualizations of samsara, produced. Substances, things and belongings which one has are dedicated to the Three Jewels. For example, people feel joy like that of a nephew going to the house of a kind paternal aunt. A small child nursing in its mother’s lap, having happily drunk, runs away. Having previously the instructions on the bardo of birth and death from an authentic after the sign, the motion of external ts, Within that the previous death signs arise and for the thoughts and attachments are not attained ow our own awareness is recognized as the mind of Great Jama, Compassion, luminous empty wisdom. In the middle, by doing practice, after the kleshas and all discursive thoughts have gone into self-liberation, since alaya and negative habitual patterns are not left behind, they are pure as they are. By realising that, samsara is primordially pure. There is no fear of samsara. Since our own minds have the realisation of Great Compassion, joy is produced in benefitting sentient beings. Moreover, think that you are dead and let awareness rest quietly. Let the pain of disease go into self-arising and self-liberation. The pain of disease that has arisen before is self-arising and the later is self-liberated. Both sickness and awareness, with no external support, are sent into dissolution. Get into the pain of disease. If awareness sinks into unclarity, make a thorough going effort at awareness and purify the nature of 494—_—— ¢ lama or a friend, clarity. Moreover, visualizing th dharmas t0 Juminou: Jet the visualization g0 into evenness in a state of empty, luminous non- fe Those of the highest powers are liberated by that. By mixing the the breath ceasing and awareness fainting away with the f dharmas, like having mixed light with grasping luminosity of natural luminosity of the nature 0! light, phenomenal luminosity subsides. Unobstructed by conceptions of the habitual patterns of former attachment, there is the empty luminous nature of dharmas, dharmakaya, and Buddhahood. Without the bardo they are fiberated. The bardo of existence is like connecting a broken water pipe. By being in the nature of dharmas continually, the level of the three kayas and Buddhahood is grasped. After external breath is cut off and the e six collections of sense have ceased, there is the bardo appearances of the called the bardo of existence. We abide in the bardo of receiving a body, for quite a long time, seven times seven days. For seven days after awareness has fainted away it abides in a latent condition. Then the appearance of dharmakaya arises. By the yoga of Great Compassion the hope is that the highest ones, by stabilizing luminous emptiness, the meaning of the nature of dharmas, at that time will be liberated in dharmakaya. The appearances of the bardo will not arise. Then for seven days the appearances of sambhogakaya arise. Awareness having awakened from that fainting produces thoughts of the form of flesh it had in the preceding time. That body does not exist and obscurations of that body also do not exist. It is like the body in a dream. Since there is no body, the five senses are absent. However, the mental body has appearances of the six collections of the senses. It is not a material body of flesh and blood. That mental body arises without 495Sl (MANE KABUM, on in all the three realms. At that time objects that were not Seen bstruction 1 ol en, The regions of the completely pure Buddha fields are before are set 7 The dharmas of experience communicate. Awareness of dharmas of seen. The sclagh versal characteristics and the dharmas of individual characteristic, univel mmunicating with us arises. That liberates the intermediate yogin of col Great Compassion. When we have attained stability in the apprehension of appearances as body, all appearances arise as the field and kayas of Great Compassion. When we have attained stability in the apprehension of sounds as speech, all sounds arise as the sound of the Six Syllable, OM MANI PADME HUM. When we have attained stability in the apprehension of thoughts as mind, the five poisons arise as the five wisdoms. They arise clearly without obscuration like a mirror. Ignorance arises clearly and unobscured as the dharmadhatu wisdom. Pride arises as the unbiased equality of the nature of dharmas, the wisdom of equality. Passion arises clearly and without mixing things up as the discriminating awareness wisdom. Jealousy arises as the all-accomplishing wisdom, the ornament of unbroken compassion for the benefit of beings. Then there is liberation in sambhogakaya, the body of Great Compassion with the customary ornaments, his unobstructed speech and his self-arising mind, inseparable emptiness and compassion without a gap. That is the way of liberation for those of intermediate powers. After fourteen days have passed after death, for seven days up to twenty- one, appearances of nirmanakaya arise. Since awareness is very luminous and clear, a brightness seven times that of the time when we died comes. “I am not dead,” we cry at parents, relatives and friends we see crying. The conditioned mother though touched or entreated, does not listen andOral Instructions on the Six Bardos TT «go forth. Thoughts of parents, land, house, children and wealth come one after another. After twenty-one days we know we are dead. As for awareness entering into objects, we see our rotting body, or not having found our body, there is immeasurable suffering. At that time, meditate on the yidam deity Great Compassion. If we remember to do that, that is the time of the body being liberated as nirmanakaya. After twenty-one days up to twenty-eight after the mind becomes disturbed, terrifying sounds arise. Fire sounds, water sounds, wind sounds, earth sounds, combined sounds, sounds of passion, aggression and ignorance and so forth arise. By their arising the mind is very disturbed, panics and an appearance of fleeing arises. At that time having remembered OM MANI PADME HUM, the Six Syllable of the essence mantra, apprehending these sounds as speech, they are brought to the path. ‘After twenty-eight days to thirty-five the five lights arise. Having been enveloped in these lights, the sense that one will never get out of them arises, At that time, by remembering the meaning of apprehending thoughts as enlightened mind, they are brought to the path. From thirty-six days until forty-two, the five lights, six paths arise. If one goes on the white path, appearances of the gods arise. If one goes on the green path, appearances of the asuras arise. If one goes on the yellow path, appearances of humans arise. If one goes on the path like white strokes, appearances of hungry ghosts arise. If one goes on the dark red path, appearances of hell arise. At that time, remembering to supplicate 407NIKABUM ‘MANI KABUM dakinis is important. If we remember to do so, teach tama, yidam and . * idam deity is Great Compassion. The essence the scripture, “Your y! mantra is OM MANI PA birthplace. This is your bod: and so forth. At that time appear and by the coemergent demon nv DME HUM. Go on the white path. This is your yy. This is the dharma.” Teach that scripture ances arise of the coemergent deity of jrtu on-virtue being summoned." After virtue victory is grasped, the lama and yidam dei realms. After those of lesser powers have bee! y encounter the dharma and have a karmic ity teach the path to the celestial n liberated by that, in the next life the connection. From the forty-third to the forty-ninth day we receive a body. After appearances have occurred, the thought is produced, “That is the body in which I will be born.” Led by previous negative actions we go to the womb, These are in terms of remaining in the bardo for seven times seven days. As for the teaching of not remaining for that period, if in the bardo we remember the yidam and the essence mantra, we will be liberated from it. These are the oral instructions on the lamp of Great Compassion that clears away the darkness of the bardo. OM MANI PADME HUM, I prostrate to Great Compassion. According to the yoga of Great Compassion, if signs of death arise suddenly, do phowa, the yoga of transference. The signs of death are many, among the four signs of sudden death: 1. As for the one called “seeing luminous light deteriorating,” if by squeezing the eyes there is no circle of light, we will die. 498Oral Instructions on the Six Bardos 2, As for the one called “The hearing organ sound’s deteriorating,” when the two ears have been blocked, if when they are pressed by the palms of the hands, there is no noise, we will die. ‘as forthe one called “cutting the pillars and beams of heaven and sorth,” with the arm being raised to heaven, if sight of the wrist is obstructed, we will die." As for the one called “Mara arising not far away” if having joined the fingers of the two hands, if by moving them the others do not smove, but only the fourth finger moves, we will die. ach of these may be reversed by auspicious coincidence. Even if we are without sickness one should examine for them. Within phowa are six sections: _ Natural phowa for those of the highest powers. 2. Path phowa for those of intermediate powers. Within that the body of Great Compassion phowa. . Speech syllable phowa. |. Mind bindu dharmakaya phowa. . Phowa in the white seed syllable HRI. . Those of lesser powers, by the mudra of the play of a lion there is an wv sudden forceful phowa. First, as for natural phowa for those of the highest powers, within the unborn nature of mind, transmigrating and non-transmigrating are not two, At first, mind is not created by cause and conditions, In the middle, it 4991 KABUM, MAN! d, it goes nowhere. Without 1g at all. At the en - hed as anythin lie Hy exists. Thus, ontinual is known as mind. Emp' dharmakaya is not established as real, is not est even the name of de; is ath tion, it mr and cess ty mind is dharmakaya, arising “ does not exist. Samsara } Aside from samsara and nirvana, Even the Avinci Hell is just our own nin Th equal. Since unconfused awareness subsides into poisons are spontaneously self-liberated. Therefore the fire of exhaustion nd conditions. In that way, after the skandhas of the material body have been f mind. For example, by a e vajra kaya and hell are dharmadhatu, the five is without causes 4! by the yogi who meditates is wi on Great Compassion, discarded, there is subsidence into the nature 0! vase being broken, the space within the vase is like the pure great space. So the nature of mint phowa for those of the greatest powers. d is perfect as the great wisdom. That is natural Second, path phowa for those of intermediate powers who do not now know it, there are fot body of Great Compassion, at the time of knowing we are dying, make ur stages within phowa. First, as for phowa in the offerings to the lama and the Three Jewels. Give generously to the six kinds of beings. The substances and implements should be gathered. Do not be apprehensive of death, but get rid of that. First, in an upright posture, invite Great Compassion with a body of light into the space in front. Produce strong devotion, promising one-pointedly to accompany him inseparably, exhaling awareness together with wind from the navel, gathering it together; shoot it into the heart of Great Compassion. Having vitvedgumalntemidatatrGmecemaie of Great Compassion. 500ee Oral Ins _— structions on the Six Bardos sind, 88 for speech syllable phowa, visualize a wheel of the Six Syllabi 1 space: In the middle of a yellow six-spoked wheel is a white wt le HUM. (On the six spokes visualize the Six Syllable OM MANI Pp. a HUM in white. Visualizing one’s bodies of skandhas as an empty figure, on the aperture of brahma at the crown. Having wound awareness in rainbow-like light rays, make it come forth from the aperture of brahma and be absorbed in the wheel of the Six Syllable. Continuously abide in the syllables of speech. That is the oral instructions for the phowa of speech. Fourth, as for phowa of mind bindu, transform awareness into a bindu the size of a pea. The outer and inner winds are not connected with the bindu. Do not change from that bindu without complexity. Since its state is ceaseless natural luminosity, the unchanging nature of the bindu without comers is dharmakaya. These are the oral instructions for phowa into Great Compassion. Fifth, as for the white seed syllable HRI, mix wind and awareness as one. Send the awareness into a white HRI. Opening the central channel, the avadhuti, having bound the six lower winds, draw them up with wind- raising awareness. In the crown great bliss chakra expel them in the shape ofa white HRI, convey it into the heart of Great Compassion. Sixth, as for the phowa for those of the least powers, with the complete liberation lion mudra blocking the gates of the senses, with two fingers fold the two ears and cover them, with the two thumbs close the mouth. With the wind that is shot out send forth the awareness. Open the aperture 501MANIKABUM ahma and extending awareness without support transmigrate. Not of brahma al being born in the realms of the six kinds of oe . will instantly go to Buddhahood. That is the phowa for those of the least seit In general, training the pranas is important for _ Within the pranas are the wisdom prana and the karmic prana. The oo prana moves from the left nostril and in one day twenty-one thousand winds move. The wisdom prana and the karmic prana move half and half. The wisdom wind moves ten thousand five hundred and the karmic wind moves ten thousand five hundred. At the time of moving from both nostrils, moving from the avadhuti, it is the wind of the nature of dharmas. At the time of the winds moving, it moves one instant or two, three, four, or five. At that time recognizing the nature of dharmas, awareness rests in luminous clarity. Within grasping the winds are three sections: 1. Drawing the wind like a bow, the upper wind is suppressed as long as possible. 2. Shooting the wind externally like an arrow, it is shot as far as possible. 3. Collecting the wind like a vase, collecting the upper and lower winds in the middle, it is held as long as possible. Turning the wind like a wheel, as we meditate on ourselves as Great Compassion, in the empty inside the nadis roma (red nerve), (white nerve) and avadhuti (blue) made like beams, at the pierce the eye sockets, At the lower tip they pierce the perin within avadhuti wind ig Taised and the winds are purified. T] kyangma upper tip, eum. From he lower tip 502Oral Instructions on the Six Bardos piercing the perineum, at the time of bringing forth many winds, they are grasped in the avadhuti. At the time of raising the winds from within avadhuti, they move upward and the winds are purified. If the winds are not purified, phowa will not enter into the essence. Therefore purifying the winds is important. These were the oral instructions of the emanated king on phowa. These were the oral instructions at the time of death.