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The Bardo of Dharmata

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Kyema!


Now, as the bardo of dharmata appears, I should, by giving up all fright and fear, Recognise all manifestations as self-appearance and awareness And know that they are the way in which the bardo appears. The moment of a meaningful turning has come. Do not be frightened by the self-appearances, the assemblies of the Peaceful and Wrathful!


The fifth intermediate existence is the bardo of dharmata, which follows after the bardo of the moment of death. It contains all that aspect of appearances based upon delusion which are yet to manifest before we go over to the bardo of becoming. The process of dying is completed, the ground clear light has

appeared, but we have not recognised it. Pulling ourselves out of this condition we are at first surprised, thinking: “What’s going on? What’s happening to me? Have I died, or what?”

Simultaneously many lights, light rays and droplets of light appear as a kind of preparation for the appearances of the bardo. Our ears perceive loud roarings and reverberating sounds.

The light, the light rays, and all the phenomena that are later to appear in the bardo of dharmata, such as the various forms of the peaceful and wrathful aspects of the lords of the five buddha families, are the self-expression of dharmata. The loud penetrating noises are the self-sound of dharmata. It is

not as if these appearances arise newly and appear at this stage: rather they are always present in our mind as its aspect of purity. The pure aspect of our mind is dharmata, and is present since the primordial beginning. Since the various appearances are forms of expression of dharmata, the intermediate existence in which they now again manifest is called the bardo of dharmata.

Kyema! Now, as the bardo of dharm ata appears, I should, by giving up all fright and fear, Recognise all manifestations as self-appearance and awareness And know that they are the way in which the bardo appears. The moment o f a meaningful turning has come.

Do not be frightened by the self-appearances, the assemblies o f the Peaceful and Wrathful!

Now, as the bardo o f dharm ata appears, I should, by giving up all right and fear

When the bardo of dharmata appears to us, we perceive a variety of appearances such as coloured light, clear light, light rays and light clusters.

Nevertheless there is not the least reason to be afraid.

Recognise all manifestations as self-appearance and awareness

All appearances are exclusively the self-expression of the mind. They are a self-expression through which awareness represents itself. At the time of their appearance it is important to recognise the awareness in the bardo appearances.

And know that they are the way in which the bardo appears.

Regardless of what appears, be it coloured lights, clear light, or the peaceful or wrathful aspects of the lords of the five buddha families, one must recognise that all appearances are the manner in which the awareness presents itself in the bardo.

The moment of a meaningful turning has come.

With this phase in which the forms of expression of the bardo of dharmata appear, an extraordinarily meaningful time has begun. Since when the peaceful and wrathful aspects of the lords of the five buddha families appear, if I recognise them as yidam deities I can melt into their mind and so ‘attain buddhahood as the sambhogakaya in the bardo’. If I don’t recognise them I will steadily continue

through the bardo of becoming and be further trapped in samsara. This is why it is emphasised here that this moment is very important. Do not be frightened, by the self-appearances, the assemblies o f the Peaceful and Wrathful!

The human body is composed of nadis, prana, bindus and cakras. It is taught that during our lifetime the peaceful and wrathful aspects of the lords of the buddha families stay within the energy centres of the body. The winds carry the white and red drops through the energy channels. The channels which branch off from the energy centres thus contain a collection of white and red drops. Their forms of expression are the peaceful and wrathful deities. The pure aspect of the white and red drops is the peaceful and wrathful deities.

The energy centre in the heart is the dharmacakra. The white and red drops which are contained within the nadis branching off from this cakra manifest in their pure aspect as the forty-two peaceful deities. Thus the peaceful deities reside in the heart cakra.

The energy centre at the throat is the sambhogacakra. The white and red drops which are contained within the nadis branching off from this cakra manifest in their pure aspect as the ten awareness holders (Skt.: vidyadhara). The deities are in union, which means the five male awareness holders with their respective consorts. The awareness holders therefore reside in the throat cakra.

The energy centre at the crown of the head is the mahasukhacakra. The white and red drops which are contained within the nadis branching off from this cakra manifest in their pure aspect as the fifty-eight blood drinkers, the wrathful deities. In this way the wrathful deities reside in the crown cakra.

As a sign of the presence of the peaceful and wrathful deities and of the awareness holders in our body as the self- expression of the dharmata, we can, while alive, perceive the light and the light rays of the bodies of these deities. If we close both eyes we nevertheless see appearances of light similar to extremely fine hairs. These are a perception of the deities inherent within our bodies in the form of light. They are the manifestation of the clear light of dharmata. They do not originate in outer influences such as, for instance, the rays of the sun, but are a normal expression of our inner body.

They are the self-expression of dharmata. Also, if we hold both ears closed we hear continuous sound. That is the self-sound of dharmata.

During our life all the peaceful and wrathful deities already reside in our bodies. They are the self-appearances, the clear light of dharmata, which then manifest themselves again in the bardo of dharmata in the form of these peaceful and wrathful deities.

Existence in the bardo of dharmata begins, after we have not recognised the ground clear light, with the appearances of dharmata in the form of light and light rays and the selfsound of dharmata in the form of loud, penetrating sounds.


The First Day

On the first day of the bardo of dharmata a dazzling deep blue6 light appears in the middle of these lights and light rays. Simultaneously with this deep blue light a muted white light appears, which is the light of the path that leads to existence in the realms of the gods (Skt.: devaloka). Buddha Vairocana appears in the middle of the dazzling deep blue light. He is seated upon a throne supported by eight lions. The colour of his body is white. He has one face

6 Some commentaries speak of white light, others of blue.


and two arms. In his right hand he holds an eight spoked wheel, and in his left a bell whose handle is marked with an eight spoked wheel. He is in union with his consort Dhatvishvari. Her body is red. Dhatvishvari holds the same attributes in her hands as Vairocana.

At the time of Vairocana’s manifestation we should recognise him as a yidam deity and pray to him. Through this recognition we enter into the heart of Vairocana and so attain buddhahood in Vairocana’s pure realm, the realm of the centre called ‘Akanishta, Pure Realm of Dense Arrangement’.

This way of attaining buddhahood is called ‘attaining buddhahood in the bardo as a sambhogakaya’. If during our life we practise a yidam deity such as, for example, Vajrasattva, visualising the generation phase and reciting the mantra, such a practice prepares us for precisely this situation of the appearance of deities in the bardo. It will be easy for us to recognise the deity as such in this situation. The necessity of yidam practice becomes obvious here.


I urge every one of my students again and again to train themselves in yidam practice. If your time for the extensive practice of the generation phase is too short, you can perform ‘generation in one moment through awareness’ and recite the mantra for a while. It is absolutely necessary to meditate on the generation phase of a yidam, since this practice will be of great value in the situation of the bardo of dharmata.

We get into a panic when the dazzling deep blue light of Vairocana appears. We feel drawn on the other hand to the mild white light of the gods which we find comfortable. If we follow the muted white light we will be reborn in the realm of the gods.


If during the first day we have neither attained buddhahood in Vairocana’s pure land by recognising him, nor passed into the realm of the gods, then on the second day a dazzling white light, the light of Buddha Vajrasattva Akshobhya, and simultaneously a muted, comfortable grey light, the light of the hell realms (Skt.: narakaloka) appears.

Vajrasattva Akshobhya appears with the dazzling white light. He is seated upon a throne borne by eight elephants. The colour of his body is dark blue. In his right hand he holds a five-pronged vajra and in his left a bell whose handle is marked with a five-pronged vajra. He is in union with his consort Buddha Locana. The colour of her body is of a somewhat lighter blue than that of Vajrasattva. Locana holds the same attributes in her hands: in the right hand a fivepronged vajra and in the left hand a bell which again is marked with a five-pronged vajra.

The Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha appears to the right hand side of Vajrasattva Akshobhya. The colour of his body is white. In his right hand he holds a rice shoot and in his left hand a bell.

On the left side of Vajrasattva Akshobhya the Bodhisattva Maitreya appears. His body is also white in colour. In his right hand he holds a branch of the naga tree and in his left hand a bell.

In front of Vajrasattva Akshobhya the female Bodhisattva Lasya (Dancer) appears. The colour of her body is white. In her right hand she holds a mirror and in her left a bell.

Behind Vajrasattva Akshobhya the female Bodhisattva Pushpa (Flower Girl). Her body is also white. In the right hand she holds a white lotus and in the left a bell.


The Second Day

This is the manifestation of Buddha Vajrasattva Akshobhya in his entourage of six.

If at the moment of their appearance we recognise them as the yidam deity Vajrasattva Akshobhya with his retinue and pray to them, we will reach buddhahood in the eastern pure land, the ‘Realm of Real Joy’.

If however we fear the light of Vajrasattva and his retinue, preferring the comfortable grey light of the hells and following it, then we will take a birth in the realms of the hells.


The Third Day

If we have neither achieved buddhahood in Vajrasattva’s pure land nor passed into the hell realms, then on the third day a dazzling yellow light appears simultaneously with a muted blueish light that leads to the realms of humans (Skt.: naraloka).

Buddha Ratnasambhava appears with the dazzling yellow light. He is seated on a horse throne. His body is yellow. In his right hand he holds a jewel and in his left a bell marked with a jewel.

He is in union with his consort Mamaki. Her body is of a yellow somewhat lighter than that of Ratnasambhava. Mamaki holds the same attributes as Ratnasambhava in her hands.

The Bodhisattva Akashagarbha is to the right of Ratnasambhava. His body is yellow. He holds a sword on the right and a bell on the left. Left of Ratnasambhava is the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. His body is blue. On the right he holds an ear of rice and on the left a bell.

In front of Ratnasambhava is the female Bodhisattva Mala (Garland Girl). Her body is yellow. On the right she holds a garland of flowers and on the left a bell.

Behind Ratnasambhava is the female Bodhisattva Dhupa (Incense Girl). Her body is yellow. She holds a censer in both hands.

The recognition of these appearances as yidam deities leads to buddhahood in Ratnasambhava’s southern pure land, the ‘Realm Filled with Splendour’. If one follows the muted blue light one will be reborn as a human.


The Fourth Day

If we have neither attained buddhahood in Ratnasambhava’s realm nor passed into the realms of human beings, a dazzling red light appears on the fourth day, simultaneously with a muted yellow light leading to rebirth in the realms of the hungry ghosts (Skt.: pretaloka).

In the middle of the dazzling red light the Buddha Amitabha appears on a peacock throne. His body is coloured red. In his right hand he holds a lotus and in his left a bell marked with a lotus.

He is in union with his consort Pandara (White clad). Her body is bright red. Pandara holds the same attributes as Amitabha in her hands.

To Amitabha’s right is the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. His body is red. On the right he holds a lotus and on the left a bell.

To Amitabha’s left is the Bodhisattva Manjushri. His body is orange. He holds on the right an utpala blossom and on the left a bell. The female Bodhisattva Gita (Singer) is in front of Amitabha. Her body is red. She holds a lute with her two hands.

The female Bodhisattva Aloka (Light Girl) is behind Amitabha. Her body is also red. She holds a butter lamp.

The recognition of these deities leads to buddhahood in the pure land of Amitabha in the west, the ‘Realm Filled with Joy’. If we follow the muted yellow light we will be reborn in the realms of the hungry ghosts.


The Fifth Day

If we neither pass into the pure land of Amitabha nor into the realms of the hungry ghosts, a dazzling green light will appear on the fifth day, and simultaneously a muted red light which leads to the realms of the demigods (Skt.: asuraloka).

In the middle of the dazzling green light appears the Buddha Amoghasiddhi on a throne which is carried by alternating male and female harpies. Amoghasiddhi’s body is green. He holds a double vajra and a bell marked with a double vajra.

He is in union with his consort Samayatara. Her body is a green somewhat lighter than that of Amoghasiddhi. Samayatara holds the same attributes as Amoghasiddhi in her hands.


Bodhisattva Vajrapani is to Amoghasiddhi’s right. His body is green. He holds a vajra and a bell.

To Amoghasiddhi’s left is the Bodhisattva Dipana. His body is white. He holds a volume of text and a bell.


The female Bodhisattva Gandha (Perfume Girl) is in front of Amoghasiddhi. Her body is green. She holds a conch shell containing good smelling essences. The female Bodhisattva Nritya (Food Girl) is behind Amoghasiddhi. Her body is also green. She holds an offering cake (torma) representing food.

If one recognises these deities as such, this leads to buddhahood in Amoghasiddhi’s northern pure land, the ‘Realm of Highest Perfect Deeds’.


The Sixth Day

On the sixth day all the forty-two peaceful deities, which during life were in the nadi branches of the heart cakra, appear together. They appear out of a dazzling five-coloured light. A muted six-coloured light also appears, leading to a birth in one of the six realms of existence.

In the centre appears Vairocana with his consort Dhatvishvari, appearing in the same form as on the first day.

The Adibuddha Samantabhadra appears above Vairocana’s head as a manifestation of the dharmakaya in addition to the forty-two peaceful deities. His body is white. He holds his hands in the meditation position. He is in union with his consort Samantabhadri. Her body is also white.

In the east is Vajrasattva Akshobhya in his entourage of six as on the second day.

In the south is Ratnasambhava in his entourage of six as on the third day.

In the west is Amitabha in his entourage of six as on the fourth day.

In the north is Amoghasiddhi in his entourage of six as on the fifth day.

Outside of these appear simultaneously the munis of the six realms of existence:


The muni of the realm of the gods: Shatakratu (Of Highest Power) having a white body. He holds a lute.

The muni of the demigods: Viracara (Of Good Make Up), having a green body. He holds a sword and suit of armour with a helmet.

The muni of humans: Shakyamuni (Muni of the Shakyas), having a yellow body. He holds a monk’s staff and a begging bowl.

The muni of the realm of the animals: Sengerabten (Unshakeable Lion), having a dark blue body. He holds a volume of text in his right hand and his left is in the gesture of giving protection.


The muni of the hungry ghosts: Kalameshar (With Burning Mouth), having a red body. He holds a precious vessel in his right hand, and his left is in the gesture of giving protection.

The muni of the hells: Dharmaraja (King of the Teaching), having a body of black colour. He holds a ball of fire and a conch shell filled with saffron water.


Outside of these, the four male door keepers appear at the same time:


In the east: Vijaya (Completely Victorious), with a white body. He holds a staff with a death’s head and a bell.

In the south: Yamantaka (Destroyer of Yama), of yellow body. He carries a staff with a death’s head and bell.

In the west: Hayagriva (Horse-Necked King), with a red body. He holds an iron shackle and a bell.

In the north: Amritakundali (Stirrer of Nectar), of green body. He holds a double vajra and a bell marked with a double vajra.


The four female door keepers:

In the east: Tagdongma (Horse Face), with a white body. She holds an iron hook and a skull cup filled with blood.

In the south: Pagdongma (Pig Face), with a yellow body. She holds a noose and a skull cup M ed with blood.

In the west: Sengdongma (Lion Face), with a red body. She holds an iron shackle and a skull cup M ed with blood.

In the north: Druldongma (Snake face), with a green body. She holds a bell and a skull cup M ed with blood.


All of these together are the forty-two peaceful deities which during life are in the heart cakra. They all appear simultaneously on the sixth day.

If we recognise these forty-two peaceful deities at the time of their appearance, knowing that they are yidam deities, then, through the blessing of the lords of the five buddha families and through our respect for and trust in them, we will attain buddhahood in the pure land of the dharmakaya

Samantabhadra. If we do not recognise them we can be reborn in one of the six realms within the cycle of existence. Through clinging and fondness for one of the individual paths to the six realms we will be drawn to it, taking birth in the corresponding realm.

But if on the sixth day we have neither attained buddhahood nor passed into one of the six realms of existence, then the ten awareness holders and their consorts, which during life were in the nadi branches of the sambhogacakra in the throat, will appear on the seventh day.


The Seventh Day

The ten awareness holders appear from out of a dazzling five-coloured light. At the same time a muted green light leading to rebirth in the realm of the animals (Skt.: trisanloka) appears.

In the centre appears the ‘Great Awareness Holder of Perfect Maturation’, also known as the ‘Powerful One of the Lotus

Dance’. His body is five-coloured. He is in union with his consort White Dakini, with a white body. Both the awareness holder and the dakini each hold a flaying knife in the right hand and a skull cup fiill of blood in the left.

In the east is the ‘Awareness Holder Dwelling on Earth’. His body is white. He is in union with his consort Buddhadakini. She has a white body. Both hold a flaying knife and a skull cup full of blood.

In the south is the ‘Awareness Holder with Power over Life’. His body is yellow. He is in union with his consort Ratnadakini. She has a yellow body. Both hold a flaying knife and a skull cup full of blood.

In the west is the ‘Awareness Holder of the Great Seal’. His body is red. He is in union with his consort Padmadakini. She has a red body; Both hold a flaying knife and a skull cup full of blood.

In the north is the ‘Awareness Holder of Spontaneous Arising’. His body is green. He is in union with his consort Karmadakini. She has a green body. Both hold a flaying knife and a skull cup full of blood.

If we recognise these bardo appearances of the ten awareness holders, who dwell in the throat cakra during life, as being yidam deities, we will attain buddhahood in their pure realm.

If the forty-two peaceful deities and the ten awareness holders have appeared and we have not recognised them, the fifty-eight blood drinking wrathful deities subsequently appear. They are the lords of the five buddha families: Vairocana, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha and Amoghasiddhi, who first appeared in their peaceful manifestation. Now, however, they appear in their wrathful aspect.


Many of the fifty-eight wrathful aspects have three faces, six arms, four legs, numerous varied head ornaments and hold a variety of attributes in their hands. I will explain these in detail as I believe that this will be useful in the future.


The Eighth Day

On the eighth day the Buddha Vairocana appears to us in his wrathful form as the Buddha Heruka. His body is dark brown. He has three faces. The right hand face is white, the left one is red and the one in the middle, looking towards the front, is dark brown. He has six arms, and holds in his upper right hand a wheel, in the middle right hand an axe and in the lower right a sabre. In his upper left hand he holds a bell, in the middle left a plough and in the lower left a skull cup. He has four legs.

He is in union with his consort Buddha Krodheshvari. Her body is red. She has two arms and holds a wheel in her right hand and a skull cup in her left. The wrathful aspects of the lords of the five families who now appear all have three faces, six arms and four legs.

The three faces are a sign that they appear for the benefit of beings with the help of the three buddha bodies (Skt.: kaya): dharmakaya, sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya. The right face of all the deities symbolises the nirmanakaya, the face on the left the sambhogakaya, and the central face the dharmakaya. The six arms symbolise that they wish to bring all beings of the six realms of existence to the level of realisation of a buddha.


Let us take the Buddha Heruka as an example:


He holds a wheel in his upper right hand. As we move on through the three realms of the cycle of existence we go continuously through the twelve links of dependent origination. The wheel is a sign that the heruka cuts the flow of the twelve links of dependent origination.

He holds an axe in his middle right hand. All beings think: “that’s me”, and cling to an I where no I exists. The axe stands for cutting through all clinging to an I.

He holds a sabre in his lower right hand. That is a sign that he ruthlessly cuts away the three afflictions of desirous attachment, anger and dullness which all beings carry in their minds.

In the upper left hand he holds a bell. The bell is a sign for the openness of dharmata, the emptiness, the freedom from all the faults of the cycle of existences.

The plough in his middle right hand is a sign that he utterly overcomes not only all karma but also all the afflictions and karmic imprints of all beings.

In his lower left hand he holds a skull cup filled with blood. That is a sign that he has realised dharmata and dwells on the level of buddhahood, but( nevertheless remains in samsara because of his great compassion, in order extensively to benefit all beings.

The union with his consort Buddha Krodheshvari is a sign for the union of method and wisdom. Method is great joy and wisdqjn is emptiness. The two are in union.

The four legs represent the fact that the heruka works for the benefit of beings by means of the four immeasurablesimmeasurable love, immeasurable compassion, immeasurable joy and immeasurable equanimity.

The following herukas all hold similar objects in their hands, which all have a similar meaning. However not every meaning can be explained in detail at this point.

The wrathful appearance of the Buddha Vajrasattva Akshobhya is Vajra Heruka. His body is blue. He has three faces, the right one is white, the left red and the middle face is dark blue. He has six arms and holds in the upper right hand a vajra, in the middle a skull cup and in the lower an axe. In his upper

left hand he holds a bell, in the middle a skull cup and in the lower left a plough. He also has four legs. He is in union with his consort Vajra Krodheshvari. Her body is light blue. She has two arms and holds a vajra in her right hand and a skull cup in her left.


The Tenth Day

The wrathful appearance of Buddha Ratnasambhava is Ratna Heruka. His body is yellow. He has three faces: the one on the right is white, the left one is red and the middle yellow. He has six arms and holds a jewel in his upper right hand, in the middle right a katvanga staff and in the lower a club. In his upper left hand he holds a bell, in the middle left a skull cup and in the lower left a trident. He has four legs.

He is in union with his consort Ratna Krodheshvari. The colour of her body is light yellow. She has two arms and holds a jewel in her right hand and a skull cup in her left.


The Eleventh Day

The wrathful appearance of Buddha Amitabha is Padma Heruka. His body is red. He has three faces, the one on the right being white, the left one blue and the middle one red. He has six arms, holding a lotus in his upper right hand, a katvanga staff in the middle and in the lower a death’s head staff. In the upper left hand he holds a bell, in the middle a


The Ninth Day

skull cup and in the lower a small drum with a wooden handle. He has four legs.

He is in union with his consort Padma Krodheshvari. She has a light red body. She has two arms and holds a lotus in her right hand and a skull cup in her left.


The Twelfth Day

The wrathful appearance of the Buddha Amoghasiddhi is Karma Heruka. His body is dark green. He has three faces: that on the right is white, that on the left red and the middle one is dark green. He has six arms and holds a sabre in the upper right hand, a katvanga staff in the middle and a skull club in the lower. In his upper left hand he holds a bell, in the middle a skull cup and in the lower hand a plough. He has four legs.

He is in union with his consort Karma Krodheshvari. She has a light green body. She has two arms and holds a sabre and a skull cup. That was the appearance of the ten wrathful aspects of the lords of the five buddha families, the five herukas in union with their consorts the five krodheshvaris.


The Thirteenth Day

On the thirteenth day the wrathful manifestations of the eight female bodhisattvas appear, the eight wrathful kaurimas:

Gauri has a white body. She holds a flayed human skin in her right hand and a skull cup in her left.

Cauri has a yellow body. She holds a drawn bow and arrow.

Pramoha has a red body. She holds a crocodile banner in her right hand.

Vaitali has a black body. She holds a vajra in her right hand and a skull cup in her left.

Pukkasi has an orange body. She holds intestines in her right hand, lifting them to her mouth with her left hand in order to devour them.

Ghasmari has a green body. In her right hand she holds a vajra with which she stirs the content of the skull cup held in her left.

Candali has a yellow body. She holds a heart in her right hand and in her left a corpse which she is devouring.

Shmashani has a dark blue body. She is tearing the head off a corpse.

Later on the thirteenth day the eight phramenmas appear. They are the wrathful manifestations of the offering goddesses.

Simhamukha (Lion Headed) has a black body and devours a corpse.

Vyaghramukha (Tiger Headed) has a red body and holds her hands crossed downwards.


Srigalamukha (Vixen Headed), who has a black body, holds a sabre in her right hand, lifting intestines to her mouth with her left hand in order to devour them.

Shvamukha (Wolf Headed) has a dark blue body. She rips a corpse apart to devour it.

Gridhramukha (Vulture Headed) has a yellow body. She is carrying a corpse over her shoulder and a skeleton in her hands.

Kankamukha (Cemetery Bird Headed) has a dark red body and holds a corpse in her hands.


{{7 Similar to a vulture[[

Kakamukha (Crow Headed) has . a black body and holds a skull cup in her left hand.

Ulukamukha (Owl Headed) has a light blue body and holds a vajra and a sabre.

Also on the thirteenth day the four female doorkeepers appear:

In the east: Tagdongma (Horse Face), having a white body. She holds an iron hook and a skull cup filled with blood.

In the south: Pagdongma (Sow Face), having a yellow body. She holds a snake and a skull cup filled with blood.

In the west: Sengdongma (Lion Face), having a red body. She holds an iron fetter and a skull cup filled with blood.

In the north: Druldongma (Snake Face), having a green body. She holds a bell and a skull cup filled with blood.


The attributes of the eight kaurimas and the eight phramenmas are primarily that they carry human corpses whose intestines or hearts they devour and whose blood they drink. This symbolises that they overcome the clinging to an I within all beings.

How can one recognise the clinging^ to an I or a self? In spite of the fact that in reality there sii(nply is no self, we think: “That’s me”. We are continuously having thoughts like: “That’s me”, “I want to be happy”, “I’d like to be famous”, “I’d like to own things”, “Maybe I’ll get ill” or: “Maybe I’ll suffer”. Such ideas, focused on an I, are called ‘clinging to a self or ‘grasping at a self.


It is taught that the attitude “that’s me” is the cause and root of our remaining in samsara.

In what way is the clinging to a self the root or our remaining in samsara? We are always thinking: “I’d like to be happy”, “I should be all right” or: “I want to be famous”. This thinking


of ourselves allows our desirous attachment and our pride to flourish. Because of such conceptual tendencies we hurt others, steal their possessions and fight with them. These acts collect karma.

If we think: “The others are hurting me” or: “Others are keeping me from fame and wealth”, then we develop a very strong thought of anger and jealousy towards others and hurt them.

The cause of such behaviour is the assumption of an I although no I exists. When, in the absence of an I, we cling to an I, this is the aspect of ignorance. In this way the clinging to an I is the basis for the arising of the five afflictions.

Let us observe the concept of an I a little closer. We think that our body is our ‘I’. If we build a house we think: “That is where I live” or: “It’s my body that lives in that house”. Looking at our bed, we think: “That’s my bed” or: “It’s my body that lies in this bed”. With this form of I-thinking we identify our I with the skandha of form, our body.

Once our thoughts are directed in this way towards our body they constitute the foundation for the skandha of feelings. With our body we can experience soft, gende, pleasant feelings. We find ourselves drawn towards positive feelings, we like and accept them. If we burn or freeze ourselves we experience

this with our body as unpleasant. In general we reject these feelings. In this way the skandha of feelings arises on the basis of the skandha of form. Based on the skandha of feelings, the skandha of discrimination arises. We discriminate by means of this skandha, thinking: “With this object I’ll become happy” or: “This object will make me unhappy”.

On the basis of the skandha of discrimination, the skandha of mental functions arises. Having made the discrimination that an object will make us happy, the thought follows: “I need this thing”. We will do everything with body, speech and mind to get it.

If we have made the discrimination that this thing will bring us suffering, we think: “I must do everything to keep this thing away from me”. We behave in this way with our body, speech and mind. These operations of thought have the name of the skandha of mental functions.

At death our consciousness is separated from our body which becomes a corpse. As a corpse, our body can no longer think: “That’s my house” or: “That’s my place”. So it is not our body that has these thoughts, but our mental consciousness. The skandha of consciousness consists of the supervising mind, upon which all mental activity such as making discriminations like: “That’s good” or: “That’s bad” and instituting corresponding deeds is based.


Summarising, that object which we consider to be the I, our self, is compounded of the five skandhas.

Four of the five skandhas, the skandhas of feelings, discrimination, mental functions and consciousness have various names but are all functions of the mind. They have no form.

Only the skandha of form, our body, has form. It is composed of flesh, blood, organs, intestines and much more. As a symbol that the eight kaurimas and the eight phramenmas overcome the five skandhas, as the basis for all beings’ clinging to an I, they carry human corpses on their backs, devour intestines or drink blood.

It is very important to understand this symbolism precisely, otherwise one could assume that these deities really eat human intestines, human flesh, and drink human blood.


The Fourteenth Day

On the fourteenth day the twenty-eight powerful goddesses, the twenty-eight ishvaris, appear. They have various animal heads and hold a variety of symbols in their hands. These correspond to the various afflictions. There are altogether twenty-eight afflictions. They appear in their perfectly pure form as the twenty-eight ishvaris.


There are seven ishvaris in each cardinal direction

The seven ishvaris in the east:

Rakshasi (Demoness) has the head of a yak. Her body is black. She holds a vajra in her right hand.

Brahmani (Brahma) has a snake’s head. Her body is orange. She holds a lotus.

Mahadevi (Great Goddess) has a leopard’s head. Her body is dark green. She holds a trident.

Togdo has the head of a lynx. Her body is blue. She holds a wheel.

Kumari (Youthful) has the head of a Tremung8. Her body is red. She holds a short spear.

Indrani (Indra) has a bear’s head. Her body is white. She holds a noose of entrails.

Vajri, the protectress of the eastern gate, has a cuckoo’s head. Her body is black. She holds an iron hook.


The seven ishvaris of the south:

Vajri (Vajra) has a bat’s head. Her body is yellow. She holds a sword.

Shanti (Peaceful) has a crocodile’s head. Her body is red. She holds a vase.

B Similar to a bear.


Amrita (Nectar) has a scorpion’s head. Her body is red. She holds a lotus.

Candra (Moon) has a falcon’s head. Her body is white. She holds a vajra.

Danda (Club) has a vixen’s head. Her body is dark green. She holds a death’s head staff.


Rakshasi (Demoness) has the head of a tiger. Her body is dark yellow. She holds a skull cup full of blood.

Drinchu, protectress of the southern gate, has the head of a goat. Her body is yellow. She holds a noose.


The seven ishvaris of the west:

Sawa (Food) has a vulture’s head. Her body is dark green. She holds a lance.

Rati (Joy) has a horse’s head. Her body is red. She carries a corpse.

Mahabali (Great Strength) has the head of a garuda. Her body is white. She holds a death’s head staff.

Rakshasi (Demoness) has a dog’s head. Her body is red. She holds a sword with a vajra handle.

Abhilashi (Desire) has the head of a hoopoe. She holds a bow and arrow drawn to shoot.

Norsung (Guardian of Possessions) has a doe’s head. Her body is dark green. She holds a vase.

Pumna, the protectress of the western gate, has a lion’s head. Her body is red. She holds an iron shackle.


The seven ishvaris of the north:

Vayudevi (Wind Goddess) has a w olfs head. Her body is blue. She holds a pennant.

Nari (Woman) has the head of an ibex. Her body is red. She holds a wooden sword.

Varahi (Sow) has a sow’s head. Her body is black. She holds a snake.

Vajri (Vajra) has a crow’s head. Her body is red. She is eating a child’s corpse.

Nachen (Long Nose) has the head of an elephant. Her body is green. She carries a human corpse and drinks blood.

Chulha (Water Goddess) has a snake’s head. Her body is blue. She holds a snake noose.

Namtd, protectress of the northern gate, has a magpie’s head. Her body is dark green. She holds a bell.

All twenty-eight ishvaris appear on the fourteenth day of the bardo of dharmata.


The fifty-eight wrathful deities are, in order of their appearance: the five blood drinking herukas (Buddha, Vajra, Ratna, Padma and Karma) in union with the five krodheshvaris; the eight kaurimas and the eight phramenmas; the four protectresses of the gates; the twenty- eight ishvaris.


If, when the wrathful deities appear, we recognise them as yidam deities, develop trust in them, believe in and pray to them, then we will dissolve in the heart of the corresponding deity and attain buddhahood. If, however we fail to recognise any of the manifestations of the blood drinkers, the bardo of becoming will begin.


Questions and Answers

QUESTION:

How long does the condition of unconsciousness of the bardo of dharmata last? How long is the period of the manifestation of each individual buddha?

ANSWER:

The duration of the individual phases of appearance depend on the constitution of our nadis, prana and bindus. This is especially true if we don’t go into tugdam and don’t recognise the ground clear light.

When in connection with the bardo we say, “the first day, the second day, the third day”, it is a question of human, worldly days. But if we have taken a birth in the realms of the hells or of the hungry ghosts, the corresponding days and years belong to these realms of existence. The years in the hell realms or the realms of hungry ghosts are not equal to our worldly years. They can correspond to ten, a hundred or a thousand worldly years.


QUESTION:

If we decide between the dazzling light and the muted light, how much does the principle of karma count?


ANSWER

Freedom to decide arises on the basis of the special methods of the secret vajrayana.

If it is our karma to be reborn in hell, the path to hell appears to us with particular strength, and we feel specially drawn to it. But through the blessing of the secret mantrayana, and through the blessing and compassion of the deity, the yidam deity appears at the same time. If we recognise it, then in spite of our karma to be reborn in hell, we will not be born there but instead we will melt into the heart of the deity and attain enlightenment. The blessing of the secret mantrayana is described as being very great, since there are instructions for how one can attain enlightenment in one lifetime with one body.

We have for instance today received instructions on Liberation through Hearing in the Bardo, and for this reason, when we see the two lights in the bardo, we will immediately understand their meaning and know that the muted light is the way to a birth in one of the six realms of existence. Therefore we won’t pursue them.

If the Tibetan Book of the Dead is recited before a deceased person, the consciousness will understand it all, and will be able to adopt the instructions. Since one achieves liberation in this way by hearing, the book is called Liberation through Hearing in the Bardo.


QUESTION:

What sort of character do the awareness holders i have? To judge from their description, they seem to be semiwrathful. Are they, like the herukas, also appearances of the buddhas?


ANSWER:

In essence the awareness holders are also the buddhas of the five families. During life they remain as the pure aspect of the white and red elements in the throat cakra. The wrathful deities are situated in the crown cakra, the peaceful in the heart cakra. The throat cakra lies in between, so they are neither wrathful nor peaceful, but appear in both aspects.


QUESTION:

Do the attributes and the various signs actually appear just as they are described? Or are they merely symbols for innate qualities? Do they appear differently in other cultures?


ANSWER:

In the Liberation through Hearing in the Bardo the Buddha taught that everyone who possesses a human body perceives the buddha aspects in the bardo as described.

However, there are two exceptions: those who, in a positive sense, don’t go through the bardo, and those who, in a negative sense, don’t go through the bardo.

The first group unify the mother clear light with the child clear light the moment the ground clear light appears and attain buddhahood. They don’t go through the bardo. The peaceful and wrathful deities will not appear.

The second group go immediately after death to the hell realms as a result of dreadful evil deeds and incomparable negativity collected in this life. For them too the peaceful and wrathful deities don’t appear. Neither group goes through the bardo.


QUESTION:

What role is played by the colours in which the various deities manifest?


ANSWER:

The colours are connected to the five afflictions. The five afflictions are the impure aspect of the five pure primordial awarenesses. In its pure transformed aspect the impure affliction of dullness is the primordial awareness of the dharmadhatu. The lord of the primordial awareness of the dharmadhatu is Vairocana. His body is white, so the colour of the primordial awareness of the dharmadhatu is white.

The transformed affliction of anger is the mirror-like primordial awareness. The self-appearance which arises out of the mirror-like primordial awareness is the Buddha Akshobhya. His body is coloured blue, so the colour of the mirror-like primordial awareness is blue.

The affliction of pride is transformed into the primordial awareness of equality. The deity which appears out of the self-play of this primordial awareness is the Buddha Ratnasambhava. His body is coloured yellow, so the colour of the primordial awareness of equality is yellow.

The affliction of desirous attachment is transformed into the discriminating primordial awareness. The deity who appears out of the self-play of the discriminating primordial awareness is the Buddha Amitabha. Amitabha has a red body, so the colour of the discriminating primordial awareness is red.


The affliction of jealousy transforms into the truly accomplishing primordial awareness. The buddha who appears out of the self-play of this primordial awareness is Amoghasiddhi. His body is coloured green, so the colour of the truly accomplishing primordial awareness is green. Since every deity is a self-expression of one of the primordial awarenesses, they appear with various body colours.


QUESTION:

If the exact time at which someone deceased has left this life is not known, how and when is it best to recite the book of the dead? What else can be done for the departed?


ANSWER:


If you don’t know exacdy when someone has died, the best thing is to read the entire book on one day and again on the second day. That should be repeated for several days. It’s also a help to do Avalokiteshvara meditation, and to recite his mantra OM MANI PEME HUNG, or the mantra of Amitabha or the hundred syllable mantra of Vajrasattva. That is all very helpful for the bardo consciousness.




Source

[[Category: Death & Rebirth]]