The Tibetan Book of the Dead

«Herein is contained the Natural Liberation of the Nature of Mind: The Four-session Yoga which is a Spiritual Practice of the Vehicle of Indestructible Reality, the Way of Secret Mantras,1 an extract from the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: A Profound Sacred Teaching, [entitled] Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention.» — el encabezado del capítulo 1 declara qué es el texto y de dónde sale: un extracto del ciclo de las Deidades Pacíficas y Airadas, práctica del Vehículo de la Realidad Indestructible; los numerales voladitos son llamadas de nota del impreso

«O, Alas! Alas! Fortunate Child of Buddha Nature, Do not be oppressed by the forces of ignorance and delusion! But rise up now with resolve and courage! Entranced by ignorance, from beginningless time until now, You have had [more than] enough time to sleep. So do not slumber any longer, but strive after virtue with body, speech and mind! Are you oblivious to the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death? There is no guarantee that you will survive, even past this very day!» — el capítulo 1 abre interpelando al oyente como hijo afortunado de la naturaleza búdica y lo apremia: lleva durmiendo desde tiempo sin comienzo y no hay garantía de sobrevivir ni este día

«All phenomena are [ultimately] selfless, empty, and free from conceptual elaboration. In their dynamic they resemble an illusion, mirage, dream, or reflected image, A celestial city, an echo, a reflection of the moon in water, a bubble, an optical illusion, or an intangible emanation. You should know that all things of cyclic existence and nirvāṇa Accord [in nature] with these ten similes of illusory phenomena.» — el capítulo 1 enuncia los diez símiles de lo ilusorio —espejismo, sueño, ciudad celeste, eco, luna en el agua, burbuja— y los aplica por igual a la existencia cíclica y al nirvāṇa

«How needing of compassion are the ignorant and the deluded, [Bound] in this confining dungeon of egotistical attachment and the subject-object dichotomy, Who, like wild game, are trapped in this snare, time after time! Grant your blessing, so that cyclic existence may be stirred to its depths!» — la serie de plegarias del capítulo 1 pide la bendición para los ignorantes atrapados, como animales de caza, en la mazmorra del apego egoico y la dicotomía sujeto-objeto

«Last year, this year, the waxing and waning moons, The days, nights, and indivisible time moments are all impermanent. If we reflect carefully, we too are face to face with death.» — el capítulo 1 lleva la impermanencia a la escala del instante —años, fases de la luna, días, noches, momentos indivisibles— y concluye que uno mismo está frente a la muerte

«I bow down to and take refuge in the spiritual teachers Whose enlightened intention, throughout the past, present and future, Is uninterruptedly directed towards living beings, The infinite sentient beings of the three world systems and six classes.» — el refugio externo del capítulo 1 se toma primero en los maestros espirituales, cuya intención iluminada se dirige sin interrupción a los seres de los tres sistemas de mundos

«I bow down to and take refuge in the sacred teachings, Including the doctrines of the ultimate truth, quiescent and desireless, The irreversible path9 of the three vehicles, And the transmissions, esoteric instructions, and treatises Of the transmitted precepts and treasures.» — el refugio externo incluye en las enseñanzas sagradas tanto los preceptos transmitidos como los tesoros, que es la doble vía de la escuela a la que el ciclo pertenece

«I bow down to and take refuge in the meditational deities, Who, even though [they remain unmoving as] the Buddha-body of Reality, Uncreated and free from the limits of conceptual elaboration, Emanate in peaceful and wrathful forms for the sake of living beings, And confer the supreme and common accomplishments.» — el refugio interno del capítulo 1 define a las deidades meditacionales: aunque permanecen como Cuerpo de la Realidad, emanan en formas pacíficas y airadas por los seres

«From within [a state which is] non-conceptual, naturally radiant and stark, I take refuge in the primordial embodiment of the five buddha-bodies, Spontaneously and naturally present, [Abiding] in the maṇḍala of the [unique] seminal point, Which is [the union of] expanse and awareness, and of radiance and emptiness, The indestructible chain of inner radiance, that is intrinsic awareness.» — el mismo refugio secreto se toma en los cinco cuerpos del buda, presentes de modo espontáneo y natural en el mandala del punto seminal

«Even though all phenomena are empty and selfless, Sentient beings fail to realise this. Alas! How needing of compassion are they! So that all those who are the focus of our compassion may attain enlightenment, I must rouse my body, speech and mind to [the practice of] virtue! For the benefit of all sentient beings of the six classes, From now until enlightenment is attained, Not just for my own sake but for the benefit of all, I must generate the mind [aspiring] to supreme enlightenment!» — la generación de la intención altruista del capítulo 1 parte de que los seres no realizan la vacuidad y de ahí deriva el voto de despertar por todos y no solo por uno

«I myself and all infinite sentient beings Are primordially of the nature of buddhahood. So that we may [all] become supreme embodiments, who know this to be so, I must generate the mind [aspiring] to supreme enlightenment!» — el capítulo 1 declara que uno mismo y todos los seres son desde el origen de la naturaleza de la budeidad, y hace de eso la razón del voto

«May all sentient beings be endowed with happiness! May they all be separated from suffering and its causes! May they be endowed with joy, free from suffering! May they abide in equanimity, free from attachment or aversion!» — las cuatro aspiraciones inconmensurables del capítulo 1: felicidad, separación del sufrimiento y de sus causas, gozo y ecuanimidad libre de apego y de aversión

«At the crown of my head, on a lotus moon cushion, Is my spiritual teacher, [resplendent] in the form of Vajrasattva. His body is translucent, like crystal, and at his heart, [Resting] on a moon-disc, is a syllable HŪṂ, surrounded by the Hundred-syllable Mantra.» — la visualización del capítulo 1 coloca al maestro espiritual en la forma de Vajrasattva sobre la coronilla, con cuerpo translúcido como el cristal y la sílaba HŪṂ en el corazón

«All phenomena are naturally uncreated. They neither abide nor cease, neither come nor go. They are without objective referent, signless, ineffable, and free from thought» — el capítulo 1 niega de los fenómenos el nacer, el permanecer, el cesar, el ir y el venir, y los declara sin referente objetivo, sin signo e inefables; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota que el impreso pega a la palabra

«The impermanent sentient beings within it will endure the severing of body and mind. The seasons of the year: summer, winter, autumn and spring, themselves [exemplify] impermanence. Grant your blessing, so that disillusionment [with conditioned existence] may arise from the depths [of our hearts]!» — el capítulo 1 deriva el desencanto de la impermanencia visible: la separación de cuerpo y mente y las estaciones del año; la frase entera empieza antes, con el entorno destruido por fuego y agua

«From within a state free from grasping and beyond intellect, I take refuge in the nature of the great expanse of sameness and perfection» — el refugio secreto del capítulo 1 no se toma en persona alguna sino en la naturaleza de la gran extensión de igualdad y perfección; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota

«Atemporal emptiness, free from conceptual elaboration, Primordially pure in essence, natural expression and compassionate energy.» — la continuación de ese refugio secreto nombra los tres términos en que se toma: esencia pura desde el origen, expresión natural y energía compasiva

«The ocean of mundane cyclic existence is like an illusion. All compounded things lack permanence. Their essence is empty and selfless, But these naive beings [right here] who do not realise this to be so Roam through cyclic existence, [driven on] by the twelve links of dependent origination.» — el capítulo 1 adjudica el vagar por la existencia cíclica a los doce eslabones del origen dependiente, y declara vacía y sin yo la esencia de todo lo compuesto

«May Vajrasattva, glorious transcendent one, Anoint me at this very moment With the nectar stream of pristine cognition, So that the negativities and obscurations Of myself and all sentient beings, without exception, are purified.» — la plegaria de purificación del capítulo 1 pide a Vajrasattva la unción con el flujo de néctar de la cognición prístina, para uno mismo y para todos los seres

«Encircled by seven [concentric] golden mountain ranges, And seven [intervening] emanational oceans. To the east is the continent Viratdeha, And to the south is Jambudvῑpa, The west is adorned by Aparagodanῑya, And to the north is Uttarakuru. [To either side of these continents are] the eight subcontinents: Deha and Videha [to the east], Cāmara and Aparacāmara [to the south], Sāṭhā and Uttaramantriṇa [to the west], And Kurava and Kaurava [to the north].» — el mismo mandala reparte los cuatro continentes y los ocho subcontinentes por los puntos cardinales en torno al Sumeru; el troceo imprime *Jambudvῑpa* con iota griega

«To my precious spiritual teachers and the fields of the Buddha-body of Perfect Resource, I offer this perfect purity of the sensory spectra and sensory activity fields, Adorned by the five sense-faculties, radiant and brilliant, Within the immeasurable palace of the pure energy channels of my body. Please accept [these offerings], with compassion and love! May all beings be born into the fields of the Buddha-body of Perfect Resource!» — la ofrenda al Cuerpo de Recurso Perfecto no entrega bienes sino la pureza de los espectros y campos sensoriales dentro del palacio inconmensurable de los canales de energía del propio cuerpo

«I pray to the [direct] intentional lineage of the conquerors: To Samantabhadra, primordial lord, Buddha-body of Reality, To the Conqueror Vajradhara, embodiment of the sixth [enlightened family], And to Vajrasattva, foremost of guides, the supreme buddha-mind.» — la plegaria del capítulo 1 abre el linaje por su primer tramo, el intencional directo: Samantabhadra, Vajradhara y Vajrasattva

«I pray to the [symbolic] lineage of the awareness holders: To the awareness holder Prahevajra, supreme among emanations, To the spiritual teacher Srῑ Simha, supreme son of the conquerors, To the undying Padmākara, established in the Buddha-body of Indestructible Reality, And to the ḍākinῑ [Yeshe] Tshogyalma, worthy recipient of the secret mantras.» — el segundo tramo del linaje, el simbólico de los sostenedores de la consciencia, nombra a Prahevajra, Srῑ Simha, Padmākara y la ḍākinῑ Yeshe Tshogyalma

«I pray to the aural lineage of [authoritative] personages: To Karma Lingpa, master of the profound treasures, To the one named [Nyinda] Choje, supreme son of his buddha-mind, And to the one named Sūryacandra [Nyinda Ozer], lord of living beings during this degenerate age.» — el tercer tramo, el linaje aural, nombra a Karma Lingpa, a su hijo Nyinda Choje y a Nyinda Ozer: es la cadena que el propio texto se adjudica

«If your teaching were to enter into decline, The yogins of this era would be [utterly] disheartened. Please, therefore, continue to guide all beings from this swamp of cyclic existence!» — la súplica del capítulo 1 nombra la consecuencia que teme —el desaliento de los yoguines si la enseñanza decae— y pide la guía continuada

«From the crown of the spiritual teacher in union with consort, A white syllable OṂ, [radiating] rays of light, Descends into the mid-point between my eyebrows, The vase empowerment is thus received and the obscurations of the body are purified. Please confer [upon me] the accomplishments of buddha-body!» — el primero de los cuatro empoderamientos del capítulo 1: la sílaba OṂ desciende de la coronilla del maestro al entrecejo y purifica las obscuraciones del cuerpo

«From the navel of the spiritual teacher in union with consort, A red syllable HRĪḤ, [radiating] rays of light, Descends into the centre of my navel, The obscurations which [mundanely] differentiate between body, speech and mind are purified, And the fourth empowerment of indivisible coemergence is received.» — el cuarto empoderamiento purifica la diferenciación mundana entre cuerpo, habla y mente, y se recibe como coemergencia indivisible

«These verses forming the preliminary practice of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: A Profound Sacred Teaching, [entitled] Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention may be applied as a supplementary method in the context of mental purification.» — el colofón del capítulo 1 declara para qué puede aplicarse el texto: como método suplementario de purificación mental

«This spiritual practice of the unsurpassed Greater Vehicle (Mahāyāna) is an oral teaching of [Nyinda] Choje Lingpa, the eldest son of the treasure-finder Karma Lingpa; and it was committed to writing by Guru Sūryacandraraśmi [i.e. Nyinda Ozer].» — el mismo colofón reparte la autoría del capítulo 1 en dos manos: enseñanza oral de Nyinda Choje Lingpa, hijo mayor de Karma Lingpa, puesta por escrito por Nyinda Ozer

«Owing to my ignorance, delusion, and confusion, I have transgressed the boundaries of the commitments, which I should have guarded. O my protector and spiritual teacher, be my refuge! You who are the supreme and glorious Vajra-holder» — la confesión del capítulo 1 adjudica a la ignorancia y la confusión el haber traspasado los límites de los compromisos, y pide refugio al maestro; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota

«Embodying great compassion and love, O Foremost of beings, be our refuge. Assist us to purify and cleanse, without exception, this mass of flaws — Our negativities, obscurations, transgressions, and downfalls.» — la continuación de esa confesión pide la limpieza sin excepción de la masa de faltas: negatividades, obscuraciones, transgresiones y caídas

«The outer periphery becomes a jewelled fence of iron mountains, And at the centre is Mount Sumeru, king of mountains, Majestic and formed from the five precious substances, Exquisitely beautiful in shape, and delightful to behold» — la ofrenda del mandala del capítulo 1 construye el mundo por etapas: cerca enjoyada de montañas de hierro y el monte Sumeru al centro, hecho de las cinco sustancias preciosas

«I offer this primordially pure and innate pristine cognition That abides within the immeasurable palace of the pure Buddha-body of Reality, which is mind’s actual nature» — la ofrenda al Cuerpo de la Realidad no entrega bienes sino la cognición prístina innata y pura desde el origen, que mora en la naturaleza real de la mente; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota

«By offering this exquisite and pleasing maṇḍala, May no obstacles arise on the path to enlightenment! May the enlightened intention of Those Gone to Bliss, past, present and future, be realised, May I neither be bewildered in migratory existence, Nor lulled by the solitary quiescence [of nirvāṇa]! But may I liberate beings throughout the expanse of space!» — el voto que cierra la ofrenda del mandala pide no quedar ni extraviado en la existencia migratoria ni adormecido en la quiescencia solitaria del nirvāṇa

«Herein is contained A Prayer for Union with the Spiritual Teacher, [Embodiment of] the Three Buddha-bodies, [entitled] Natural Liberation, without Renunciation of the Three Poisons,1 [which is an extract] from the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: A Profound Sacred Teaching, [entitled] Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention.» — el encabezado del capítulo 2 nombra el texto y lo declara extracto del mismo ciclo de las Deidades Pacíficas y Airadas

«How needing of compassion are suffering sentient beings, right here, Who are driven on through cyclic existence by delusion and confusion — Because they do not understand that their own mind Is the Buddha-body of Reality, free from extremes! May they all actualise the Buddha-body of Reality!» — el capítulo 2 adjudica el andar por la existencia cíclica a no entender que la propia mente es el Cuerpo de la Realidad, libre de extremos

«How needing of compassion are all unenlightened living beings, right here, Who, as a result of grasping, are obscured by dissonant mental states and [subtle obstructions to] knowledge — Because they do not understand [that their own mind] Is indivisible from the three buddha-bodies! May they all actualise the three buddha-bodies!» — el cierre del capítulo 2 reúne las tres estrofas: el obstáculo es no entender que la propia mente es indivisible de los tres cuerpos del buda

«This prayer was brought forth from Mount Gampodar, which resembles a dancing god, by the accomplished master Karma Lingpa.» — el mismo colofón adjudica la extracción de la plegaria del monte Gampodar al maestro realizado Karma Lingpa: la obra declara en su propio cierre la doble atribución

«Alas, now as the intermediate state of living2 arises before me, Renouncing laziness, for which there is no time in this life, I must enter the undistracted path of study, reflection and meditation. Taking perceptual experience and [the nature of] mind as the path, I must cultivate actualisation of the three buddha-bodies. Now, having obtained a precious human body, this one time, I do not have the luxury of remaining on a distracted path.» — los versos raíz del capítulo 3 abren por el estado intermedio del vivir y le asignan su tarea: estudio, reflexión y meditación sin distracción, tomando la experiencia perceptual y la mente como camino

«Alas, now as the intermediate state of dreams arises before me, Renouncing the corpse-like, insensitive sleep of delusion, I must enter, free from distracting memories, the state of the abiding nature of reality. Cultivating [the experience of] inner radiance, Through the recognition, emanation, and transformation of dreams, I must not sleep like a beast, But cherish the experiential cultivation which mingles sleep with actual [realisation].» — el segundo verso raíz pide no dormir como bestia sino cultivar la radiancia interior por el reconocimiento, la emanación y la transformación de los sueños

«Alas, now as the intermediate state of meditative concentration arises before me, Renouncing the mass of distractions and confusions, I must undistractedly enter a state, Which is devoid of subjective apprehension, and free from the [two] extremes, And attain stability in the stages of generation and perfection.» — el tercer verso raíz asigna al estado intermedio de la concentración meditativa la estabilidad en las fases de generación y perfección

«Alas, now as the intermediate state of the time of death3 arises before me, Renouncing [all] attachment, yearning and subjective apprehension in every respect, I must undistractedly enter the path, on which the oral teachings are clearly understood, And eject my own awareness into the uncreated expanse of space. Immediately upon separation from this compounded body of flesh and blood, I must know [this body] to be like a transient illusion.» — el cuarto verso raíz prescribe para el momento de la muerte soltar todo apego y eyectar la propia consciencia al espacio increado, sabiendo el cuerpo ilusión pasajera

«Alas, now as the intermediate state of reality4 arises before me, Renouncing the merest sense of awe, terror or fear, I must recognise all that arises to be awareness, manifesting naturally of itself. Knowing [such sounds, lights and rays] to be visionary phenomena of the intermediate state, At this moment, having reached this critical point, I must not fear the assembly of Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, which manifest naturally!» — el quinto verso raíz manda reconocer todo lo que surge como la propia consciencia manifestándose, y no temer a la asamblea de deidades pacíficas y airadas

«Alas, now as the intermediate state of rebirth5 arises before me, I must with one-pointed intention concentrate my mind, And resolutely connect with the residual potency of my virtuous past actions. I must obstruct the womb entrance and call to mind the methods of reversal. This is the time when perseverance and purity of perception are imperative. I must give up all jealousy and meditate on my spiritual teacher with consort.» — el sexto verso raíz da las instrucciones del estado intermedio del renacimiento: obstruir la entrada del útero, recordar los métodos de reversión y abandonar los celos

«O, [you], with your mind far away, thinking that death will not come, Entranced by the pointless activities of this life, If you were to return empty-handed now, would not your [life’s] purpose have been [utterly] confused? Recognise what it is that you truly need! It is a sacred teaching [for liberation]! So, should you not practise this divine [sacred] teaching, beginning from this very moment?» — el capítulo 3 cita a los maestros realizados con una interpelación: quien vive entretenido en actividades sin sentido y vuelve con las manos vacías confunde el propósito de su vida

«In the palace of reality’s expanse, pure and pervasive, Is my spiritual teacher, the Buddha-body of Reality — Uncreated and free from conceptual elaboration. To you, I pray with fervent devotion. I request the primordially pure self-empowerment, The blessings of the Buddha-body of Reality» — el capítulo 2 sitúa al maestro espiritual como Cuerpo de la Realidad en el palacio de la extensión de lo real y le pide el autoempoderamiento puro desde el origen; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota

«So that naturally arising pristine cognition Is uncontrived and spontaneously present, Through natural liberation, Without renunciation of ignorance and delusion.» — el cierre de esa primera estrofa formula la tesis del capítulo 2: la liberación natural se pide sin renunciar a la ignorancia y la delusión, no contra ellas

«In the palace of the lotus, untainted and pure, Is my spiritual teacher, the Buddha-body of Emanation — Naturally arising in unlimited forms, beyond determination. To you, I pray with fervent devotion. I request the naturally liberating self-empowerment, The blessings of the Buddha-body of Emanation,» — la tercera estrofa del capítulo 2 sitúa al maestro como Cuerpo de Emanación, que surge naturalmente en formas ilimitadas más allá de toda determinación

«Through natural liberation, Without renunciation of discordant views and aversion.» — el cierre de la tercera estrofa del capítulo 2 repite la fórmula con el tercero de los venenos: sin renunciar a las visiones discordantes ni a la aversión

«These verses forming A Prayer for Union with the Spiritual Teacher, [Embodiment of] the Three Buddha-bodies, [entitled] Natural Liberation, without Renunciation of the Three Poisons, which are an extract from the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: A Profound Sacred Teaching, [entitled] Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention, were composed by Padmākara, the preceptor from» — el colofón del capítulo 2 adjudica la composición de estos versos a Padmākara, el preceptor de Oḍḍiyāna

«May [the influence of] this sacred teaching not be extinguished until cyclic existence has been emptied!» — el voto que sigue a ese colofón pide que la influencia de la enseñanza no se extinga hasta que la existencia cíclica quede vacía

«Homage to the deities [embodying] the three buddha-bodies, who are the natural radiance of awareness. [Here], I shall present the teaching [known as] The Introduction to Awareness: Natural Liberation through Naked Perception, [which is an extract] from the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: A Profound Sacred Teaching, [entitled] Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention. Thus, shall I introduce [to you the nature of] intrinsic awareness. So contemplate it well, O Fortunate Child of Buddha nature.» — el capítulo 4 se presenta a sí mismo como introducción a la consciencia intrínseca dirigida al oyente, con el sello SAMAYA del texto de tesoro

«Though the single [nature of] mind, which completely pervades both cyclic existence and nirvāṇa, Has been naturally present from the beginning, you have not recognised it. Even though its radiance and awareness have never been interrupted, You have not yet encountered its true face. Even though it arises unimpededly in every facet [of existence], You have not as yet recognised [this single nature of mind].» — el capítulo 4 plantea la paradoja de la que parte: la naturaleza única de la mente estuvo presente desde el principio, su radiancia nunca se interrumpió, y aun así no se la ha reconocido

«Including the eighty-four thousand aspects of the [sacred] teachings. Yet, [despite this diversity], not even one of these [teachings] has been given by the Conquerors, Outside the context of an understanding of this nature!» — el capítulo 4 subordina a esta sola cuestión las ochenta y cuatro mil facetas de la enseñanza: ninguna se dio fuera del contexto de entender esta naturaleza

«The term ‘mind’ is commonplace and widely used, Yet there are those who do not understand [its meaning], Those who falsely understand it, those who partially understand it, And those who have not quite understood its genuine reality. Thus there has arisen an inconceivably vast number of assertions [as to the nature of mind], Posited by [the various] philosophical systems.» — el capítulo 4 explica la proliferación de doctrinas sobre la mente por los grados de incomprensión del término, de la falsa a la parcial

«As for this apparent and distinct [phenomenon] which is called ‘mind’: In terms of existence, it has no [inherent] existence whatsoever. In terms of origination, it is the source of the diverse joys and sorrows of cyclic existence and nirvāṇa, In terms of [philosophical] opinion, it is subject to opinions in accordance with the eleven vehicles.» — el capítulo 4 define la mente por tres vías: no tiene existencia inherente, es la fuente de gozos y penas de la existencia cíclica y del nirvāṇa, y se opina de ella según los once vehículos

«In terms of designation, it has an inconceivable number of distinct names: Some call it ‘the nature of mind’, the ‘nature of mind itself’, Some eternalists give it the name ‘self’, Pious attendants call it ‘selflessness of the individual’,11 Cittamātrins call it ‘mind’, Some call it the ‘Perfection of Discriminative Awareness’, Some call it the ‘Nucleus of the Sugata’, Some call it the ‘Great Seal’, Some call it the ‘Unique Seminal Point’, Some call it the ‘Expanse of Reality’, Some call it the ‘Ground-of-all’, And some call it ‘ordinary [unfabricated consciousness]’.» — el capítulo 4 recoge los nombres que cada escuela da a lo mismo, del *yo* de los eternalistas al Gran Sello, el Punto Seminal Único y la consciencia ordinaria no fabricada

«Through the application of three considerations: [First, recognise that] past thoughts are traceless, clear, and empty, [Second, recognise that] future thoughts are unproduced and fresh, And [third, recognise that] the present moment abides naturally and unconstructed.» — las tres consideraciones del capítulo 4: el pensamiento pasado es sin rastro, el futuro no está producido y el presente mora natural y sin construcción

«When this ordinary, momentary consciousness is examined nakedly [and directly] by oneself, Upon examination, it is a radiant awareness, Which is free from the presence of an observer, Manifestly stark and clear, Completely empty and uncreated in all respects, Lucid, without duality of radiance and emptiness, Not permanent, for it is lacking inherent existence in all respects, Not a mere nothingness, for it is radiant and clear,» — el capítulo 4 describe lo que el examen desnudo encuentra: una consciencia radiante sin observador, vacía y no creada, que no es permanente ni mera nada

«For in this [intrinsic awareness], the three buddha-bodies are inseparable, and fully present as one: Its emptiness and utter lack of inherent existence is the Buddha-body of Reality; The natural resonance and radiance of this emptiness is the Buddha-body of Perfect Resource; And its unimpeded arising in any form whatsoever is the Buddha-body of Emanation. These three, fully present as one, are the very essence [of awareness] itself.» — el capítulo 4 reparte los tres cuerpos del buda dentro de la sola consciencia intrínseca: vacuidad, resonancia radiante y surgimiento sin impedimento

«Be certain that the nature of mind is empty and without foundation. One’s own mind is insubstantial, like an empty sky. Look at your own mind to see whether it is like that or not.» — la serie de comprobaciones del capítulo 4 no pide creer sino mirar: la mente propia es insustancial como cielo vacío, y se manda verificarlo en uno mismo

«Be certain that this awareness, which is pristine cognition, is uninterrupted, Like the coursing central torrent of a river which flows unceasingly. Look at your own mind to see whether it is like that or not!» — otra de las comprobaciones del capítulo 4 compara la consciencia ininterrumpida con la corriente central de un río que fluye sin cesar

«If, upon looking outwards towards the external expanse of the sky, There are no projections emanated by the mind, And if, on looking inwards at one’s own mind, There is no projectionist who projects [thoughts] by thinking them, Then, one’s own mind, completely free from conceptual projections, will become luminously clear. [This] intrinsic awareness, [union of] inner radiance and emptiness, is the Buddha-body of Reality, [Appearing] like [the illumining effect of] a sunrise on a clear and cloudless sky, It is clearly knowable, despite its lack of specific shape or form.» — el capítulo 4 da la instrucción de mirar dos veces, afuera y adentro, y declara que al no hallar proyector la mente queda luminosamente clara

«EMA! This immediate awareness, insubstantial and radiant, Is itself the highest of all views. This non-referential, all-encompassing [awareness] which is free in every respect Is itself the highest of all meditations. This uncontrived [activity based on awareness], simply expressed in worldly terms, Is itself the highest of all types of conduct. This unsought [attainment of awareness], spontaneously present from the beginning, Is itself the highest of all results.» — el capítulo 4 identifica la consciencia inmediata con lo más alto de las cuatro rúbricas: visión, meditación, conducta y resultado

«Even though pious attendants and hermit buddhas claim that they understand [this single nature of mind] as the partial absence of self» — el capítulo 4 objeta a oyentes y budas ermitaños que su comprensión de la naturaleza única de la mente como ausencia parcial de yo no da con la cosa tal como es; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota

«There are those who do not perceive the inner radiance [directly]: The pious attendants and hermit buddhas are obscured [in this respect] by their attachment to the subject-object dichotomy. The adherents of Madhyamaka are obscured by their attachment to the extremes of the two truths.» — el capítulo 4 reparte obstrucciones por escuela: los oyentes y budas ermitaños por la dicotomía sujeto-objeto, los Madhyamaka por los extremos de las dos verdades

«All these [practitioners] stray from the point because they polarise the non-dual reality, And since they fail to unify [these extremes] in non-duality, they do not attain buddhahood.» — el capítulo 4 da la razón común de todas esas obstrucciones: polarizan la realidad no dual y, al no unificar los extremos, no alcanzan la budeidad

«Therefore, one should abandon all constructed teachings, And all [unnatural] states free from activity, And, by virtue of this [Introduction to] Awareness: Natural Liberation through Naked Perception, which is presented here, One should realise all things in the context of this great natural liberation. So it is that all [enlightened attributes] are brought to completion within the Great Perfection.» — la consecuencia práctica que el capítulo 4 saca: abandonar toda enseñanza construida y todo estado forzado de inactividad, y realizarlo todo en la gran liberación natural

«There are no phenomena extraneous to those that originate from the mind. [So], how could there be anything on which to meditate apart from the mind? There are no phenomena extraneous to those that originate from the mind. [So], there are no modes of conduct to be undertaken extraneous [to those that originate from the mind]. There are no phenomena extraneous to those that originate from the mind. [So], there are no commitments to be kept extraneous» — el capítulo 4 repite la misma premisa para retirar de fuera de la mente el objeto de meditación, la conducta y el compromiso

«[So], there are no results to be attained extraneous [to those that originate from the mind]. There are no phenomena extraneous to those that originate from the mind. [So], one should observe one’s own mind, looking into its nature again and again.» — el cierre de esa serie retira también el resultado y devuelve la mirada a la propia mente, una y otra vez

«This naturally originating inner radiance, uncreated from the very beginning, Is the parentless child of awareness — how amazing! It is the naturally originating pristine cognition, uncreated by anyone — how amazing! [This radiant awareness] has never been born and will never die — how amazing! Though manifestly radiant, it lacks an [extraneous] perceiver — how amazing! Though it has roamed throughout cyclic existence, it does not degenerate — how amazing! Though it has seen buddhahood itself, it does not improve — how amazing! Though it is present in everyone, it remains unrecognised» — la serie de exclamaciones del capítulo 4 llama a la consciencia el hijo sin padres, nunca nacido y que no muere, que no se degrada en la existencia cíclica ni mejora al ver la budeidad

«Still, one hopes for some attainment other than this — how amazing! Though it is present within oneself, one continues to seek it elsewhere» — el cierre de esa serie, ya en la plana siguiente, señala la paradoja de buscar afuera y esperar otro logro cuando lo buscado está presente en uno

«The practitioners of Kriyātantra and Yogatantra are obscured by their» — el capítulo 4 incluye en la misma objeción a los practicantes del Kriyātantra y del Yogatantra; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente y les adjudica el apego a los extremos del servicio ritual y del logro

«The practitioners of Mahāyoga and Anuyoga are obscured by their attachment to [the extremes of] space and awareness» — el capítulo 4 adjudica a los practicantes de Mahāyoga y Anuyoga el apego a los extremos del espacio y de la consciencia

«Thus, all of those beings continue to roam in cyclic existence, Because they persistently engage in [forms of] renunciation, And in acts of rejection and acceptance with regard to their own minds, Where [in reality] cyclic existence and nirv» — el capítulo 4 adjudica el vagar cíclico a la práctica misma de la renuncia y del rechazo y la aceptación respecto de la propia mente, ahí donde existencia cíclica y nirvāṇa son inseparables

«Now follows the esoteric instruction which reveals the three times to be one: Abandon your notions of the past, without attributing a temporal sequence! Cut off your mental associations regarding the future, without anticipation! Rest in a spacious modality, without clinging to [the thoughts of] the present. Do not meditate at all, since there is nothing upon which to meditate. Instead, revelation will come through undistracted mindfulness — Since there is nothing by which you can be distracted. Nakedly observe [all that arises] in this modality, which is without meditation and without distraction!» — la instrucción del capítulo 4 sobre los tres tiempos manda abandonar pasado y futuro y reposar sin aferrar el presente, sin meditar y sin distracción

«This Buddha-body of Reality, [union of] radiance and emptiness, In which [the duality of] appearance and emptiness is naturally liberated, Becomes manifest [in this way], unattained by the [structured] path to buddhahood, And thus Vajrasattva is [actually] perceived at this moment.» — el capítulo 4 declara que el Cuerpo de la Realidad se hace manifiesto sin recorrer el camino estructurado a la budeidad, y que ahí mismo se percibe a Vajrasattva

«It is given the name ‘Nucleus of the Tathāgata’ Because emptiness is [naturally] endowed with this nucleus of awareness.» — el capítulo 4 razona uno de los sinónimos de la consciencia: se le llama Núcleo del Tathāgata porque la vacuidad está dotada de ese núcleo de consciencia

«And, further, it is called the ‘Ground-of-all’, Because [this awareness] is the ground of all joys and sorrows associated with cyclic existence and nirvāṇa — The distinction between these being contingent on whether or not this [awareness] is realised.» — el capítulo 4 explica el nombre Fundamento-de-todo: es el suelo común de los gozos y las penas de la existencia cíclica y del nirvāṇa, y la diferencia depende de si se realiza o no

«Thus, however many well-conceived and pleasant-sounding names are applied to this [awareness], In reality, those who maintain that these names do not refer to this present conscious awareness, But to something else, above and beyond it, Resemble someone who has already found an elephant, but is out looking for its tracks [elsewhere].» — el capítulo 4 objeta a quienes toman esos nombres por algo distinto de la consciencia presente, con el símil de quien ya encontró al elefante y sigue buscando sus huellas

«This is like a fool, for example, who, when finding himself amidst a crowd of people, Becomes mesmerised by the spectacle [of the crowd] and forgets himself, Then, no longer recognising who he is, starts searching elsewhere for himself, Continuously mistaking others for himself.» — el símil del capítulo 4 para el desconocimiento de la propia mente: el necio que se embelesa en la multitud, se olvida de sí y se busca fuera, tomando a otros por sí mismo

«The [apparent] dichotomy between cyclic existence and nirvāṇa is due to [the dichotomy between] ignorance and awareness, But there is [in reality] no temporal divide between these two, [even] by a single moment.» — el capítulo 4 hace depender la dicotomía entre existencia cíclica y nirvāṇa de la de ignorancia y consciencia, y niega que haya entre ellas divisoria temporal alguna

«Since there exists no [intrinsic] dichotomy in the mental continuum of sentient beings, The uncontrived nature of mind is liberated just by being left in its natural state.» — el capítulo 4 declara que la naturaleza no fabricada de la mente se libera por el solo hecho de dejarla en su estado natural

«Then, one will find that, just as, for example, a pond-dwelling crow does not stray from its pond, Even though it flies away from the pond, Similarly, although appearances arise from the mind, They arise from the mind and subside into the mind of their own accord.» — el símil del cuervo que no se aleja de su estanque: las apariencias surgen de la mente y en ella se hunden por sí solas

«However, this example of the sky, though used to illustrate actual reality, Is merely a symbol, a partial and provisional illustration. For the nature of mind is aware, empty and radiant in all respects, While the sky is without awareness, empty, inanimate and void. Therefore, the true understanding of the nature of mind is not illustrated by [the metaphor of] the sky.» — el capítulo 4 acota su propio símil: el cielo es solo ilustración parcial, porque la mente es consciente y radiante y el cielo es inanimado y sin consciencia

«[This is known because] whenever one’s own mental continuum undergoes change, There will arise the discernible manifestation of an external change. Therefore, all things are the discernible manifestations of mind.» — el capítulo 4 da su razón para sostener que todo es manifestación de la mente: a todo cambio del continuo mental corresponde la manifestación de un cambio externo

«Bewilderment does not come about on account of these appearances — But it does come about through their subjective apprehension. [Thus], if the subjectively apprehending thoughts are known to be [of the single nature of] mind, they will be liberated of their own accord.» — el capítulo 4 sitúa el extravío no en las apariencias sino en su aprehensión subjetiva, y declara que reconocer esos pensamientos como mente los libera por sí solos

«The surrounding environment which appears to be inanimate, that too is mind. The sentient life-forms which appear as the six classes of living beings, they too are mind.» — la letanía del capítulo 4 recorre entorno, seres, gozos y penas y los declara mente, sin excluir de la lista ni las dificultades ni los logros

«The unimpeded nature of mind assumes all manner of appearances. Yet, though these [appearances] arise, they are without duality, And they [naturally] subside into the modality of mind, Like waves in the waters of an ocean.» — el capítulo 4 compara el surgir y el ceder de las apariencias con las olas en las aguas de un océano

«However, for example, even though sesame is the source of oil, and milk of butter, But there will be no extract if these are unpressed or unchurned, Similarly, even though all beings actually possess the seed of buddhahood, Sentient beings will not attain buddhahood without experiential cultivation.» — el capítulo 4 acota la promesa con dos símiles: como el ajonjolí sin prensar y la leche sin batir, la semilla de la budeidad no da fruto sin cultivo experiencial

«But, even learned scholars who have not realised [this single nature of mind] will remain the victims of bewilderment. For, however learned and knowledgeable in explaining the nine vehicles they may be, They will be like those who spread fabulous tales of remote [places] they have never seen, And as far as the attainment of buddhahood is concerned, They will not approach it, even for an instant.» — el capítulo 4 objeta al erudito que no ha realizado: por versado que sea en los nueve vehículos, es como quien cuenta maravillas de lugares que nunca vio

«This Introduction to Awareness: Natural Liberation through Naked Perception Has been composed for the sake of future generations, the sentient beings of a degenerate age. [It integrates] in a purposeful concise abridgement, All my preferred tantras, transmissions and esoteric instructions. Though I have disseminated it at this present time, It will be concealed as a precious treasure.» — el colofón en verso del capítulo 4 declara para quién se compuso el texto y qué se hará con él: se ocultará como tesoro precioso para las generaciones futuras

«Though there is a vast plethora of discordant views, Within this intrinsic awareness or [single nature of] mind, Which is the naturally originating pristine cognition, There is no duality between the object viewed and the observer. Without focusing on the view, search for the observer! Though one searches for this observer, none will be found. So, at that instant, one will be brought to the exhaustion point of the view. At that very moment, one will encounter the innermost boundary of the view.» — el capítulo 4 agota la visión por el procedimiento que repetirá cuatro veces: no fijarse en lo mirado sino buscar al que mira, y no hallarlo

«Though there is a vast plethora of discordant results, Within this intrinsic awareness, Which is the true nature of mind, the spontaneous presence of the three buddha-bodies, There is no duality between the object of attainment and the attainer. Without focusing on the attainment of the result, search for the attainer! Though one searches for this attainer, none will be found. So, at that instant, one will be brought to the exhaustion point of the result. At that very moment, one will encounter the innermost boundary of the result.» — la cuarta vuelta del mismo procedimiento agota el resultado: buscar al que alcanza y no hallarlo

«Since, whatever the [projected] result, there is nothing to be attained, And since one has not fallen under the sway of rejection and acceptance, or hope and doubt, The naturally radiant awareness, which is now spontaneously present, Is the fully manifest realisation of the three buddha-bodies, within oneself. [Here], there is the result, atemporal buddhahood itself.» — el cierre de esa cuarta vuelta declara la consciencia radiante presente como realización manifiesta de los tres cuerpos del buda en uno mismo, que es el resultado mismo

«Nonetheless, even a cowherd will attain liberation if he or she engages in experiential cultivation. For, even though one may not know how to elucidate [this state] intellectually, One will [through experiential cultivation] become manifestly established in» — el capítulo 4 iguala al vaquero con el erudito ante el cultivo experiencial: aunque no sepa exponerlo intelectualmente, quedará establecido en ello

«One whose mouth has actually tasted molasses, Does not need others to explain its taste.» — el símil con que sigue esa frase en la plana siguiente: quien probó el melaza no necesita que se lo expliquen

«Liberation through Naked Perception, was composed by Padmākara, the preceptor of Oḍḍiyāna. May [its influence] not be ended until cyclic existence has been emptied.» — el cierre de ese colofón, ya en la plana siguiente, nombra al compositor y añade el voto de que su influencia no cese hasta vaciarse la existencia cíclica

«The lucid awareness, which is now present, Is itself the view of the Great Perfection. [Here], there is no duality between realisation and lack of realisation.» — el cierre de la primera vuelta del capítulo 4 declara que la consciencia lúcida presente es ya la visión de la Gran Perfección, sin dualidad entre realización y falta de realización

«This treatise concerning the direct introduction to awareness, entitled Natural» — el colofón en prosa del capítulo 4 anuncia el tratado por su título; la frase cruza a la plana siguiente, donde adjudica la composición a Padmākara

«I respectfully take refuge, inseparably, from now until enlightenment, In the infinitude of Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, the Conquerors Gone to Bliss, The Three Precious Jewels, the meditational deities, The ocean of ḍākinῑs, and assembly of oath-bound protectors, Within the infinite [buddha] fields, reaching to the limits of space.» — la primera de las diez ramas del capítulo 5 toma refugio en las deidades pacíficas y airadas, las Tres Joyas, las deidades meditacionales, las ḍākinῑs y los protectores juramentados

«I acknowledge and remorsefully confess all my negative obscurations And all my habitual tendencies of body, speech and mind, Beginninglessly influenced by the three poisons Which are the accumulating causes for [rebirth] Among the lower states [of suffering] in cyclic existence.» — la rama de la confesión del capítulo 5 declara qué se confiesa: las obscuraciones y las tendencias habituales de cuerpo, habla y mente, movidas desde siempre por los tres venenos

«I exhort the teachers throughout the fields of the ten directions, Who are as numerous as atoms, To stir from their meditative commitments for the sake of all sentient beings, And to turn the Wheel of the Sacred Teachings, Thus [entirely] pervading the reaches of space.» — la rama del giro de la rueda pide a los maestros salir de su compromiso meditativo por el bien de los seres y volver a girar la rueda de las enseñanzas

«I beseech you all, O teachers, infinite buddhas without exception, To remain [present] and not to pass into nirvāṇa, And to continue to enact deeds of extensive benefit for the sake of beings, Until the world-systems of cyclic existence have been emptied!» — la rama de la petición pide a los budas no pasar al nirvāṇa y seguir obrando hasta que los sistemas de mundos de la existencia cíclica queden vacíos

«Having performed the twofold act of benefiting [self and others] through the emanation and reabsorption [of light from these syllables], the obscurations of conceptual thought are purified. Do not be distracted! Recite this quintessential [mantra] of the hundred sacred enlightened families as much as possible, so that the two obscurations may be cleansed.» — la rúbrica en prosa del capítulo 5 instruye la emanación y reabsorción de la luz y manda no distraerse mientras se recita el mantra de las cien familias

«Having thus purified the [two] obscurations, one should visualise the assembled Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of the hundred sacred enlightened families as a maṇḍala [of deities] within one’s body, and pray. It is in this context that the aspirational prayers of the intermediate states are recited.» — la rúbrica del capítulo 5 ubica el mandala de las cien familias dentro del propio cuerpo, y dice que ahí se recitan las plegarias de aspiración de los estados intermedios

«Then, [maintaining the recognition of] oneself as Vajrasattva, In the celestial palace of one’s own precious heart, One clearly discerns a seminal point [formed of] the five lights, Whose nature is the five pure essences [of the five elements], [And from this], the thirty-six peaceful buddhas» — la visualización del capítulo 5 coloca el palacio celeste en el propio corazón y hace manifestarse ahí a los treinta y seis budas pacíficos desde un punto seminal de cinco luces

«Within the expanse of a seminal point located at the centre of one’s heart, The primordial lord, the unchanging buddha-body of light, Samantabhadra, the Buddha-body of Reality, blue in colour, And Samantabhadrῑ, the expanse of reality, white in colour, Are indivisibly united, both in the posture of meditative equipoise, Seated upon lotus, sun and moon cushions, [Symbolising the union of] radiance and emptiness.» — el centro del mandala del corazón lo ocupan Samantabhadra y Samantabhadrῑ unidos, azul y blanca, en equilibrio meditativo

«And we roam [alone] in cyclic existence [driven] by deep-seated aversion, May the Transcendent Lord Vajrasattva draw us forward, Leading us on the path of radiant light, Which is the mirror-like pristine cognition.» — cada familia del capítulo 5 se empareja con un veneno: a la del este, la aversión, contra la que se pide que Vajrasattva lleve por el sendero de luz radiante

«In the southern channel branch of one’s heart, Is Ratnasambhava, in [blissful] union with Māmakῑ, Yellow [and radiant], holding a jewel and a bell, Seated cross-legged, [symbolising the union] of radiance and emptiness, Amidst a mass of light, radiating the pristine cognition of sameness.» — la familia del sur: Ratnasambhava con Māmakῑ, amarillos, con joya y campana, irradiando la cognición prístina de la igualdad; el veneno que le corresponde es el orgullo

«In the northern channel branch of one’s heart, Is Amoghasiddhi, in blissful union with Samayatārā, Green and radiant, holding a crossed-vajra and a bell, Seated cross-legged, [symbolising the union of] radiance and emptiness, Amidst a mass of light, radiating the pristine cognition of accomplishment.» — la familia del norte: Amoghasiddhi con Samayatārā, verdes, con vajra cruzado y campana, irradiando la cognición prístina del logro; el veneno que le corresponde es la envidia

«To you, the eight emanational gatekeepers, male and female, I bow down, make offerings, take refuge, and pray: As soon as we die and begin to transmigrate, At that very moment, when the visions of the intermediate state of reality dawn, And we roam [alone] in cyclic existence [driven] by deep-seated habitual tendencies, May the four Mahākrodha male gatekeepers draw us forward, Leading us on the path of radiant light, Which is the four pristine cognitions combined.» — los ocho guardianes de las puertas del capítulo 5 se piden contra las tendencias habituales, y su sendero es el de las cuatro cogniciones prístinas combinadas

«Amidst an expanse of light in the channel branch of the energy centre of great bliss at one’s crown, Within a radiant and vibrant maṇḍala, that is a lustrous white seminal point, [Stands] Sakra, sage of the god realms, white in colour, and playing a lute. May he obstruct pride, which is the entrance to rebirth in the god realms!» — la serie de los seis sabios del capítulo 5 coloca en cada canal del cuerpo al sabio de una clase de seres: en la coronilla, Sakra, contra el orgullo que abre el renacimiento en los reinos divinos

«To the assembly of the Peaceful and Wrathful deities, And to the assembly of the Hundred Sacred Enlightened Families! Having been liberated in the intermediate states, May all beings abide in the reality of the three buddha-bodies.» — la continuación de esa apertura se postra ante las Cien Familias Sagradas y formula el voto de que todos los seres, liberados en los estados intermedios, moren en la realidad de los tres cuerpos

«From the field of reality’s expanse, uncreated and pure, Within a celestial palace, which is a seminal point [of light], pure, unceasing, and radiant, Through the natural expressive power of one’s own mind, uncontrived and» — la purificación del capítulo 5 sitúa el palacio celeste en un punto seminal puro y hace surgir la forma de Vajrasattva del poder expresivo natural de la propia mente

«Intrinsic awareness, radiant and empty, arises in the form of Vajrasattva, [Seated] upon a bejewelled throne adorned with lotus, sun and moon [cushions]. [Vajrasattva is] white, radiant, with one face, two arms, and a smiling countenance; The right hand holds a vajra at the heart, [Symbolising the union] of awareness and emptiness, The left hand supports a bell [resting] on the hip, [Symbolising the union] of appearances and emptiness; And the head [is adorned with a garland of] perfect buddhas, [Representing] the five enlightened families of Those Gone to Bliss.» — la misma visualización describe a Vajrasattva blanco, con vajra en el corazón por la unión de consciencia y vacuidad y campana en la cadera por la de apariencias y vacuidad

«At that very moment, when the pure inner radiance of reality dawns, May we be welcomed by the father Samantabhadra before us, May we be supported by the mother Samantabhadrῑ behind us; And thus [encircled] may we be guided to the indivisible level of Samantabhadra.» — la plegaria del capítulo 5 pide, en el instante en que amanece la radiancia interior de lo real, ser recibido por el padre Samantabhadra y sostenido por la madre Samantabhadrῑ

«[In the channel centre of one’s heart] is Vairocana in blissful union with Dhātvῑśvarῑ, White and radiant, holding a wheel and a bell, Seated cross-legged, [symbolising the union of] radiance and emptiness, [Amidst a mass of light, radiating the pristine cognition of reality’s expanse].» — la serie de las cinco familias del capítulo 5 arranca por el centro con Vairocana y Dhātvῑśvarῑ, blancos, con rueda y campana, irradiando la cognición prístina de la extensión de lo real

«In the eastern channel branch of one’s heart, Is Vajrasattva, in blissful [union] with Buddhalocan» — la familia del este, en el canal oriental del corazón: Vajrasattva en unión con Buddhalocanā, azules y radiantes; la frase cruza a la plana siguiente

«In the western channel branch of one’s heart, Is Amitābha, in blissful union with P» — la familia del oeste: Amitābha en unión con Pāṇḍaravāsinῑ; la frase cruza a la plana siguiente, donde los describe rojos, con loto y campana

«Red and radiant, holding a lotus and a bell, Seated cross-legged, [symbolising the union of] radiance and emptiness, Amidst a mass of light, radiating the pristine cognition of discernment.» — la continuación de la familia del oeste, ya en la plana siguiente: irradia la cognición prístina del discernimiento, y el veneno que le corresponde es el apego

«Amidst an expanse of light in the energy centre of one’s navel, Within a radiant and vibrant maṇḍala, that is a lustrous blue seminal point, [Stands] Sthirasiṃha, sage of animals, blue in colour, and carrying a book. May he obstruct delusion, which is the entrance to rebirth in the animal realms!» — la serie de los seis sabios del capítulo 5 pone a Sthirasiṃha en el ombligo contra la delusión, que es la entrada al renacimiento en los reinos animales

«Amidst an expanse of light in the energy centre at the soles of one’s feet, Within a radiant and vibrant maṇḍala, that is a lustrous black seminal point, [Stands] Yama Dharmarāja, sage of the hell beings, black in colour, and carrying a flame and water. May he obstruct aversion, which is the entrance to rebirth among the hell realms!» — el último de los seis sabios, Yama Dharmarāja, se sitúa en las plantas de los pies contra la aversión, entrada al renacimiento en los infiernos

«At this time when we dwell within the intermediate state of living, The forty-two assembled peaceful deities, Are radiantly present within the celestial palace of our own hearts, Embodied in the form of a cluster of five-coloured lights. Yet, as soon as we die and begin to transmigrate, This assembly of peaceful deities will emerge from our hearts, And fill the space before us.» — el capítulo 5 declara dónde están las cuarenta y dos deidades pacíficas mientras se vive —en el palacio celeste del propio corazón— y qué pasa al morir: emergen del corazón y llenan el espacio de enfrente

«May all the peaceful male deities draw us forward, Leading us on the path of radiant light, Which is the five pristine cognitions combined. May the supreme female consorts, Queens of the Expanse, support us from behind, And may the male and female gatekeepers support us from the perimeter, And thus [encircled] may we be rescued From the fearsome passageway of the intermediate state, And be escorted to the level of an utterly perfected buddha.» — la plegaria que reúne a todas las deidades pacíficas pide ser llevado por el sendero de luz de las cinco cogniciones prístinas combinadas, con las consortes detrás y los guardianes en el perímetro

«In the eastern channel branch of the energy centre of perfect resource, within one’s throat, Is the great Awareness Holder who Abides on the Levels, White, radiant, smiling, and embraced by the White Ḍākinῑ. [She holds] a blood-filled skull and a curved knife, Raised in the gesture of pointing to the sky. May the awareness holders of buddha-mind protect all living beings!» — la serie de los sostenedores de la consciencia del capítulo 5 se ubica en el centro energético de la garganta, cada uno abrazado por una ḍākinῑ con cráneo lleno de sangre y cuchillo curvo

«Simultaneously, the [light] path of the animal realms, indicative of delusion, Will [also] dawn before us. O divine assembly of awareness holders, at that moment, Do not withhold your compassion, But draw us back from the [dull-light] path, Which is the gateway to the deluded animal-realms,» — el capítulo 5 advierte que junto al sendero luminoso amanece el de los reinos animales, indicativo de delusión, y pide a los sostenedores apartar de él

«Amidst an expanse of light, composed of flaming seminal points of rainbow-light, [Stands] Samantabhadra in the form of Mahottara Heruka. He has three faces: brown, white and red; and six arms: The three right arms brandish a vajra, a khaṭvāṅga, and a small drum, And the left hold a bell, a blood-filled skull, and a noose of entrails. Mahottara Heruka is joyously and indivisibly embraced by Krodheśvarῑ. May these two, the central male and female consorts, guide all beings [to liberation]!» — la serie de las deidades airadas del capítulo 5 abre con Samantabhadra en la forma de Mahottara Heruka, de tres caras y seis brazos, abrazado por Krodheśvarῑ

«On [a throne in] the western channel branch of the skull, within one’s brain, Amidst an expanse of light, composed of flaming seminal points of rainbow-light, [Stands] Amitābha in the form of Padma Heruka. He has three faces: dark red, white and blue; and six arms: The three right arms brandish a lotus, a khaṭvāṅga, and a mace, And the left hold a bell, a blood-filled skull, and a small drum. Padma Heruka is joyously and indivisibly embraced by Padmakrodheśvarῑ. May these two, the blood-drinking deities of the Padma family, guide all beings [to liberation]!» — la misma serie pone a Amitābha en la forma de Padma Heruka en el canal occidental del cráneo, con loto, khaṭvāṅga y maza en las manos derechas

«To you, the twelve central, male and female, blood-drinking deities, I bow down, make offerings, take refuge, and pray: As soon as we die and begin to transmigrate, At that very moment, when the visions of the intermediate state of reality dawn,» — el capítulo 5 cuenta doce deidades bebedoras de sangre, centrales, masculinas y femeninas, a las que se dirige la misma fórmula de postración y plegaria

«Amidst an expanse of light in the north-eastern channel branch of one’s skull, [Stands] Smaśānῑ, Hblue-black in colour, tearing apart the head and body of a bloated corpse.» — la serie de las Mātaraḥ del capítulo 5 las coloca en los canales del cráneo con sus atributos: Smaśānῑ desgarrando cabeza y cuerpo de un cadáver hinchado; el troceo imprime *Hblue-black*

«At this time when we dwell within the intermediate state of living, The assemblies of awareness holders, both heroes and ḍākinῑs, Are radiantly present within the celestial palace of the energy centre of perfect resource within our own throats, Embodied in the form of a cluster of five-coloured lights. Yet, as soon as we die and begin to transmigrate, This divine assembly of the awareness holders will emerge from the throat [centre], And fill the space before us. Amidst a plethora of musical sounds they will manifest in myriad dancing postures, Pounding and vibrating throughout all world-systems, [And generating] a vibrant beaming path of light,» — el capítulo 5 sitúa la asamblea de sostenedores de la consciencia en el centro de la garganta mientras se vive, y la hace emerger de ahí al morir entre sonidos musicales y posturas danzantes

«To you, the Eight Mātaraḥ, beginning with Gaurῑ, [Who are embodiments] of the [eight] classes [of consciousness],18 I bow down, make offerings, take refuge, and pray: As soon as we die and begin to transmigrate, At that very moment, when the visions of the intermediate state of reality dawn, And we roam [alone] in cyclic existence [driven] by deep-seated confused perceptions, May the four Mātaraḥ, beginning with Gaurῑ, draw us forward, Leading us on the path of light, Which is [the vibrance of] the sounds, lights and rays [of the eight classes of consciousness].» — la plegaria a las Mātaraḥ del capítulo 5, encarnaciones de las ocho clases de consciencia, pide ser llevado por el sendero de los sonidos, las luces y los rayos de esas mismas ocho clases

«In the minor channels of the eastern outer courtyard of one’s skull, [Stand] the six Queens of Yoga who enact the rites of pacification: Yak-headed Manurākṣasῑ, brownish white, and holding a vajra; Snake-headed Brahmāṇῑ, yellowish white, and holding a lotus; Leopard-headed Raudrῑ, greenish white, and holding a trident; Weasel-headed Vaiṣṇāvῑ, bluish white, and holding a wheel; Brown bear-headed Kaumārῑ, reddish white, and holding a short pike; And black bear-headed Indrāṇῑ, white, and holding a noose of entrails. O you, the six yoginῑ from the east, who enact the rites of pacification, Perform the rites which pacify our fears of the intermediate state!» — las seis Reinas del Yoga del este del capítulo 5 ejecutan los ritos de pacificación, cada una con cabeza de animal y atributo propios, contra los miedos del estado intermedio

«At the [outer] eastern gate of one’s skull is Vajrā [Mahākālῑ], White, cuckoo-headed, and holding an iron hook; At the [outer] southern gate of one’s skull is Vajrā [Mahāchāgalā], Yellow, goat-headed, and holding a noose; At the [outer] western gate of one’s skull is Vajrā [Mahākumbhakarṇῑ], Red, lion-headed, and holding an iron chain; And at the [outer] northern gate of one’s skull is Vajrā [Lambodarā], Dark green, snake-headed, and holding a bell. O you, the four female gatekeepers, Queens [of Yoga] who enact the emanational rites, Perform the rites which obstruct the doors [leading] to [mundane] rebirth from the intermediate state!» — las cuatro guardianas de las puertas del capítulo 5 se piden para obstruir las puertas que llevan del estado intermedio al renacimiento mundano

«When the radiant light path of pristine cognition dawns, May we recognise [its nature], without awe and without terror, And as the [manifold] forms of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities arise, May we be fearlessly confident, and recognise [the characteristics of] the intermediate state.» — la plegaria de aspiración del capítulo 5 pide reconocer sin pavor la senda de luz radiante y las formas pacíficas y airadas cuando surjan

«When we experience suffering, as the result of negative past actions, May our meditational deities utterly dispel all such misery, And as the natural sound of reality reverberates like a thousand peals of thunder, May [all sounds] be heard as the sacred resonance of the Greater Vehicle.» — la misma plegaria pide oír el sonido natural de lo real, que retumba como mil truenos, como resonancia sagrada del Vehículo Mayor

«May the fields30 of the five elements not rise up as a hostile force, But may we see these as the buddha fields of the five enlightened families!» — la plegaria pide que los campos de los cinco elementos no se alcen como fuerza hostil sino que se vean como los campos búdicos de las cinco familias

«It is said that just by simply hearing, once, the names of the deities of this maṇḍala, one will avoid rebirth in the lower existences, and buddhahood will eventually be attained. Samantabhadra himself has said: ‘If anyone hears, only once, the names of these deities of the maṇḍala, he or she will be saved from falling into the great hells.’» — el capítulo 5 declara el provecho de oír una sola vez los nombres de las deidades del mandala, y lo respalda con una frase que pone en boca de Samantabhadra

«Therefore, since the advantages of following this practice are beyond expression, one should persevere with this Spiritual Practice and [consistently] visualise one’s own body as the assembly of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities. Thus, the supreme and common accomplishments will be attained in this very life; and after one has died, when the visions of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities dawn during the intermediate state of reality, one will dissolve indivisibly with the meditational deities, and buddhahood will be attained.» — el cierre del capítulo 5 manda visualizar el propio cuerpo como la asamblea de las deidades pacíficas y airadas, para disolverse indivisiblemente con ellas cuando amanezcan en el estado intermedio

«Experientially cultivate this [Spiritual Practice]! Do not forget its words and meanings even if you were to be pursued by a hundred assassins. Embrace it! Hold it [to your heart]! Read it aloud! Comprehend it in its entirety! Keep it in mind, fully and accurately!» — la exhortación final del capítulo 5 pide no olvidar palabras ni sentidos ni aunque lo persigan a uno cien asesinos

«To you, the Eight Piśācῑ, beginning with Siṃhamukhῑ, [Who are embodiments] of the [eight] sensory objects» — la serie de las ocho Piśācῑ del capítulo 5, con cabezas de animal, se declara encarnación de los ocho objetos sensoriales; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota

«May the four Piśācῑ, starting with Siṃhamukhῑ, draw us forward, Leading us on the path of pure [radiant] light, Which is the purity of the naturally manifesting eight objects [of consciousness].» — la plegaria a las Piśācῑ pide el sendero de la pureza de esos mismos ocho objetos que ellas encarnan

«In the minor channels of the northern outer courtyard of one’s skull, [Stand] the six Queens of Yoga who enact the rites of wrath: Wolf-headed Vāyudevῑ, bluish green, and brandishing an ensign; Ibex-headed Agnāyῑ, reddish green, and holding a firebrand; Sow-headed Varāhῑ, blackish green, and holding a noose of fangs; Crow-headed Cāmuṇḍῑ, reddish green, and holding an infant human corpse; Elephant-headed Bhujanā, blackish green, and holding a bloated corpse; And snake-headed Varuṇānῑ, bluish green, and holding a noose of snakes.» — las seis Reinas del Yoga del norte del capítulo 5 ejecutan los ritos de ira, cada una con cabeza de animal y atributo propios

«Is radiantly present within the celestial palace of the skull, at the crown-centre, within one’s brain — Embodied in the form of a cluster of five-coloured lights. Yet, as soon as we die and begin to transmigrate, This assembly of blood-drinking deities will emerge from the brain, And appear [before us], filling the entire trichiliocosm.» — la continuación de ese pasaje las hace emerger del cerebro al morir, hasta llenar el triquiliocosmos entero

«The bodily demeanour of these wrathful deities Will be elegant, heroic and terrifying, Their roar wild, murderous and awesome, Each blazing with compassion, wrath and fierce aversion,» — la descripción de las deidades airadas del capítulo 5 junta compasión e ira en la misma figura: porte elegante, heroico y aterrador, y rugido feroz

«Dressed in skirts of moist hide and flayed tiger skin; Decorated with skull garlands and wreaths of snakes; Resplendent in a blazing mass of fire which pounds With the cries of ‘HA HA HŪṂ PHAṬ Strike! Slay!’, Reverberating like a thousand peals of thunder.» — la continuación de esa descripción las viste de piel húmeda y piel de tigre desollada, con guirnaldas de cráneos y serpientes, entre gritos que retumban como mil truenos

«from the north, who enact the rites of wrath, Perform the rites which utterly destroy the confused perceptions of the intermediate state!» — a las seis Reinas del Yoga del norte se les pide destruir por completo las percepciones confusas del estado intermedio

«Herein is contained an ancillary chapter of the Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States,1 entitled Natural Liberation of Negativity and Obscuration through [Enactment of] the Hundredfold Homage,2 [which is an extract from] the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: A Profound Sacred Teaching, [entitled] Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention.» — el encabezado del capítulo 6 lo declara capítulo auxiliar de la Liberación por la Audición, extraído del mismo ciclo de las Deidades Pacíficas y Airadas

«I bow down to Vairocana, [manifestation of] supreme buddha-body, The natural purity of the aggregate of form, Pure without renunciation of delusion, Conch [white], holding a wheel and a bell, [Seated] on an exalted throne supported by lions, The [resplendent] pristine cognition of reality’s expanse.» — la fórmula que se repite cien veces en el capítulo 6 queda fijada aquí: cada deidad es la pureza natural de un agregado y es pura *sin renuncia* al veneno correspondiente, con su color, su atributo y su trono

«I bow down to Vajrasattva, [manifestation of] supreme buddha-mind, The natural purity of the aggregate of consciousness, Pure without renunciation of aversion, Azure [blue], holding a vajra and a bell, [Seated] on an exalted throne supported by elephants, The [resplendent] mirror-like pristine cognition.» — la misma fórmula aplicada a Vajrasattva: pureza natural del agregado de la consciencia, pura sin renuncia a la aversión

«I bow down to Buddhalocanā, the supreme consort, The mother of the Vajra Family, natural purity of earth, Beryl [blue], holding a vajra and a bell, Joyously embracing her consort, in supreme bliss.» — las consortes del capítulo 6 se reparten los elementos: Buddhalocanā es la pureza natural de la tierra, y las que siguen la del agua, el fuego y el viento

«I bow down to Kṣitigarbha, male bodhisattva who acts for the benefit of beings, The natural purity of visual consciousness, transcendent of renunciation, Snow-mountain [white], holding a seedling and a bell.» — los bodhisattvas masculinos del capítulo 6 se reparten las consciencias sensoriales: Kṣitigarbha es la pureza natural de la consciencia visual

«I bow down to [Trailokya-]Vijaya, [male gatekeeper] whose wrathful presence Guards against obstacles at the eastern gate, The natural purity of eternalist views, transcendent of renunciation, White, holding a cudgel and a bell.» — los guardianes de las puertas del capítulo 6 se reparten las visiones filosóficas: Trailokyavijaya es la pureza natural de las visiones eternalistas

«I bow down to Yamāntaka, [male gatekeeper] whose wrathful presence Guards against obstacles at the southern gate, The natural purity of nihilistic views, transcendent of renunciation, Yellow, holding a skull-club and a bell.» — la misma serie adjudica a Yamāntaka la pureza natural de las visiones nihilistas, en la puerta del sur

«I bow down to Indraśakra, [sage] whose emanational buddha form Acts [ceaselessly] on behalf of beings, The natural purity of pride, and guide of the god realms, White and holding a lute.» — los seis sabios del capítulo 6 se reparten los venenos: Indraśakra es la pureza natural del orgullo y guía de los reinos divinos

«I bow down to Krodheśvarῑ, wrathful Queen of [Reality’s] Expanse, Dark blue, holding a vajra, Offering a blood-filled skull to her consort’s mouth, She joyously embraces him, in supreme bliss.» — las reinas airadas del capítulo 6 se describen ofreciendo el cráneo lleno de sangre a la boca de su consorte, a quien abrazan gozosamente

«I bow down to Samantabhadrῑ, the supreme consort, Natural purity of the sensory spectrum of phenomena» — la letanía del capítulo 6 abre por la consorte Samantabhadrῑ, declarada pureza natural del espectro sensorial de los fenómenos; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota

«Stainless white, like crystal, Mother of all buddhas of past, present and future, Joyously embracing her consort, in supreme bliss.» — la continuación de esa primera postración la llama madre de todos los budas de los tres tiempos, abrazando gozosamente a su consorte

«I bow down to Nivāraṇaviśkambhin, male bodhisattva who acts for the benefit of beings, The natural purity of the ‘ground-of-all’ consciousness, transcendent of renunciation, [Green] as the night-flowering lotus, holding a book and a bell.» — la serie de bodhisattvas masculinos del capítulo 6 adjudica a Nivāraṇaviśkambhin la pureza natural de la consciencia llamada fundamento-de-todo

«I bow down to white Puṣpā, [female bodhisattva] whose offerings delight [The minds of all] Those Gone to Bliss, past, present and future, The natural purity of past conceptual thoughts, transcendent of renunciation, Pearl [white], holding a white lotus and a bell.» — las bodhisattvas femeninas del capítulo 6 se reparten los objetos sensoriales y los tiempos del pensamiento: Puṣpā es la pureza natural de los pensamientos conceptuales pasados

«I bow down to Gaurῑ of the eastern direction, Acting on behalf of living beings as one of the Mātaraḥ, Wrathful, white, and aloof on her throne of human corpses, Brandishing a human corpse as a cudgel To destroy the conceptual landscape of cyclic existence.» — las Mātaraḥ del capítulo 6 no se describen por el atributo sino por su función: Gaurῑ blande un cadáver humano como cachiporra para destruir el paisaje conceptual de la existencia cíclica

«I bow down to Caurῑ of the southern direction, Acting on behalf of living beings as one of the Mātaraḥ, Wrathful, yellow, and aloof on her throne of human corpses, Shooting an arrow from a bow To bind indivisibly skilful means and discriminative awareness.» — la misma serie adjudica a Caurῑ la flecha y el arco con que se unen de modo indivisible los medios hábiles y la consciencia discernidora

«I bow down to brown-black, lion-headed Siṃhamukhῑ, Acting on behalf of living beings in the form of a Piśācῑ, Carrying a corpse in her mouth, and shaking her mane To stir cyclic existence to its depths.» — las Piśācῑ del capítulo 6 se describen igual por su función: Siṃhamukhῑ, con cabeza de león, sacude la melena para agitar la existencia cíclica hasta el fondo

«I bow down to white-yellow, vulture-headed Gṛdhramukhῑ, Acting on behalf of living beings in the form of a Piśācῑ, Clawing a bloated corpse, and extracting the entrails To sever the three poisons from their roots.» — la misma serie adjudica a Gṛdhramukhῑ, con cabeza de buitre, el desgarrar un cadáver hinchado para cortar los tres venenos de raíz

«I bow down to sow-headed Pāśā at the southern gate, Acting on behalf of living beings in the form of a female gatekeeper, Sow-headed, yellow, and holding a noose, The force of her immeasurable loving kindness Constricting the false mentality [of beings].» — las guardianas de las puertas del capítulo 6 se emparejan con los cuatro inconmensurables: a Pāśā le corresponde el amor benevolente, que constriñe la mentalidad falsa

«I bow down to snake-headed Gaṇṭhā at the northern gate, Acting on behalf of living beings in the form of a female gatekeeper, Snake-headed, green, and holding a bell, The force of her immeasurable equanimity Subduing the cognitive resonances of the five poisons.» — a Gaṇṭhā, en la puerta del norte, le corresponde la ecuanimidad inconmensurable, que somete las resonancias cognitivas de los cinco venenos

«While reciting this prayer, all the male and female yogins present should remove their outer garments and, as they make [successive] full-length prostrations, they should respectfully pay homage [to the deities]. While respectfully narrating this eulogy in a melodious voice and enacting the hundredfold homage, one should mentally admit and feel remorse for all one’s negativities and obscurations, which have been, are being and will be accumulated.» — la rúbrica que cierra el capítulo 6 manda a los yoguines quitarse la ropa exterior, prosternarse de cuerpo entero y admitir con remordimiento las negatividades pasadas, presentes y futuras

«Manifestation of the natural purity of reality, Clothed in flayed hides, she unites the three levels of existence With the [pure buddha] fields, however these may manifest, And casts her noose of solar rays, Projecting [beings of] the trichiliocosm into higher rebirths.» — las Proyectoras del capítulo 6 se ordenan por la clase de seres a la que empujan hacia renacimientos superiores; la primera, que lanza un lazo de rayos solares, se declara manifestación de la pureza natural de lo real

«Her body part white and part black, [Signifying] her proficiency in the rites of pacification and wrath, Drinking blood from a skull To dissolve delusion [into emptiness], [She holds] a vajra and wields an eagle-feathered banner, Projecting animals into higher rebirths.» — la misma serie adjudica a la Proyectora del estandarte de plumas de águila la disolución de la delusión y el empuje de los animales a renacimientos superiores

«This Natural Liberation of Negativity and Obscuration is an extraordinary [method for] purifying obscurations, by enacting in full the one hundred and ten homages» — el colofón del capítulo 6 declara el texto método extraordinario de purificación y cuenta ciento diez postraciones, no cien, pese al título; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota

«Whatever other [confessional] practices one may [generally] undertake, such as the Reparation and Confession of the Hells,24 the merits accrued by one who practises in this manner are immeasurable. Therefore, one should persevere diligently with the enactment of this Hundredfold Homage.» — el mismo colofón compara el mérito de esta práctica con el de otras prácticas de confesión y lo declara inconmensurable

«This most profound teaching is an ancillary chapter of the Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States, a supporting text to the Reparation and Confession of the Hells, and a synopsis of the three editions [long, medium and short] of the Peaceful and Wrath ful Deities: The Ritual Purification [entitled Natural Liberation of Feelings]. It should be propagated everywhere and enacted» — el colofón del capítulo 6 sitúa el texto en el conjunto: capítulo auxiliar de la Liberación por la Audición y sinopsis de las tres ediciones de la Purificación Ritual; el troceo imprime *Wrath ful* partido y pierde aquí seis palabras de la plana ausente

«In the atemporal omnipresence of the Great Perfection, which is Samantabhadra, Is [displayed] the maṇḍala of the outer, inner, and secret arrays. Here, the expanse of male and female deities is the [natural] purity of mundane existence,» — el capítulo 7 declara que el mandala despliega la pureza natural de la existencia mundana, no algo ajeno a ella

«Yet, even though we strive neither to abandon nor to transgress [these commitments], And we strive neither to deviate from the truth nor to allow our minds to fluctuate, Since we idly think that we have the momentary luxury to sit back in relaxation, We have not reached fulfilment and our mental energy has been faltering. We have lacked alertness, and have been overpowered by carelessness.» — la confesión nombra la falta por su nombre corriente: creerse con el lujo de relajarse un momento, con lo que la energía mental flaquea y gana el descuido

«Further, it says in the [Buddha’s] scriptures: ‘A yogin should not associate, even for a moment, with one whose commitments have degenerated.’» — el capítulo 7 cita una injunción de las escrituras que el propio confesante teme haber quebrantado: no asociarse ni un momento con quien haya degenerado sus compromisos

«In ultimate truth, inexpressible and without conceptual elaboration, There is no objective referent to any conceptual thought whatsoever. But if, by the power of illusion-like relative appearances, we should err, [We acknowledge this and seek your forgiveness.] We confess that we have deviated from the buddha-mind! If we have committed transgressions, please forgive our deviations.» — el capítulo 7 admite la tensión de su propio acto: en la verdad última no hay referente de pensamiento alguno, y sin embargo se confiesa el haber errado por las apariencias relativas

«May The One Gone to Bliss, king among compassionate physicians, Grant the medicine of liberation, the nectar of the genuine teachings, To those [of us] who are severely afflicted by the [primal] disease, which is suffering! May all the diseases caused by bewildering dissonant states be pacified! May we be sustained in the nucleus of unsurpassed enlightenment!» — el capítulo 7 formula la petición en términos médicos: el buda como rey de los médicos compasivos y la enseñanza como néctar de liberación contra la enfermedad primera, que es el sufrimiento

«We pray to you, father and mother, listen and attend to us! Mind and phenomena are atemporally manifest buddhas, But even though this [reality] is the expression of your enlightened intention, O Samantabhadra and Samantabhadrῑ, father and mother, in union, Due to our ignorance, we have not understood this to be so. For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind Of you, Samantabhadra and Samantabhadrῑ, father and mother, We seek your forgiveness, O greatly compassionate ones!» — la primera confesión del capítulo 7 se dirige a Samantabhadra y Samantabhadrῑ y declara la falta: mente y fenómenos son budas manifiestos desde siempre, y por ignorancia no se entendió así

«We [aspiring] awareness holders, who are heirs to the compassionate lineage, Strive to cultivate the mind of enlightenment for the sake of all living beings. In order that the unsurpassed state may be attained, We have repeatedly received and earnestly undertaken [Both] the individual disciplines of the ocean-like teachings» — la confesión del capítulo 7 empieza recordando qué se asumió: las disciplinas individuales de las enseñanzas; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota

«And the supreme vows concordant with buddha-body, speech and mind, including: The [appropriate] commitments of [the Vehicle of] Indestructible Reality, Which are dangerous to transgress, and must be constantly maintained, Together with all the general and particular higher commitments.» — la continuación nombra los votos concordantes con cuerpo, habla y mente y los compromisos del Vehículo de la Realidad Indestructible, peligrosos de transgredir

«Third is the confession to the five female buddhas of the enlightened families We pray to you, the five female buddhas of the enlightened families, listen and attend to us! The five elements are atemporally manifest buddhas, But even though this [reality] is the expression of your enlightened intention, O, five female buddhas of the enlightened families, Due to our ignorance, we have not understood this to be so.» — la serie de confesiones del capítulo 7 empareja cada grupo de deidades con lo que son: a las cinco budas femeninas les corresponden los cinco elementos, budas manifiestos desde siempre

«Fourth is the confession to the eight male bodhisattvas of the retinue We pray to you, the eight male bodhisattvas, listen and attend to us! The eight classes of consciousness are atemporally manifest buddhas,» — la misma serie hace de las ocho clases de consciencia los budas manifiestos que corresponden a los ocho bodhisattvas masculinos

«Eighth is the con fession to the four female gatekeepers We pray to you, the four female gatekeepers, listen and attend to us! The four extremes of eternalism and nihilism are atemporally manifest buddhas,» — la serie llega hasta lo que menos se esperaría: los cuatro extremos del eternalismo y el nihilismo también se declaran budas manifiestos desde siempre, a cargo de las cuatro guardianas

«Since our minds are not endowed with pristine cognition, which is intrinsic awareness, We have not correctly integrated the four classes of consciousness and four sense organs with the [eight] male bodhisattvas, And further still, our own minds, swayed by ignorance, have continued to be afflicted by egotism. We seek the forgiveness of you, the assembly of male bodhisattvas!» — la segunda ronda de confesiones del capítulo 7 no reprocha actos sino omisiones de integración: no haber integrado las cuatro clases de consciencia y los cuatro órganos sensoriales con los bodhisattvas

«Swayed by self-deception, we have disappointed our teachers, Stirred by strong pride, we have agitated our spiritual brothers and sisters, Distracted by vanity,6 we have divulged the secret mantras, Gripped by miserliness, we have been untimely in the dedication of offerings, Entrapped by base friendships, we have violated the secret [precepts] of the rituals,» — la lista de faltas concretas del capítulo 7: decepcionar a los maestros por autoengaño, agitar a los hermanos por orgullo, divulgar los mantras secretos por vanidad, tardar en las ofrendas por avaricia

«O wrathful female deities of pristine cognition, born of buddha-mind, [The natural transformation] of the eight classes of consciousness, O Gaurῑ and accompanying [Mātaraḥ], ḍākinῑs of pristine cognition, For whatever ways we have contradicted your buddha-mind, O eight mātaraḥ [who embody] the classes [of consciousness], we seek forgiveness!» — el capítulo 7 declara a las ocho Mātaraḥ la transformación natural de las ocho clases de consciencia al confesarles la falta

«Throughout the beginningless succession of our births, Until now, when we have assumed these, our present bodies, We have revolved within the worlds of rebirth, swayed by ignorance, And however many human births we have taken, Wherever we have been born, we have engaged in all kinds of negative acts, Including the five inexpiable crimes and the five approximate crimes — Actually committing them, or inciting [others] to commit them, And even rejoicing in committing and inciting them.» — la confesión de la violación sin comienzo del capítulo 7 abarca los cinco crímenes inexpiables y los cinco aproximados, cometidos, incitados o simplemente celebrados

«I regret having taken such birth, and am dismayed by my past acts! Yet, regardless of my regret and my dismay, past actions cannot be re-made. The momentum of past actions is as strong as a river’s inexorable flow, So how can the mighty river of past actions be reversed in a mere moment! All that ripens is born from one’s own past actions, And I am one who has been swept along by the violent whirlwind of my past actions, And accordingly have roamed over countless past aeons, Lost within the dark prisons of cyclic existence.» — la confesión lastimera del capítulo 7 admite que el arrepentimiento no rehace lo hecho, y compara el ímpetu de las acciones pasadas con el curso inexorable de un río

«Indeed, beings such as I have assumed such a countless number of corporeal forms, During countless births in countless aeons, That if our flesh and bones were to be collected together, Their accumulated mass would fill this world, And if our pus and blood were to be collected together, Their accumulated mass would fill a vast ocean, And if the residue of our past actions were to be collected together, Their extent would be beyond conception and inexpressible.» — el capítulo 7 mide el vagar por acumulación material: la carne y los huesos de tantos nacimientos llenarían el mundo, el pus y la sangre llenarían un océano

«Most precious buddhas of the five enlightened families, [manifestations of] supreme buddha-mind, Even though you are our fathers and hold mastery over the three world-systems, And even though you are our mothers and assimilate [all things] in the ultimate expanse, By conceiving of our bodies [in a mundane way], we have dishonoured the illusory body. Thus our commitments have degenerated and we have grown truly remorseful. We seek your forgiveness, O father and mother buddhas of the five enlightened families!» — la fórmula que se repite en esta sección del capítulo 7 confiesa una falta concreta: concebir el propio cuerpo de modo mundano deshonra el cuerpo ilusorio

«As we have failed to liberate the egotism of the subject- object dichotomy, Within the original maṇḍala of natural sameness, We still have not realised the non-dual truth of the abiding nature. O non-dual Buddha-body of Reality, we seek forgiveness!» — la confesión ante las deidades airadas del capítulo 7 empieza por el fallo en la estabilidad meditativa: no haber liberado el egotismo de la dicotomía sujeto-objeto dentro del mandala de la igualdad natural

«How mistaken is the view which dualises form and material substance, When the supreme seminal point is free from spatial dimensions! How deluded we have been in clinging to the dichotomy of corners and angles!» — la confesión ante la visión del capítulo 7 no confiesa actos sino dualidades: forma y sustancia material se confiesan como error frente al punto seminal sin dimensiones espaciales

«How debilitating is the view which dualises cause and effect, When the naturally present pristine cognition arises effortlessly! How deluded we have been in clinging to the dichotomy of effort and attainment! We confess this transgression within the naturally present expanse, which arises without effort!» — la misma serie confiesa la dualidad de causa y efecto frente a la cognición prístina que surge sin esfuerzo

«How pitiful is the view which dualises eternalism and nihilism, When the pristine cognition of [intrinsic] awareness is free from eternalism and nihilism! How deluded we have been in clinging to the dichotomy of existence and non-existence!» — la misma serie confiesa la dualidad de eternalismo y nihilismo, y con ella el aferrarse a la dicotomía de existencia y no existencia

«How debilitating is the view which dualises objects and mind, When the Buddha-body of Reality is free from individuated distinctions! How deluded we have been in clinging to the dichotomy between the environment and its inhabitants! We confess this transgression within [the expanse of] the Buddha-body of Reality, which is unchanging!» — la misma serie confiesa la dualidad de objetos y mente, y el aferrarse a la dicotomía entre el entorno y sus habitantes

«Since we have failed to encounter the true meaning of reality, We have forsaken truth and persevered in non-virtuous acts. We have forsaken the transmitted precepts of the Teacher and have been deceived by the vagaries of [mundane] human doctrines! We confess this transgression within the expanse of supreme bliss, which is reality!» — el capítulo 7 confiesa haber abandonado los preceptos transmitidos del Maestro y haberse dejado engañar por los caprichos de las doctrinas humanas mundanas

«Should we have belittled the vajra-master in our hearts, the ‘lamp of the teaching’, And thus allowed our commitments to degenerate, And should we have harboured ill will and mistaken attitudes Towards the vajra-companions who share our commitments, For [whatever] such [harm we have thus created], We confess all our degenerations of the commitments of buddha-body!» — la confesión por compromisos del capítulo 7 reparte las faltas en cuerpo, habla y mente: al cuerpo le toca el menosprecio al maestro vajra y la malquerencia a los compañeros de compromiso

«In the presence of the protectors of the [sacred] teachings, We confess our [tardy] torma-offerings, whether years or months overdue. In the presence of our parents of the three times, We confess our failure to repay their kindness. In the presence of our spiritual brothers and sisters, We confess our inadequate fervour for upholding the commitments. In the presence of the six classes of sentient beings, We confess the inadequacy of our compassion and altruism.» — la serie final del capítulo 7 confiesa ante cada destinatario lo que le falta: ofrendas atrasadas a los protectores, ingratitud con los padres, tibieza con los hermanos, escasez de compasión con los seis clases de seres

«Were I to attain the resultant [states of enlightenment], By training, again and again, in the three world-systems of cyclic existence, What need would there be for your sublime compassion then? Given that this [release] would be the potent inheritance of my [positive] past actions, Would there be anyone to whom I would need to express my gratitude?» — la confesión lastimera del capítulo 7 razona por qué hace falta la compasión ajena: si bastara entrenarse una y otra vez en los tres sistemas de mundos, no habría a quién agradecer

«[But], O spiritual warrior, you who are endowed with the power of compassion, Since the momentum of my [negative] past actions is so potent, Do not be ineffective! Do not be indifferent! Do not be inactive! From your heart, O compassionate conquering deity, gaze upon me now! Draw me up from the swamp of cyclic existence! Lead me swiftly to the supreme level of the three buddha-bodies.» — de ese razonamiento sale la petición: que el guerrero espiritual no sea ineficaz, ni indiferente, ni inactivo, y saque al suplicante del pantano de la existencia cíclica

«Should we have not clearly visualised the seals of the meditational deity» — la confesión por el habla del capítulo 7 empieza por la visualización deficiente de los sellos de la deidad meditacional; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota

«Should we have been deficient in our mantra recitations during our ritual service, Should we have failed to carry out the rites through which both ritual service and attainment are fulfilled, Especially with respect to the ritual offerings of six session [yoga], And should we have been incapable of practising in accordance with the teachings and the texts, We confess all such degenerations of the commitments of buddha-speech!» — la continuación reparte al habla las faltas de recitación de mantras y de cumplimiento de los ritos de servicio y logro

«We confess all our contradictions and degenerations: Those relating to the prātimokṣa vows, Those relating to the trainings cultivated by the bodhisattvas, And those relating to the commitments upheld by the awareness holders.» — el capítulo 7 cierra la confesión por los tres cuerpos de voto: prātimokṣa, adiestramientos del bodhisattva y compromisos de los sostenedores de la consciencia

«From now on we shall not conceal [such degenerations] And we resolve to guard against any and every infraction!» — a esa confesión sigue la resolución de no ocultar más las degeneraciones y de guardarse de toda infracción

«This teaching [on the visual indications and signs of death] Is presented in terms of six general topics, namely: External, internal, and secret signs of death, Signs of remote death, signs of near death,» — el capítulo 8 anuncia los seis temas en que reparte los signos de muerte: externos, internos, secretos, de muerte lejana, de muerte cercana y los que indican el renacimiento futuro

«The body is composed of the four elements, Thus the following portents of its demise Will arise prior [to the time of death]: Loss of appetite, dullness of the sense faculties, A feeling of anger which consumes body, speech and mind, Distracted or depressed thoughts, Disturbed dreams, character changes, and fading complexion. These are the portents [indicating] that life [-threatening] hindrances may arise.» — los presagios generales del capítulo 8 son de conducta y de ánimo: pérdida de apetito, embotamiento de los sentidos, ira que consume, sueños perturbados y cambio de carácter

«If the fingernails and toenails become bloodless or lustreless, [This indicates] death after nine months, less half a day. If the cornea of the eyes begin to cloud over, [This indicates] death after five months. If the hair on the nape of the neck grows upwards, [This indicates] death after three months.» — los signos físicos del capítulo 8 traen plazo: uñas sin brillo dan nueve meses menos medio día, la córnea nublada cinco meses, el vello de la nuca erizado tres meses

«If, at this time, the vital breath is moving through the left nostril, Then, for a period of three days, the breath will continue to move exclusively through the left nostril, But then on the fourth day it will change, And proceed to move through the right nostril for three days. Thus it will alternate in this way every three days between the two nostrils. [Observe this process and] count the number of days diligently, and do not make a mistake.» — el mismo examen describe la alternancia regular del aliento entre las fosas nasales cada tres días, y manda contar los días con diligencia

«If one dreams of riding a tiger, fox, or corpse, Or of riding a buffalo, pig, camel, or donkey, While moving further and further towards the south, This is a sign of death [indicating that] one has fallen into the hands of Yama.» — los sueños del capítulo 8 se leen como signos: cabalgar un tigre, un zorro o un cadáver hacia el sur indica haber caído en manos de Yama

«If one dreams of being disembowelled by a fierce black woman, And that one’s entrails are spilling out, Or that a black man arrives, wielding an iron mace, And coming into one’s presence, he tells you to depart, Or [if one dreams] that one is being dragged along by a black rope attached to the neck, Or that one is inside a lofty red-coloured castle, Surrounded by a moat and perimeter wall, Or [if one dreams] of being decapitated and having one’s head carried off by another, Or of being surrounded by crows, anguished spirits, or villains, Or of being willingly led away, or leaving [home] in a bridal procession, Of being naked, with one’s hair cut off and beard shaved,» — la serie de sueños de muerte del capítulo 8 reúne el destripamiento, la soga negra al cuello, la decapitación, el ser llevado en procesión nupcial y el quedar desnudo y rapado

«The above are called the ‘internal signs of death’, Which are slightly more difficult [to avert] Through ritual deception than the aforementioned [external signs].» — el capítulo 8 gradúa la reversibilidad de los signos: los internos son algo más difíciles de revertir por engaño ritual que los externos

«When the external and internal signs of death occur, They can be averted by repeatedly performing the Ritual Deception of Death. If, however, the external and internal signs are not [successfully] reversed, One should then examine the secret signs in the following way:» — el capítulo 8 pone los signos secretos como examen posterior: solo se recurre a ellos si el engaño ritual no revirtió los externos ni los internos

«These are not only signs of death, But also omens that one will later proceed to [rebirth in] the indestructible hells. [Therefore], if one does not confess [and repair] these [degenerations] fully, One will experience the fierce sufferings of the hells.» — el capítulo 8 liga la degeneración del tercer empoderamiento con el renacimiento en los infiernos indestructibles, y hace de la confesión la salida

«The examination of the signs of death when it is [still] years or months away Should be made by scrutinising the ‘shadow of one’s lifespan’, Optically projected onto the sky, in the way described below. [These indications may show that] one will die, or that one will not die, And that the averting [of death] will be possible, or impossible.» — el capítulo 8 introduce el examen de la sombra de la vida proyectada en el cielo, que dice tanto si se morirá como si el desvío será posible

«Alas! This illusory and feeble aggregate of form, Created from compounded past actions and conditions, Like [the flame of] a butter lamp blowing in the wind, cannot last for ever» — el capítulo 8 abre con el símil de la lámpara de mantequilla al viento para el agregado de la forma; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota

«Nothing at all exists which is not subject to the conditioning of death, And indeed, since it is uncertain when death will occur, One should constantly be cognisant of the signs of [impending] death, And strive after [the accumulation of] virtue.» — de ese símil el capítulo 8 saca la vigilancia de los signos: nada escapa al condicionamiento de la muerte y no se sabe cuándo llegará

«There are two [primary] conditions responsible for the death of human beings: [First] untimely death and [second] death due to the [natural] exhaustion of the lifespan» — el capítulo 8 distingue dos causas de muerte, la prematura y el agotamiento natural de la vida; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota

«The investigation of the internal signs of death Comprises the examination of vital breath and the examination of dreams.» — el capítulo 8 reparte los signos internos en dos exámenes, el del aliento vital y el de los sueños

«Around the time of the [vernal or autumnal] equinox, At daybreak on the first day [of the lunar month], One should sit upright, with the body in the seven-point posture of Vairocana. Then, one should observe the vital breath, and note from which [nostril] this emerges.» — el examen del aliento vital se hace en el equinoccio, al alba del primer día lunar, sentado en la postura de siete puntos de Vairocana

«But death due to the [natural] exhaustion of the lifespan Is like the burning out of a butter lamp, So there is no way of averting this through ‘ritual deception’, And thus, [if this is indicated], one should make preparations to depart.» — el capítulo 8 les da distinto trato: la muerte por agotamiento de la vida es como la lámpara que se consume, no hay manera de desviarla por engaño ritual, y entonces toca prepararse para partir

«Then, once the eyes have grown numb [through strain], One should look up into the centre of the cloudless sky, At which time one’s own form should become visible in the sky. One should then know that if the head and body of this [reflected image] are intact, and [the image] is pale in colour, This is an auspicious sign that there will be no obstacles and that one will not die [imminently].» — el examen de la sombra del capítulo 8 se hace mirando al cielo sin nubes hasta ver la propia forma proyectada; imagen íntegra y pálida se lee como señal de que no hay obstáculos

«If one’s reflected image is not visible in the sky, [First], perform the rite for affirmation of vows, And, while sitting in the ‘indestructible cross-legged posture’, With the hands in the ‘gesture of meditative equipoise’,21 Look [for the image again], in the above manner. If [one’s reflected image] still does not appear, It may not be significant, as it may have been obscured by clouds or atmospheric winds, In which case, the examination should be postponed until the sky is clear.» — el propio texto acota el examen: la ausencia de imagen puede deberse a nubes o vientos, y en ese caso se pospone hasta que el cielo esté despejado

«Second, the [overall] shape [of the image] should be examined as follows: If [the image] is square, one may die after five months. If it is round, one may die after four months. If it is semicircular, one may die after three months, And if it is oblong, one may die after two months. In all these cases, death may be averted by ritual deception. However, if it is triangular, one will die after one month. If it resembles a bundled corpse, one will die after half a month. If it is upside down,23 one will die after ten days. In these last three cases, death cannot be averted and is absolutely inevitable.» — el capítulo 8 lee la forma de la imagen y con ella distingue lo desviable de lo irrevocable: cuadrada, redonda, semicircular u oblonga se puede desviar; triangular, de cadáver envuelto o invertida, no

«But if the ritual deception of death fails to be effective, even after being applied three times, This is a sign that the time has come for one’s life to end. Therefore, those of highest [potential] should maintain the view, Which accords with the profound abiding nature [of reality],24 Those of average [potential] should meditate on the meditational deity, according to the generation and perfection stages, And those of lowest [potential] should persevere with the accumulation [of merit].» — el capítulo 8 fija el límite de tres intentos y reparte lo que queda por hacer según la capacidad: mantener la visión, meditar en la deidad o acumular mérito

«This is called the ‘rupture of the edge of the earth element’, And it indicates that one may die at daybreak, ten days later.» — los signos de muerte cercana del capítulo 8 llevan nombre propio y plazo, como la ruptura del borde del elemento tierra

«In the morning after a night when one has not engaged in sexual intercourse, Drunk alcohol, or talked excessively, One should fill a clay container with one’s [first] urine, at sunrise, and examine it. If [the urine] has a bluish or reddish vapour which then disappears, This is called the ‘vanishing of the froth of the ocean’, And it indicates that one will certainly die after nine days.» — el examen de la orina del capítulo 8 impone condiciones previas y lee el vapor: el que es azulado o rojizo y se desvanece se llama desaparición de la espuma del océano

«In addition to such signs, the following may also occur: A turbid confusion and darkening of normal consciousness, A loss of one’s former appetite, Embarrassment and incapacity in undertaking virtuous acts, A [restless] urge to leave, and an inability to stay in one place, Discomfort in bed and inability to fall asleep, Recurring amnesia and disorientation,» — el capítulo 8 incluye entre los signos estados de ánimo y de conducta: confusión de la consciencia, pérdida del apetito, incapacidad de actos virtuosos, desasosiego, insomnio y amnesia

«Recurring memories of one’s former kindred, and the desire to be with them [again], Death wishes and the desire to commit suicide, The desire to roam and travel alone, without companions, Inertia, faintheartedness, and character changes, Poor physique and the convergence of many different illnesses, Dreams which are disturbed and recurringly negative, The welling up of powerful mental anxiety, Impious behaviour, which does not avoid the five poisonous, dissonant mental states, Lack of clarity and loss of faith in the [sublime] instructions,» — la misma serie recoge el deseo de estar con los parientes muertos, los deseos de morir, el impulso de vagar solo y la pérdida de fe en las instrucciones

«The internal water element comprises blood and serum. As an indication of its dissolution into the external water element, Saliva and nasal mucus will be secreted, While the throat and the tongue will become dry. Because the energy of water will have dissolved into fire, The warmth of the body will slip away, And consciousness will oscillate between clarity and dullness.» — la disolución de los elementos del capítulo 8 empareja cada elemento interno con su signo: el agua da saliva y mucosidad, garganta y lengua secas, y la consciencia oscila entre claridad y embotamiento

«The internal fire element comprises warmth. As an indication of its dissolution into the external fire element, The eyes will roll upwards, and one will no longer recognise people. Because the energy of fire will have dissolved into wind, The warmth [of the body] will converge.» — la misma serie da los signos del fuego: los ojos giran hacia arriba, se deja de reconocer a la gente y el calor del cuerpo converge

«The internal wind element comprises breath. As an indication of its dissolution into the external wind element, The breath will become wheezy, and the limbs will quiver.» — y los del viento: la respiración se vuelve sibilante y los miembros tiemblan

«Here follows the presentation of the miscellaneous signs of death. Regardless of whether one is sick or healthy, If one cannot see the point of the nose with the eyes, One may die after five months. If one cannot see the tip of one’s own tongue, One may die after three days even if one is not sick.» — los signos misceláneos del capítulo 8 se toman del propio cuerpo mirado de cerca: no verse la punta de la nariz da cinco meses, no verse la punta de la lengua tres días aun estando sano

«[During this process], the mouth will open, and the eyes will roll upwards, [Exposing] their pale underside. External appearances [will fade], as during the setting of the sun, And [finally] the sense faculties, memory, and perceptions will all cease, Whereupon, all [external] appearances will be absorbed into blackness.» — el capítulo 8 describe el cese: boca abierta, ojos vueltos hacia arriba, apariencias externas apagándose como al ponerse el sol, y sentidos, memoria y percepciones cesando

«Then, the blood in the heart will form two drops, The head will stoop, And the [exhaled] breath will extend [from the body] by an arrow-length. Following this, the blood in the centre of the heart will form three drops, And, with HIKA-like gasps, the [exhaled] breath will extend [from the body] by a double arm-span.41 [Then], the external breath will cease, and, engulfed by blackness, one will become unconscious.» — el capítulo 8 mide el morir por la sangre del corazón y la extensión del aliento exhalado: un codo, la longitud de una flecha, dos brazadas, y luego la inconsciencia

«For, even though the genuine inner radiance [of the ground] will [always] arise [at the moment of death], In the case of all beings who have not [already] realised the [inner radiance of the path], It will not be recognised.» — el capítulo 8 distingue el surgir de la radiancia interior de su reconocimiento: siempre surge al morir, pero quien no la realizó en el camino no la reconoce

«The [past] births that one has assumed and left behind are countless and infinite, And, although the inner radiance has indeed arisen an indescribable [number of times], It has been obscured [again and again] by the dense [fog of] coemergent ignorance, And [thereby], one has come to wander endlessly through cyclic existence.» — el capítulo 8 da la razón de que nadie recuerde: la radiancia interior surgió incontables veces y otras tantas la veló la ignorancia coemergente

«At the moment, [as described above], when the outer breath is about to cease, Signs will also occur [which indicate] the place of subsequent rebirth.» — el capítulo 8 lee en el cuerpo del moribundo, por temblor de la mano y retirada del calor corporal, señales del lugar del renacimiento siguiente

«Furthermore, there are indications and signs of a higher or lower rebirth That arise after the death of a sentient being. These relate to changes occurring in the sky, which should be examined over [an appropriate] number of days: If the sky turns dark brown, or vaporous [clouds] well up, Or if there are winds, chilling breezes, blizzards and so forth, All these are indications that the [deceased] will be born among the hell realms.» — el capítulo 8 lee también el cielo después de la muerte: oscurecimiento, vapores, vientos y ventiscas se leen como indicio de nacimiento en los reinos infernales

«Since living beings do not know when they will die, These signs of death should be looked for again and again. When the signs occur, indicating that one is certainly to die, Then one should renounce whatever possessions one has, And clearly call to mind the spiritual teacher, One’s fellow practitioners, assembled around one, and the oral teachings.» — el cierre del capítulo 8 manda buscar los signos una y otra vez y, cuando sean ciertos, renunciar a las posesiones y traer a la mente al maestro y las enseñanzas orales

«EMA! I have here presented the Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] the Visual Indications and Signs of Death, Which is a supporting text to the teaching on the Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States, An extract from the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: A Pro found Sacred Teaching, [entitled] Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention. O yogins of posterity, comprehend this as it is!» — el colofón del capítulo 8 lo declara texto de apoyo a la Liberación por la Audición, extraído del mismo ciclo; el troceo imprime *Pro found* partido

«This is a treasure-teaching revealed by the accomplished master Karma Lingpa. May virtue prevail!» — el cierre del capítulo 8 lo declara enseñanza-tesoro revelada por el maestro realizado Karma Lingpa

«If good circumstances prevail [at the time of death], And if there is minimal impairment of the vital organs, and clear mindfulness, And if one’s spiritual teacher and fellow practitioners gather together, with an inspired perspective, And if serum and other signs appear at the crown of the head, And consciousness is transferred from the crown of the head, Then, it is said that one will achieve liberation, or take birth among the higher realms.» — el capítulo 8 enumera las circunstancias favorables a la hora de morir: órganos poco dañados, atención clara, maestro y compañeros reunidos y transferencia de la consciencia por la coronilla; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota

«Therefore, it is most important [to create] the right circumstances at the time of death.» — el capítulo 8 declara esas circunstancias lo más importante a la hora de morir

«[However], when the external, internal, and secret signs of death do occur, If one does not perform the Ritual Deception of Death» — el capítulo 8 pone la condición; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota y la frase sigue calificando de caída el no ejecutar el engaño ritual

«One will incur the downfall of abandoning the assemblies of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, Who are the Conquerors, present within one’s own body.» — el cierre de esa frase equipara no ejecutar el engaño ritual con abandonar a las deidades pacíficas y airadas presentes en el propio cuerpo

«In this regard, [one should know that] of the twelve months of the year, two are ruled by each of the [five] elements, while the two [remaining] months are ruled [by all five elements] in common.» — el capítulo 9 reparte el calendario entre los cinco elementos: dos meses por elemento y dos comunes, y dentro de cada mes cinco días por elemento y cinco comunes

«[The signs of death] cannot be averted, however, when an [imbalanced] elemental or malevolent force [completely] controls the body. Just as, for example, if fire breaks out in a tall fortress, it is more easily averted while it is first confi» — el capítulo 9 pone el límite de su propia técnica con un símil: si la fuerza domina del todo el cuerpo no hay desvío posible, como el incendio de una fortaleza solo se ataja mientras está confinado

«Then, consecrate all these with the six mantras and six gestures, and repeat the following words, ‘Take them! Take them! O mighty [malignant] ones!» — la consagración de esos sustitutos se hace con seis mantras y seis gestos y una fórmula que ofrece los efigies a las fuerzas malignas

«In cases when the left part of the head is missing, one should make a dough effigy using twenty-five different types of grain, and insert [fragments of] human bones, horse bones and dog bones into its heart. Then, one should wrap the effigy in the subject’s old clothing, and at twilight on the eleventh day [of the lunar month], one should give it to another person for insertion into a pit [which has been made] eighty paces to the south. At that time, one should cry out, proclaiming one’s sorrows three times, and bury the effigy. Thereupon, [death] will be averted.» — el rito para la mitad izquierda faltante de la imagen proyectada usa una efigie de veinticinco granos con huesos humanos, de caballo y de perro, enterrada a ochenta pasos al sur entre lamentos

«Herein is contained the Natural Liberation of Fear through the Ritual Deception of Death,1 [an extract] from the Peaceful and Wrath ful Deities: A Pro found Sacred Teaching, [entitled] Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention» — el encabezado del capítulo 9 lo declara extracto del mismo ciclo de las Deidades Pacíficas y Airadas; el troceo imprime *Wrath ful* y *Pro found* partidos

«I bow down to the glorious transcendent one, [Vajra]kumāra, whose face frowns with wrath!» — el capítulo 9 abre con la postración a Vajrakumāra, de rostro fruncido por la ira

«As for the substances to be used for the ritual deception of the malevolent forces [which cause death], create substitutes, which may be made either of red minium clay, or else from dough, which is then painted. These should all be equal finger-widths in size, black, red, yellow, white, green and multicoloured,12 corresponding in number to the age of the subject.» — el capítulo 9 fabrica sustitutos del sujeto con arcilla de minio o masa pintada, de seis colores y en número igual a los años del sujeto

«These should be mixed with the subject’s grime, clothing, nasal mucus, saliva, tears, hair, fingernails, and so forth; as well as with ground jewels or precious substances.» — esos sustitutos se amasan con la mugre, la ropa, la mucosidad, la saliva, las lágrimas, el pelo y las uñas del sujeto, más joyas molidas

«In cases when the hair of the nape of the neck grows upwards, one should prepare a dough with black seeds and [use this to] make a substitute effigy, one cubit in height. Into its heart, one should then insert a number of crushed berries, equalling the subject’s age in years, and attach a label bearing the subject’s own name.» — el rito específico del capítulo 9 para el vello erizado de la nuca fabrica una efigie de masa de un codo con bayas machacadas en el corazón y una etiqueta con el nombre del sujeto

«Then, at one hundred and twenty-one paces from the subject’s own dwelling, one should dig a triangular dark pit, and recite [RAṂ], the seed-syllable of the element fire, a number of times equalling the subject’s age in years. Then repeat the following words three times, ‘Black demon! Take this [effigy]! This is important! This is important!’ Then, throw it into the pit, defecate upon it, cover it with earth and run away.» — esa efigie se entierra en un pozo triangular a ciento veintiún pasos de la casa del sujeto, se defeca encima y se huye

«In particular, [it is valuable] for ordinary persons, officials, householders and distracted individuals who have had no time to meditate, despite having received those [instructions]. That is, [it is valuable to all] those who have not engaged in experiential cultivation, even though they may have obtained profound teachings, and who, [as a consequence], may die in an ordinary frame of mind, having left the instructions as [unrealised] words, or having left [their relationship to] the [sacred] teachings as a [mere] theoretical understanding.» — el capítulo 10 dice para quién sirve la transferencia: el que recibió enseñanzas profundas y no las cultivó, y muere con la mente ordinaria dejando las instrucciones en palabras

«Now, anyone who is born is subsequently certain to die. Yet the time of death is unknown. Indeed, since one’s death might be imminent, one should be constantly alert to [the signs which portend] death.» — el capítulo 10 repite la premisa de todo el ciclo: quien nace muere, la hora es desconocida, y de ahí la vigilancia constante de los signos

«Since one does not know when one will die, training should be undertaken from the present moment, for it is essential that [one is able] to complete the actual application [of consciousness transference] successfully, when death becomes certain.» — el capítulo 10 justifica entrenar desde ahora: solo así se podrá aplicar la transferencia cuando la muerte sea segura

«Through the force of the vital energy below, the seminal point is unable to resist being accelerated upwards through the central channel. By this method, it is moved upwards, with seven HI-KA gasps, to the navel. Then, with a further seven HI-KA gasps it reaches the heart, with a further seven it reaches the throat, and with a further seven it reaches the space between the eyebrows. Then, uttering HI-KA, [a final time], the seminal point makes contact with the syllable HAṂ at the crown fontanelle, after which one should visualise that it spins downwards again and comes to rest below the navel as a white diffusion.» — el entrenamiento del capítulo 10 sube el punto seminal por el canal central con siete jadeos HI-KA por tramo, del ombligo al corazón, a la garganta, al entrecejo y a la coronilla

«By simply repeating this exercise a few times, signs will emerge that this [training in] consciousness transference has taken effect: a sensation of warmth will well up at the crown fontanelle, and there will be sensations of prickliness, irritation, numbness, and swelling, while the crown of the head will seem to become supple and numb» — el capítulo 10 da los signos por los que se sabe que el entrenamiento prendió: calor en la fontanela, hormigueo, irritación, entumecimiento e hinchazón en la coronilla

«In such cases, and if the consciousness has risen too precipitously, and one experiences vertigo and so forth, one should beat the soles of the feet with the fists and massage the crown of the head. Then, while focusing intensely on the visualisation of an extremely heavy golden stūpa on the soles of the feet, one should perform many yogic jumps, so that [the consciousness] is becalmed.» — el capítulo 10 trae remedio para el exceso: golpear las plantas de los pies, masajear la coronilla y saltar visualizando una estupa de oro muy pesada bajo los pies

«The ‘consciousness transference of the training phase’ which has just been described should be carefully practised while one is in good health, and before the signs of death emerge.» — el capítulo 10 separa la fase de entrenamiento de la de aplicación: la primera se practica en buena salud y antes de que surjan los signos de muerte

«Secondly, the application phase refers to the actual transference of consciousness, which is to be undertaken when the indications of death are unequivocally present and when, even after performing the [appropriate] ritual deception of death [practice] on three occasions, it is indicated that one will not reco» — el capítulo 10 fija la condición para la aplicación efectiva: indicaciones de muerte inequívocas y tres engaños rituales sin resultado

«In any case, when [it is thus ascertained that] one is dying, an invitation should be sent to one’s root spiritual teacher if he or she lives nearby, and all one’s possessions should be offered to the teacher, without even a single instant of attachment. If one remains even slightly attached [to worldly goods], one may be cast into inferior existences, as recounted in the story of the monk Barwasum.» — el capítulo 10 manda llamar al maestro raíz y ofrecerle todas las posesiones sin un instante de apego, y respalda la advertencia con el relato del monje Barwasum

«If an individual is unable to make such offerings in actuality, these should be offered mentally, and thereby a complete state of renunciation should be achieved. In particular, one should not leave any object at all close to [the dying person] which could give rise to attachment or aversion.» — el capítulo 10 admite la ofrenda mental cuando la real no es posible, y manda no dejar cerca del moribundo objeto alguno que despierte apego o aversión

«It is said in the Tantra of the Coalescence of Sun and Moon: At that time, the oral instructions of the spiritual teacher Should saturate one’s mental continuum. These truths should be repeatedly elucidated.» — el capítulo 10 respalda la lectura junto al moribundo con una cita del Tantra de la Coalescencia del Sol y la Luna: las instrucciones orales deben saturar el continuo mental

«Secondly, the clarification to be undertaken by oneself [at the time of one’s own death] is applicable in cases where the spiritual teacher and fellow students have not gathered together, or where one dies alone in a hermitage, or when one already has a refined experience [of consciousness transference] and does not require an elucidation to be made by others. In such cases, one should bring clearly to mind the practices which one formerly experientially cultivated.» — el capítulo 10 prevé la muerte en soledad: quien muere solo en una ermita trae a la mente las prácticas que cultivó antes, sin que nadie se las aclare

«If one expires in this state, the mother and child inner radiances, that is to say the inner radiance of the ground and the inner radiance of the path which is the focus of one’s current meditation, will encounter each other, like a stream meeting the main river. [Thus], one will attain the uncreated Buddha-body of Reality, in an upward-moving core-penetrating manner; and liberation will be instantaneous.» — el capítulo 10 describe la mejor transferencia con el símil del arroyo que se junta al río: las radiancias interiores madre e hija, la del fundamento y la del camino, se encuentran

«In exactly this way, from this very moment onwards, one should practise projecting one’s mental focus upwards to the crown of the head whenever strong fear arises.» — el capítulo 10 compara el adiestramiento con proponerse despertar a cierta hora y despertar: por eso manda proyectar la atención a la coronilla cada vez que surja miedo fuerte

«The reason for doing so is that even [ordinarily] now, when strong fear arises, we tend to cry out, ‘O father! spiritual teacher!’» — el capítulo 10 funda esa instrucción en un hábito observable: ante el miedo fuerte uno grita ya de suyo llamando al padre o al maestro

«Given that there are such very great consequential differences between the various apertures through which consciousness transference may occur, there will be inestimable benefits in directing one’s awareness to the crown of the head, at the time of death.» — el capítulo 10 reparte los renacimientos por el orificio de salida de la consciencia, y de ahí el provecho de dirigirla a la coronilla

«In the case of those who have not realised the meaning of emptiness, and who do not know the significance of the generation and perfection stages [of meditation], it is the consciousness transference of ordinary beings which should be applied as follows: The head [of the dying person] should point north, with the body lying down on the right side.» — el capítulo 10 reserva para los seres ordinarios una transferencia sin visualización: el cuerpo tendido sobre el costado derecho y la cabeza al norte

«In summary, since it is essential that all the advantages [that accrue from] practising the teachings should converge at the time of death, it is extremely important to become skilled [during one’s lifetime] in the process of dying.» — el cierre del capítulo 10 declara por qué importa la destreza: todo el provecho de la práctica converge en el momento de morir

«This is called the ‘pure consciousness transference into the Buddha-body of Reality’ because those who have highly developed experience and realisation need repeat only this, again and again. It is the best of all modes of consciousness transference.» — el capítulo 10 nombra esa vía transferencia pura al Cuerpo de la Realidad y la declara la mejor de todas, reservada a quien ya tiene experiencia y realización

«Then, in conjunction with a series of HI-KA HI-KA gasps, [the seminal point] should be moved successively upwards until it reaches the crown fontanelle. There, it breaks open the orifice of the crown fontanelle, which had been blocked by the syllable HAṂ, and shoots upwards, like an arrow, blazing with white light» — la continuación describe la salida: el punto seminal rompe el orificio de la fontanela bloqueado por la sílaba HAṂ y se dispara como flecha, ardiendo en luz blanca

«Then, one’s bodily weight should be [drawn in and] concentrated upwards, and the rectum forcefully closed. The eyes should be turned upwards, the tongue [lifted to] rest along the upper palate, and the hands firmly placed in the ‘fist’ gesture,14 with the thumbs pressing down on the bases of the fourth fingers. [Then], from below the navel, the seminal point is moved forcefully upwards, and, through the engagement of speech, it is elevated with the» — la técnica del capítulo 10: peso corporal recogido hacia arriba, recto cerrado con fuerza, ojos vueltos hacia arriba y lengua apoyada en el paladar

«This Great Liberation by Hearing, the skilful means which liberates yogins of average ability during the intermediate states, has three parts, namely: the introduction, the main subject matter [of the text] and the conclusion.» — el capítulo 11 se declara medio hábil para yoguines de capacidad media durante los estados intermedios, y anuncia sus tres partes

«[The main subject matter of the Great Liberation by Hearing] comprises three sections: the introduction to inner radiance during the intermediate state of the time of death,13 the great elucidation which introduces the intermediate state of reality14 and a teaching on the means for obstructing the entrance to the womb during the intermediate state of rebirth.» — el capítulo 11 reparte su materia en tres secciones, una por cada estado intermedio: la radiancia interior del momento de la muerte, la elucidación del estado intermedio de la realidad y la obstrucción del útero

«[Generally], the length of time during which the inner breath remains present within the central channel is just about the time taken to eat a meal.» — el capítulo 11 mide la ventana en que debe hacerse la introducción con una medida doméstica: lo que se tarda en comer

«O, Child of Buddha Nature, (call the name of the dying person), the time has now come for you to seek a path. As soon as your respiration ceases, [the luminosity] known as the ‘inner radiance of the first intermediate state’,20 which your spiritual teacher formerly introduced to you, will arise. [Immediately] your respiration ceases, all phenomena will become empty and utterly naked like space. [At the same time], a naked awareness will arise, not extraneous [to yourself], but radiant, empty and without horizon or centre. At that moment, you should personally recognise this intrinsic nature and rest in the state of that [experience].» — la fórmula que se lee al moribundo en el capítulo 11 lo llama por su nombre y le anuncia que al cesar la respiración surgirá una consciencia desnuda, radiante y vacía, sin horizonte ni centro, que debe reconocer como suya

«[All aspirants] should experientially cultivate the steps of guidance, 3 which are the means by which corporeal beings can achieve liberation. Those of highest acumen should certainly attain liberation [in their lifetime] through [the application of] that guidance. But if liberation does not occur thereby, [yogins] should implement, during the intermediate state of the time of death, [the appropriate procedure outlined in] the Consciousness Transference: Natural Liberation through Recollection» — el capítulo 11 escalona los remedios por capacidad: la guía para los de mayor agudeza y, si no basta, la transferencia de la consciencia en el estado intermedio del momento de la muerte

«Yogins of average ability should certainly be liberated by that. If liberation is not effected by the [application of consciousness transference], then [the recitation of] the following Great Liberation by Hearing should be persistently made during the intermediate state of reality.» — la continuación reserva la recitación de este texto para cuando la transferencia de la consciencia tampoco surta efecto

«Now, the sign of the dissolution of earth into water is present, of water into fire, fire into wind, wind into consciousness, and so forth» — el capítulo 11 manda recitar al moribundo la secuencia de la disolución de los elementos en su orden correcto, remitiendo al capítulo 8

«Venerable One! The inner radiance of the ground is now arisen before you. Recognise it, and concentrate directly on its experiential cultivation.» — el capítulo 11 cambia la fórmula según a quién se dirige: al maestro o al amigo espiritual mayor que uno se le habla de ese modo breve

«this radiant essence that is now your conscious awareness is a brilliant emptiness. It is beyond substance, beyond characteristics and beyond colour, completely empty of inherent existence in any respect whatsoever. This is the female Buddha Samantabhadrῑ, the essential nature of reality.» — el capítulo 11 identifica la consciencia presente del moribundo con una vacuidad brillante y la nombra la buda femenina Samantabhadrῑ, naturaleza esencial de lo real

«The essence of your own conscious awareness is emptiness. Yet, this is not a vacuous or nihilistic emptiness; this, your very own conscious awareness, is unim» — el texto acota de inmediato su propia afirmación: la vacuidad que enuncia no es vacuidad nihilista ni hueca

«Now, at this point, the consciousness emerges from the body and, [initially], the individual may not know whether or not he or she has died. The relatives are seen as before, and their cries of sorrow can be heard. During this period, before the harsh and bewildering experiences related to past actions have arisen, and before the terrifying experiences related to Yama have occurred, the oral teaching should be given.» — el capítulo 11 sitúa la ventana de la enseñanza oral: el difunto todavía no sabe si murió, ve a los parientes y oye sus llantos, y aún no han surgido las experiencias aterradoras

«Just as, for example, darkness is destroyed by the light of the sun, the controlling force of past actions is destroyed by this ‘inner radiance of the path’ and liberation is attained.» — el capítulo 11 explica la liberación en ese punto con el símil del sol: la radiancia interior del camino destruye la fuerza rectora de las acciones pasadas

«Since the bewildering appearances generated by past actions have not yet arisen, [the deceased] is able to direct his or her attention anywhere.» — el capítulo 11 da la razón por la que esa ventana es aprovechable: mientras las apariencias desconcertantes no surgen, el difunto puede dirigir la atención a donde quiera

«O, Child of Buddha Nature, that which is called death has now arrived. You are leaving this world. But in this you are not alone. This happens to everyone. Do not be attached to this life! Do not cling to this life! Even if you remain attached and clinging, you do not have the power to stay - you will only continue to roam within the cycles of existence. Therefore, do not be attached and do not cling! Think of the Three Precious Jewels!» — la fórmula del capítulo 11 le dice al difunto que no está solo en esto, que le pasa a todos, y que el apego no le da poder de quedarse

«O, Child of Buddha Nature, should you have moved on, [without recognition], after having been unconscious for [up to] three and a half days,39 you will awaken from unconsciousness and wonder, “What has happened to me?” So, recognise this to be the intermediate state! At this time, the aspects of the cycles of existence are reversed [into their own true nature] and all phenomena are arising as lights and buddha-bodies.» — el capítulo 11 fija en tres días y medio la inconsciencia y describe el despertar como inversión de los aspectos de la existencia cíclica, que se presentan como luces y cuerpos de buda

«[On the first day of the intermediate state of reality],41 all space will arise as a blue light. At this time, from the central Buddha field called Pervasive Seminal Point,42 the transcendent lord Vairocana will dawn before you, his body white in colour, seated on a lion throne, holding in his [right] hand an eight-spoked wheel and embraced by his consort Ākāśadhātvῑśvarῑ. A blue luminosity, radiant and clear, bright and dazzling, [indicative of] the pristine cognition of reality’s expanse, which is the natural purity of your aggregate» — el primer día del estado intermedio de la realidad hace surgir a Vairocana desde el campo búdico central y una luminosidad azul, pureza natural de un agregado

«If, however, even after receiving this introduction, as the result of negative obscuration and aversion, [the deceased] are nonetheless overawed by the lights and rays, and turn away, and even if, after repeating the aspirational prayer, they remain bewildered, then, on the second day, Vajrasattva’s assembly of deities will come to escort them, and, at that same time, the negative past actions which are conducive to a rebirth in the hell [realms] will also emerge.» — el capítulo 11 estructura los días como serie de segundas oportunidades: si el difunto se aparta de las luces, al día siguiente llega otra asamblea, y con ella la acción pasada que empuja al infierno correspondiente

«This [dull light] is the inviting path created by your own habitual tendencies for deep-seated pride, which you yourself have generated. If you become attached to it, you will tumble down into the human realm, you will experience the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death, and there will be no [immediate] opportunity to escape from the swamp of cyclic existence. This [dull light] is an obstacle blocking the path to liberation! Do not look at it! Abandon pride! Abandon your habitual tendencies! Do not be attached to the dull blue light! Do not cling to it!» — el capítulo 11 adjudica la luz tenue que atrae al renacimiento humano a las tendencias habituales de orgullo del propio difunto, y no a una fuerza ajena

«Although it is impossible not to be liberated by [the successful recognition of] this [introduction], there are nonetheless those who will be unable to give up their propensities due to habituation over long periods of time, even after receiving such an introduction. Under the sway of envy and negative past actions, they will become fearful and overawed by the sounds and luminosities. Failing to be caught by the light-ray hook of compassion, they roam downwards into the fifth day.» — el capítulo 11 admite que la introducción no libera a todos: hay quien, por hábito largo, no suelta sus propensiones y se sobrecoge ante sonidos y luminosidades

«This is the inviting path of your past actions, which you yourself have engaged in, whilst motivated by deep envy. If you become attached to this dull light, you will fall into the realms of the antigods and experience the unbearable sufferings of [unrelenting] conflict and quarrelling. This [dull light] is an obstacle blocking the path to liberation! Do not be attached to it! Give up your yearning! Do not cling to it!» — la fórmula se repite día a día en el capítulo 11: la luz tenue de cada reino es el camino invitante de las propias acciones pasadas, no una fuerza externa

«O, Child of Buddha Nature, from the hearts of the male and female buddhas of the five enlightened families, the light rays of the ‘four pristine cognitions combined’, very fine and clear, like a spider’s web, will dawn before your heart, [like the] entwined light rays of the sun.» — el capítulo 11 describe los rayos de las cuatro cogniciones prístinas combinadas como finísimos, como telaraña, que llegan al corazón del difunto

«O, Child of Buddha Nature, together with the radiances of pristine cognition, the six [dull] lights [indicative] of the six classes [of beings] who are obscured by impure and bewildering perception, will also arise simultaneously. That is to say, the dull white light of the gods, the dull red light of the antigods, the dull blue light of the humans, the dull green light of the animals, the dull yellow light of the anguished spirits, and the dull smoky light of the inhabitants of the hells will arise alongside the radiances of pure pristine cognition. At that moment, do not seize upon, or become attached to, any [of these lights]!» — el capítulo 11 hace surgir a la vez las radiancias de la cognición prístina y las seis luces tenues de las seis clases de seres, y manda no aferrarse a ninguna

«However, those most lowly individuals in the human world who totally lack the propensities for spiritual practice, and those who have broken their commitments and so forth, will continue to be bewildered, as a result of their [negative] past actions. Despite being introduced, they will continue to roam downwards, failing to achieve recognition.» — el capítulo 11 consigna el límite de su propio método: quienes carecen por completo de propensión a la práctica o rompieron sus compromisos siguen vagando pese a la introducción

«The crescendo will reverberate as if to split your head. Performing their diverse dances, this [array] will come to escort those who have kept their commitments and to bring to account those who have allowed their commitments to degenerate.» — el cortejo de los sostenedores de la consciencia del capítulo 11 llega con tambores, trompetas de fémur y estandartes de piel humana, y viene a escoltar a unos y a pedir cuentas a otros

«All types of spiritual friend can attain recognition at this stage, and [thus] they will attain liberation. There is no doubt that even those with negative propensities can attain liberation at this point.» — el capítulo 11 declara este punto especialmente propicio: incluso quienes tienen propensiones negativas pueden liberarse aquí

«Now, after the invitation of the assembly of the peaceful deities, and the divine assembly of the awareness holders and ḍākinῑs, has passed, the blazing assembly of the fifty-eight wrathful blood-drinking deities, who are a natural transformation of the above assembly of peaceful deities, will arise. These deities will be very dissimilar [in appearance] to the peaceful deities. This is the intermediate state of the wrathful deities and, [consequently, as the deceased will be] overpowered by fear, terror or awe, recognition also becomes more difficult.» — el capítulo 11 declara a las cincuenta y ocho deidades airadas transformación natural de las pacíficas, y advierte que el terror hace más difícil el reconocimiento

«But, nevertheless, if there is even the slightest recognition, liberation is easy. Should you ask why this is so - it is because once the awesome, terrifying and fearful appearances arise, the awareness does not have the luxury of distraction. The awareness is one-pointedly concentrated.» — el capítulo 11 saca partido del terror mismo: ante lo espantoso la consciencia no tiene el lujo de distraerse y queda concentrada en un punto

«however unrefined and uncultured they were, and however unseemly and inelegant their conduct, even if they have not been able to experientially cultivate the way of secret mantra successfully, will attain liberation in this instance, simply because they have not embraced a mistaken view, and are without doubt, and are devoted to the secret mantra. Even if such an individual’s conduct in the human world was inelegant, at least one [auspicious] indication, such as major and minor relics, images or rainbow light, will occur at the moment of death. This is because the way of secret mantra carries an extremely great blessing.» — el capítulo 11 promete la liberación en este punto aun al practicante rudo y de conducta poco elegante, con tal de que no haya abrazado una visión errada

«He who is called the transcendent lord Vajra Heruka, of the Vajra family of blood-drinking deities, will arise from the eastern direction of your brain and appear before you. His body is dark blue in colour, with three faces, six arms and four legs, [firmly] set apart. His right face is white, the left red and the central face is blue.» — la descripción de Vajra Heruka en el capítulo 11 lo hace surgir de la dirección oriental del propio cerebro del difunto, con tres caras, seis brazos y cuatro piernas

«The female consort Vajrakrodheśvarῑ is embracing his body, her right hand clasped around his neck and her left offering a skull-cup filled with blood to his mouth.» — la misma descripción pone a la consorte Vajrakrodheśvarῑ abrazándolo y ofreciéndole a la boca un cráneo lleno de sangre

«their negative habitual tendencies, will nevertheless flee in awe and terror. Not recognising their own meditational deities, they will perceive them as Yama and thereby the recognition will not occur.» — el capítulo 11 explica el fracaso del reconocimiento: no reconocer a las propias deidades meditacionales las convierte en Yama a ojos del difunto

«Recognise this to be the buddha-body of your own intrinsic awareness. These are your own meditational deities, so do not be terrified. This, in reality, is the transcendent lord Vairocana and his consort, so do not be afraid. Recognition and liberation will occur simultaneously!» — la fórmula del capítulo 11 identifica la aparición airada con el cuerpo de la propia consciencia del difunto, y declara reconocimiento y liberación simultáneos

«Based on the spiritual teacher’s [former] oral instruction, as one recognises these [visionary appearances] as the natural expressive power of awareness, naturally manifesting, liberation will occur. This is like one who recognises a stuffed lion-skin to be» — el capítulo 11 compara el reconocimiento con quien ve que la piel de león disecada no es un león: las apariencias son el poder expresivo natural de la consciencia

«These eight Gaurῑ, who are indicative of the [eight] classes [of consciousness], will emerge from within your own brain, and surround the five blood-drinking deities and their consorts. Do not be afraid!» — el capítulo 11 hace emerger a las ocho Gaurῑ del propio cerebro del difunto, y las declara indicativas de las ocho clases de consciencia

«O, Child of Buddha Nature, the largest of the buddha-bodies of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities will be as vast as the sky; the medium ones will be the size of Mount Sumeru; and even the smallest will be the size of eighteen of our bodies, standing one above the other.» — el capítulo 11 mide los cuerpos de las deidades por tres escalas: el mayor vasto como el cielo, el mediano como el monte Sumeru y el menor como dieciocho cuerpos humanos apilados

«All phenomenal existence is now arising as luminosities and buddha-bodies. By recognising all the present visionary appearances to be the natural luminosity of your own intrinsic awareness, manifesting as lights and buddha-bodies, you will dissolve inseparably within the lights and buddha-bodies, and buddhahood will be attained.» — el capítulo 11 formula la instrucción central del estado intermedio de la realidad: reconocer toda aparición como luminosidad natural de la propia consciencia intrínseca

«Upon recognising [the visionary appearances] in this way, be fervently devoted, and think: ‘These are my meditational deities. They have come to escort me on the dangerous pathway of the intermediate state. I take refuge in them.’ Remember the Three Precious Jewels! Remember your meditational deity, whichever it may be! Call to your meditational deity by name and pray with the following words: ‘I am roaming in the intermediate state - come quickly to rescue me! Hold me in your compassion, O precious meditational deity!’ Call to your spiritual teacher, by name, and pray with the following words: ‘I am roaming in the intermediate state. Rescue me! Do not let your compassion forsake me!’» — el capítulo 11 pone en boca del difunto las plegarias que debe dirigir a su deidad meditacional y a su maestro, llamándolos por su nombre

«The above introduction should be given three or up to seven times. Even if the negativity of the deceased is very great and even if the inheritance of past actions is very bad, it is impossible for liberation not to occur - [if there is recognition]. Yet, regardless of how often these teachings are given, if recognition does not occur, [the deceased] will necessarily roam into the intermediate state of rebirth.» — el capítulo 11 declara imposible que no haya liberación si hay reconocimiento, y necesario el paso al estado intermedio del renacimiento si no lo hay

«This teaching was brought forth in secret by the accomplished master Karma Lingpa, the eldest son of the accomplished master Nyinda Sangye, from the sacred place of Mount Gampodar, which resembles a dancing god, and is located on the banks of the river Serden.» — el colofón del capítulo 11 adjudica la extracción secreta a Karma Lingpa, hijo mayor de Nyinda Sangye, del monte Gampodar a orillas del río Serden

«The phrase, ‘Complete with all sense-faculties, and the power of unobstructed movement’6 means that, even though you may have been blind, deaf or lame while you were alive, now, in the intermediate state, your eyes see forms, your ears hear sounds and all your sense-faculties are faultless, clear and complete.» — el capítulo 11 declara íntegras las facultades sensoriales del cuerpo del estado intermedio, aunque el difunto haya sido ciego, sordo o cojo en vida

«However, this is not [a clairvoyance] that can perceive [the beings of the intermediate state] at all times. If you are intent on seeing [beings of like nature in this intermediate state] then they will be perceived. If you are not so intent, they will not be perceived. This [clairvoyance] will dissolve, as soon as your concentration is distracted.» — el capítulo 11 acota la clarividencia del estado intermedio: solo opera cuando hay intención de ver, y se disuelve en cuanto la concentración se distrae

«O, Child of Buddha Nature, with a body having qualities such as these just described, you will [once again] see your homeland and your relatives, as if in a dream. Yet, even though you call out to your relatives, they will not reply. You will see your family and relatives crying and realise: ‘I am dead. What should I do now?’ Thinking this, you will be overwhelmed by intense suffering - you will feel like a fish [expelled from the water], writhing on hot sand.» — el capítulo 11 describe el momento en que el difunto se sabe muerto: llama a sus parientes y no le responden, los ve llorar y queda como pez sobre arena caliente

«the ‘innate good conscience’ within you15 will now gather together all your virtuous actions, counting them out with white pebbles, and the ‘innate bad conscience’ within you will gather together all your non-virtuous actions, counting them out with black pebbles.» — el capítulo 11 sitúa el juicio dentro del difunto: la conciencia buena innata cuenta con guijarros blancos las acciones virtuosas y la mala con negros las no virtuosas

«In an instant, penetrating analysis is made. In an instant, perfect buddhahood is attained.» — el capítulo 11 cita dos versos que ponen el análisis penetrante y la budeidad perfecta en un mismo instante

«Yet, once it is heard, liberation can be achieved just by avoiding a mistaken view» — el capítulo 11 declara que basta con oír la enseñanza y no abrazar una visión errada; la cita corta antes de la llamada de nota

«Therefore it should be greatly cherished. It is the essence of all teachings.» — el mismo pasaje llama al texto esencia de todas las enseñanzas

«O, Child of Buddha Nature, (call to the deceased by name), listen [to me]. It is due to your own past actions that you are now suffering in this way. No one else is responsible - this is solely the result of your own past actions. Pray ardently now to the Three Precious Jewels.» — el capítulo 11 adjudica el sufrimiento del estado intermedio exclusivamente a las acciones pasadas del propio difunto, y niega que haya otro responsable

«Alternatively, your mind may grow attached to your wealth and possessions, now left behind, or else, knowing that your wealth and possessions are being enjoyed and owned by others, you may become both attached to those worldly goods and also hateful towards those left behind [who are using your possessions]. As a result of this, a connecting link will certainly be formed to a birth amongst the hell beings or amongst the anguished spirits» — el capítulo 11 advierte que apegarse a los bienes dejados atrás, o aborrecer a quienes los usan, forma vínculo con un nacimiento entre los seres del infierno o los espíritus angustiados

«O, Child of Buddha Nature, in short, since your awareness during this intermediate state lacks any [material] support, it is light and volatile, and therefore, whatever virtuous or non-virtuous perceptions arise, these are very powerful.» — el capítulo 11 explica por qué las percepciones pesan tanto en este estado: sin soporte material, la consciencia es ligera y volátil

«What are these six lights, you may ask? A dull white light indicative of the realm of the gods will arise. A dull red light indicative of the realm of the antigods will arise. A dull blue light indicative of the human realm will arise. A dull green light indicative of the animal realm will arise. A dull yellow light indicative of the realm of the anguished spirits will arise and a dull smoky light indicative of the realm of the hell-beings will arise. These six lights will emerge.» — el capítulo 11 enumera las seis luces tenues, una por reino, y advierte que la del reino donde se va a nacer brilla más que las otras

«At this stage, it is extremely important that you carefully employ the methods for obstructing the womb entrances. [Principally], there are two such methods of obstruction. These are: [first], the method which obstructs the person who is to enter the womb and, [second], the methods which obstruct the womb which is to be entered.» — el capítulo 11 divide en dos los métodos de obstrucción del útero: el que obstruye a quien va a entrar y el que obstruye el útero mismo

«[O, Child of Buddha Nature], meditate in the following way! ‘Alas! The father and the mother [in sexual union], the rain, the blackness, the hurricane, the thunderous sound, the fearful and terrifying experiences, the nature of these and of all phenomena is illusion-like. In whatever form [phenomena] arise, they are not real. All substantial things are unreal and false, like a mirage. They are not permanent. They are not changeless.» — el método último de obstrucción del capítulo 11 es una meditación sobre la irrealidad: padre y madre, lluvia, oscuridad y terror son de naturaleza ilusoria

«If you are to take birth on the Eastern Continent, Videha, you will see a lake, adorned by male and female swans. Do not be drawn towards this [place]! Call to mind the methods of reversal [and apply these]!» — el capítulo 11 da señas del entorno de cada continente para que el difunto elija: el lago con cisnes anuncia el continente oriental, y manda no dejarse atraer

«This is why it [is said to] resemble a connecting tube which [re-establishes continuity] when inserted into a broken water channel. Therefore, [based on the veracity of this method], it is impossible not to be liberated upon hearing this teaching, even for those of the greatest negativity.» — el capítulo 11 compara su propia enseñanza con un tubo que restablece la continuidad de un canal de agua roto

«Ensure that its words and meaning are retained in the memory [such that] they are not forgotten, even if you were to be chased by seven [ferocious] dogs. This is a pith instruction for the attainment of buddhahood at the time of death. [Even if] all the buddhas of the past, present and future [were to search], they would not find a [sacred] teaching superior to this.» — el cierre del capítulo 11 pide retener palabras y sentido aunque lo persigan a uno siete perros feroces, y declara que ni los budas de los tres tiempos hallarían enseñanza superior

«This completes the instruction on the intermediate state, which liberates corporeal beings, the profound, refined essence, entitled the Great Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States. It was brought forth from the mountain of Gampodar by the accomplished master Karma Lingpa, as a precious treasure.» — el colofón del capítulo 11 adjudica la extracción del monte Gampodar al maestro realizado Karma Lingpa, como tesoro precioso

«If you are to be born as a female, you will experience the perceptions of a female. You will feel intense envy and jealousy towards the mother and you will feel intense attachment and affection towards the father. This [emotional arousal] will cause you to enter a womb.» — el capítulo 11 adjudica la entrada al útero a la atracción y la aversión hacia los padres, distintas según el sexo del que va a nacer

«From that state of bliss you will faint into unconsciousness, and as time passes, the embryo will come to maturity in the womb, moving through [its various stages of development], that is, the clotting of the embryo, the oval elongation of the embryo,29 and so forth until finally, you will emerge [from the womb] and open your eyes. Now, you will have turned into a puppy.» — el mismo pasaje advierte que el mecanismo puede acabar en un nacimiento animal: el que fue humano abre los ojos convertido en cachorro

«Set down above are several profound and genuine instructions for effecting the obstruction of the womb entrances. For those with high, average or low ability, it is impossible not to be liberated by these [instructions]. This is because: first, consciousness in the intermediate state is endowed with an, albeit corrupt, supernormal cognitive ability. Therefore, whatever one says [to the deceased] is heard by the deceased.» — el capítulo 11 da la primera de tres razones por las que la instrucción llega al difunto: su cognición supranormal, aunque corrupta

«Second, even if the deceased was deaf or blind [while in the human world], now, [in the intermediate state], all the sensory faculties will be complete and therefore whatever is said will be apprehended. Third, since the deceased is continuously being overwhelmed by fear and terror, there is an undistracted concentration on what to do; therefore, what is said will be listened to.» — las otras dos razones: las facultades sensoriales completas en el estado intermedio y la concentración sin distracción que impone el terror

«O, Child of Buddha Nature, although you do not wish to move forward, you are powerless not to do so. The avenging forces, who are the executors of the unfailing laws of cause and effect, will be pursuing you. You will have no choice but to move forward. Before you, the avengers and executors will be leading the way. The experience will arise of trying to flee from these forces, of trying to flee from the darkness, from the most violent windstorms, from the [thunderous] tumult, the snow, the rain, the hail and the turbulent blizzards, which swirl around you.» — el capítulo 11 describe la huida del difunto ante los ejecutores de la ley de causa y efecto, entre oscuridad, vendavales, nieve, granizo y ventiscas

«[Frightened], you will set off to seek a refuge and you will find protection inside an enclosed space, such as within the mansions, just described, or in rock-shelters, or holes in the ground, or amongst trees, or within the bud of a lotus flower.» — esa huida termina en un refugio cerrado: mansiones, abrigos de roca, agujeros en la tierra, árboles o el capullo de un loto

«It is extremely important that your motivation is firmly concentrated [as you approach the womb entrance]. Therefore think as follows: ‘Ah! For the sake of all sentient beings, I shall be born as a universal monarch, or [acting purely] like a great [dignified] sal tree, I shall be born into the brāhman class, or as the child of an accomplished master, or into a family which maintains an immaculate lineage of the [sacred] teachings, or into a family where the mother and father are deeply devout.» — el capítulo 11 convierte la entrada al útero en acto deliberado: se elige el nacimiento por la motivación de obrar en favor de todos los seres

«This prayer should be recited at the time of one’s own death, [or whenever appropriate]. First, make offerings, both actual and visualised, to the Three Precious Jewels. Then, while holding fragrant incense in one’s hand, say the following words with fervent intensity:» — la rúbrica del capítulo 12 fija el gesto de la plegaria: ofrendas a las Tres Joyas e incienso perfumado en la mano

«Seize him with your compassion! Do not allow [this] sentient being to fall under the power of negative past actions! O, Three Precious Jewels, protect us from the sufferings of the intermediate state!» — la plegaria del capítulo 12 pide a los budas y bodhisattvas que no dejen caer al difunto bajo el poder de sus acciones pasadas

«I bow down to the spiritual teachers, [meditational deities] and ḍākinῑs, May I be guided on the path by their great love. O, as I roam in cyclic existence [driven] by deep-seated bewilderment, May the spiritual teachers, holders of the oral lineages, draw me forward, Leading me on the path of [radiant] light, Which is undistracted study, reflection and m» — la segunda plegaria del capítulo 12 empareja cada veneno con la deidad que saca de él: al desconcierto le corresponden los maestros del linaje oral y el sendero del estudio, la reflexión y la meditación

«May the elements of space not arise as a hostile force. May I see them as the field of the blue buddha. May the elements of water not arise as a hostile force. May I see them as the field of the white buddha. May the elements of earth not arise as a hostile force. May I see them as the field of the yellow buddha. May the elements of fire not arise as a hostile force. May I see them as the field of the red buddha. May the elements of wind not arise as a hostile force. May I see them as the field of the green buddha.» — la plegaria del capítulo 12 pide que los cinco elementos no se alcen como fuerza hostil sino que se vean como los campos de los cinco budas

«May I recognise all sounds as my own sounds. May I recognise all lights as my own lights. May I recognise all rays as my own rays. May I spontaneously recognise [the characteristics of] the intermediate states. May the fields of the three buddha-bodies be manifest.» — el núcleo de esa plegaria pide reconocer sonidos, luces y rayos como propios: lo que aparece no es ajeno al que lo percibe

«When the roars of savage wild beasts echo around me, May their cries be transformed into the sound of the sacred teachings, the Six Syllables, And as I am engulfed by snow, rain, wind and darkness, May I achieve the pure clairvoyance of radiant pristine cognition.» — la tercera plegaria del capítulo 12 pide que los rugidos de las fieras se vuelvan sonido de las enseñanzas y las seis sílabas, y que la nieve y la oscuridad se vuelvan clarividencia

«This prayer entitled the Aspirational Prayer which Protects from Fear of the Intermediate States was composed by the preceptor from Oḍḍiyāna, Padmākara. May this profound sacred teaching not be extinguished until all the worlds of cyclic existence have been emptied. SAMAYA rgya rgya rgya! This is a treasure-text of Tulku Karma Lingpa.» — el colofón del capítulo 12 adjudica esa plegaria a Padmākara, el preceptor de Oḍḍiyāna, y declara el conjunto texto-tesoro de Tulku Karma Lingpa: las dos capas de la atribución, en una sola línea

«Herein is contained [a masked drama entitled] Natural Liberation of the Intermediate State of Rebirth: A Teaching Revealing the Natural Expression of Virtue and Negativity, in the Intermediate State of Rebirth;1 which is an extract from the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: A Profound Sacred Teaching [entitled] Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention.» — el encabezado del capítulo 13 nombra el drama enmascarado y lo declara extracto del mismo ciclo de las Deidades Pacíficas y Airadas

«The spiritual teacher [should now appear fully attired] in the costume of Yama Dharmarāja, and wear a large wrathful mask, depicting Yama. He is carrying a large wooden slate in his right hand, and in his left he holds a large round mirror. Dressed in a silk brocade gown, he is seated on a great throne.» — la acotación escénica del capítulo 13 viste al propio maestro espiritual de Yama Dharmarāja, con máscara airada, tablilla de madera y espejo redondo

«In his retinue, there is a figure dressed as the black Ox-headed Rakṣa Demon,6 wearing an ox-head mask and holding a black lasso. Then, seated to the right, there is another figure dressed as the Monkey-headed Elemental Spirit,7 with the face of a monkey, and holding a weight and measure in his hands.» — el séquito del drama del capítulo 13 se reparte máscaras animales, cada una con su instrumento: el lazo negro, el peso y la medida

«The demon representing [the deceased’s] bad conscience chases him from behind, carrying a load of black pebbles. Meanwhile, the deity representing [the deceased’s] good conscience places [a mere] six white pebbles in the bowl for white pebbles, and, in embarrassment, tries to help. Holding a white scarf, with his hands folded in a gesture of supplication, he attempts to petition Ox-headed Rakṣa [on behalf of the deceased], but this is unsuccessful.» — el drama del capítulo 13 pone el juicio en manos de dos personajes internos: el demonio de la mala conciencia con su carga de guijarros negros y la deidad de la buena conciencia con seis blancos

«I did not knowingly do evil just out of contempt for all of you, who exist here in the world of the intermediate state. The fault lies with this misunderstanding and lack of awareness.» — el malhechor del capítulo 13 alega ignorancia y no malicia: no sabía que Dharmarāja y su séquito existieran de verdad

«Alas! How pitiful! How terrifying! When one has obtained a human form, One should proceed, with highly purposeful virtuous conduct, On the path of liberation, where inferior rebirths are left behind; And [thus] one is never separated from peace and happiness. But on this occasion when you obtained a human life, You threw away positive actions like dirt, And seized upon negative actions, For which reason you have wasted this highly meaningful human body, Which is difficult to obtain.» — Dharmarāja lamenta en el capítulo 13 el desperdicio del cuerpo humano, difícil de obtener, en quien arrojó como basura las acciones positivas

«This detailed accounting of positive and negative past actions Forbids even the most minute negative deeds - So what are those humans who have no scruples thinking of! Though the white path of liberation leads to joy, And the black path of inferior rebirth leads to suffering, The humans of Jambudvῑpa do not abandon negative actions, Nor do they practise positive actions, [And], even though they may feel sadness and remorse, Past actions cannot be remade.» — Dharmarāja declara en el capítulo 13 que ni siquiera la tristeza y el remordimiento rehacen lo hecho, y que las acciones pasadas acompañan al cuerpo como la sombra

«I hold all rewards in respect of positive virtues, And I exact punishments in respect of negative deeds. Judging the balance and counterbalance, I examine good and bad actions. So even though you have regrets, I cannot redo anything. Now, even though I am very merciful, there is still no way that I can help» — Dharmarāja define su propio oficio en el capítulo 13: sostener las recompensas y exigir los castigos, pesar y contrapesar, sin poder rehacer nada aunque sea misericordioso

«The negative actions related to mind are: covetousness, harmful intent, distorted views, and so on. So what negative actions have you accumulated mentally? Also, with regard to the five inexpiable crimes and the five approximate [crimes], what negative or non-virtuous actions have you accumulated, motivated through body, speech, or mind? Tell me now in clear detail!» — el interrogatorio del capítulo 13 reparte las acciones negativas en cuerpo, habla y mente, y suma los cinco crímenes inexpiables y los cinco aproximados

«Well, the virtuous and negative actions of which you have now spoken are not false. Well done! You will be sent on the white path.» — el drama del capítulo 13 hace que Dharmarāja compruebe en el espejo lo declarado por el difunto antes de dictar el camino

«this is how one should serve the purpose of obtaining a human body. Rejoice [in this]! (Then, he recites the following aspirational prayer of Avalokiteśvara three times.) OṂ MAṆI PADME HŪṂ HRĪḤ!31 May all sentient beings, including you Śrῑjāta, Be guided on the path by the essence of the Six-syllable Mantra! May cyclic existence with its three world-systems be churned to its depths, And may the hells be exhausted and emptied!» — Dharmarāja alaba en el capítulo 13 el buen uso del cuerpo humano y recita la plegaria de Avalokiteśvara con el mantra de seis sílabas

«O, Children of Buddha Nature, behold this distinction between the happiness and suffering experienced by the evil ‘Red-handed Butcher’ and the faithful householder Śrῑjāta, in consequence of their disparate accumulations of virtue and negativity! As we ourselves shall also encounter such experiences soon, it is most important that we strive after virtue and refrain from negativity!» — el maestro espiritual cierra el acto del capítulo 13 señalando al público la diferencia entre los dos destinos y aplicándosela a los presentes

«The relatives and friends surrounding us in this life Are like a gathering of shoppers at a market. Although they seem close to us, they are not dependable. When the market closes, the shoppers will disperse.» — el símil del capítulo 13 para los parientes y amigos: una concurrencia de compradores en un mercado, que se dispersa al cerrar

«Even though we have cherished this body, [A collection] of pus, blood, serum, and sinews, It is nonetheless [ever] on the verge of disintegration. Even though we miss it, birds and dogs will devour it, Even though we [try to sustain it by] engaging in ritual services, It will be snatched away by Yama, the lord of death.» — el capítulo 13 describe el cuerpo como cúmulo de pus, sangre, suero y tendones siempre a punto de desintegrarse, que ni los ritos retienen

«How severe is the attitude of Dharmarāja! How precise is the accounting of the deity and demon of conscience! How remorseful are the great wrongdoers! Only by engaging in virtue, will one proceed to higher rebirths.» — la deidad de la buena conciencia resume en el capítulo 13 la lección del drama: la severidad de Dharmarāja y la precisión de la contabilidad de la conciencia

«Alas! The body ages day by day. The lifespan is consumed moment by moment. Dying in turn, one after another, Sentient beings of this errant degenerate age Have lifespans shorter than the tail of a sheep!» — el capítulo 13 mide la brevedad de la vida en esta era degenerada con una imagen doméstica: vidas más cortas que la cola de una oveja

«I pray to the accomplished master Karma Lingpa, Who abides in the buddha field of the Buddha-body of Emanation! I pray to his spiritual son Nyinda Choje, Who abides in the limitless palace of the [sacred] teachings! I pray to the peerless Sūryacandra, Who abides in the palace where the benefit of living beings is spontaneously accomplished!» — la plegaria del capítulo 13 recorre el linaje hasta Karma Lingpa, su hijo Nyinda Choje y Sūryacandra, cada uno con su morada

«We have come from the land of the ḍākinῑs. We have come to invite the householder Śrῑjāta! We have come from Oḍḍiyāna. We have come to invite the householder Śrῑjāta! We have come from Cāmaradvῑpa. We have come to invite the householder Śrῑjāta! We have come from the Copper-coloured Mountain. We have come to invite the householder Śrῑjāta! We have come from Mount Potālaka. We have come to invite the householder Śrῑjāta! We have come from the pure realm of the sky-farers. O, great householder Śrῑjāta, Please come to the buddha fields!» — el cierre del capítulo 13 hace que las ḍākinῑs vengan a invitar al cabeza de familia virtuoso desde sus distintos lugares

«This Supplement to the Teaching Revealing the Natural Expression of Virtue and Negativity in the Intermediate State of Rebirth, entitled Gong of Divine Melody, was composed by Namka Chokyi Gyatso on the third day of the ninth month of the sheep year at the retreat of Kharlateng, in front of the hermitage of Sangye Rinpoche, a place frequented by frontier tribes.» — el colofón del capítulo 13 adjudica la segunda parte a Namka Chokyi Gyatso y la fecha por día, mes y año animal, con el lugar de composición

«This [text] is the Liberation by Wearing: Natural Liberation of the Psycho-physical Aggregates, In which [the mantras] of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, Those Gone to Bliss, are encompassed. How wonderful! This is a great naturally arising [mantra circle]. The yogin who embraces this is immensely fortunate. The yogin who encounters this is immensely fortunate. The yogin who upholds this is immensely fortunate. The yogin who reads this is immensely fortunate.» — el capítulo 14 se declara a sí mismo círculo de mantras surgido de modo natural y llama afortunado a quien lo abraza, lo encuentra, lo sostiene o lo lee

«This is the essential mantra through which the enlightened intention of Samantabhadrῑ liberates The dynamic motion of awareness, encumbered by phenomenal characteristics, in unborn emptiness.» — el capítulo 14 declara qué libera el mantra esencial de Samantabhadrῑ: el movimiento dinámico de la consciencia trabado por las características fenoménicas

«To let go of mental objects, [There is the mantra]: RAMĀKALASAMIKHYE. [When it is worn at the time of death] It will confer natural liberation by subduing the beguiling force of the ‘lord of death’, While [externally] a bright green rainbow will appear.» — la serie del capítulo 14 empareja cada mantra con lo que libera y con el signo externo que aparece al morir: aquí, soltar los objetos mentales y un arcoíris verde brillante

«To sever the tethers of attachment, [There is the mantra]: RAMISIPIKHETAPA. [When it is worn at the time of death] It will liberate objects of attachment in the expanse [of reality], While [externally] a clear and bright sky will appear.» — la misma serie da para cortar las ataduras del apego su mantra propio, con el cielo claro y brillante como signo externo

«Since the unified enlightened intention of non-dual Samantabhadra and Samantabhadrῑ12 is naturally present, Each [of these individual mantras] has the capacity to confer liberation. Thus they are [known as] the twenty-five seminal points, or mantra lines, In which reality naturally resonates and naturally arises.» — el capítulo 14 cuenta veinticinco puntos seminales o líneas de mantra, cada uno con capacidad de conferir liberación por sí mismo

«Then the male and female consorts [Samantabhadra and Samantabhadrῑ], having entered into non-dual union, Emit multiple male and female emanations, From which arises the maṇḍala of the hundred enlightened families of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities.» — el capítulo 14 deriva el mandala de las cien familias de la unión no dual de Samantabhadra y Samantabhadrῑ y de las emanaciones que emiten

«Thus the aggregate of form will be liberated in the pristine cognition of reality’s expanse, While [externally] white rainbow lights will shine, And five-coloured pañcaraṃ relics, indicating attainment of the five buddha-bodies, Will be retrieved from the heart [following cremation], For which reason these are known as the ‘supreme bone relics of the Tath» — el capítulo 14 liga cada mantra con el agregado que libera y con la reliquia que aparece tras la cremación: al de Vairocana, el agregado de la forma y las reliquias pañcaraṃ del corazón

«Through these enlightened intentions of the Six Emanational Sages, The entrances to the six imperfect classes of existence will be obstructed, And the [altruistic] activities of the pure emanational bodies will manifes» — el capítulo 14 asigna a los seis sabios emanacionales la obstrucción de las entradas a las seis clases imperfectas de existencia

«Through these enlightened intentions of the Four Male Gatekeepers, The four extremes, including eternalism and nihilism, will be naturally liberated, And the four enlightened activities will be accomplished, While [externally] the [four] corresponding rainbow lights - white, yellow, red and green, will appear.» — los cuatro guardianes masculinos del capítulo 14 liberan los cuatro extremos, eternalismo y nihilismo incluidos, con sus cuatro arcoíris correspondientes

«This mantra is the unified enlightened intention of the Sixty Herukas. Thus mental constructs associated with dissonant mental states are liberated in primordial purity, as an expanse of supreme pristine cognition, While [externally] the indestructible sound of the eight syllables of the RULU mantra will resound, And manifold white fiery lights will shine» — el capítulo 14 declara que el mantra de los sesenta Herukas libera los constructos ligados a los estados mentales disonantes, con la resonancia del mantra RULU como signo

«Thus the dissonant mental state of hatred will be liberated in primordial purity, While [externally] dark blue flames will shoot towards the east [during the cremation], Unequivocally indicating [liberation] inseparable from Vajra Heruka, As [the deceased] will be born in the [eastern] Buddha field of Manifest Joy.» — el capítulo 14 empareja cada Heruka con un veneno, una dirección de las llamas en la cremación y un campo búdico de renacimiento: a Vajra Heruka, el odio y el este

«Thus mental constructs associated with objects of sound will be naturally liberated, While [externally] smoke will spiral to the east [during the cremation], Indicating liberation inseparable from Vajrakrodhe» — las Krodheśvarῑ del capítulo 14 se leen por la dirección en que se enrosca el humo de la cremación, cada una con el objeto de consciencia que libera

«Thus beings of the six classes will be steered away from cyclic existence.» — la serie de las Mātaraḥ del capítulo 14 asigna a cada una un efecto propio; a Pramohā, apartar a los seres de las seis clases de la existencia cíclica

«Thus the three poisons will be severed from their roots.» — la serie de las Piśācῑ del capítulo 14 asigna a Gṛḍhramukhῑ el cortar de raíz los tres venenos

«Through these enlightened intentions of the Twenty-eight Īśvarῑ, The bewildering apparitions of the intermediate state will be naturally purified, While [external] signs such as sounds, lights, rays and [bursts of] fire and smoke will appear as the transfer of conscio» — el capítulo 14 asigna a las veintiocho Īśvarῑ la purificación natural de las apariciones desconcertantes del estado intermedio

«These six syllables which are the six naturally present seminal points [of light], Will naturally liberate the six classes of sentient beings within the expanse [of reality],25 While [externally], numerous subtle relics and diverse rainbow lights will appear» — el capítulo 14 asigna a seis sílabas la liberación natural de las seis clases de seres, con reliquias sutiles y arcoíris como signo de la cremación

«These thirty-nine liberating mantra syllables, in twelve clusters, give rise to an indestructible resonance, While [externally] multiplying relics and [shimmering] rainbow lights will appear.» — el capítulo 14 cuenta treinta y nueve sílabas liberadoras en doce grupos, de las que dice que dan lugar a una resonancia indestructible

«And it should be rolled up in silk in the right way.28 [Then], on the eighth day of the lunar month, Coinciding with the constellation Cancer, A yogin with pure commitments should consecrate it, And then it should be worn [continuously].» — la rúbrica del capítulo 14 prescribe cómo se prepara el amuleto: enrollado en seda, consagrado el octavo día lunar bajo Cáncer por un yogin de compromisos puros

«Inexpressible virtues and negative actions may both greatly increase. Therefore the [yogin] should persevere in the practice of virtue and act for the sake of sentient beings, Avoiding even the most minute of negative acts.» — el capítulo 14 advierte que llevar el amuleto amplifica por igual lo virtuoso y lo negativo, y de ahí la exigencia de evitar hasta el acto negativo más mínimo

«One who does this in the correct manner, Even if he or she has previously committed the five inexpiable crimes, Cannot possibly fall into inferior existences, once this [mantra circle] has been encountered. Since even those who have not practised the [sacred] teachings at all can attain buddhahood [in this way], It is called the ‘Liberation by Wearing’.» — el capítulo 14 razona su propio nombre: quien lo lleva bien no cae en existencias inferiores ni habiendo cometido los cinco crímenes inexpiables, y por eso se llama Liberación por Llevarlo Puesto

«At the time of death [this mantra circle] should not be removed from the body, And when cremation takes place it should not be removed from the corpse. As a consequence, liberation may occur through seeing, hearing, recollection or contact.» — la instrucción final del capítulo 14 manda no quitar el círculo de mantras del cuerpo ni al morir ni al cremarlo, porque la liberación puede darse por ver, oír, recordar o tocar

«This is a discovered text extracted from Mount Gampodar by the treasure-finder Karma Lingpa.» — el colofón del capítulo 14 lo declara texto descubierto y extraído del monte Gampodar por el buscador de tesoros Karma Lingpa

«The translation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead was carried out with the support of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and with the commentarial guidance of revered contemporary Tibetan masters including the late Head of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Zenkar Rinpoche and Garje Khamtrul Rinpoche.» — la solapa editorial declara el respaldo con que se hizo la traducción y nombra a los maestros que dieron la guía comentarial, entre ellos el difunto cabeza de la escuela Nyingma

«GYURME DORJE (PhD) is a leading scholar of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. His seven major publications include works on Tibetan lexicography, medicine, divination and pilgrimage guides to Tibet and Bhutan, as well as the translations of HH Dudjom Rinpoche’s The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism. His forthcoming titles include The Guhyagarbha Tantra: Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions.» — la solapa presenta al traductor como estudioso de la tradición Nyingma y enumera sus publicaciones, entre ellas la traducción de The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism de Dudjom Rinpoche

«GRAHAM COLEMAN is President of the Orient Foundation (UK), a major Tibetan cultural conservancy organization. Writer/director of the acclaimed feature documentary Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy and editor of the Handbook of Tibetan Culture, he has been editing Tibetan Buddhist poetry and prose texts in cooperation with various distinguished translators since the mid -1970s.» — la solapa presenta al editor como presidente de la Orient Foundation (UK) y director del documental Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy; el espacio de *mid -1970s* es del troceo

«THUPTEN JINPA (PhD) is the senior translator to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and President of the Institute of Tibetan Classics. His works include the translation of twelve books by the Dalai Lama, including the New York Times bestseller Ethics for the New Millennium and the forthcoming The Universe in a Single Atom, the Dalai Lama’s perspective on the meeting of Buddhism and modern science.» — la solapa presenta al coeditor como traductor principal del Dalai Lama y presidente del Institute of Tibetan Classics

«May all sentient beings, children of buddha nature, realise the ultimate nature of mind: insight and compassion, in blissful union.» — la dedicatoria del volumen, sin firma, formula el voto en favor de todos los seres: que realicen la naturaleza última de la mente, entendida como unión dichosa de discernimiento y compasión

«Our project began in 1988 when HH the Dalai Lama kindly offered to request HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, the late head of the Nyingma school, to give an oral commentary to me on key sections of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The Dalai Lama knew that various translations had been made of ‘The Great Liberation by Hearing’, our Chapter 11, but that so far no one had translated the entire Tibetan Book of the Dead.» — Graham Coleman fecha el proyecto en 1988 y dice qué lo motivó: existían traducciones de la Gran Liberación por la Audición, el capítulo 11, pero nadie había traducido el Libro Tibetano de los Muertos entero

«HH Dilgo Khyentse graciously agreed to the Dalai Lama’s request and over a period of four weeks gave the empowerments and an incisive and illuminating oral commentary to the core elements of the text, which was eloquently translated each day by Sogyal Rinpoche.» — Coleman relata que Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche dio durante cuatro semanas los empoderamientos y el comentario oral a los elementos centrales del texto, con Sogyal Rinpoche traduciendo cada día

«I had the good fortune to meet Dr Gyurme Dorje, who had previously translated Longchen Rabjampa’s commentary to the Guhygarbha Tantra, the root text on which the Tibetan Book of the Dead is based.» — Coleman declara cuál es el texto raíz en que se funda el ciclo: el Guhyagarbha Tantra, cuyo comentario de Longchen Rabjampa ya había traducido Gyurme Dorje; el troceo imprime *Guhygarbha*

«During this time, Gyurme worked closely with the highly regarded Nyingma master Zenkar Rinpoche, who is one of the foremost contemporary lineage holders of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Zenkar Rinpoche kindly advised Gyurme throughout the translation of our text and also gave an extensive oral commentary to us on Chapter 4, ‘The Introduction to Awareness’.» — Coleman nombra a Zenkar Rinpoche como uno de los principales sostenedores contemporáneos del linaje del Libro Tibetano de los Muertos y le adjudica el comentario oral al capítulo 4

«At various stages of the project, the Dalai Lama answered my questions about difficult points, and he also dictated to me the lucid and succinct Introductory Commentary. At the Dalai Lama’s request, Khamtrul Rinpoche, an adviser to the Dalai Lama on Nyingma studies, also gave a beautiful oral commentary to key sections of Chapter 8 and dictated the introduction to Chapter 11.» — Coleman precisa cómo se produjo el aparato: el Dalai Lama le dictó el comentario introductorio, y Khamtrul Rinpoche dio comentario oral a partes del capítulo 8 y dictó la introducción del capítulo 11

«Jinpa translated the Dalai Lama’s Introductory Commentary and reviewed every line and word of all fourteen chapters of the edited translation with me twice, in the course of which he made countless important and inspiring suggestions.» — Coleman adjudica a Thupten Jinpa la traducción del comentario introductorio del Dalai Lama y una doble revisión línea por línea de los catorce capítulos

«Our insights and skills as writers would not even register on the most sensitive of detectors compared to those of the composers of the original cycle of teachings or the lineage holders who gave the commentarial explanation that guided us. Throughout this endeavour therefore we have tried to substitute hard work and attention to detail for our lack of ability and to let the original magnificence of the text shine through the clouds of our shortcomings as much as we were able.» — Coleman formula la posición de los traductores frente a los compositores del ciclo original: sustituir con trabajo y atención al detalle lo que les falta de capacidad, y dejar pasar la magnificencia del texto

«At Gyurme Dorje’s request, Gene Smith of the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center in New York generously made available a digital version of the three-volume manuscript from the library of the late Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche, on which our translation is largely based. HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche had previously provided copies of the text reprinted under his supervision in Delhi.» — Coleman declara la base textual de la traducción: el manuscrito en tres volúmenes de la biblioteca de Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche, en versión digital del Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center

«Other versions of the text which we consulted, including the Varanasi reprint and other versions of Bhutanese and Chinese origin, are all from Gyurme Dorje’s private collection. Some source materials were also kindly provided by Zenkar Rinpoche, Tulku Jigme Khyentse, Dr Burkhard Quessel of the British Library, and Dr Fernand Meyer of CNRS in Paris.» — Coleman enumera las demás versiones cotejadas: el reimpreso de Varanasi y versiones de origen butanés y chino de la colección privada de Gyurme Dorje

«The colour illustrations that appear in our text have never previously been published. The two painted scrolls depicting the Hundred Peaceful and Wrathful Deities in Repkong style, which were commissioned by Gyurme Dorje in 2002, are from the studio of the late master artist Shawu Tsering of Sengeshong Yagotsang in Amdo.» — la nota sobre las ilustraciones declara que las láminas en color son inéditas y que los dos rollos pintados de las Cien Deidades Pacíficas y Airadas en estilo Repkong los encargó Gyurme Dorje en 2002

«The line drawings of Guru Padmasambhava (p. iv) and Karma Lingpa (p. xlvi) are the work of Robert Beer. The circular chart of mantras (btags-grol) (p. 346) is reproduced from Fremantle and Trungpa, The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Shambhala Classics, 2000), p. 32.» — la misma nota adjudica a Robert Beer los dibujos de Padmasambhava y de Karma Lingpa y remite la tabla circular de mantras a la edición de Fremantle y Trungpa

«Finally, the individual introductions to each of the chapters, except Chapter 11, were written by Dasho Sangay Dorji, a Bhutanese scholar» — Coleman adjudica las introducciones de cada capítulo, salvo la del 11, al estudioso butanés Dasho Sangay Dorji; el pasaje sigue en la plana siguiente diciendo que viene de una familia cuya línea paterna sostiene el linaje del texto desde hace generaciones

«whose paternal line has been lineage holders of the Tibetan Book of the Dead for several generations and who throughout his childhood accompanied his father every time he was called to a household to carry out these practices.» — la continuación de esa frase, ya en la plana siguiente, dice que el padre de Sangay Dorji era llamado a las casas para ejecutar estas prácticas y que el hijo lo acompañaba

«When considering these matters from a Buddhist point of view, however, we have to bear in mind that the understanding of the nature of continuity of consciousness and the understanding of the nature of the ‘I’ or ‘self’ are closely interlinked.» — el Dalai Lama liga las dos cuestiones desde el arranque: entender la continuidad de la consciencia y entender la naturaleza del yo son una sola indagación

«According to Buddhist classical literature, a person can be seen as possessing five interrelated aggregates, technically known as the five psycho-physical aggregates.a These are the aggregate of consciousness, the aggregate of form (which includes our physical body and senses), the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of discrimination, and the aggregate of motivational tendencies» — el comentario introductorio del Dalai Lama enumera los cinco agregados psicofísicos con que la literatura budista clásica describe a la persona; la *a* volada es la llamada a una nota del editor

«Among the ancient schools of thought, which accepted the notion of continuity of consciousness, there were several non-Buddhist philosophical schools which regarded the entity, the ‘I’ or ‘self’, which migrated from existence to existence as being unitary and permanent. They also suggested that this ‘self’ was autonomous in its relationship to the psycho-physical components that constitute a person. In other words they believed or posited that there is an essence or ‘soul’ of the person, which exists independently from the body and the mind of the person.» — el Dalai Lama consigna la posición contraria: escuelas no budistas antiguas postulaban un yo unitario, permanente y autónomo, una esencia o alma independiente del cuerpo y de la mente

«However, Buddhist philosophy does not accept the existence of such an independent, autonomous entity. In the Buddhist view, the self or the person is understood in terms of a dynamic interdependent relationship of both mental and physical attributes, that is to say the psycho-physical components which constitute a person. In other words our sense of self can, upon examination, be seen as a complex flow of mental and physical events, clustered in clearly identifiable patterns» — el Dalai Lama opone a esa posición la budista: el yo se entiende como relación dinámica e interdependiente de atributos mentales y físicos, un flujo de eventos agrupado en patrones identificables

«according to Prāsaṅgika-Madhyamaka philosophy, which has become the prevailing philosophical view of Tibetan Buddhism today, this sense of self is simply a mental construct, a mere label given to this cluster of dependently arising mental and physical events in dependence on their continuity.» — el Dalai Lama nombra la escuela filosófica hoy prevaleciente en el budismo tibetano y su tesis sobre el yo: un constructo mental, una etiqueta puesta a ese cúmulo de eventos surgidos en dependencia

«One is the temporary person or self, that is as we exist at the moment, and this is labelled on the basis of our coarse or gross physical body and conditioned mind, and, at the same time, there is a subtle person or self which is designated in dependence on the subtle body and subtle mind.» — desde el Tantra del Yoga Supremo el Dalai Lama distingue dos personas: la temporal, designada sobre el cuerpo y la mente burdos, y la sutil, designada sobre el cuerpo y la mente sutiles

«This subtle body and subtle mind are seen as a single entity that has two facets. The aspect which has the quality of awareness, which can reflect and has the power of cognition, is the subtle mind. Simultaneously, there is its energy, the force that activates the mind towards its object - this is the subtle body or subtle wind. These two inextricably conjoined qualities are regarded, in Highest Yoga Tantra, as the ultimate nature of a person and are identified as buddha nature, the essential or actual nature of mind.» — el Dalai Lama identifica cuerpo sutil y mente sutil como una sola entidad de dos facetas —la que conoce y la energía que la mueve hacia su objeto— y declara que esa conjunción es la naturaleza búdica

«The principle of dependent origination asserts that nothing exists in its own right independent of other factors. Things and events come into being only in dependence on the aggregation of multiple causes and conditions.» — el Dalai Lama enuncia el origen dependiente: nada existe por derecho propio con independencia de otros factores, y las cosas llegan a ser solo por agregación de causas y condiciones múltiples

«On the other hand, in the case of someone who dies a sudden death, when the mind-body relationship at the gross level is still very firm, it is thought that there is a greater chance of carrying forward the acquired characteristics and memories, etc.» — el mismo pasaje da el caso inverso: en la muerte súbita, con la relación cuerpo-mente aún firme en lo burdo, hay más posibilidad de llevar adelante los rasgos adquiridos y los recuerdos

«In the Buddhist view, therefore, it is the nature of our habitual tendencies that generates our future existence, driven by the natural law of cause and effect.» — el Dalai Lama adjudica a la naturaleza de las tendencias habituales la generación de la existencia futura, movida por la ley natural de causa y efecto

«But, although we know that the human body serves as a condition for human consciousness, the question still remains: what is the nature of the underlying factor or essence that accounts for our experience of consciousness as having the natural quality of luminosity and awareness?» — el Dalai Lama deja abierta la pregunta que su propio argumento no cierra: qué es el factor subyacente que da cuenta de la consciencia como luminosidad y conocimiento

«Material things come into being based on other material entities such as particles, atoms and cells and the mind comes into being based on a previous moment of mind, which is something that is luminous and has the capacity to be aware. Each moment of awareness therefore depends on a previous moment of awareness as its cause.» — el Dalai Lama distingue las causas sustanciales de materia y mente: la mente surge de un momento anterior de mente, luminoso y con capacidad de conocer

«This is the reasoning upon which Buddhist logic asserts that there is at the level of subtle mind and subtle wind a beginningless continuum of mind and matter.» — de ese razonamiento el Dalai Lama deriva la tesis de un continuo sin comienzo de mente y materia en el nivel de la mente sutil y del viento sutil

«For example, if an individual is simply seeking a favourable rebirth as a human being, there is no need to engage in a sophisticated meditative path related to the processes of death and rebirth. Simply to live a virtuous life is seen as sufficient.» — el Dalai Lama gradúa la preparación por la aspiración de cada quien: al que solo busca renacimiento humano favorable le basta vivir virtuosamente, sin camino meditativo sobre la muerte

«It is exclusively in tantra, however, and particularly in Highest Yoga Tantra, that the methods for utilising the processes of death, the intermediate state and rebirth are specifically taught as the basis for achieving liberation from cyclic existence.» — el Dalai Lama restringe al tantra, y en particular al Tantra del Yoga Supremo, la enseñanza de los métodos que usan muerte, estado intermedio y renacimiento como base de la liberación

«The point at which the gross levels of energy are completely dissolved and only the subtle energies remain is death. The stage at which these energies unfold into a more manifest form is the intermediate state, and the stage at which they eventually manifest substantially is called rebirth.» — el Dalai Lama define los tres estados como modalidades de energía: muerte es la disolución de lo burdo, estado intermedio su despliegue más manifiesto, renacimiento su manifestación sustancial

«since death is the state when all the gross levels of energy and consciousness have been dissolved, and only the subtle energies and consciousnesses remain, it is possible for an advanced yogin to meditatively induce a state which is almost identical to the actual experience of death.» — de esa definición el Dalai Lama saca la consecuencia operativa: un yogin avanzado puede inducir meditativamente un estado casi idéntico a la experiencia de la muerte

«Each cycle of the process begins with a misapprehension of the nature of actual reality. This fundamental ignorance acts as a condition for the arising of the propensities created by our past actions, mental, verbal and physical, which condition our dualising consciousness.» — el Dalai Lama arranca cada ciclo de los doce eslabones en la ignorancia fundamental, que condiciona las propensiones de las acciones pasadas y estas la consciencia dualizante

«Our dualising consciousness, in turn, conditions the qualities and mode of interaction of our psycho-physical aggregates, which condition our sensory fields, which generate contact, which generates sensations, and then in turn attachment, grasping, and maturation towards rebirth. At this point there is an interaction with the genetic constituents of the parents and subsequent interaction with the environment, and then finally we have birth, ageing and death.» — el resto de la serie, en el mismo pasaje: de los agregados a los campos sensoriales, al contacto, a las sensaciones, al apego, a la aprehensión y a la maduración hacia el renacimiento

«The Buddhist view is that the continuity of personal experience is primarily founded on the capacity for retention, which can be further developed during one’s meditative practice» — el Dalai Lama funda la continuidad de la experiencia personal en la capacidad de retención, desarrollable en la práctica meditativa; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«However, generally speaking, it is thought that if a person dies after a prolonged period of illness that has led to a prolonged degeneration of both physical and mental capacities, there will be a greater chance of many of the personal characteristics, including memories etc., being lost.» — la continuación de esa frase señala que una muerte tras larga degeneración física y mental hace más probable perder muchos de los rasgos personales, recuerdos incluidos

«From the Buddhist perspective, rebirth in conditioned existence can take place in one of three realms: the formless realm, the form realm or the desire realm. The form and formless realms are fruits of subtle states of consciousness, attained upon the realisation of certain meditative concentrations. Our realm, the desire realm, is the most gross of these three.» — el Dalai Lama nombra los tres reinos de la existencia condicionada y sitúa el nuestro, el del deseo, como el más burdo de los tres

«Six classes of beings are described as inhabiting the desire realm: gods (mundane celestial beings whose primary mental state is exaltation), antigods (who are predominantly hostile and jealous), human beings (who are influenced by all the five dissonant mental states), animals (who are under the sway of delusion), anguished spirits (who are under the sway of attachment and unsatisfied craving) and hell beings (who are overwhelmed by hatred, anger and fear).» — el mismo pasaje enumera las seis clases de seres del reino del deseo y caracteriza a cada una por su estado mental dominante

«Thus, we see a direct parallel between the three natural states of our existence and the three dimensions of a fully enlightened being.» — el Dalai Lama establece el paralelo que sostiene toda la práctica: los tres estados naturales de la existencia corresponden a las tres dimensiones del ser plenamente despierto

«In tantra the practice of imaginatively generating the meditational deity, that is to say, the practice of tantra’s generation stage, is a unique path by which the three fruitional dimensions or buddha-bodies are brought into the path of one’s practice. It is through understanding the profundity of this method that the tantric approach can be fully appreciated.» — el Dalai Lama define la fase de generación como el camino propio del tantra para traer al camino los tres cuerpos del buda, y dice que ahí se aprecia el enfoque tántrico entero

«The process of generating oneself as the meditational deity is the means by which the indivisible union of the realisation of emptiness and the realisation of perfect awareness is brought to fruition. This accomplishment directly counteracts the ordinary perceptions and apprehensions which underlie our ordinary dualistic experience. It is this accomplishment that culminates in the realisation of the ultimate nature of mind, the Buddha-body of Reality, the state beyond ordinary thought, where there is no longer any trace of the misapprehension of the nature of reality, of attachment or of aversion - only pure radiant awareness.» — el Dalai Lama declara qué hace generarse a sí mismo como la deidad: llevar a fruto la unión indivisible de vacuidad y consciencia perfecta, contra las percepciones dualistas ordinarias

«The generation stage is like an imaginary rehearsal of the actual processes. Then, in the perfection stage of meditation, however, the experiences of entering the Buddha-body of Reality and actualising its emanational states, the Buddha-body of Perfect Resource and the Buddha-body of Emanation, are not imagined but real, and even involve certain physiological changes occurring in the yogin’s body.» — el Dalai Lama opone las dos fases: la de generación es ensayo imaginario, la de perfección no se imagina y llega a producir cambios fisiológicos en el cuerpo del yogin

«Among inanimate phenomena the processes of arising start from the very subtle and develop into the more gross. That is: there is an emergence from empty space, and a progression to movement or energy, to heat or light, to moisture or liquidity, and finally to solidity. The dissolution is the reverse of this sequence.» — el Dalai Lama traza la secuencia común de surgimiento en lo inanimado, del espacio vacío a la solidez, y declara que la disolución la recorre al revés

«In tantra, the process of dissolution of the physical elements which constitute a human body is described as beginning first with the dissolution of the earth element, followed by the water element, the fire element, the wind element and, finally, at the point at which only the space element is prominent, all the gross levels of energy and consciousness have dissolved.» — el Dalai Lama aplica esa secuencia al cuerpo: tierra, agua, fuego, viento y, cuando solo queda el elemento espacio, lo burdo de energía y consciencia ya se disolvió

«Then, in a further series of dissolutions, this stage gives rise to the experiences which are called: ‘whitish appearance’, followed by ‘reddish increased appearance’, ‘blackish near attainment’ and finally there is a culmination in the full experience of inner radiance called ‘the attainment’.» — el Dalai Lama nombra las cuatro experiencias de la serie siguiente, de la apariencia blanquecina a la radiancia interior llamada *el logro*

«Both in the New and Old Translation schools, the actualisation of inner radiance, the point at which all our gross consciousnesses and energies have been dissolved, is the primary intent. This is the essence of the Great Perfection (Dzogchen) practicese of the Nyingma tradition, of the Union of Emptiness and Luminosity Based on the Sameness of Saṃsāra and Nirvāṇa practices of the Sakya tradition, of the Great Seal (Mahāmudrā) practices of the Kagyu tradition and the Indivisible Union of Bliss and Emptiness practices of the Gelug tradition.» — el Dalai Lama declara común a las cuatro escuelas la actualización de la radiancia interior y nombra la práctica de cada una; el troceo imprime *practicese* por *practices*

«The experience of inner radiance described in the New Translation schools is effected only subsequent to the dissolution of all the gross levels of conceptual elaboration. However, in the Dzogchen view, all states of awareness or consciousness are thought to be pervaded by inner radiance, just as a sesame seed is permeated by oil. Therefore, in Dzogchen, there exist refined instructions which allow the recognition of inner radiance even while all the gross levels of sensory activity are still active.» — el Dalai Lama consigna la diferencia sin arbitrarla: para las escuelas de Nueva Traducción la radiancia interior llega tras disolverse lo burdo; para Dzogchen impregna todo estado, como el aceite al ajonjolí

«This is where we come to the important distinction made in the Dzogchen teachings between the Tibetan terms ‘sems’ and ‘rig-pa’. Our ‘ordinary mind’ (sems) refers to the gross dualising consciousness (rnam-shes), whereas ‘pure awareness’ (rig-pa) is free from the dualistic perceptions of subject and object.» — el Dalai Lama distingue los dos términos tibetanos: *sems*, la mente ordinaria dualizante, y *rig-pa*, la consciencia pura libre de la percepción de sujeto y objeto

«Following the practices of the Dzogchen teachings of the Nyingma school the student is directly introduced by an authentic spiritual teacher to the very nature of his or her mind as pure awareness. This is the focus of the ‘Cutting through Resistance’ (khregs-chod) aspect of the Dzogchen path and this is complemented by the All-surpassing Realisation (thod-rgal) practices which focus on eliciting and recognising the radiances of pristine cognition.» — el Dalai Lama describe la introducción directa que un maestro auténtico hace a la naturaleza de la mente como consciencia pura, y nombra los dos aspectos del camino Dzogchen

«Now, when the subtle mind is completely pure, the body or energy aspect of the combination of subtle mind and subtle body arises as the five different coloured luminosities (white, blue, red, yellow and green) and in the form of buddha-bodies. All the different maṇḍalas, of the hundred deities, or the thousand deities, or whatever number, are all expressions of the five enlightened families, which are related to the purity of the five psycho-physical aggregates, the five elements and the five pristine cognitions.» — el Dalai Lama deriva los mandalas de las cinco luminosidades: todos son expresión de las cinco familias despiertas, ligadas a la pureza de los cinco agregados, los cinco elementos y las cinco cogniciones prístinas

«Now, as for the forms of the meditational deity, which are generated in the practice of tantra, there are two principal types: peaceful deities and wrathful deities. In general terms, these are concerned with the transformation of the cognitive and emotional states associated with attachment and aversion respectively. The peaceful deities are quiescent and are expressions of the natural purity of attraction, that is the mind resting in its natural pristine state. The wrathful deities are the dynamic aspect of the peaceful deities and are expressions of the natural transformation of aversion. That is they represent the mind’s active transformation of delusion into pristine cognition.» — el Dalai Lama explica los dos tipos de deidad: las pacíficas como pureza natural de la atracción y las airadas como aspecto dinámico de aquellas y transformación natural de la aversión

«In the path followed by pious attendants (śrāvaka) dissonant cognitive states are categorically perceived as something to be renounced. In the Mahāyāna path, however, there are two approaches which contrast with that of the pious attendants. According to the Mahāyāna sūtras, if a certain situation suggests a positive outcome in terms of benefiting others the voluntary use of desire or attachment is allowable. However, in the tantras it is not merely that desire or attachment is permissible when beneficial, here one deliberately utilises their energies as the path to purifying or consuming the dissonant states themselves.» — el Dalai Lama gradúa tres tratos con los estados disonantes: renuncia en el camino de los oyentes, uso permitido en los sūtras del Mahāyāna y utilización deliberada de su energía en los tantras

«before a practitioner can embark on the practices of tantra, he or she must find a spiritual teacher who meets the qualifications as set out in the authoritative literature and must receive empowerments and graduated instruction from that master.» — el Dalai Lama pone como requisito de entrada al tantra un maestro que cumpla las condiciones fijadas por la literatura autorizada, más los empoderamientos y la instrucción graduada de ese maestro

«It is an essential prerequisite for beginning on the path of tantra that the practitioner achieve a profound appreciation of both non-substantiality and its interdependent relationship with phenomenal reality. The tantras presuppose this understanding, so it is in the sūtras therefore that we find the extensive elucidation of the methods for developing a complete understanding of emptiness.» — el Dalai Lama declara que el tantra presupone la comprensión de la no sustancialidad y de su relación con la realidad fenoménica, y remite a los sūtras para adquirirla

«the majority of masters of the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug schools agree that this is the view of the Middle Way (madhyamapratipad) propounded in the sūtras and elucidated by Nāgārjuna in his works.» — el Dalai Lama consigna el acuerdo de las cuatro escuelas sobre cuál es la vacuidad que el tantra presupone: la del Camino Medio de Nāgārjuna

«These practices are part of my daily practice also and because of this I somehow feel a sense of excitement when I think about the experience of death. At the same time, though, sometimes I do wonder whether or not I will really be able to fully utilise my own preparatory practices when the actual moment of death comes!» — el Dalai Lama dice de sí mismo que estas prácticas son parte de su práctica diaria, que siente entusiasmo al pensar en la muerte y que a veces duda si podrá aprovecharlas llegado el momento

«It is perhaps not surprising therefore that the Bar-do Thos-grol Chen-mo, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, a treasure-text which focuses on this important subject, has become one of the best-known works of Tibetan literature in the West. Carrying out the first complete translation of this cycle of teachings has been an extraordinary accomplishment undertaken with great care over many years.» — el Dalai Lama nombra el ciclo con su título tibetano, lo llama texto-tesoro y explica su fama occidental por la incertidumbre y el miedo humanos ante la muerte

«The practice of generating oneself as the meditational deity is found in all four classes of tantra. However, these methods are taught in their most sophisticated forms in the class of Highest Yoga Tantra. Depending on the spiritual capacities of the practitioner the tantras describe a graduated series of methods for generating oneself as the meditational deity. In the New Translation schools there is a systematisation according to four levels of capacity and in the Nyingma (or Old Translation) school the highest level of» — el Dalai Lama sitúa la práctica en las cuatro clases de tantra y distingue la sistematización en cuatro niveles de capacidad de las escuelas de Nueva Traducción de la de la escuela Nyingma; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«practice is further subdivided into three methods: Mahāyoga, Anuyoga and Atiyoga.» — el cierre de esa frase, ya en la plana siguiente, nombra las tres subdivisiones del nivel más alto en la escuela Nyingma

«As far as the concept of emptiness or the ultimate nature of reality is concerned this is one area where there is an emerging convergence between the Buddhist understanding of the ultimate nature of existence and the evolving contemporary scientific view. This convergence relates to the unfindability of entities when these are analytically sought. In modern science the methods of analysis are principally applied to investigating the nature of material entities. Thus, the ultimate nature of matter is sought through a reductive process and the macroscopic world is reduced to the microscopic» — el Dalai Lama declara una convergencia entre la comprensión budista de la naturaleza última y la visión científica en curso, por la inencontrabilidad analítica de las entidades; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«world of particles. Yet, when the nature of these particles is further examined, we find that ultimately their very existence as objects is called into question.» — el cierre de esa frase, ya en la plana siguiente, dice que al examinar las partículas se pone en duda su propia existencia como objetos

«describing the three ordinary states. Thus, the dimension (kāya) of the moment of death is equated with the basic dharmakāya, the dimension (kāya) of the intermediate state with the basic sambhogakāya and the dimension (kāya) of the rebirth process with the basic nirmāṇakāya» — el Dalai Lama consigna que Nāgārjuna usa el término *kāya* también para los tres estados ordinarios: el momento de la muerte equiparado al dharmakāya básico, el estado intermedio al sambhogakāya y el proceso de renacimiento al nirmāṇakāya; la cita arranca tras un corte de chunk que parte la frase en la misma plana

«It is not surprising therefore that when Chapter 11 of our text, ‘The Great Liberation by Hearing’, first appeared in English, in 1927, it caused a considerable stir and has remained one of the most well known of Tibet’s literary works ever since. In our work, for the first time, we are presenting a complete translation of all twelve chapters of the compilation of texts known as the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which includes nine chapters not translated in W. Y. Evans-Wentz’s original publication.» — Graham Coleman fecha en 1927 la primera aparición en inglés del capítulo 11 y declara qué añade esta edición: los nueve capítulos que la publicación de Evans-Wentz no traía

«Our intention in carrying out this work was twofold. One was to present the entire original work, and the second was to compose the translation with the close support and participation of the contemporary masters and lineage holders of this tradition.» — Coleman enuncia la doble intención del trabajo: presentar la obra original entera y componer la traducción con el apoyo y la participación de los maestros y sostenedores del linaje vivos

«The complete Tibetan Book of the Dead is a comprehensive guide to both living and dying as originally taught by the great master from Oḍḍiyāna, Padmasambhava. Padmasambhava, along with Sāntarakṣita and King Trisong Detsen, formally established Buddhism in Tibet, during the eighth century, and most Tibetans revere him as a ‘second Buddha’.» — Coleman adjudica la enseñanza original del ciclo a Padmasambhava, el maestro de Oḍḍiyāna, y consigna que la mayoría de los tibetanos lo veneran como un segundo Buda

«The compendium of texts known as The Tibetan Book of the Dead contains exquisitely written guidance and practices related to transforming our experience in daily life, on how to address the processes of dying and the after-death state, and on how to help those who are dying.» — Coleman describe el alcance del compendio: transformar la experiencia cotidiana, encarar el proceso de morir y el estado de después de la muerte, y ayudar a quien está muriendo

«In addition, and at the advice of the late HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, we have also included two additional texts that are not usually included, namely Chapter 1, which poetically sets out the preliminary meditations and practices related to this cycle of teachings, and indeed to tantric practice in general, and Chapter 10, the instructions on methods for transferring consciousness at the point of death into an enlightened state, which are referred to in Chapter 11 and are an essential aspect of the practices related to dying.» — Coleman declara cuáles dos capítulos se añadieron por consejo de Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche y no suelen figurar: el 1, de prácticas preliminares, y el 10, de transferencia de la consciencia

«It may seem somewhat woolly to many if it is said that the insights that are presented here come from those who have realised the ultimate nature of mind and thereby have experiential understanding of the processes of the mind in deep sleep, dreams, the waking state and throughout the processes of dying and beyond.» — Coleman nombra la objeción que él mismo anticipa —que suene vago— y aun así sostiene de dónde vienen estas nociones: de quienes realizaron la naturaleza última de la mente

«In other words, the source is Samantabhadra, who is the resonance of pure awareness, the natural purity of mental consciousness, transmitted through an embodiment of the insight, compassion and communicative skills (skilful means) of all the buddhas, that is to say of all those who abide in an unmoving realisation of the ultimate nature of mind.» — Coleman glosa esa fuente: Samantabhadra es la resonancia de la consciencia pura, la pureza natural de la consciencia mental, transmitida por quienes moran en la realización de la naturaleza última

«As in all the major Buddhist tantric systems, the Guhyagarbha Tantra describes a maṇḍala, which is a visual representation of the components of the enlightened mind.» — Coleman define el mandala como representación visual de los componentes de la mente despierta, común a todos los sistemas tántricos budistas mayores

«As is always the case, this symbolism is based on the classical understanding of the nature of a person’s psycho-physical components, as described in the Abhidharma literature, which is common to all forms of Buddhism.» — Coleman funda el simbolismo del mandala en el análisis de los componentes psicofísicos de la persona de la literatura Abhidharma, común a todas las formas del budismo

«The actual experience of the luminosities which are said to underlie the maṇḍala is however only possible as a result of the accomplishment of very subtle meditative states, which are fruitional aspects of the path of Highest Yoga Tantra.» — Coleman distingue lo que se puede analizar con la mente conceptual ordinaria de la experiencia efectiva de las luminosidades, que solo llega con estados meditativos muy sutiles

«When HH Dilgo Khyenste Rinpoche gave his commentary to the text he explained that the ‘Introduction to the Intermediate State of Reality’, the central section of ‘The Great Liberation by Hearing’, is an expression of the esoteric Thodgal practices of Dzogchen, the ‘Great Perfection’ teachings. Thodgal is the pinnacle of meditative practice according to the Nyingma school and it results in the direct experience during meditation of the luminosities and the maṇḍala of meditational deities that are described in Chapter 11.» — Coleman consigna la lectura de Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche: la Introducción al estado intermedio de la realidad expresa las prácticas esotéricas Thodgal del Dzogchen; el troceo imprime *Khyenste*

«This arising of the five-coloured luminosities as a result of actualising the ultimate nature of mind is a phenomenon that has been described by all the great meditators of the four major Buddhist schools of Tibet and the pre-Buddhist Bon tradition.» — Coleman declara que el surgimiento de las cinco luminosidades lo describen los grandes meditadores de las cuatro escuelas budistas de Tíbet y también los de la tradición prebudista Bon

«In this sense ‘The Great Liberation by Hearing’ can be read as a wonderful metaphorical narrative illustrating the processes of our cognitive state, whether in our waking state or in death.» — Coleman propone leer la Gran Liberación por la Audición como narración metafórica de los procesos del estado cognitivo, en la vigilia igual que en la muerte

«Carl Jung in his commentary to Evans-Wentz’s 1927 edition of the Tibetan Book of the Dead spoke about how compelling he found it to look at ‘The Great Liberation by Hearing’ backwards. From a psychoanalytical point of view this is indeed interesting, as our text can then be seen as providing a guide for tracing our confused and deluded states, back through our conditioned attraction and aversion to selected aspects of our experience, back through the weave of our habitual tendencies and mental constructs and a relentless series of voluntary or involuntary mental choices, back through the illusory comfort generated by our sense of ego, right back to a pure original cognitive event.» — Coleman retoma de Carl Jung la lectura del texto al revés y la convierte en un rastreo de los estados confusos hasta un evento cognitivo original puro

«Here we find guidance for the meditator on how to recognise the mind’s ultimate nature, the underlying, mirror-like pure awareness, free from dualistic elaboration, from which all our thoughts and perceptions arise and into which they always again dissolve.» — Coleman dice qué ofrece el capítulo 4: cómo reconocer la naturaleza última de la mente, consciencia pura como un espejo, de la que surgen y en la que se disuelven pensamientos y percepciones

«At this critical point, either we recognise these luminosities and meditational deities as the embodiments of our own actual nature, and thereby remain in a state of pure perception, or, having failed to recognise their appearance as being a natural expression of the ultimate nature of all phenomena, we are then inexorably drawn into the clouded, dull impulses of dualistic experience.» — Coleman formula la disyuntiva del capítulo 11: reconocer luminosidades y deidades como encarnaciones de la propia naturaleza, o no reconocerlas y quedar arrastrado a la experiencia dualista

«As the text describes, death holds up an all-seeing mirror, ‘the mirror of past actions’, to our eyes, in which the consequences of all our negative and positive actions are clearly seen and there is a weighing of our past actions in the light of their consequences, the balance of which will determine the kind of existence or mental state we are being driven to enter.» — Coleman describe el juicio interior con la imagen del texto: la muerte alza el espejo de las acciones pasadas y la balanza de sus consecuencias decide el estado en que se entra

«The ‘life-review’ aspect of this process, metaphorically described in our text as the weighing of white pebbles, representing our positive actions, against the weight of black pebbles, representing our negative actions, is wonderfully illustrated by the poet Heathcote Williams’ phrase ‘death develops life’s photographs’, which succinctly evokes the notion of our day-to-day obliviousness to the consequences of our actions being developed or processed in death so that we can experience them face to face.» — Coleman equipara la balanza de guijarros blancos y negros con la revisión de la vida y cita la frase del poeta Heathcote Williams sobre la muerte revelando las fotografías de la vida

«This twofold process of inner judgement, the ‘life-review’ followed by the coalescence of the mind into a new modality, is symbolically represented in our text by the actions of Yama, who is the embodiment of the infallible laws of cause and effect.» — Coleman adjudica a Yama la representación simbólica del juicio interior, y lo define como encarnación de las leyes infalibles de causa y efecto

«In death, as in life, the process of inner judgement is not of course a judgement by an external being but it is the result of our own mind’s innate dynamic of manifesting the natural fruition of our own mental constructs and coalescing this ripening into a new equilibrium.» — Coleman niega que el juicio sea de un ser externo: lo declara dinámica innata de la propia mente que hace madurar sus constructos y los cuaja en un equilibrio nuevo

«In our day-to-day life we know that if we begin to feel angry, for example, this immediately creates an internal disturbance and this disturbance creates a shift in the way we perceive both others and our environment, which in turn affects the way in which others react to us, which then reinforces our initial anger and we feel confirmed in that new state. This is the cycle of experiencing the results of the mental states that we ourselves have generated, which can occur from moment to moment or according to our text from lifetime to lifetime.» — Coleman ilustra el ciclo con el enojo cotidiano: la perturbación altera la percepción, la reacción ajena la confirma, y el mismo ciclo puede correr de instante a instante o de vida en vida

«It is undeniably the case that in our society we do not easily accept that death is a natural part of life, which results in a perpetual sense of insecurity and fear, and many are confused at the time of the death of a loved one, not knowing what they can do to help the one that has passed away or how to address their own grief. Exploring ways of overcoming our fear of death and adopting a creative approach at the time of bereavement, that is, focusing one’s energy on supporting the one that has passed away, are both extraordinary benefits of the insights and practices that are so beautifully expressed in the Tibetan Book of the Dead.» — Coleman sitúa el provecho de la obra en una sociedad que no acepta la muerte como parte de la vida: vencer el miedo y volcar la energía del duelo en sostener a quien murió

«When I think of these things I often remember the Dalai Lama saying: ‘When we look at life and death from a broader perspective, then dying is just like changing our clothes! When this body becomes old and useless, we die and take on a new body, which is fresh, healthy and full of energy! This need not be so bad!’» — Coleman cierra su introducción con una frase del Dalai Lama que él recuerda: morir es como cambiarse de ropa cuando el cuerpo se vuelve viejo e inútil

«These teachings include: methods for investigating and cultivating our experience of the ultimate nature of mind in our daily practice (Chapters 2-7), guidance on the recognition of the signs of impending death and a detailed description of the mental and physical processes of dying (Chapter 8), rituals for the avoidance of premature death (Chapter 9)» — Coleman reparte los contenidos por capítulo: el cultivo de la naturaleza última de la mente en los capítulos 2 a 7, los signos y el proceso del morir en el 8 y los ritos contra la muerte prematura en el 9

«the now famous guide ‘The Great Liberation by Hearing’ that is read to the dying and the dead (Chapter 11), aspirational prayers that are read at the time of death (Chapter 12), an allegorical masked play that light-heartedly dramatises the journey through the intermediate state (Chapter 13), and a translation of the sacred mantras that are attached to the body after death and are said to bring ‘Liberation by Wearing’ (Chapter 14).» — la segunda mitad del mismo reparto: la guía que se lee al moribundo y al muerto en el capítulo 11, las plegarias del 12, el drama enmascarado del 13 y los mantras que se ciñen al cuerpo del 14

«As Gyurme Dorje describes in ‘A Brief Literary History’, this cycle of teachings is based on the Guhyagarbha Tantra. This text is described as having been received in a revelation from the primordial buddha Samantabhadra, transmitted through the agency of the meditational deities Vajrasattva and» — Coleman remite el ciclo al Guhyagarbha Tantra y consigna su cadena de revelación: del buda primordial Samantabhadra por medio de las deidades meditacionales Vajrasattva y, según sigue la frase, Guhyapati Vajrapāṇi

«Given the above, even if we do not accept the Buddhist understanding that the modalities of our consciousness in deep sleep, dreams and our waking state mirror those of death, we can still apply the advice given in ‘The Great Liberation by Hearing’ to our everyday experience.» — Coleman ofrece un uso del texto que no exige aceptar su marco: aplicar el consejo de la Gran Liberación por la Audición a la experiencia diaria

«Giving up our compulsive attraction and aversion to aspects of our perceptual realm, glimpsing the causal dynamic of our actual condition and coming to the realisation that what we see is the product of our own mental constructs, and that we therefore do have the potential to view our experience more insightfully, is a powerful method of releasing us from the dissonant and perhaps even fearful qualities of our own self-made, perceptual landscape.» — el resto de esa propuesta: soltar la atracción y la aversión compulsivas y ver lo percibido como producto de constructos propios libera de las cualidades disonantes del paisaje que uno mismo se hizo

«Chapters 1-7 provide us with a framework for achieving this release in our daily lives. Chapter 1 poetically evokes the perspectives that may lead us to realise that understanding our actual nature and understanding our current condition as human beings are worthwhile, Chapters 2-6 offer us methods for training our minds to instinctively recognise the actual nature of our being and existence, and Chapter 7 provides a framework for modulating and refining our motivation, perspectives and actions.» — Coleman describe la función de los capítulos 1 a 7 en la vida diaria: el 1 evoca las perspectivas, del 2 al 6 entrenan el reconocimiento de la naturaleza propia y el 7 modula motivación y conducta

«Since the publication in 1927 of Lama Kazi Dawa Samdup and W. Y. Evans-Wentz’s pioneering English translation of three chapters from the cycle of texts known in the original Tibetan as The Great Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States (Bar-do thos-grol chen-mo), the chapters they translated, dealing with the nature of the after-death state, including the accompanying aspirational prayers, have attracted a compelling interest outside Tibet under the title the Tibetan Book of the Dead.» — Gyurme Dorje abre su historia literaria fechando en 1927 la traducción pionera de Lama Kazi Dawa Samdup y W. Y. Evans-Wentz de tres capítulos del ciclo, y el título con que circularon

«Learned Tibetans today often express their surprise that this particular collection of meditative practices concerning methods for understanding the nature of mind and transforming our experiences throughout the round of life and death has become one of the most well known of all the works of Tibetan literature in translation. This renown is especially unexpected when one considers the esoteric origins of the text and its highly restricted transmission within Tibet until the mid-fifteenth century.» — Dorje consigna la extrañeza de los tibetanos letrados ante la fama de esta colección, inesperada dados los orígenes esotéricos del texto y su transmisión restringida hasta mediados del siglo XV

«It is on account of this widespread popular recognition however that the title coined by the editor of the first translation, Evans-Wentz, has been retained in all subsequent translations and related studies.» — Dorje explica por qué se conserva el título acuñado por Evans-Wentz: por el reconocimiento popular ya extendido, no por fidelidad al original

«The Nyingmapa are the followers of the oldest of all the schools of Tibetan Buddhism, tracing their lineage back to the first wave of transmission of the Buddhist teachings to Tibet, to the royal dynastic period of Tibetan history in the eighth century, when great Indian masters such as Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and Buddhaguhya initially introduced the three inner classes of tantra: Mahāyoga, Anuyoga and Atiyoga. These tantra texts are differentiated on the basis of their distinctive meditative techniques, known respectively as the generation stage, the perfection stage and the Great Perfection (Dzogchen).» — Dorje define a los Nyingmapa por su linaje hasta la primera ola de transmisión del siglo VIII y nombra las tres clases internas de tantra con sus técnicas meditativas propias

«The particular literature of the Nyingma school comprises translations from Sanskrit and other languages, which are preserved in the twenty-six volume Collected Tantras of the Nyingmapa (rNying-ma’i rgyud-’bum), and a companion anthology of commentarial treatises, written by successive generations of Indian and Tibetan lineage holders. The latter, which has been faithfully handed down through a ‘long lineage of oral precepts’ (ring-brgyud bka’-ma), that is to say through an unbroken lineage of transmission from one generation of accomplished masters to the next, is continually growing and currently comprises 120 volumes in a recently published edition.» — Dorje describe el corpus propio de la escuela Nyingma: los veintiséis volúmenes de los Tantras Reunidos de los Nyingmapa y una antología de tratados transmitida por el largo linaje de preceptos orales

«The Collected Tantras of the Nyingmapa has three main sections, corresponding to the compilations of Atiyoga, Anuyoga and Mahāyoga. Among them, the most influential single text is the Guhyagarbha Tantra, a revelation of the primordial buddha Samantabhadra, transmitted through Vajrasattva and Guhyapati» — Dorje nombra el texto más influyente de esa colección, el Guhyagarbha Tantra, y lo declara revelación del buda primordial Samantabhadra transmitida por Vajrasattva y Guhyapati Vajrapāṇi

«The compendium of texts that we now know as the Tibetan Book of the Dead bases its symbolism and iconography on the Guhyagarbha Tantra.» — Dorje funda el simbolismo y la iconografía del Libro Tibetano de los Muertos en el Guhyagarbha Tantra

«Founded on the classical Abhidharma view of the elements, psycho-physical aggregates, etc., this tantra text is the earliest known literary work to portray the natural purity and natural transformation of our mundane psychological states, respectively, as the maṇḍala of the forty-two peaceful deities and as the maṇḍala of the fifty-eight wrathful deities.» — Dorje declara al Guhyagarbha Tantra la obra más antigua que se conoce en retratar la pureza y la transformación naturales de los estados psicológicos mundanos como los dos mandalas

«Though generally and rightly classified as a Mahāyoga text, the Guhyagarbha Tantra has also been obliquely interpreted from the perspective of Dzogchen, most famously by Longchen Rabjampa» — Dorje consigna la doble clasificación del Guhyagarbha Tantra: texto Mahāyoga, leído además oblicuamente desde el Dzogchen, sobre todo por Longchen Rabjampa

«The meditative techniques of both Mahāyoga and Dzogchen are clearly expressed among the chapters of our present work: the generation stage of meditation is emphasised in Chapters 5-7, and the Great Perfection in Chapters 4 and 11, these latter two chapters being based on the teachings of the two key aspects of the Great Perfection, namely Cutting through Resistance (khregs-chod) and All-surpassing Realisation (thod-rgal) respectively.» — Dorje reparte las dos técnicas entre los capítulos: la fase de generación en los capítulos 5 a 7 y la Gran Perfección en el 4 y el 11, cada uno con su aspecto propio

«The Guhyagarbha Tantra was initially compiled by King Indrabhūti and Kukkurāja of Sahor in north-west India (circa sixth century). The monarch, also known as King Dza, received the whole corpus of the Mahāyoga tantras in a vision from Vajrasattva, and Kukkurāja, a great accomplished master, divided this literature into eighteen books (tantras) — the most all-embracing of which is the Guhyagarbha.» — Dorje remonta la compilación del Guhyagarbha Tantra al rey Indrabhūti, que recibió el corpus Mahāyoga en visión de Vajrasattva, y a Kukkurāja, que lo dividió en dieciocho tantras

«The iconography and symbolism of the hundred Peaceful and Wrathful Deities presented in the Guhyagarbha Tantra subsequently gave rise to a whole genre of literature in Tibet known as the Cycles of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities (zhi-khro), among which our compilation of texts The Great Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States is the most influential.» — Dorje sitúa el ciclo dentro del género tibetano de los Ciclos de las Deidades Pacíficas y Airadas nacido de la iconografía del Guhyagarbha Tantra, y lo declara el más influyente

«Prophecies were written, describing those who would have the power to unearth such revelations in the future — figures of the calibre of Nyangrel Nyima Ozer, Guru Chowang, and the discoverer of our text, Karma Lingpa.» — Dorje nombra la cadena de descubridores profetizados y adjudica a Karma Lingpa el descubrimiento del texto de esta edición

«The term ‘treasure-teachings’ is generally extended to include not only concealed ‘earth-treasures’ (sa-gter), but also revelations discovered in a telepathic manner directly from the enlightened intention of buddha-mind (dgongs-gter), and pure visionary experiences (dag-snang).» — Dorje extiende el término a tres clases de tesoro: los de tierra, los recibidos telepáticamente de la intención iluminada y las experiencias visionarias puras

«During the eighth century, the Guhyagarbha Tantra was translated into Tibetan from Sanskrit three times: initially by» — Dorje declara que el Guhyagarbha Tantra se tradujo al tibetano tres veces en el siglo VIII; los nombres de los traductores siguen en la plana siguiente

«Buddhaguhya and Vairocana, secondly by Padmasambhava and Nyak Jñānakumāra, and definitively by Vimalamitra with Nyak Jñānakumāra and Ma Rinchen Chok. A much later indigenous Tibetan translation was also prepared in the fifteenth century by Tharlo Nyima Gyeltsen and Go» — la continuación de esa frase da las tres parejas de traductores, entre ellas Padmasambhava con Nyak Jñānakumāra, y añade una traducción tibetana muy posterior del siglo XV

«The anthology of treatises related to the Guhyagarbha Tantra includes a large number of commentaries on this text, of both Indian and Tibetan origin, composed by illustrious masters such as Lῑlāvajra, Buddhaguhya, Rongzom Paṇḍita, Longchen Rabjampa and Lochen» — Dorje enumera a los comentaristas indios y tibetanos del Guhyagarbha Tantra; el troceo imprime *Lῑlāvajra* con iota griega por la vocal larga

«According to traditional accounts, when Padmasambhava introduced these teachings to Tibet in the eighth century he foresaw that the oral transmission of the ‘long lineage’ would be subjected over time to corruption and misapplication, and that the efficacy of the teachings would be diminished.» — Dorje da el motivo tradicional del ocultamiento: Padmasambhava previó que la transmisión oral del largo linaje se corrompería con el tiempo y perdería eficacia

«To counteract this, through the agency of his consort Yeshe Tsogyal and other foremost disciples, he concealed a large number of ‘treasure-teachings’ (gter-chos), in the form of books and sacred artefacts, at power-places (gnas) throughout the Tibetan plateau, predicting that they would be rediscovered in future generations by their respective ‘treasure-finders’ (gter-ston) and promulgated for the sake of future generations.» — la respuesta a esa previsión: Padmasambhava ocultó enseñanzas-tesoro como libros y objetos sagrados en lugares de poder por medio de su consorte Yeshe Tsogyal y otros discípulos

«Similarly, the Chinese Buddhist tradition of elemental divination, which includes aspects of Feng Shui and Yi Jing, also recounts how the bodhisattva Mañjughoṣa concealed certain divinatory texts on Wang Hai Feng, the Eastern Peak of the sacred Mount Wutai Shan. Tibetan sources then describe how Mañjughoṣa subsequently revealed the Precious Clarifying Lamp (Rin-chen gsal-ba’i sgron-me) to the Chinese master Dahura Nagpo.» — el segundo precedente que Dorje da es chino: la tradición de adivinación elemental narra que el bodhisattva Mañjughoṣa ocultó textos adivinatorios en el monte Wutai Shan

«Since the initial discoveries of the first Tibetan ‘treasure-finder’ Sangye Lama, in the eleventh century, a vast literature has been produced in Tibet by» — Dorje fecha en el siglo XI, con Sangye Lama, el primer descubrimiento de tesoros en Tíbet; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«This notion of the concealment of texts in the form of treasure had precedents in both Indian and Chinese Buddhism. Nāgārjuna, for example, is said to have received the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras in the form of treasure from the ocean-depths, and, according to Nyingma doxographers, a recension of Mahāyoga Tantras was revealed to the eight teachers of Padmasambhava, at» — Dorje busca precedentes del tesoro en la India: Nāgārjuna recibiendo los Sūtras de la Perfección de la Sabiduría del fondo del océano, y una recensión de tantras Mahāyoga revelada a los ocho maestros de Padmasambhava

«way of revelation through the ‘close lineage of treasures’ (nye-brgyud gter-ma), and redacted within the public domain. The Collected Treasures of the various» — la continuación nombra la vía de esa literatura, el linaje cercano de los tesoros, redactada dentro del dominio público; la cita se corta donde el troceo reemite el marcador de plana a media frase

«treasure-finders are too voluminous to mention here, but many of their works are represented in the extensive nineteenth-century anthology known as the Store of Precious Treasures (Rin-chen gter-mdzod), which was recently republished in 76 volumes.» — el cierre de esa frase remite a la antología decimonónica Store of Precious Treasures, republicada en setenta y seis volúmenes

«Just as the anthology of the ‘long lineage’ contains many commentaries on the Guhyagarbha Tantra, a significant number of ‘treasure-teachings’ are also inspired by its portrayal of the hundred Peaceful and Wrathful Deities.» — Dorje liga el género entero al Guhyagarbha Tantra: buena parte de las enseñanzas-tesoro se inspiran en su retrato de las cien deidades pacíficas y airadas

«The extant cycle of texts that comprise Karma Lingpa’s revelations includes a few short biographies and historical accounts of the work’s original concealment and subsequent revelation, which were composed by later lineage holders.» — Dorje advierte de quién son las biografías y los relatos históricos del ocultamiento y de la revelación que el ciclo incluye: de sostenedores del linaje posteriores, no del propio texto revelado

«At the time when [Padmasambhava] was turning incalculable wheels of the teachings concerning the supremely secret vehicle [of Vajrayāna], he revealed, in accord with the individual capacities of the fortunate king [Trisong Detsen] and his subjects, many practices related to the generation and perfection stages of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities; and these were [later] concealed, for the most part, as profound treasures, for the benefit of beings in the future.» — el pasaje del Empoderamiento de extensión media que Dorje traduce sitúa el origen: Padmasambhava reveló prácticas de las deidades pacíficas y airadas y luego las ocultó en su mayoría como tesoros profundos

«‘Although I do possess such a teaching, since those who are of weak mind, or who are naturally inclined towards the Lesser Vehicle, or who lack good fortune, and harbour wrong views and doubts, may disparage this teaching and thereby fall into inferior existences, you should not proclaim [this teaching] to others, even [by whispering its name] into the wind. It should be concealed as a [buried] treasure for the sake of future beings of the degenerate age.’» — en el mismo pasaje Padmasambhava impone el secreto y da su razón: quienes tengan la mente débil o alberguen dudas podrían denigrar la enseñanza y caer, así que no ha de proclamarse ni susurrándola al viento

«So it was that he named this teaching, which essentialises all teachings, the Peace ful and Wrathful Deities: A Profound Sacred Teaching, [entitled] Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention, and he bestowed it on the translator, [Chokro]lui Gyeltsen, as his legacy [of good fortune].» — el pasaje adjudica a Padmasambhava el nombre mismo del ciclo y su entrega al traductor Chokrolui Gyeltsen como legado; el troceo imprime *Peace ful* partido

«Then, directing his enlightened intention towards living beings of the future degenerate age, who would be of meagre merit, he concealed it in the form of a treasure at Mount Gampodar in Dakpo, at a site which resembles a dancing god.» — el cierre del relato del ocultamiento: Padmasambhava lo esconde como tesoro en el monte Gampodar de Dakpo, en un sitio que semeja un dios danzante

«When Padmasambhava was nearing the completion of his direct spiritual work and teaching in Tibet, the sovereign and his son [Prince Mutri Tsenpo], along with the translator Chokrolui Gyelsten and others, offered him a maṇḍala of gold and turquoise, and fervently made the following supplication» — el mismo pasaje narra la escena de la súplica: el soberano, el príncipe Mutri Tsenpo y el traductor Chokrolui Gyelsten ofrecen a Padmasambhava un mandala de oro y turquesa

«yet for the benefit of ourselves, the king, ministers, friends and subjects, and for future beings of the degenerate age, we request you to give a teaching which is the quintessence of all the teachings of the outer and inner vehicles; one through which buddhahood may be attained in a single lifetime; one which will bestow liberation by merely hearing it, a profound and concise teaching containing the essential meaning.’» — lo que piden en esa súplica: una enseñanza que sea la quintaesencia de todos los vehículos, que dé la budeidad en una sola vida y que libere con solo oírla

«Thus, [in response to their supplication] the Great Master replied, ‘O! Sovereign King, Prince, Ministers, in accord with your wish, I do have a teaching which is the essential point of all the six million four hundred thousand tantras of the Great Perfection, which were brought forth from the enlightened intention of glorious Samantabhadra.» — la respuesta que el pasaje pone en boca de Padmasambhava: posee una enseñanza que es el punto esencial de los seis millones cuatrocientos mil tantras de la Gran Perfección surgidos de la intención de Samantabhadra

«By merely hearing this teaching, the doors leading to birth in inferior existences will be blocked. By merely understanding it you will arrive at the level of supreme bliss. Those who take its meaning to heart will reach the irreversible level of the spontaneously accomplished awareness-holders. It can bring great benefit for all those who are connected with it.» — los tres frutos que ese pasaje promete por grados: oírla cierra las puertas de las existencias inferiores, entenderla lleva al nivel de la dicha suprema y tomarla a pecho, al nivel irreversible

«Padmasambhava’s prophesies concerning the treasure-finder Karma Lingpa and his immediate successors are also recounted elsewhere within the cycle. The following verses are taken from Gendun Gyeltsen’s fifteenth-century account, entitled Padmasambhava’s Prophecy of the Treasure-finder and the Series of Authentic Lineage Teachers (pp. 22ff.). In particular, they offer a rationale for the original concealment of the texts and predictions regarding their subsequent discovery and secret transmission.» — Dorje introduce las profecías sobre Karma Lingpa, tomadas del relato de Gendun Gyeltsen del siglo XV, y dice qué ofrecen: una razón del ocultamiento y predicciones de la transmisión secreta; el troceo imprime *prophesies*

«It is clear that even in this early formative period the cycle of texts had acquired two distinct titles, The Great Liberation by Hearing during the Intermediate States, and The Natural Liberation through Recognition of Enlightened Intention, reflecting its shorter and longer versions.» — Dorje señala que ya en ese periodo formativo el ciclo llevaba dos títulos distintos, uno por la versión breve y otro por la larga

«In the future, during the final era, the degenerate age, When monks [act] like pigs and make women pregnant, When virtuous actions generate and sustain resentment, When the most noble of monks takes a bride, When factionalism and wars are widespread, At that time there is no doubt that all those bereft of such instructions Will fall into the inferior existences. So to benefit the sentient beings of this degenerate age, I have committed [this cycle of teachings] to writing, And concealed them at Mount Gampodar.» — la profecía que el texto atribuye a Orgyan Rinpoche fija la época de la revelación por sus signos de degeneración y dice que por eso puso el ciclo por escrito y lo ocultó en el monte Gampodar

«In that age, a supremely fortunate son will be born. His father will have the name Accomplished Master Nyinda, And he will be the courageous “Karma Lingpa”. On his right thigh there will be a mole, Resembling the eye of pristine cognition, And he will be born in the dragon or snake year, Into a heroic family line, the fruit of past good actions. May that fortunate person encounter this [teaching]!» — la misma profecía da las señas del descubridor: hijo del maestro Nyinda, llamado Karma Lingpa, con un lunar en el muslo derecho y nacido en año de dragón o de serpiente

«‘But he [Karma Lingpa] should not publicly teach the cycles of The Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention To anyone at all, even by whispering into the wind, And so it should remain until the time of the third lineage holder. Obstacles will arise if these [teachings] are publicly taught!» — la profecía impone el secreto hasta el tercer sostenedor del linaje y advierte de obstáculos si se enseña en público

«‘If the oral instructions of the lineage issuing from the third generation lineage holder Are kept secret for seven years, there will be no obstacles. When seven years have passed, That [third generation successor] may properly impart to others The empowerments and practical application of the [abridged] cycle, The [Great] Liberation [by Hearing] during the Intermediate States. Then, when nine years have passed, the [complete] cycle of the Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention Should be imparted gradually, not all at once!» — la profecía fija los plazos: siete años de secreto para que el tercer sucesor pueda impartir el ciclo abreviado, y nueve para el completo, entregado gradualmente

«Although the exact dates of Karma Lingpa are unknown, his birth and death have been accurately placed within the fourteenth century. The following passages describing his life and those of his immediate successors are taken from Gyarawa Namka Chokyi Gyeltsen’s fifteenth-century Jewel Garland: An Abridged History of the Lineage» — Dorje sitúa a Karma Lingpa en el siglo XIV sin fechas exactas y declara de dónde toma la biografía: la Guirnalda de Joyas de Gyarawa Namka Chokyi Gyeltsen, del siglo XV

«Of particular interest is the discovery of two distinct cycles of treasure-teachings, the well-known Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: Natural Liberation of Enlightened Intention , and the Great Compassionate One: Lotus Peaceful and Wrathful Deities. The latter is no longer extant in this form, although it appears to have been the source for the masked drama contained in Chapter 13 of the present work.» — Dorje consigna que Karma Lingpa descubrió dos ciclos y que el segundo ya no existe en esa forma, aunque parece haber sido la fuente del drama enmascarado del capítulo 13

«[Revered as an emanation of the great translator Chokrolui Gyeltsen], Karma Lingpa was born at Khyerdrup, above Dakpo in Southern Tibet. He was the eldest son of the accomplished master Nyinda Sangye, an upholder of the mantra tradition and a treasure-finder in his own right.» — la biografía traducida da el nacimiento de Karma Lingpa en Khyerdrup y su filiación: hijo mayor de Nyinda Sangye, sostenedor de la tradición del mantra y descubridor de tesoros

«Unfortunately others spoke ill of him because he did not form an auspicious relationship with the intended consort who had been prophesised for him in connection with his discovery of these treasure-teachings. He did have one son, but because he showed a yellow scroll [containing his treasures] to his student before the time when he was destined to impart the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: Natural Liberation of Enlightened Intention, it is said he encountered life-threatening obstacles.» — la biografía consigna dos faltas y sus consecuencias: no formar la relación con la consorte profetizada y mostrar el rollo amarillo a un estudiante antes de tiempo

«So, knowing of his own untimely death, he said with prescience: ‘In the near future, many marks in the form of lotus flowers will appear on my body!’, and he also made numerous other clairvoyant statements. Then, the next year, when he was on the point of death, he granted the empowerments and transmissions of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: Natural Liberation of Enlightened Intention, to his son alone, and not to any others, saying ‘You should entrust this teaching to a saintly person who maintains the commitments and has the name Nyinda. His actions for the welfare of living beings will be most extensive!’ Making many such prophecies, Karma Lingpa passed away.» — la biografía narra la muerte de Karma Lingpa: transmite empoderamientos solo a su hijo y encarga entregar la enseñanza a alguien de nombre Nyinda

«However, one important figure, from the perspective of the literary history, is Rigdzin Nyima Drakpa (1647-1710), who in his later years, at Takmogang and Chakru, began transcribing and collating the various texts associated with Karma Lingpa’s cycle. It is clear from the various extant lineage prayers that he was directly responsible for standardising the shorter anthology entitled The Great Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States in its present form.» — Dorje adjudica a Rigdzin Nyima Drakpa la transcripción y colación de los textos del ciclo y la fijación de la antología breve en su forma actual

«From Mount Gampodar, which resembles a dancing god, he extracted the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: Natural Liberation of Enlightened Intention, along with the Great Compassionate One: Lotus Peaceful and Wrathful Deities and other treasures.» — la continuación nombra el lugar de la extracción y los dos ciclos que Karma Lingpa sacó de ahí, más otros tesoros

«Thus the first lineage holder was Karma Lingpa’s own son, Nyinda Choje, the author of Chapter 1 of the present work. The second-generation lineage holder, Lama Nyinda Ozer of Tsikar Monastery in Longpo, was born in 1409 (earth female ox year), and he is said to have written down the text contained in Chapter 1 of the present work.» — Dorje adjudica el capítulo 1 a dos manos: Nyinda Choje, hijo de Karma Lingpa y primer sostenedor del linaje, como autor, y Lama Nyinda Ozer, el segundo, como quien lo puso por escrito

«It is the third-generation lineage holder Gyarawa Namka Chokyi Gyatso who has the distinction of being the first person to publicly teach the treasures of Karma Lingpa. The transmissions of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities and The Great Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States that eventually came to permeate the entire Tibetan plateau can all trace their roots back to his teaching activity» — Dorje adjudica al tercer sostenedor, Gyarawa Namka Chokyi Gyatso, ser el primero en enseñar públicamente los tesoros de Karma Lingpa, y remonta a él las transmisiones posteriores

«The extensive dispersion of the lineage throughout Tibet and the Himalayan region that issued from Gyarawa has been recently documented, along with visual charts, by Bryan J. Cuevas in his work The Hidden History of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. We will not therefore describe this again here.» — Dorje remite la dispersión del linaje al trabajo de Bryan J. Cuevas y declara que por eso no lo repite

«In his fifteenth year, the prophetic declaration and the auspicious coincidence came» — la biografía fecha en el año quince de Karma Lingpa la coincidencia de la declaración profética con la circunstancia propicia; la frase se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue con la extracción en el monte Gampodar

«Rigdzin Nyima Drakpa’s lineage was particularly influential in the nomadic areas of Sok Dzong, where the mantrins of the Kabgye Lhakhang even now maintain the lineage of his teachings, and in Dzachuka, where his teacher Dzogchen Pema Rikdzin founded Dzogchen Monastery in 1685.» — Dorje sigue la influencia de ese linaje en Sok Dzong y en Dzachuka, donde el maestro de Nyima Drakpa fundó el monasterio de Dzogchen en 1685

«Subsequently, the teachings of the Karma Lingpa tradition were passed on from Mindroling to Dzogchen in the following line of transmission: Pema Gyurme Gyatso, Gyelse Ratna Vija, Dzogchen II Gyurme Thekchok Tendzin, Pema Kundrol Namgyel and Dzogchen III Ngedon Tendzin Zangpo. The last named was responsible for preparing the first xylographic» — Dorje da la línea de transmisión de Mindroling a Dzogchen y adjudica al último de la serie la preparación de la primera edición xilográfica; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente

«The earliest texts which these spiritual successions imparted through the generations were handwritten manuscripts, including a great many local and anonymous supplements. Yet, as Bryan Cuevas has rightly observed, ‘most of the available recensions of [Karma Lingpa’s] Peaceful and Wrathful Deities come to us in the form of xylographic prints and facsimile reproductions from blocks carved only in the last two centuries’.» — Dorje describe la forma material de la transmisión temprana, manuscritos con suplementos locales y anónimos, y cita a Bryan Cuevas sobre las recensiones disponibles hoy

«Unfortunately, the scribal errors that have crept into many of these ‘standard’ editions subsequently acquired great currency.» — Dorje consigna que los errores de copista de esas ediciones llamadas estándar adquirieron después mucha circulación

«At present, the most extensive extant version of the Peace ful and Wrathful Deities: Natural Liberation of Enlightened Intention is not a block-print, but the manuscript version from the library of the late Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche, who in the 1960s had his scribe prepare an elegant three-volume edition on the basis of the two volumes in his possession, which were apparently of Katok provenance.» — Dorje declara cuál es la versión más extensa que se conserva: no un xilograbado sino el manuscrito de la biblioteca de Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche, copiado en tres volúmenes en los años sesenta; el troceo imprime *Peace ful* partido

«This manuscript contains sixty-four distinct texts, which are arranged sequentially under the categories of history, empowerment, generation stage, perfection stage, introductions (according to the Great Perfection), path of skilful means, and protector liturgies.» — Dorje cuenta los sesenta y cuatro textos del manuscrito y las categorías en que van ordenados, de la historia a las liturgias de los protectores

«Although it is the most extensive version available, this manuscript is by no means exhaustive — for there are other, smaller published compilations, associated with Pelyul, Dzogchen and Nedo, containing texts that are excluded from the larger anthology.» — Dorje acota su propia afirmación: aunque es la versión más extensa, no es exhaustiva, porque otras compilaciones menores traen textos que esta antología deja fuera

«However, in our experience, and on the authority of Gene Smith, who generously made the Dudjom manuscript available on CD-ROM, the Dudjom manuscript is far more accurate than the many Indian and Bhutanese reprints that are more widely available and have provided the source for the recent partial translations of The Great Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States. Even the illuminated manuscript on which Kazi Dawa Samdup’s 1927 translation is based appears to perpetuate the same inaccuracies.» — Dorje adjudica al manuscrito Dudjom mayor exactitud que a los reimpresos indios y butaneses, y señala que el manuscrito iluminado de la traducción de Kazi Dawa Samdup de 1927 arrastra las mismas inexactitudes

«Seldom have we opted for readings based on the two Indian reprints of The Great Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States at our disposal, the Delhi and Varanasi photo-offset publications, and when we have done so, we have indicated the reason for our choice in the notes.» — Dorje declara el criterio editorial: rara vez se optó por las lecciones de los dos reimpresos indios y, cuando se hizo, la razón se dice en las notas

«We have not, however, made reference to the new Amdo edition, compiled by Khenpo Dorje and just» — Dorje declara qué edición quedó fuera del cotejo: la nueva edición de Amdo compilada por Khenpo Dorje, recién publicada en Hong Kong

«Readers wishing to understand the precise relationship between the chapters of the derivative Great Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States, and the larger cycle of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, are referred to Appendix One, where the correspondences are presented.» — Dorje remite al apéndice uno la correspondencia exacta entre los capítulos de la antología derivada y el ciclo mayor

«As stated above, this is the first complete English translation of The Great Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States, otherwise known to the outside world as the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and it is based on a version of the original text which has proven to be far more accurate than those used in previous translations. All the chapters of the anthology standardised by Nyima Drakpa and later published in woodblock form at Dzogchen Monastery are contained in this book.» — Dorje declara qué es esta edición: la primera traducción inglesa completa del ciclo, hecha sobre una versión más exacta que las usadas antes, con todos los capítulos de la antología de Nyima Drakpa

«With the exception of Chapter 13, Part One, which may well derive from the non-extant Lotus Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, and Chapter 13, Part Two, which was composed by Gyarawa Namka Chokyi Gyatso, all the other chapters from Nyima Drakpa’s compilation appear to have been taken from the original treasure-cycle of Karma Lingpa’s Peaceful and Wrathful Deities.» — Dorje adjudica cada capítulo a su origen y consigna dos excepciones: la primera parte del capítulo 13, quizá del ciclo del Loto ya perdido, y la segunda, compuesta por Gyarawa Namka Chokyi Gyatso

«In presenting our translation, we have sought to order the chapters according to the meaningful sequence of the intermediate states that arise in the course of life and death, and therefore the order of the chapters in this translation differs from the arrangement of Nyima Drakpa.» — Dorje declara una intervención editorial: los capítulos se ordenan por la secuencia de los estados intermedios en vida y muerte, y por eso el orden difiere del de Nyima Drakpa

«Chapter 1, outlining the preliminary practices of meditation, is attributed to Nyinda Choje and Nyinda Ozer, while Chapter 10, on consciousness transference, derives from Karma Lingpa’s Six Guidebooks of the Perfection» — Dorje da la procedencia de los dos capítulos añadidos: el 1 se atribuye a Nyinda Choje y Nyinda Ozer, y el 10 viene de los Seis Manuales de la Fase de Perfección de Karma Lingpa

«The first of these has been included because it provides an essential context to the later chapters, and the instructions on consciousness transference have been included because they are specifically mentioned in Chapter 11, as a necessary practice related to the intermediate state of the time of death.» — Dorje razona las dos inclusiones: el capítulo 1 da el contexto de los siguientes y el 10 se menciona en el capítulo 11 como práctica necesaria del estado intermedio del momento de la muerte

«In its original Tibetan this preliminary practice is beautifully written in verse. In the monasteries and lay households of the practitioners of this cycle of teachings, it is usually sung melodically in the early morning, before any other practice or activity is begun. Often the young monks sing the opening verses of this poem as they go about their morning duties.» — la sección CONTEXT del capítulo 1, escrita por Dasho Sangay Dorji, dice cómo se usa esta práctica preliminar: cantada melódicamente al amanecer, antes de cualquier otra actividad

«When engaging in a preliminary retreat, it is recommended that this meditation is done every day in four sessions: early morning till dawn, after sunrise until just before noon, from afternoon until just before sunset, and from sunset until late evening.» — la misma introducción reparte las cuatro sesiones del día en que se hace la meditación durante un retiro preliminar

«The practice essentialises the ‘four common or outer preliminaries’ and the ‘five uncommon or inner preliminaries’, which are described in the glossary. It is recommended that the inner preliminary practices are repeated 100,000 times as a prerequisite to receiving instruction on the ‘generation stage’ practices of the Vehicle of Indestructible Reality (Vajrayāna).» — la introducción declara qué condensa la práctica y qué requisito impone: cien mil repeticiones de los preliminares internos antes de recibir instrucción en la fase de generación del Vajrayāna

«A correct perception of the spiritual teacher is considered vital for all practitioners of the Vehicle of Indestructible Reality (Vajrayāna). Further, it is considered essential that a practitioner receive spiritual inspiration, as transmitted through an unbroken lineage of masters, from a living teacher. First, however, before accepting anyone as a spiritual teacher, it is also regarded as essential that the practitioner examine and scrutinise the prospective teacher over a long period of time and accept him or her as a qualified teacher only when it is certain that the person meets the requirements of a spiritual teacher as set out in the authoritative sacred texts.» — la introducción del capítulo 2 impone al alumno un examen largo del maestro antes de aceptarlo, medido contra los requisitos de los textos sagrados autorizados

«Then, if they are sure that their own motivation is sincere, students should follow the advice of their chosen spiritual teacher with incontrovertible devotion. Ultimately, the inspiration that is requested from the spiritual teacher is coming from the purity of the practitioner’s own perception, altruistic intention and confidence.» — la misma introducción precisa de dónde viene, a fin de cuentas, la inspiración que se pide al maestro: de la pureza de la percepción, la intención y la confianza del propio practicante

«According to this cycle of teachings, the circle of birth and death can be seen as being composed of six intermediate states. These six modalities of existence: our waking living state, dreaming, meditation, the time of death, and the two successive phases of the after-death state are defined in the glossary.» — la introducción del capítulo 3 enumera los seis estados intermedios que componen el círculo de nacimiento y muerte: vigilia, sueño, meditación, momento de la muerte y las dos fases del estado posterior

«This poem emphasises the centrally important perspective that relates to each of these states. It is recommended that practitioners should memorise these verses and recite them repeatedly, while reflecting on their meaning, throughout their lives.» — la misma introducción dice cómo se usa el poema: memorizarlo y recitarlo repetidamente reflexionando en su sentido

«This chapter is the essence of the esoteric instruction by which the student is introduced to the ultimate nature of mind. Prior to entering into this practice, which focuses directly on the nature of mind itself, this introduction should be received from an accomplished lineage holder. Then, whilst in solitary retreat, it is recommended that this text be read repeatedly as a guide between meditation sessions.» — la introducción del capítulo 4 impone el orden: la introducción a la naturaleza de la mente se recibe primero de un sostenedor del linaje realizado, y solo después se lee el texto en retiro

«The aim is to provide a means by which the practitioner can cultivate an unwavering recognition of the nature of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities within his or her own mind and body. Thereby recognition of the natural purity of the practitioner’s impure habitual tendencies is continuously developed. The measure of successful training is: the location and nature of the deities will be remembered even in the practitioner’s dreams, and, the arising of a sustained recognition that all phenomena, sounds and thoughts are, in their essence, the body, speech and mind of the deities.» — la misma introducción da la medida del entrenamiento logrado: recordar la ubicación y la naturaleza de las deidades incluso en sueños, y reconocer todo fenómeno, sonido y pensamiento como cuerpo, habla y mente de las deidades

«This is the concise ‘generation stage’ practice associated with this cycle of teachings. Normally, after completing the preparatory philosophical studies and meditational practices over many years, the full generation stage practice entitled The Natural Liberation of Feelings would be done four times a day while in an extended solitary retreat. Following this retreat, the full generation stage practice should be done at least monthly.» — la introducción del capítulo 5 sitúa la práctica breve de la fase de generación después de años de estudio y de la práctica extensa, que se hace cuatro veces al día en retiro y luego al menos una vez al mes

«As a method for enhancing and sustaining an unbroken purity of perception, this concise practice, The Natural Liberation of Habitual Tendencies, should be done three times a day, in the morning, at midday and in the evening, throughout the practitioner’s life. If this is not practical, then the concise practice should be done twice a day, in the morning and evening, or at least once a day in the morning, following the Preliminary Practice (Chapter 1).» — la misma introducción fija la frecuencia de la práctica breve: tres veces al día de por vida, o dos, o al menos una por la mañana tras la práctica preliminar

«This practice reinforces the previous meditation, taking the form of a physical prostration to each of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities in turn. This Hundredfold Homage can be done on its own or immediately after the practice of the Natural Liberation of Habitual Tendencies. It can also be practised whenever feast-offerings are performed in conjunction with The Natural Liberation of Feelings or whenever the practitioner makes offerings of incense, flowers and butter-lamps to the deities.» — la introducción del capítulo 6 describe la forma de la práctica —una postración física a cada deidad por turno— y cuándo se hace

«Practitioners should make these prostrations while clearly visualising before them the form of the deity, in perfect detail, and while experientially cultivating the deity’s nature and the inner meaning of the symbolism. Also, as the colophon recommends, the practitioner should concurrently: ‘mentally admit and feel remorse for all one’s negativities and obscurations, which have been, are being and will be accumulated.’» — la misma introducción cita el colofón para decir qué se hace mientras se prosterna: admitir mentalmente y lamentar las negatividades acumuladas, las presentes y las que se acumularán

«Before beginning the confessional practice, it is recommended that the practitioner should make actual or mentally emanated offerings before his or her altar. Then, each afternoon, while sitting on the floor in front of the altar, the practitioner should engage in this practice, with the palms of the hands placed together, chanting the words lucidly and with conviction.» — la misma introducción da el protocolo: ofrendas ante el altar, sesión de cada tarde sentado en el suelo, palmas juntas y recitación lúcida

«In Buddhist practice this process of purification, which includes the reparation of commitments and vows, is enhanced by the engagement of the ‘four antidotal powers’. In the context of this cycle of teachings the four powers are: 1. The power of reliance, which here refers to the visualisation of the hundred Peaceful and Wrathful Deities.» — la introducción del capítulo 7 nombra los cuatro poderes antídoto con que se hace la purificación y define el primero, el poder del apoyo

«2. The power of the actual antidote, which here refers to the recitation of the Natural Liberation through Acts of Confession, together with the practice of the Hundred-syllable Mantra of Vajrasattva. 3. The power of remorse, which is the genuinely remorseful recollection of all negative acts previously committed. 4. The power of resolve, which is the pledge never to engage wilfully in such negative actions again.» — los otros tres poderes: el antídoto propiamente dicho, que es la recitación del texto con el mantra de cien sílabas, el remordimiento y la resolución

«Since the human body is regarded as an abode of deities, it is the responsibility of the practitioner to protect the body from the causes of harm, disease and premature death and to foster the conditions which support an active and unencumbered life up to the natural exhaustion of the lifespan.» — la introducción del capítulo 8 funda el cuidado del cuerpo en que se lo considera morada de deidades, y hace del practicante responsable de protegerlo hasta el agotamiento natural de la vida

«This chapter and the following chapter: Natural Liberation of Fear through the Ritual Deception of Death are inextricably interlinked. Should the predictive signs described in this chapter definitively arise, then it is expected that the appropriate practices described in the following chapter: Natural Liberation of Fear through the Ritual Deception of Death should be undertaken without delay.» — la misma introducción liga los capítulos 8 y 9: si los signos predictivos surgen de modo definitivo, las prácticas del engaño ritual de la muerte se emprenden sin demora

«This is the companion text to the previous chapter and it describes the practices to be followed in the event that definitive signs indicating death are discerned. The general consolidated rite described in this chapter follows the classical structure of many Vajrayāna protective rituals. This consolidated rite, and similar rituals, are commonly performed in Tibetan Buddhist communities today by practitioners, both for their own benefit and for the benefit of others.i On the other hand, the specific rites, related to specific signs, are again idiosyncratic and are not commonly practised.» — la introducción del capítulo 9 distingue el rito general consolidado, de uso corriente hoy en las comunidades budistas tibetanas, de los ritos específicos, que declara idiosincrásicos y poco practicados

«Practitioners of this cycle of teachings who commence with the Preliminary Practice (Chapter 1), and purify all their negativity and obscurations, generated by their past actions, through the practice of the Natural Liberation of Habitual Tendencies, the Hundredfold Homage and the Confession (Chapters 5-7), and who also experientially cultivate the practices described in the Introduction to Awareness (Chapter 4), will, in the best of cases, attain liberation from cyclic existence in this very lifetime.» — la introducción del capítulo 10 encadena las prácticas anteriores y declara cuál es su fruto mejor: la liberación de la existencia cíclica en esta misma vida

«This wonderful practice is classed among the few that do not require previous experience of Vajrayāna meditational practices in order to be effective. Once guidance has been received from a qualified spiritual teacher, the practitioner should follow the course of training, outlined in this chapter, until the signs of accom» — la misma introducción señala la excepción que hace útil este capítulo: la transferencia de la consciencia no exige experiencia previa en las prácticas meditativas del Vajrayāna

«Traditionally, the procedures followed when a lama visits a dying or deceased person are intricate and prolonged, and will vary depending on whether the person is about to die, has just recently died, or has been dead for some days.» — la introducción del capítulo 11, la única que los agradecimientos adjudican a Khamtrul Rinpoche y no a Dasho Sangay Dorji, advierte que el procedimiento varía según cuánto haga que la persona murió

«The lama should be motivated by a sincere compassion for all sentient beings and should have mastered in his own mental continuum the direct experiential cultivation of the dying processes, as well as the consciousness transference practices.» — la misma introducción fija los requisitos del lama que asiste: compasión sincera y cultivo experiencial de los procesos del morir y de la transferencia de la consciencia

«Very often the mere presence of an accomplished lama can create a solid sense of calm and purposefulness, which inspires both the dying person and family.» — la introducción atribuye efecto a la sola presencia del lama realizado: un sentido de calma y de propósito que alcanza al moribundo y a la familia

«Once the introduction to the intermediate state of reality has been completed, the attending lama should closely observe the body of the deceased and seek to determine whether he or she has attained liberation from rebirth in cyclic existence. If emancipation has occurred, the body will take on a certain glow, and while being in its presence, one will experience a sensation of happiness. The body will not smell. It will look just like a living person who is sleeping. These are signs that the consciousness of the deceased has attained liberation.» — la introducción del capítulo 11 da los signos por los que el lama juzga si hubo liberación: el cuerpo toma cierto brillo, no huele y parece dormido, y quien está presente siente felicidad

«If the attending lama decides that consciousness transference is the appropriate course of action, it should be repeated many times until certain indications occur, such as the emergence of mucus or blood from both nostrils. Further, in order to induce the consciousness to leave the body via the crown, which is the optimum gateway for the transference to take effect, the means of preventing the consciousness from leaving through other orifices as described in Chapter 10 should be applied. This is facilitated by visualising that the nine orifices of the body are each sealed by a single HŪṂ syllable, thus forcing the consciousness to exit via the crown fontanelle.» — la introducción describe el sellado de los nueve orificios con la sílaba HŪṂ para forzar la salida de la consciencia por la fontanela

«If possible, the dying person should recite these three aspirational prayers with intense longing at the time of death. Otherwise, the attending lama should recite these prayers, also with intense longing, immediately before the Liberation by Hearing (Chapter 11) is read to the dying person. That is, following the taking of refuge in the Three Precious Jewels - the Buddha, the sacred teachings and the monastic community - and the making of offerings.» — la introducción del capítulo 12 dice quién recita las tres plegarias y cuándo: el moribundo si puede, y si no el lama que asiste, antes de leer la Gran Liberación por la Audición

«This allegorical play portrays the experiences of the archetypal evil-doer Lakṣanāraka and the archetypal virtuous householder Śrῑjāta as they meet with Yama, the embodiment of the inexorable laws of cause and effect, in the intermediate state of rebirth. This lighthearted masked drama is still commonly performed today during public ceremonial occasions throughout Tibet, Bhutan and the Buddhist regions of the Himalayas. The play is staged, often to huge audiences, in the courtyards or public ceremonial areas of a monastery, often at the time of the annual 10th day sacred dances commemorating the life of Padmasambhava.» — la introducción del capítulo 13 describe la puesta en escena del drama y consigna que se sigue representando hoy en Tíbet, Bután y las regiones budistas del Himalaya

«Amongst these expressions of the sacred teachings is this Liberation by Wearing, which is said to effect liberation simply by its being worn as a mantra amulet on the body at the time of death or by its being heard at the time of death.» — la introducción del capítulo 14 declara el modo de operar de este texto: libera por llevarse puesto como amuleto de mantras al morir, o por oírse en ese momento

«The text of this chapter expresses the enlightened intention of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities in the form of mantra-letters. These mantra-letters are the resonance of the pure awareness of the deities expressed in the form of letter shapes and sounds.» — la misma introducción explica qué son las letras-mantra: la resonancia de la consciencia pura de las deidades expresada en formas de letra y en sonidos

«A correspondence between the chapters of Karma Lingpa’s Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: A Profound Sacred Teaching, [entitled] Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention (Dudjom Rinpoche three-volume edition, Delhi: Sherab Lama, 1975-6) and the chapters of this book» — el apéndice primero declara qué es: la correspondencia entre los capítulos del ciclo de Karma Lingpa y los de este libro, medida contra la edición de Delhi en tres volúmenes de Dudjom Rinpoche; es aparato del volumen, sin firma, y la historia literaria de Gyurme Dorje remite a él

«4) Padmasambhava’s Prophecy of the Treasure-finder and the Series of Authentic Spiritual Lineage Holders (gTer-ston lung-bstan-dang khungs btsun-pa bla-ma brgyud-pa’i rim-pa-rnams), composed by Gendun Gyeltsen.» — la sección de Historia del catálogo enumera como texto del ciclo la profecía de Padmasambhava sobre el descubridor del tesoro y la serie de sostenedores del linaje, y le adjudica compositor: Gendun Gyeltsen

«3) Introduction to Awareness: Natural Liberation through Naked Perception (Rig-pa mngon-sum-du ngo-sprod-pa gcer-mthong rang-grol). Volume 2, pp. 469- 488. See Chapter 4.» — el catálogo sitúa la Introducción a la Consciencia en la sección de Introducciones del ciclo, en el volumen 2 de la edición de Delhi, y la identifica con el capítulo 4 de este libro

«9) Great Liberation by Hearing; Elucidating the Introduction to the Intermediate State of Reality (Chos-nyid bar-do’i ngo-sprod gsal-’debs thos-grol chen-mo). Volume 3, pp. 41-114. See Chapter 11, Parts One and Two.» — el catálogo hace lo mismo con la pieza más conocida: la Gran Liberación por la Audición sobre el estado intermedio de la realidad es el capítulo 11, partes primera y segunda

«20) Root Verses of the Six Intermediate States (Bar-do drug-gi rtsa-tshig). Volume 3, pp. 316-318. See Chapter 3.» — los versos raíz de los seis estados intermedios ocupan tres páginas del volumen 3 y son el capítulo 3 de este libro: el catálogo mide así la desproporción entre el ciclo entero y lo traducido

«15) Liberation by Wearing: Natural Liberation of the Psycho-physical Aggregates, in which the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities are encompassed (Zhi-khro ’dus-pa’i btags-grol phung-po rang-grol). Volume 3, pp. 255 — 286. See Chapter 14.» — la Liberación por Vestir figura en la sección de Introducciones y corresponde al capítulo 14; el troceo imprime el rango de páginas con raya en vez de guion

«1) Natural Liberation through Desire: Most Profound Quintessence of Guidance on Supreme Bliss Pertaining to the Sexual Practices (’Og-sgo bde-ba chen-po’i khrid ’dod-chags rang-grol zhes-bya-ba yang-zab bcud-bsdus). Volume 3, pp. 329-419.» — el catálogo consigna una sección del ciclo que este libro no traduce, el Camino de los Medios Hábiles, cuyo primer texto versa sobre las prácticas sexuales y ocupa noventa páginas del volumen 3

«1) Natural Liberation of Rebirth: A Teaching Revealing the Natural Expression of Virtue and Negativity, through the Introduction to the Intermediate State of Rebirth (Srid-pa bar-do’i ngo-sprod dge-sdig rang-gzugs ston-pa’i gdams-pa’am me-long srid-pa rang-grol), contained in the Delhi offset edition of the Great Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate States, pp. 499-533. See Chapter 13, Part One.» — la última entrada del catálogo declara una procedencia distinta para la primera parte del capítulo 13: no viene de los tres volúmenes de Dudjom sino de la edición offset de Delhi de la Gran Liberación por la Audición

«The maṇḍala represents a perfected state of being, and the central deities within it symbolise the perfected states of the meditator’s own awareness, psycho-physical aggregates, elemental properties, and sensory and mental processes. The peaceful deities represent the quiescent natural purity of these fundamental components of our being and the wrathful deities represent the transformative aspects of these energies, which bring about the natural transformation of the most enduring and deep-seated expressions of our mundane perceptual states. Last, the outer deities of the maṇḍala represent the modes of activity of an enlightened being.» — el apéndice segundo, que la introducción del editor llama el cuadro de la casa, enuncia la clave de lectura del mandala: no es un panteón sino el estado perfecto del propio practicante, con las deidades pacíficas por la pureza quiescente de sus componentes, las airadas por la transformación de lo más arraigado y las exteriores por los modos de actividad del ser iluminado

«The exact mapping of this symbolism does vary according to the lineage and class of the practice. In the chart presented below, the correspondences are based on Chapter 5 of the present work, supplemented by correspondences taken from other texts within the cycle, with certain common variances noted.» — el mismo apéndice acota su propio alcance: la correspondencia varía según el linaje y la clase de práctica, y la que aquí se da se basa en el capítulo 5 de este libro, con variantes comunes anotadas

«The male and female primordial buddhas: Samantabadra and Samantabhadrῑ in union represent the indivisible union of pure awareness and emptiness» — el cuadro abre por los budas primordiales macho y hembra en unión, que representan la unión indivisible de consciencia pura y vacuidad; el troceo imprime *Samantabadra* sin la ese

«Ākāśagarbha, Avalokiteśvara, Mañjuśrῑkumārabhūta, Nivāraṇaviśkambhin and Vajrapāṇi, represent the eight classes of consciousness N.B. According to th Guhyagargha Tantra, they also symbolise the four senses and four sense organs.» — la fila de los ocho bodhisattvas masculinos los adjudica a las ocho clases de consciencia y añade una variante por nota: según el Guhyagarbha Tantra simbolizan además los cuatro sentidos y sus órganos; la fila arranca en la plana anterior y el troceo imprime *th Guhyagargha* por the Guhyagarbha

«The four male gatekeepers: Trailokyavijaya, Yamāntaka, Hayagrῑva and Amṛtakuṇḍalin, represent the natural purity of the four extreme views and four aspects of enlightened activity» — los cuatro guardianes masculinos de la puerta corresponden a la pureza natural de las cuatro visiones extremas y a los cuatro aspectos de la actividad iluminada

«The six peaceful male buddhas: Samantabhadra, Vairocana, Aksobhya-Vajrasattva, Rtnasambhava, Amitabha and Amoghasiddhi are in their wrathful aspects respectively: Mahottara Heruka, Buddha Heruka, Vajra Heruka, Ratna Heruka, Padma Heruka and Karma Heruka, who represent the natural transformation of the six dissonant mental states.» — la mitad airada del cuadro empareja uno a uno: los seis budas pacíficos son en su aspecto airado los seis herukas, y esa pareja representa la transformación natural de los seis estados mentales discordantes; el troceo imprime *Aksobhya* y *Rtnasambhava* sin sus diacríticos

«The eight Mātarah: Gaurῑ, Caurῑ, Pratāmohā, Vetālῑ, Ghasmarῑ, Candālῑ and Śmaśānῑ, represent the natural transformation of mental constructs associated with the eight classes of consciousness» — las ocho Mātarah se adjudican a la transformación natural de los constructos mentales asociados a las ocho clases de consciencia; la fila nombra siete y el troceo no imprime la octava

«The four Female Gatekeepers manifest as Vajratejasῑ, Vajrāmoghā, Vajralokā and Vajravetālῑ, respectively representing the closing of the doors to the four types of birth and the four immeasurable aspirations» — las cuatro guardianas de la puerta en su forma airada representan el cierre de las puertas a los cuatro tipos de nacimiento y las cuatro aspiraciones inconmensurables

«Twenty-eight Iśvarῑ, represent the purification of the aggregates of bewildered mental constructs and the enactment of enlightened activity» — la última fila del cuadro adjudica a las veintiocho Iśvarῑ la purificación de los agregados de constructos mentales confundidos y la puesta en obra de la actividad iluminada; la fila entra sin su artículo porque la celda anterior del cuadro no tiene capa de texto

«DR Zab-chos zhi-khro dgongs-pa rang-grol, 3 vols. The most extensive and accurate version of Karma Lingpa’s revelations (64 texts, 764 folios), a manuscript of Katok provenance, from the library of the previous Dudjom Rinpoche, published in photo-offset form (Delhi: Sherab Lama, 1975-76), reproduced on CD-ROM by TBRC, New York, Ref: 2330-2332.» — la lista de abreviaturas de las notas describe el testimonio en que se basa la traducción y lo califica: la versión más extensa y exacta de las revelaciones de Karma Lingpa, sesenta y cuatro textos en setecientos sesenta y cuatro folios, manuscrito de procedencia Katok, reproducido en CD-ROM por el TBRC; es entrada de bibliografía

«TBD Delhi reprint Bar-do thos-grol chen-mo, 550 pages, Delhi (1985). Reproduced from a print of the Bhutanese Rinpung Dzong xylograph through the agency of HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.» — la misma lista consigna las reimpresiones modernas del Bar-do thos-grol y de dónde vienen: la de Delhi reproduce un xilograbado butanés del Rinpung Dzong por gestión de Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche; entrada de bibliografía extraída con la guarda anticosido apagada por el año entre paréntesis

«4 This description of phenomena accords with the account given by Nāgārjuna at the beginning of his Root Stanzas of the Madhyamaka entitled Discriminative Awareness (Prajñā-nāma-mūlamadhyamakakārikā). See the translation by D. Kalupahana, Mūlamadhyamakakārikās, Ch.1.» — las notas del traductor adjudican fuente a la doctrina del capítulo 1: la descripción de los fenómenos concuerda con la que da Nāgārjuna al comienzo de sus Estrofas Raíz del Madhyamaka

«25 The spiritual teachers of the core lineage who are connected with this transmission (’brel-tshad don-ldan rtsa-brgyud bla-ma-rnams) are those in successive generations who have maintained the lineage of our text from the time of Nyinda Ozer down to the present.» — la nota define a quiénes llama maestros del linaje central: los de generaciones sucesivas que han mantenido el linaje de este texto desde Nyinda Ozer hasta hoy, y el aparato habla de la obra como nuestro texto

«1 Tib. Bar-do rnam-drug-gi rtsa-tshig. These verses are reiterated in the context of other chapters of this cycle» — la nota al capítulo 3 señala que los versos raíz no son pieza suelta: se reiteran dentro de otros capítulos del mismo ciclo

«3 The point is that all the inestimable 84,000 aspects of the sacred teachings, the nine vehicles, the three or four piṭaka, and so forth, depend upon the primary understanding of intrinsic awareness. Cf. Laṅkāvatārasūtra, Ch. 2, v. 202: ‘As long as sentient beings manifest, there will be no end to the vehicles. When the mind becomes transformed, there is neither vehicle nor mover.’» — la nota al capítulo 4 explica de qué depende todo lo demás, las ochenta y cuatro mil facetas de la enseñanza y los nueve vehículos, y lo respalda con un verso del Laṅkāvatārasūtra que cita con comilla simple

«4 The Tibetan expression tshig gsum (lit. ‘three words’) is used colloquially to mean ‘terse’ or ‘in few words’. Two alternative readings have been suggested: 1) The phrase ‘three words’ could refer to the three statements given on pp. 4 1-2, that ‘past thoughts are traceless, clear and empty’, that ‘future thoughts are unproduced and fresh’, and that ‘the present moment abides naturally and unconstructed’.» — la nota consigna dos lecturas posibles de *tshig gsum* sin elegir: la primera refiere las tres palabras a los tres enunciados sobre el pensamiento pasado, futuro y presente; el troceo parte la cifra de la página como *pp. 4 1-2*

«2) A less likely view is that this expression may refer to the Atiyoga testament of Prahevajra (Tib. dGa’-rab rdo-rje), entitled Three Points which Penetrate the Essential (tshig-gsum gnad-du brdeg-pa). The three points contained in this latter work crystalise the process through which intrinsic awareness (rang-rig) is introduced. They are as follows: the ‘direct introduction to the essence itself’ (ngo-rang thog-tu ’phrod-pa), the ‘direct determination of this unique state’ (thag-gcig thog-tu bcad-pa), and the ‘direct confidence in liberation’» — la segunda lectura la da el traductor con su propia reserva, menos probable a su juicio: que las tres palabras remitan al testamento de Prahevajra y a sus tres puntos que penetran lo esencial

«5 This verse derives from the Guhyagarbha Tantra, Ch. 13, v. 2: There are those of no understanding,/ And those of wrong understanding,/ Those of partial understanding,/ And those who have not [quite] understood genuine reality.» — la nota deriva del Guhyagarbha Tantra el verso que clasifica a los practicantes en cuatro, desde los que no entienden hasta los que no acaban de entender la realidad genuina; el troceo imprime los versos separados por barra

«8 This passage, in which the texts (gzhung) and philosophical systems (siddhānta; Tib. grub-mtha’) of the diverse Buddhist schools are said to inhibit the perception of inner radiance» — la nota adjudica precedente al pasaje del capítulo 4 que hace de los tratados y los sistemas filosóficos un estorbo para percibir la radiancia interior: corresponde de cerca a una cita del Tantra del Rey que Todo lo Realiza

«Longchen Rabjampa concludes that only the adherents of the resultant vehicles (phalayāna) perceive genuine reality as it is, and among these, only Atiyoga is stated to be the ‘naturally secret truth’ (rang-bzhin gsang-ba’i don), while Kriyātantra and Ubhayatantra are referred to as ‘disciplines’ (’dul-ba), Yogatantra as ‘enlightened intention’ (dgongs-pa), and Mahāyoga as ‘secrecy’ (gsang-ba).» — el aparato consigna la jerarquía que Longchen Rabjampa sostiene entre los vehículos: solo los resultantes perciben la realidad genuina tal cual, y entre ellos solo el Atiyoga es la verdad naturalmente secreta

«11 Our text at this point has the reading: gdams-ngag gdams-ngag (‘oral teaching, oral teaching’). The meaningful reading: gang-zag bdag-med (‘selflessness of the individual’) is suggested by Zenkar Rinpoche.» — la nota deja a la vista una enmienda y quién la propone: el texto dice *gdams-ngag gdams-ngag*, la lectura con sentido es *gang-zag bdag-med*, y la sugiere Zenkar Rinpoche

«21 The lives of the future treasure-finders (gter-ston) predicted by Padmasambhava, including that of Karma Lingpa, the treasure-finder associated with our present text, are recounted in NSTB, pp. 750-880, and on the prophecies found in the treasure-doctrines, ibid., pp. 934-5.» — la nota sitúa a Karma Lingpa dentro de una serie: es uno de los descubridores de tesoros cuya vida Padmasambhava predijo, y el aparato remite a la historia de la escuela Nyingma de Dudjom Rinpoche

«8 An inserted annotation in the text adds that if this aspirational prayer is recited on behalf of a deceased person, the word ‘we’ should, on each occurrence, be replaced with ‘the deceased’.» — la nota consigna una anotación insertada en el propio texto tibetano, que manda sustituir el nosotros por el difunto cuando la plegaria se recita en nombre de un muerto

«19 Tib. mthing-nag. DR, p. 188. l. 6 reads mthing-skya, but see Ch. 6, p. 107, and Ch. 11, p. 264.» — la nota consigna una variante del manuscrito base sin resolverla en el cuerpo: DR lee *mthing-skya* donde la traducción pone *mthing-nag*, y remite a otros dos capítulos

«21 These Four Female Gatekeepers of the wrathful assembly also have distinct names: the wrathful counterpart of Aṅkuśā is Vajratejasῑ, of Pāśā Vajrāmoghā, of Sphoṭā Vajralokā, and of Ghaṇṭā Vajravetālῑ.» — la nota empareja una a una las cuatro guardianas pacíficas con sus contrapartes airadas, que es la correspondencia que el apéndice segundo dibuja

«Among them, Manurākṣasῑ in Ch. 5 is simply described as ‘white’ (dkar-mo) and in Ch. 11 as ‘dark brown’ (smug-nag).» — la nota registra que la misma deidad lleva dos colores según el capítulo, blanco en el 5 y pardo oscuro en el 11, y no armoniza la discrepancia

«Brahmāṇῑ is erroneously described as ‘red-yellow’ (dmar-se), Kaumārῑ as solely red (dmar-mo), and Vaiṣṇāvῑ as solely ‘blue’ (sngon-mo).» — la misma nota llama erróneas tres descripciones de color del capítulo 11, y es el aparato el que lo dice, no el texto

«27 This verse concerns the four yoginῑ who enact their emanational rites at the outermost gates of the skull (sprul-pa’i las-mdzad dbang-phyug sgo-ma bzhi), and who complete the group of twenty-eight Iśvarῑ. Note that while in our text all four of these gatekeepers are generally referred to by the collective name Vajrā (rdo-rje-ma), their distinctive names are found in Ch. 14, pp. 370 - 71, and in Longchen Rabjampa, GGFTC, pp. 1127-28.» — la nota señala que el propio texto llama Vajrā con un nombre colectivo a las cuatro guardianas de las puertas exteriores del cráneo, y que sus nombres distintivos hay que buscarlos en el capítulo 14 y en el comentario de Longchen Rabjampa

«29 The three smeared sacraments (byug-pa’i rdzas gsum) of the charnel ground, ‘ashes, blood and grease’ (thal-chen rakta zhag-gi zo-ris), indicate that they have subdued envy. The ‘skirts of moist hide and flayed tiger-skin’ (ko-rlon gYanggzhi stag-gi sham-thabs) indicate that delusion, attachment and aversion are respectively subdued by the ten powers (daśabala), desireless compassion and wrathful compassion.» — la nota da la clave de lectura de los atributos airados: los tres sacramentos untados del osario indican que han sometido la envidia, y las faldas de piel indican el sometimiento de la delusión, el apego y la aversión

«5 The Delhi reprint of Bar-do thos-grol chen-mo includes an annotation to the effect that when generating the visualisation of the maṇḍala in front rather than prostrating to an already clearly visualised assembly, the words ‘I bow down to such and such a buddha-body’ (sku-la phyag-’tshal-lo) should be replaced by the words ‘such and such a buddha-body is primordially and radiantly present’ (sku-ni ye-nas gsal).» — la nota consigna que la reimpresión de Delhi trae una anotación que cambia la fórmula ritual según se genere la visualización enfrente o se postre uno ante una asamblea ya visualizada

«6 DR, p. 409, l. 2, reads: srab-la ’phyar-bas . . . Here we follow the Varanasi reprint: ’phyor-la gYeng-bas. The Delhi reprint reads: srog-la ’tshal-bas.» — la nota deja ver cómo se edita el texto y con qué testimonios: entre tres lecturas, el traductor declara seguir la reimpresión de Varanasi contra el manuscrito base y contra la de Delhi

«11 DR, p. 412, l. 6, ’gugs-’ching-sdom-dgyes. The Delhi reprint misreads ’gyed for ’gyes, while the Varanasi reprint misreads ’phying for ’ching and dgyes for ’gyes.» — la misma mano llama malas lecturas a las de las dos reimpresiones en el mismo punto y se atiene al manuscrito base; es el aparato el que lo dice

«24 Tib. Na-rag bskang-bshags. A celebrated treasure-doctrine (gter-chos) revealed during the thirteenth century by Guru Chowang, and included within his Eight Transmitted Precepts: Consummation of All Secrets (bKa’-brgyad gsang-ba» — la nota data y adjudica un texto tesoro ajeno al ciclo que el rito cita: revelado en el siglo XIII por Guru Chowang e incluido en sus Ocho Preceptos Transmitidos

«10 Generally the Twenty-eight Ῑśvarῑ are associated with the complete four rites or aspects of enlightened activity (las-bzhi) and not only abhicāra.» — la nota acota la función de las veintiocho Iśvarῑ: por lo general se las asocia a los cuatro ritos de la actividad iluminada y no solo al de la hechicería

«19 The rampant egohood which can result from improper application of Buddhist practices, particularly the tantras, is exemplified by the archetypal demonic form Rudra, who is compassionately ‘liberated’ by the wrathful deities.» — la nota explica qué figura la del demonio Rudra: el egoísmo desbocado que puede resultar de aplicar mal las prácticas budistas, y en particular los tantras, al que las deidades airadas liberan por compasión