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22 Bardo Thödol (The Tibetan Book of the Dead)
though they are also counseled that these demons
are insubstantial projections of the mind:
O son of noble family, listen very carefully.
When the twelfth day comes, the blooddrinking
emanation of the Karma family, who
is called Karma-Heruka the Blessed, will rise
out of the northern quadrant of your brain
and appear before you clearly, united with his
spouse; his body dark green, with three heads,
six arms, and four legs spread apart; the right
face is white, the left is read, and the middle a
majestic deep green; his six hands are holding,
the first to the right a sword, that in the
middle-right a trident impaled with three
human heads, the next to the left a bell, the
next still a goblet fashioned out of a human
skull, the last a plowshare; his spouse, Karma-
Krodhisvari, is clasping his body with her
right arm, her hand around his neck, and in
her left she is holding a blood-filled skull to
his lips. Do not be afraid of him, do not be
terrified, do not be taken aback. Recognize in
him the form of your own spirit. (Evans-
Wentz 1960, 140–141)
The central objective of Tibetan death rites is
to extract the consciousness-principle from the
gross physical body so that it can truly perceive the
spiritual world. Following death, the spirit enters a
transit that lasts exactly forty-nine days and is
divided into three stages. At the end of the Bardo,
one either enters nirvana, an ineffable state, or
returns to earth for another reincarnation. Only
the most enlightened avoid reincarnation.
It is of paramount importance that the dying
person remain fully conscious for as long as possible,
for the last thoughts of the dying influence the
quality of the after-death experience and the
subsequent reincarnation. He or she is placed in
the Lion Posture (lying on one’s right side), and
his or her neck arteries are pressed to prevent loss
of consciousness. The dying person is guided by a
guru or lama, who provides advice on what to
prepare for.
The first stage of the Bardo commences at the
moment of death and lasts from a half day to four
days; this is how long it takes for the deceased to
realize he or she has been separated from the body.
As soon as the individual expires, a white cloth is
thrown over his or her face, and no one is allowed
to touch the corpse. All doors and windows are
sealed, and the “extractor of consciousness-principle”
lama takes up his vigil by the corpse’s head. No
grieving is permitted. The lama takes up a mystical
chant that provides directions for the deceased to
find its way to the Western Paradise of Amitabha. If
the person’s karma is good enough, this will enable
the dead to escape the ordeal of the intermediate
period of the Bardo. The lama examines the top of
the head to determine if the spirit has exited as it
should through the “Aperture of Brahma”; if so, he
pulls out three hairs, if the head is not bald. If
circumstances are such that there is no corpse, the
lama visualizes the body as though present, and
proceeds with the rites. A setting-face-to-face with
the Clear Light is repeated until a yellowish liquid
exudes from body orifices. In some descriptions, it
is a yellowish luminosity, like an aura. If the
deceased led an evil life, this state lasts but a
moment. If enlightened, it lasts for an hour or so.
An astrologer lama casts a death horoscope, based
on the moment of death, to determine who may
touch the corpse, how it will be disposed of, and
what funeral rites should be performed.
At the end of the first stage, the corpse is seated
upright in a corner of the death chamber. Care is
taken not to use one of the corners assigned to the
household demon. The relatives are summoned
and a feast ensues, in which the corpse participates
by being offered the invisible essences of all food
and drink. The feast lasts for at least two days.
The corpse is then removed for disposal, and
an effigy of the corpse is made of wood and
dressed in the clothes of the deceased. For the
remainder of the Bardo, it stays in the corner,
attended by the lamas who chant by relays the
various liturgies at the appropriate time. At the
end of the Bardo, the effigy is hung with ornaments
and dismantled, and the ghost of the death
is warned not to return to haunt the body. The
corpse, meanwhile, is given a funeral. Tibetans
favor cremation, as they believe earth burial can
cause the dead one to survive as a vampire.
Another favored means is to dismember the
corpse and leave it to the birds.