(29) What is it not to abandon the created ? It is this; not to abandon great mercy and compassion; to cherish the thought of omniscience and never to be negligent; even to teach all beings without weariness; ever to remember and practise the law of the fourfold acceptance; not to spare body and life for the protection of the true law; to accumulate a stock of merit without weariness; ever to have the mind abiding in peace with the necessary means and the transference of one’s merit to others; to seek the law diligently; to preach the law without sparing; not to fear entering a life of birth and death as he strives to honour all the Buddhas; to be far above either sorrow in poverty or joy in prosperity; not to despise novices; to revere sages like the Buddhas-; to make those who fall into passion return to the right thought; not to deem the pleasure of renunciation the best; not to get attached to one’s own pleasures but to rejoice at other’s pleasures; to regard meditation as the hell; to regard a life of birth and death as a pleasure garden; to regard those who come to seek [the law] as good teachers; to abandon all possessions with the thought for the acquirement of omniscience; to cherish the thought of rescue and protection when seeing those who break the precepts; to regard the Para-mitas as parents; to regard the laws of requisites for attaining the supreme knowledge as kinsfolk; to do good without limit; to perfect one’s own land of Buddha with all adornments of the pure land; to be endowed with perfect signs by practising infinite charity; to purify the body, speech and mind by removing all wickedness; to undergo bravely the countless kalpas of birth and death; never to be weary in hearing of the infinite virtue of Buddha; to slay the enemy of passion with the sword of wisdom; to be far above the Skandhas, the Ayatanas and the Dhatus; to care for all beings for their eternal liberation; to vanquish the army of evil with great diligence; ever to seek the wisdom of unconscious reality; not to abandon things of the world abiding in self-contentment with the fewest possible desires; to follow the world without injuring one’s dignity; to lead beings by means of the supernatural wisdom; not to forget what has been learned being in possession of a retentive memory; to exterminate doubts as entertained by all according to their capacities; to preach [the law] without impediments with the perfect eloquence that fulfills every desire; to enjoy the happiness, belonging to gods and men by practising the tenfold goodness with a pure heart; to open the way of the Brahman god by practising the fourfold infinite [mind] ; to pray [to Buddha] to preach the law that he may rejoice at it and praise goodness; to obtain the voice of Buddha whereby the body, speech and mind are improved; to obtain the dignity of Buddha whereby good virtues are intensely practised, ever in enhancement of his behaviour; to found an order of Bodhisattvas by teaching the Mahayana; not to lose the stock of merit with a mind free from dissipation; —

(30) Whatever thou desirest will come to pass. Think not upon evil actions which might turn the course [of thy mind]. Remember thy [spiritual] relationship with the Reader of this Bardo Thodol, or with any one from whom thou hast received teachings, initiation, or spiritual authorization for reading religious texts while in the human world; and persevere in going on with good acts: this is very essential. Be not distracted. The boundary line between going upwards or going downwards is here now. If thou givest way to indecision for even a second, thou wilt have to suffer misery for a long, long time. This is the moment. Hold fast to one single purpose. Persistently join up the chain of good acts.

(44) O now, when the Bardo of [taking] Rebirth upon me is dawning! One-pointedly holding fast to a single wish, [May I be able to] continue the course of good deeds through repeated efforts; May the womb-door be closed and the revulsion recollected: The hour hath come when energy and pure love are needed; [May I] cast off jealousy and meditate upon the Guru, the Father-Mother. ['O] procrastinating one, who thinketh not of the coming of death, Devoting thyself to the useless doings of this life, Improvident art thou in dissipating thy great opportunity; Mistaken, indeed, will thy purpose be now if thou returnest empty-handed [from this Since the Holy Dharma is known to be thy true need, Wilt thou not devote [thyself] to the Holy Dharma even now?' Thus say the Great Adepts in devotion. If the chosen teaching of the guru be not borne in mind, Wilt thou not [O shishya] be acting even as a traitor to thyself? It is of great importance that these Root Words be known.

(26) O nobly-born, to sum up: thy present intellect in the Intermediate State having no firm object whereon to depend, being of little weight and continuously in motion, whatever thought occur to thee now — be it pious or impious — will wield great power; therefore think not in thy mind of impious things, but recall any devotional exercises; or, if thou wert unaccustomed to any such exercises, [show forth] pure affection and humble faith; pray to the Compassionate One, or to thy tutelary deities; with full resolve, utter this prayer: Alas! While wandering alone, separated from loving friends, When the vacuous, reflected boy of mine own mental ideas dawneth upon me, May the Buddhas, vouchsafing their power of compassion, Grant that there shall be no fear, awe, or terror in the Bardo.

(48) Thus, O Ratnakuta, the Bodhisattva with sincere mind begins his work; from this beginning he obtains a firm mind; through the firm mind he becomes the master of his will; with his will mastered he follows the true doctrine; following the true doctrine he brings himself towards the Mahayana; and as a consequence he learns the Necessary Means (Upaya); with the Necessary Means he brings all beings to perfection, by this perfection his Buddha-land is purified; as his Buddha-land is purified, his preaching is purified; as his preaching is purified, his wisdom is purified; as his wisdom is purified, his mind is purified; as his mind is purified, all virtues are purified. Therefore, O Ratnakuta, when the Bodhisattva wishes to obtain a pure land, he should purify his mind, and as his mind is purified, purified is his Buddha-land.”

(25) O nobly-born, listen unto me undistractedly. By merely recognizing the Four Kayas, thou art certain to obtain perfect Emancipation in any of Them. Be not distracted. The line of demarcation between Buddhas and sentient beings lieth herein. This moment is one of great importance; if thou shouldst be distracted now, it will require innumerable aeons of time for thee to come out of the Quagmire of Misery.

(36) “ O Manjusri, a Bodhisattva who is sick should conquer his mind in such a manner: he should live neither in the conquered mind nor in the unconquered mind. And why? If he lives in the unconquered mind, he follows in the way of the ignorant, and if he lives in the conquered mind he follows in the way of the Sravakas. “ Therefore a Bodhisattva should live neither in the conquered mind nor in the unconquered mind. To be far above these two states of mind is said to be the life of a Bodhisattva. Not to commit impure deeds even in [the world of] birth and death, and never to enter into Nirvana, while he is living in Nirvana— this is the life of a Bodhisattva. Doing neither the deeds of an ordinary man, nor the deeds of a saint is the life of a Bodhisattva. Committing neither impure deeds nor pure deeds is the life of a Bodhisattva. “ Though far above all evil deeds but manifesting himself as repressing evil ones is the life of a Bodhisattva. Seeking omniscience but never making untimely demands is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though knowing that all things are not created but not to enter the rank of certainty is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though contemplating the twelve chains of causation, allow himself to enter all evil thoughts is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though accepting all beings yet never to attain himself to them is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though wishing renunciation yet never to extinguish the body and mind is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though living in the three worlds yet never to go against the nature of things is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though realising the emptiness of things yet to accumulate a stock of merits is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though realising the formlessness of things yet to save all beings is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though realising the nonacting of things yet to manifest in the body which suffers is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though realising causelessness of things to achieve all good deeds is the life of a Bodhisattva. “ Though realising the six Paramitas yet to comprehend all mental conditions of beings is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though realising the six supernatural powers yet never to make passion extinct is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though realising the fourfold infinite mind yet never to covet to be born in the world of the Brahman is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though realising the Dhyana and Samadhi of deliverance yet never to be reborn in their respective 'worlds is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though realising the fourfold meditation yet never to be separated either from the body or the sensation or the mind or the external objects is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though realising the fourfold diligence yet never to abandon the diligence of the body and mind is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though realising the fourfold practice 'which fulfils any desire yet to attain to fullness of supernatural power is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though realising the five senses yet to discern the intelligence or the ignorance of all beings is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though realising the five powers yet to wish to obtain the tenfold power of Buddha is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though realising the seven requisites for attaining supreme enlightenment yet to understand the wisdom of Buddha is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though realising the eightfold right path yet to desire to walk the innumerable ways of Buddha is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though realising the [twofold] equipment, i. e., the control of mind and the meditations yet never to attain to absolute annihilation is the life of a Bodhisattva. “ Though realising that things have neither beginning nor end yet to adorn himself with splendour is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though appearing as a Sravaka or a Pratyeka-Buddha yet never to abandon the law of Buddha is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though following the absolute purity of all things yet, when necessary, to appear as himself for the sake of others is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though comprehending all the Buddha-lands as absolute empty, yet to show all the pure Buddha-lands is the life of a Bodhisattva. Though attaining to the ways of Buddha, rolling the wheel of the law, and entering into Nirvana, yet never to abandon the ways of a Bodhisattva is the life of a Bodhisattva.”

(18) The duty born with oneself, O son of Kuntî, though faulty, one ought not to abandon; for, all undertakings are surrounded with evil, as fire with smoke.

(6) Buddha spoke to the king of deities: "It should be known that the merits of a son or daughter of a noble family who hearing this scripture of Inconceivable Emancipation comprehends, holds, recites and practises it would obtain greater merits than those. And why? The Bodhi of all the Buddhas springs forth from it; and the essence of the Bodhi is infinite. For this reason the merits are immeasurable.”

(24) If an earnest person has roused himself, if he is not forgetful, if his deeds are pure, if he acts with consideration, if he restrains himself, and lives according to law,--then his glory will increase.

(5) Ye gentlemen, if one wishes to obtain the body of Buddha and exterminate the diseases of all beings he should cherish the thought of supreme enlightenment. ’ ’

(12) “Elephants and horses of the five supernatural powers yoked to the Mahayana vehicles, driven by intent mind, serve for the journey to the quarters of the eightfold righteousness. “ He is endowed with a form adorned with excellent things the best garment of penitence and the garlands of profound mind [are for him to -wear], “ There is the wealth of the sevenfold treasure; to teach beings is the interest brought forth therefrom; to make them practice according to the law and bring these merits to maturity are the great profit. “The fourfold meditation is the seat born of pure living; much learning and increase in wisdom serve as the awakening music. “The food of the immortal law he takes; the savour of emancipation is the sauce; the purity of mind is the bath, the anointing is the chapters of the law of discipline. “Destroying all the enemies of passion, there are none who surpass him in courage and strength; repressing the four evils he sets up the banner of victory in the Bodhimandala.

(7) "Those whose hearts are in a state of repose give forth a divine radiance, by the light of which they see themselves as they are. And only by cultivating such repose can man attain to the constant. "Those who are constant are sought after by men and assisted by God. Those who are sought after by men are the people of God; those who are assisted by God are his chosen children. "To study this is to study what cannot be learnt. To practise this is to practise what cannot be accomplished. To discuss this is to discuss what can never be proved. Let knowledge stop at the unknowable. That is perfection. And for those who do not follow this, God will destroy them! "With such defences for the body, ever prepared for the unexpected, deferential to the rights of others,—if then calamities overtake you, these are from God, not from man. Let them not disturb what you have already achieved. Let them not penetrate into the soul's abode. For there resides the Will. And if the will knows not what to will, it will not be able to will. "Whatsoever is not said in all sincerity, is wrongly said. And not to be able to rid oneself of this vice is only to sink deeper towards perdition. "Those who do evil in the open light of day,—men will punish them. Those who do evil in secret,—God will punish them. Who fears both man and God, he is fit to walk alone.

(3) Do thou perform (thy) bounden duty; for, action is superior to inaction. And even the maintenance of the body would not be possible for thee by inaction.

(5) Maitreya Bodhisattva having heard these words spoke to Buddha and said.- “O Blessed One, I have never heard the like before. It is indeed as Buddha has spoken. I will remove with my utmost effort such false conceptions as these and hold fast on the works of supreme enlightenment, which were accumulated by Tathagata during these countless Asamkhyeya kalpas of the past. If there be in the future a son or daughter of a noble family who shall seek the Mahayana I will enable them to put even in their own hands this scripture, so that they can hold it, recite it, and fully explain it for the sake of others.