Buddhist Liberation Path: The Five Colored Lights in Bardo Thodol
Path of Liberation. Therefore, do not look at it, and abandon your craving, abandon your tendencies; do not let yourself be attracted by it; do not be weak. Have faith in the brilliant and dazzling light. Concentrate your burning thought on Buddha Ratnasambhava, and pray thus: "Alas! While I am wandering in the cycle of life driven by violent craving, May the lord, Buddha Ratnasambhava, Origin of Gems, guide me on the path of clear light of the Wisdom of Equality! Along the way may his consort Mamaki, the Divine Mother, sustain me, save me from the dangerous difficulties of the intermediate state and lead me to perfect enlightenment." Praying thus, with deep humility and faith, you will merge in a rainbow into the heart of Buddha Ratnasambhava, the Divine Father-Mother, and obtain the Buddha state in the Sambhoga-Kaya, in the Southern Realm of the Golden Buddha. • At this moment from the yellow southern buddha land of Shrimat, appears the yellow lord Ratnasambhava, the Origin of Gems, riding a magnificent horse while carrying a precious wish-fulfilling gem, united with his consort Mamaki the Divine Mother [...] From the heart of the Origin of Gems couple shines before you, yellow and penetrating, clear and blinding, adorned with sparkling drops, unbearable to your gaze the yellow light of the Wisdom of Equality and penetrates the center of your heart.[...] At this point without fear you must recognize that brilliant clear light, yellow, penetrating and blinding, as wisdom. Place your mind in it and relax your awareness without doing anything else. If you can recognize it as the energy of your consciousness, then you will unite indissolubly with all the images and rays and become enlightened. **4th DAY RED LIGHT** After the Yellow Light • Amitabha, Ruby Buddha, Buddha of Infinite Light, Red, Fire, Lotus, West (unites and fights egoism) Wisdom of Discernment (vs. egoism) Realm of the Ruby Buddha (Consort: Pandaravasini) Oh, noble being, listen without distraction. On the fourth day the red light will shine, which is the original form of the fire element. At this moment from the red land of the West appears before you the red Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light, seated on a peacock throne holding a lotus, united with his consort Pandaravasini, the White and Pure, [...] From the heart of the couple of Amitabha shines before you red and penetrating, clear and blinding, pearled with drops, unbearable to your gaze, the red light of the Wisdom of Discernment and penetrates precisely into your heart. Do not be afraid. Accompanying this, there also shines upon you, alongside the light of Wisdom, the opaque red light coming from the Preta-Loka. Act so as not to let yourself be attracted by it. Abandon attachment and weakness. At this moment, due to the strong influence of attachment, you will be terrified by the dazzling red light, and escape from it. Feeling the attraction of the opaque red light of the Preta-loka. At this moment, do not be afraid of the glorious, dazzling, clear, radiant red light. Recognize it as the Wisdom of Discernment, if you maintain your intelligence in a remissive state then you will unite with this light inseparably and reach the Buddha state. If you do not recognize it, think: "It is the radiant grace of Buddha Amitabha, I will take refuge in it"; Believe in it with humility and pray to it. This is the radiant hook of Buddha Amitabha's grace. Believe in it humbly, do not flee it. Even if you fled, it would follow you because it is inseparable from you. Do not fear. Do not let yourself be attracted by the opaque red light of the Preta-loka. It is the luminous way, due to the accumulation of your strong attachment to samsaric existence, come to welcome you. If you remain attached to it, you will precipitate into the World of Unhappy Spirits and will have to suffer unbearable hunger and thirst. You will not have the possibility to obtain Liberation. This opaque red light is an obstacle that obstructs your path along the Path of Liberation. Do not attach yourself to it and let go of your habitual tendencies. Do not be weak. Believe in the brilliant, dazzling red light. Place your absolute determination in Buddha Amitabha, the Father-Mother, and pray thus: "Alas! While I wander through Samsara, due to the power of attachment, May I be guided by lord Amitabha, Buddha of Infinite Light, on the radiant path of light of the Wisdom of Discernment; May the Divine Mother, Pandaravasini, the White and Pure, protect me; May I be led safely through the dangerous snares of the Bardo; And may I be placed in the Most Perfect state of Buddha." Praying thus, with humility and fervor, you will merge into the heart of the Divine Father-Mother, Buddha Amitabha, in a rainbow, and obtain the Buddha state in the Sambhoga-Kaya, in the Western Realm of the Ruby Buddha. **5th DAY GREEN LIGHT** • Amoghasiddhi, Emerald Buddha, The Infallible Perfection, Green, Air, Double Vajra, North (pacifies and fights envy) All-Accomplishing Wisdom (vs. envy) Realm of the Emerald Buddha (Consort: Dolma) "Oh, noble being, listen without distraction. On the fifth day the green light of the original form of the air element shines upon you. At that moment from the green northern Buddha land, the green lord Amoghasiddhi, the Infallible Lord, appears to you seated on an eagle throne, holding a diamond-lightning cross united with his consort the Noble Green Star, with his retinue, the two Awakened Ones "The Illuminating Mind" and "the Liberator of Obstacles", assisted by two female Awakened Ones, Gandhema and Nidhema. These six Buddhic forms surrounded by a rainbow shine upon you. From the original forms of the aggregate of will, from the heart of the couple of the Infallible Lord shines, green and penetrating, clear and blinding, adorned with sparkling dew, unbearable to your gaze, the green light of the All-Accomplishing Wisdom and penetrates precisely the center of your heart. Do not be afraid. This is the natural power of the wisdom of your mind. Remain in a state of absolute remissiveness and impartiality. It is flanked by an opaque green light, coming from the Asura-loka, produced by feelings of envy, which shines upon you. Meditate on it with impartiality, without repulsion or