The Tibetan Book of the Dead - The Great Liberation through Hearing in the Bardo - Guru Rinpoche according to Karma Lingpa

Sep 22, 2026

An annotated presentation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead focusing on “The Great Liberation through Hearing in the Bardo,” attributed to Guru Rinpoche according to Karma Lingpa. The volume situates the text within a tradition of six types of liberation and explains their purpose for practitioners encountering death and the intermediate state. It includes foreword and introduction, commentary, inspiration-prayers, pronunciation and glossaries of Sanskrit terms, bibliography, and an index, alongside illustrated plates and cataloged publication details.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages244

Reading Time10 h 15 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

List of Illustrations

Foreword

Introduction

Commentary

The Great Liberation through Hearing in the Bardo

Inspiration-Prayers

Inspiration-Prayer Calling on the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for Rescue

The Main Verses of the Six Bardos

Inspiration-Prayer for Deliverance from the Dangerous Pathway of the Bardo

The Bardo Prayer which Protects from Fear

Pronunciation of Sanskrit Words

Glossary of Sanskrit Words

Bibliography

Index

The Tibetan Book of the Dead THE GREAT LIBERATION THROUGH HEARING IN THE BARDO BY GURU RINPOCHE ACCORDING TO KARMA LINGPA Translated with commentary by Francesca Fremantle & Chögyam Trungpa SHAMBHALA Boston & London 2010 SHAMBHALA PUBLICATIONS, INC. Horticultural Hall 300 Massachusetts Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02115 [www.shambhala.com](www.shambhala.com) © 1975 by Francesca Fremantle and Diana Mukpo All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Library of Congress catalogues the original edition of this work as follows: Karma-glin-pa, 14th cent. The Tibetan book of the dead: the great liberation through hearing in the Bardo/by Guru Rinpoche according to Karma Lingpa: anew translation with commentary by Francesca Fremantle and Chögyam Trungpa.—Berkeley: Shambhala, 1975. XX,119p.: ill.; 24 cm.—(The Clear light series) Translation of the author’s Bar do thos grol. Bibliography: p. 111–112. / Includes index. eISBN 978-0-8348-2147-7 ISBN 978-0-87773-074-3 / ISBN 978-1-57062-747-7 ISBN 978-1-59030-059-6 1. Intermediate state—Buddhism. 2. Funeral rites and ceremonies, Buddhist—Tibet. 3. Death (Buddhism) . I. Fremantle, Francesca. II. Chögyam Trungpa, Trungpa Tulku, 1939–1987. III. Title. BQ4490.K3713 294. 3′423 74-29615 MARC DEDICATED TO His Holiness the XVI Gyalwa Karmapa Rangjung Rigpi Dorje CONTENTS List of Illustrations Foreword, by Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche Introduction, by Francesca Fremantle Commentary The Great Liberation through Hearing in the Bardo Inspiration-Prayers Inspiration-Prayer Calling on the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for Rescue The Main Verses ofthe Six Bardos Inspiration-Prayer for Deliverance from the Dangerous Pathway of the Bardo The Bardo Prayer which Protects from Fear Pronunciation of Sanskrit Words Glossary of Sanskrit Words Bibliography Index ILLUSTRATIONS SAMANTABHADRA YANTRA This yantra is of a sort known in Tibetan as tagdrol, which means “liberated by wearing.”Wearing is one of the “six liberations” along with hearing, seeing, remembering, touching and tasting. This yantra is placed on the body of a dead person to inspire him in the bardo of dharmatā . The central figure Samantabhadra is the supreme dharmakāya buddha and represents the dharmatā . He is surrounded by the maṇḍalas of the peaceful deities, the vidyādharas and the wrathful deities represented by their mantras. In the outermost circle are the mantras of the buddhas of the six realms. Opening page, “The Great Liberation through Hearing in the Bardo: Commentary.” PERNAGCHEN Pernagchen, “the Black-Gowned One,” is the special protector of the Karma Kagyü order of Tibetan Buddhism. The Karma Kagyüs inherited Pernagchen from the family of Karma Pakshi, the second Gyalwa Karmapa, whose father was a tantric priest. Pernagchen, half of whose body is head and half of whose head is mouth, has repeatedly appeared in visions to holders of the Karma Kagyü lineage. His crescent knife destroys the perverters ofthe teaching. His skull cup holds wealth, both spiritual and material, for practitioners of the teaching. Drawing by Glen Eddy. Endpage. FOREWORD THE BARDO THÖTRÖL (Bar-do’i-thos-grol) isone of a series of instructions on six types of liberation: liberation through hearing, liberation through wearing, liberation through seeing, liberation through remembering, liberation through tasting, and liberation through touching. They were composed by Padmasaṃbhava and written down by his wife, Yeshe Tsogyal, along with the sādhana of the two maṇḍalas of fortytwo peaceful and fifty-eight wrathful deities. Padmasaṃbhava buried these texts in the Gampo hills in central Tibet, where later the great teacher Gampopa established his monastery. Many other texts and sacred obj

FAQs

What is the central teaching in this book?

It centers on “The Great Liberation through Hearing in the Bardo,” presented with commentary, attributed to Guru Rinpoche according to Karma Lingpa.

What does “liberation” mean within this tradition?

Liberation refers to the transmission enabling a sudden glimpse of enlightenment when someone comes into contact with the teaching, even through doubt or an open mind.

How is the teaching connected to the six types of liberation?

The text explains six liberation methods—through hearing, wearing, seeing, remembering, tasting, and touching—and frames the bardo instructions as part of these practices.

Sep 22, 2026

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