Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text provides a ritual manual for the cremation and funeral rites of the deceased, blending Indian and Tibetan traditions. It outlines a precise sequence of physical and metaphysical actions designed to facilitate the transition of the dead. The work instructs the practitioner in the use of mantra-ignited fires, the offering of specific materials such as white butter and nyagrodha wood, and the application of fragrant water and butter for ritual bathing. Beyond the physical disposal of the body, the text commits the reader to a framework of spiritual hierarchy and devotion, emphasizing the necessity of bowing to the spiritual friend and the construction of caityas. By integrating specific material requirements with mantra recitation and visualization, the text aims to transform a mundane funeral process into a sacred act of merit and liberation.
Provenance
About this text
A ritual manual for the cremation of the deceased, the Śmaśāneṣṭa originates from the Indian tradition and is attributed to the author Tathāgatarakṣita. The work entered the Tibetan language through the efforts of Tathāgatarakṣita and the translator lo tsa ba dge slong dar ma blo gros. It is preserved in the Tengyur, specifically within volume ཏ, where it is situated in the Non-dual Tantra collection. In the classical Tibetan version, titled ro bsreg bya ba, the work extends over four pages. The text enacts a precise sequence of funeral rites, instructing the practitioner to perform ritual bathing with fragrant water and butter before utilizing mantra-ignited fires. It details the offering of white butter and nyagrodha wood, the scattering of kuśa grass, and the recitation of specific mantras to facilitate the transition of the dead. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to examine the integration of material requirements, such as specific fuels and offerings, with the metaphysical framework of visualization and mantra. By transforming the mundane process of cremation into a sacred act, the work provides a technical window into the ritualized disposal of the body and the spiritual devotion directed toward the Vajra Master.
Sanskrit title
Śmaśāneṣṭa
Indian author
Tathāgatarakṣita
Tibetan translators
Tathāgatarakṣita, lo tsa ba dge slong dar ma blo gros
The work is significant for its synthesis of Indic cremation practices (Śmaśāneṣṭi) and Tibetan ritual adaptations. It illustrates the intersection of material culture, such as the use of kuśa grass and specific woods, with the metaphysical goals of Vajrayana Buddhism. For the modern reader, it provides insight into the ritualized management of death and the role of the spiritual guide in the transition process.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction and Preliminaries
Establishes the terminology in Sanskrit and Tibetan and offers homage to the Blessed One and the Vajra Master.
2
Ignition and Purification
Details the mantra for igniting the cremation fire and the ritual scattering of kuśa grass.
3
Preparation of the Body
Describes the offerings of water and clarified butter, as well as the ritual bathing and anointing of the deceased.
4
Devotional Practices
Discusses the importance of devotion toward the spiritual friend and the merit of constructing a caitya.
Themes
Ritual Purification (2-3)
Mantra and Visualization (2-3)
Spiritual Hierarchy and Devotion (1, 4)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Śmaśāneṣṭi. In the language of Tibet: Ro bsreg bya ba (The Cremation Ritual). Homage to the Blessed One, the Lord of the World (Lokanātha).
Having prostrated to the Vajra Master, who directly manifests the Vajra Holder, I shall explain the ritual for the deceased who have been left behind. If the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were to cremate [a body] without knowing [the proper method], it would be like destroying a caitya; the wise have transmitted in succession that such an act is not merit.
Therefore, one should properly assemble [the materials]; otherwise, one will fall into hell. When a certain Vajra Master has died and become a corpse, one should first perform the authentic offerings and then place [the body] in the charnel ground. Then, having purified the site with the purifying mantra, one should again perform the ritual according to the procedure and correctly draw the maṇḍala. The principal [deity] of that [maṇḍala] should bestow the five empowerments. The Vajra Master empowerment should also be bestowed by the expert in ritual thereafter. One should offer flowers, incense, and so forth; having made the authentic offerings, one should offer praise in the manner of "Akṣobhya is great wisdom, the Vajra Expanse," and so on.
Having thus offered and praised, one should utter "Vajra Muḥ" and imagine that the Guru of Beings departs to his own abode. In the fire pit for pacifying and so forth, or for performing all activities, the yogi should [visualize] the sign of the Enemy of Obstacles at the navel.
Within the fire ignited by mantra, offer wood the size of a span measured by the little finger, and pour in white butter. This is the mantra for igniting the fire: OṂ JVALA JVALA HŪṂ. Having pointed the tips of the kuśa grass toward the east, scatter them in a clockwise direction while reciting HŪṂ. Likewise, offer the kuśa grass into the fire pit of the previous fire. Visualizing the fire pit as selfless, one should contemplate the peaceful deity born from RAṂ. White in color, with a white face, and blue and red on the right and left, he is stout and short, with a crown of matted locks. In his left hand, he holds a water-pot and a club; in his right, he holds the gesture of fearlessness and a rosary. Having visualized the Fire God (Agni) seated upon a lotus and a goat in the center of the fire mandala, one should invite the Wisdom Fire God. This is the mantra for inviting the Fire God: OṂ EHYEHI MAHĀBHŪTA DEVA ṚṢI DVĪJA SATAMA GṚHĪTVĀ HŪTIṂ MAHĀRAHASMĪṂ SANNIHITO BHAVA. By reciting JAḤ HŪṂ BAṂ HOḤ, perform the stages of invitation and so forth. Having offered the water for the face and the water for rinsing, and so on, one should cause the two to merge into a single samaya. Placing the syllable RAṂ upon the tongue of the Fire God, who has arisen in the form of a deity, the wise one should offer the ladle and then recite this secret mantra: OṂ AGNAYE ĀDĪPYA ĀDĪPYA AVIṢA MAHĀŚRIYE HAVYA KAVYA VĀHANĀYA SVĀHĀ. Having offered the sprinkling water and the rinsing water, one should present offerings such as flowers. One should meditate on oneself in the form of the desired deity within the heart of the fire. Preceded by the sublime offerings, [the rite proceeds].
Offer the water for the feet, the cooling water, and so forth. Therefore, one should offer the ladles of clarified butter, visualizing them as nectar. For the deceased body, perform the ritual bathing with fragrant water and anoint it with butter. Then, using fuel sticks such as nyagrodha wood, one should burn them while reciting this mantra: Oṃ āḥ vajrasattva amukaṃ vajracaryasukhāvati prapāya svāhā. This is the mantra. Offer the sprinkling water, the yellow robes, the tooth-stick, and the cleansing substances. Ringing the bell thoroughly, perform the praises and the offerings. Then, the mantra practitioner, remaining in meditative equipoise, should join their palms like a flower at the heart and correctly recite the request for forbearance to pacify faults such as the red [color] and so forth: "Whatever I have done in excess or omitted due to the delusion of my mind, may the glorious one, the refuge of all embodied beings, grant me forbearance." At the conclusion of the request for forbearance with devotion, one should meditate on his granting permission. Having recited the hundred-syllable mantra, request the Lord of Fire to depart. On the second day, pour milk into the fire and, with diligence, collect all the bones. Having placed them in a clean vessel, the wise should wash the collected bones with cow's milk. Mixing them with clay, one should fashion tsatsa and construct a caitya containing the heart mantra. Upon it, construct a caitya for the King of Relics, which is blessed by the supreme, infinite Buddhas. Having carefully placed [the remains] in a clean vessel, perform the consecration according to the stages taught by the Buddha.
Even Brahmā and the others bow with devotion; therefore, people should bow before the spiritual friend. By pledging through the ritual of awakening, that [friend] is a great and vast caitya; one should worship them perfectly with devotion as the cause of great purpose. By constructing a caitya in a charnel ground, which is superior to those on mountains, whatever virtue is accumulated, by that, may all beings who have entered the three worlds possess the supreme insight that subdues enemies and the like, and may they attain the supreme birth of compassion. May they, the glorious Vajrasattva, the crown of the three worlds, be accomplished without long delay. This concludes the Cremation Ritual composed by the monk Tathāgatarakṣita. It was translated by the Indian abbot himself and the translator, the monk Darma Blo gros.