Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This ritual fragment outlines the initial procedures for a cremation ceremony intended to benefit the deceased. The text prescribes a sequence of liturgical actions, beginning with a devotional invocation to Mañjuśrī Jñānasattva. It instructs the practitioner to first perform the ritual of the six maṇḍalas before moving the corpse into a small chamber. The text then specifies the application of the all-activity mantra, which may be recited directly over the body or over white mustard seeds combined with a visualization process. By prescribing these specific ritual technologies, the text commits the practitioner to a precise set of physical and mental actions designed to facilitate the transition of the deceased, blending mantra recitation, spatial arrangement, and visualization to achieve a specific soteriological outcome for the dead.
Provenance
About this text
A ritual manual concerning the cremation of the corpse to benefit the deceased, the ro sreg pa'i cho ga belongs to the classical Tibetan tradition. The work is attributed to the Indian author Saṃvarabhadra. It was translated into Tibetan by ’bro lo tsa ba d+harma b+hi and is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཚི, where it is situated within the Other Skillful Means Tantras collection. Spanning a single page in this edition, the work enacts a precise sequence of liturgical procedures designed to assist the dead. It prescribes the performance of the ritual of the six maṇḍalas, the placement of the body in a small chamber, and the recitation of the all-activity mantra—either directly over the corpse or over white mustard seeds—accompanied by a visualization of the body as being without objective reference. The process begins with a meditation on Mañjuśrī Jñānasattva. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to examine the specific ritual technologies of the Indo-Tibetan tradition, specifically the integration of mantra, spatial arrangement, and visualization used to facilitate the transition of the deceased.
The text is significant as it illustrates the application of Vajrayāna ritual tools, such as the all-activity mantra and maṇḍala construction, within the context of funerary rites. For the modern reader, it provides evidence of how Tibetan Buddhist praxis integrates material elements like mustard seeds with mental visualization to manage the process of death.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Initial Cremation Procedures
Instructions on the six maṇḍalas, the placement of the corpse, and the use of the all-activity mantra.
Themes
Funerary Ritual (1)
Mantra and Visualization (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
Homage to the noble Mañjuśrī Jñānasattva. Regarding the cremation of the corpse to benefit the deceased: perform the ritual of the six maṇḍalas. Then, place the corpse in a small chamber and recite the mantra of all-activity over the corpse, or recite it over white mustard seeds and visualize [the corpse] as being without objective reference. First, meditate on Mañjuśrī Jñānasattva. Visualize that light radiates from the letter A at one’s heart, purifying the obscurations of the beings of the six realms. Then, kindle the fire and perform a peaceful fire offering (śānti-homa). Next, present the offerings, prostrate, and recite the praise to Mañjuśrī. Finally, request the Jñānasattva to depart. This concludes the ritual for cremating the corpse composed by the master Samvarabhadra.
Translation status: Not among 84000's published translations, and not in progress there. Translations published elsewhere have not been searched for, so one may exist. (source: 84000 catalogue + registry; checked 2026-11-10).
Set in Newsreader and EB Garamond; Tibetan in Noto Serif Tibetan; Chinese in Noto Serif SC.