The bardo prayer which protects from fear

When the journey of my life has reached its end,
and since no relatives go with me from this world,
I wander in the bardo state alone,
may the peaceful and wrathful buddhas send out the power of their compassion
and clear away the dense darkness of ignorance.

 When parted from beloved friends, wandering alone,
my own projections' empty forms appear,
may the buddhas send out the power of their compassion,
so that the bardo's terrors do not come.

When the five luminous lights of wisdom shine,
fearlessly may I recognize myself;
when the forms of the peaceful and wrathful ones appear,
fearless and confident may I reconize the bardo.

When I suffer from the power of evil karma,
may the peaceful and wrathful buddhas clear away the suffering;
when the sound of dharlata roars a thousand thunders,
may it be transformed into the sound of mahayana teching.

When I follow my karma, without a refuge,
may the peaceful and wrathful buddhas be my refuge;
when I suffer the karma of unconscious tendencies,
may the samdhi of bliss and luminosity arise.

At the moment of spontaneous birth in the bardo of becoming,
may the false teachings of the tempters not arise;
when I arrive wherever I wish by supernatural power,
may the illusory terrors of evil karma not arise.

When savage beasts of prey are roaring,
may it become the sound of dharma, the six syllables;
when I am chase by snow, rain, wind and darkness,
may I receive the clear, divine eye of wisdom.

May all the sentient beings of the same realm in the bardo,
free from jealousy, be born in a higher state;
when great thirst and hunger are caused by passions,
may the pain of thirst and hunger, heat and cold not arise.

(...)
Source : The Tibetan Book of the Dead, translated by Francesca Fremantle and Chögyam Trungpa - Sahamhala pocket classics

 

Amitabha - the buddha of infinite light by Romio Shrestha.
Photograph of a page of Celestial Gallery - Callaway editions.