manuscript text, was probably, at least in essentials, pre-Buddhistic.
As elsewhere noted, our manuscript is arranged as one work in two parts or books, with thirteen folios of texts of Bardo prayers as an appendix at the end. The Block-Print is arranged as two distinct books and lacks the appendix of prayers. But at the end of the first book of the Block-Print there comes a very important account of the origin of the Bardo Thödol, which is not contained in our manuscript, and this is given in translation in the following Section.
XIV. The Origin of the Bardo Thödol
Thus, from the Block-Print, and also from other Tibetan sources, we learn that the Bardo Thödol text originated, or, what is perhaps more correct, was first committed to writing in the time of Padma Sambhava, in the eighth century A.D.; was subsequently hidden away, and then, when the time came for it to be given to the world, was brought to light by Rigzin Karma Ling-pa. The Block-Print account is as follows:
‘This has been brought from the Hill of Gampodar (Tib. Gampo-dar), on the bank of the Serdan (Tib. Gser-ldan, meaning ‘Possessing Gold’ or ‘Golden’) River, by Rigzin Karma Ling-pa (Tib. Rigs-hdzin Kar-ma Gling-pa).’
Rigzin, as herein given, is a personal title, and Karma Ling-pa the name of a place in Tibet meaning ‘Karma Land’. The translator has pointed out that Rigs is an erroneous spelling of Rig; for, if Rigs were correct, the name Rigzin would mean Class-Holder (Rigs+hZin). That Rig is intended—thus making the name mean Knowledge-Holder (Rig+hdzin), a caste or class designation[1]—was confirmed by a small section of a Bardo Thödol manuscript in the possession of the translator, in which Rigzin Karma Ling-pa is otherwise called Terton (Tib. Gter-bston), or ‘Taker-Out of Treasures’. The Bardo Thödol is, therefore, one of the Tibetan Lost
- ↑ Rig-hdzin, a translation into Tibetan of the Sanskrit term Vidyā-Dhara, used, as herein, of a learned person, such as a pandit, also denotes a class of supernatural beings like certain orders of fairies.
