Liberation Thru' Hearing - Liberation Thru' Hearing

Cat No: DELEC CD 048

[Track Listing] [Lyrics] [Credits] [Reviews]
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Track Listing

1. The Invocation of the Buddhas & Bodhisattvas - 7:20 (S. Weiner / H. Reitmann) - lyric
2. The Path of Good Wishes For Saving From The Dangerous, Narrow Passageway of The Bardo - 10:03 (S. Weiner / H. Reitmann) - lyric
3. The Rootverses of the Six Bardos - 8:40 (S. Weiner / H. Reitmann) - lyric
4. The Path of Good Wishes Which Protects From Fear In the Bardo - 11:36 (S. Weiner / H. Reitmann) - lyric
5. The Colophon - 2:37 (S. Weiner / H. Reitmann) - lyric

Lyrics

The Invocation of the Buddhas & Bodhisattvas

'O ye Buddhas & Bodhisattvas, abiding in the 10 directions, endowed with great compassion, endowed with foreknowledge, endowed with the divine eye, endowed with love, affording protection to sentient beings, condescend through thr power of your great compassion to come hither, condescend to accept these offerings actually laid out & mentally created.
'O ye Compassionate Ones, ye posesses the wisdom of understanding, the love of compassion, the power of doing divine deeds & of protecting, in incomprehensible measure.
Ye Compassionate Ones, everyone of us (or he, or such & such a person) is one day passing from this world to the world beyond. He is leaving this world. He is taking a great leap. No firends has he. Misery is great. He is without defenders, without protectors, without forces & kinsmen. The light of this world has set. He goes to another place. He enters thick darkness. He falls down a steep precipice. He enters into a jungle-solitude. He is pursued by Karmic Forces. He goes into the Vast Silence. He is born away by the Great Ocean. He is wafted on the Wind of Karma. He goes in the direction where stability exists not. He is caught by the Great Conflict. He is obsessed by the Great Afflicting Spirit. He is awed & terrified by the Messengers of the Lord of Death. Existing Karma puts him into repeated existence. No strength has he. He has come upon a time when he has to go alone.
O ye Compassionate Ones, defend him who is defenceless. Protect him who is unprotected. Be his forces & his kinsmen. Protect him from the great gloom of the Bardo. Turn him from the red stormwind of Karma. Turn him from the great awe & terror of the Lords of Death. Save him from the long & narrow passageway of the Bardo.
O ye Compassionate Ones, let not the force of your compassion be weak, but aid him. Let him not go into misery. Forget not your ancient vows & let not the force of your compassion be weak.
O ye Buddhas & Bodhisattvas, let not the might of the method of your compassion be weak towards this one. Catch hold of him with the hook of your grace.
Let not the sentient being fall under the power of evil Karma
O ye Trinity, protect him from the miseries of the Bardo.

The Path of Good Wishes For Saving From the Dangerous, Narrow Passageway of the Bardo

O ye Conquerors & your Sons, abiding in the Ten Directions,
Oh ye ocean-like Congregation of the All-Good Conquerors, the Peaceful & the Wrathful,
O ye Gurus & Devas & ye Dakinis, the Faithful Ones,
Hearken now, out of your great love & compassion
Obeisance o ye assemblage of Gurus & Dakinis,
Out of your great love lead us along the Path.

When through illusion I & others are wandering in the Sangsara,
Along the bright-light-path of undistracted listening, reflection & meditation,
May the Gurus of the inspired Line lead us,
May the bands of Mothers be our rear-guard;
May we be saved from the fearful, narrow passageway of the Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of the perfect Buddhahood.

When through violent anger (we are) wandering in the Sangsara,
Along the bright-light-path of the Mirror-like Wisdom,
May the Bhagavan Vajra-Sattva lead us,
May the Mother, She of the Buddha-eye, be our rear-guard;
May we be saved from the fearful, narrow passageway of the Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of the perfect Buddahood.

When through intense pride wandering in the Sangsara,
Along the bright-light of the Wisdom of Equality,
May the Bhagavan Ratna-Sambhava lead us,
May the Mother Mamaki be our rear-guard;
May we be saved from the fearful, narrow passageway of the Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of the perfect Buddhahood.

When through great attachment wandering in the Sangsara,
Along the bright-light-path of the Discriminating Wisdom,
May the Bhagavan Amitabha lead us,
May the Mother, She of White Raiment, be our rear-guard;
May we be saved from the fearful, narrow passageway of the Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of the perfect Buddahood.

When through intense jealousy wandering in the Sangsara,
Along the bright-light-path of the Allperforming Wisdom,
May the Bhagavan Amoghasiddi lead us,
May the Mother, the Faithful Tara, be our rear-guard;
May we be saved from the fearful, narrow passageway of the Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of the perfect Buddhahood.

When through intense stupidity wandering in the Sangsara
Along the bright-light-path of the Wisdom of Reality,
May the Bhagavan Vairocana lead us,
May the Mother of Great Space be our rear-guard;
May we be saved from the fearful, narrow passageway of the Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of the perfect Buddhahood.

When through intense illusion wandering in the Sangsara,
Along the bright-light-path of the abandonment of hallucinatory fear, awe & terror,
May the bands of the Bhagavans of the Wrathful Ones lead us,
May the bands of the Wrathful Goddesses Rich-in-Space be our rear-guard;
May we be saved from the fearful, narrow passageway of the Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of the perfect Buddhahood

When through intense propensities wandering in the Sangsara,
Along the bright-light-path of the Simultaneously-born Wisdom,
May the Heroic-Knowledge-Holders lead us,
May the bands of the Mothers, the Dakinis, be our rear-guard;
May we be saved from the fearful, narrow passageway of the Bardo,
May we be placed in the state of the perfect Buddhahood.

May the ethereal elements not rise up as enemies,
May it come that we shall see the Realm of the Blue Buddha.
May the watery elements not rise up as enemies,
May it come that we shall see the Realm of the White Buddha.
May the earthy elements not rise up as enemies,
May it come that we shall see the Realm of the Yellow Buddha.

May the fiery elements not rise up as enemies,
May it come that we shall see the Realm of the Red Buddha.
May the airy elements not rise up as enemies,
May it come that we shall see the Realm of Green Buddha.
May the elements of the rainbow-colours not rise up as enemies,
May it come that all the Realms of the Buddhas will be seen.
May it come that all the Sounds will be known as ones own sounds,
May it come that all the Radiances will be known as ones own radiances,
May it come that the Tri-Kaya will be realised in the Bardo.

The Rootverses of the Six Bardos

O now, when the BIRTHPLACE-BARDO upon me is dawning,
Abandoning idleness - there being no idleness in life -
Entering into the reality, undistractedly listening, reflecting & meditating,
Carrying on to the path knowledge of the true nature of appearances & of mind,
May the Tri-Kaya be realised.
Once that the human form has been attained,
May there be no time in which to idle it away!

O now, when the DREAM-BARDO upon me is dawning,
Abandoning the inordinate corpse-like sleep of stupidity,
May the consciousness undistractedly be kept in its natural state;
Grasping the true nature of dreams, may I train myself
In the clear light of miraculous transformation;
Acting notlike the brutes in slothfulness,
May the blending of the practising of the sleepstate & the actual waking experience
Be highly valued by me!

O now, when the DHYANA-BARDO upon me is dawning,
Abandoning the whole mass of distractions & illusions,
May the mind be kept in the mood of the endless, undistracted Samadhi;
May firmness, both, on the visualising & in the perfected stages be obtained;
At this time, when meditating one-pointedly, with all other actions put aside,
May I not fall under the power of missleading, stupefying passions!

O now, when the BARDO of the MOMENT of DEATH upon me is dawning,
Abandoning attraction & craving & weaknes for all,
May I be undistracted in the space of the bright enlightening teachings,
May I be able to transfuse myself into the heavenly space of the unborn;
The hour has come to part with this body composed of flesh & blood;
May I know the body to be impermanent & illusory!

O now, when the BARDO of the REALITY upon me is dawning,
Abandoning all awe, fear & terror of all phenomena,
May I recognise whatever appears as being mine own thought-forms,
May I know them to be apparitions in the intermediate state;
It has been said: 'There arrives a time when the chief-turning-point is reached;
Fear not the bands of the peaceful & the wrathful, who are thine own thoughtforms'!

O now, whenthe BARDO of REBIRTH upon me is dawning,
Onepointedly holding fast to a single wish,
Continue the course of good deeds through repeated efforts;
May the wombdoor be closed & the revulsion recollected;
The hour has come when energy & pure love are needed;
Cast off jealousy & meditate upon the Guru, the Father-Mother!

Oh procrastinating one, who thinks not of the coming of death,
Devoting thyself to the useless doings of this life,
Improvident art tho in dissipating thy great opportunity;
Mistaken indeed will thy purpose be now, if tho returnest emptyhanded (from this life);
Since the holy DHARMA is known to be they true need,
Wilt thou not devote thyself to the holy DHARMA even now?

EPILOGUE
Thus say the great adepts in devotion
If the chosen teachings of the GURU
Be not born in mind,
Wilt thou not be acting
Even as a traitor to thyself?

The Path of Good Wishes Which Protects From Fear in the Bardo

When the cast of the dice of my life has become exhausted,
The relatives in this world avail me not,
When I wander alone by myself in the Bardo,
O ye Conquerors, Peaceful & Wrathful,
Exercising the power of your compassion,
Let it come that the gloom of ignorance be dispelled.

When wandering alone, parted from loving friends,
When the shapes of mine empty thoughtforms dawn upon me here,
May the Buddhas, exerting the power of their divine compassion,
Cause it to come that there be neither awe nor terror in the Bardo.

When the bright radiances of the five wisdoms shine upon me now, Let it come that I, neither awed nor terrified, may recognise them to be of myself;
When the apparitions of the peaceful & the wrathful forms are dawning upon me here,
Let it come, that I, obtaining the assurance of fearlessness, may recognise the Bardo.

When experiencing miseries because of the force of evil Karma,
Let it come that the Conquerors, the Peaceful & the Wrathful, may dispell the miseries.
When the self-existing Sound of Reality reverberates like a 1000 thunders,
Let it come that they be transmuted into the sounds of the Mahayana-doctrines.

When unprotected & karmic influences have to be followed here,
I beseech the Conquerord, the Peaceful & the Wrathful to protect me;
When suffering miseries because of the karmic influence of propensities,
Let it come that the blissfull Samadhi of the Clear Light may dawn upon me.

When assuming supernormal rebirth in the Sipa-Bardo,
Let it come that the perverting revelations of Mara occur not therein;
When I arrive wheresoever I wish to, let it come,
That I experience not the illusory fright & awe from evil Karma.

When the roarings of savage beasts are uttered, let it come
That they be changed into the sacred sounds of the Six Syllables
om mani padme hum om mani oadme hum om mani padme hum... hrih
When pursued by snow, rain, wind & darkness,
Let it come that I see with the celestial eyes of bright Wisdom.

Let it come that all sentient beings of the same harmonious order in the Bardo,
Without jealousy towards one another, obtain birth on the higher planes;
When destined to suffering from intense miseries of hunger & thirst,
Let it come that I experience not the pangs of hunger & thirst, heat & cold.

When I behold the future parents in union, let it come that
I behold them as the Divine Pair, the Conquerors,
The Peaceful & the Wrathful, Father & Mother,
Obtaining the power of being born anywhere for the good of others, let it come
That I obtain the perfect body, adorned with the signs & the graces.

Obtaining for myself the body of a male which is the better,
Let it come that I liberate all who see or hear me;
Allowing not the evil Karma to follow me, let it come that
Whatever merits there may be, follow me & be multiplied.

Wherever I be born there & then,
Let it come that I meet the Conquerors, the Peaceful & the Wrathful Deities;
Being able to walk & to talk as soon as born,
Let it come that I obtain nonforgetting intellect & remember my past lives.

In all the various lores, great, small & intermediate,
Let it come that I be able to obtain mastery, merely upon hearing, reflecting & seeing;
In whatever place I be born, let is be auspicious;
Let it come that all sentient beings be endowed with happiness.

Ye Conquerors, Peaceful & Wrathful, in likeness to your bodies,
Number of your followers, duration of your lifeperiod, limit of your realms
& in likeness to the goodness of your divine name;
Let it come that I & others equal your very selves in all these.

By the divine grace of the innumerable, Allgood Peaceful & Wrathful Ones,
& by the giftwaves of the wholly pure Reality,
& by the giftwaves of the onepointed devotion of the mystic devoties,
Let it come that whatsoever be wished for be fulfilled here & now.

(The Path of Good Wishes, Affording Protection from Fears in the Bardo, is finished)

The Colophon

Through the perfectly pure intention of mine in the making of this,
Through the root of the merits thereof,
May those protectorless sentient beings, Mothers,
Be placed in the State of the Buddha!
Let the radiant glory of auspiciousness come to illuminate the world,
Let this Book & this Puja be auspicious,
Let virtue & goodness be perfected in every way!

Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padme Siddhi Hum Om Ah Hum

Credits

Tibet was invaded by Communist China in 1949/50. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the leader of the Tibetan people was forced to leave Tibet in 1959 and was followed by some 80,000 Tibetans into exhile.

1.2 million Tibetans, one-fifth of the nation's population died as the direct result of the invasion. Over 6,000 Tibetan monasteries, temples and places of worship were destroyed by the Chinese.

Amnesty international has reported gross violations of human rights in Tibet. Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns have been expelled from their place of study and thousands of Tibetans are imprisoned and tortured by the Chinese authorities.

Today Tibetans are outnumbered by the Chinese population in Tibet. Tibetans call this the final solution by China to the extermination of the Tibetan nation.

China has failed to respond positively to the various peace proposals made by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to resolve the Tibetan issue. James Hamilton. 1995

The following are some short excerpts from the Chapters:
'The conclusion, showing the fundamental importance of the Bardo-Teachings'
&
'The general conclusion'

'Again, the meditation on the deities of the mystic path of the mantra, (both in the) visualising and perfecting stages, whle living, will be of great influence when the peaceful and wrathful visions dawn on the Chonyid Bardo. Thus the training in this Bardo being of particular importance even while living, hold to it, read it, commit it to memory, bear it in mind properly, read it regularly trice; let the owrds & the meanings be very clear; it should be so that the words & the meanings will not be forgotten even though a hundred executioners were pursuing (thee).

It is called 'the Great Liberation by Hearing, because even those who have committed the five boundless sins are sure to be liberated if they hear it by the path of the ear.

Therefore read it in the midst of vast congregations. Disseminate it. Through having heard it once, even though one do not comprehend it, it will be remembered in the Intermediate State without a word being omitted, for the intellect becometh ninefold more lucid (there).

Hence it should be proclaimed in the ears of all living persons; it should be read over the pillows of all persons who are ill; it should be read at the side of all corpses; it should be spread broadcast!

Those who meet this (doctrine) are indeed fortunate. Save for them who have accumulated much merit and absolved many obscurations, difficult is it to meet with it. Even when met with, difficult is it to comprehend it.
Liberation will be won through simply not disbelieving it upon hearing it.
Therefore treat this (doctrine) very dearly: it is the essence of all doctrines.'

'This doctrine is one which liberates by being seen (& understood), without need of meditation or of Sadhana; this Profound Teaching liberates by being heard & by being understood. This Profound Teaching liberates those of great evil Karma through the Secret Pathway. One should not forget its meaning & the words, even though pursued by seven mastffs.

By this Select Teaching, one obtains Buddhahood at the moment of death.
Were the Buddhas of the Three Times (the Past, the Present, & the Future) to seek, they could not find any doctrine transcending this.
Thus is completed the Profound Heart-Drops of the Bardo-Doctrine, called The Bardo Thodol, which liberates embodied beings.'

Bardo (tib.):

'bar' between, 'do' two; so: 'between two (states)' - the state between death & rebirth and, therefore 'Intermediate (State). There are six Bardos as you see in the chapter: the root verses of the six Bardos'.

Bhagavan (skt.):

'One Possessed of Dominion' (or 'of the six Powers'), or 'The Victorious'; One who has conquered, or has dominion over, sangsaric, or wordly existence.

Bodhisattva (skt.):

lit. 'Enlightened Being'.

Buddha:

fully awakened or enlightened being; also the Buddha Gautama.

Buddhahood:

the state of Enlightenment.

Dakini (skt.):

fairy-like goddesses possessing peculiar occult powers for good or evil, are, also, purely tantric; and, as such, they are invoked in most of the chief rituals of Northern Buddhism; the inspiring force of a meditator; lit: 'she who walks over the skies'.

Deva (skt.):

godly being which is - because of good deeds in the past - enjoying a higher & pleasant, but still vanishing existence.

Dharma (skt.):

that what gives hold (or grip); the universal law; was seen, followed & proclaimed & taught by the Buddha; one of the three refuges of a truth-seeking Buddhist.

Dhyana (skt.):

Contemplative thinking; inner vision; Meditation.

Dhyani-Buddhas (skt.):

the five Buddhas of meditative vision; every direction & evry element got its Dhyani-Buddha; they are the personification of the 5 wisdoms.

Guru (skt.):

spiritual teacher; sometimes also referring to the Buddha Sakyamouni, who is the highest teacher of the Buddhist.

Karma (skt.):

the law of cause & effect; whatever you did or do is coming back on you; only Dharma can dissolve Karma.

Nirvana (skt.):

the state where there is no more greed, hatred & stupidity; thus the buddhist paradise.

Om Mani Padme Hum:

the six holly syllables of the Tibetans; the prayer for the invocation of the Embodimrnt of Compassion, Avalokiteshwara, who got 11 heads to see & understand a lot, and 1000 arms, so he can also help.

Sadhana (skt.):

Selfpurification; the job of the yogi, who just got to work on himself, cleanse his body, speech & mind, and thus will find the highest good.

Sangsara (skt.):

the neverending circle of birth & death;

Sangha (skt.):

the community of those who follow the Buddhas teachings; who practise Dharma; 'sang' meeting, and 'ha': those who meet for the sake of happiness.

Sippa-Bardo (tib.):

the state when desiring rebirth, from the 15th to the 49th day after the death of the body. The Bardo when one - after not being able to go rightaway to Nirvana - is choosing his next incarnation, or in the worst case, is kicked into his next existence.

Text:

This text is taken from 'The Tibetan Book of the Dead' by Evans-Wentz, published by Oxford University Press, 1960. It brings from the 'Appendix, 'the path of good wishes', prayers & rituals, and also short excerpts from the chapters: 'The Conclusion, showing the fundamental importance of the Bardo-Teachings', and: 'The General Conclusion'.

This production has been recorded at RPM Studio, Klagenfurt, Austria.
Produced & engineered by Heinz Reitman.
Idea, co-producer & mentor: Sepp Wiener.
Lyrics: Tibetan Book of the Dead; Appendix: 'the path of good wishes' (prayers & rituals) by W.Y.Evans - Wentz, 1960, Oxford University Press, London. German version: Walter-Verlag AG Olten, 1971, Switzerland.
Lyrics: chanted & recited by Sepp Wiener
Music: Composed & arranged by Heinz Reitmann
Soundtrack - Tracks 1 & 2 on Reiting-Music 'der Berg', Tracks 3,4 & 5 were recorded live in the Tibetan Buddhist Gompa on top of the Swayamboo-hill in Kathmandu, Nepal in Jan & Feb. 1989.

We hope to contribute at least a bit to a greater understanding of different cultures & religions, & of problems we all have got in common, like the fact of Death itself, through this work, in which we tried 'to arrange' tibetan prayers in a way accessible for our western mind - it is supposed to give a glimpse of the powerful way of 'active-mantra-meditation-techniques' as Tibetans are practising, and it is not just another phony-dream-away-meditation-immitation, as you will hear. Hearing might make you reflect & may be even see...
May it be for the benefit of all sentient beings!
By its grace may there be happiness!
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ho

By the way this is a spiritual matter and supposed to support progress in
Relaxation
Communication, Concentration, Contemplation
& Meditation
and if you really want to get benefit out of it, try to avoid violating the copyright - truthfullness is a basic thing for further progress...

Press Reviews

• Crohinga Well, July 1996
• The Prisoner, June 1992.
• Expose, Spring - Summer 1996
• Hawk U.S. Time & Space, 1992.

Crohinga Well

Liberation Thru' Hearing is something completely different. It's a recording project from an Austrian musician called Heinz Reitmann. He's a multi-instrumentalist, and together with a few befriended musicians, he already recorded the LP "Der Berg" under the group name Reitingmusic. The LP is an instrumental, jazzy / cosmic album that came out on the local Die Mühle label (now deleted). Reitmann is very much impressed by the Tibetan Book Of The Dead, thousands of years old magical texts passed down by word of mouth and compiled into a book by Tibetan monks. They are intended as a guide to the mysteries beyond, for the dying and the dead. These writings became very hip in the sixties since they were (and still are!) used by takers of LSD to navigate them safely through their trip. Timothy Leary made a lot of publicity for this technique. Reitmann has a friend, Sepp Wiener, who came up with the idea to combine parts of the Tibetan Book Of The Dead with a background of both Western and Oriental, ethnic music. And so it happened: Sepp Weiner reads five excerpts from the English version of the famous book (with a thick, very charming German accent) while Reitmann took care of the music. For the backing of two tracks he used part of the "Der Berg" LP while the rest is a mix of newly recorded music and ethnical sounds registered in a Buddhist monastery in Nepal. This is not a rock album but something special you either like a lot or are completely indifferent about. I must say I think it works very well: the droning effect of the recited spiritual text with spacey keyboards and Tibetan bells, horns, etc. can get quite psychedelic under the right circumstances. This CD only release (five tracks / 40 minutes) is a reissue of an original cassette, privately pressed about three years ago. The CD contains a 12-page booklet with beautiful artwork, informing you about all aspects of the Tibetan Book Of THe Dead. A well-recommended, completely out-of-this-world (and into the next! ) release.

The Prisoner

People said that Delerium were crazy to release this brilliant record. It's spaced-out mantra provides a brilliant vehicle for the incantation of selected excerpts from the "Tibetan Book Of The Dead". The shamanic chanting seems at first to be a little too much - this perception changes however as the record becomes increasingly compelling. Liberation Through Hearing is hypnotic and full of surprises and perhaps as close as the record-buying public can get to pagan worship. Initial reservations are swiftly replaced by a gasp of appreciation as the full power of the album manifests itself. The album has become a firm favourite on our shelves.

Expose

How to describe this? Let's first consider the music: although it doesn't say exactly who plays on the album, one may hear synths, percussion, flutes, sax, drums, bass, guitars, plus some Eastern instruments like dholak, tambora and sitar. The music varies between something akin to Saddar Bazaar meets Ashra in techno-land to more funky space-rock variations on repeating themes. Loops and other studio gimmikery are used as well, but overall the music - considered on it's own, stands strong as background music goes, keeping the project in a constant state of forward motion. On top of this musical bed we have some guy with a strong German or Austrian accent reciting parts of the Tibetan Book Of The Dead in a steady monotone stream of consciousness; this goes on through the entire album, with almost no purely musical breaks. For this listener it becomes really tiresome after a few minutes into the first track (of five), though it certainly may be of some greater value for those who want to use the album for meditation purposes, or something else like that. At any rate, file under very unusual.

Hawk U.S. Time & Space

This self titled disc is very strange and cool at the same time. Although I wasn't blown away completely by all the tracks; "The Root Verses Of The Six Bardos" is unquestionably a masterpiece. The music is varied and unusual but the lyrics are drawn from the Tibetan Book of the Dead. This makes for at least some meaningful and contemplative listening.

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