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PRELIMINARY NOTES ON TIBETAN AFTER-DEATH RITES AND THEIR TEXTS IN MONGOLIAN BUDDHIST PRACTICE “for the deceased, but it is also performed in order to help everyone to reach enlightment and to ensure that, till the time they attain it, they do not live in want”. This is recited at for example, all the Oroin yeré/ ceremonies (Tib. smon lam, ‘Evening Prayer’), and the fifeen day’s Oroin yeröl, Ix yeröl (Tib. smon lam chen po, ‘Great Prayer’) or Coinpürel molom yeröl (Tib. chos ‘phrul smon lam, ‘Prayers of miracle showing’) ceremonies of Cagän sar, the Lunar New Year (on the 1-15" of the first spring month) commemorating Buddha’s defeat of the six masters, holders of heretical doctrines (tersüd, Tib. log par Ita ba), which he succeeded by mysterious methods of manifesting miracles for fifteen days (this is called Coinpiirel jon a, Tib. chos ‘phrul bco Inga, ‘15 miracles’) being one of the so called ‘great festival days of the Buddha’ (Burxan bagsin ix diiicen 6driid). During its recitation one of the lamas reads out loudly the names of the day’s donators (jandag, Tib. sbyin bdag, or in Mongolian translation öglögin ejen), or those who have paid donations for this text (nom bictilex) and the names (and number of their family members) of those deceased whose names were made listed through their relatives’ donations. — Ow6 man’, Tib. bsngo ba mani, ‘Mani and dedication’. The text is recited “for the deceased ones”. — Tarwacimbo / Tarwacembo / Tarawcimbo, Tib. thar pa chen po, ‘Sutra of the Great Liberation’. The recitation of the text is recommended as it ,,shows the way to become a buddha and to get rescued from lower rebirth and to clear away stains and sins”. — Dagäÿ, Tib. ‘da’ka ye shes / ‘phags pa ‘da’ka ye shes kyi mdo, Arya ta dznya na na ma maha ya na st tra, Tib. ‘phags pa ‘da’ka ye shes zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo, Part of the Sundui collection, “Sütra on the wisdom of the moment of death’ / ‘The noble mahayana siitra entitled the wisdom of the moment of death’. No data is available on what are the indications of requesting this text, but as its content is a short teaching by Buddha on what should be kept in mind at the moment of dying, its is often recited as an after-death text without doubt. In several temples I found on the list of requestable texts the general title ‘reciting for future rebirths’, which is not a text title, but most probably means the recitation or performing of the adequate texts and rituals in general: — Khiini xoid mor ailtgax, ‘Reciting texts for one’s future rebirths’. The recitation of the text is recommended ,,for the deceased to ensure him or her to be reborn in a good life form”. The same as Khoidox datgax jan iiil, ‘ensuring one’s better future (life)’ 365
