The tibetan book of the dead was first published in 1927 by oxford university press. The tibetan book of the dead and neardeath experiences. The bardo thodol is a guide that is read aloud to the dead while they are in the state between death and reincarnation in order for them to recognize the nature of. Sogyal rinpoche, author of the tibetan book of living and dying one of the great scripts of world civilization. I oversattningen publicerad av penguin books 2006, oversatt av gyurme dorje. A teaching ostensibly for guiding a dying person through the deathtrip by. A teaching ostensibly for guiding a dying person through the death trip by. Thurman reveals the true spirit of the ancient text in a way that reaches modern minds and this is important, if we were to publish any ancient text as originally written very few would grasp the true meaning. There are other translations of the tibetan book of the dead, but i like this one by robert thurman, his knowledge of tibetan buddhism being highly regarded. While in the bardo between life and death, the consciousness of the. The text widely known as the tibetan book of the dead, is meant to guide one through the experiences consciousness goes through after death, in the bardo. It is one of many mortuary texts of the nyingma sect of tibetan buddhism and is commonly recited to or by a person facing imminent death. The tibetan book of the dead is said to be written in the 14 century by karma lingpa. The bar do thos grol is known in the west as the tibetan book of the dead, a title popularized by walter evanswentzs edition, but as such virtually unknown in tibet.
The tibetan book of the dead princeton university press. After death, it says, you will be assailed by thunderous. In this article, i want to explore if there is value for you to read this book. Gyurme dorje phd is a leading scholar of the nyingma tradition of tibetan buddhism. I took the liberty of remastering audiobook for personal use. A philosophers guide to the information age, authorhouse. His seven major publications include works on tibetan. The contents of the tibetan book of the dead are examined as we observe an elderly monk and his young student guide the soul of a person, recently deceased, into the afterlife. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the tibetan book of the dead. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Unlike other translations of bar do thos grol or the tibetan book of the dead, robert thurmans takes literally the entire gamut of metaphysical assumptions. Yet, as acclaimed writer and scholar of buddhism donald lopez writes, the tibetan book of the. I have, 3 times, read a copy of the tibetan book of the dead, edited by john baldock. Thurman translates bar do thos grol as the great book of natural liberation through understanding in the between. The tibetan book of the dead by padmasambhava goodreads. Second, if there any value in reading the book to the dying or dead. First complete translation penguin classics deluxe edition kindle edition by coleman, graham, padmasambhava, thupten jinpa, gyurme dorje. The tibetan book of the dead is a buddhist text written as a guide for those who have passed from this life. The tibetan book of the dead is a kind of baedeker for the afterlife, and like the best guidebooks its reassuring refrain is dont panic. The tibetan book of the dead, whose actual title is the great liberation upon hearing in the intermediate state or bardo thodol, is traditionally believed to. Advanced yogis can make trial runs by inducing a deathlike state, but after death the rest of us must try to remember what weve read in the. In this classic scripture of tibetan buddhismtraditionally read aloud to the dying to help them attain liberationdeath and rebirth are seen as a process that.