From Library Journal
Probably the single most recognizable Tibetan title to Western readers, this text (elaborated in the 14th century) discusses the process of death and rebirth as understood by Tibetan Buddhists. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Tibetan
Tibetan Book of the Dead: Or, the after-Death Experiences on the Bardo Plane, according to Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup's English Rendering FROM THE PUBLISHER
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is one of the texts that, according to legend, Padma-Sambhava was compelled to hide during his visit to Tibet in the late 8th century. The guru hid his books in stones, lakes, and pillars because the Tibetans of that day and age were somehow unprepared for their teachings. Now, in the form of the ever-popular Tibetan Book of the Dead, these teachings are constantly being discovered and rediscovered by Western readers of many different backgrounds - a phenomenon which began in 1927 with Oxford's first edition of Dr. Evans-Wentz's landmark volume. While it is traditionally used as a mortuary text, to be read or recited in the presence of a dead or dying person, this book - which relates the whole experience of death and rebirth in three intermediate states of being - was originally understood as a guide not only for the dead but also for the living. As a contribution to the science of death and dying - not to mention the belief in life after death, or the belief in texts of the world, for its socio-cultural influence in this regard is without comparison.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Evans-Wentz, an Oxford professor, produced a number of original studies on Tibetan Buddhism from the 1930s to the 1960s, which went through several editions. Oxford here resurrects four of these works, which now include new forewords and afterwords by scholar Donald S. Lopez who also analyzes the earlier editions. More for academic collections. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Art & Photography
Book Info
