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The Tibetan book of living and dying
written by Sogyal
Studio : Harper San Francisco
by Harper San Francisco
Publisher : Harper San Francisco
Released : 1994
Availability : This Item is currently Not Available
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 98 reviews)
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Product Description |
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In this major and comprehensive work, Buddhist meditation master and international speaker Sogyal Rinpoche brings together the ancient wisdom of Tibet with modern research on death and dying and the nature of the universe. With unprecedented scope, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying clarifies the majestic vision of life and death that underlies The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Sogyal Rinpoche presents simple yet powerful practices from the heart of the Tibetan tradition that anyone, whatever their religion or background, can do to transform their lives, prepare for death, and help the dying.Rinpoche shows the hope there is in death: how we can go beyond denial and fear to discover what it is in us that survives death and is changeless. He presents a lucid, inspiring, and complete introduction to the practice of meditation, to karma and rebirth, and to the trials and rewards of the spiritual path. He gives advice on how to care for the dying with love and compassion and offer them spiritual assistance.Rinpoche presents his own vision of the near-death experience from the Tibetan perspective. He explains in detail the "bardos," those states of consciousness after death that have fascinated and tantalized Western artists, psychologists, scientists, doctors, and philosophers ever since the publication of The Tibetan Book of the Dead in 1927.The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying is not only a spiritual masterpiece but also a manual, a guide, a work of reference, and a source of sacred inspiration. It has been written to inspire all who read it to begin the journey to enlightenment and so become "servants of peace," working in the world with joy, wisdom, and compassion to take part in safeguarding the future of humanity. |
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Americancivilwar.com Review |
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In 1927, Walter Evans-Wentz published his translation of an obscure Tibetan Nyingma text and called it the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Popular Tibetan teacher Sogyal Rinpoche has transformed that ancient text, conveying a perennial philosophy that is at once religious, scientific, and practical. Through extraordinary anecdotes and stories from religious traditions East and West, Rinpoche introduces the reader to the fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism, moving gradually to the topics of death and dying. Death turns out to be less of a crisis and more of an opportunity. Concepts such as reincarnation, karma, and bardo and practices such as meditation, tonglen, and phowa teach us how to face death constructively. As a result, life becomes much richer. Like Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Sogyal Rinpoche opens the door to a full experience of death. It is up to the reader to walk through. --Brian Bruya |
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I did my best. |
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I really tried hard to finish this book but after over 200 pages of flowery words, I figured that I am not cut out for this religion. My mistake is that I expected to find some universal enlightenment without religious conversion. |
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Insightful, Inspiring, and Enlightening |
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This is one of the few books I would say everyone should have and eventually read, especially if you have someone in the family that is getting older or soon to pass away. The thoughts about life have helped me become more and live more now. |
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"In the ground of primordial perfection, attain nirvana" |
This earns nearly a hundred positive reviews already on Americancivilwar; it's been out fifteen years, and remains highly acclaimed. I read it when it came out, and remember being moved. Re-reading it (and this eloquent, accessible volume rewards such repetition) after tackling the rarified expansion of its message in the psychologically and religiously advanced study "Luminous Emptiness" by Francesca Fremantle, the richly contextual edition by Robert Thurman of the so-called "Tibetan Book of the Dead," and the pithy primer by Stephen Hodge & Martin Boord, "The Illustrated TBoD," I felt ready to return to Sogyal's earlier study. (These three texts have been recently reviewed by me.) TBLD predates the rest of these books, and it pioneered the presentation of the after-life instructions of the bardo teachings in light-- literally-- of how we can integrate its teachings into this life as well as preparing us to assist those who are dying through its advice.
Sogyal writes with winning clarity. Edited by Patrick Gaffney and Andrew Harvey, this book shows what intelligent inspiration can accomplish. So much of what crowds the shelves of a religion section in a bookstore fritters away wisdom with platitudes. Sogyal, by welcome contrast, strives to encourage us with what can be a rather discouraging central lesson from the bardo. We have failed many times before in previous existences to break free of illusion. Each time we die, we must have whirred past the Grand Luminosity, without recognizing Rigpa, the primordial "nature of mind." This gets complicated, as you can imagine, but Sogyal has set up a cogent presentation of the fundamentals of meditation, Buddhist conceptions of true reality, and the danger of "active laziness."
Pages 18-20 sum up powerfully this last tendency we have to be consumed by our petty lives, and the need to wrench ourselves free of "false hopes, dreams, and ambitions." These lure us on like salty water in a desert towards a mirage, he warns. Instead, taking on the power of the bardo instructions, for those who have died and for our own preparation for death, becomes the ultimate imperative.
I confess after a second time reading this I remain rather uncertain about how, practically, we can find masters to assist us in spiritual practice. This is the missing link in many Buddhist works for newcomers, but this may impel those so changed by their encounter with the learning here interpreted to seek such spiritual direction themselves. After all, Buddhism demands that we take action to begin to liberate ourselves now, rather than wait for revelations or intermediaries. We are cautioned not to do certain practices without guidance; others, however, as with mantras or simpler visualizations, can be attained more easily. Also, the ecumenical applicability of these Buddhist lessons to those of other faiths-- or perhaps none that they can readily adhere to?-- widens the impact and usefulness of this guide.
Many of the methods that Tibetans follow will elude Westerners outside of a few contacts in a few places with gurus or lamas, of course. Therefore, one can become discouraged: how can an everyday person attain the discipline that will enable him or her after death to resist the illusion to be drawn back into existence? The TBoD constantly insists that recognition of Rigpa will bring about freedom, yet it also shows how easy it will be to remain trapped in fear, attachment, confusion, or oblivion as we pass through an unimaginable array of sights and sounds after our death.
Therefore, Sogyal and the TBoD, naturally, are absolutely correct. The utter necessity of struggling to come at least closer to these daunting visions and yearning prayers colors poignantly the stories, legends, and parallels he finds from Tibetan wise people he has known, near-death experiences, quantum physics, and meditation techniques. You sense Sogyal's grounded in profound respect for those from whom he has learned his teachings, and there's a genuine humility and open-hearted compassion that infuses the wisdom in these pages. The revised and expanded edition, by the way, does change the pages internally but I could not find, on spot-checking with the original printing, much change except for addresses of Rigpa hospices at the end and a brief introduction that places the enthusiastic reception of the 1993-4 printing in perspective. |
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Breaking down the barriers of mind |
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When I first read this book I found it "very" hard going. As I recognised fairly early on the path, the more difficult something is, the more you have to gain by facing it head on. This book was really the first book that taught me true compassion. Persevere with this book, read it again and again, and you may just find that your whole view of the universe and reality has shifted to something far, far better. |
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Fantastic |
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It is great book, loving it. good condition and good postage time. Extremely happy with it |
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