Death is a part of life. There’s not getting around that. Death is also a major subject in the world’s religions. One religious text that deals with death is the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Guru Rinpoche. There are many different versions and translations of this particular book. This review focuses on the Shambhala pocket edition (256 pages, Shambhala Pocket Classics, $7.00) with translation and commentary provided by Francesca Fremantle and Chogyam Trungpa.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a journey through the multiple stages of death. One may or may not see all of these stages depending on their willingness to let go at the time of death. Those that want to maintain a connection with their human world, family, friends, and material possessions of this life will ultimately have to make their way through additional realms of suffering. Those that are ready to let go of themselves and have explored the true meaning of suffering in their life will find a shorter journey for them to make it to enlightenment.
The book is essential an instruction on how to make it through this time period during and after death. There are many prayers included that provide the dying person with tools to make it through realms of mental projections and other forces standing in their way.
Image via Wikipedia
For religious scholars, this is a must read. For those interesting in Tibetan Buddhism or eastern cultures, this is also an excellent read.
