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Title: The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: The Spiritual Classic & International Bestseller; Revised and Updated Edition by Sogyal Rinpoche, Patrick D. Gaffney, Andrew Harvey ISBN: 0-06-250834-2 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: September, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.78 (55 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Definitely Worth Reading, perhaps twice...
Comment: If you look at death as a transition state from where you are now, to where "you" will be when you have exceeded your body's limits, then this book provides a guide to understanding some of that journey. This book provides one with a new viewpoint on how life and death are connected. I found it fascinating and very helpful in answering many of my own questions about what we can expect in the dying process. The level of detail is quite remarkable and can only be attributed to the few enlightened beings that have experienced some of this process and found a way to share that experience with those of us still here. The scary part is how reading this can bring back memories of actually being in the "between" state and those memories are what help validate the book's message. If you only read one book this lifetime, perhaps this should be the one.
Rating: 2
Summary: not for everyone
Comment: This is not the Buddhism I know, and I found it totally unhelpful. I have to admit that I did not read the whole book, but after 60 pages of feeling frustrated and insulted, I had to give up. In those 60 pages, I got no sense of what a Buddhist perspective on death and dying might be. It seems that belief in an afterlife is crucial both to coping with the fear of death and to living a more just and harmonious existence, as if without that reassurance, there is no further insight to be found in Buddhism that could keep us all from running amok. (Is this really so central to Buddhist ethics and its approach to the fear of death? Not to my way of thinking.) Instead of exploring the meaning of that belief in an afterlife (apparently reincarnation?), the reader gets lots of silly references to pseudo-scientific "proof" of an afterlife and superficial comparisons of Buddhist thought and practice to Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism.
A vague and flimsy condemnation of "modern civilization" and its supposed effects on the members of that civilization is also a central part of the author's argument. We live in an admittedly competitive and conflict-ridden world, but is the answer to our dilemma real so simple as translating Tibetan Buddhist practice wholesale into our lives? I say "translate" and, yet, the author fails even to take this step. He recommends mantras in Tibetan that apparently have magical effects on crowds, but if you want to know what they mean, you'll have to flip to the appendix. This is reminiscent of the use of Latin in Catholic mass, which rather transparently invests all religious authority in Latin-literate priests. Similarly, the author gushes about the powers of various masters, and a close relationship with a paternalistic "master" generally seems to be a much more important ground of proper practice than anything that could be realistically adopted by most of us screwed-up moderns, who have neither the means nor the inclination to follow our own Buddhist master.
Rating: 3
Summary: Remember - This is not the Original Book.
Comment: Read the Introduction:
"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."
If you are looking for the original and first translation of the "Bardo Thodol" or "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" then you should get "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" (1927) by W.Y.Evans-Wentz. The Evans-Wentz version is considered by many to be too technical for most people. Also because it is a literary masterpiece, it can be hard to read for the layman. This is why this version was made.
This version is a more popular version but remember that this is just a new interpretation of that old book which is written in an easier language so that the average Joe can understand it. However it is an "Interpretation" and if you like this book then you should at least attempt to read the original classic from Evans-Wentz. The original classic does not attempt to explain everything for you but this book does try a good amount of "explanation" and although some will need this, you are better off trying to figure things out for yourself. So if you like this book - then get the original work to see the differences, of which there are many!
In this writers opinion this "readers digest" version is good but the original is still the better option for those serious about learning the mystery of the Bardo Thodol.
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Title: The Tibetan Book of the Dead by Padma Sambhava, Robert A. Thurman, Karma-Glin-Pa ISBN: 0553370901 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: January, 1994 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Meditation by Sogyal Rinpoche ISBN: 0062511149 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: July, 1994 List Price(USD): $11.00 |
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Title: Glimpse After Glimpse : Daily Reflections on Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche ISBN: 0062511262 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: June, 1995 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo (Shambala Pocket Classics) by Karma-Glin-Pa, Karma-Lingpa, Francesca Fremantke, Chogyam Trungpa, Guru Rinpoche, Francesca Fremantle ISBN: 0877736758 Publisher: Shambhala Pub. Date: October, 1992 List Price(USD): $7.00 |
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Title: How to Practice : The Way to a Meaningful Life by The Dalai Lama, Jeffrey Hopkins ISBN: 0743427084 Publisher: Atria Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
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