The most accessible and informative version of the buddhist classic available in english, with instruction in meditation, illuminating commentary, and guidance in the practical use of the prayers the socalled tibetan book of the dead has been renowned for centuries as a cornerstone of buddhist wisdom and religious thought. 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. So im sure most people are aware that timothy leary and ram dass created a book based on the tibetan book of the dead and applying its principles to the psychedelic experience. Robert thurman, acclaimed translator of the tibetan book of the dead and author of inner revolution, is the jey tsong khapa professor of indotibetan buddhist studies in the department of religion at columbia university and is the director of the american institute of buddhist studies. In the words of british orientalist sir john woodroffe 18651936, the book is a travelers guide to other worlds.
A way of life in october and are now showing part 2. A way of life reveals the history of the tibetan book of the dead and examines its traditional use in ladakh, a region in northern india, as well as its newfound acceptance in western hospices. The compendium of texts known as the tibetan book of the dead contains exquisitely written guidance and practices related to transforming our experience in daily life, on how to address the processes of dying and the afterdeath state, and on how to help those who are dying. Tibetan book of the dead synonyms, tibetan book of the dead pronunciation, tibetan book of the dead translation, english dictionary definition of tibetan book of the dead. I took the liberty of remastering audiobook for personal use. Narration in the english version is by leonard cohen. Sit back and explore the rites prescribed by the text. The tibetan book of the dead by robert thurman, paperback. An ancient source of strength and guidance, the tibetan book of the dead remains an essential teaching in the buddhist cultures of the himalayas. It is a companion piece to the tibetan book of the dead, a way of life, which i liked better. The paperback and hardcover editions of the book contain extensive notes by evanswentz about the conclusions he drew from the. In this classic scripture of tibetan buddhismtraditionally read aloud to the dying to help them attain liberationdeath. Bardo thodol, the tibetan book of the dead, is a guide for the dead and dying.
The tibetan book of the dead is the tibetan classic on navigation after death. The great liberation was a coproduction between nhk japan, mistral france and fbc canada. The third part, sidpa bardo, concerns the onset of the birth instinct and of prenatal events. The tibetan book of the dead, the egyptian book of the dead, dmt and dying. The great liberation follows an old lama and his novice monk as they guide a himalayan villager into the afterlife using readings from the tibetan book of the dead. A being can be liberated in the between the term is often translated as intermediate state. In this podcast professor thurman talks about the tibetan book of the dead. The second part, chonyid bardo, deals with the states which supervene immediately after death. B, magic voice leading to the anchorage of heart, 18. Both a practical guide and intriguing historical, cultural, and spiritual document, this new version incorporates recent discoveries that have. The middle part of the book is the bardo thodol translated directly into english and third part covers the topic of buddhism in general with references to the different schools of thought and christianity. The first complete translation of a classic buddhist text on the journey through living and dying. The great doctrine of liberation by hearing, which confers spiritual freedom on devotees of ordinary wit while in the intermediate state. As thurman makes clear, the real translation of the title is liberation through understanding in the between, which seems the appropriate title now.
One of the greatest works created by any culture and overwhelmingly the most significant of all tibetan buddhist texts in the west, the tibetan book of the dead has had a number of distinguished translations, but none encompassed the work. If you are interested in death, a much better introduction is the tibetan book of living and dying, by sogyal rinpoche the similarly named tibetan book of the dead is a text with a specific focus, which relies on the instruction and elucidation of an awakened teacher, and ones subsequent practice based on that teaching. The book written by detlef ingo lauf is a necessary addition to the information, presented in the tibetan book of the dead. Over the course of the past year, i have been immersed in the bardo thodoloften known as the tibetan book of the deadso it wasnt any stretch to apply what i had learned to what i was observing on a daily basis with my mother. Tibetan book of the dead the great liberation narrated by leonard cohen hallelujah song lyrics sung by leonard cohen. An ancient source of strength and guidance, the tibetan book of the dead remains an essential teaching originating in the. The tibetan book of the dead and neardeath experiences. Death is real, it comes without warning and it cannot be escaped.
The first part, called chikhai bardo, describes the moment of death. Coming attractions for you 2020s most anticipated movies. The tibetan book of the dead is one of the texts that, according to legend, padmasambhava was compelled to hide during his visit to tibet in. It is the bestknown work of nyingma literature, and is known in the west as the tibetan book of the dead. The tibetan book of the dead audiobook narrated by richard gere 2008. Questions about the translation and style of expression continually came up, and as a result of these questions it was. I found thurmans part i, the first 90 pages, very well written and informative about the so called tibetan book of the dead. The tibetan book of the dead by gyurme dorje, hardcover. The tibetan book of the dead was first published in 1927 by oxford university press, london.
The tibetan book of the dead quotes by padmasambhava. Here i read more of the tibetan book of the dead for you gorgeous people. The tibetan book of the dead and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The great liberation this has the feel of those mystic fire videos, which may bother some of you. Read the tibetan book of the dead the great liberation through hearing in the bardo by chogyam trungpa available from rakuten kobo. The tibetan book of the dead by padma sambhava librarything. Graced with opening words by his holiness the dalai lama, the penguin deluxe edition of the tibetan book of the dead is immaculately rendered in an english both graceful and precise. More recently, it has become highly influential in the western.
In part two of the series, traditional buddhist teachings on compassion and truth are vividly detailed. Bob thurman tibetan book of the dead what is it about. Tibetan book of the dead or bardo thodol, read online part 2. Translated with the close support of leading contemporary masters and hailed as a. The tibetan name of this book the bardo thodol literally means the book of natural liberation through understanding in the between.
The tibetan text describes, and is intended to guide one through, the experiences that the consciousness has after death, in the bardo, the interval between death and the next rebirth. Rinpoche, gave a seminar entitled the tibetan book of the dead, which is included here as a commentary. The tibetan book of the dead is a classic text of liberation and the practice of preparing for death as a path to recognize the true nature of the mind. Book of the dead simple english wikipedia, the free. The tibetan book of the dead or the bardo thodol is the english translation of the famous tibetan death text, the great liberation upon hearing in the intermediate state. Download the tibetan book of the dead free pdf ebook. Lin the tibetan book of the dead 1981, cassette discogs. Most of the accessible englishlanguage translations of the bardo thodol only include chapter 11, the liberation upon hearing. What is the best english translation of the tibetan book of the dead, and why. When the expiration hath ceased, the vitalforce will have. Narrated by leonard cohen, this enlightening twopart program explores the sacred text.
In fabled tibet, the land of diamond vehicle buddhism, the trek of the deceased is described in a religious classic called the bardo thodol or liberation by hearing in the afterdeath plane. Evanswentz coined the title because of parallels he found with the writings of the egyptian book of the dead. As we shall see, the words attempt to wake being up to its true nature which transcends its bodymind complex traditionally called a person, while including it. The souls 49day journey towards rebirth is envisioned through actual. Terms of activation by activating, you agree that you want to enable cloud technology to access your xfinity stream subscription on additional supported devices like computers and tablets, as well as the tv connected to your settop dvr via comcasts network. The name book of the dead was the invention of the german egyptologist karl richard lepsius, who published a. Much like the tibetan book of the dead, a section in the gospel of mary magdalene describes the souls journey and the challenges it faces. A collection of ancient egyptian funerary texts from various periods, containing prayers, magic formulas, and. When the soul had overcome the third power, it went upwards and saw the fourth power, which took seven forms. The book of the dead is an amazing read, but it does require thought on the part of the reader. The book of the dead in its most familiar form was first used in the new kingdom, but many of the spells had their origins in the funerary texts of the old and middle kingdoms.
The tibetan book of the dead and millions of other books are available for instant access. The most complete edition is the gyurme dorje translation, the tibetan book of the dead, though unless you are taking. The book is a deep survey of buddhist and prebuddhist relations teachings, which attributed to the buddhist concepts of death and dying. Tibetan book of the dead evanswentz tibetan verses of the bardo the invocation tibetan book of the dead houston i tibetan book of the dead houston ii.
How to discuss tibetan book of the dead with nonbuddhists. Thurman translates bar do thos grol as the great book of natural liberation through understanding in the between. Dying, dmt, the tibetan book of the dead, and the egyptian. The souls 49day journey towards rebirth is envisioned through actual photography of rarely seen buddhist rituals, interwoven with groundbreaking animation by. During the seminar he used a tibetan text, while the audience followed in the evanswentz edition. The contents of the tibetan book of the dead are examined as we observe an elderly monk and. Instructions on the symptoms of death, or the first stage of the chikhai bardo. The tibetan book of the dead or the afterdeath experiences on the bardo plane english translation by lama kazi dawasamdup foreword this book is the first english language translation of the famous tibetan death text, the great liberation upon hearing in the intermediate state. He is a friend of the dalai lamas, president of tibet house u. The great liberation follows an old lama and his novice monk as they guide a himalayan villager into the afterlife using readings from the tibetan book. Tibetan book of the dead definition of tibetan book of. Youll feel instantly at peace with this dvd chronicle of one of the most unique books of buddhist spirituality, narrated by singersongwriter leonard cohen.
What is the best english translation of the tibetan book. 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 be the work of the legendary padma sambhava in the 8th century a. In this video, steve treu explains many of the concepts in the tibetan book of the dead and the relevant, therapeutic implications for your life. Narrated by leonard cohen, this enlightening twopart series explores the sacred text and boldly visualizes the afterlife according to its profound wisdom. In 2005 a journalist telephoned the eminent scholar of buddhism and tibetan studies, donald s.