Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth: A Tibetan Buddhist Guidebook [Hardcover]

Tulku Thondup (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2005

Buddhism teaches that death can be a springboard to enlightenment—yet for all but the most advanced meditators, it will be the gateway to countless future lives of suffering in samsara. Tulku Thondup wrote this guide to help us heal our fear and confusion about death and strengthen our practice in anticipation of this transition, and to help us realize the enlightened goal of ultimate peace and joy—not only for death and rebirth, but for this very lifetime. In simple language, he distills a vast range of sources, including scriptures, classic commentaries, oral teachings, and firsthand accounts. The book includes: An overview of the dying process, the after-death bardo states, and teachings on why, where, and how we take rebirth Accounts by Tibetan "near-death experiencers" ( delogs), who returned from death with amazing reports of their visions Ways to train our minds during life, so that at death, all the phenomena before us will arise as a world of peace, joy, and enlightenment Simple meditations, prayers, and rituals to benefit the dead and dying Advice for caregivers, helpers, and survivors of the dying A brief liturgy and explanation of phowa, the unique Tibetan meditation for transferring the consciousness of the dying (oneself or another) to an enlightened pure land

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hoping to "help us realize... ultimate peace and joy... for death and beyond," Thondup, a Tibetan-born teacher, translator and former visiting scholar at Harvard, offers a remarkably lucid distillation of Tibetan Buddhist teachings on how the state of our minds in life affects the nature and quality of our experiences in death. Thondup opens the book with a discussion of some fundamental Buddhist concepts such as impermanence, karma and the importance of meditation for altering our mental habits. He then deconstructs the actual experience of dying (the "crucial hour of life"), a process of distinct stages, including glimpsing the "true nature of the mind" and dwelling in the bardo, a transitional period before rebirth. He even includes lengthy reports of death experiences by delogs, devout Tibetan Buddhists resurrected from the dead for the purpose of explaining how to negotiate the bardo. Thondup rounds out the book with discussions of reincarnation and the importance of—and practical instructions for—performing rituals for the dead. While the teachings can become sophisticated, Thondup's great strength is his consistent focus on a thesis equally accessible to novices: how we train our minds in life will profoundly influence our "afterdeath" experiences. The result is a provocative and surprisingly compelling work that will appeal to beginners and advanced practitioners alike. (May 24)
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Review

"A remarkably lucid distillation of Tibetan Buddhist teaching on how the state of our minds in life affects the nature and quality of our experiences in death . . . . A provocative and surprisingly compelling work that will appeal to beginners and advanced practitioners alike."— Publishers Weekly

"A healing treasure from Tulku Thondup: a clear, complete, and compassionate guidebook to the journey through life, dying, death, and beyond. Accessible and authentic as always, he brings to the ancient Buddhist teachings his deep and gentle understanding of the modern world. Drawing on an extraordinary range of sources, including the Tibetan near-death experiences, he shows to what extent the quality of our life, death, and rebirth all depend upon the mind. By following the spiritual practices and straightforward practical guidance given here, any one of us can learn to transform not only our life, not only our dying and death, but also our future lives, and so even the future of humanity."—Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

"Tibetans by nature are joyous. This comes from having teachings on death and life. Tulku Thondup has opened this vast treasury of knowledge in a clear, simple, and powerful way for the modern audience."—Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, author of Turning the Mind into an Ally

"From the richness of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and from the depth of his own experience as yogin and teacher, Tulku Thondup illuminates the mysteries of death and rebirth in this most welcome new book. He explains fully and clearly each stage of the process that leads from this life to the next, illustrating them with stories from the delogs—spiritually gifted men and women who have returned from death in order to relate their experiences. The book contains a valuable section devoted to the care and support of those who are approaching death, and includes a selection of meditations and rituals that may be used to help the dying and the dead, which will be of great benefit to many people. Above all, at every stage Tulku Thondup offers us practical methods of training the mind here and now, in preparation for the journey we must all eventually make."—Francesca Freemantle, author of Luminous Emptiness: Understanding the Tibetan Book of the Dead

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (May 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159030182X
• ISBN-13: 978-1590301821
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,345,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound and Practical Teachings on Death, Karma, and Rebirth, August 25, 2005

By 

Judith L. Lief (Colchester, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth: A Tibetan Buddhist Guidebook (Hardcover)

Judy Lief
Author of Making Friends with Death; A Buddhist Guide to Encountering Mortality

The Tibetan understanding of the cycle of life and death is encapsulated in the image of the Wheel of Life, traditionally displayed outside the entrances to meditation halls as a reminder of the preciousness of life, the reality of impermanence, and the powerful force of karma. According to these teachings, our present state of mind and the way in which we lead our lives have direct bearing on our future circumstances in this life and in subsequent lives. Tulku Thondup's book is a particularly clear exposition of this teaching on life, death, and rebirth

In particular, Tulku Thondup, a renowned Tibetan Buddhist scholar, translator and spiritual guide, clarifies the interplay between karma, the six realms of existence, and the many pure lands described in traditional Buddhist texts. He carefully elucidates how the karma created by ones mental state and moral actions can propel one into either desirable or horrific states of existence. Tulku Thondrop encourages us to take responsibility for our life and cultivate healthy states of mind. Whether you believe in rebirth or not, it is easy to observe how our mental habits, which all too often seems to be shifty and out of our control, shape our perception of the world-for better or for worse. By pointing out how this works, Tulku offers the reader a way to unravel these habitual patterns and loosen the forces that propel one to painful realms of existence. In short, he offers many methods to cultivate wholesome states of mind and let go of harmful patterns that entrap us.

Of particular interest are the many stories Tulku has assembled about delogs. In Tibet there are many accounts of people who died and in that state traveled to other realms of existence and other realities, communicating with the dead and receiving teachings, before being sent back as messengers for the living. Unlike accounts of near-death experiences of short duration, it was not uncommon for delogs to return to life after a period of many days. While some of their descriptions may seem frightening or harsh-certainly no nonsense-at the same time, each delog in his or her own way reminds the living of the preciousness of life, the power of the mind, and the possibility of living with awareness, kindness, and openness. The message that what we think and do makes a difference is an empowering one, filled with inspiration and hope.

In a series of helpful appendices, Tulku Thondup has gathered a series of Buddhist rituals for the dying and for those seeking to take birth in the blissful pure land. For those interested in the Tibetan vajrayana rituals, these appendices are an invaluable resource. At the same time, Tulku repeatedly points out that anyone can benefit from Buddhist teachings on life, death and the intermediate state. No matter our tradition or background, each of us can benefit from contemplating the reality of death and the brevity of life; each of us can benefit from letting go of harmful mental states and habitual actions that cause us needless suffering; each of us can benefit from extending ourselves to one another with kindness and love.

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Major Shift in Attitudes Toward Death, May 24, 2005

By 

Philip Richman (New York, NY, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth: A Tibetan Buddhist Guidebook (Hardcover)

Tulku Thondup speaks about the most subtle and crucial factors in the process dying and what comes after death. Remarkably, his audience is neither the scholar, the dilettante nor even the serious spiritual seeker. Rather he speaks directly and personally to each of us in that we ourselves will have to go through this passage. His message is that the attitude we bring to death is all important and it is a major mistake to hide from, ignore or fail to prepare for our own death. In spite of this, the tone of the book is completely positive, healing and comforting. Tulku Thondup's language and references are contemporary and up-to-date, but his sources of authority and training are steeped in the highest traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. This work also contains a brilliant survey of the biographies of delugs, Tibetans who "died" for many days and came back to reveal their experiences in the bardo. Thoroughly scholarly, yet completely accessible, this work is a breakthrough which expands the dimensions of self-help literature beyond the obsession with health while providing new material for scholars of all religions.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book, June 5, 2005

By 

Jim (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth: A Tibetan Buddhist Guidebook (Hardcover)

If you'd like to better understand the Tibetan Buddhist insights into the process of dying this book is unique. The content is accessible to anyone who genuinely wants to prepare for this inevitable passage or to aid the dying. The book is unique in that Tulku Thondup presents about a dozen stories of "delugs" people who died for several days and returned from the dead to talk about it. These stories are deeply moving and Tulku Thondup does a wonderful job of providing a clear context for better understanding them.

While the book thoroughly reviews the traditional Tibetan Buddhist view of death as well as the Buddhist practices created to help the dying and recently deceased, his view is distinctly non-dogmatic and he clearly outlines these teachings relevance and applicability to people of any faith.