The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Shambala Pocket Classics) (Paperback)

~ Chogyam Trungpa (Author) "There seems to be a fundamental problem when we refer to the subject of The Tibetan Book of the Dead..." (more)
Key Phrases: perfect buddha state, four legs spread wide apart, good karmic results, Lord of Great Compassion, Great Liberation, Great Symbol (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is probably one of the most beautiful and difficult books for a Westerner to wrap her/his mind around. . . . This translation is much easier to read than the famous Oxford version, avoiding the inadvertently surrealistic pseudo–King James prose style of the earlier book."— San Francisco Chronicle

Product Description

In this classic scripture of Tibetan Buddhism--traditionally read aloud to the dying--death and rebirth are seen as a process that offers the possibility of attaining ultimate liberation. This translation emphasizes the practical advice that the book offers to the living, with many lessons in human psychology. Two-color interior.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (October 13, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877736758
• ISBN-13: 978-0877736752
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #480,007 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #14 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Book of the Dead (Tibetan)
  #40 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Authors, A-Z > ( T ) > Trungpa, Chogyam

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Tibetan Book of The Dead, read by Richard Gere, April 13, 2000

By	ann swanson (Washington, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tibetan Book of the Dead-Audio (Audio Cassette)

This was my first exposure to the Tibetan book of the Dead. Basically this book is an instuctional guide for traveling thru the Bardo; the period or place in which we find ourselves after death, and before incarnating into our next life or form. The book gives a very detailed description of the deities and phenomena one can expect to encounter in the Bardo, and the actions one must take to facilitate an optimal incarnation. It also instructs on the practices that we should engage in while living, to prepare for the Bardo, and therefor have the best out come of that experience. In addition, this is a guide for facilitating and guiding another person thru death and the Bardo. This is a straight forward reading of the book by Gere, it is clear and easy to understand. He is easy to listen to. The descriptions of the various dieties get a bit long winded as he decribes at least a hundred of them. Some of it is gruesome and down right scarey sounding. But the basic thing to remember is, that it is all emenating from our own mind, and not to be overcome by fear. Exposure to this information, practice and meditation on these deities can help prepare us for this experience. Apparently, if we take the correct actions (or non actions) in the bardo, we may not have to continue in samsara but can go directly to the Buddha state, or at least an incarnation in one of the more pleasant realms. I am fairly new to Tibetan Buddhism, so my interpretations of what I heard may not be a perfect reflection of the actual teachings. But that is how I heard it.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Small But No Extras, August 4, 2005

By	S. Wussow (WI, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

We accidentally ordered this book not realizing it was a pocket edition.

We ended up returning it because it did not include the glossary, pronounciation guide, etc. of the full-sized version (which we had to order directly from the publisher as it wasn't available here at Amazon.)

If you're looking for a pocket edition, though, it's just fine.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Travelling Riverside Blues, November 24, 2004

By	Myron Makewater "redcrosseknight" (Laramie) - See all my reviews

This is my favorite transliteration of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Trungpa Rinpoche and Francesca Fremantle bring scholarly precision, elegance, and a certain audacious directness to the text. The introduction and commentary are also first-rate. The pocket edition of the paperback is lovely airline reading, as it literally fits in your pocket. (Will having this book on your person put you on any "watch lists" when you get the super-size security treatment? Dunno.)

The audio version is a terrific companion on the long and salty road trips we're exposed to out here in Western Walmartistan. "As I wander in samsara's dangerous path" indeed. The reader, Richard Gere, does have a little trouble with the more elaborate Sanskrit vocabulary, but for my money, that further humanizes the translation.

If you find this text perplexing, I humbly recommend Fremantle's guide to the TB of the D, called Luminous Emptiness, which is very strong in a rubber-meets-the-road kind of way.

Three cheers to Padmasambhava for generating this text, Karma Lingpa for communicating it to us, and the Trungpa/Fremantle team for the beautiful and workable translation!