The Tibetan Book of the Dead: Or The After-Death Experiences on the Bardo Plane, according to Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup's...

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 354 pages
• Published by: Oxford University Press, USA
• Edition: 4th Edition September 28, 2000
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0195133129
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0195133127
• Book Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Weighs: 12 ounces

Reader Reviews
This review is from: The Tibetan Book of the Dead: Or, The After-Death Experiences on the Bardo Plane, according to Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup's English Rendering (Galaxy Books) (Paperback) At the outset I must admit that I am only modestly educated in the sphere of Buddhism. That said, I still found the book quite readable & thought provoking. However, I would encourage all readers of this book to pursue at least a basic understanding of the philosophy / religion of Buddhism before taking on this puppy. Although much of what the western reader will find in these pages is antithical to western thought, I still found more than a few parallels. Many passages will bring to mind Plato's allegory of the cave, the "Phaedrus," the philosophy of Hericlitus, the inscription of the Oracle of Delphi and various cantos from Dante's "Inferno." That said, however, I believe the best approach is to attempt to engage the text on its own terms, at least at first. After one has held communion with this eloquent work on its own merit would be the more appropriate time to indulge in what Hegel would call "synthesis" between the two cultural paradigms. Perhaps what is most shocking in this book is just how much the Buddhist idea of the afterlife resembles solipsism. I have difficulty with the idea that everything I experience in the afterlife is a but a hallucination of my own invention. Perhaps I am the only one who finds that bizarre - I don't know. But it is nevertheless....unsettling. It must also be admitted that Buddhism is a rather dark & pessimistic (if not morbid) philosophy / religion. The idea that it is better to escape the womb at birth with the efficacy of reaching Nirvana is.....somewhat alien to me. But, my opinion has little relevance in the scheme of things. This is a great book on ; your tour-guide thru the Bordo. Is highly recommended to anyone interested in either Buddhism or world religions. Comment | | (Report this)