214(Ht mm) 141(Wdt mm) 256

The Tibetan Book of the Dead: Awakening Upon Dying is a new translation of the classic text also known as The Great Liberation through Hearing in the Intermediate State. Both an ancient practical guide and intriguing historical, cultural, and spiritual document, this new version incorporates recent discoveries that have allowed for a better translation of previously ambiguous passages. The extensive introductory commentary by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, one of the foremost living masters of Dzogchen Buddhism, clarifies the texts from the Dzogchen point of view and provides a scholarly summary of the ancient material based on his oral teachings and written works. In addition, material from several of Norbu's more recent written works and oral teachers have been added, including an essay on the four intermediate states after death entitled Birth, Life, and Death. A full-color 16-page insert of traditional Tibetan art highlights Tibet's unique aesthetic wisdom. Revealing a set of instructions designed to facilitate the inner liberation of the dead or dying person, the book provides a guide to navigating the bardo--the interval between death and rebirth. Originally composed by Padmasambhava, an important Indian master of the eighth century, the Tibetan Book of the Dead was concealed in Tibet until it was discovered in the fourteenth century by Karma Lingpa, a famous Tibetan terton (discoverer of ancient texts). Describing in detail the characteristics and fantastic visions of each stage beyond death, the book includes invocations to be read aloud to the dying person, to help his or her successful journey toward the stage of liberation. Table of Contents: Translator's Preface; Introductory Commentary by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu; Instructions; 1. Introduction to the Clear Light in the Intermediate State of the Moment of Death; 2. Introduction to the Intermediate State of Reality; 3. Introduction to the Intermediate State of Rebirth; Conclusions; Invocations; The Root Verses of the Six Intermediate States; Assisting at the Moment of Death and in the Afterlife States; Appendix One: The Symbolism of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities in the Tibetan Book of the Dead; Appendix Two: Some Editions of the Tibetan Book of the Dead; Bibliography; Index