The Tibetan Book of the Dead: Buddhist Teachings on Death and Dying – Dawa Samdup (2022)

First revealed by a Tibetan monk in the 14th century, Bardo Thodol, or Great Liberation upon Hearing in the Intermediate State, is more commonly known as The Tibetan Book of the Dead. It describes human consciousness in the bardo, the interval between death and the next rebirth in the cycle of death and rebirth. Its teachings are intended to help the dying regain clarity of awareness at the moment of death and achieve enlightened liberation. This classic translation by Kazi Dawa Samdup is divided into 21 chapters covering the chikhai bardo, or clear light seen at the moment of death; the choenyid bardo, or karmic apparitions; the wisdom of peaceful deities, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; the 58 flame-enhaloed, wrathful, blood-drinking deities; the judgement of those known by the dying through the “mirror of karma”; and the process of rebirth. It also discusses the signs of death and rituals for the dying. Presented in a high-quality Chinese-bound format with illustrations, the book offers ancient wisdom for anyone interested in Tibetan Buddhist ideas about death and the path to enlightenment.