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List Price: $24.98 | | Label: Wellspring Media
Salesrank: 33278
Released: February 17, 2004 |
| Our Price: $95.62 |
| Used Price: $32.55 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Death is real, it comes without warning and it cannot be escaped. An ancient source of strength and guidance, The Tibetan Book of the Dead remains an essential teaching in the Buddhist cultures of the Himalayas. Narrated by Leonard Cohen, this enlightening two-part series explores the sacred text and boldly visualizes the afterlife according to its profound wisdom. Part 1: A Way of Life reveals the history of The Tibetan Book of the Dead and examines its traditional use in northern India, as well as its acceptance in Western hospices. Shot over a four-month period, the film contains footage of the rites and liturgies for a deceased Ladakhi elder and includes an interview with the Dalai Lama, who shares his views on the book's meaning and importance. Part 2: The Great Liberation follows an old lama and his novice monk as they guide a Himalayan villager into the afterlife using readings from The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The soul's 49-day journey towards rebirth is envisioned through actual photography of rarely seen Buddhist rituals, interwoven with groundbreaking animation by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Ishu Patel.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead (A Way of Life / The Great Liberation) Reviews:
Hypnotic and Meditative 
2009-10-10 - This DVD is broken up into 2 parts one entitled "A Way of Life" and the other "The Great Liberation" each about 45 minutes in length.
These episodes take a look into the life of the villages amongst the Himalayas where these people live Buddhism daily (not just practice it). There are 2 interesting story lines (one in each part) depicted of the rituals involved when a loved one passes. It shows how the Lama and his students perform the reading and ritual of sacred text to help the passed move into a better transition for re-birth.
The second part is a little more of a telling of story rather than documentary. The narration throughout is a bit hypnotic and will provide a sense of a waking meditation as you listen and watch the information provided.
I have seen some of these filmed excerpts in other documentaries, however this was the first to translate into English when the Lama was speaking in front of the dead and their family and friends. This representation of the Book of the Dead is both informative with detail and entertaining to watch.
Anyone studying concepts of death, rebirth and/or the metaphysical will enjoy the information and presentation in this DVD. Students of metaphysics will also notice similarities between the Tibetan teachings of the continuation of life and other religious and philosophical teachings. A good one for the home collection. 4 stars.
The Master Within by Gary Hopkins
Leonard Cohen's narration is perfect 
2009-06-11 - as a student of Buddhism I am studying "The Tibetan Book of the Dead". The images and information is this dvd are captivating. The narration is without ego, simply narration.
BEST FOR NDE RESEARCH
2007-11-02 - For years, I've been studying books on the afterlife, and this video has the best information. I'm impressed by the accuracy of the Buddhist teachings. This may be because Tibet is the *highest* region in the world with an average elevation of 16,000FT =)
According to the NDE Research Foundation, 15+ million people today have experienced NDEs and yet Buddhism described this 1,000+ years ago, long before any advanced medication or worldwide communication was available.
Ketamine was not invented until the 1960s, and this is the #1 reason why Atheists today like David Mills and Marshall Brain deny the reality of an afterlife. How could Ketamine be responsible for NDEs that occurred 1,000s of years ago? The afterlife was described by ancient Egyptians, Buddhists and famous Philosophers (Plato, Socrates).
Check out: [...]
49 Days
2007-06-30 - Insider's look at Tibetans beliefs and death practices on this DVD. Some of the things you will learn; From selecting which astrological day would be best for your cremation, 49 Days of chanting a reciting from scriptures so that you have a good next life, feeding your remains to vultures so that you have better merit. Good one to watch.
Great knowledge for life
2007-06-11 - I would recommend everyone to watch this and investigate on death. By investigating on death allows one to understand more about life.
