Nirvana Book:

Editorial Review:
Shows that these ancient teachings are penetrating and relevant, not only for understanding death, but as a guide to life. Illustrated.

Tibetan Book of the Dead Reviews:
"O Child Of Noble Family, Listen Without Distraction . . ."
2009-09-11 - Named for the mythical (?) and mystical kingdom in the East, Shambhala Publications is known for bringing some of the greatest and sometimes most obscure philosophical writings of Mankind to the attention of the general public. Heavily (though not exclusively) concerned with Buddhist and Taoist thought, Shambhala Pocket Classics are an attractive set of unabridged minibooks which fit comfortably in a shirt pocket, making them perfect for reading on planes, trains, and automobiles. Titles in the set include THE BOOK OF TEA, WAY OF THE JEWISH MYSTICS, ZEN FLESH, ZEN BONES, TAO TE CHING, POEMS BY EMILY DICKINSON, THE ART OF WAR, and this volume by with commentary by Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, THE TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD (BARDO THODOL in Tibetan).

The BARDO THODOL, a classic text of Mahayana Buddhism, is a fascinating little book in and of itself (though Trungpa's speculations in his extended "Commentary" sometimes become an endless hyperintellectual slog), meant to be read to a dying person as he or she passes from this life into the Bardo state, wherein all the karmic issues of the departed's recently-ended life are faced and addressed.

What I wish I knew is how the author, Padma Sambhava, speaks with such authority about the hallucinogenic conditions in the Bardo state, the luminosities, the rays of light, the apparitions, the varying states of terror and ecstasy experienced by the departed, and so on. It would be so easy to say that he invented all this to comfort the living, but there is a very strong ring of truth in what is written here, (and much of it is not comforting). So what then?

Part of this Great Truth is that each of the stages of the Bardo reflect our own states of mind while alive, and the BARDO THODOL is, in that sense, a guide to right living and right thinking. Putting aside everything else, that is the real value of the BARDO THODOL.


If you're not dead yet, you will be after a few pages
2009-05-13 - A cute little book easily carried in a pocket but whats the use if the subject matter has no meaning for the reader?

I could barely get through the first few pages of this book without being bored to death with its gibberish.

Based on superstition and ritualistic visualizations of Tibetan buddhism, this book has very little relevance for the modern reader, except perhaps as a curiosity or work of fiction. Even then, most will get very little, if any benefit from it.

Open up the book to any random page to read tripe such as:

"...listen without distraction. On the tenth day the blood-drinking manifestations of the Ratna family...will appear before you from the southern corner of your brain; his body is dark yellow..with three heads and six arms...a trident bearing human heads.. and his consort...holds a skull full of blood to his mouth."

Besides the incredibly ridiculous imagery does anyone else have a problem with the fact that we will still have a "brain" when we are dead - and where exactly is the "southern corner"? At any rate there are 250+ pages of this rubbish for the reader's amusement or scorn. I truly can not believe that anyone would actually take this seriously.

It is human nature to hope for something beyond death and even more so, to hope that we can somehow redeem ourselves from our transgressions by knowing some "secret" protocol to follow in the after life. This type of superstitious belief has been with us throughout human history - but never proved with any degree of certainty based on reality.

You ain't dead yet baby - redeem yourself now, in this life - don't wait until you are on your deathbed and then pull out all the straws to "save" your soul - this book is not going to do a thing for you when you are dead and gone. Prepare yourself by the reading, study and practice of the simple, accesible and reality-based teachings of Jesus Christ, Sakyamuni Buddha or Ramana Maharshi.

book of the dead
2008-12-26 - Smaller book than I thought. Will probably get the full version. Would not recommend if you're looking for a good read.

Tiny book! Fits in your pocket.... but LOADED !
2008-12-04 - Instead of repeating what most people stated, I just wanted to emphasize on the size. This book is soooo tiny, it can fit in your pocket! It literally fits in the palm of your hand, and perfect to throw in the purse, the murse or your desk at work.

Also, for those non-buddhist coworkers, you won't get that "look" when they see (can't) the title of the book.

I've read better translations, however it is what it is! TINY and loaded with info!

The Tibetan Book of the Dead
2008-04-23 - Very small book without illustrations but an excellent commentary. makes a wonderful companion to a lager, illustrated text.