The Tibetan Book of the Dead: Awakening Upon Dying, with introductory commentary by Dzogchen Buddhist master Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, is a new translation of the ancient text also known as The Great Liberation through Hearing in the Intermediate State. Both a 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.

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.

Chogyal Namkhai Norbu's introduction 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 Namkhai 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.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead: Awakening upon Dying, Padmasambhava and Karma Lingpa, North Atlantic Books, Paperback, 253 pp, $17.95

Padmasambhava was a Tibetan master from the eighth century who introduced the Buddhist teachings to Tibet. He is considered the author of several sacred texts that were hidden and rediscovered several centuries later by accomplished practitioners called tertons (discoverers of ancient texts).

A famous Tibetan terton from the fourteenth century, Karma Lingpa was a meditation master who discovered the ancient texts of the Tibetan Book of the Dead that had been hidden centuries before by Padmasambhava.

Born in Eastern Tibet in 1938, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu is an internationally known Dzogchen Buddhist teacher and author. He is the founder of two nonprofit organizations including the Shang Shung Institute for Tibetan Studies, which is dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan culture.

Elio Guarisco (translator) received a Master of Arts degree in Italy before traveling to India to study Buddhism. He joined the Dzogchen Community in 1986 and is a founding member of the Shang Shung Institute for Tibetan Studies.

CONTENTS: Tibetan Book of the Dead
Color Plates and Illustrations			vii
Preface			ix
Propaedeutic Note			xxi
Introduction by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu			xxv
THE GREAT LIBERATION THROUGH HEARING
Prologue			3
Premise			5
Instructions			9
	Introduction to the Clear Light in the Intermediate State of the Moment of Death		10
		Introduction to the Clear Light of the Base	10
		Introduction to the Clear Light of the Path	15
	Introduction to Recognizing the Intermediate State of Reality		18
		The Vision of the Peaceful Deities in the Intermediate State of Reality	21
		The Vision of the Wrathful Deities in the Intermediate State of Reality	46
	Conclusion of the Introduction to the Intermediate State of the Moment of Death and the Intermediate State of Reality		67
	Introduction to the Intermediate State of Rebirth		69
		Introduction to the Mental Body	69
		Obstructing Womb Entrances	84
		Choosing a Womb Entrance	95
Conclusion			105
Invocations
About These Invocations			109
	The Invocation That Calls to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for Help: Natural Liberation from Fear		110
	The Invocation That Rescues from the Perilous Paths of the Intermediate States		112
	The Invocation That Protects from Fear of the Intermediate States		116
The Root Verses of the Six Intermediate States
About These Verses			119
	The Verses		121
Epilogue			125
Appendix A: Recognizing the Signs of Encroaching Death			127
Appendix B: Further Ways to Assist the Dying and the Dead			133
Appendix C: The Symbolism of the Mandala of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities			147
	The Forty-Two Peaceful Deities		150
	The Awareness Holders		164
	The Fifty-Eight Wrathful Deities		165
Notes			183
Bibliography			231
Index			245
About the Authors and Contributors			255