Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate State

By Karma Lingpa

Translated by Gyurme Dorje
Commentary by H.H. the Dalai Lama

Graced with opening words by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, the Penguin Deluxe Edition of The Tibetan Book of the Dead is “immaculately rendered in an English both graceful and precise.” Translated with the close support of leading contemporary masters and hailed as “a tremendous accomplishment,” this book faithfully presents the insights and intentions of the original work. It includes one of the most detailed and compelling descriptions of the after-death state in world literature, practices that can transform our experience of daily life, guidance on helping those who are dying, and an inspirational perspective on coping with bereavement.

"The question of whether or not there exists a continuity of consciousness after death has been an important aspect of philosophical reflection and debate from ancient Indian times to the present. When considering these matters from a Buddhist point of view, however, we have to bear in mind that the understanding of the nature of continuity of consciousness and understanding of the nature of the 'I' or 'self' are closely interlinked.

Our sense of self can, upon examination, be seen as a complex flow of mental and physical events, clustered in clearly identifiable patterns, including our physical features, instincts, emotions, and attitudes, etc. continuing through time. Furthermore, in the prevailing philosophical view of Tibetan Buddhism, this sense of self is seen as a mental construct, a simple label given to this cluster of dependently arising mental and physical events in dependence on their continuity. . ."

—From the Introductory Commentary by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Penguin
Paperback · 535 pages