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The Hidden History of the Tibetan Book of the Dead
In 1927, Oxford University Press published the first western-language translation of a collection of Tibetan funerary texts ( the Great Liberation upon Hearing in the Bardo ) under the title The Tibetan Book of the Dead . Since that time, the work has established a powerful hold on the western popular imagination, and is now considered a classic of spiritual literature. Over the years, The Tibetan Book of the Dead has inspired numerous commentaries, an illustrated edition, a play, a video series, and even an opera. Translators, scholars, and popular devotees of the book have claimed to explain its esoteric ideas and reveal its hidden meaning. Few, however, have uttered a word about its history. Bryan J. Cuevas seeks to fill this gap in our knowledge by offering the first comprehensive historical study of the Great Liberation upon Hearing in the Bardo , and by grounding it firmly in the context of Tibetan history and culture. He begins by discussing the many ways the texts have
been understood (and misunderstood) by westerners, beginning with its first editor, the Oxford-educated anthropologist Walter Y. Evans-Wentz, and continuing through the present day. The remarkable fame of the book in the west, Cuevas argues, is strikingly disproportionate to how the original Tibetan texts were perceived in their own country. Cuevas tells the story of how The Tibetan Book of the Dead was compiled in Tibet, of the lives of those who preserved and transmitted it, and explores the history of the rituals through which the life of the dead is imagined in Tibetan society. This book provides not only a fascinating look at a popular and enduring spiritual work, but also a much-needed corrective to the proliferation of ahistorical scholarship surrounding The Tibetan Book of the Dead .
been understood (and misunderstood) by westerners, beginning with its first editor, the Oxford-educated anthropologist Walter Y. Evans-Wentz, and continuing through the present day. The remarkable fame of the book in the west, Cuevas argues, is strikingly disproportionate to how the original Tibetan texts were perceived in their own country. Cuevas tells the story of how The Tibetan Book of the Dead was compiled in Tibet, of the lives of those who preserved and transmitted it, and explores the history of the rituals through which the life of the dead is imagined in Tibetan society. This book provides not only a fascinating look at a popular and enduring spiritual work, but also a much-needed corrective to the proliferation of ahistorical scholarship surrounding The Tibetan Book of the Dead .
352 pages, Paperback
First published March 23, 2003
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About the author
Bryan J. Cuevas
7 books3 followersDr. Bryan J. Cuevas, the John F. Priest Professor of Religion at Florida State University, teaches courses in Asian religious traditions, specializing in Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism, Tibetan history, language, and culture. His research focuses on Tibetan history and historiography, the social history of death and death-related practices, Buddhist popular religion, and the politics of religious power in medieval Tibetan society.
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December 31, 2012
I found Cuevas' book to be a very engaging glimpse at the textual history of the famed Tibetan Book of the Dead. Not only did it give me a better appreciation of differing approaches to this text between Tibetans and Westerners, but it gave me a good sense of the literary and treasure-text traditions of Tibet, specifically in the south and east, from which this book originated.
Cuevas' book was also compelling to read because much of it was told through the story of one complex character: Nyima Drakpa, a terton (treasure-text finder) whose struggles to gain legitimacy are fascinating. It turns out that this "black" terton was close to Pema Rikzin, the founder of Dzogchen Monastery.
In addition to these political dramas, Cuevas' writing provided me with some succinct descriptions of important concepts in Tibetan Buddhism. Until I found him, I didn't really understand the distinction between the Generation and Completion stages of practice.
Generation:
"A series of contemplative techniques designed to transform the practitioner's awareness of mundane forms, sounds and thoughts and to enhance recognition of these as expressions of specific deities, mantras and pristine wisdom."
Completion:
"A series of advanced yogic techniques involving the radical manipulation of the psychophysical energies—the winds (lung) and seminal fluids (thig-le)—within the channels (rtsa) of the subtle body (phra-ba'i lus) to bring about transformative non ordinary states of consciousness ... identical with the experience of dying."
Cuevas' book was also compelling to read because much of it was told through the story of one complex character: Nyima Drakpa, a terton (treasure-text finder) whose struggles to gain legitimacy are fascinating. It turns out that this "black" terton was close to Pema Rikzin, the founder of Dzogchen Monastery.
In addition to these political dramas, Cuevas' writing provided me with some succinct descriptions of important concepts in Tibetan Buddhism. Until I found him, I didn't really understand the distinction between the Generation and Completion stages of practice.
Generation:
"A series of contemplative techniques designed to transform the practitioner's awareness of mundane forms, sounds and thoughts and to enhance recognition of these as expressions of specific deities, mantras and pristine wisdom."
Completion:
"A series of advanced yogic techniques involving the radical manipulation of the psychophysical energies—the winds (lung) and seminal fluids (thig-le)—within the channels (rtsa) of the subtle body (phra-ba'i lus) to bring about transformative non ordinary states of consciousness ... identical with the experience of dying."
Displaying 1 of 1 review