The Tibetan book of living and dying
by Sogyal Rinpoche · first published 1992
58% recommend42% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Accessible introduction to Tibetan Buddhist ideas on death, impermanence and the bardo, valued by newcomers and by readers grieving a loss or wanting to think about dying well.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
A discussion of the age-old techniques on which the classic "Tibetan Book of the Dead" is based examines the possibility for healing that can be released when people begin to view death as another chapter of life.
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I'm currently reading the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. I'm not Buddhist but I was looking for a good book on meditation. This book has been great, it's got the wisdom of thousands of years of mediators in a format that is very accessible to Westerners. Its…
on “Six Ways to Boost Brainpower: Exercise, Diet, Stimulants, Video Games, Music, & Meditation” ↗I am not much into fiction, my gift depends on the kind of person I gift to, few books I most of the time prefer gifting, 1. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche, for those spiritual minds. I am a huge fan of this book, I am traveling this week to Dharamshala to learn about Buddhism after reading this book. 2.Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon…
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗Every time I see his posts I think about the book The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. I would recommend reading it for anyone who might be having the discussion or dealing with death in their life. https://www.amazon.com/Tibetan-Book-Living-Dying-Internation...
on “Fighting Cancer” ↗…reducing the amount of mental self-talk in favour of listening to one's intuition, which has some similarity with the teachings of Eckhart Tolle [[2]]." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadim_Zeeland The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... This novel has been of great help to me and family with recent deaths. Overall life outlook, happiness, and the like. Enders Game http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... I…
on “Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think? ” ↗A very good start is the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, but there are a lot of great books out there on these topics.
on “Astrology For Businesses” ↗…twenties, it hit me hard. Even today, I cannot seem to enjoy anything since I feel the void of my parents, both of whom I was deeply attached to. A friend who saw how broken I was gave me the book, "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tibetan_Book_of_Living_and.... It changed my perspective on death. It made me realize that nothing is permanent and it's best not to be afraid of death. A must read…
on “Bhutan's dark secret to happiness” ↗More specifically, there is an enormous importance placed on dying well. Read The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying for a really good explanation.
on “A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs” ↗…reality. But can't anyone do that with anything helpful? There are lots of texts on rising above worldly pleasures, and some are very good. I'm a particular fan of Ekhart Tolle's work, and I enjoyed the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying... The Tao of Pooh, and the Te of Piglet got me through a difficult adolescence. As with any idea, though, simplifying it too far tends to lose important subtleties. The mental austerity mentioned in…
on “Dokkodo by Miyamoto Musashi ” ↗If I was lucky enough to own two, those would be: 1.Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Shrugged-Centennial-Edition-eboo... 2.The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying http://www.amazon.com/Tibetan-Book-Living-Dying-ebook/dp/B00...
on “Ask HN: if you could only read one book, which would it be?” ↗I think the best first book to read on Buddhism would just be The Heart of Understanding by Thich Nhat Hanh. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying is really good, but I would read that next. It's much longer, and although parts of it are really insightful, there are also large sections that are repetitive or esoteric. It's also about ideas and practices…
on “Astrology For Businesses” ↗If anyone wants an amazing book that changed my perspective about life and death I'd highly recommend "The Tibetan book of living and dying".
on “Today Is My Wife’s First Birthday Since She Died” ↗Everything is a bardo[0]. I learned that from The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. I tested out the theory and it's the truest thing I ever heard. A bardo basically means 'in between'. We are forever in between something, never having truly finished it, including life itself. It's…
on “Ask HN: How to Deal with Death Anxiety?” ↗…(http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20150408-bhutans-dark-secret...) does go into it. They meditate on death a few minutes every day, giving them the right perspective to look at their daily lives. In the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche quotes Montaign thus: Men come and they go and they trot and they dance, and never a word about death. All well and good. Yet when death does come—to them, their wives, their children,…
on “Can a Wandering Mind Make You Neurotic?” ↗The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying - Sogyal Rinpoche http://www.amazon.com/Tibetan-Book-Living-Dying-Internationa...
on “Ask HN: What are you reading right now?” ↗…is that it's tough to get past those first few minutes, but when you do, it really helps you feel better. I learned a lot about the philosophy of meditation from reading books like Be Here Now and The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.
on “Ask HN: Do you meditate? How/Why? ” ↗