The Tibetan Book of the Dead contains a detailed portrayal of the teachings that play a major role in the Tibetan understanding of death and dying. It is basically a collection of Buddhist scriptures that offer significant insights into the psychology of death and dying and suggests the importance of meditative practice and knowledge as tools for self-understanding. This book offers interpretations of the higher 'Lamaic' teachings. It also deals with the subtle esotericism underlying the 'Bardo Thodol', the private and orally transmitted instructions of the hermit Guru of Bhutan. The author has presented western parallels of various mystic doctrines current in the east. This is mainly based on his personal experiences gathered during years of wandering chiefly in the high Himalaya and on the Tibetan frontiers of Kashmir, Garhwal and Sikkim. His study details the Tibetan Buddhist belief in the Bardos, or intermediate states. The author's perceptive presentation also enables the reader to understand how the Tibetan Buddhist perspective on death relates to the spiritual and psychological beliefs of other societies. The book is a valuable contribution to the ever-expanding quest for Buddhist knowledge and serves as one more spiritual strand in an unbreakable bond of goodwill and universal peace, binding east and west together in mutual respect and understanding.
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