Tibetan Book of the Dead

Context

Religion and spirituality are the hallmarks of Tibet and the Tibetans, each one exerting a ubiquitous influence over all aspects of Tibetan life and infused deeply into Tibetans’ cultural veins. In the fourth century, Vajrayana Buddhism developed in India. Buddhism first entered Tibet in the seventh century, with the two wives of King Songsten Gampo: Princess Wencheng from China and Princess Bhrikuti Devi from Nepal. It was not until the end of the eighth century, however, that Buddhism came to have a noticeable influence in Tibet. The Tibetan king Trisong Detsen invited two Buddhist masters to translate important Buddhist texts into the Tibetan language; one of these masters was Padmasambhava. King Detsen made Buddhism the official religion of the Tibetan people in about 755. It should also be noted that before the seventh century, the Tibetan native religion Bon had a very strong hold in Tibetan society. Tibet, under Buddhism, became one of the most religious countries on earth, with most men leading a monastic life. The era saw the construction of countless magnificent monasteries, legions of monks, and the formation of typically Tibetan Buddhist doctrines and practices.

While the Indian spiritual teacher Padmasambhava is revered as a kind of deity, he was also a historical figure and a great religious teacher for the Tibetans. He was responsible not only for translating Buddhist texts into the Tibetan language but also for mixing Buddhism with the local Bon religion to formulate Tibetan Buddhism. In addition, he created the first Tibetan Buddhist School, Nyingma. Tibetan Buddhism was eventually able to replace the Bon religion, becoming firmly secured in Tibet by the eleventh century. Around the same time, Tibetan Buddhism occupied a dominant place in Central Asia, especially in Mongolia and Manchuria, where it was adopted as the state religion. By the thirteenth century, monks in the monasteries in Tibet began to have administrative power, running the bureaucracy and administering the country.

Tibetan Buddhism is characterized by a keen awareness of death; it serves as a reminder to people of the impermanence of life. Everything is dying, including presently living things, but Buddhists believe that people should not panic or despair over death. Instead, they should work toward a holistic understanding and acceptance of death as an inevitable part of their journey. The Tibetan Buddhist tradition recognizes two types of meditations regarding death. The first views death as inevitable and thus encourages people to make the most out of their lives. The second concerns the rehearsal or reenacting of the death process, helping people to die skillfully so they will no longer be subject to the ordinary uncontrolled death and rebirth—the Six Worlds mentioned earlier.

It is in this context—religious, sociological, and historical—that the Tibetan Book of the Dead came into being as a resource for guiding people through the stages between death and rebirth. The Tibetan Book of the Dead was written in the eighth century by Padmasambhava and subsequently discovered by Karma Lingpa, a fourteenth-century Tibetan terton, or “revealers of treasure.” According to Tibetan tradition, the six-century interval between the composition and discovery of the book was essential to the very survival of Tibet, which was embroiled in a series of wars with its Asian neighbors. The ongoing military struggles called for fearless fighters who were unafraid of the prospect of dying in battle, so a book devoted to the skill of dying well had no place in society at that time.