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The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
I was thinking of reading The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying after reading here how much some of you liked it. Most other reviews I read were very positive as well, but the following review (on Amazon) gave me pause:
Would those who have read the book please respond to this criticism?... there is a portion on his "proof" of karma. Here he has submitted himself to the Western infatuation with cold facts that prove a spiritual truth... So in another section, Rinpoche discusses how you can tell if a spiritual leader is legitimate or not. One argument is you have to tell if he is honest or not, and he quotes some of his followers comments that he (Rinpoche) is such a good and honest guy. In fact, the best spiritual leaders do not ask you to put your faith in them but rather in a spirituality that they may speak to but is in fact far above themselves... The book also gives you information on the Rigpa movement: a series of classes that you have to pay some good money for. This Rigpa also offers admittedly beautiful retreat centers, but without taking any classes you are considered unfit for a retreat experience.
This book marks a devastating blow that is ongoing in mercatile societies: the corruption of Eastern spirituality via mainstream marketing...
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Comments
To be Honest with you, i think it's written by someone who doesn't 'get it'.... But then, I'd have to read the review.
Can you post a direct link?
I was going to buy it and wanted to avoid wasting money that would be better spent on another book.
Here it is. I didn't leave out much. I'd love it if you could speak directly to some of the reviewer's issues. Thanks in advance.
He doesn't try to prove karma with facts, what he does is try to show "proof" (and in the book the word proof is between " " too) of rebirth with people telling stories of their past lives. This is not a western privilege by any means.
That is completely off. The followers aren't his own, he says they are students of another master, and he just quotes them to show what a master should be like (compassionate, gentle and never abusive).
If it does, I must have skipped that part. Even if you have to pay for such classes (I'm clueless here) he is now criticizing Rigpa and not the book itself.
Actually I just opened the book and the guy is right: he does talk about Rigpa under "about the author", in the very last page of the book. Considering he is the founder of Rigpa and it takes literally 5 paragraphs in a book where the author talks about a lot of his personal experiences, it doesn't surprise me its there. No big deal here.
Glancing over other criticisms of the book its aways someone criticizing rebirth or something like that.
In my opinion, this book is great for what it is: a buddhist study of death. Although the author goes much further then just the subject of death (meditation, mantras, compassion, and so on) I got the feeling that his goal in adressesing other subjects never loose the scope of tanathology. This isn't, as I see it, a book about buddhism: it is about death.
Amazon reviewers are a self-selected sample, so the ratio of positive to negative reviews is not a reliable indicator of how many people read and enjoyed the book. People who hated it so much they didn't get past the first chapter are unlikely to provide feedback. I try to read both positive and negative reviews when considering a book purchase, and the points made in this particular negative review were disconcerting.
It's actually a VERY popular book and as such, many libraries seem to carry it. I would take a look at your local library and see if they have it. Larger book stores generally let you sit down and take a decent look at a book before you buy it. Another option would be purchasing the e-book version and printing it out, which would be cheaper.
It's been quite a while since I read this book although I do reference it often. But I never noticed the things this reviewer spoke of. The fact that this book is so popular outside the Buddhist community, within hospitals and hospices and just in general, suggests that he certainly doesn't press common Buddhist speculative beliefs. He does explain many concepts and practices, but in the end they're only as relevant to the heart of the book as anyone wants them to be. It is, after all, the TIBETAN Book of Living and Dying, and as stated in the beginning of the book, is meant to expand on the Tibetan Book of the Dead, so I'm not sure what the reviewer expected.
There are definitely Buddhist practices within the book. But they're all presented in a way that ANYONE can do, regardless of religious beliefs. For example, he always suggests a Buddhist figure to focus on within the practices, but says that any figure you feel a close connection with and who embodies certain qualities will do (Mary, a pure white light, etc.)
:buck: Pay special attention to this line. It was so randomly and subtly tossed into the middle of his rant that it's easy to overlook. If this is the message the book presents, thennnnn......
Belief in rebirth is not essential to benefit from this book, at all. It discusses rebirth from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective, yes, but briefly. It is, again, the Tibetan Book of.... Dying. And yet it's ultimately geared towards helping everyone, regardless of such beliefs. If you focus on this you overlook the invaluable messages the book has to offer.
In his introduction, he mentions that he and his friends and students "gradually created an international program of education and training based on the teachings in this book and is designed to offer spiritual care to the dying, their families, and those who care for them. We offer courses for the medical profession and the public, coordinate volunteers, and have begun to work hand-in-hand with hospitals, clinics, hospices, and universities." They teach people to properly care for the dying. How could he be expected to offer international courses for hospitals and universities and the general public without any funding?
There are about 4 pages regarding the Rigpa movement and resources at the very back of the book, after the About the Author section. Easily avoidable if you want nothing to do with it. You can even rip those few pages out if you find they detract so much from the book.
To be honest, it looks like the reviewer read the introduction, the last few pages, and never actually read the book itself.
Edit -
Personally, when I buy a book that's that terrible, that's when I bother posting a review. People are more likely to take the time to post a review when they feel like they wasted their money.
I was actually going to purchase the ebook (I read all my books on a Sony Reader), but they are usually the same price as the paperback (I think this book is around $11).
Thanks everyone for the thoughtful responses. I'm downloading the book today and I'll post a review here.