In Review

09 January 2009 13:11 BST

Meditations on Living, Dying and Loss by Graham Coleman

Published by the Penguin Books Ltd, out now, paperback, 176pp, £8.99.

In a nutshell...

A guide to death and bereavement.

What's it all about?

An accessible introduction to The Tibetan Book of the Dead, whose visionary perspective on living, dying and loss is one of the most inspirational and compelling in world literature. This tome includes an introduction by His Holiness the Dalai Lama who has inspired many through his writings and public talks. This distilled compilation is more accessible and brings the ideas from the Book of the Dead to a wider audience. If you've ever wondered what is death, how to prepare for it and how to start coping with it, read on.

Who's it by?

The Dalai Lama created the original Book of the Dead by assembling various Tibetan Buddhist teachings on the journey of the consciousness through the three stages of dying; the moment of death, the intermediate state between death and rebirth, and the process of rebirth itself.

This edition has been translated and condensed under the supervision of Graham Coleman, the president of the Orient Foundation (UK), a major Tibetan cultural conservancy organisation. He wrote and directed a documentary about Tibetan Culture and has been editing Tibetan Buddhist poetry and prose texts in cooperation with various distinguished translators since the mid 1970s.

As an example...

"In Tibetan Buddhist cultures, the array of our experiences in our dreams, in our waking state, and in death are seen as inextricably bound together by an underlying continuity. Just as the cycles of day and night are a mere consequence of a turning world, life and death are seen as two facets of the continuity of our awareness."

Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster

It would be impossible to translate the intensity of the ideas from even this compilation into a film. I wouldn't recommend trying it; this book is above and beyond even the most intellectual Hollywood blockbuster ever released. The book explains processes and concepts for the reader to contemplate and interpret at their own level.

What the others say

On the full text pf The Tibetan Book of the Dead:

"[…]The danger is that some people will see this path as a sort of "fast track" to spiritual enlightenment, thereby missing the whole point of the exercise. From my perspective, I can't imagine anybody aware of his or her own temporal humanity not wanting to find out what this book says." - independent.co.uk

"The Dalai Lama said something very interesting; he said, if we're going on holiday somewhere we buy a map and a guidebook, so we know where we're going and we know what to expect. Then he burst out laughing and said, it's funny, isn't it? People do that when they're going on holiday, but they don't want to do it when they know they're going to die. This is that guidebook." - telegraph.co.uk

So is it any good?

Depending on your religion, beliefs, liberalism and perspective on life, the interpretation of this book could lead you to a wide variety of opinions from disgraceful absurdity to eye-opening and comforting truths. As you can tell by my rating, I am of the latter judgment. I have read several Buddhist texts in the past and all have had even a small influence on the way I regard life. Meditations on Living, Dying and Loss could be considered a reassuring guide to dealing with bereavement and the concept of death. Personally, I would recommend passing on some of the hypotheses to any child or adult as the more prepared we are for an occurrence, the less of a blow it is when it finally comes around.

This distilled introduction to The Book of the Dead has spurred me on to the read the full text. I need to discover how to ensure I am on the coveted path to enlightment for fear of being reborn and made to endure the sufferings of life over and over until I eventually become enlightened. The only way not to get lost is to read this guide to the ultimate trip!

10/10

Elise Pithouse