The Tibetan Blog Of Living And Dying

A Book of Devotion

A remarkable key feature of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, aw well as all of Sogyal Rinpoche’s teachings, is the frequency with which he invokes the memory and presence of his masters, and the environment this creates through which we can, in some small way, come to meet them ourselves.

From the memorable childhood stories with his master Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, to the poignant account of Dudjom Rinpoche’s passing (Chapter 9), to the example of embodied devotion in Khandro Tsering Chödrön (Chapter 9), these masters’ presence pervades The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.

As Rinpoche wrote in “Introduction to the Revised Edition” (2002), reflecting on the impact of the book in those first ten years since its publication:

As The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying quietly took on a life of its own, moving inconspicuously through many domains and disciplines, I began to understand the ultimate source of its great influence and appeal. These extraordinary teachings are the heart essence of the oral lineage, that unbroken line of wisdom passed down as a living experience over the centuries. Someone once called this book “midway between a living master and a book,” and it is true that both in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying and behind it, supporting it with their advice and answers to questions, are the greatest masters of our time. It is their voice that speaks through these pages, their wisdom and their vision of a compassionate world infused by the knowledge of our true nature, the innermost nature of mind. The impact of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, I believe, is due to the blessing of the lineage and the vibrancy of the oral tradition. Its popularity has been a humbling experience for me, and it has reminded me that if I have any ability to communicate these teachings, it is only because of the devotion inspired in me by the teachings and the kindness of my masters, and nothing else.

In honor of the lives of these great masters, of the great kindness of the teachings they have left behind, and  in celebration of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying as , over the coming weeks we will present  Remembering the Masters – a series of short teachings by Sogyal Rinpoche on each of these masters.

This series will begin with video post on Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö who, in the preface to the book, Rinpoche calls the ‘the ground of my life, the inspiration of his book’.

 

What They Are Saying

Over the next few months, The Tibetan Blog of Living and Dying will be featuring articles, quotes and interviews from well-known individuals about the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying and it’s impact over the last 20 years. We also want to keep sharing all of your stories about the book, so please keep sending them in!

To kick this off, here’s what Helen Tworkov, founder of the Buddhist magazine Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, said:

“This book was not only way ahead of the curve 20 years ago, but paradoxically–or ironically–was written with much less self-conscious consideration to the Western reader than so many of the more recent books, yet  with much more effective consequences, and lasting benefits.”

 

Helen Tworkov (born 1943) is an author of one book and the founder and former Executive Director of the Buddhist magazine Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. She was born in New York City, and matriculated at Hunter College and City University of New York. Tworkov has training in Tibetan Buddhism and Zen Buddhism, in the past practicing with teachers like Taizan Maezumi and Bernie Glassman

For a growing list of quotes and endorsements about the book check our updated about the book page.

Meditation: Learning How to Be

In Chapter five of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche writes:

“The gift of learning to meditate is the greatest gift you can give yourself in this life. For it is only through meditation that you can undertake the journey to discover your true nature, and so find the stability and confidence you will need to live, and die, well. Meditation is the road to enlightenment.”

In this short teaching, Rinpoche explains that meditation is all about about learning how to be. In fact meditation can be very simple. As he writes:

“Quietly sitting, body still, speech silent, mind at peace, let your thoughts and emotions, whatever arises, comes and go, without clinging to anything.”

This teaching is taken from the website What Meditation Really Is, which is a unique program based on the wisdom of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, making the benefits of meditation available to everybody. What Meditation Really Is contains many wonderful resources, teachings and instructions on meditation from a wide variety of resources. It was developed by Sogyal Rinpoche after many years of teaching in the West, with the support of some of his most experienced students.

 

 

Freedom Lies Within Each One of Us

Ane Tsondru, who is a buddhist nun at Lerab Ling in the south of France, writes: “I can vividly remember when I first started to read the book that it was a complete revelation. I’d received quite a few teachings by then, but it felt as if before I had lots of pieces of a jigsaw puzzle but was missing the picture on the box. It was only after reading the book that I felt as if I now had the picture―and a beautiful one at that!―which enabled me to put the puzzle together for the first time. Actually, by the time I’d finished reading the book it was quite wet as I’d shed a lot of tears over it, but they were tears of gratitude. For the first time in my life, I began to feel the most tremendous sense of optimism about life and death and the possibility for transformation and change―not in some distant future that might never happen but right now, this very moment. I could now see life and death as this wondrous vibrant whole and could also see how I too could become whole. How I could overcome all my own suffering, all fear, and maybe even, in turn, be able to help others to overcome theirs and find wholeness too. To become, to use a term in the book―a servant of peace. A servant of peace in a world with a promising future where, through the power of wisdom and compassion, there would be no cruelty, no horror, no war, no greed―all the things I’d been wishing for since the ‘peace and love’ days of the sixties when I’d been looking outside of myself for a solution.  But what my encounter with Buddhism―and in particular the book’s enlightened vision of life and death―had shown me is that freedom lies within each one of us and we do have the power, the sacred power, to transform ourselves and the world.”

What is your story about The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying? To share it, follow this link: Share your story.

 

Introducing SogyalRinpoche.org!

We are very pleased to announce the launch of a new website dedicated to the life, teachings and activity of Sogyal Rinpoche, who along with being the author of the renowned The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying is a highly regarded and influential Buddhist teacher. Having taught in the West now for over 40 years, Rinpoche regularly hosts retreats, public talks and weekends in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Over the past four decades, he has given hundreds of teachings, been instrumental in supporting many other great Tibetan masters to visit and teach in the West, and has founded and developed several key spiritual institutions and organizations including:

—Rigpa, which, with more than 130 centers in 41 countries around the world, is dedicated to presenting the Buddhist tradition of Tibet in a way that is both completely authentic, and as relevant as possible to the lives and needs of modern men and women;

—The Tenzin Gyatso Institute, which, named after the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, was established with the mission of serving and advancing his vision, principles, and values; and

—Major retreat centers for Buddhist study and practice at Lerab Ling in south France, Dzogchen Beara in Ireland, Tongnyi Nyingje Ling in New York state, and Dharmamati in Berlin, and more.

Rinpoche’s vision also inspired the innovative outreach programme, The Spiritual Care Programe, which has provided non-denominational education and care since 1993. The Programme has worked with hospitals, hospices and universities, and offered courses to more than 30,000 healthcare professionals and volunteers in Europe, Australia and the United States in all areas of healthcare and social services, and supported many people facing difficulties, illness, death, or bereavement, and their families.

SogyalRinpoche.org features a growing selection of Rinpoche’s best teachings, links and information related to his broad spectrum of activity both in the West and East and also information about his life and his masters, news and events, and his current teaching schedule.