What is Reddit's opinion of The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete Translation (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

I’m not sure how the concept of AP would conflict with mainstream Christian theology. There are a lot of thou shalt nots in the OT and NT, but I don’t recall any that would cover this.

Now, there are a lot of preachers who would insist that it’s the work of the devil or something, but there isn’t really anything in the actual scripture that would back that up, that I’m aware of. Just general warnings about his deceptions.

The Bible has a lot of stuff in it, but no religious text covers every type of spiritual event. Sometimes you’re free to come to your own conclusions, or you can examine the texts that address your experience. In your case, classical Tibetan Buddhism would be a good place to start.

All experiences are legitimate, as every day and every moment is an opportunity to practice. Once it is past, let it go. Any experience in lucid dreaming, etc., should (I think) be taken as a learning experience and, if possible, use that knowledge the next time you get to practice. (Less surprise, in the least) Most people , once they begin to practice and study Buddhism, do have occasional, random psychic experiences, which run the gamut. (just my opinion >>) I think these are a bit like the lucid dream, where our minds either "wake up to what can be experienced" a little bit or maybe the "concepts that we harbor get loosened and occasionally abandoned" so that more of our reality can be seen, if only for a short time. If you read the first 8 Chapters of the "Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate State" , which is (WOW!) currently priced at $1.99 on amazon for the Kindle, you will get a better understanding of the Intermediate States. (Apple has Kindle apps for the iphone and ipad, etc.)

There are also videos available of a 1-week retreat on the Zhitro, led by Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche. You need to contact Marilyn Lawson at the Garchen Meditation of Canada to get access to those youtube videos. (Donation requested but not required, I don't think.) I found it interesting that Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche said, during the retreat, that listening to the teaching all the way through was the best empowerment for the Liberation by Hearing of the Intermediate States. Very good stuff. Good luck!

It’s also considered to be a Tantra of the highest order so, before it was decided that it would be better to publish it to show exactly what the text was than to have sheer speculation and bad information abound (which it still does anyway), it was only taught to people who had already had many years of training in the Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. So they saw no contradiction in the teachings.

You might be interested in the subject of “Delogs” or Tibetan people who report that they have come back from the dead (or from dying). http://mossdreams.blogspot.com/2019/05/tales-of-delog-those-who-die-and-come.html . I couldn’t quickly find a free pdf of such accounts. Many books include tales of delogs, who are fairly consistent in their tale, and , unsurprisingly, the tales are usually following the Tibetan mythology. (Just as tales of Western folk coming back from being “almost dead” are fairly consistent with Western mythology or culture (or lack thereof).

Finally, in Tibetan Buddhism’s Dzogchen lineage, an very advanced practitioner is supposed to have an experience of seeing the Zhitro Deities in a completely darkened room (or within their eyelids).

Finally finally, the real Tibetan Book of the Dead is the Liberation by Hearing in the Intermediate State , is a AtiYoga tantra, and has 14 chapters. https://smile.amazon.com/Tibetan-Book-Dead-Complete-Translation-ebook/dp/B00452V4AO. I think it’s okay to just read it but, before attempting to practice it, you should get the empowerment either in person or online (with Ven. Garchen Rinpoche, is one possibility, on the recording at his YouTube site).

You can contact the Garchen Vancouver Meditation Center. Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche gave a 1 month retreat online a few years ago. (Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche studied under Ven. Garchen Rinpoce, and is the Director of 3 or 4 of Ven. Garchen Rinpoche's Centers.) You would need to commit to the whole course, register for the whole course upon which you will be sent the links to the resultant videos by Rinpoche. (If I remember right, the registration costs 90 US$. All Donations are accepted. ) Rinpoche maintains that watching and studying the whole text with him gains you a proper initiation. (And the course is a complete course.) They use the following text: The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete Translation (avail. in ebook, paperbook, and hardback). It is recommended to read all the book as it really is a "soup to nuts" book. If you complete the course, you will be given, if you wish, the email of a fellow practitioner who has gone to the trouble of re-texting the whole thing into a pecha format with a clear description of what should or could be practiced on that particular numbered day (for personal use or the use of the deceased). Good Luck!!

The Tibetan Book of the Dead