Contents

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying - book cover

Foreword, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama ix

Introduction to the 20th Anniversary Edition xi

Preface xv

PART ONE: LIVING

1. In the Mirror of Death 3

2. Impermanence 15

3. Reflection and Change 28

4. The Nature of Mind 42

5. Bringing the Mind Home 57

6. Evolution, Karma, and Rebirth 86

7 . Bardos and Other Realities 106

8. This Life: The Natural Bardo 115

9. The Spiritual Path 131

10. The Innermost Essence 154

PART TWO: DYING

11. Heart Advice on Helping the Dying 177

12. Compassion: The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel 191

13. Spiritual Help for the Dying 213

14. The Practices for Dying 227

15. The Process of Dying 248

PART THREE: DEATH AND REBIRTH

16. The Ground 263

17. Intrinsic Radiance 278

18. The Bardo of Becoming 291

19. Helping After Death 303

20. The Near-Death Experience: A Staircase to Heaven? 323

PART FOUR: CONCLUSION

21. The Universal Process 343

22. Servants of Peace 360

Appendix 1: My Teachers 371

Appendix 2: Questions About Death 378

Appendix 3: Two Stories 385

Appendix 4: Two Mantras 393

Notes 399

Selected Bibliography 415

Acknowledgments 421

Index 427