Call number
299 B8
Collection
Publication
(1957)
Description
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is one of the texts that, according to legend, Padma-Sambhava was compelled to hide during his visit to Tibet in the late 8th century. The guru hid his books in stones, lakes, and pillars because the Tibetans of that day and age were somehow unprepared for their teachings. Now, in the form of the ever-popular Tibetan Book of the Dead, these teachings are constantly being discovered and rediscovered by Western readers of many different backgrounds--a phenomenon which began in 1927 with Oxford's first edition of Dr. Evans-Wentz's landmark volume. While it is traditio
User reviews
LibraryThing member pomo58
The Tibetan Book of the Dead as translated by W.Y. Evans-Wentz is a less than complete and less than faithful translation but is the only version known in the West for a long time. As such, it is, at the least, an important historical document even when it might not be a particularly useful one for
My case is one example. I became familiar with the book when I first picked up a copy of The Psychedelic Experience back in the late 60s. It is the version that not only influenced those experiments but served as an introduction to Eastern thought for me. It is also the version that Jung referenced in his work. So having this copy for these purposes make perfect sense.
If you want to sidestep Evans-Wentz' theosophy influence and get a better, more comprehensive translation as part of studying Buddhism, I would recommend a different translation. This Ixia Press edition is a wonderful copy of Evans-Wentz version and I would highly recommend it for those who want or need this version.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
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those interested in Buddhism.My case is one example. I became familiar with the book when I first picked up a copy of The Psychedelic Experience back in the late 60s. It is the version that not only influenced those experiments but served as an introduction to Eastern thought for me. It is also the version that Jung referenced in his work. So having this copy for these purposes make perfect sense.
If you want to sidestep Evans-Wentz' theosophy influence and get a better, more comprehensive translation as part of studying Buddhism, I would recommend a different translation. This Ixia Press edition is a wonderful copy of Evans-Wentz version and I would highly recommend it for those who want or need this version.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
Show Less
LibraryThing member sfisk
A must read, I like the Evans-Wentz interpretation best of the 3 or 4 I've read
LibraryThing member Annmarie_Banks
Tedious. I felt like I had to mine the information out with a chisel and brush. The information is the treasure, the clumsy writing and unfortunate selection of vocabulary is the sand and clay.