What is the Tibetan Book of the Dead?
ReligionForBreakfast・15 minutes read
Carl Jung was influenced by the Tibetan Book of the Dead, shaping his theories on the Mind. The text, meant to guide the dying through the intermediate state after death, has been reinterpreted in the West as a psychological or psychedelic classic, highlighting the importance of religious authority and sacred text transmission.
Insights
- Carl Jung's theories on the Mind were significantly influenced by the Tibetan Book of the Dead, showcasing the impact of Eastern spiritual texts on Western psychological thought.
- The Tibetan Book of the Dead, originally a Buddhist funerary text focused on the intermediate state between death and rebirth, gained popularity in the West due to the efforts of figures like Walter Evans Wentz, leading to its interpretation as a psychological or psychedelic classic rather than solely a religious text.
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Recent questions
What is the Tibetan Book of the Dead?
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a significant Buddhist text that serves as a funerary rite meant to be read aloud to the dying or recently deceased by a llama, a religious teacher in Tibetan Buddhism. It describes the intermediate state after death but before rebirth, known as the Bardo, where the deceased's consciousness resides. The text aims to guide the deceased through various visions to liberate them from the cycle of death and rebirth.
Who discovered the Tibetan Book of the Dead?
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a section of a larger text attributed to the 8th-century tantric Master Padma Sambhava. It was discovered by a 15-year-old boy named Karma Lingpa in the 14th century. This discovery led to the text's popularity in the West, particularly after it was published by the theosophist Walter Evans Wentz in 1927.
What are the three bardos described in the Tibetan Book of the Dead?
The Tibetan Book of the Dead describes three bardos that the deceased encounters after death: the Bardo of the moment of death, the Bardo of reality, and the Bardo of rebirth or existence. These bardos are meant to guide the deceased through various visions of peaceful and wrathful deities, helping them recognize these manifestations as reflections of their own mind to achieve enlightenment.
How did the Tibetan Book of the Dead become popular in the West?
The popularity of the Tibetan Book of the Dead in the West can be attributed to Walter Evans Wentz, a theosophist who published the text in 1927. Wentz's publication appealed to Western audiences interested in spiritualism and altered states of mind, leading to the text becoming more of an American spiritual classic than a Tibetan one. This reshaping for an American audience emphasized themes of rebirth and the resurrection of termitexts.
How is the Tibetan Book of the Dead interpreted in the West?
While the Tibetan Book of the Dead is primarily focused on Buddhist rebirth, it has been interpreted in the West more as a psychological or psychedelic classic. The text's history highlights the importance of religious authority and the transmission of sacred texts, similar to how other religions connect their holy books to significant figures for legitimacy. The book's reception in Europe and the United States, especially among those interested in psychology and altered states of consciousness, was influenced by theosophists like Evans Wentz and their claims to ancient lineages.
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Summary
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Influential Tibetan text shapes Jung's Mind.
- Carl Jung was influenced by the Tibetan Book of the Dead in the late 1920s, shaping his theories on the Mind.
- The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a significant Buddhist text, inspiring movies, novelists, and musicians like John Lennon.
- The text is a funerary rite meant to be read aloud to the dying or recently deceased by a llama, a religious teacher in Tibetan Buddhism.
- The Bardo refers to an intermediate state after death but before rebirth, akin to purgatory, where the deceased's consciousness resides.
- The Bardo state aims to liberate the being from the cycle of death and rebirth, with the deceased experiencing various visions guided by the llama.
- The text describes three bardos after death: the Bardo of the moment of death, the Bardo of reality, and the Bardo of rebirth or existence.
- The Bardo beings encounter peaceful and wrathful deities, aiming to recognize them as manifestations of their own mind to achieve enlightenment.
- The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a section of a larger text attributed to the 8th-century tantric Master Padma Sambhava, discovered by a 15-year-old boy named Karma Lingpa in the 14th century.
- The text's popularity in the West was largely due to Walter Evans Wentz, a theosophist who published it in 1927, appealing to Western audiences interested in spiritualism and altered states of mind.
- The Tibetan Book of the Dead, reshaped for an American audience, became more of an American spiritual classic than a Tibetan one, emphasizing rebirth and the resurrection of termitexts.
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Tibetan Book of the Dead: Religious Authority
- The Tibetan Book of the Dead is primarily focused on Buddhist rebirth, but for American audiences, it has been interpreted more as a psychological or psychedelic classic. The history of this text highlights the importance of religious authority and the transmission of sacred texts, similar to how other religions connect their holy books to significant figures for legitimacy.
- The popularity of the Tibetan Book of the Dead in Europe and the United States, especially among those interested in psychology and altered states of consciousness, led to its widespread acceptance. The book's reception in these regions was influenced by theosophists like Evans Wentz, who claimed authority through connections to ancient lineages, and the text's interpretation as a psychological or psychedelic work.
