The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
Sogyal Rinpoche’s acclaimed spiritual classic is widely regarded as one of the most complete and authoritative presentations of the Tibetan Buddhist teachings ever written.
“May this book be a guide to liberation, read by the living, and to the dying and for the dead. May it help all who read it and spur them on their journey to Enlightenment.” – Sogyal Rinpoche
A manual for life and death and a source of inspiration from the heart of the Tibetan tradition, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying provides a lucid and inspiring introduction to the practice of meditation, to the nature of mind, to karma and rebirth, to compassionate love and care for the dying, and to the trials and rewards of the spiritual path.
“When my daughter was terminally ill, I read passages from ‘The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying’ and felt comforted by the directness of the text. Here was a book about death and dying, written from a place of joy. This book normalised death in a way that helped me breathe. It helped me realise I couldn’t stop what was coming, but I could probably make it a little easier for my daughter.” – JD
“I must say this book is really making me want to return to my own religion—not in the form that I used to know! In fact by reading this book I find some unfathomable parts of my religion explained. So every page and chapter I read makes me want to read more and understand more!” – SJR
“May this book be a guide to liberation, read by the living, and to the dying and for the dead. May it help all who read it and spur them on their journey to Enlightenment.”
– Sogyal Rinpoche
The Story of the Book
Over more than three decades The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying has touched and supported people from all walks of life. There were those who found it gave them a deep inspiration or a clear sense of direction and meaning. There were many who said it had transformed the death of a loved one or helped them at other critical moments in their lives, for example struggling with grief or depression; or facing their own death at home, in hospital, or a hospice; or even on death row. Some told of how they had read the book two or three times all the way through and still return to it at moments of crisis. Others kept it by their bedside and used it to dip into repeatedly for guidance and inspiration.
In various places, medical and educational institutions adopted the book for their training courses and made use of its methods and practices. One award-winning palliative care doctor said: “these tools gave me a way to offer help to those who were suffering in ways that I couldn’t address medically.” A woman in Chennai, India, was so affected by the book that she opened a medical foundation for the terminally ill. In the United States, a man happened to be reading the chapters on death when his son was shot dead while delivering a pizza. Joining together with the father of the teenage gunman, he created a foundation for teaching nonviolence in schools.
The teachings of Tibetan Buddhism have been called one of the last ancient wisdom traditions on earth. They are extraordinarily profound and relevant because they transmit a special understanding of the mind or, to be more precise, the knowledge of our true nature—the innermost, essential nature of the mind. In practice, they empower us to thrive in the world with kindness, compassion, resilience, and equanimity. These crucial instructions have been handed down meticulously over centuries from masters to their students in an unbroken line to the present day. What this book contains then is the heart essence of this oral lineage, and these are the very same teachings that Sogyal Rinpoche received from his teachers. As a result, this book is full of the blessings of the lineage, and from the viewpoint of the tradition, this must be the ultimate source of whatever impact or benefit it has had.
One last word, which comes from the experience of some readers of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: They have found that if you have a question that is playing on your mind, and you just keep it quietly in your heart as you read, you may just find that some intuition, insight, or understanding is revealed. And it may reveal itself even more, the more you keep on reading.
Watch an Excerpt
The following videos give the essence of some of the main themes in this book, from a public talk given by Sogyal Rinpoche in Sydney in 2012. The talk was entitled ‘The Art of Living and Dying, The Heart Essence of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.’
Find more videos from this talk on Rigpa’s online platform, Prajna.
Find a course
Rigpa groups around the world and online offer regular courses based on The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. These courses provide a supportive space to explore themes such as meditation, impermanence, karma, and the process of dying. These courses offer the opportunity to reflect deeply, share experiences with others, and discover how these timeless teachings can bring insight and meaning to everyday life.
Current Courses
Watch an Excerpt
The following videos give the essence of some of the main themes in this book, from a public talk given by Sogyal Rinpoche in Sydney in 2012. The talk was entitled ‘The Art of Living and Dying, The Heart Essence of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.’
Find more videos from this talk on Rigpa’s online platform, Prajna.
Sogyal Rinpche
Facing Death is Facing Ourselves
Sogyal Rinpche
Simplifying Life
Sogyal Rinpche
Some Profound Advice on Meditation