Luminous Emptiness: Understanding the Tibetan Book of the Dead

by Francesca Fremantle

Francesca Fremantle, who many years ago helped produce a translation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, has now taken it upon herself to unravel its complexities. Fortunately, she begins with the basic tenets of Buddhism, including karma and reincarnation, then gradually moves out to more complicated notions such as bardo (in-between state), the nonmaterial side of the elements, the ego, and psychological imprisonment. Before we even get to the text itself, we understand that as much as The Tibetan Book of the Dead is about the death experience, it also symbolizes the processes of life. Only while living can we prepare for death. In the final third of Luminous Emptiness, Fremantle begins to follow the step-by-step processes of the after-death experience, explaining difficult notions and adding background information. Anyone serious about using The Tibetan Book of the Dead will find Luminous Emptiness the next best thing to having one's own personal guru. --Brian Bruya

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Philosophy, Death, Religion

432 pages, Hardcover

First published March 11, 2001

Reviews

[Dave O'Neal]

Quite simply, this book changed the way I perceive the world.

[Meg]

good riddance 😪

[Treasure]

The Tibetan Book of the Dead is often misunderstood by it's title. I once read that when it was published, The Egyptian Book of the Dead was selling like hot cakes and so the publisher thought, "Might as well..."
This particular book I find quite scholarly and while it's certainly isn't a fast read, it is very interesting.
Still reading, so more to come....

[Jampa]

Wonderful book. Very detailed.

[A.B. McFarland]

It's not the "Tibetan Book of the Dead" itself, though it does have excerpts. This is an in depth guide full of amazing information, clearly presented. Definitely worth rereading again and again.

[Nicole]

After reading Raymond Moody's Life After Life, I thought I'd try checking out the Tibetan Book of the Dead again (las time I tried a different translation that I found too difficult). This translation was more clear and engaging.

I read up to chapter 6 and then skipped ahead. Up to chapter 5 I was engaged, but the fifth chapter explaining the elements was a drudge for me. So partway through six, I skipped ahead to chapter 11 wherein it starts to speak about the death process (specifically page 212 in my ebook version). At some point in this chapter, I gave up.

[Elizabeth Traver]

A great primer on Vajrayana Buddhism and easy to understand walk-through of Bardo Thodol. I appreciate how the book is written in such a way that a beginner could pick it up and understand. She does a great job introducing key concepts that are foundational to Vajrayana Buddhism, moves to more complex practices and then finishes with the Bardo teachings.

[David]

A solid companion reader for The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Diving into ancient Tibetan Buddhism, I found myself in over my head with the vast amount of new terminology to learn. Luminous Emptiness helped... somewhat. I'm still confused, but it was a welcome guide on this journey through the afterlife.

[Jeff Bauer]

Read for a course. A little dense but overall helpful

[Jaxon Garrick]

luminous emptiness is a book of Buddhism. It is used as a guide to help understand the Tibetan book of the dead and does a fantastic job doing so. It makes sense of the all the things that might not come clearly to westerners and people looking at Buddhism for the first time. It uses fantastic analogies and very compelling stories to help you understand everything within it. It is a definite read for someone looking to discover Buddhism.

[Michael]

Francesca Fremantle does an exquisite job in presenting a clear background on the Tibetan Book of the Dead (whose original title is Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo). For all intensive purposes, Luminous Emptiness was my first in-depth introduction to Vajrayana Buddhism, also known as Tibetan Buddhism. Great book for beginners and adepts alike.

[Kate]

You will learn about the basic of Buddhism in a clear unambiguous way.