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Living, Dreaming, Dying: Wisdom for Everyday Life from the Tibetan Book of the Dead
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is one of the best-known Tibetan Buddhist texts. It is also one of the most difficult texts for Westerners to understand. In Living, Dreaming, Dying, Rob Nairn presents the first interpretation of this classic text using a modern Western perspective, avoiding arcane religious terminology, keeping his explanations grounded in everyday language. Nairn explores the concepts used in this highly revered work and brings out their meaning and significance for our daily life. He shows readers how the Tibetan Book of the Dead can help us understand life and self as well as the dying process.
Living, Dreaming, Dying helps readers to "live deliberately"—and confront death deliberately. One thing that prevents us from doing that, according to Nairn, is our tendency to react fearfully whenever change occurs. But if we confront our fear of change and the unknown, we can learn to flow gracefully with the unfolding circumstances of life rather than be at their mercy.
Of course, change occurs throughout our life, but a period of transition also occurs as we pass from the waking state into sleep, and likewise as we pass into death. Therefore the author's teachings apply equally to living as well as to dreaming and dying.
Through meditation instructions and practical exercises, the author explains how
• Explore the mind through the cultivation of deep meditation states and expanded consciousness
• Develop awareness of negative tendencies
• Use deep sleep states and lucid dreaming to increase self-understanding as well as to "train" oneself in how to die so that one is prepared for when the time comes
• Confront and liberate oneself from fear of death and the unknown
Living, Dreaming, Dying helps readers to "live deliberately"—and confront death deliberately. One thing that prevents us from doing that, according to Nairn, is our tendency to react fearfully whenever change occurs. But if we confront our fear of change and the unknown, we can learn to flow gracefully with the unfolding circumstances of life rather than be at their mercy.
Of course, change occurs throughout our life, but a period of transition also occurs as we pass from the waking state into sleep, and likewise as we pass into death. Therefore the author's teachings apply equally to living as well as to dreaming and dying.
Through meditation instructions and practical exercises, the author explains how
• Explore the mind through the cultivation of deep meditation states and expanded consciousness
• Develop awareness of negative tendencies
• Use deep sleep states and lucid dreaming to increase self-understanding as well as to "train" oneself in how to die so that one is prepared for when the time comes
• Confront and liberate oneself from fear of death and the unknown
- GenresDeathBuddhismNonfiction
304 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2003
21 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Rob Nairn
14 books5 followersNairn's first contact with Buddhism was with a Theravadin monk in the 1960s, and he trained in this tradition for around ten years. From 1989 to 1993 he took part in a four-year isolation retreat at the Kagyu Samyé Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre in Scotland.
Currently Nairn is the African representative for Akong Rinpoche and is responsible for eleven Buddhist centres in South Africa and three other African countries.
As he was instructed by the 14th Dalai Lama to teach meditation and Buddhism in 1964 and also instructed by the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa to teach insight meditation in 1979, Nairn spends much of his time teaching and running retreats in Southern Africa as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, the United States, Italy, The Netherlands and Germany.
Currently Nairn is the African representative for Akong Rinpoche and is responsible for eleven Buddhist centres in South Africa and three other African countries.
As he was instructed by the 14th Dalai Lama to teach meditation and Buddhism in 1964 and also instructed by the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa to teach insight meditation in 1979, Nairn spends much of his time teaching and running retreats in Southern Africa as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, the United States, Italy, The Netherlands and Germany.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 30, 2013
The low rating is not based on the quality of the book, but on how much I enjoyed it. It wasn't what I was expecting. If you're looking for a deep discussion of the Buddhist concepts of death, re-birth, and meditation then this book is really interesting. But this is a deep theoretical discussion and the concepts cannot easily be applied to an average person existing outside the Buddhist tradition. Most of the work described is meant to be undertaken with the help of a trained Buddhist guide, so while interesting from a conceptual perspective I couldn't take much away from this book that could be integrated into my own meditation practise.
November 29, 2021
What I do is not more important than who I am; it is what makes up who I am. My spirit lives now and forever.
June 1, 2015
I recently went to workshop lead by Rob and bought few of his books. He is a great teacher. Very close to earth, practical tools and vivid examples. I bought the second editions of the book "Living, dreaming, dying", not sure if it's different from the first one. Amazing book! Highly recommend it to everyone exploring Buddhist view on death and practical consideration on why mindfulness is a great first step to start with during life.
July 26, 2016
Di tutte le cose della vita qual è la più stupefacente?
Il saggio Yadhisthira risponde:
"Che un uomo, vedendo gli altri morire intorno a sé, non pensi mai che morirà anche lui".
[Mahabarata]
Il saggio Yadhisthira risponde:
"Che un uomo, vedendo gli altri morire intorno a sé, non pensi mai che morirà anche lui".
[Mahabarata]
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews