Luminous Emptiness: Understanding the Tibetan Book of the Dead

by Francesca Fremantle

The Tibetan Book of the Dead, a best-seller for three decades, is one of the most widely read texts of Tibetan Buddhism. Over the years, it has been studied and cherished by Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. Luminous Emptiness is a detailed guide to this classic work, elucidating its mysterious concepts, terms, and imagery. Fremantle relates the symbolic world of the Tibetan Book of the Dead to the experiences of everyday life, presenting the text not as a scripture for the dying, but as a guide for the living.

According to the Buddhist view, nothing is permanent or fixed. The entire world of our experience is constantly appearing and disappearing at every moment. Using vivid and dramatic imagery, the Tibetan Book of the Dead presents the notion that most of us are living in a dream that will continue from lifetime to lifetime until we truly awaken by becoming enlightened. Here, Fremantle, who worked closely with Chögyam Trungpa on the 1975 translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead (Shambhala), brings the expertise of a lifetime of study to rendering this intriguing classic more accessible and meaningful to the living.

Luminous Emptiness features in-depth explanations

   •  The Tibetan Buddhist notions of death and rebirth
   •  The meaning of the five energies and the five elements in Tibetan Buddhism
   •  The mental and physical experience of dying, according to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition

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

428 pages, Paperback

First published March 11, 2001

Reviews

[Dave O'Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

good riddance 😪

[Jampa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. Very detailed.

[A.B. McFarland · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a course. A little dense but overall helpful

[Jaxon Garrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[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....

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

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