It would be useful to briefly examine the contents of the established Tibetan work, which was to be translated into English under the title of The Tibetan Book of the Dead. First of all, the original Tibetan title of this work is Bardo Thodol, and it means ‘liberation by hearing on the after death plane’ (http://www.summum.us/mummification/tbotd/). As this original title implies, the book is written to be ‘a guide for those who have died as they transition from their former life to a new destination’ (ibid). The book contains the unique notion of Entering into the Womb that allegedly takes place during the period of so-called After Death, and it is argued that this notion can be connected to ‘one of the most significant canonical sources for Tibetan medical literature devoted to the science of human reproduction and growth’ (http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/dead/sutras.html).
For closing this short entry, it would be appropriate to quote from the web site above to provide further information for those who are interested in Tibetan literature in general.
‘In Tibetan medicine, human physical development is frequently explained as being analogous to the development of the universe. In this way, the ordinary dying and rebirth process is understood directly in terms of the ebb and flow of the cosmos. The Sutra on Entering into the Womb details the progression of a transmigrating consciousness from the final moment of death, to conception in the future mother’s womb’ (ibid).
For reading the text in full: http://wrex2009.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/the-tibetan-book-of-the-dead-the-establishment-of-the-work/
No comments:
Post a Comment