A review by 23149014345613
Тибетская книга мертвых by Chögyam Trungpa

4.0

If I had to pick a religion, I'd pick Buddhism. I don't buy into any of the demons or gods or reincarnation stuff (which is what turned me off from it when I first got interested as a kid) but I've always loved the focus on mental fortitude, self-awareness and self-control. This book has some crazy cool imagery (Lords of Death who "lick up thy brain, drink thy blood, eat thy flesh and gnaw thy bones") but at the end of the day reminds you that these figures are symbolic ("in reality there are no such things existing outside oneself as Lord of Death") and the true enemy to be conquered is not Death but Fear. I'm not trying to discredit anyone's experience of Buddhism that may be more esoteric and mystical, but for my money, as a person looking for a frank discussion of death and the philosophy of dying, this was a fun, quick read with some neat imagery. Side note: I bought a cheap copy online, not the one pictured here, and the typesetting and translation were truly atrocious, which really interfered with my enjoyment (but that didn't effect my rating).