LIVING, DREAMING, DYING: Practical Wisdom from the Tibetan Book of the Dead

"Death is our greatest opportunity" for enlightenment, claims Nairn, a student of Jungian psychology and international teacher of Buddhism. Drawing parallels between the "unseen psychological forces" operating in the human mind and the teachings in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Nairn outlines six distinct consciousness-states, called bardos, that humans encounter—three in life and three in death. By appropriately training one's mind in the life bardos—gaining skill in lucid dreaming and mindfulness, for example—one can "die skillfully" and (after dying) recognize and exploit the unique opportunities the death bardos offer for enlightenment. Having laid this foundation, Nairn then addresses such topics as overcoming fear and habitual tendencies, cultivating compassion, helping the dying and assisting the dead—by, for example, reading to the corpse to encourage the person (now in the death bardos) to "merge with the bright light." Nairn often blends disciplines, as when he sets traditional Buddhist teachings on attachment within the psychological concept of projection. At times Nairn's discussions, particularly his descriptions of the death bardos, are vivid and engaging, but at other times he writes in terms so broad that his meaning is obscured rather than elucidated. Dedicated students, however, may find that Nairn's unique psychology-oriented approach provides a "workable angle" into the esoteric teachings of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. (July)