About a Book
Six months ago I visited a friend. On coming to her orderly organized bookshelf, my eyes were drawn to The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. When I glanced through it, a line jumped out at me: "It is absolutely certain that we will die, and it is uncertain when or how we will die". My greatest fear since my father’s death, confronting me in black and white. So without giving second thought, I borrowed the book from my friend even though I am unfamiliar with Buddhism.
So today is the day I have eventually finished the book after taking like maybe 5 months…6 months reading and trying to comprehend it as it was much too complicated for me to understand. This is a great book indeed. The book provides an introduction to the practice of meditation, to the nature of mind, to karma and rebirth, to love and care for the dying by offering them spiritual assistance, and to the trials and rewards of the spiritual path. I especially loved the part where there are stories about the applications of the methods in the book when someone close died, and to cope with the pain of bereavement. When I was halfway through it, I somehow thought I should have actually read it earlier…far earlier before my father’s death. So that I could have it guides me through the grieving process. And the stories about the state of conciousness after death were truly amazing.
The book gave me so much of thoughts everytime after reading it. And now I no longer fear of death, I could think of death without having the hopeless, depressed and shivery feeling; not that I’m preparing myself for death, it’s that I have to learn how to make the most of my precious life.
