Tibetan Book of the Dead

The Tibetan Book of the Dead, or The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, is something I have been interested in for quite some time. The book comes from the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, a particularly extravagant form that incorporates much of the imagery leftover from the country's ancient Bon religion.

After watching Enter The Void my interest was renewed in getting around to reading it, and I set about trying to obtain a copy identical to the lovely publication in Gaspar Noe's film. Following some research I came across the book, published only in 1972, by Peter Pauper Press. It took a long time of scouring the internet, but I eventually found a website advertising no more than 3 copies: one in the UK, one in the USA and one in Australia. Due to the varying conditions, I went for the best, a copy from Australia that was described as having little damage. In fact, upon receiving the book I identified not a single mark or dent whatsoever.

I read the book cover to cover in a matter of hours, understanding the imagery of deities from a metaphorical point of view, and marvelling at the way in which it continuously stressed that the visions seen after death were a product of the mind, and not to be feared.

These ideas fit in perfectly with our own project, and really show a similarity to descriptions of hallucinogenic experiences. As inspiration for the project I couldn't have asked for anything better. In writing our treatment, I would like to focus upon the spiritual elements that may arise during a psychedelic experience, and turn the journey from a psychoactive one, towards a spiritual one.